The New York Islanders became the latest team to test the Detroit Red Wings' ability to rally.

Wings defenseman Olli Määttä was the latest one to provide depth scoring.

An insipid start Thursday at Little Caesars Arena left the Wings chasing the Islanders when the third period began. Star and depth scoring kept it close, but the Wings fell, 5-3, ending a six-game winning streak.

The Wings were down by a goal when the third period began. That Patrick Kane should erase a deficit isn't unexpected; he's a sublimely skilled forward who needed just seconds to get the puck at the blue line from Dylan Larkin and maneuver up the right flank to score. It was Kane's 13th goal in 29 games.

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That Määttä, a third-pair, stay-at-home defender, should deliver a two-goal performance was another example of how deep the Wings can go for offense. The goals gave him four on the season, and made it 3-3 after Brock Nelson had scored his second of the game.

Mathew Barzal put the Islanders in the lead again with about 6 minutes to play. The Wings pulled Alex Lyon with about 90 seconds to play for an extra attacker, but were unable to pull off a third-period rally after doing so nine times already this season. Pierre Engvall scored into the empty net in the final minute.

Patched up

For the first time in the franchise's 98-year history, the Wings game uniform featured a sponsor's patch. A multiyear partnership with Priority, a waste management company based in Clinton Township, was announced Thursday. By evening the game jerseys had a small emblem with "priority" stitched underneath on the upper right front. It will be there for home and road uniforms. Previously only practice jerseys featured a sponsor's patch.

On their heels

The Islanders are in the same boat as Tuesday's opponent, the Washington Capitals: Trying to climb into the playoff picture. But the Islanders started with far more energy, putting the Wings on their heels and running around their own zone. Nelson put the Islanders in the lead when he maneuvered around Ben Chiarot, freshly out of the penalty box for a soft tripping call, and beat Lyon. That was at 12:11. Four minutes later, Adam Pelech fired a shot from the left point that Casey Cizikas redirected to make it 2-0. The Wings went on a power play with less than three minutes to play in the period, but their best attempt, a shot by Patrick Kane, was blocked.

On their toes

There was a noticeable improvement in the second period, with the Wings competing harder and winning puck battles. Puck luck wasn't on their side early on – Alex DeBrincat, Moritz Seider and Michael Rasmussen missed the net early on consecutive attempts, but five minutes in, one of the defensemen solved Ilya Sorokin. David Perron put in the work behind the net to send the puck out front, where Määttä ripped a shot that edged the Wings within a goal.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her @helenestjames.

Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from  Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Red Wings run out of rally magic, fall to N.Y. Islanders, 5-3