Islanders' Bo Horvat: 'Missing the playoffs stinks'

COLUMBUS, Ohio — That empty, lousy feeling that has accompanied the three games since the Islanders were eliminated from playoff contention will linger through the summer and, if the players react the right way, will be motivation for whatever the group looks like when it assembles for training camp in September.

The Islanders, who failed to make the postseason for the first time since 2022, concluded their regular season on Thursday night with a no-show 6-1 loss to the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. A breakup day will follow and then an offseason of questioning what went wrong, how it can be fixed and whether president/general manager Lou Lamoriello and coach Patrick Roy will be the ones to try to fix it.

“Missing the playoffs stinks,” Bo Horvat told Newsday. “I did it a lot in Vancouver. It’s the same feeling here, this year. It’s a crappy feeling playing meaningless games. Tonight, we wish we were playing for something like we were the last couple of years. It stings, but just motivation for next year.”

Horvat was asked directly if the mix in the room needs to be different next season.

“It’s not up to me, obviously,” he said. “You never want to see anybody go. But things happen. It’s a business, right, and we need to find ways to improve our team. For me, it’s just working hard in the summer, try to be better and come back and play hard next year and be a difference-maker. I think I can play better. I think I’ve got more in the tank. That’s all I can focus on.”

The Islanders will need to take lessons out of this lost season, just the second time in Lamoriello’s seven seasons running the organization that they will not be in the playoffs.

Horvat spoke of needing to play more consistently and finding a way to improve on special teams. The penalty kill, even though it has been vastly improved since January, ranked 31st in the NHL. The power play, too, ranked 31st and often would sap momentum from the Islanders’ game rather than propel them forward.

“I’ll answer those questions in a few days,” Roy said when asked what lessons should be taken from this season.

As soon as the Islanders were eliminated with a 4-3 shootout loss in Philadelphia on Saturday, Roy repeatedly spoke of finishing the season with a strong effort.

But Marcus Hogberg (20 saves) gave up five goals on 11 shots in the second period as the Islanders (35-35-12) constantly gave up odd-man rushes and consistently turned the puck over.

“It just kind of unraveled pretty quickly,” Matt Martin said after playing his 987th and almost certainly final NHL game. “You try to come in with a strong mindset and play strong hockey. Once they got one, they got two and it just started to pile up. Some guys tried to make one too many plays or tried to do something a little more than playing north-south. Not the result you want to end the year.”

The fourth-liner did finish the game on the ice with longtime linemate Casey Cizikas, now the third-line center. But Roy said that was the result of an incomplete line change, not sentimentality, and Martin said he didn’t even realize Cizikas was on the ice.

The Blue Jackets, as the Capitals did on Tuesday when the Islanders lost their home finale, lined up to shake Martin’s hand after the final buzzer.

So now it’s on to the offseason and myriad questions about the team’s direction.

Kyle Palmieri, asked about what lessons need to come out of this season, spoke of “closing out” games better to collect more points.

“You’ve got to make sure you’re realizing the severity of winning and losing hockey games,” Palmieri said. “It’s hard in this league to win and do it consistently and find your way into the playoffs. You can’t really take anything for granted.”

Notes & quotes: Hudson Fasching broke up a shutout bid by Jet Greaves (36 saves) at 14:48 of the third period . . . Palmieri dressed for his 900th NHL game . . . Simon Holmstrom played in his 200th NHL game . . . Defensemen Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech were held out of the season finale and defenseman Alexander Romanov missed a second straight game with illness.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

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.