3 least impressive Florida Panthers players from 4-2 loss to New York Islanders feat. Seth Jones

The Florida Panthers suffered a shock 4-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Sunday night at UBS Arena. The Panthers blew a 2-0 lead in the third period, surrendering four unanswered goals to the Isles.

Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov (PPG) scored for the Florida Panthers, while Marc Gatcomb, Maxim Tsyplakov, Noah Dobson, and Simon Holmstrom (EN) did so for the New York Islanders.

So, here’s a look at the three least impressive Florida Panthers players from their loss to the New York Islanders:

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Three least impressive Florida Panthers players from loss to New York Islanders

#3 Nico Sturm

Florida Panthers trade deadline acquisition Nico Sturm had a forgettable game against the New York Islanders. Sturm hit the ice doe 12:34 of ice time over 19 shifts but failed to register a shot on goal, winning 36.4% of the face-offs he took.

While Sturm wasn’t acquired to be the Panthers’ top scorer, he was brought in to solidify the bottom six. Unfortunately for Sturm and the Panthers, he has been largely invisible since arriving.

#2 Vitek Vanacek

Another trade deadline acquisition for the Florida Panthers, Vitek Vanacek failed to impress against the New York Islanders.

While Vanacek made 30 saves, it was a disastrous third period, giving up all three goals, which made the crucial difference for the Panthers. In particular, Vanacek surrendered goals to Tsyplakov and Dobson 17 seconds apart, flipping the game from a 2-1 lead to a 3-2 deficit.

Here’s a look at New York's equalizer:

Tsyplakov skated in alone following a stretch pass from Mike Rielly. Tysplakov made a move to his left and then slid the puck in the five-hole on Vanacek.

The Isles took the lead on the ensuing face-off. While Dobson’s go-ahead wasn’t totally on Vanacek, he didn’t make a crucial save when his team needed it the most. Eventually, the Isles took advantage of a rare meltdown by the Panthers to keep their playoff hopes alive.

#1 Seth Jones

The Panthers acquired Seth Jones at the trade deadline hoping he could regain his number-one defenseman form. He was asked to step up following Aaron Ekblad’s suspension and Dmitry Kulikov’s injury in the game.

Jones led the team with 25:40 of ice time over 28 shifts, but it was his role in Dobson’s game-winner that resulted in a massive letdown for the Cats.

Here’s a look at the New York goal:

The play started with a horrendous giveaway in the neutral zone. Dobson, a defenseman, took the puck, skated in the Panthers’ zone, and beat Jones to the net where he buried the go-ahead goal.

Jones looked slow on the play, cementing his minus-3 night. With the prospect of being down Ekblad and Kulikov, the Panthers will lool for Jones to improve on his overall performance if the Panthers are to finish atop the Atlantic Division.

The Panthers will have a couple of days to recover as they face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena.