WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Put Vezina Trophy candidate Ilya Sorokin in one net and three-time winner, including the last two, Connor Hellebuyck of the Jets in the other and it was no surprise that all involved expected a stingy, low-scoring match on Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre.
“This wasn’t a typical hockey game for either of them,” captain Anders Lee said. “We put four in tonight and didn’t get a point. There’s a defensive effort that wasn’t good enough. We know that.”
The Islanders, who survived a first-period scare when Matthew Schaefer was pulled for concussion protocol before being cleared to return, scored three goals within 3 minutes, 58 seconds in a wild second period to overcome a three-goal deficit. Still, they lost, 5-4.
Schaefer, who also took defenseman Luke Schenn’s hard blast off his right leg late in the second period and had to hobble to the bench, trimmed it to one goal with 45.1 seconds left in regulation. But the rookie defenseman needed to be examined by the team’s medical staff after the game.
“He was fine,” coach Patrick Roy said. “I think he just lost his wind on that [second-period] play. And I guess they thought it was incidental contact with [defenseman Josh] Morrissey to the head and I think that’s the protocol from the league. But he was 100% fine.”
Sorokin, allowing more than four goals for the first time this season, made 17 saves as the Islanders (25-16-5) are now 1-1-1 on this seven-game road trip. Hellebuyck stopped 23 shots for the Jets (18-22-5), who have won three straight.
Beyond the surprising nine combined goals, the Islanders struggled against Mark Scheifele’s top line with Kyle Connor and Alex Iafallo and Jonathan Toews’ second line with Cole Perfetti and Gabriel Vilardi. The Jets were also the more physical team.
“It was a little more back and forth than probably both teams expected,” Kyle MacLean said. “There’s chances both ways. Three goals there quick in the second period. Unfortunately, we couldn’t claw back. A couple of times our clears bit us a little bit, getting the puck past that blue line and getting it out, especially at the end of our shifts. A couple of breakdowns, a couple of shots from the point that got through.”
Morrissey made it 2-0 with a shot from the high slot through traffic at 5:41 of the second period and Toews then banged in the puck at the post for a power-play goal at 6:23.
Anthony Duclair started the Islanders’ rally by squeezing the puck through Hellebuyck’s pads at 7:40 and Emil Heineman converted his penalty shot by going forehand to backhand and lifting the puck at 8:58 after being hooked on a breakaway by Schenn.
“I figured I’ve had mostly the same move before, so I wanted to try something new since I haven’t scored on the last two \[shootout attempts\],” Heineman said. “I was happy when it went in.”
Kyle MacLean got to the crease for a dirty goal to tie it at 10:21.
But defenseman Dylan DeMelo regained a 4-3 lead for the Jets at 12:23 on a shot from the high slot that withstood Roy’s challenge of goalie interference on Nino Niederreiter.
“If I go with Rule 69.3, both feet were in the crease and Ilya cannot move up,” Roy said.
Nick Lowry then tipped defenseman Neal Pionk’s shot for a two-goal edge with 19.6 seconds remaining in the second period.
Schaefer exited for the Islanders’ room at 4:20 of the first period as Connor tapped in the rebound of Iafallo’s shot for a 1-0 lead.
Schaefer initially retreated to the bench, where he sat hunched over as the training staff spoke to him, before heading down the team’s tunnel. He returned to the bench at 16:11 as Morrissey made the classy move of skating over to check if Schaefer was OK.
Schaefer still logged 22:39.
“Real deal,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said of the 18-year-old Schaefer. “Teams are trying to knock him off his game by being physical against him and nothing seems to faze him.”
Notes & quotes: Defenseman Ryan Pulock’s assist on Duclair’s goal gave him 180 for his career, tying him with Noah Dobson for fifth among Islanders defensemen … Lee and Heineman each took a game-high six shots.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
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