SAN JOSE, Calif. — It’s simple to neglect this time of 12 months: There’s nonetheless a hockey season happening and nonetheless hockey video games to play.
And for the Islanders, there may be nonetheless a playoff race.
They began Thursday simply 4 factors under the cutline, albeit with 5 groups to leap.
No matter their group appears like Saturday, when the Islanders face the Sharks of their first sport after the commerce deadline, the three-game journey that begins within the Bay Space earlier than visiting Anaheim and Los Angeles is essential to staying within the race.
Since coming back from the 4 Nations break, the Islanders have been wildly inconsistent, going 3-3-0 with a pair of disastrous losses to the Rangers stopping them from grabbing momentum within the wild-card race.
Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Winnipeg, which has the very best document within the league, was a fantastic signal, but it surely means nothing if the Islanders can’t deal with enterprise in opposition to the bottom-feeding Sharks and Geese.
“I think our biggest problem is a little bit consistency,” captain Anders Lee mentioned Tuesday. “We’ve played some good hockey and at times haven’t got the results from that. But when we’re playing good hockey and getting the results, it’s a great combination. And I think we can show that as much as we can.”
With the Islanders’ commerce deadline plans up within the air, the hope amongst gamers after beating Winnipeg was that they’d proven sufficient for Lou Lamoriello to stay by the group but once more.
That didn’t come to fruition, with Lamoriello dealing Nelson to the Avalanche late Thursday evening for a bundle headlined by prospect Cal Ritchie and a future first-round choose.
Palmieri’s standing continues to be up within the air.
Taking a realistic method on the commerce deadline and giving up on the season, nevertheless, usually are not one and the identical.
Don’t count on the Islanders to throw within the towel on the playoff race.
And after the Islanders put collectively late runs to make the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, it will be a step too far to depend them out fully.
The three California video games have adopted the identical development for every of the previous two seasons, with the Islanders beating the Sharks and Geese whereas shedding to the Kings.
The Islanders haven’t misplaced in regulation on the Shark Tank since Oct. 20, 2018.
Two days prior was the final time they gained a sport on the constructing previously referred to as the as Staples Heart.
