Head coach Patrick Roy goes scorched earth on NY Islanders players after 5-4 win over Blackhawks 

By Abhilasha Aditi

Modified Dec 13, 2024 11:00 GMT

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The New York Islanders edged out a 5-4 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at UBS Arena but faced sharp criticism from head coach Patrick Roy for their late-game performance. Roy expressed his frustration postgame, talking about their lack of effort and defensive commitment in the final minutes.

“A win is a win, and we play to win games,” Roy said via NHL insider Stefen Rosner on X/Twitter, “but I guess times have changed because in my days, if my team would have done that to me, I would break a stick in that room. I’d be very upset to see my team playing like this in front of me."

The Islanders started slow, conceding a first-period power-play goal to Connor Bedard after a defensive turnover. They bounced back in the second period, with Dennis Cholowski tying the game 1-1 and Simon Holmstrom putting them ahead at 14:06.

New York dominated the early third period, scoring three consecutive goals. Noah Dobson made it 3-1 with a five-hole shot at 5:39. Bo Horvat extended the lead to 4-1 at 6:36 with a sharp-angle finish. Maxim Tsyplakov’s redirect at 7:58 pushed the lead to 5-1, leading to Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom being pulled.

However, the Islanders’ defense crumbled in the final 10 minutes, especially the last two minutes. TJ Brodie’s slap shot at 11:04 began Chicago’s comeback. Tyler Bertuzzi scored twice in the final minutes, including a deflection off his skate at 19:50, bringing the Blackhawks within one goal.

Despite Ilya Sorokin’s crucial saves, Roy criticized the lack of effort in front of the net late in the game:

"Ilya is a gentleman. He’s a first-class person, but that was unacceptable. We didn't compete. We didn't battle in front of the net in the last eight minutes. That's unacceptable. We talked about it this morning, to be stronger. Our goalie deserves more respect than this."

The Islanders secured the win but left their coach demanding better focus.

NY Islanders' Matt Martin shared similar sentiments as Roy

Forward Matt Martin echoed his coach's comments, saying that the Islanders need to be better at home and be able to secure a 5-1 lead late in a game.

“We need to be a lot better at home in our building,” Martin said via NHL.com, “You get a 5-1 lead. We played really well in the second up until the fifth goal. Then [there were] breakdowns, guys not staying focused. Sorokin deserved better. He played a great game for us. He deserves us finishing that game strong and doing the right things out there.”

Martin and Co. will get a second chance in the Islanders' second consecutive game against the Blackhawks at United Center on Sunday.