3 Takeaways: Isles Tie Game Late, Fall 3-2 in Shootout to Blackhawks

The New York Islanders point streak reached three games in dramatic fashion on Sunday night, but ultimately the team's winless streak continued in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks at UBS Arena.
Noah Dobson scored the game-tying goal with 3.6 seconds to play in the third period, sending the Isles to overtime for a third-straight game. Patrick Kane scored the lone goal in the three-round shootout and instead of the Isles first-ever win at UBS Arena, the Islanders winless streak reached 11 games (0-8-3).

"It's unfortunate we didn't get the second point, but we're building here," Josh Bailey said. "There's some positives, it's starting to feel right again, but there's still more. Baby steps. This isn't going to happen overnight, but we're trending in the right direction and have to keep working and keep our heads up."
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (PPG), Chicago's Brandon Hagel (PPG) and Dylan Strome all scored in regulation. Semyon Varlamov stopped 24-of-26 shots in regulation/OT, as well as one of two in the shootout, while Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 22-of-24 in regulation/OT and all three Islanders attempts in the bonus round.

ISLANDERS BUILDING, BUT CAN'T BREAK THROUGH:

The Islanders feel like their game has been building over the past three games, enough to at least get themselves to the brink.
Sunday marked the second-straight game the Islanders fought to tie the score in the third period, a mark of the team's no-quit attitude in the face of adversity.
"The last two nights we're down a puck and going through what we have in the last couple of weeks here, it shows a lot about the group, they didn't give up, they went right to the end," Head Coach Barry Trotz said.
BLACKHAWKS 3, ISLANDERS 2 SO
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Down 2-1 in the waning minutes, the Islanders dug deep for the tying goal. Varlamov, who was solid in his first game since Nov. 24 kept the Islanders alive by stopping a partial breakaway from Alex DeBrincat.
With Varlamov out for the extra attacker, the Islanders pressed, funneling pucks towards Fleury. With 10 seconds to play, Mathew Barzal drew two Blackhawks in close at the half wall before feeding Dobson at the point. The defenseman took a stride in and snapped a wrister from the top of the circle low blocker on Fleury, securing a much-needed point.
"We've been doing some good things in the last three games," Pageau said. "We want that extra point, but we're building right now. I think our game is going in the right direction. You see, when you score like that at the end, that the team is ready to play a full 60. Everyone showed up tonight. [Varlamov] kept us in the game and gave us a chance to get that extra goal. [Dobson] was everywhere tonight on the ice. To get that goal was huge for us."
The point felt deserved after a bad-luck bounce led to Chicago's 2-1 tally. Tied 1-1 in the third period, Strome put Chicago ahead at 5:59, intercepting a Sebastian Aho clearing attempt and roofing it past Varlamov. The play was started by defenseman Erik Gustafsson, who attended Islanders training camp on a professional tryout, as he skated the puck through the neutral zone. Gustafsson looked for a centering feed that hit a skate before Aho's attempted clear.
The teams exchanged power-play goals in the first 30 minutes of action. Brandon Hagel deflected an DeBrincat drive past Varlamov at 6:49 of the first period to make it 1-0. Chicago's power play was 1-for-16 in the eight games prior to Sunday.
The Islanders suddenly-hot power play evened things up in the second period, converting for the third time in the past two games. Barzal sent a nifty no-look pass to Aho who put a shot into traffic that Pageau deflected past Fleury at 8:03 of the second.

DOBSON DELIVERING CONFIDENT PLAY:

Dobson's first goal of the season came in dramatic fashion on Sunday, but the defenseman's game had been trending in the right direction ahead of the game-tying goal.
The 21-year-old blueliner played a career-high 26:14 on Sunday night with a team-high five shots and 10 shot attempts. Dobson showed poise, taking a few Blackhawks one-on-one, looking to weave his way in and out of offensive chances.
Dobson said he has looked to elevate his game over the past few weeks, especially as defensive regulars have been sidelined with injuries and COVID-19.
"In the last couple of weeks we've had some guys go down and we've been playing shorthanded a bit. I've tried to elevate and step up," Dobson said. "As a d-core as a whole that's what we've tried to do. We're missing a few guys back there so just continue to do that and play with confidence."
Trotz said Dobson has been "forced to grow up quick in tough situations" but he's seen that of late - not sheltering the blueliner against top-tier players, like Kane or Jonathan Toews on Sunday.
Dobson now has six points (1G, 5A) in 18 games this season, tops among Isles blueliners.

PAGEAU PICKS UP POWER-PLAY GOAL:

Like Dobson, Pageau also had an active night on Sunday.
The center put the Islanders on the board in the second period, deflecting a Aho point shot past Fleury at 8:03.
The power-play goal marked Pageau's first tally since Nov. 4 against Montreal, snapping an 11-game goal drought in the process.
"The season is long. You go through some highs, you go through some lows. It's good for my confidence to get this one," Pageau said.
Pageau was the Islanders best faceoff man on Sunday night, going 15-4 at the dot. Pageau assumed more responsibility on draws with both Brock Nelson and Casey Cizikas out, and the Islanders only icing three true centermen.

NEXT GAME:

The Islanders travel up to Ottawa to take on the Senators on Tuesday night. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.