Winless Islanders not ready to panic just yet
New York Islanders center Casey Cizikas before a faceoff in the third period against the Winnipeg Jets at UBS Arena on Monday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Glass half-full? The winless Islanders have played well enough to feel they should have won two of their first three games. Glass half-empty? They didn’t and are now on the cusp of a historically poor start for the franchise.
“It’s only three games into the season,” No. 1 overall pick Matthew Schaefer said after Wednesday’s practice at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow. “Not worried about anything. But you hate losing and everyone in the room hates losing.”
The Islanders conclude a three-game homestand on Thursday night against the Oilers, a Stanley Cup finalist the past two seasons, seeking to avoid becoming the first squad in team history to start 0-4-0.
“It’s not a good start,” defenseman Adam Pelech said. “But there are some things we’re doing well and we’re doing our best to stay confident and know that if we stick with the process, we’ll start to get some results.
“Structurally, we’ve been sound. There have been breakdowns that have led to chances for the other team. It’s nothing with the way we’re playing. It’s a bad decision here or there. But it is entering that area. We’re 0-3. We’ve got to get a win under our belt soon here. These points matter just as much as at the end of the season.”
Coach Patrick Roy said he will give backup goalie David Rittich his first start as an Islander against the Oilers. Ilya Sorokin, who is 0-3-0 with a bloated 4.18 goals-against average and substandard .854 save percentage, will return to the net on Saturday in Ottawa.
The Islanders are coming off Monday’s 5-2 loss to the Jets, who led the NHL with 116 points last season. It marked the first time since 2006-07 they have started 0-3-0, though Ted Nolan’s squad did qualify for the playoffs that season.
Those are the only 0-3-0 starts in team history, though Scott Gordon’s club in 2009-10 started with two shootout losses sandwiched around an overtime defeat before it lost three more times in regulation for a six-game skid without a win.
The 1973-74 team — Al Arbour’s first behind the bench — did not get a victory in its first seven games with three losses and four ties.
“It’s not time to panic,” Kyle Palmieri said. “We did a lot of good things. We had two days in between games to kind of reset and get ourselves ready for a really good test.”
Notes & quotes: Max Tsyplakov will be a healthy scratch for the first time this season after sitting most of the third period on Monday. Kyle MacLean will dress for the first time this season, drawing onto Casey Cizikas’ fourth line with Simon Holmstrom. Roy said he wanted Tsyplakov to “clean up” some details of his game and Tsyplakov indicated it was about his defensive work. “I just need to correct a little of the details,” said Tsyplakov, adding he was confident he could make a quick adjustment and rejoin the lineup. “It’s about tactics in the defensive zone and the neutral zone.”
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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