NY Islanders close out 2024 with tough loss in Toronto versus Maple Leafs

The New York Islanders ended 2024 on a sour note, losing 3-1 against John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.

Before getting into details regarding the game, it’s worth mentioning the Isles played a solid game. They were in it until the end. It was an empty-netter by Tavares late in the third that eventually sealed the win.

But as has been the story for the Islanders this season, strong efforts come up short, resulting in lost points. On New Year’s Eve, it was a momentary lapse that resulted in wasting a solid game, particularly by Ilya Sorokin.

David Kampf opened the scoring at 17:54 of the first period. The goal resulted from a fantastic play by William Nylander behind the net to get the puck to Kampf who stood all alone in front of the net.

Now, here’s where things went sideways for the Isles: Both Brock Nelson and Noah Dobson took Nylander on behind the net. That left Kampf unattended, allowing him to get a quick shot away and beat Sorokin.

While unfortunate, the Isles can’t be really blamed for not paying attention to Kampf. The tally was just his second of the year. So, the goal was just a brilliant play by Nylander and Kampe being at the right place at the right time.

The first period ended with the Leafs on top. But it was early in the second period when the game hit a turning point. Adam Pelech had apparently tied the game about 40 seconds into the middle frame. However, the Leafs challenged the call and the goal was overturned on a missed offside call.

The Islanders eventually tied the game at 11:59 on a great goal by JG Pageau. Pageau took a beautiful feed from Noah Dobson, leading to the tying goal. However, things would take a turn for the worse moments later.

New York Islanders lose two points on a momentary lapse

Roughly 16 seconds after Pageau tied the game, the Isles gave the goal right back. The play started with the New York Islanders unable to hold the puck in the Leafs’ zone.

A quick transition led to a foot race between Steven Lorentz and Scott Mayfield. Lorentz couldn’t beat Mayfield, but it was a nifty move with the stick that allowed Lorentz to turn Mayfield inside out.

Lorentz fired the puck and the Leafs took a 2-1 lead into the dressing room after 40 minutes.

When looking back at the replay, Lorentz got in between three Islanders players. Nelson and Isaiah George got caught puck-watching as Mayfield tried to stop Lorentz from moving in. That momentary lapse sealed the Islanders’ fate.

The Leafs would lock the game down in the third. In the dwindling seconds of the game, Noah Dobson took a tripping call that set up the Leafs with a power play. The Isles tried to get back into the game by pulling Sorokin, but Tavares iced it with an empty-netter.

Tavares got credit for a power play goal.

In the end, the Isles played a solid game, but it was a crucial mistake that ended up costing the team two points. Of course, the Leafs deserve credit for a good game.

But now, the onus shifts to the Islanders who host the Leafs on Thursday night. With the Isles 2-5-0 in their last seven games, something needs to change as the Isles look to turn their season around in 2025.