Due to another rough third period performance, the Arizona Coyotes (19-16-2) suffered a 5-1 defeat to the New York Islanders (18-10-10).
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Coyotes ran into a similar issue against New York like when the Florida Panthers beat them 4-1 on Tuesday: allowing two goals in less than a minute span in the third period, zapping any possibility of a potential comeback.
It did not take long for the Islanders to score after Coyotes center Nick Bjugstad took a penalty 7:45 into the contest.
0:11 later, Horvat was left alone in the slot and fired his 15th goal of the season to give New York a 1-0 lead.
Mathew Barzal would then use his speed to bolt across Arizona’s blue line before sending a saucer pass to Mike Reilly who finished a one-timer over Connor Ingram.
Getting the Coyotes back in the game from a tight angle, Nick Schmaltz scored after being set up by Sean Durzi, making it 2-1 3:29 into the second period.
Horvat had a golden opportunity to add another tally midway through the middle-20 minutes, but the puck rolled off the blade of his stick as he skated closer and closer to Ingram.
Instantly after Horvat’s squandered opportunity, Arizona controlled the pace, breaking through the Islanders’ rugged defensive structure which saw them outshooting New York 13-7 at the end of the frame.
Jumping to the third though, the rhythm and momentum in which they built in the latter half of the second period dissipated due to defensive miscues.
In the left corner of Arizona’s defense zone, Juuso Välimäki passed the puck right on the tape to Islanders captain Anders Lee who made no mistake once in possession, going five-hole on Ingram. Julian Gauthier tacked on another for New York 0:52 after Lee.
Continuing to cause the ‘Yotes havoc, Horvat ripped a shot to the top-left corner of the net for his second goal of the game to finish off the ‘Yotes.
Disappointed about the result, Coyotes head coach André Tourigny did not hold back on went wrong.
“I think all game long we struggled to execute, our puck play was difficult, even the simple play was difficult,” Tourigny said. “I really think our execution hurt us a lot.”
Echoing the same sentiment as his coach, Välimäki voiced that the team was feeling down inside the locker room, but he wants the team to stick together.
“I think all of us need to take a look in the mirror, it’s not time for panicking or anything like that,” Välimäki said. “The last two games we haven’t been at our best at all, so I think we gotta come together as a group. We gotta learn, but we gotta remember to stay positive, stay tight as a group.”
Final Notes
Arizona will go back to the drawing board as they are now on a two-game losing streak.
Additionally, the Coyotes find themselves out of the final wildcard spot as the Seattle Kraken passed them with 41 points in the Western Conference, the ‘Yotes have 40. Seattle beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1.
Because of this win for the Islanders, they are tied with the Carolina Hurricanes for second in the Metropolitan Division, both earning 46 points so far this season.
Not facing a heavy workload, goaltender Ilya Sorokin had a 25-save performance in Tempe.
Next Games
- Coyotes: Sunday vs. Winnipeg Jets at Mullett Arena in Tempe, AZ.
- Islanders: Tomorrow vs. Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.
Coyotes’ Clayton Keller nominated for 4th All Star Game, fan voting now open
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Alec Cipollini is a reporter of the Arizona Coyotes and Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account @AlecCipollini
