NY Islanders lose late heartbreaker, drop out of playoff spot after loss in Ottawa

The New York Islanders were seconds away from grinding out another critical road point, and give them a chance at grabbing two. Instead, they left Ottawa with a devastating 3-2 loss.

Brady Tkachuk scored with 13 seconds remaining, jamming home a loose puck in front after a deflection off Adam Pelech to steal two points for the Ottawa Senators.

For the Islanders, it was a missed opportunity in a playoff race where every point matters.

New York controlled stretches early and got a milestone moment from Matthew Schaefer, who opened the scoring in the second period. The 18-year-old reached 50 points, becoming just the second defenseman in NHL history to hit that mark at his age.

After Shane Pinto tied it shorthanded, Brayden Schenn responded early in the third, scoring for the second straight game to restore a 2-1 lead.

But the game began to tilt.

Ottawa pushed hard in the third, outshooting New York 11-1 in the period and eventually breaking through. Warren Foegele tied the game before Tkachuk delivered the late winner.

“They had some good O-zone time,” said captain Anders Lee. “And when you’re surviving a little bit, they’re coming right back at you, and we just didn’t break it as much as we needed to.”

The loss snapped New York’s two-game winning streak and dropped them out of a playoff position for the first time since early December.

“Points are crucial this time of year,” Schenn said. “Definitely frustrating, but at the end of the day, there’s no sense looking at it and feeling sorry for yourself. You have to turn the page and move on.”

With the standings tightening by the day, the Islanders know the margin for error is gone.

This one will sting—but there’s no time to dwell on it.