The New York Islanders were defeated 3-0 by the Ottawa Senators at UBS Arena on April 11, as special teams played a key role in the outcome. Ridly Greig scored a shorthanded goal, Jake Sanderson added a power-play goal, and Michael Amadio sealed the win with an empty netter for Ottawa.
The loss came at a crucial time for the Islanders, who missed an opportunity to close the gap in the Eastern Conference standings. The team remains five points behind the Senators and also failed to overtake the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division.
Goaltender Ilya Sorokin made 13 saves on 15 shots, while Linus Ullmark stopped all 23 shots he faced for Ottawa. “It was tight,” Captain Anders Lee said. “I don’t think they were getting many quality shots either. There wasn’t much either way at five-on-five. I thought both teams played really solid. We didn’t capitalize on our power plays, they pop a five-on-three at the end of the game. Otherwise, it’s 1-0 for quite a bit and not a lot going on.” The Islanders had an advantage in high-danger chances but struggled to convert their opportunities.
The team’s power play went scoreless in five attempts and allowed Greig’s shorthanded goal that proved to be decisive. Head Coach Pete DeBoer addressed this after the game: “They won the special teams battle,” DeBoer said. “It’s tough to win in this league, especially this time of year if you don’t win the special teams battle.” He also commented on momentum swings: “[Power plays] are momentum changing moments,” DeBoer said. “It doesn’t always even have to score, you just want it to generate some momentum for you. And when they get the shorty, that’s a tough one.” Despite these setbacks, DeBoer maintained hope: “It doesn’t feel great right now, but we’re still alive,” he said. “We have to win our last two games. Our season didn’t end tonight… as tough as that feels walking out of the rink here today.”
Physicality was present from puck drop as Anders Lee fought Brady Tkachuk immediately after faceoff; both captains received fighting majors early in what was described as an intense matchup between two physical teams.
Looking ahead, DeBoer praised his captain’s leadership: “That’s why he’s wearing the ‘C,'” he said about Lee’s fight with Tkachuk that energized his teammates early on.
The Islanders will next face off against Montreal Canadiens Sunday evening for their penultimate regular season game.
