For the first time since Dec. 4, the Islanders are outside of a playoff position. They are one point behind the Red Wings and Bruins. They’re also tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets, who are third in the Metropolitan Division, with New York having played one more game.
“We’re not happy that we lost the game in the last what, 11 seconds,” New York coach Patrick Roy said. “But we’re going to regroup and be ready for the Montreal game (on Saturday). That’s all it is. The way the standings is so close, so tight, it is very important to remain bold and focus on what we have to do, the job we need to do.”
The Senators nearly opened the scoring at 17:50 of the first period, but a sprawling save by defenseman Carson Soucy in the crease denied Chabot on an open-net chance.
Schaefer gave New York a 1-0 lead at 4:45 of the second period on a point shot following a face-off win by Bo Horvat.
The defenseman, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, has 21 goals and 29 points to become the second 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history to record 50 points in a season (Phil Housley, 57 in 1982-83).
Pinto tied it 1-1 with a short-handed goal at 10:27. He took a bank pass from Tyler Kleven at center ice to create a 2-on-1 with Claude Giroux, kept the puck, and beat Sorokin with a wrist shot.
“You could look at everybody on this team, everybody had a statement game, everybody played great,” Tkachuk said. “Through the highs and lows of the game, I thought we handled it well.”