Isles’ playoff hopes depend on beating tougher competition
The Islanders have played better of late. Much better.
After beating the Flyers 4-3 on Tuesday night, they’re 5-2 since their season restarted, and on points percentage, they’re in third place in the Eastern
Conference wild-card standings. That still puts them well behind Boston for the last spot, but that’s par for the course.
With four games left before the AllStar break, all at home, the Islanders have a real chance to find some momentum — and if they want to keep their threadbare playoff hopes alive, there’s no real choice other than take every chance in front of them. What’s yet unclear is whether their current form really marks a turnaround, or simply comes as the result of an easy schedule.
Of that 5-2 stretch, three wins have come against the Flyers, one against the Devils and one against the Coyotes. By points percentage, that’s three teams in the bottom third of the NHL, including a Philadelphia team that’s currently mired in a 13-game losing streak. When the Islanders had to play two playoff teams, Washington and Toronto, they were thoroughly outplayed, losing both games and struggling to generate offense.
Thursday’s opponent, the Kings, will provide a chance to reverse the trend. An opportunity the Islanders badly need to take advantage of.
“I gotta be honest, I don’t know our record against playoff teams,” Casey Cizikas said following the Toronto loss.
It’s 2-10-3. Not good enough. Not close.
Moreover, their last win against a team in a playoff spot came against a Bruins squad that was heavily depleted due to COVID-19, missing seven players including Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron.
To find a win over a playoff team sporting its real lineup, you have to go all the way back to Oct. 24 — a 2-0 win over Vegas.
The Kings aren’t exactly world-beaters, but at 21-16-6, they’re a team that can give you trouble. Just ask the Rangers, who had their hands full and were held to just 12 shots at five-on-five in a 3-2 shootout win over L.A. on Monday, per Natural Stat Trick.
Thursday will be a real test for an Islander team whose offense has been inconsistent at best. The Kings rank second in the league in shot suppression per 60. The Islanders are 28th in shots per 60 at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.
Things took a positive turn on Tuesday night when coach Barry Trotz put the line combinations back to what the Islanders have done for most of this season, quickly resulting in Anders Lee and Mat Barzal combining for a goal to tie the game late in the first period, but whether that’s sustainable is a different story.
“I think tonight was some more sustained pressure than we’ve had the last few games from every line,” Zach Parise said. “And especially, I think our defensemen did a really good job of pinching, holding the zone, keeping pucks alive in the O-zone, that allowed us to spend more time in there.”
The numbers back up Parise’s assertion. By Corsi — which counts shots on net, blocked shots and missed shots — Tuesday was tied for the Islanders’ second-best game of the year at five-onfive. The power play also looks good, with one official power-play goal and another seconds after a penalty expired on Tuesday.
Thursday’s competition, though, will be tougher. And
the Islanders will need to find another level to keep winning.