Kraken 3*, Islanders 0 (EN): Isles put everyone to sleep in sluggish loss

Well this was a snooze-fest.

Not a single Islander had a good game to write about, with the team putting up a measly 19 shots. They could barely connect passes and just looked terrible out there, up against a struggling expansion team that had also played three games in four days, ruling out that excuse for why the Islanders looked so gassed.

The Islanders essentially handed the Seattle Kraken their first ever shutout win, and never looked like a team deserving of two points in the midst of a climb back into playoff contention.

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First Period

Josh Bailey was called for tripping, sending Seattle to the power play, but the Isles killed it.

Brock Nelson had a shot that got through a screen to Philipp Grubauer, who made the save. Oliver Wahlstrom had a great opportunity in the slot but shot wide, and those were really some of the best scoring chances of the game, as the Islanders were way too pass-happy, rarely putting pucks on net on a goalie who has been among the league’s worst this season.

The first period ended 0-0, with Varlamov making a save on an Alexander Wennberg shot.

Second Period

Mat Barzal turned the puck over at the blue line and then tripped Ryan Donato to send the Kraken to the power play again. The Islanders killed this one too, and JG Pageau had a decent chance as the PP expired. For his effort, he was shoved into the goal by Vince Dunn, so the Isles would head to the power play.

There were a couple of decent looks on the PP, but the Kraken were able to kill it.

Back at even strength, Varlamov made a huge save on Colin Blackwell to keep the game tied at 0.

Third Period

And here’s where the wheels really came off...

Pageau had a shot stopped by Grubauer, then Varlamov made saves on Calle Jarnkrok and Ryan Donato to keep the game tied.

But, some sloppy play behind the net by the Islanders, plus Varlamov losing track of the puck, meant Jared McCann was alone in front to open the scoring. Old friend Jordan Eberle picked up the primary assist on the goal.

Vince Dunn then made it 2-0 with a backhand shot, and with just under two minutes left, the Islanders pulled Varlamov for an extra skater.

Mason Appleton made it 3-0 into the empty net.

Quick Thoughts

• Burn this game.
• This is an old Islanders team. Parise is 37, Chara is 44, Greene is 38... maybe these guys just can’t play three games in four nights. And they probably shouldn’t, when we have Salo, Aho, and Bellows hanging around. No reason to not swap those guys in to give the older players some rest.
• These guys need to shoot the puck more. Way too many plays where they just stop to look for the perfect pass.

Up Next

Next, the NHL All-Star Game! Adam Pelech will be there, that’s fun.

Then, the Islanders head out for their annual western Canada trip to take on the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and Calgary Flames. Gonna have to come back with at least four points from those.