3 Takeaways: Islanders Shut Out 1-0 by Penguins

Despite a standout night from Ilya Sorokin, the New York Islanders losing streak hit eight games on Friday after a 1-0 shutout loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins at UBS Arena.
Sorokin stopped 29-of-30 shots, including a hat-trick of highlight-reel saves on Sidney Crosby, but the Islanders could not solve Tristan Jarry, who made 25 saves for his third shutout in the past five games.

The goalie duel meant that Kasperi Kapanen accounted for the only score of the evening and as a result, the Islanders lost eight straight in regulation for the first time since Oct. 23 - Nov. 10, 2010.
"It's not coming easy," Anthony Beauvillier said. "We have to find it in our locker room, no one is going to take it easy on us or anything. It is what it is at this point. We have to fight through it and keep grinding. It's obviously a big a huge challenge, but we have the pieces to get out of it and we just have to keep fighting."

SOROKIN SHINES IN LOSS:

There must be something about seeing the Pittsburgh Penguins for Ilya Sorokin.
After giving up three-or-more goals in his last three starts, Sorokin was sharp from the get-go vs the Penguins, channeling his play from last year's First Round win over the Pens.
There was no tryptophan in Sorokin's system to start Friday's tilt, with the Penguins outshooting the Islanders 10-2 during a firewagon stretch that saw only one whistle in the first 10 minutes. The Russian netminder made a left pad save on a Zach Aston-Reese chance at the top the crease and an even bigger glove/arm save on Crosby on a backdoor play at the side of the net.
The save on Crosby was only an appetizer, as Sorokin with a key stop on Crosby on the Penguins only power play, getting across his crease to stop a one-timer. With the Islanders opening up looking for the tie, Sorokin was called upon again, coming up with a save on a Jason Zucker breakaway with 7:20 to play in the third.
The 26-year-old goaltender faced down Crosby again on a breakaway late in the third, getting a blocker on the Penguins' captain.
The only puck to elude Sorokin was Kapanen's far-side wrister from in close in the second period, but it was Sorokin's play that kept the Isles in the game on Friday.
"Ilya was fantastic. He gave us a chance," Head Coach Barry Trotz said. "Once we fell behind, we had to take a couple of chances. He came up real big and gave us a chance to put one puck in and see if we could generate at least one point there."

OFFENSE COMES UP EMPTY:

While the Islanders showed plenty of fight and effort, Friday marked another fruitless night for the offense, who were shut out for a third time in the past seven games.
The Islanders put 25 shots on a suddenly-hot Jarry, who exacted a little revenge from last year's First Round series.
PENGUINS 1, ISLANDERS 0
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JG Pageau had a pair of quality chances in a first period that saw the Isles outshot 12-6, but the bulk of the Islanders chances came during a third period push, where the Islanders outshot the Penguins 11-7.
Otto Koivula had the Islanders best chance of the night, swatting a loose rebound in the crease late in the game, but found Jarry's skate as the Penguins goalie sprawled out for a save.
"It's obviously not going our way right now, we can't find the back of the net," Matt Martin said. "The effort is definitely there, guys are grinding away and putting everything they have into it. We just can't seem to get that big goal to push us over the top. We just have to stick with it. Brighter days are ahead. We just have to will our way to one and hopefully, start rolling from there."
The Islanders power play generated two shots for the Islanders, though both came on the team's second opportunity. Trotz said he felt his team lost momentum after the first power play, with Kapanen lighting the lamp shortly after. The Islanders seemingly got some momentum out of a scrum in the third period, with the Identity Line tangling with Pittsburgh's top line.
The recent offensive struggles have coincided with a host of injuries and COVID-related absences for the Islanders, who are currently without Anders Lee, Josh Bailey, Brock Nelson and Ryan Pulock, among others. Trotz said that as challenging as this stretch has been, the coach said he's still seeing effort on the ice, especially from the call-ups.
"This is one of the biggest challenges I've ever faced in 20-some years," Trotz said. "We're in a real tough division, obviously we want to do well in this rink, our fans want it, they're excited about it and we get hit with COVID and injuries. It's untimely, but that's life."

DOBSON RETURNS, BAILEY SKATING:

While the Islanders have been severely undermanned of late, the first reinforcements returned on Friday, as Noah Dobson was back in the lineup after missing Wednesday's game with a lower-body injury.
Dobson looked good in his return, posting six shot attempts (two on goal), two hits and two blocked shots in 20:26 TOI.
The Islanders also welcomed Josh Bailey back to practice on Friday morning, as the winger, who spent 10 days quarantining in Florida after entering COVID-19 protocol, skated at Northwell Health Ice Center. Trotz said Bailey would skate on Friday and Saturday and his status for Sunday's game against the Rangers would be determined later. Trotz said Bailey asked to play on Friday, but the coach wanted him to work himself back into game shape.

NEXT GAME:

After a four-game homestand, the Islanders play their next two games on the road, starting on Sunday night at Madison Square Garden vs the Rangers. Puck drop is at 6 p.m.