Recap: Wild 5, Islanders 3

The New York Islanders' two-game winning streak was snapped on Monday, as the Isles fell 5-3 to the Minnesota Wild at Barclays Center.
A 4:12 stretch in the second period ultimately cost the Islanders, as Minnesota scored three quick goals to turn a 2-1 Isles lead into a 4-2 deficit. Tyler Ennis' goal to cap the three-goal burst at 14:06 of the second period held up as the winner.

"I think it was 4-2 them in the second and I felt like we were resoundingly the better team at that point," Head Coach Doug Weight said. "But we just couldn't come back."
The loss dropped the Islanders (64 points) out of the second wild card. The Isles are still tied with Carolina in points, but the Hurricanes have played one fewer game.
Here are three takeaways from Monday's game:

ISLES GIVE UP THREE GOALS IN 4:12:

When Anders Lee's 30th goal of the season put the Islanders ahead 2-1 early in the second period, the Isles felt that the score finally reflected the way they were playing.
The Islanders outattempted the Wild 33-18 in the first period (75-50 on the game), but were stuck in a 1-1 tie, with Joel Eriksson Ek's deflection opening the scoring at 7:02 and Ross Johnston's deflection evening it in at 19:15. Lee's goal - another deflection - put the Isles in the driver's seat.
But the game took a turn midway through the second period and in the only elongated stretch where the Isles ceded control of the game, they lost it. Minnesota scored three goals in a 4:12 stretch, turning a 2-1 Isles lead into a 4-2 advantage for the Wild.
"It was sort of bang, bag, bang," Thomas Hickey said. "You try to stop it at one, instead of three goals in a row. I talked about it last week, we have to get better at the swings and the momentum of hockey games. They're playing a good hockey game and then you go down by two."

It started with a Matt Cullen breakaway, as the veteran forward snapped a shot high on Jaroslav Halak (27 saves) at 9:54. The next two happened quickly, with Jason Zucker ripping a one-timer from the high slot at 12:17 for his first of two goals and Tyler Ennis making quick work of a Cullen feed before potting a backhand at 14:06.
Lee said the Cullen breakaway, which doubled as a 2-on-0 rush, took a bit of the wind out of the Isles sails.
"All the wind was out of our sails after that and then they just took over four or five minutes," Lee said. "All of a sudden we're trailing two, trailing one, whatever it is, and we had our backs against the wall."
Tanner Fritz's first NHL goal at 16:31 tipped the momentum back in the Islanders' favor and set up a third period push, where the Islanders did everything but score. Zucker put the game out of reach with his second of the night, a one-timer from the slot at 16:38.

LEE NETS 30TH GOAL:

Anders Lee scored his 30th goal of the season on Monday, marking the second straight 30-goal campaign for the Isles forward.
"You always want to try to build off of years prior and continue to strive to be better," Lee said. "Last year was a good indication of what I'm capable of doing and I went into this summer knowing it was going to be that much harder to do it again."
Last season Lee's 30th came on April 2, so the Isles forward is well ahead of last season's schedule, where he scored a career-high 34 goals. It seems that 30 goals - which has Lee tied for fourth in the NHL - is the new standard for the power forward and no longer a lofty goal.

FRITZ' FIRST:

Tanner Fritz scored his first NHL goal on Monday, whipping a wrister top corner past Devan Dubnyk (32 saves).
He'd rather it have come with a win, but the first NHL tally was a dream come true and a self-described monkey off the back for the young forward, who netted it in his 14th career game.
"Obviously very exciting. I didn't think it was gonna take this long, but it's been an unreal feeling, something I'll always remember," Fritz said. "It's a great moment for me… It's nice to get the first one and hopefully more will come now."
Fritz missed five games with a lower-body injury, but has looked like a more confident player since returning on Thursday against the Rangers. He said the time away helped him catch his breath and renewed his confidence after playing a more hesitant game during his first recall.
"I feel better, the best I've felt since I've been up here," Fritz said. "I think before I was being more hesitant, like waiting for things to come, but now I'm just playing aggressive, finishing my checks. I think when you do that, good things happen to you, pucks start to come to you and you just feel like you have the puck a little bit more. Just gotta keep playing that way and hopefully keep building."

POSTGAME VIDEO:

Video: MIN 5 vs NYI 3: Doug Weight