The loser point trend has followed the NY Islanders into the early season

Following a game, when a team says they've earned a point or that they picked up a big point and are ready to move on to the next game, it's meant to provide a positive spin on a performance that should have or at least could have resulted in two points. Too often, that's been the sound byte coming from the New York Islanders' dressing room.

Yes, there are times when a team 'steals' a point after coming back late in the third period before losing in OT or the shootout, but for the Isles, failing to secure two points has often felt like the loss of something rather than the gain. Last season, they led the league with 16 'loser points' with 11 coming during the 3-on-3 overtime and five resulting from a shootout loss.

The loser point trend has followed the NY Islanders into the early season

So far, that trend that prevented the Islanders from being a 100-point team last year has continued into this season. Through four games this season, the Islanders are 1-1-2, 'earning' two 'loser' points after falling twice in overtime, first to Utah Hockey Club in OT after blowing not one but two third-period leads. Then, on Thursday night in St. Louis, they failed to capitalize on several grade-A chances before Jake Neighbours tipped home a goal past Ilya Sorokin to break a scoreless tie.

The Islanders were once the best shootout team in hockey (thanks, Frans Nielsen!) and have the second most shootout wins (90) in NHL history. Despite having a lauded goalie tandem in Semyon Varlamov and Sorokin, the Islanders have struggled in recent seasons. The blame falls more on the forward group than on the goaltenders, who almost have to be perfect to earn the second point.

As for 3-on-3 overtime, the Islanders were relatively strong when they had plus-skating defenseman Nick Leddy and Devon Toews. However, over the last three seasons, they've lacked that puck-moving ability from the backend and have been overly reliant on Mathew Barzal or Brock Nelson to carry the play forward and create the odd-man rushes. They've also been prone to mistakes.

Also, Sorokin has been historically bad in overtime. For a goaltender with his reputation, he has 31 overtime losses since the 2020-21 season, the most in the NHL, leading John Gibson (28) and Jacob Markstrom (25). With eight years remaining on his contract, he's already the franchise leader in this dubious category after passing Rick DiPietro (28) last season.

Perhaps this troubling trend will end on its own. Maybe it's not something that is more luck or lack thereof than anything else, but the trend is real, and the longer it lasts, the more it hurts the Islanders to have a position in the standings more reflective of how they've played, given the number of points they are leaving without.