WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Patrick Roy has made clear on numerous occasions this season that he doesn’t like framing individual games as a litmus test for the Islanders.
Well, too bad, because that’s exactly what the last two games before the two-week 4 Nations break are, with the Islanders visiting the NHL-leading Jets the day before facing another playoff team in the Wild.
This is one of the toughest back-to-backs on the schedule, at a moment when the Islanders just can’t afford to let up.
For all the good they’ve done over the past month to drag themselves back into the playoff race, they still were three points off the playoff cutline Thursday morning — a position where any loss could do them real damage.
Forget the injuries and forget how tough these games look on paper. The Islanders need to run through the tape and on into the break.
“I know the break’s around the corner. I don’t think it’s seeped in at all in any way,” captain Anders Lee told reporters after the Islanders practiced Thursday. “We’re playing the best team in the league [Friday] night in their building. So we gotta be ready to go and have us all firing. We’ll need everyone.”
The two-week pause for the 4 Nations Face-Off — with Brock Nelson being the only Islander set to participate in the tournament — is looming as a reprieve for the Islanders to take a deep breath and, perhaps, get a little healthier.
Per Lou Lamoriello last weekend, the plan is for Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock, who both have suspected right leg injuries, to start skating on their own during the break. Marcus Hogberg (upper body) also could return when the Islanders get back to playing.
That’s far from a complete return to health for a team that’s been struggling all season, but it’s at least something.
And after a hectic last few weeks, the Islanders could use a breather.
They just need to make it through this weekend first.
“I like the fact that we’re on the road,” Roy said. “… I think it’s easier to be focused on the road. And back-to-backs, we don’t have much time to think. Focusing on, hey, we have something good going on right now.”
Injuries aside, that much is at least true.
At a moment when their season could have fallen apart, the Islanders instead have banded together to win 11 of their last 14, despite integrating three new defensemen during that span — alongside other injuries.
Tony DeAngelo, Scott Perunovich and Adam Boqvist have all impressed in their first handful of games with the club, proving to fit in well and give the Islanders some more offensive ability on the blue line.
“DeAngelo is not a young defenseman. He’s been in the league,” Roy said. “So he knows the league very well. So I think playing with [Alexander Romanov] is a good fit in a way that he talks a lot to Rommy and Rommy’s physical. He moves the puck, so they [play] really quick.
“Obviously, Perunovich playing with [Adam Pelech] has certainly helped him because of Pelly’s experience. I’m impressed with him in a way that the quality of his first pass — he’s moving the puck so well. Tape to tape.”
Exactly what happens with the defense once Dobson, Pulock and Scott Mayfield — who did not travel to Winnipeg but is considered day-to-day and also could return after the break — get healthy is a total mystery.
But it’s also a problem for the future. If the Islanders want to stay in the race, the only thing they can think about is the present.
