Islanders OT loss to Rangers shows concerning signals

The New York Islanders nearly pulled off another comeback win against the New York Rangers on Monday night at UBS Arena. The Isles tied the game in the third period, but ultimately lost the match in 3-2 overtime.

The game had several encouraging situations. Let’s consider three of them.

First, Anthony Duclair got a marker in the game. The goal had to be a huge boost, as the smile on his face attested to it. Judging from the on-ice chemistry, Duclair and Mathew Barzal could be a solid combo moving forward. Duclair ended the night with two points.

Also, Jonathan Drouin looked great. He made several key plays throughout the game. If he can stay healthy, Drouin could be in for a solid season with the Islanders. He’ll get plenty of scoring chances while patrolling the ice with Bo Horvat.

Lastly, Tony DeAngelo looks fine alongside Alexander Romanov. DeAngelo had a goal in the game and seems like he’s summoned the talent that once made him a top-tier blueliner.

Despite the overall decent game by the Islanders, there were some areas for concern. So, let’s get into those.

Islanders areas for concern in OT loss to Rangers

Let’s start with the most evident one. Backup goalie David Rittich got another start. His overall numbers weren’t awful, but they are concerning. He allowed three goals on 19 shots in the game. His .842 SV% is something that could set off some alarms heading into the start of the season.

To begin with, the Islanders surrendered just 19 shots on goal. That’s hardly a barrage of shots on goal. But perhaps the most concerning issue is that Rittich allowed two goals and the first four shots.

The Isles did their job by playing well in front of him. Except for the one breakaway opportunity Matt Rempe got coming out of the penalty box, the Islanders did a great job of playing well in front of him.

Rittich will need to be more reliable for the Isles as the club will need a strong backup early in the season.

Another area for concern is the bottom six. They played well but didn’t get much offense going. Yes, the game was a low-scoring affair. But the bottom six will need to step up more moving forward. If the third and fourth lines can’t chip in offensively, scoring goals could become a serious issue for the Islanders this season.

Lastly, there was Matthew Schaefer. Schaefer continues to be a remarkable young man. He’s playing well beyond his age and seems to be getting better with each passing game. He displayed plenty of poise throughout the game against the Rangers on Monday night.

But it was the OT winner where Schaefer got burned. Rangers forward Noah Laba powered past an essentially helpless Schaefer for the game-winner. While we could argue that the goal wasn’t entirely on Schaefer, he had the inside track to stop the play from happening.

The goal started with Kyle Palmieri missing the pass from Gabe Perreault to Laba. Then, Schaefer was unable to check his man, with Rittich failing to make the save.

The Rangers deserve credit for the nifty goal. But there is room for concern on the play. While there will be some growing pains for Matthew Schaefer, the Isles must be careful not to put him in tough spots.

Patrick Roy wanted to get Schaefer out there in overtime of a preseason game. But moving forward, it may be a while before fans get to see Schaefer out in overtime during a regular-season game.

Overall, the Islanders played another good game. The hope is that the momentum will continue, as this season doesn’t figure to be a particularly easy one.