SAN JOSE, Calif. — It’s easy to forget this time of year: There’s still a hockey season going on and still hockey games to play.
And for the Islanders, there is still a playoff.
They started Thursday just four points below the cutline, albeit with five teams to jump.
Whatever their team looks like Saturday, when the Islanders face the Sharks in their first game after the trade deadline, the three-game trip that begins in the Bay Area before visiting Anaheim and Los Angeles is crucial to staying in the race.
Since returning from the 4 Nations break, the Islanders have been wildly inconsistent, going 3-3-0 with a pair of disastrous losses to the Rangers preventing them from grabbing momentum in the wild-card race.
Tuesday’s 3-2 win over Winnipeg, which has the best record in the league, was a great sign, but it means nothing if the Islanders can’t take care of business against the bottom-feeding Sharks and Ducks.
“I think our biggest problem is a little bit consistency,” captain Anders Lee said Tuesday. “We’ve played some good hockey and at times haven’t got the results from that. But when we’re playing good hockey and getting the results, it’s a great combination. And I think we can show that as much as we can.”
With the Islanders’ trade deadline plans up in the air, the hope among players after beating Winnipeg was that they had shown enough for Lou Lamoriello to stick by the group yet again.
That did not come to fruition, with Lamoriello dealing Nelson to the Avalanche late Thursday night for a package headlined by prospect Cal Ritchie and a future first-round pick. Palmieri’s status is still up in the air.
Taking a pragmatic approach at the trade deadline and giving up on the season, however, are not one and the same.
Do not expect the Islanders to throw in the towel on the playoff race.
And after the Islanders put together late runs to make the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, it would be a step too far to count them out entirely.
Selling and giving up on the season, however, do not have to be the same thing.
Even if the Islanders get only picks and prospects in return for Nelson and Palmieri, no one is going to throw in the towel on the season.
And after the Islanders put together late runs to make the playoffs in 2023 and 2024, it would be a step too far to count them out entirely.
The three California games have followed the same trend for each of the past two seasons, with the Islanders beating the Sharks and Ducks while losing to the Kings.
The Islanders have not lost in regulation at the Shark Tank since Oct. 20, 2018.
Two days prior was the last time they won a game at the former as Staples Center.
