This one really felt like a must-win game, and the New York Islanders... did not win it. With Mat Barzal out due to COVID protocol (yeah, that again), the Isles played a road game with only 3 natural centers. Zach Parise filled in as a “center” but that ended up mostly creating a mishmash of lines throughout the game.
The offense struggled with the loss of Barzal, no surprise, and Ilya Sorokin was the reason this game was really as close as it was. This team just isn’t clicking right now, and the injuries and COVID and everything else is just contributing to make this season an example of Murphy’s Law.