GAME RECAP: Islanders 4, Oilers 2

ELMONT, NY – Learn from your mistakes and move on quickly from this one.

Forward Bo Horvat registered a hat-trick, including the game-winning goal on the power play with 4:46 left in the third period, as the Edmonton Oilers were prone to turnovers and mistakes on Thursday night in a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the New York Islanders at UBS Arena.

Leon Draisaitl recorded his third goal of the season on the man advantage less than two minutes after Mat Barzal opened the scoring for the Islanders late in the first period off a giveaway committed by Evan Bouchard. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins gave the Oilers the lead with his second of the campaign 8:53 into the middle frame, but the penalties and mistakes continued in the third period, where they ended up costing the Blue & Orange points on Long Island.

Horvat's first goal of the night with the Islanders shorthanded before the intermission evened things up heading into the deciding final 20 minutes, where he notched the eventual winner on the power play in the last five minutes before adding an empty-netter to complete his hat-trick in the final seconds.

"Just being too sloppy," said Nugent-Hopkins. "I thought it was the same at the start of the Rangers game, too. We obviously talked about it and wanted to address it, but didn't do good enough job of that tonight. But obviously, we'll move on and look to keep it simpler, especially at the start of the game.

"You just can't turn the puck over and let them get momentum. I thought we responded better in the second period, but got away a little bit."

The Oilers went 1-for-4 on the power play, conceding a shorthanded goal to Horvat, while the power play finished 1-for-5.

"We've got to address it as a team," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "We always talk about things that we're doing well, and things that we need to improve on. Giving up the odd man rushes, that's obviously one of them, and the penalties, we gotta sort that out and not be on the kill as often like tonight."

Stuart Skinner performed well by making 22 saves on 25 shots, including two high-danger saves on Anthony Duclair and Bo Horvat on each side of the first intermission, but the 26-year-old netminder wasn't able to secure his 100th career victory in a disappointing defeat for the Oilers.

Forwards David Tomasek and Connor McDavid, along with defenceman Ty Emberson, contributed assists in the defeat.

The Oilers fall to 2-1-1 on the season as they prepare to continue their five-game road trip on Saturday afternoon with the first of back-to-back games against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.

TURNOVER TROUBLE, BUT ALL TIED UP

It wasn't the smoothest of opening frames from the Oilers after committing eight total turnovers in the period, but a power-play goal less than two minutes later from Leon Draisaitl before the first intermission made up for Evan Bouchard's mistake in the neutral zone that allowed the Islanders to open the scoring.

Early in the contest, Bouchard attempted a breakout pass from below Edmonton's goal line that struck the skate of Mat Barzal, redirecting it to a wide-open Kyle Palmieri in front before the Islanders' forward went to the backhand and hit the post behind Stuart Skinner to provide an early let-off for the Oilers.

The Oilers received the game's first power play 4:45 into the period, which was quickly taken off the board when McDavid tripped up Alexander Romanov in the corner after the puck bobbled off his stick just 18 seconds into the man advantage.

Upon the expiry of his infraction, the captain came out of the box and was fed the puck up ice for a rush that saw him go around the Islanders' net for a wrap-around that produced a dangerous rebound for David Tomasek, who couldn't put the secondary opportunity away past netminder David Rittich.

Draisaitl made a terrific pass to his linemate Jack Roslovic inside the six-minute mark of the frame, throwing a backhand across the slot to set up the newcomer to Edmonton for a one-timer in the left circle that Rittich did a good job turning aside by getting over to the near post to close the opening.

Turnovers were a theme early for the Oilers, and it was Bouchard who committed the biggest error when his fanned pass in the neutral zone was intercepted by Barzal, leading to the Islanders' forward going in alone and roofing it over the glove of Skinner on his forehand at 3:33 of the frame to open the scoring.

"They were sneaking in behind us, and we didn't have awareness in picking it up," Knoblauch said. "Those guys had a lot of breakaways, probably three or four in the first half of the game, which is just unacceptable."

Matt Savoie drew a tripping penalty less than a minute later, sending the Oilers to their second power play, where Draisaitl worked a give-and-go with McDavid in the right circle off a faceoff win from Tomasek before going far side on Rittich to make it 1-1 only 1:17 after Barzal broke the deadlock.

The tally was Draisaitl's 164th career goal on the power play, while McDavid and Tomasek picked up the assists.

