Islanders’ Lane Lambert blasts officials for ‘terrible’ call in uncharacteristic moment

DENVER — Lane Lambert has been reticent to criticize officiating for most of his tenure as Islanders head coach.

That tendency evaporated Tuesday. 

“I thought Mike Reilly’s [interference] call was terrible,” Lambert said following a 5-4 overtime loss to the Avalanche in which Colorado tied the game at 4-4 on a power play following the call on Reilly. “What more can you say? They called them.

“That’s the way it goes.” 

Lambert can expect a call from Ninth Avenue on Wednesday, but evidently decided it was worth the trouble of a likely fine. 

With six seconds to go on an Islanders power play, Reilly was called for interfering with Andrew Cogliano in the neutral zone at the 10:47 mark of the third period, with the Isles hanging on to a 4-3 lead. 

The eventual power-play goal from Valeri Nichushkin featured an element of luck as well.

Cale Makar suffered a broken stick on an attempted shot from the point, but the puck went to Nathan MacKinnon at the post, setting up an easy tap-in for Nichushkin from the low slot. 

Colorado proceeded to win the game in overtime after another penalty on the Islanders — this one from Scott Mayfield for holding at the end of regulation — set up a four-on-three in the extra period, which MacKinnon converted. 

Robert Bortuzzo also left the game with an apparent right leg injury after taking a hit from Samuel Girard along the wall at 15:41 of the second.

Lambert did not have any update on his status. 

Pierre Engvall drew back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Sunday in Pittsburgh, with Matt Martin coming out.

Sebastian Aho was a healthy scratch for the first time since early last season, with Bortuzzo rejoining the fold.