The New York Islanders (8-10-5) reached a new low on Thanksgiving Eve 2024. Despite limiting the Boston Bruins (11-10-3) to only 21 shots on goal, they conceded six. Ilya Sorokin had an off night, but his defense didn’t provide enough help on the goals scored against him.
The Bruins had played the previous night and suffered a 2-0 shutout. They hadn’t held a two-goal lead since November 7th, entering the game with only 10 goals in the third period over 23 contests. However, they turned things around dramatically, outworking and outskating the supposedly fresher Islanders, who hadn’t played the day before.
Pavel Zacha netted two goals in the third period, helping the Bruins prevail in a competitive match. Brad Marchand scored twice, Morgan Geekie added another, and Nikita Zadorov capped it off with an empty-net goal, while Joonas Korpisalo stopped 21 of 24 shots.
On the Islanders’ side, Brock Nelson excelled with two goals and an assist, and Maxim Tsyplakov ended an 11-game goal drought with a first-period score. Sorokin had his least impressive start of the season, stopping only 15 of 20 shots.
This marked the 17th consecutive game in which the Islanders allowed at least one goal in the third period, and for the fifth time in six matches, they had a chance to secure a win in the final period but ultimately failed.
In the first period, the Bruins quickly established dominance with a 1-0 lead just 57 seconds in, and then extending to 2-0 within the first seven minutes thanks to Marchand’s efforts. Following the poor start, Head Coach Patrick Roy called a timeout, which steadied the team and allowed the Islanders to generate pressure, leading to Tsyplakov’s goal.
In the second period, the Islanders capitalized on a mistake from Mason Lohrei to tie the game at 2-2. After falling behind again due to a defensive blunder from Alexander Romanov, the Islanders responded late in the period when Nelson scored to again equalize shortly before the second intermission.
The third period began with the game tied at 3-3. The Islanders, having had a day off, hoped their fresher legs would prevail. The initial moments suggested this might be the case, but with under 10 minutes remaining, Zacha redirected a shot past Sorokin, taking the lead for the Bruins. Moments later, Pastrnak stole the puck from Romanov, setting up Zacha for another score.
The game concluded with the Islanders unable to capitalize on their only power-play opportunity, resulting in an empty-net goal by Zadorov as he exited the penalty box.
In summary, this performance served as another disheartening chapter in the Islanders’ season. Boston, despite struggling to score, put up six goals and managed two two-goal leads after a long stretch without. The Islanders’ loss, combined with gains from other teams, left them seventh in the Metropolitan Division and potentially 14th overall in the Eastern Conference. While the season can still be salvaged, as with past years, the Islanders currently resemble unappetizing Thanksgiving leftovers—lackluster, stale, and provoking regrets about their performance.
