Takeaways: Islanders Let Lead Slip, Fall 6-3 to Panthers

The New York Islanders dropped a 6-3 decision to the Florida Panthers on Saturday night at UBS Arena in the second half of a back-to-back set.

Dennis Cholowski, Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson built a 3-0 lead by the 11:41 mark of the first period, but New York allowed six unanswered goals from Matthew Tkachuk (2G), Sam Reinhart, Mackie Samoskevich, Sam Bennett and Gustav Forsling (EN). Semyon Varlamov allowed five goals on 27 shots in the loss, while Spencer Knight stopped 25 of 28 shots faced for the win.

The Isles pounced first on the Panthers, with Cholowski scoring a goal 1:32 into the game in his season debut. The defenseman wristed a shot from the point that found a way through traffic and Spencer Knight to get a 1-0 jump on the Cats. Kyle Palmieri doubled the lead with a strong net-front effort, tipping a shot on net and burying his own rebound for his fourth goal of the season.

Palmieri whizzed around the boards, chipped the puck to Max Tsyplakov, whose shot missed wide for Brock Nelson to bank it behind Knight for a commanding 3-0 lead 11:41 into the first period.

The reigning Stanley Cup champs wouldn’t go down easy - as they began to slowly, but gradually, to claw back. A neutral zone turnover led to a wide-open Sam Reinhart rushing in on with time and space to move in on Varlamov and beat him glove-side. Matthew Tkachuk set an effective screen and was in position to jam in a Carter Verhaeghe rebound to get Florida within one.

The Isles best chance to retaliate in the middle frame was a sequence that ended with Mathew Barzal hitting the post after a feed from Bo Horvat, preceded by a nice play from Simon Holmstrom.

The Panthers got even late in the middle frame, as Mackie Samoskevich burst into the Isles zone with speed and scored his first NHL goal with a wraparound that knotted the game at three apiece at the 18:16 mark of the period.

“They just started working, and we didn't,” Anders Lee said. “We got our game and we got our legs in the first and the second, they showed up and turned the game around.”

Sam Bennett deflected in the go-ahead goal at 6:19 of the third, while Tkachuk added some padding for the Panthers with a power-play goal to take a 5-3 lead. Forsling buried an empty net goal to seal the deal.

"We knew it'd be a 60-minute game," Head Coach Patrick Roy said. "I mean, come on, these guys won the Stanley Cup, they know how to win, they know how to come back. It's 60-minute game, so even if you win the first period, 2-0 or 3-0, you know that there's a lot of hockey to be played. We had chances, we just didn't get the goal that could have made a difference.”

THREE ISLES MAKE SEASON DEBUTS, PLUS LINEUP NOTES

Matt Martin and Pierre Engvall both made their season debuts on Saturday, skating on a line centered by Kyle MacLean.

Martin recorded two hits and two shots (one on goal, one blocked attempt) in 9:45 TOI, while Engvall recorded one hit, two blocked attempts in 10:37 TOI.

"Having Marty back in the lineup, he brings leadership experience and that physicality that we feel, and Lou thinks is important for us," Roy said. "And Pierre, we know what he did for this team in the past two years, and Lou thought it was a good moment for him to be back and play."

The team announced on Saturday that Martin signed a one-year deal with the club. Martin put in the work during training camp and throughout his PTO, maintaining a strong work ethic when the team was on the road and his efforts did not go unnoticed.

“That’s why you stick around on a PTO, the way this business works with injuries,” Martin said. “Never hope no one gets injured, but it's part of the game and the opportunity presented itself. I'm happy to be a part of your team in whatever capacity that is.”

In light of Alexander Romanov’s upper-body injury, Cholowski made his season debut, skating with Scott Mayfield in his third game for the Islanders. Cholowski netted the Isles opening goal, recorded three shots (two on goal, one blocked) in 11:58 TOI.

Noah Dobson skated on a pair with Mike Reilly, while the duo of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock remained the same.

NOTABLE QUOTE

Roy on what the Isles can learn from a tough loss to swallow:

"I felt like we could learn a lot from that game, from [the Panthers], in a way that they never panicked. They were down 3-0, they just kept playing the same way, and they came back in the game."

ODDS AND ENDS

- Max Tsyplakov recorded his first multi-point game with two assists.
- Noah Dobson led the team with four shots on goal and had a team-high 25:01 TOI.
- Casey Cizikas had a team-high four hits.
- Cholowski scored his first goal with the Isles
- Palmieri netted his 250th career goal.

NEXT GAME

The Islanders will be back in action on Tuesday when they host the Anaheim Ducks at UBS Arena in the first half of a back-to-back set. Puck drop is at 7 p.m.