Patrick Roy sees no reason to ‘panic’ after two straight Islanders losses
The Islanders’ two-game losing streak hasn’t set any alarm bells ringing, and the coaching staff has no intention of shaking up the lineup that won their first six games. “We’re going to follow the program closely. I like the mix,” Patrick Roy told reporters after Friday’s practice. “But like I said before, we’re not afraid […]
Islanders can’t wait to fix sudden scoring troubles
To find out the last time the Islanders lost consecutive shutouts, you have to go back 49 months. That time, it was a chaotic two-game series, with losses 5-0 and 1-0 in Nashville and Las Vegas. The 7-on-4 stretch was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, the 120-minute chaotic offense that ruined a promising […]
Islanders completely fall apart against Sabres to end road trip
BUFFALO — A road trip that started on a high ended with a bang. The Islanders’ six-game winning streak that catapulted them back into playoff contention loomed large in the rearview mirror on Thursday, as the visiting team fell apart with a heartbreaking second straight 4-0 loss to the Sabers. And a tired performance at […]
Mathew Barzal sets high standards for Islanders’ new top line
BUFFALO — On Thursday morning, Matthew Barzal talked about the Islanders’ budding superstar-filled top line, naming Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point as a bar for himself, Bo Horvat and Brock Nelson to aim for. , citing Steven Stamkos’ Lightning Trio. arrival. “That line is tough, it’s tough to play against,” Barzal said before the Islanders’ […]
Islanders vow to fix ‘slow’ power play
BUFFALO — One of the only things that went wrong during the Islanders’ six-game winning streak was on the power play. Monday night, I finally caught up. A 0-for-5 performance in a 5-for-4 game led to a 3-0 loss to the Kings — the Isles’ first loss since Feb. 24 — but the struggles continued. […]
Islanders’ Kyle Palmieri having strong season thanks to staying healthy
BUFFALO — The secret to a good season is getting through the little climaxes. Sometimes it’s not about eating better or different habits, but something as innocuous as not taking a bad hit and going in the wrong direction. As much as we might all like to pretend otherwise, dumb luck has a pretty big […]
Islanders vs. Rangers playoff showdown suddenly a possibility
BUFFALO — It’s still too early to start thinking seriously about the Battle of New York returning to the playoffs for the first time since 1994, but it’s still a possibility. After the Islanders rocketed back into playoff contention over the past two weeks, there are two ways they could face the Rangers in the […]
Islanders’ cracks show as six-game win streak ends with loss to Kings
LOS ANGELES — If the Islanders found cause for frustration after Sunday’s big win, they’ll have plenty more to work on after Monday night. The cracks in the game that were evident in some of the wins over San Jose and Anaheim turned into cracks against the Kings, who won 3-0 and ended the Islanders’ […]
Islanders drop Ducks to move into playoff spot with sixth straight win
ANAHEIM, Calif. — For the first time in nearly two months, the Islanders will wake up Monday morning in a playoff spot. After losing at home to the Lightning two weeks ago, the Islanders’ only obvious path to the postseason was to continue their winning streak as soon as possible. They took that literally and […]
Semyon Varlamov earns rare win after Ilya Sorokinsits for Islanders
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Islanders are in playoff contention, which means they could look to Ilya Sorokin to start in net almost every night. On Sunday, coach Semyon Varlamov gave Sorokin a rare night off on the front lines of back-to-back games, a rare violation of that rule and the first time Sorokin had sat […]