Islanders shut out for third time this season in home loss to Red Wings

Much of the Islanders’ game was solid. They possessed the puck and played structured defense, with a notable exception. The puck movement on their revamped power play started off improved.

But, minus sidelined top-line left wing Anthony Duclair, the Islanders were simply offensively challenged, unable to translate the good things they did into a positive result.

So they were shut out for the third time in six games in a 1-0 loss to the Red Wings on Tuesday night at UBS Arena.

“I don’t think it’s reflective of the way we feel in this room and that’s all that matters,” Kyle Palmieri said. “Right now, as a group, we’ve just got to find a way to put some pucks in the net. It’s pretty simple. Easier said than done.”

The Red Wings generated just 11 shots on goalie Ilya Sorokin, the fewest the Islanders have allowed in a loss in franchise history.

But Alex Lyon made 29 saves for his second career shutout as the Red Wings boxed out well and the Islanders (2-2-2) struggled to get traffic to the crease.

“We’re all going to agree that’s not the result we wanted,” coach Patrick Roy said. “But at the end of the night, it was 29-11 shots on net. We dominate every department of the game. The only thing I wish we could have done better is get in front of the net for the screens and make the goalie not see those shots.”

The match was the first since Duclair suffered a significant injury to his right leg in Saturday’s 4-3, nine-round shootout win over the visiting Canadiens.

If goals remain hard to muster, president and general manager Lou Lamoriello might have to look outside the organization for help.

For now, Liam Foudy, who has had a stop-and-start NHL career since the Columbus Blue Jackets drafted him 18th overall in 2018, was recalled from the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport.

Donning Josh Bailey’s old No. 12 — given out too soon? — Foudy skated on fourth-line center Kyle MacLean’s left wing, along with Oliver Wahlstrom and logged a team-low 7:52 without a shot.

“The older you get, I’m just getting more games under my belt,” said Foudy, 24, who has seven goals and 15 assists in 103 NHL games, including previous stints with the Blue Jackets and Predators, as he’s bounced between the NHL and AHL. “I had some tough luck with injuries. Getting a chance here, I’m excited for it. I definitely think I’m a lot better player now than I was.”

Casey Cizikas was elevated off MacLean’s trio to Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s third line with Anders Lee, and Simon Holmstrom was given the first chance to replace Duclair on Bo Horvat’s left wing with Mathew Barzal.

“We had a lot of looks,” defenseman Mike Reilly said. “Just unfortunate, we just give up \[11\] shots. That’s frustrating. Just got to bear down on the chances. We were tight defensively, which was good.”

The Red Wings (3-3-0), in their first one-goal game of the season, scored on their first shot of the game as Patrick Kane got free down low for a one-timer off fellow former Ranger Vladimir Tarasenko’s feed at 8:54 of the first period with defenseman Ryan Pulock out of position and seemingly searching in vain for a spot to defend.

“Just the coverage,” Roy said. “He made a great play, snuck behind our guys.”

According to NaturalStatTrick.com, the Islanders had seven high-danger chances to the Red Wings’ two. Five came on their 0-for-3 power play that generated seven shots.

Roy constructed two new power-play units that worked effectively on their first two tries in the second period but looked disjointed on their chance late in the third period.

Defenseman Noah Dobson quarterbacked one unit with Palmieri, Pageau, Horvat and Lee at the net. Reilly ran the other unit with Barzal, Holmstrom (between the circles), Nelson and Max Tsyplakov at the crease.

Notes & quotes: The attendance of 12,739 was the lowest ever at UBS Arena, which opened in 2021 .<TH><MK0>.<TH><MK0>. Lamoriello said on the MSG Sports Network pregame show that the Islanders should know more about Duclair’s status “in the next 48 hours.” Lamoriello said on Monday that Duclair was dealing with a “long-term” injury but it was not expected to be season ending.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

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.