Islanders again lose third-period lead, fall to Flames in shootout
Islanders' Pierre Engvall, center, is checked by Calgary Flames' Jake Bean, left, as goalie Dustin Wolf looks on during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Calgary, Alberta, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. Credit: AP/Jeff McIntosh
Eleven one-goal games already this season. Ten that have gone past regulation.
Yes, the Islanders have at least been consistent in those respects. They also lost a third-period lead for the second straight game.
They lost to the Flames, 2-1, in a shootout on Tuesday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. Andrei Kuzmenko and Justin Kirkland scored in the shootout.
The Islanders (7-7-5) were unable to capitalize on a power play that lasted the final 1:07 of the extra period, even with defenseman Noah Dobson hitting the crossbar.
They are now 1-1-2 on this five-game road trip which ends Thursday in Detroit after Saturday’s 3-2 loss in Seattle.
The Islanders opened the scoring at 1:32 of the second period as Pierre Engvall matched his career high with a goal in his third straight game. Defenseman Scott Mayfield got the puck to Engvall in the high slot, he toe-dragged the puck around defenseman Danil Miromanov, and beat Dustin Wolf (27 saves) with a rising wrist shot past his glove.
Wolf earned his second back-to-back start of the season after making 29 saves in the Flames’ 2-0 win over the Predators on Friday night for his first career shutout.
The Islanders were controlling play to start the third period but Mayfield tripped Kuzmenko at 6:32 and defenseman Rasmus Andersson’s power-play one-timer tied it at 1-1 at 8:17. Semyon Varlamov (30 saves) was unable to get back in position for the blast after anticipating a shot from Nazem Kadri, who instead fed Andersson.
Neither team generated much of a sustained attack in the first period and the Islanders were unable to capitalize following a strong first shift which ended with defenseman Rasmus Andersson tripping Anders Lee just 26 seconds into the game.
But the Islanders did not get off a shot on that power play and Varlamov later had to be quick with his pads to deny Connor Zary at the crease on both his initial shot and rebound try at 15:54 of the first period. Wolf stopped Bo Horvat at the crease at 7:30 of the first period after Lee sprung him to the crease.
Wolf then kept the Flames (10-6-3) within one with in-tight saves on Horvat, Max Tsyplakov and Dobson in a little over a minute early in the third period, allowing Andersson’s power-play goal to be an equalizer.
Varlamov preserved the Islanders’ 1-0 lead at 16:47 of the second period, making a save on defenseman Mackenzie Weegar after he got to the crease on the rush. Weegar slammed his stick on the glass in frustration as he headed to the Flames’ bench. Varlamov also kept Greenlawn’s Matt Coronato from winning the game in overtime on a two-on-one rush.
Notes & quotes: Defenseman Alexander Romanov returned to the Islanders’ lineup after missing the last seven games and 10 of 11 with an upper-body injury. He retook his spot on the top pair with Dobson while rookie Isaiah George was instead paired with Ryan Pulock. “It’s nice to have guys back and Romy is an important player on our team and is certainly going to help our defense,” coach Patrick Roy said . . . Defensemen Grant Hutton and Travis Mitchell and forward Hudson Fasching were the healthy scratches . . . Former Flames coach Brent Sutter, who won two Stanley Cups with the Islanders and was recently selected for induction into the team’s hall of fame in January, attended the game.
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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