ELMONT, N.Y. — The Islanders will go an entire month without a victory.
They did extend their modest point streak to three games, thanks to last-second heroics from defenseman Noah Dobson. Yet their losing streak reached 11 as Chicago eked out a 3-2 shootout victory on Sunday night at UBS Arena.
The last place Islanders (5-10-5) are in an 0-8-3 skid, their last victory a 2-0 win at Winnipeg on Nov. 6. They were coming off Saturday night’s 4-3 overtime loss at Detroit and are now 0-5-1 in their new home.
Semyon Varlamov, playing his best game of the season, made 24 saves but had no chance as Patrick Kane lifted a filthy laser in the second round for the shootout’s lone goal. Marc-Andre Fleury (22 saves) stopped Oliver Wahlstrom, Mathew Barzal and Anthony Beauvillier in the shootout.
Chicago, now 8-4-0 under interim coach Derek King, the former Islander, also played on Saturday night, losing 3-2 to the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
Dobson, likely the Islanders’ best skater in both weekend games, tied it at 2 from the blue line with four seconds left in regulation and Varlamov off for an extra skater. It was his first goal of the season.
Dylan Strome had given Chicago a 2-1 lead at 5:59 of the third period as the Islanders couldn’t navigate the neutral zone. Then, defenseman Sebastian Aho, trying to clear a loose puck from near the crease, instead poked it right to an open Strome in the right circle.
"When there’s certain pressures or demands that aren’t going your way, or expectations going your way, all the energy that you’re thinking about and fretting about, it’s draining," coach Barry Trotz said before the game. "We’re getting our team back. It’s starting to look like hockey again to us. Getting a little bit of confidence back, a little bit of joy back in our game. That will get us over the hump."
Trotz, still without injured defenseman Ryan Pulock and second-line center Brock Nelson as well as identity-line center Casey Cizikas, who remains the last Islander in COVID-19 protocol, did make one lineup change from Saturday night’s 4-3 overtime loss at Detroit. Matt Martin, who logged just 7:07 against the Red Wings, came out with burly Ross Johnston entering the lineup for the first time since playing just 5:50 in a season-opening, 6-3 loss at Carolina on Oct. 14.
The Islanders, who got two power-play goals from Wahlstrom against the Red Wings, tied it at 1 on Jean-Gabriel Pagueau’s man-advantage goal at 8:03 of the second period. Pageau, establishing position below the right circle, deflected in Aho’s blue-line shot.
It was just Pageau’s second goal of the season and first since a 6-2 win at Montreal on Nov. 4.
The Islanders had a decent start, one with energy and a couple of good looks, undone by a unnecessary and careless penalty. The Islanders were breaking up ice in transition when the rush was whistled dead with defenseman Scott Mayfield hooking Brandon Hagel well behind the play at 5:03 of the first period.
Hagel then used his body to deflect in Alex DeBrincat’s power-play one-timer from the left circle to make it 1-0 at 6:49.
Mayfield also took a sloppy high-sticking penalty against Dominik Kubalik at the Islanders’ blue line at 11:25 of the second period but Chicago negated that power play with Hagel tripped Dobson deep in the Islanders’ zone at 12:59.
Dobson, coming off a career-high 24:18 with four blocked shots against the Red Wings, played another terrific game in both ends with his skating and stickhandling.
