Andrew Gross: Islanders' big picture? Win all three remaining games for chance at playoffs
Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock sets before a faceoff against the Philadelphia Flyers in the third period of an NHL hockey game at UBS Arena on April 3. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
There’s a big picture here, and not even the Islanders are shying from that. It behooves them to win out.
“I think we have the same thoughts in here,” defenseman Ryan Pulock told Newsday after Friday’s practice at UBS Arena. “I think we understood after the game in Carolina [a 4-3 loss last Saturday that ended coach Patrick Roy’s tenure] that in order for us to really control what we’re doing, we have to win all four [after that game]. That’s the big picture.
“When it comes down to the day-to-day stuff, last night the focus was on Toronto. Today and tomorrow, the focus is on Ottawa. Montreal and Carolina is an afterthought right now.”
So sure, the mentality remains next shift, next period, next game. But there’s no denying the totality of the 96-hour period that ultimately will determine whether the Islanders squeeze into the playoffs or put away the sticks and pucks until September’s training camp.
The Pete DeBoer’s era got off to a solid start with a 5-3 win over the hapless and tired Maple Leafs on Thursday night to open a season-ending four-game homestand. The tough-as-nails Senators are next on Saturday afternoon. Then come the Canadiens, battling to finish first in the Atlantic Division, on Sunday night. The Hurricanes, who will win the Metropolitan Division and currently are first in the Eastern Conference, wrap it up on Tuesday night.
MoneyPuck.com lists the Islanders’ chances of qualifying for the playoffs at 37.4%.
If nothing else, there was a renewed sense of hope during Friday’s upbeat practice.
And the accompanying confidence, which seeped away during the 3-7-0 slide and season-high four-game losing streak that cost Roy his job, will be crucial for the Islanders.
“It’s tough, but at the same time, we can’t control what other teams are doing, we just have to focus on what we’re up against here,” Bo Horvat said. “We know it’s not going to be easy. We know where we’ve put ourselves. If we play the same way we did last night, we’re going to be a tough team to beat. I know it’s tough to look at it just one game at a time, but that’s what you have to do.
“Getting that one last night was huge. I think we always believed in here for sure that we could do it. But after what we saw last night and how everybody was working and everybody was on the same page, it was just our compete that really stuck out to me the last game, and we need that for the rest of these games.”
Pulock added that while DeBoer did make some X’s-and-O’s adjustments that helped, the Islanders’ main improvement was in their mindset.
“We changed a few things,” Pulock said. “I just think our compete and our will to win battles, to backcheck last night was as good as it’s been in a long time. We know our backs are against the wall. You can’t wait and hope. Each individual has to step up.”
The Islanders played a much faster game in DeBoer’s debut with tighter defensive play, strong transitions and a heavy forecheck, not to mention two power-play goals. Ilya Sorokin, who faced only 16 shots and missed Friday’s practice for maintenance, simply must be sharper.
(Defenseman Matthew Schaefer and forward Max Shabanov also missed Friday’s practice for maintenance, but DeBoer said all three will be available on Saturday).
Sorokin simply must be sharper because DeBoer is not turning to backup David Rittich with the season on the line. Sorokin will start three games in four days as long as the Islanders are mathematically alive.
“Listen, in a perfect world, if we’re playing in November in the regular season, that would be a split automatically for us,” DeBoer said. “I wouldn’t want to play our starter back-to-back. But we’re not in the middle of November. It’s a different situation. All bets are off at this point in the year.”
It was a very big-picture answer.
And part of DeBoer’s job is straddling that line between knowing the big picture of possibly needing to win all three and ensuring the presence of the minute focus the players must maintain.
“I don’t think we necessarily have to win out,” DeBoer said. “Mathematically, if we win out, it helps us for sure. We woke up two days ago and we were three points out and the standings looked almost insurmountable. We won one game yesterday and we wake up today and we feel pretty good. We’re right there.”
That’s the big picture. There’s no sense denying it.
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.
