Just how bad things were for the Islanders before coach Lou Lamoriello pulled the trigger on the coaching change comes with the realization that Thursday’s win over the Lightning was their first back-to-back wins since Dec. 13. be.
That’s nearly two months, during which season-long instability swirled around the Isles and nearly derailed the year.
That inconsistency is what Patrick Roy is grappling with now as he tries to get the Islanders past the playoff cut line.
The win over the Lightning is notable not only because it allows the Isles to finally snap a true winning streak by defeating Calgary at UBS Arena on Saturday afternoon, but also because it means that they have not normally been able to put together a winning streak. Because it was a 60 minute effort. .
“I think that’s the hardest thing to do in this league,” Jean-Gabriel told the Post after Friday’s practice. “It’s about being consistent, not just game by game, but if you play a good period, you have to try to wash it away and go back and have a better period. I think it’s the mentality of trying to do something.
“Every era is like a new era. Let everything go for 20 minutes at a time. Shift after shift and try to refocus. [You have] Bad shift, next shift will be better. I think he’s very positive and brings a new mentality every shift that allows him to play the best he can. ”
The first 20 minutes were good for the Islanders on Thursday, but the game could have gone in a different direction after Brandon Hagel scored a goal just 1:14 into the second game to make it 3-2. Ta. It was supposed to happen many times this year.
Instead, the Isles kept shifting. And they put Lightning away.
The challenge now is to accumulate games one after another.
“Right away since the first game he came in, we did some good things,” Pageau said. “We’ve gotten better and better. You can see parts of the game, that’s how we want to be. And control the puck, have possession of that puck and move quickly. [defensive] Once you hit the zone, you’ll start seeing results. We did that for the entire 60 minutes, so I think we’re winning now. That’s why we deserve to win. ”
Alexander Romanov, who missed the final 10:16 of Thursday’s game, missed Friday’s practice, and the Islanders had been calling the defenseman for maintenance on a daily basis.
Roy said the status for Saturday’s game will be determined during warm-ups.
Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) participated fully in Friday’s practice, skating with the team for the first time since being injured in a loss to the Avalanche on Dec. 2.
