Nothing about the Islanders’ latest loss provided optimism as they started the second half of their season.
Playing for the third time in four nights — including goalie Ilya Sorokin, who made a last-minute start with Semyon Varlamov entering COVID-19 protocol after warmups — the Islanders looked slow and tired in a 5-2 loss to the streaking Flames on Saturday night at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.
The Islanders (17-19-6) have dropped two straight on this four-game road trip, which concludes Tuesday night in Buffalo. They are 17 points out of an Eastern Conference playoff spot and still can’t beat playoff-level competition, falling to 2-15-2 against teams holding a postseason position.