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The New York Islanders wrapped up a four-game road trip last night, falling 4-0 to the Buffalo Sabres. The loss followed a three-game California trip, where the Islanders had gone 2-1-0.
Things were looking good to start the trip, kicking off the stint in California with two pretty dominant outings, taking down the San Jose Sharks 7-2, then the Anaheim Ducks 6-1. The wins ended up extending the Islanders' streak to six games, and New York was riding a wave of momentum to climb into an Eastern Conference playoff spot.
However, the tides turned a little, starting with the 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday. It wasn’t New York’s best game, but it was a fairly tight outing overall and on the second-half of a road back-to-back against tougher competition following six straight wins, the loss against Los Angeles in itself really wasn’t a reason for much concern.
But then came the loss to the Sabres last night. After getting through the first period despite allowing some dangerous odd-man rush chances, the Islanders fell apart in the second period, getting themselves into a three-goal deficit over the span of about five minutes. They were outshot by a brutal 29-11 margin through 40 minutes, and with an empty netter being added by Zach Benson late, the Islanders suffered their second straight shutout loss, in what was their first real dud of a performance in quite a while.
The loss to the Sabres puts a stop to the Islanders' recent momentum, and at a key time, it’s a tough way to wrap up the stretch of road games. The Sabres are finding a bit of late-season success, but with so little runway left in the season and such a close playoff race, those are points the Islanders can’t afford to give up, and especially not as a result of a complete no-show of a performance.
The split of wins and losses on the trip kind of highlights the tale of two different Islanders teams which has been present through parts of the year. At their best, they can put together some dominant performances, capping off their six-game win streak with 13 goals over their final two victories. But that team doesn't always show up, with back-to-back shutout losses following.
Even one win across the final two games of the road trip would’ve seen New York start to create a little separation from a couple other teams close behind them in the standings. As of now though, there are five teams locked into playoff spots in the East, but after that, it’s a bit of a cluster.
The Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings, and Washington Capitals all find themselves within five points of one another for the final three playoff spots. New York currently holds the eighth-best points percentage in that group, between the combination of the Lightning/Flyers ahead of them, and the Red Wings/Capitals below them. As a result, the third spot in the Metro Division remains very much up for grabs, with the two wildcard spots just as unpredictable.
Now with 17 games remaining though and a schedule that’s going to get a little tougher, every point is going to matter. The Islanders do enter the weekend with a great opportunity to prove last night’s loss was just an ill-timed stinker, and pick up where they left off after a string of really strong performances. The loss is concerning, but facing the Ottawa Senators at home tomorrow, it’s as good of a chance as the team could ask for to get things back on track, before facing the New York Rangers in the second half of another back-to-back on Sunday.
Consistency remains the biggest issue with the Islanders, and it seems like more often than not, they cause their own problems. But if they’re going to get into the playoffs, there isn’t much room for error from this point forward, and the team needs a big weekend to put the loss to Buffalo behind them and find their momentum again.
OTHER ARTICLES FROM MARCH
- Islanders' four-game win streak breathes life into playoff hopes 
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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