ELMONT, N.Y. — The Red Wings head into the All-Star break still searching for a lengthy win streak and concrete momentum.
The inability to string some victories together is costing the Wings a chance to move up the standings and make a solid playoff push in a rugged and deep Eastern Conference.
And time is slowly slipping away.
The New York Islanders, slumping as they've been (only one win in their last 11 games), didn't prove to be the tonic Friday many fans probably suspected they would be. The Islanders put together just enough offense to defeat the Wings, 2-0.
Anders Lee and Brock Nelson had the Islanders' goals, while goalie Ilya Sorokin stopped 22 shots.
Lee scored at 4 minutes, 44 seconds of the second period, giving the Islanders a 1-0 lead.
Nelson intercepted a puck along the boards. Nelson lifted a puck towards goaltender Magnus Hellberg, and Lee, prone on the ice, reached with his stick and deflected the puck past Hellberg for Lee's 18th goal.
Nelson extended the lead to 2-0 in the third period.
Nelson skated the puck to the high slot and snapped a shot that appeared to surprise Hellberg, who was screened with bodies in front of his crease. It was Nelson's 19th goal, at 4:31 of the third period, just after an ineffective Red Wings' power play.
Hellberg, giving Ville Husso a rare night off, stopped 26 shots but dropped his fifth of eight decisions (3-4-1).
Hellberg made several timely stops in the third period to keep the Wings close, but there was no offensive push against Sorokin on the other end.
The Wings (21-19-8, 50 points) had an opportunity to move past the Islanders (24-22-5, 53 points) in the Eastern Conference standings, but failed while losing their third in the last six games (3-2-1). Detroit is seven points out of the final wild-card berth.
Neither team was much of a threat offensively, with premium scoring chances on either side few and far between. Both teams weren't particularly dangerous on the power play, with the Wings going 0 for 4 and the Islanders not converting on four chances of their own.
The Islanders, for what it's worth, have now scored on the power play in 26 consecutive attempts.
Coach Derek Lalonde and Wings players talked about the relative importance of Friday's game, both heading into the break but also given how close teams are in the standings.
"The guys wanted to play important games late in the season," said Lalonde after Thursday's victory in Montreal. "Here we are before the All-Star break right in the middle of a bunch of teams, and a team we're chasing in New York.
"We had a goal of six points on this little stretch with the dads' trip. We had to get two before we got four. We got four, and I just think it's a bigger picture. We're pushing to play significant games."
The Wings are off until Feb. 7 when they host Edmonton. For a team that's been playing a lot of hockey lately with a lot of travel, it's one last chance to catch their breath before the final push toward the end of the regular season.
"It's a well-deserved break here for a lot of guys working their butts off and playing banged up," said forward Robby Fabbri, adding a push for the playoffs is within sight. "We smell it. We're right there and we're going to keep pushing until the end in order to keep it close. We have to get on a run here. No one is satisfied in here and we have a long way to go."
