Not very long ago, it appeared like most people disregarded the New York Islanders’ chances of qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. With two games remaining, the Islanders are currently in third place in the Metropolitan division. They are in charge of their own fate. On March 22, after the Islanders had lost their sixth straight game, no one would have believed you if you had stated that phrase.
It’s difficult to say for sure what has changed, but this club hasn’t looked back since their thrilling victory over the Florida Panthers on March 28 on the road. Goalie Semyon Varlamov’s performance has been a major factor in their success. Though Varlamov did not start on Saturday afternoon, he has been outstanding in these last few games. Varlamov has skated to a 5-1-0 record with a.937 save percentage and a 1.99 goals-against average in his previous six games. His crew has returned from the dead thanks to him.
The Islanders are three points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals for third place in the Metro with two games remaining, and they don’t seem to be going to let that go. Although supporters in the New York Metropolitan Area had hoped for an Islanders-Rangers first-round encounter, all the evidence seems to lean to a rematch with the Carolina Hurricanes from the previous season.
After the Islanders defeated the Rangers on Tuesday night, Bo Horvat told Daily Faceoff, “This is the type of hockey we want to be playing at this time of the year.”
Even though the Islanders currently control their own destiny, the Eastern Conference playoff race is still quite exciting.
Horvat remarked, “I think it’s all part of it, you’re scoreboard-watching all the time.” It makes no difference. We’re making an effort to concentrate on our current task. Ultimately, we need to understand the successes that led to it.
We’re trying to get you in, because once you’re in, anything can happen. There is still work for us to do.
Special teams are without a doubt the squad this group has to worry about the most going into the playoffs. At 71.8 percent, the penalty kill is currently dead bottom in the NHL, which has been a problem all season. However, the power play for the Islanders has also been struggling badly lately; in their last 20 games, they have only converted at a 10.2% rate, which is the third-worst in the NHL.To further focus, throughout their last 11 games, they had the lowest power play percentage (6.3%) in the league. You can use Noah Dobson’s injury, who leads their best unit and has the second-most power-play points on the team (24), as an explanation for their current 0-5 record, but they will need to address this issue before the postseason begins.
Head coach Patrick Roy stated, “The good thing is that we find ways to win games and pick up points in the standings without having our power play click. Hopefully, eventually, that will be part of the winning.”
The Islanders lost in a shootout after letting a 2-1 lead slip away late in the third period, so their Saturday performance was a little disappointing overall. However, goaltender Ilya Sorokin played admirably.
Although Sorokin only let up two goals on 43 shots, it was important for him to regain confidence after missing a few games recently.
When it came to Roy’s confidence in Sorokin, he honestly expressed no worries. Varly is incredibly hot for us, although he did perform really well against Chicago and in Columbus.
This was Sorokin’s first start since he made 25 saves in a 4-2 victory over the Blue Jackets on April 4.
The Islanders play their final two games on Monday night at New Jersey against the Devils and on Wednesday night at home against the Pittsburgh Penguins. If their game on Monday night doesn’t go well, both clubs may have to win that Wednesday match in order to advance. This group will use every effort to keep themselves out of such situation.
The way the Islanders goaltenders, particularly Varlamov, are playing, even if the wins aren’t flawless, opponents won’t be looking forward to facing this squad when the playoffs start.