The helper was McDavid's fourth point of the season in as many games, marking the second time in his career of having a season-opening assist streak of at least four games – joining Wayne Gretzky (12 times) and Leon Draisaitl (twice) as the only Oilers in team history to have multiple season-opening assist streaks of at least four games.

SKINNER'S PAIR OF TERRIFIC SAVES

Carrying his form over from Tuesday's shutout on Broadway onto Long Island, goaltender Stuart Skinner looked locked in once again against the islanders, making two terrific saves on Anthony Duclair and Bo Horvat near the end of the first period and early on in the middle frame to back up his teammates.

With less than a minute remaining in the first period, Bouchard lost his footing and the puck when the stick of Palmieri caught a piece of his skate, turning it over to Barzal for a quick pass to Duclair behind the Oilers' defence for a sudden one-on-one opportunity that needed Skinner to come up clutch.

Duclair went backhand-to-forehand, trying to slide his effort around the outstretched Skinner in the crease, but only being met by the right pad of the Oilers' netminder for a huge stop before the rebound was thrown between his legs and covered for a whistle.

With the Oilers leading 2-1 midway through the middle frame, Skinner was alert again to keep his side ahead, reacting quickly to Jonathan Drouin's redirected attempt on goal that hit the skate of Bouchard in front to set up an open-net opportunity for Horvat to the right side of the crease.

The 26-year-old shotstopper dropped to his knees for the original shot from Drouin and got his left pad to the rebound for Horvat, making a terrific save before pouncing on the follow-up shot to cover it up and get a much-needed whistle.

Skinner was fresh off his 30-save shutout against on Tuesday, where he stole the show on Broadway to sink the Rangers to their third straight scoreless game on home ice, and the Edmonton product was doing his part once again on Thursday with 17 saves on 18 shots through 40 minutes.

NUGE NESTLES IT TOP SHELF

Nug around? You'd better know you'll find out.

The undisputed king of going lower blocker went the other direction off a regroup in the neutral zone at 11:07 of the second period to give the Oilers a 2-1 advantage that lasted until the final three minutes of the period, where the Islanders capitalized shorthanded to even things up going into the final frame.

Off a failed zone entry from the Oilers, defenceman Ty Emberson circled back and found Nugent-Hopkins on the far side of the ice, leading to No. 93 in Blue & Orange cutting around centre Jean-Gabriel Pageau to open himself up a dangerous shooting lane from inside the left circle.

The longest-tenured Oilers player snapped it far side on Rittich to notch his second goal of the season, which lifted Edmonton into a 2-1 advantage with his fourth point (2G, 2A) in four games so far at this early point of the 2025-26 NHL campaign.

Sitting on 273 career goals, Nugent-Hopkins now needs just 23 more to tie Ryan Smyth for the seventh most in Oilers' franchise history.

The lead wouldn't last until the third period, however, with the Islanders tying things while shorthanded before the intermission after Horvat got open for a wide-open breakaway that he tucked blocker side on Skinner to make it 2-2 with 2:04 left in the period.

IT'S THE HOPE THAT KILLS

The Oilers killed off two crucial penalties in the third period, but the next one that came off an errant stick from Trent Frederic in the final five minutes of regulation wound up being the backbreaker from Bo Horvat, who was en route to a terrific performance with a hat-trick.

"In the third period, we got in a little bit of trouble, taking three minors," Knoblauch said. "Obviously, that's not helping us try and score a go-ahead goal, let alone keeping them off the board, and our penalty kill can only kill so many. They got their opportunity and they scored on their third one, and fifth on the night. I thought that was the story of the game."

Chasing down a dump-in as the game tricked under five minutes remaining, Frederic got his stick up on 2025 first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer in the face for a high-sticking penalty, sending the Oilers to their third penalty kill of the third period after turning aside two Isles' opportunities earlier in the frame.

"We had already taken two penalties in the third period, and the third one was there in the offensive zone, high-sticking," Knoblauch said. "All penalties are tough, but that one especially is tough."

Horvat opened up in the slot for a one-timer set up by Drouin that found its way under the right arm of Skinner, putting the Oilers behind 3-2 with 4:46 to play.

The Oilers were relentless in their pursuit of an equalizer, pulling Skinner for the extra attacker and having extended possession and plenty of good looks that didn't result in the goal they needed before Horvat iced the victory and his hat-trick into the empty net with nine seconds to go in regulation.

Edmonton will look to respond on Saturday in the first of back-to-back afternoon contests against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center.