Takeaways: Islanders Drop 4-1 Decision to Panthers

The New York Islanders fell to the Florida Panthers 4-1 on Sunday night on the second half of a back-to-back set, ending their winning streak at three games.

Mathew Barzal scored for the Islanders but it wasn’t enough to combat offense from Uvis Balinskis, Carter Verhaeghe (GWG), Seth Jones and Sam Reinhart (ENG). David Rittich stopped 26 of 29 shots faced in the loss while Daniil Tarasov made 20 saves in the win.

The Islanders fell in the second half of a back-to-back set for the first time of the season (4-1-0).

“I feel like we could have been a little more connected,” Head Coach Patrick Roy said. “Overall, that was a touch schedule. We played Tampa twice, played Colorado, back-to-back games here. Three out of four, that’s pretty good. We gave ourselves a chance to get back in this game.”

TAKEAWAYS

• The Islanders didn’t test Tarasov much in the third period – putting up three shots on goal in the final frame – but it was a 2-1 game until the 13:57 mark of the third period, when Jones beat Rittich glove side to take a 3-1 advantage.

“We didn’t have enough of a push,” Kyle MacLean said. “We had a little bit of trouble sustaining offense tonight.”

• The Islanders fell in a 2-0 deficit by the 7:05 mark of the second period, surrendering goals to Balinskis and Verhaeghe. Rittich was beat on a screen on the first goal, as Balinskis’ point shot found its way through at the 12:14 mark of the first. Max Shabanov bobbled the puck in the defensive zone and Verhaeghe plucked it and wristed a shot past Rittich in the second period.

- Roy moved Shabanov to a line with Cal Ritchie and Anthony Duclair, elevating Simon Holmstrom to a trio with Emil Heineman and Bo Horvat. Roy called it a “learning moment” on the speed of the game,” for the Russian winger.

“He’s learning very fast and very well,” Roy said. “He had some great flashes but he’s going to continue to learn and that’s the beauty of our game.”

- Barzal’s backhander got the Isles on the board, connecting on Matthew Schaefer’s pass from the slot. The goal marked Barzal’s ninth of the season.

- With his 21st point of the season on Sunday, Schaefer surpassed Ray Bourque (20) for the second-most points by an 18-year-old defenseman through 30 NHL games. The only blueliner with more is Phil Housley (26 points in 30 games).

- JG Pageau missed his eighth straight game with an upper-body injury.

NEXT GAME

The Islanders return home to take on the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday at UBS Arena. Puck drop is set for 7PM.