In a season full of brutal moments for the New York Islanders, Wednesday night’s 3-0 loss to the Seattle Kraken was perhaps the most miserable. Against the second-worst team in the Western Conference, the Islanders were outshot 31-19, committed 12 turnovers and looked like a team that had given up.

“I’m pissed off right now,” Islanders’ head coach Barry Trotz said after the loss. “Plain and simple.”

The Islanders are 17 points out of a playoff spot and currently, it is unlikely they will make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Nonetheless, they have made the postseason three years in a row and the final four two years in a row, so anything is possible.

But not if they play like they did Wednesday night.

“We got outcompeted,” Trotz said. “Their will was a lot stronger than our will. That’s where it ended up. They wanted it more. Words don’t mean anything. It’s actions. It’s concerning anytime we have a game like that.”

Let’s analyze the contest — from both the perspective of both the Islanders and Kraken — and go over what made this loss so tough.

Game Recap

The Islanders will forever be remembered as the first team to ever get shut out by the Kraken.

Philipp Grubauer — who signed a six-year contract with the Kraken July 28 — will forever be remembered as the goalie to do it.

“Yeah, I mean, I didn’t even think about that yet,” Grubauer told the media following the game.

The 30-year-old made 19 saves in his 19th career shutout — his first since May 12 in his last start a member of the Colorado Avalanche. Grubauer struggled earlier this season, but he has allowed two goals or fewer in four of the past seven games.

Of his 19 saves Wednesday, his denial of a one-timer by Zach Parise from the face-off circle 13:09 into the second period was his best. It kept the game scoreless, allowing the Kraken to take the lead a period later.

Jared McCann potted the big one — the game-winner — scoring his 19th of the season and tying his career high that he set during the 2018-19 season. He received a pass from ex-Islander Jordan Eberle and astutely fired the puck on net — it went off the shoulder of an unsuspecting Semyon Varlamov and trickled in.

“I just feel like things this year are going well and I’m getting put into good situations to score,” McCann said. “I’m just trying to take advantage of it.”

Playing the Islanders seems to also help. McCann has four goals and seven assists in his last 10 games against the Isles.

Two minutes after the icebreaker, Vince Dunn received a pass from Mason Appleton at the blue line, scooted past Anders Lee and did his best Eberle-backhand impression, sniping one past Varlamov. 

“The next shift or two [after a goal] are very important,” Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol said. “That is an area that we have grown in.”

Appleton tallied his second point of the night courtesy of an empty-net goal with two seconds left.

The Kraken finished their four-game road trip with a 2-2 record. Adam Larsson scored the franchise’s first overtime goal in a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday night. Three days later, the Kraken dropped a close one to the New York Rangers 3-2, before falling to the Boston Bruins in another 3-2 contest Tuesday night.

“It’s been a good road trip,” Grubauer said. “I think we could’ve gotten a point or two in New York and gotten a point or two [Tuesday]. It would’ve been an unbelievable road trip, but we found a way to win and close it out today and got a couple of days off now.”

While the Kraken have played better recently, Wednesday night was a must-win game for the Islanders. The Isles missed their opportunity to earn a crucial two points against one of the worst teams in hockey.

Eberle’s Night To Remember

Eberle got the last laugh in his return to Long Island. He notched a nifty assist in front of a fanbase that saw 93 of those over his four-year career with the Islanders.

Six minutes into the third period, Marcus Johansson’s hard work along the offensive zone boards caused some havoc and the puck trickled to Eberle. He gifted McCann a perfect feed and McCann made it count.

It was a nice moment for Eberle, who was also honored with a touching tribute video earlier in the game. It was the loudest moment of the night, as fans stood and saluted a fan favorite.

“I have a big connection with this group,” Eberle said. “Some of my best memories are here and also some of my worst.”

The Islanders left Eberle unprotected in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft, but re-signed Kyle Palmieri to a four-year, $20 million contract. The organization essentially chose Palmieri over Eberle and it has backfired — Palmieri has one goal and six assists in 29 games, whereas Eberle has 12 goals and 14 assists in 44 games.

Seeing Eberle notch a big assist on the game-winning goal — and get the victory against his old team — made Wednesday night that much more painful for Islanders’ fans.

Snow, Snow, Snow

The Kraken were originally supposed to venture to Long Island on Saturday, Jan. 29 for a 2 p.m. game. Mother Nature had other plans.

The game was postponed after New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a weather-related state of emergency Friday evening. The postponement cut the All-Star break a day short for both the Kraken and Islanders, forcing both teams to play back-to-back games before their short vacations.

It wound up being a necessary delay, as Elmont, N.Y. received over a foot of snow — much of which was still visible outside UBS Arena at puck-drop. However, it made the loss tougher to swallow, as the Islanders now have the entire All-Star break to reflect on it.

A Bad Bus Ride

Additionally, due to the postponement, the Kraken stayed at a hotel in Manhattan instead of on Long Island. On the way to the game, the team bus got stuck in rush hour traffic, arriving over an hour late at approximately 5:30 p.m.

“Just an everyday, normal bus trip,” Hakstol joked. “I’m pretty sure half the fans beat us here tonight.”

Added Grubauer: ”I don’t know if the bus trip helped or not.”

The Islanders had home-ice advantage. The Kraken arrived to UBS Arena just over an hour before puck drop. And the visitors looked like the home team.

David Lazar