TORONTO — At the end of 2024, the Islanders are out of contention for the 2025 playoffs.
In the final stages of the season, just two days after Patrick Roy questioned the team's mental strength, the Islanders' resiliency didn't suddenly appear to be back on this matinee in Toronto.
Instead, on a day when they played a relatively decent 60 minutes on the road, the Islanders couldn't overcome the hump in a close 3-1 loss to the Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
In other situations, you can ignore this. But given the situation the Islanders are in right now, not getting two points here, the best thing so far is that at least the Islanders haven't collapsed in the same period. In a season like this, it seems like a given. Stunning fashion like Rangers.
Their record of 14-17-7 (two more games played than the Senators and five points behind Ottawa for the final playoff spot) is an accurate depiction of the Islanders' current situation, but it's not a pretty one. do not have.
And when it comes to resiliency, it's not ideal for the Islanders to trail in the third period and only have one come-from-behind victory in 38 games.
So when Steven Lorenz's goal late in the second game gave the Leafs a 2-1 lead with 20 minutes remaining, things didn't bode well.
The Islanders had the most possession of the puck in the third period. However, the needed push never really materialized in terms of actual pressure or chances, with Toronto keeping the Isles on the perimeter for most of the time.
Ironically, when a good opportunity arose on the Leafs' power play, Brock Nelson freed the ice to give Joseph Wall a solo chance, but Toronto's netminder denied it.
It was a perfect day in the penalty shootout, at least until John Tavares scored into an empty net. This is remarkable considering how bad this season has been.
But the game ended up being a rare Islanders game that lacked drama in the third period, with Noah Dobson's tripping penalty in the closing minutes leading to Tavares' winning goal.
The Isles played well in the first period, holding the Leafs back without giving them many chances, but 17:54 into the game, William Nylander fed David Kampf from behind the net and Toronto scored. There was only one game to play.
You could see the Islanders deflate almost instantly, only to be saved from an almost instant two-point deficit by Connor Dewar's odd-man rush that hit the crossbar instead of the open net.
The Islanders bounced back in the second period, putting pressure on Woll and finally breaking through when Dobson's cross-ice pass connected with Jean-Gabriel Pageau at 11:59. However, just 16 seconds later, Lorenz got up on the ice and circled Scott Mayfield, freely observing Ilya Sorokin, but quickly buried Sorokin.
At the moment, this team is an easy team to play against. Mistakes spiral and it always seems like you're one shift away until something goes wrong.
In most cases, this is the case.
And despite the Islanders' record, the standings that have long provided a sense of security are beginning to reflect a season that seems to be passing in slow motion.
