It’s now or never for the Islanders, who head home for Wednesday’s match against Tampa Bay bruised and battered, a five-game losing streak in hand.
All year, they’ve been a streaky team and with nine games left in the season and a three-point deficit in the wild-card chase, now is the time to find some magic.
Four of their next five are on home ice, and though the list of opponents is far from easy — the Lightning, Wild, Capitals and Rangers are all set to visit UBS, with a trip to Nashville bridging the last two games on that list — the Islanders were formidable in their own building during March, snagging at least a point in all but one game on Long Island.
They’ll need more than one in most of these, though.
And they’ll need to reverse what’s been a costly spiral of late, with their defense and goaltending having struggled through the last week.
“This time of year, it’s not about learning from our mistakes,” Kyle Palmieri said after Sunday’s 6-4 loss to Carolina. “It’s about going out and executing and finding ways to win hockey games.”
Despite their recent struggles, the Islanders have stuck around the playoff cutline mostly because the Rangers, Blue Jackets, Canadiens and Red Wings have struggled just as much.
Needless to say, none look like inspiring picks to pull a first-round upset against the Caps, who will almost certainly face whichever team finishes atop the mud pile.
The Islanders, though, would very much like to give themselves the chance to do just that.
Per Tankathon, their remaining schedule is the eighth toughest in the league, but the good news is that Detroit, Columbus and the Rangers all have harder slates.
The Canadiens, however, have the fifth easiest — and just scored a huge two points against the Panthers on Sunday.
If any one of the five teams can find their stride, even for just a week, the race could be effectively over in short order given how everyone else is playing.
And as long as the Islanders keep struggling, they’re putting themselves at risk of being on the wrong end of that equation.
The Islanders announced the signing of winger Joey Larson, a 24-year-old Michigan State product, to a one-year, entry-level contract starting in 2025-26.
Larson had 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 37 games played with the Spartans this season.
Larson is the second college free agent the Islanders have signed after Gleb Veremyev (Colorado College).
AHL Bridgeport also recently gave a tryout contract to Max Dorrington (Sacred Heart) and brought over 2024 second-round pick Jesse Pulkkinen from Finland.
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