Islanders struggling to close out games, tangle with Oilers next

Edmonton Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner, from left to right, Troy Stecher, Zach Hyman, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid celebrate after Edmonton defeated the Vancouver Canucks 7-3 during an NHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press)

The New York Islanders' third-period collapse on Saturday night unearthed some familiar questions.

Conversely, the Edmonton Oilers' third-period outburst on Saturday provided a hint they might finally be ready to return to form.

The former tries to bounce back and the latter aims to build momentum Tuesday night when New York visits Edmonton in the first clash of the season between the teams.

Neither team has played since Saturday. The host Islanders squandered a two-goal lead in the third period and fell to the New Jersey Devils 4-3 in overtime. The visiting Oilers ended a two-game losing streak by scoring four goals in fewer than five minutes in the third period of a 7-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

The loss snapped a season-high two-game winning streak for the Islanders, who appeared headed for victory when Dennis Cholowski and Brock Nelson scored within a stretch of 1:56 shortly beyond the midway point of the third period.

But Dawson Mercer scored with 4:27 left for the Devils, who pulled goalie Jacob Markstrom with about 1:18 remaining and tied the score when Stefan Noesen's pass into the crease glanced off the stick and skate of Islanders defenseman Grant Hutton and trickled past Ilya Sorokin, who finished with 29 saves.

Jack Hughes scored on a breakaway 2:35 into overtime to hand the Islanders their 14th loss -- counting the playoffs -- in games in which they led in the third period over the last two seasons.

New York, which frittered away several one-goal leads in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Oct. 10, also gave up third-period advantages in a shootout win over the Montreal Canadiens on Oct. 19 and in an overtime victory over the Devils on Oct. 25.

"We managed to take a 3-1 lead. Unfortunately, we couldn't close," Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. "Need to find a way to close those games."

Closing wasn't a problem Saturday for the Oilers, who led 3-0 fewer than five minutes into the second before the Canucks' Elias Pettersson and Filip Hronek scored twice in a span of 1:59.

Connor Brown opened and closed the third-period flurry for the Oilers, who received goals in between from Connor McDavid and Brett Kulak. The four-goal third was the most prolific period of the season for Edmonton, which scored fewer than four goals in nine of its first 14 games.

The win was the fifth in the last eight games for the defending Western Conference champion Oilers, who were a popular preseason pick to win the Stanley Cup but opened with five losses in their first seven games (2-4-1).

"It was a solid effort by our group, but the main thing is that third period, the way we showed composure and poise in the third and made plays with the lead and piled on," Brown said. "I think there's a lot of momentum to be built off that game, especially that third period."

The Oilers will visit the Islanders on March 14 to conclude the two-game season series.