Depleted Islanders Drop Sixth Straight to Maple Leafs (Highlights)

After losing to the Calgary Flames in the UBS Opener, the New York Islanders were back in action against Toronto who've been red hot of late. Just like last night, it wasn't the best of starts for New York in this one.

After a four-on-four turned into a four-on-three for the Islanders, they put four forwards on the ice to get aggressive. Well, that ended up backfiring as they gave up their third shorthanded goal of the season, this time to Mitch Marner.

Ilya Sorokin didn't have much of a chance as Marner was essentially in all alone. Most of the period was spent in the Islanders end as the shot advantage was in Toronto's favor. The only good chance of the first was from Zach Parise, who just can't buy a goal right now.

For the second, there were no goals for either side but the Islanders special teams was much better. The Islanders killed a Scott Mayfield and then a questionable call against Kyle Palmieri to keep it a one goal game.

They had a push at the end of the period, it was an extended zone time for the Isles but to no prevail as after two it was still a 1-0 lead for Toronto.

After hanging around through two periods, the wheels fell off in the third. Ondrej Kase made it a 2-0 game just 2:00 into the final frame, and with the Islanders offensive effort tonight it felt like that would be all Toronto needed to put this to bed.

The Isles were gifted another power play opportunity when William Nylander tripped Kyle Palmieri but the Islanders. power play was down right awful. The special teams was a major issue for New York tonight, and it was one of the biggest reasons they lost tonight.

Mitch Marner added his second goal of the evening for the cherry on top. The effort just wasn't there tonight and the losing streak continues to a sixth straight. To make things bad to worse, Brock Nelson who was the only player to score wearing blue and orange over the past two nights, left with an injury.

This team needs to get healthy, sooner rather than later. The season is still too young to make it a state of emergency but the separation in the Metropolitan Division continues to grow.