BUFFALO — This was always going to be about feedback.
About how the Islanders bounced back less than 24 hours after allowing eight goals against the Penguins and dropping a key game in the playoff race.
This would be the case with Ilya Sorokin, when Patrick Roy – after leaving the door open for David Rittich to start on Monday night – returned to his star keeper and trusted him because, as he said before the game, it worked in the past.
And while Sorokin kept them in a game where they struggled to produce offensively, they dropped their second straight game with a 4-3 loss against the Sabres.
Cal Ritchie extended his career-best five-game streak with a goal, Anders Lee gave the Islanders life with a late game-tying goal and Matthew Schaefer set a rookie scoring record by an Islanders defenseman with Lee’s goal, but then they gave up the final tally.
Everything changed for good in the final minutes of the third, when Peyton Krebs put a pass from Alex Tuch past Sorokin for the game-winning goal. Brayden Schenn brought the Islanders within one with two left, but they didn’t have time to produce a fourth goal.
A tumultuous few minutes – Sam Carrick tackled Lee for a second-half tackle on Josh Norris and then came off with a trainer’s aid, Carson Soucy then hit a hooking penalty – ended with Tage Thompson ripping a shot on the power play. There wasn’t much Sorokin could do.
The Islanders left the Sabres’ best game more open than a chance to prepare. And Thompson made the unit pay off.
That caused the Islanders to lose the lead they got back with a power play goal in the second half.
Ritchie beat Brayden Schenn to tie the game at 1, erasing Buffalo’s lead since Jack Quinn turned the Islanders’ first-half power play and fired past Sorokin.
But really, the Islanders were in that game-tying situation because of Sorokin.
They didn’t manage the most dangerous chances in the first 20 minutes and had two frames to two, according to Natural Stat Trick. The fourth line received the second most ice time on that roster.
Lee was unable to capitalize on the penalty, as he was unable to parry his shot past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. At the appropriate end of the first half, Schaefer, long before his record-breaking 57th point, had a chance to go in for a shot from the point, but missed it.
It all, at the end of the third quarter, added up to another disappointing loss for the Islanders, which won’t dampen their playoff hopes but won’t strengthen them either.
The only back-to-back at the end of the week – against the Flyers and Hurricanes – is even more important.
That’s what happens when four key points are left on the table.
