Three takeaways from the Islanders' season-opening loss to the Utah
New York Islanders right wing Maxim Tsyplakov before a face off against the Utah Hockey Club in the first period at UBS Arena on Oct. 10, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
1. The Islanders can’t make the same mistakes on their road trip.
The Islanders had little time to dwell on their disappointing 5-4 overtime loss to Utah in Thursday night’s season opener at UBS Arena as they open a difficult three-game road trip against the Stars on Saturday night.
Dallas reached the Western Conference finals last season. This trip also stops in Colorado, winner of the Stanley Cup in 2022 and once coached by Patrick Roy from 2013-16 in his first NHL head coaching job, and St. Louis, which won its first two games.
Many of last season’s problems surfaced for the Islanders in the opener. The penalty kill was 0-for-2, the power play was 1-for-6 with just seven shots and the Islanders blew two third-period leads in 45 and 13 seconds, respectively.
The déjà vu was frustrating.
“Yeah, for sure,” defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “But last year is last year. This is a new year. We definitely have to clean up some of those areas in big moments in a game. After you score a goal, those moments are key on the next shift.”
2. So far, so good for Russian rookie Max Tsyplakov.
Max Tsyplakov, the 26-year-old who agreed to a one-year, $950,000 deal after finishing fourth in the KHL last season with 31 goals, carried his strong play from training camp and the preseason into the opener. He snapped in a shot from the slot for a 4-3 lead at 17:53 of the third period and used his 6-3, 210-pound frame to frequently establish position around the crease, both skating five-on-five with second-line center Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri and working with the first power-play unit.
“I thought he had a strong game,” Roy said. “I was happy to see him score that goal. He was really good. He played the same way he played in those last two exhibition games. He played with poise.”
Tsyplakov had a team-high six hits, two shots and three other attempts while logging 20:46 in his NHL debut.
“I tried more battles and a lot of hits,” said Tsyplakov, who is still learning English. “I feel good.”
3. Anthony Duclair already is a fan favorite.
The UBS Arena crowd showed quick appreciation for the well-traveled Anthony Duclair, who signed a four-year, $14 million deal to join his ninth NHL club in 11 seasons and has shown strong chemistry with new linemates Bo Horvat and Mathew Barzal.
The fans chanted “Duuuuuke” (those weren’t boos) every time Duclair touched the puck after he opened the scoring against Utah with a power-play off his skate at 11:10 of the first period.
“It absolutely motivates you as a player,” Duclair said. “They’re great fans here.”
Duclair is a fast skater and shows his emotions readily, as when he slammed the puck off the sidewall when he disagreed with a play being whistled dead. The fans are almost willing him to be the high-scoring complement to Horvat and Barzal the Islanders have craved.
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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