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Newsday
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Andrew Gross

Islanders go down softly to close homestand as James Neal scores four for Oilers

It couldn't have looked, or gone, worse for the Islanders on Tuesday night.

James Neal scored four goals, two on the power play, for the Oilers in their 5-2 win at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum. The defense, the goaltending and the physical play were all too soft for the Islanders as they concluded a season-opening three-game homestand.

It's way too soon to make long-term proclamations on the Islanders' season. But one question mark after last season's playoff-qualifying success was whether the goaltending would be as good with Semyon Varlamov stepping in for Vezina Trophy finalist Robin Lehner. The Islanders, with Lehner and Thomas Greiss, allowed the fewest goals in the NHL last season as they were aided by a solid defensive structure.

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