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Islanders stuck in neutral as Canucks come to town

Feb 9, 2022; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; New York Islanders defenseman Scott Mayfield (24) checks Vancouver Canucks forward Tanner Pearson (70) in the third period at Rogers Arena. New York won 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports
Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Islanders finally are home for an extended period after spending most of the last three weeks on the road.

But facing the Vancouver Canucks will provide the Islanders reminders of the promising moments and underlying frustration that defined a road trip as well as a season.

The Islanders will open a six-game homestand Thursday night by playing the Canucks in Elmont, N.Y.

The Isles closed a five-game Western Conference trip Tuesday by squandering a third-period lead in a 5-3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche.

The Canucks last played Monday, when they fell 7-2 to the host New Jersey Devils.

With the loss, New York finished 2-2-1 on the trip and 4-5-2 during an 11-game stretch that began against the Canucks on Feb. 9 and included just two home games. The Islanders, who made the NHL semifinals each of the last two seasons, are just as far removed from the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference — 17 points — as they were upon heading to Vancouver.

A five-goal first period against the Canucks in a 6-3 win 22 days ago provided some hope the Islanders might be able to gain some ground in the playoff race. But consistency and good fortune eluded New York, which wasn’t able to string together consecutive wins and suffered damaging losses to two of the Eastern Conference’s worst teams, the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens.

The Islanders looked as if they might at least experience some catharsis against the Stanley Cup-contending Avalanche when Sebastian Aho appeared to score the tie-breaking goal with 8:03 left in the third Tuesday. But Colorado challenged the call, and it was ruled the puck didn’t completely cross the goal line.

Andre Burakovsky put the Avalanche ahead just 59 seconds later, and Islanders center Jean-Gabriel Pageau just missed tying the game shortly before Erik Johnson added an empty-netter in the final minute.

“I thought we handled them pretty well for the most part, but we didn’t get the result,” Islanders coach Barry Trotz said. “If you were looking at last year, we would have scored. Pageau would have scored. The Sebastian Aho goal would have ended up being in.”

The Canucks entered Wednesday five points behind the Edmonton Oilers in the race for the final Western Conference wild-card spot. They are also looking for some consistency as they continue a four-game trip.

Vancouver went 6-4-0 in February, with all the losses and four of the wins by multiple goals.

Monday’s loss to the Devils was doubly frustrating for the Canucks, who’d won their third straight game the night before by routing the New York Rangers 5-2. Vancouver outscored the opposition 17-5 during the streak but allowed New Jersey to score six goals in the first 26 minutes Tuesday.

“We weren’t ready to go,” Canucks right winger Conor Garland said Monday night. “It’s unacceptable. We have to play the right way to win. When you’re chasing games, it’s not a recipe for success in the NHL.”

–Field Level Media

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