NY Islanders Undone by One Bad Stretch Losing to Oilers

The New York Islanders didn't have the firepower to keep up with the Edmonton Oilers.

Jan 15, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; New York Islanders defensemen Matthew Schaefer (48) clears the puck in front of Edmonton Oilers forward Issac Howard (53) during the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The New York Islanders built a lot of positive momentum at the end of their three-game road trip, beating the Nashville Predators in a shootout and the Minnesota Wild in overtime to earn a point for the seventh time in eight games.

Alas, that positive momentum wasn’t able to be carried over into their first game back at UBS Arena. The Islanders hosted the high-octane Edmonton Oilers and lost 4-0 in a game that was much closer than the final score indicates.

New York did an excellent job in the first period, weathering the storm. 2:22 into the game, winger Emil Heineman was called for kneeing against Isaac Howard, which resulted in a game misconduct for the forward.

That contributed to seven power-play minutes that the Oilers received in the first period. Despite being at a man disadvantage for such a large portion of the opening period, the Islanders didn’t fold. Their defense remained stout, keeping the high-scoring Edmonton team out of the net.

Islanders get blitzed in second period by Oilers

Jan 15, 2026; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers defensemen Ty Emberson (49) and New York Islanders forward Casey Cizikas (53) battle along the boards for a loose puck during the second period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unfortunately, the Islanders weren’t able to take advantage of the power play they went on when Trent Federic was called for roughing against Casey Cizikas.

Their defensive effort remained excellent until just about halfway through the second period. The Oilers were finally able to break through, and disappointingly, the floodgates opened up from that point on.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his second goal of the season 8:42 into the second period on an assist from Kasperi Kapanen. Only 1:08 later, it was Vasily Podkolzin who lit the lamp again, scoring his ninth goal of the campaign. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard were both credited with assists.

New York had a golden opportunity to cut the lead in half when Frederic was called for another penalty on Ondrej Palat. The Islanders didn’t get a single shot on goal, and a few minutes later, they were in another brutal spot when Matthew Schaefer was whistled for a holding call against Connor McDavid.

Final. pic.twitter.com/EPqkbA4Fng

— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) October 31, 2026

It took only 51 seconds into the man advantage for Nugent-Hopkins to beat Ilya Sorokin for the second time in the game. McDavid and Draisaitl had assists on the play to give the Oilers a 3-0 lead.

That was the only scoring in the game until Jason Dickinson scored his first goal of the season when he put the puck into an empty net with 2:37 remaining in the game for a 4-0 lead, which was the final score.

It was a disappointing afternoon for New York, which looked a step slow in executing on the ice. There will now be a nice break in their schedule, with the Islanders taking the ice again on Nov. 5 against the Carolina Hurricanes at UBS Arena.