The Islanders are of course aware of the situation that faces them in the standings, and that is what makes the third period of Sunday’s 5-2 loss to the Rangers so utterly confounding.
Not by any stretch did the Islanders play their best 40 minutes, but down a goal with 20 minutes to go, they were a good period away from getting at least a point against a rival and perhaps ending an alarming three-game losing streak.
That version of events not only didn’t happen, but the Islanders instead looked sapped of any energy they’d mustered earlier in the game.
The Rangers scored an insurance goal within three minutes and added on another while the Islanders, per Natural Stat Trick, had just one high-danger chance in 20 minutes.
“The crazy part in here is that we know what we can do when we’re on,” said Bo Horvat, one of the only Islanders who played well Sunday, with two goals. “We’ve beaten some really good teams this year and played some really good hockey. Right now we’re in a little bit of a lull, but that can’t happen.
“We gotta figure it out here soon or else we’re gonna be in trouble going down the stretch. It’s up to us in this room to rally behind each other. Cause we know what we’re capable of. It’s just a matter of going out there and doing it.”
After Sunday, the Islanders have 15 games left in their season.
That’s more than enough time to make up the one-point deficit to the Red Wings they started the day with (though Detroit had a chance to extend it to three when it faced Pittsburgh), but the math equation will quickly become irrelevant if the Islanders can’t find more desperation and a greater push in games that have a massive impact on the playoff race.
“The last few games here, it’s not good enough,” Noah Dobson said. “We all know where we’re at. The desperation has to be as high as possible this time of year in our situation. We fought all year to get ourselves back in the picture. We can’t just let that opportunity slip here. I think it’s just gut-check time for everyone.”
The Islanders, at their best, have had good wins and good moments and shown themselves more than capable of getting into the playoffs. But they have also won just 29 of 67 games, with Sunday the latest evidence of their chronic inconsistency.
“I don’t really think it was an effort thing,” Kyle Palmieri said, asked about the team’s desperation level late in the game.
The real answer to why the Islanders are where they are in the standings might be a lot more painful than that.
