The New York Islanders let one slip away on Saturday night at UBS Arena, falling 4-3 to the Nashville Predators in a game that stung more than just the final score suggested. With just 1:14 left on the clock, Roman Josi buried the game-winner-Nashville’s first lead of the night-and snapped the Islanders’ three-game win streak in the process.
This was a game the Isles had in their grasp. Mathew Barzal, who logged a goal and an assist, got the scoring started, and rookie Matthew Schaefer followed up to give New York a 2-0 edge.
Even after Nashville clawed back to tie things up, JG Pageau briefly restored the lead at 3-2. But the Islanders couldn’t hold it.
Filip Forsberg, who was a problem all night, scored twice for the Predators, and Matthew Wood added another before Josi’s late dagger sealed the comeback.
The Islanders had a tough time handling Nashville’s forecheck, and it showed. Ilya Sorokin was under siege for much of the night, facing 42 shots and turning aside 38 of them. Without his performance, this one could’ve gotten out of hand early.
“They know they’re playing from behind most of the night, and when you’re down, you change your style a little bit,” Barzal said postgame. “We had a tough time with our pressure tonight.
Their forecheck gave us issues-we struggled breaking the puck out. Can’t give up that many shots.
Sorokin kept us in there. It’s a really tough loss.”
Barzal’s frustration was palpable, and understandably so. This wasn’t just a missed opportunity on home ice-it was a game that could have helped solidify their position in a brutally tight Metropolitan Division race. Instead, the out-of-town scoreboard only added salt to the wound.
The Washington Capitals edged out the Hurricanes in overtime, pulling within four points of the Isles in the standings. The Penguins, who currently hold second place with 67 points, outlasted the Rangers in a 6-5 thriller. That’s three points gained by Metro rivals while the Islanders came up empty.
Now the focus shifts to a critical back-to-back set that could define the next chapter of this playoff push. First up: a road tilt Monday against the Capitals, followed by a home showdown with the Penguins.
Two divisional matchups. Two massive opportunities.
“Those are huge games,” Barzal said. “It’s tight.
The whole division is tight, the playoffs are tight. It’ll come right down to the wire, and we have to find a way to win games.”
That’s the reality of the Metro right now-every point matters, every mistake is magnified, and every game feels like it could swing the postseason picture. The Islanders have shown they can string wins together. The question now is whether they can bounce back quickly from one that got away.