3 Takeaways: Isles Lose Late Lead, Fall 5-4 in OT to Sharks

The New York Islanders let a 4-1 lead slip away and turn into a 5-4 OT loss to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night, snaping a two-game win streak in the process.

Julien Gauthier, Brock Nelson (PPG), Mike Reilly (SHG) and Ryan Pulock (PPG) built a 4-1 advantage that held through the 51 minutes, but the Islanders fell apart late in the third period. Tomas Hertl scored a hat trick, while a supporting goal from Kevin Labanc forced the extra frame. William Eklund’s OT winner capped a Sharks comeback with five seconds to play in the extra frame, the last of four straight goals from San Jose, who entered the game as the last-place team in the NHL.

“We had the game under control with eight and a half minutes left,” Head Coach Lane Lambert said. “To lose that hockey game is sin.”

Ilya Sorokin stopped 29 of 34 shots in the overtime loss, while Kaapo Kahkonen made 33 saves in the win. Despite the “unacceptable” loss, the Islanders have points in nine of their last ten games (5-1-4).

ISLANDERS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE IN THIRD PERIOD:

The Islanders third period struggles resurfaced on Tuesday night, as the team gave up three goals in the span of 6:35 to get a 4-1 lead slip away and turn into a 4-4 tie.

“I don’t have any words for that,” Anders Lee said. “It was bad, really bad.”

Kevin Labanc’s deflection at 11:55 cut the Islanders lead to 4-2, while Tomas Hertl netted a pair of goals 1:41 apart with the Sharks' net empty to tie the game at four apiece. After knocking in a pinballing puck to make it 4-3, Hertl tied the score with 1:30 to play after the Islanders failed to clear the puck out of their zone.

“They scored a goal and got some momentum,” said Noah Dobson, who, along with Bo Horvat, hit the post in overtime. “We got on our heels a bit and they took advantage of it. It’s on us, we just have to be better.”

The Sharks completed their first third-period comeback of the season, improving to 1-15-0 when trailing after two periods. San Jose also picked up their first win when allowing the opening goal, improving to 1-13-0.

Tuesday’s loss marked the second time the Islanders had blown a three-goal lead this season, previously doing so in a4-3 OTL loss to CAR on Nov. 4 . The loss also accounted for the sixth instance the Islanders allowed three goals in the final frame, the same total from their 82-game slate last season, washing away solid performances in the first two periods. The Islanders have blown eight multi-goal leads this season and are 3-1-4 in those games.

“We played a really good hockey game and messed it all up in the last few minutes,” Lee said. “Just unhappy with this. This is just can't happen anymore. We really have to figure this out.”

ISLANDERS SEE BRIGHT SPOT IN SPECIAL TEAMS

Before the game got away from the Islanders, New York saw some solid work from their special teams, which helped build a 4-1 lead. 

The Islanders got the help of two power-play goals and a shorthanded tally In the first 48 minutes of the contest.

Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock found the back of the net on the power play, as the man advantage went 2-for-3 on the night and converted for the fourth straight game. The Islanders are 5-for-13 (38.4%) in their last four contests and snapped a five-game power play drought at home, scoring for the first time on home ice since Nov. 7.

Simon Holmstrom recorded his first assists of the season and his first multi-point game of the season with the primary helper on both Reilly’s shorthanded goal and Gauthier’s opening tally. The young winger leads the NHL with shorthanded points (4) and has nine points (7G, 2A) through 23 games this season.

REILLY SCORES IN HOME DEBUT:

Mike Reilly scored a shorthanded goal in his home debut for the Islanders. Joining the play off the bench, Reilly found open ice to receive a quality feed from Holmstrom, blasting a shot over the glove of Kahkonen to take a 3-1 advantage.

“It took me maybe a couple games, but I’m starting to come around here,” Reilly said. The guys have been great, and coaches are vocal and helpful. Everyone's been great to make me feel more comfortable.” 

With a two-point night (1G, 1A), Reilly reached his milestone 100th NHL point. In his sixth game with the Islanders, the veteran defenseman recorded three shots on goal, two hits, two blocked shots in 12:22 TOI.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night at UBS Arena. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.