Given the heat and cold that the islanders have experienced so far, it is forgivable that there is some hesitancy in making any kind of declarative statement about them at this point.
But maybe, if you’re leaning towards optimism, you might think there’s a slight chance that the Islanders are… hot.
And more than that, they’re probably doing it at exactly the right time.
The win was a little ugly, but the teams around them in the standings provided enough help.
But Saturday’s 2-0 win over the Predators on home ice, extending their winning streak to four, broke a 10-game losing streak against Nashville and spoiled Barry Trotz’s return home. It speaks volumes, even if the overall atmosphere of this season makes it difficult to hear. .
Suddenly, the Islanders are two points behind third place in the division, leading a mediocre five-team group that has all failed to crack a good spot at least once before.
That’s probably why we avoid jinxes. He only has five games left in the regular season, so there’s still plenty of time to drop the ball.
But for now, the Islanders are in control of their playoff destiny.
And more than that, they might manage to avoid a first-round matchup against a Bruins or Rangers team that could win the President’s Trophy.
Like the previous three wins, Saturday was a volatile one.
The Islanders spent a little too much time in the defensive zone. I couldn’t pass the pack quickly. There were some major bailouts by Semyon Varlamov.
But if you squint, you might see some progress in their game.
There was more support regarding breakouts.
They played fast and caught up with the best team in the league, a Nashville team. They worked and fought hard enough to make up for the game’s overall lack of precision.
Noah Dobson’s wrist shot broke the scoreless stalemate at 9:07 of the second period, and the defenseman’s 10th goal of the season went through a Casey Cizikas screen for a 1-0 lead. .
To hold on, the Islanders had to overcome two consecutive penalty kills, starting with a trip call on Brock Nelson at the 6:05 mark.
They killed it off, but just before the game was evened up, Simon Holmstrom was called for a slash.
That’s when the tension that made up much of the Islanders’ night combined with Varlamov to produce two minutes of heart-stopping excellence.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau lost his stick twice, effectively forcing the Islanders to survive in a three-on-five situation.
Varlamov avoided three Grade-A chances, getting his stick on a backdoor feed to Gustav Nyquist, a blocker against Ryan O’Reilly’s wrister and catching Filip Forsberg’s laser with his glove.
Even after the penalty expired with 8 minutes remaining, the game remained a ferocious affair. Nashville came down the ice.
The islanders repulsed them. rinse. repeat.
Earlier this year, the Islanders had a similar moment almost every time someone showed up.
With the season on the line, they were even in this game, and Kyle Palmieri sealed the game with an empty-net goal with 1:19 left.
Varlamov finished with 39 saves and did his best to earn his third shutout of the season.
After the last winning streak reached six games, followed by a losing streak of the same length before that, it is your own prerogative whether you believe in a turnaround or not.
With this Islanders team, we can certainly be okay without a lead, both in the game and in the standings, but you can rest assured.
But their lead in the standings is now real. And they can’t afford to let it go.
