Andrew Gross: Islanders fans can't complain about team's position heading into pivotal Penguins game
Mathew Barzal and Matthew Schaefer of the Islanders defend against Connor Dewar of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period at UBS Arena on Feb. 3. Credit: Jim McIsaac
Monday night at UBS Arena. Eight games left in the regular season. The Penguins in town for a potential first-round playoff preview with still no guarantee the Islanders qualify for the postseason.
You 100% would have signed up for this in September when training camp opened.
Don’t freakin’ lie.
You would have signed up for this in a heartbeat because, at that time, there was no clear understanding of what the Islanders would be this season coming off a playoff miss that cost former president/general manager Lou Lamoriello his position.
You’d heard good things about Mathieu Darche, but he was still entering his first season as an NHL GM. And, if it’s possible to recall, Matthew Schaefer was then just an 18-year-old rookie, albeit one selected first overall in the NHL Draft, not the electric sensation who quickly became one of the top defensemen in the league.
Mathew Barzal was coming off a season-ending knee injury that left him wondering if he could still be the elite skater necessary for his success.
Goalie Ilya Sorokin was coming off a so-so season for him.
And there were plenty of questions about coach Patrick Roy after last season’s playoff miss, including how he felt compelled to apologize to Anthony Duclair in person in the offseason for comments about the forward’s play.
Duclair has not been in the lineup the past four games but there’s been no falling out with Roy. Barzal is leading the Islanders in assists and is still among the NHL’s best skaters. Sorokin should win the Vezina Trophy and might garner a few votes for the Hart as the league’s MVP as well.
Look, not everything has been answered 74 games into the season and, if the Islanders do miss the playoffs, there will be heightened questions about Roy’s job security since it might be only natural for Darche to want to name his own coach no matter how good a working relationship the two French Canadians have forged.
But that the Islanders are in this spot with eight games remaining, with a 73.5% chance of qualifying for the playoffs based on Sunday’s calculation by MoneyPuck.com, must be considered a good scenario considering the uncertainty entering the season.
“We’re really relying on our system and our structure and what we have to do out there on a nightly basis,” said Bo Horvat, a 30-goal scorer for the second time in three full seasons with the Islanders. “Yeah, we’re getting big saves at big times from Sorokie but, also, we’re doing the job there when we’re out there.”
So now come the Penguins, possibly with both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin back in the lineup, to conclude the Islanders’ five-game homestand (3-1-0). The teams have split two games, with the Islanders losing the season opener in Pittsburgh 4-3 on Oct. 9 and beating the Penguins 5-4 in overtime on Feb. 3.
The Islanders enter the match in second place in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of the Penguins, who have played one fewer game.
The division rivals play just three times this season because of the NHL scheduling matrix, and that’s a shame. It also seems a bit on the light side that only four of the Islanders’ remaining eight games will be against divisional foes, including two games against the first-place Hurricanes, even if all eight are against Eastern Conference opponents. Those two games against the Hurricanes would seem of more importance if anybody actually had a chance of catching Carolina.
Next season, the NHL will take a step in the right direction by expanding the regular season to 84 games to ensure each team plays all its divisional opponents four times.
Losing to the Penguins won’t automatically knock the Islanders out of playoff contention. But they can make their lives a whole lot easier down the stretch with a win in regulation.
“All four lines are playing the right way,” said Brayden Schenn after his first multi-point game (one goal, two assists) as an Islander in Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Panthers. “When we’re doing that, wave after wave, we seem to tilt the ice pretty good.”
So, yes, you would have 100% signed up for the Islanders being in this position heading into Monday night’s matchup.
Andrew Gross joined Newsday in 2018 to cover the Islanders. He began reporting on the NHL in 2003 and has previously covered the Rangers and Devils. Other assignments have included the Jets, St. John’s and MLB.
