Regardless of how well they thought they played during Tuesday night’s 5-1 loss to the Rangers, the New York Islanders are at the point of the season where perception does little to sugarcoat reality.
Patrick Roy’s men are in trouble. A decisive loss to a cross-town rival on home ice had them wake up on Wednesday third-from-bottom in the Eastern Conference and eighth place in the Wild Card standings.
The top two teams get those extra postseason berths and as things stand, five teams and seven points separate the Islanders from that second and final spot.
“We have to be resilient,” Roy said. “That’s how we are, anyway. They never give up. They always push… That’s the quality of people that we have on our team.”
But with 24 games to play, there is little indication that the Islanders can claw their way out of this hole. They have lost four straight and five of their last six. While one hot streak can turn things around, outside of a seven-game heater from Jan. 18 to Feb. 1, the Islanders have won three straight games just one other time this season.
Their roster has been decimated by injuries. With top defenseman Noah Dobson and veteran Mike Reilly out, Tuesday night saw half of New York’s six-man blue line feature players who did not start the year with them (Scott Mayfield was a healthy scratch).
Mathew Barzal, arguably their best playmaker, is out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.
Once their greatest strength, the goaltending has been spotty, at best. Ilya Sorokin gave up five goals on 11 shots on Tuesday night and has given up four or more in each of his last four outings.
“In this game, you have to take it one day at a time and that’s kind of the only way to look at it,” defenseman Adam Pelech said. “We’re going to do everything we can to turn this thing around and start winning some games.”
Time is running out, though, and not just when it comes to looking at the overall playoff picture and the end of the regular season in April. The Islanders have just over one week to prove to general manager Lou Lamoriello that the roster he has stayed so loyal to deserves a couple more months together with the NHL trade deadline looming on March 7.
The Islanders have their fair share of desirable trade targets, too, which could prompt a re-tooling that some would consider a year or two too late. Veteran center Brock Nelson is believed to be one of the most prominent players available in the league having scored 30-plus goals in each of his three previous seasons.
Winger Kyle Palmieri is having another strong year after he potted 30 goals last season, and center Jean-Gabriel Pageau is a versatile forward whose two-way game would bolster the middle six of any contending team.
“You know what the situation is and you know [the trade deadline is] coming,” defenseman Ryan Pulock said. “But I don’t think it’s an issue in our locker room. Every guy is fighting to win a hockey game every night. They’re not thinking about the trade deadline.”
Starting with a trip to Boston to play the slumping Bruins on Thursday night, the Islanders have just four games left before the March 7 deadline. Perhaps it is the last four games for a core that has been in place for the better part of the last five years.
[It’s easy not to think about it] for me anyway,” Roy said. “It was for me as a player and as a coach as well. I’m focusing on what I control. What I control is the next game against Boston. That’s where my focus is at.”
