The Anaheim Ducks (4-4-1) beat the New York Islanders (3-4-2) 3-1 on Tuesday night at UBS Arena. The Ducks have lost in four of their last five games, going 1-3-1 during that stretch. On average, they allowed more than three goals per game in those losses. The Islanders scored once, and it took 81 seconds at 5 on 3. The Islanders’ last goal before Mat Barzal’s power play goal came 90 minutes of hockey ago.

Lukas Dostal refused 40/41 shots. Leo Carlsson, Troy Terry and Frank Vatrano scored the goals for Anaheim.

The Islanders locker room refused to admit its frustration, except for Mat Barzal. He made it clear that his game was not at all acceptable, especially in 5v5.

Kyle Palmieri and Bo Horvat preached patience and insisted they had the look. Horvat specifically said this team believes in itself and has shown the ability to fight through adversity since arriving here.

The overwhelming part of this game is how familiar it is. Before tonight, the Islanders had been shut out three of their first six games. They had dominated teams only to cough up goals and give away free points. Islanders special teams a significant problem since 2023 Carolina series. The power play failed while the penalty kill stumbled and almost single-handedly eliminated the Islanders that year.

The focus this offseason seemed to be unit repair. Instead, the Islanders came back and were embarrassed on the penalty kill last season while the power play remained mediocre.

Non-special teams:

This year, both units killed the Islanders. Take tonight’s game, where the Islanders outshot the Ducks 41-22. The power play received two chances in the first 40 minutes. They also didn’t score any points and never even pretended to look threatening. Islanders head coach Patrick Roy changed units every game, and nothing worked.

Ultimately, the Ducks gave the Islanders a 5-on-3 with two blatant penalties from Frank Vatrano and Robert Fabbri. The Islanders had 81 seconds at 5-on-3, and it took them 84 seconds to finally score a power play goal. Barzal completed a pass from Horvat to bring the islanders back to life. It ultimately didn’t matter. They wouldn’t score again.

Meanwhile, Peter Engvall played all 9 minutes and 16 seconds tonight, but managed to take not one but two penalties in the first 40 minutes. Yes, maybe the calls were weak. But the referees only whistled him, and they both came when the Ducks forwards beat him.

The Ducks scored on both opportunities. The first came after Casey Cizikas failed to clear, followed by Noah Dobson turning the puck over behind his net. In the second, Mason McTavish swung Dobson so hard he tripped as McTavish slid the puck backdoor to a wide open Troy Terry.

The penalty resulted in a kill in the third period. The Ducks were up 2-0 and weren’t intentionally too aggressive on the power play. It wasn’t necessary. They could afford a sloppier power play after opening 2/2.

After the match, Roy avoided answering what he was thinking Engvallciting his limited ice time. Moments later, Roy praised Hudson Fasching’s play.

Fasching played almost two minutes less than Engvall. That tells you everything you need to know about what Roy saw from Engvall. Roy has already hinted at Matt Martine face Columbus. Don’t be shocked if it’s for Engvall.

Tsyplakov’s assessment:

The Islanders entered this season with five players in the top six: Barzal, Horvat, Brock Nelson, Kyle Palmieri and Anthony Duclair. Duclair was injured, which opened up a second place finish, which went to Simon Holmstrom.

Maxim Tsyplakov won sixth place. He was good. Tsyplakov makes some nice passes and continues to progress. There are problems, however. He undoubtedly slows the game down almost every time the puck is on his stick. Sometimes it’s the perfect piece and it looks amazing.

At other times, the Islanders could really use speed in transition and in the run. Tsyplakov almost looks afraid to rush the ice, preferring to stay off the puck until he can shoot it.

Tsyplakov also misses a lot of shots. Tonight he took seven shots. One of them scored the goal. Three were blocked and three missed the net completely. In his last six games (including tonight), Tsyplakov has had one shot on goal per game. He largely got an assist thanks to Palmieri and Nelson who lead the team with four goals each, but Tsyplakov needs to start getting better with the puck in the offensive zone.

Holmstrom Rating:

Holmstromhowever, can’t seem to get out of his own way. Holmstrom will likely win the award for most frustrating Islander on the roster this season. You can see his hockey IQ is off the charts. It is always positioned in the right places. This positioning is a big part of why he is so good defensively and why he is a top-six pick.

However, to succeed in this league as a top winger, you must find a way to adapt your style of play to those around you. On the third line, Holmstrom going around the tops of the circle and opening up for a pass worked perfectly. Anders Lee would be in front of the net, while Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Holmstrom would handle the puck.

With Barzal and Horvat, Holmstrom needs to get to the front of the net more. Too often, he and Barzal end up on top of each other and turn the puck over as a result. Tonight I actually thought both had their best match.

The pinnacle came in the first period when Holmstrom made a fantastic play and slid it across the ice to Barzal on the doorstep. Barzal sniffed and weakly sent the puck over the net.

The main problem with Holmstrom is hitting the net. Like Tsyplakov, he has an excellent shot. Just like Tsyplakov, Holmstrom needs to hit the net. Holmstrom sent seven pucks to the net, as did Tsyplakov. One of them succeeded. Five missed completely and one was blocked.

A big problem:

The islanders’ problems become quite clear when laid out in black and white. They have four players who are constant goal threats. All the opponents need to do is attack them and challenge the rest of the islanders to beat them.

Overall, the Islanders just haven’t been difficult to play against. This has been the case since the spring of 2021. Three coaches, key trades and injuries. It all led to the same dark problems with only one root cause.

No one in the NHL is afraid of the Islanders. Simply put, there isn’t a lot of respect for the Islanders’ scoring threat. The teams had a healthy respect for the Islanders’ defense and penalty kill. It’s gone too.

There are teams that gain some sort of respect when they enter the building. When the New York Rangers walk into a building, their team is respected. Offense, defense, special teams, you name it. When teams play the Islanders, there’s none of that.

The way this manifests is quite simple. Teams are forced to challenge the Rangers, leading to mistakes that cripple the opponent. When teams play the Islanders, they can challenge the Islanders to beat them and sit down.

Therefore, the Islanders can play however they want. The Ducks will let them outshoot them 41-22, especially when the bread and butter (so far) of the Islanders’ offense is shooting pucks from the blue line without much of a screen. It’s a recipe for the Islanders to outscore and outshoot their opponents, but fail to score and lose.

To remember:

In nine games, the Islanders have won three times. One against Colorado Avalanchewho, at that point, had a traffic cone in the net. Another came against Montreal Canadianswhere the Islanders blew a lead in the third period but won in a shootout. The final victory came against New Jersey Devilswith another lead lost in the third period, but this time an overtime victory.

The losses? Missed leads and inability to score. shutout three times. 1-3-1 at home against just one playoff team from last season. Rinse and repeat from last season.

The New York Islanders haven’t been a good hockey team for nine games. They have lost four of their last five games. They went 1-3-1 at home in October in front of increasingly frustrated and smaller crowds.

Since he led Florida Panthers 3-0 in the first period, the Islanders were dominated 9-1. They will have the chance to stop the bleeding tomorrow night in Columbus, a team that just beat the Edmonton Oilers like a drum. Puck drop falls at 7 p.m.