Islanders Still in Playoff Contention, But Need Help

While the Islanders lost 3-0 to the Senators on Saturday, they’re technically not out of the playoff race—at least not yet.

However, that “technically” carries a lot of weight. Their chances hinge on winning their last two games, which are against Montreal on Sunday and Carolina on Tuesday. They also need some significant help from other teams.

Specifically, the Flyers must lose two out of their final three games. They’ll be facing Winnipeg on Saturday night, then Carolina on Monday, and concluding with Montreal on Tuesday.

But it’s not just the Flyers who need to falter. The Islanders also risk being overtaken by both Columbus and Washington if those teams win their matches.

It’s a complicated web—the Isles need losses not just from the Flyers, but also from the Blue Jackets and the Capitals. It’s a tall order.

“You have to control what you can control,” said captain Anders Lee. “Let’s respond well tomorrow. Let’s win the game. We need help, but that’s all we can do right now. Unfortunately, this game is over. We just have to focus on our own performance.”

If they had managed to beat Ottawa, things might have looked a lot better for their playoff prospects. The Flyers weren’t scheduled to play until later, which would’ve given the Islanders the chance to apply some pressure on Philadelphia for at least a few hours.

As it stands, they’ve dropped eight of their last twelve games—all in regulation. It’s a bit concerning because they’ve been in contention for over three months now, yet find themselves on the verge of a major collapse.

“I’m not feeling great right now, but we’re still in it,” said coach Pete DeBoer. “We have to win the last two games and hope someone takes that final playoff spot.”

Lee mentioned that the Ottawa captain had prompted a fight with Brady Tkachuk during the opening faceoff, continuing a trend from their last matchup in Canada. “We wanted to energize the crowd. I think we responded well,” Lee reflected. “Our guys were ready; they didn’t actually need that extra motivation for tonight, but we knew we could deliver again.”

In terms of roster changes, Max Shabanov was out due to an upper-body injury and had been called up on consecutive days. Kyle McClain returned to his usual fourth-line role, and Ondrej Palat moved up to the third line.