Islanders News: Beau’s last hurrah

Ouch.

The Islanders let such a winnable game slip through their hands for a zero-points, thanks-for-coming regulation loss to the Vancouver Canucks, who playing on back-to-back nights on their NY metro swing.

Both Bo Horvat and Anthony Beauvillier scores in this reunion-and-closure event: Bo’s goal gave the Isles what should have been a key insurance goal and two-goal lead, but the Islanders defense continued to wilt and Ilya Sorokin had a bad night — so it ended up that Beau’s goal, which gave the Canucks a late insurance goal, ended up being the game-winner.

Brutal.

Even before the Canucks comeback, aided by some leaky goals, the warning signs were there as Sorokin had to stretch in physiology-defying ways to keep pucks out on some golden chances.

Islanders News

• The Isles blow a two-goal lead with a “disconnected,” “unacceptable” defensive and giveaway display, and Beau gets a happy return with what turned out to be the game-winning goal. [LHH | Newsday | NHL | Athletic]
• 3 Takeaways: “Hurts.” “Frustration for sure.” “Slip away.” [Isles]
• Horvat is “super excited to be here.” Which, I mean you’d hope so, signing up for 8 more years and all. [Newsday | Sportsnet]
• It’s been a whirlwind for both Bo/eau’s, but it finally concluded with a reunion for both before they fully move on. [Newsday]
• Trade spec: Do the Islanders still need to make additions, and what could they be, etc. [Athletic]

Here’s the tribute video they showed for Beauvillier, followed by a standing ovation/goodbye:

Elsewhere

Thursday night’s other NHL scores included the Flyers winning in a shootout, the Devils winning in regulation, and the Lightning smoking the Avalanche.

• How and why the Smurfs acquired Vladimir Tarasenko for a conditional first and third (it was marketed as a fourth, but apparently it’s a third if the Rangers make the playoffs). [Athletic | Post | Sportsnet]
• Brooks urges Gerard Gallant to use him on the Rangers first line...which I think was the point. [Post]
• That trade takes a possible destination for Patrick Kane off the table. [TSN]
• For the Blues, it’s acknowledging an end of an era, or the end of trying to do it get back to the top with the core of the ‘19 Cup team. [NHL]
• The teams from Long and Short Islands have gotten the trade deadline action rolling with big names. The team in Toronto will probably have to be content with small moves. [Sportsnet]
• Cale Makar was none too happy about a blindside hit by Jeff Carter that the league felt was incidental. [Athletic] He returned to the game, but now he’s out for the rest of Colorado’s road trip with a head injury. [TSN]
• Jack Hughes is out week to week with an upper body injury. [NHL]
• Seattle’s Andre Burakovsky is on IR. [TSN]
• “Gabby” Bruce Boudreau returns to the NHL Network desk, where we can enjoy him talk about the game without worrying about whether he’s being undermined by management. [NHL]
• Truly bizarre story in the SPHL in Illinois, as a team stopped paying players, and staff, and eventually guys started resigning, getting fired, the team forfeited while the home fans waited, and now apparently the team has ceased operations. [Peoria Journal-Star]