The Islanders spent Halloween running on fumes, and Edmonton made sure the bill came due.
After a week that included four games in seven nights, three cities, and two overtime contests, the blue and orange had little left when Connor McDavid and the Oilers arrived at UBS Arena for a matinee. Edmonton rolled to a 4-0 win, Tristan Jarry stopped 18 shots for his second straight shutout, and the Islanders were held scoreless for the first time this season.
Pete DeBoer didn’t try to dress it up.
“We looked a little fatigued tonight as a group. I think when you're fatigued mentally, you make some mistakes you don’t normally make, and physically you make some mistakes you don't normally make.
We won some hard-fought games here recently. We played extra time in overtime on the road, and we looked like we were a fatigued team today.”
The afternoon got tougher almost immediately. Ryan Pulock was already out after getting hurt on his second shift in Minnesota, and Emil Heineman was gone 2:22 into the game after receiving a five-minute major and game misconduct. That left the Islanders with 11 forwards for nearly the entire day.
The penalties piled up from there. The Islanders were whistled seven times, handed Edmonton six power plays, and also took a 10-minute misconduct on Scott Mayfield. DeBoer called it self-inflicted, the same word he used after Dallas, and the label fit again.
Still, the bigger picture wasn’t nearly as bleak as the final score suggested. The Islanders finished the week 2-2, picked up four points against Nashville and Minnesota, and won in a building that had beaten them for nine straight years. They also beat the Central-leading Wild without Pulock.
At 7-5-2, they remain fourth in the Metro.
In Other News...
Islanders Prospect Pipeline Has A Young Defenseman Turning Heads
The Islanders prospect pool got a notable boost in October from Vladimr Draveck, whose early-season surge has made him one of the more eye-catching young defensemen in the organization. The blueliner was productive all month in the OHL, piling up offense from the back end while keeping his game on an upward track, and his recent run has only sharpened the attention around his development.
Dravecks momentum is part of a broader stretch of encouraging signs for New Yorks pipeline. Goaltender Dmitry Gamzin reached his 100th career KHL game and came away with a win while sitting near the top of the league in goals-against average, and forward Bobby Cowan chipped in three points over two games for Western Michigan as the school has opened the season strongly. For an organization looking for depth to mature on different timelines, those are the kinds of updates that matter. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Prospect Vladimir Dravecky Is Raising Expectations With His Junior Breakout
Vladimir Draveckys junior season is starting to look like the kind of jump that can change how an organization views a prospect. The Islanders defenseman has been producing at a pace that stands out even in a league known for developing offensive blue-liners, piling up four goals and 16 assists in 13 games with the Guelph Storm while leading all OHL defensemen in scoring over that stretch.
For a player taken 141st overall, that kind of early-season surge matters. Dravecky has clearly taken a step forward from last year, and the improvement is giving the Islanders a more intriguing look at what he might become if this breakout holds through the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Islanders Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Battered Blue Line
With Ryan Pulock sidelined and Alexander Romanov already out, the Islanders have added some immediate insurance on the blue line by bringing in veteran defenseman Ben Hutton on a professional tryout. It is the kind of move that signals a team trying to steady itself before the depth chart gets any thinner, especially on a defense that has already taken a hit.
Huttons arrival gives New York another experienced option to evaluate as it navigates the early strain on its back end. He most recently spent time with the Vegas Golden Knights, and for the Islanders this is less about splash than survival, a chance to see whether a veteran presence can help cover the gaps while the injured defenders work their way back. [Read more 🡒]