Perhaps the Islanders can find respite north of the border.
That is their job as they embark on a two-game journey through Toronto after which Ottawa, which doubles as an attempt to reconnect the season with duct tape and superglue. They are not out of the playoff race yet, and run can still change the equation. But they definitely don’t count after losing eight out of nine matches, with just two wins in January.
The Islanders are not chasing the Capitals and Penguins for the last wildcard – they’re also coping with the Panthers and Sabers, and even the Flyers and Red Wings. Florida edged the Islanders in the tie-break after Saturday’s games, and the Sabers could soon do the same with two games in hand and two points to make up. The Flyers are 4 points behind with a game to play. The Red Wings are five points down with three in hand.
By the way, the Islands still need to control Washington and Pittsburgh as they are the teams that are actually in the playoffs.
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“We just have to discover a way to fight through it, that is all,” coach Lane Lambert said after Saturday’s 5-2 home loss to the Hurricanes. “The Games are coming. We’d like victories. Now we have to discover a way to get those victories.”
The Islanders have played six of their seven home games in the last two weeks, winning only against the last-placed Canadiens. After Saturday’s game against Karolina, the conversation turned to the coach, who looks drained after only 48 games in his first season on the NHL bench.
“It was probably a mixed bag,” Brock Nelson said of Lambert’s behavior. “There are games where we didn’t play well, he and the guys were nervous, rightly so. There have been games where we now have played well and he’s positive. It would all the time be a roller coaster. At the moment it looks like we were close, but we still have not [it]. I still consider Laner and everybody else believes we are able to turn this around.
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As players and coaches, in fact, they have an obligation to consider that, irrespective of what the table says. Thus, each Nelson and Josh Bailey dismissed questions on the possibility that the Islanders’ core – which has held together after a disappointing playoff loss last yr – will likely be shattered if they are unable to turn it around.
“It isn’t something I waste my time on,” Bailey said. “There is no point in worrying about this stuff on the way. Let’s deal with finding answers to what is going on on.”
Nonetheless, straight away it’s hard to make excuses the way the Islanders could last season, when a protracted trip followed by the COVID-19 outbreak essentially dashed their playoff hopes. They have not been in need of injuries and it’s still unclear when Adam Pelech, Kyle Palmieri, Oliver Wahlstrom, Cal Clutterbuck or Hudson Fasching will return. But the problems seem to transcend that.
If they cannot reverse it, it could force CEO Lou Lamoriello into an uncomfortable reality as the February trading season heats up.
“It was a tricky stretch,” said Captain Anders Lee. “The mood deteriorated after the game. It sucks. So we just have to discover a way to find some life, find some energy, and keep constructing our game. That is all you possibly can do.