The New York Islanders are looking to move past their recent loss as they prepare for a game against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, continuing their road trip.
The Islanders come to Calgary after a tough 3-2 loss to the Seattle Kraken on Saturday, where they lost a third-period lead and were “robbed” — as coach Patrick Roy described it — by a questionable game-winning goal in the final moments.
So far on their road trip, the Islanders have one win, one loss, and one overtime loss. They will finish the trip in Detroit after facing the Flames.
“We’ve done a pretty good job on this trip so far,” said forward Matt Martin. “Obviously we dropped a game we felt we could have won in Seattle, but we have to find a way to get two (points).”
The Islanders have struggled with giving up third-period leads in two of their last three losses. However, they will get some help with the return of defenseman Alexander Romanov, who has missed the last seven games due to an upper-body injury.
“I should be good,” Romanov said after Monday’s practice, where he was paired with Noah Dobson. “It’s awesome to be part of the team again, not watching the games on TV or in the stands. It’s great.”
The Islanders are still without forwards Mathew Barzal and Anthony Duclair, as well as defensemen Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly.
On Monday, the team announced that during a checkup for the concussion Reilly is dealing with, doctors discovered a heart condition that will take months to fully recover from.
“It’s probably a blessing in disguise of what transpired,” said GM Lou Lamoriello. “They detected this, something that you’re sometimes born with, but never knew.”
Meanwhile, the Flames are in the middle of a four-game homestand, which began with goaltender Dustin Wolf earning his first career NHL shutout in a 2-0 win over the Nashville Predators on Friday.
Wolf, who had lost a shutout in the final minutes of his previous game, has allowed seven goals in his last four appearances, with the team posting a 3-0-1 record in those games. It’s expected that Wolf will start again, as the Flames have been rotating him and Dan Vladar in goal.
“I feel good with my game. I feel confident,” said Wolf, the rookie goaltender who was twice named the AHL’s top goalie. “I feel confident with the guys in front of me, as well. They make my life a heck of a lot easier, being able to see pucks and their sticks have been great on the seams.”
The Flames were expected to struggle this season, but thanks to strong goaltending, especially from Wolf, they’ve managed to stay competitive in the standings.
“He’s way more comfortable than he was last year. You can really tell,” said defenseman Rasmus Andersson. “The longer the season goes on, the more comfortable he gets. I get it, I was a young guy, too. The more you play, the more comfortable you get.”
However, the Flames still need to improve their power play, which has only scored two goals in the past 13 games, with a 2-for-35 success rate during that stretch.
“I think we’ve just got to get the work boots on,” Andersson said. “It’s too pretty at times. We have to move it quicker, get shots on net.”
