Three days off from them was nice, but here we are again. I unwisely choose to have hope until I can’t anymore.
That was nice, wasn’t it? Three days without the New York Islanders was quite calming, especially since the scoreboard watching, if any, is mostly academic at this point.
That’s because it would take a miracle again. But I will hold out the slightest of hopes until it’s officially over; crazier things have happened, and there will be plenty of time to talk about what needs to change this offseason. Although, I wouldn’t blame you if you instead turned your attention to baseball’s Opening Day.
I’m still so mad this team pissed away its playoff spot after the six-game win streak. The path was laid out for them all season, especially, around the streak, but they couldn’t stop peeing down their leg. It’s pathetic that they couldn’t beat out the Philadelphia Flyers or Washington Capitals, or even the Detroit Red Wings. Those teams, objectively, aren’t good. But they work harder than the Islanders appear to on a nightly basis. Even the Detroit Red Wings, the Islanders should be better than them.
Perhaps those teams’ lack of skill catches up to them over the next couple of weeks—but unless the Islanders manage to run the table here over their last 11 games, they’ll need at least two if not more of the teams ahead of them to falter mightily. However, if the Isles aren’t going to go at least 8-2-1 or something to make it interesting down the stretch, I genuinely hope they go oh-fer and finish with the 75 points they have now. Going 6-4-1 and missing by a point or two would drive me insane. It would do nothing but screw up their draft slot and already slim lottery odds. I don’t like rooting for my team to lose, but they may force my hand. Speaking of which, if you want to get a head start on simulating the draft lottery until the Islanders win it, there’s a website for that.
Well, the 11-0-0 run begins tonight against the Florida Panthers, who I believe can clinch a playoff spot depending on the result of this game and the Detroit Red Wings game, so it’s not like they won’t be motivated for the puck drop. FIG picks go here.
Islanders News
- A preview of tonight’s game in Sunrise.
- With Ilya Sorokin struggling, the Islanders will go with Semyon Varlamov tonight. [THN]
- If they’re going to make a run out of this, they need to win some games here. [Newsday] Like, sweeping the Florida two-step and beating the Flyers in regulation on this road trip.
- That’s just to keep the slim chance alive, too. It’s going to take a miracle, as Andrew Gross discusses. [Island Ice] And as Ethan Sears writes. [NY Post]
- In retrospect, they probably should have sold at the 2022 deadline. The fear, I guess, is that it would have changed the complexion of the locker room, but I think we can see this team needs that, on top of the fact that they need to change the on-ice product. [NY Po$t+]
- Given how the season has unfolded, there wasn’t much news this week. Of note, though, was that Scott Mayfield was officially shut down for the year after having surgery, but it is not expected to prevent him from his normal offseason training. [Islanders]
- Also, Anders Lee has avoided supplemental discipline for kneeing Nico Hischier. The major and game misconduct appear to have sufficed. [Newsday]
- The only other major event was the Season Ticket Members’ “An Evening with the Players.” [Islanders] Twitter is a cesspool, and contained within it are a lot of disappointed grown-ups because it was mostly a kids’ event, and they couldn’t ask Pierre Engvall why he doesn’t hit anyone. It was simply a night to hang out with guys on a stage. Here you’ll find a few of the best moments.
- Oliver Wahlstrom probably isn’t getting back in the lineup any time soon. [NY Post]
- The Prospect Report highlights the ATOs of 2020 picks Alex Jefferies and Matias Rajaniemi.
- The New York Post sat down with Josh Ho-Sang to get the skinny on his rap career and his hockey comeback attempt.
- It’s probably because they have absolutely no reason to ever be in Yaphank, but I still find it funny that some of the guys who have been here about a decade don’t know how to pronounce some of the town names.
Long Island town names Take 3! pic.twitter.com/8MLB53s5Wj
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) March 27, 2024
Elsewhere
Only two games last night: The Senators scored five first-period goals to cruise past the Sabres and the Lightning held off the Bruins from clinching a playoff spot.
- Turns out that the Capitals and Wizards won’t be leaving D.C. for Virginia after all. [ESPN]
- Ethan Bear has entered the Player Assistance Program. [NHL]
- I’m still rooting for playoffs until it is impossible, but since we’re almost certainly in this territory now, who are the top prospects in the upcoming draft besides Macklin Celebrini? [E$PN+]
- Building a team of notable players who have been healthy scratches in 2023-24. Pierre Engvall and Simon Holmstrom only made the honorable mentions. [Sportsnet]
- Pretty cool moment: Josh Doan scored two goals in his first NHL game with the Arizona Coyotes. Of course, he is the son of Shane, who is the face of hockey in Arizona. [NHL] But the Coyotes were eliminated, the fourth straight season they’ll miss the playoffs. The only time they’ve made it since 2012 was winning the play-in round in 2020. [NHL]