Islanders head west for critical three-game trip as playoff chances improve
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (44) celebrates with Islanders teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. Credit: AP/Frank Franklin II
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Cross-country travel can sometimes be as big a challenge for teams as the actual opponents.
The streaking Islanders will look to set a season high with their fifth straight win when they open a four-game road trip on Thursday night against the cellar-dwelling Sharks at SAP Center. Wednesday was taken up with a six-hour flight to the West Coast that will leave them just about half a day to acclimate to the time change before a presumed morning skate.
“It’s always a tough game when you go into all those buildings,” defenseman Noah Dobson said after the Islanders rallied from a two-goal deficit for a 4-2 win over the Blues on Tuesday night at UBS Arena. “The travel, obviously. But at this point in the year we know the urgency we need to have so I don’t think we’ll be focused on that. We’ll be ready for the first game.”
The Sharks are battling Chicago for the fewest points in the NHL. Sunday’s opponent, the Ducks, are seventh in the Pacific Division with only the Sharks behind them. At least the Kings, whom the Islanders face on Monday night before incongruously ending the trip in Buffalo on March 14, were in a playoff position on Wednesday. The Sabres, too, are a miracle finish away from reaching the postseason.
So, on paper, at least, this trip represents a step down for the Islanders (27-20-14) over their recent competition as they chase both the third-place Flyers for a playoff spot in the Metropolitan Division and the Lightning and Red Wings for the Eastern Conference’s two wild-card berths.
But going to San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles usually has meant three physical games against beefier opponents.
The Islanders opened their winning streak with victories against the Central Division-leading Stars, then the Bruins, who are vying with the Panthers for the most points in the Eastern Conference, and the Red Wings. Plus, the Blues had beaten them, 4-0, in St. Louis less than a month earlier.
“It’s a big trip,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “Right now, we’re going period by period, game by game. That’s how we’ve been able to have a good mindset.”
The Islanders’ playoff chances have risen from 5.7% last week to 31.5% on Wednesday morning, per MoneyPuck.com.
Again, on paper, those chances should rise again after facing the Sharks and Ducks. Realistically, earning five of six potential points on their California swing should be the expectation.
Last season, when the Islanders squeezed into the playoffs on the final day of the regular season, they took care of business in California, beating the Ducks and Sharks — neither qualified for the postseason — after opening with a regulation loss in Los Angeles.
In 2021-22, as the Islanders missed the playoffs, they were 1-1-1 in California with a shootout loss in San Jose and a regulation loss in Los Angeles. Again, only the Kings reached the playoffs that season.
“Like I said to the guys [Tuesday] morning, our forecheck is going to be extremely important on that road trip,” coach Patrick Roy said. “Play behind their defense. We just need to focus on ourselves on that trip.”
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.
