The New York Islanders will look to clean up defensive mistakes as they continue a seven-game road trip in Vancouver against the Canucks on Monday night.
New York was doubled up 4-2 at the hands of the Flames in Calgary on Saturday, dropping to 2-2-1 on the trip.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anders Lee scored, while defenseman Matthew Schaefer added two helpers for the Islanders, who are 5-4-1 over their last 10 and 12-9-3 on the road this season.
Goaltender David Rittich, who is 11-6-3 with a .906 save percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average in 20 starts this season, made 15 saves in the loss.
“At the end of the day, it just wasn’t our best game,” said Schaefer, who leads all rookie defensemen with 13 goals and 32 points through 48 games. “I think we could hold on to the puck a little bit more. A little too many turnovers for our liking, but we’re about the next one (against Vancouver on Monday). We’ll learn from this.”
Mathew Barzal paces the Islanders with 38 points through 47 games, while former Canucks captain Bo Horvat has a team-leading 21 goals in 36 games this season.
Monday is the second and final meeting of the season between the Canucks and Islanders.
Kiefer Sherwood had a hat-trick, David Kampf added the other, and Filip Hronek chipped in two assists as Vancouver topped New York 4-1 on Dec. 19.
Due to injuries, neither Horvat and Sherwood will dress on Monday.
Wins have come few and far between for the Canucks since their victory over the Islanders. In 14 games following their last meeting, Vancouver has mustered just two regulation wins (2-10-2) and is currently in the midst of a 10-game winless stretch (0-8-2).
“It’s happened to teams this year, a couple of veteran teams, the last couple of days have been burned like that as well,” said Canucks coach Adam Foote of the skid. “We’re going to keep doing our thing and keep teaching.”
The Canucks surrendered six unanswered in the second period, falling 6-0 to the Edmonton Oilers on home ice Saturday.
It was Vancouver’s first game on home ice following a 0-6-0 showing on a six-game road trip. The loss dropped the Canucks to 4-14-3 on home ice this season.
Nikita Tolopilo made 29 saves in the loss, falling to 2-3-0 with an .881 save percentage and a 3.98 GAA in six appearances this season.
“We just have too many mental lapses throughout 60 minutes, and it costs us,” said defenseman Tyler Myers. “Nobody likes to lose. We talked about it within the room. Certainly don’t want to get complacent where we’re at, feel sorry for ourselves. It’s just a recipe for disaster. Come in the next day, get to work. Just got to stay positive.”
Sherwood leads Vancouver with a team-high 17 goals in 44 games, while Elias Pettersson is the team leader with 29 points in 40 games.
Goaltender Kevin Lankinen is 6-13-4 with an .887 save percentage and a 3.37 GAA in 24 games this season.
–Field Level Media
