Both the New York Islanders and Dallas Stars came into tonight’s game desperate for standings points. But the Stars got the better of the Islanders most of the night and took home a deserved regulation win.
The Islanders kept themselves in it—well, Semyon Varlamov did, at least—and had some chances to tie the game late. Unfortunately, they did not put enough pucks on net throughout most of the game, and the Stars, in hockey cliché terms, earned their bounces, such as a couple of deflections and a shorthanded goal.
This regulation loss drops the Isles’ tragic number to fifteen: Fifteen points lost by the Islanders or gained by the Capitals will eliminate them.