Game notes: New York Islanders outplay Detroit Red Wings but get blanked

The New York Islanders played a strong game on Tuesday night as part of the Frozen Frenzy event. However, the Isles got blanked by a Red Wings team that barely managed 11 shots.

The relatively uneventful game revealed a concerning trend: The Isles can’t seem to get find the back of the net. Tuesday night’s game marks the third time in six games that the Isles have been shut out. As such, the Isles need to find more scoring to support the overall solid defensive effort.

It’s worth pointing out that the Isles played a strong game. They controlled much of the play but ran into a hot goalie in Alex Lyon. Lyon was the difference, as his performance kept the Isles off the scoreboard.

So, let’s take a look at key game notes from Tuesday night’s loss to the Detroit Red Wings.

Game notes on another New York Islanders shutout loss

Ilya Sorokin almost had the night off

Sorokin had a very light evening, facing 11 shots. But it was the one that got away which made the difference.

The Red Wings’ goal, scored by Patrick Kane, came midway through the first period. The play seemed innocent enough. However, Vladimir Tarasenko burned JG Pageau, beating him to the outside. The move allowed Tarasenko to drop the puck back to Kane who was wide open. Kane took the shot and did not miss.

That was the only mistake on the Isles’ part on the night. Otherwise, Sorokin had an easy night, thanks to the Isles clamping down on the Red Wings.

Liam Foudy made his season debut

Liam Foudy joined the Isles as part of the roster moves following Anthony Duclair’s injury. Unfortunately, Foudy had an inconsequential game, playing just under eight minutes. Similarly, Oliver Wahlstrom played less than ten minutes with Kyle MacLean playing just a shade over the ten-minute mark.

This situation seems to indicate that Patrick Roy has shortened his bench. The situation may be out of necessity. The lack of scoring could be driving Roy to play his top lines far more often than he’d like.

The power play was nowhere to be found

The Isles went 0-for-3 on the power play. Their power play now sits below 10%, ranking it among the league’s worst. Given the Islanders’ lack of 5-on-5 scoring, the power play must make up the difference moving forward.

Perhaps the time has come to shake things up by switching players around from one unit to the other. Something has to change as the Isles cannot continue this alarming trend.