Islanders need to stop giving away points now in order to stay in playoff hunt later
Islanders coach Patrick Roy and players look on against the Seattle Kraken in the second period on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Islanders’ sky did not fall on Friday, even if it seemed it would after a desultory defeat on Thursday night.
Yet as coach Patrick Roy stays positive and tries his hardest to keep things fun for this group, there’s the realization that the losing must stop — and that now would be a good time for that. The Islanders simply cannot continue to give away points while waiting for their injured core players to heal.
The Islanders will open a weekend back-to-back against the Hurricanes on Saturday at UBS Arena before playing in Ottawa on Sunday.
“We try to pride ourselves on having an even-keel mindset after bad games, great games,” defenseman Noah Dobson said in the wake of Thursday’s 5-2 loss to Seattle at UBS Arena in which the Islanders fell behind by four goals, looked slow and rarely had the puck. “At the same time, we’re a mature group. We all know we’ve got to be a lot better.
“It’s not early in the year anymore. The games are important. We’re down in the standings. We also know a couple of wins here and there and we’re right back in the mix.”
The Islanders (9-11-7), in a 2-5-3 slump, have won consecutive games only once this season. Yet they woke up Friday just two points out of a wild-card berth, even if they were in last place in the Metropolitan Division.
No team is running away and hiding in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s not hurting us, right?” Anders Lee said. “A lot of teams aren’t too dissimilar from us. We know where we stand and it’s not where we want to be. Like we always do, we take on that challenge of climbing our way back into it.”
So Friday brought an intense practice at Northwell Health Ice Center in East Meadow focused on somehow getting this team to score more goals. There was an increased emphasis on working in the corners and tight spaces and moving the puck.
There was some positive injury news in that top-liner Mathew Barzal (upper body), out since Oct. 30, finally has resumed skating on his own, joining top-liner Anthony Duclair (lower body), out since Oct. 19. Adam Pelech (jaw), out since Nov. 1, skated with teammates for a second straight day.
“I just wanted to work on offense,” Roy said after moving Maxim Tsyplakov to Bo Horvat’s top line with Jean-Gabriel Pageau while Brock Nelson centered Lee and Kyle Palmieri. “Sometimes you don’t want to hear your coach. Sometimes there’s no message to be sent other than helping to find ways to get some scoring. It’s fun scoring goals.
“That’s my job. When I was in Colorado my third year [2015-16], we were struggling scoring goals and I felt like I didn’t do enough. So this time around I want to make sure I do enough.”
Perhaps, given Roy’s emotional and fiery nature, there was a perception or anticipation that he would go all Hulk Smash-mode on Friday.
“I’m not that type of person,” Roy said. “I’m a person that likes to be positive.”
Roy even sounded conciliatory when asked about struggling Pierre Engvall, who again will be a healthy scratch on Saturday after failing to take advantage of a chance to skate on Nelson’s line against the Kraken.
“I don’t want to [expletive] on him,” Roy said. “I know Pierre is trying hard. Right now, maybe my expectations are higher than what he’s been showing.”
So no, the sky did not fall on the Islanders. But they can’t keep propping it up with bon mots. Only victories can prevent a fatal-to-the-season collapse, and the Islanders have yet to prove they can win consistently.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.