WINNIPEG, Manitoba — The Islanders are a significantly better staff than they had been a month in the past.
However the hole between them and the league’s greatest — the hole between them and these Jets — remains to be sufficiently big to indicate up over 60 minutes, and to cease the Islanders from beginning one other profitable streak.
The story of this 4-3 defeat at Canada Life Centre, the Islanders’ second loss of their previous three, was a narrative of 1 high line that had it rolling and one other that didn’t.
The Jets’ high trio of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabe Vilardi put in two objectives at five-on-five and pressed the problem all night time lengthy.
Anders Lee, Bo Horvat and Anthony Duclair’s line, by comparability, didn’t rating and had been on for 2 objectives in opposition to, with Horvat and Duclair on for a 3rd as well.
All different context apart, that’s a tricky dichotomy to beat on any night time.
The Islanders have been getting contributions from their again finish and backside six, they usually did so once more on Friday when their first two objectives got here by way of Simon Holmstrom and Marc Gatcomb.
Their stars have typically performed stable hockey over the previous month, however ever so quietly, the highest line has trailed off.
Horvat nonetheless is producing at just below one level per sport over the past 10, however Lee — the Isles’ greatest offensive performer nearly all season — has simply three factors over the identical interval.
Duclair, who’s been elevated to the highest group since Mathew Barzal received harm final weekend, nonetheless has but to make an imprint since getting back from a presumed groin damage in mid-December, and once more was not noticeable Friday.
Throw that into an already robust matchup in opposition to a league-leading Winnipeg membership and you’ve got the form of sport that performed out Friday night time, wherein the Islanders hung tight and performed on the Jets’ velocity for parts of the match, however had been finally simply plain overmatched.
After the Islanders seized a 2-1 lead within the first, the Jets took again management with three straight objectives in a dominant second.
Two got here from Vilardi, who received behind Adam Boqvist off the push to tie the sport at two, then hit the underside of the crossbar — the puck crossing the road — to reap the benefits of a discombobulated 30 seconds for the Islanders that made it 4-2.
In between, Nikolaj Ehlers ripped in Cole Perfetti’s feed from behind the online to offer the Jets a 3-2 lead on the 14:50 mark, with the Winnipeg crowd chanting “New York sucks” within the background.
The Islanders did minimize the lead again to 1 on Kyle Palmieri’s aim at 11:07 of the third, however that didn’t portend a comeback.
Casey Cizikas appeared to have the tying aim on his persist with just below eight minutes to go, however Connor Hellebuyck stopped his shot from the correct publish.
The Islanders received a 3rd power-play probability of the final interval a pair minutes later and regardless of producing excess of they did on the primary two, they might not resolve Hellebuyck there both.
The Islanders had jumped into an early lead off Holmstrom’s aim off the push, then took again the initiative on Gatcomb’s aim after Alex Iafallo tied it.
This, nevertheless, was not going to comply with the identical pattern as many of the final month.
The Islanders have come a great distance — as a staff and within the playoff race — for the reason that new yr. However they’ve nonetheless received an extended option to go earlier than they will beat a staff like this one.