Barry Trotz tries to keep the focus on 'today' for Islanders amid league-wide COVID outbreak
Islanders coach Barry Trotz looks on against the San Jose Sharks at UBS Arena on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Barry Trotz has stressed since Day 1 with the Islanders to focus on the immediate task at hand, be it that day’s game or practice or off-ice work. The bigger picture would always become clearer by stressing the daily details, the coach preaches.
Except, now, so much is fuzzy. And the next team activity can’t be until Sunday with the NHL going into its holiday break early because of a leaguewide COVID-19 outbreak.
Whether the last-place Islanders (8-12-6) can launch themselves back into playoff contention will depend on how their players continue to react to not only the fluid nature of the schedule but the surging pandemic.
Games against the Canadiens on Monday and the Capitals on Thursday at UBS Arena were postponed, adding to road games that were postponed against the Rangers and Flyers last month. The Islanders are scheduled to resume play at Buffalo on Monday. Players can report back for testing and practice the day before, no earlier than 2 p.m.
The Islanders unknowingly went into their holiday break with a 4-3 shootout loss to visiting Vegas on Sunday, leaving them 3-2-4 in December. Not great, but that’s much better than finishing November with eight straight regulation losses.
Still, wins, specifically regulation wins, will be at a premium for the Islanders.
The Islanders have been successful through pandemic-impacted play before.
They advanced to the Eastern Conference final in restrictive playoff bubble environments in Toronto and Edmonton in 2020. Last season, with strict COVID-19 guidelines, especially in hotel settings, the Islanders again reached the NHL final four, again losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
The difference now is that many things had returned to normal this season – more freedom on the road, full attendance at arenas, etc. But the omicron variant is changing that.
"You’ve got to lean on each other," Trotz said. "In our sport, we talk about mental toughness all the time. But everybody handles it differently. What I talk about is, let’s just deal with what we can do today. I’m not thinking about next week. I’m not thinking about two weeks from now. Let’s just worry about today.
"Let’s lean on each other because you don’t know where everybody is mentally. I think, physically, we’re in pretty good shape. But it’s the computer on your shoulder that runs everything. Some guys are dealing with it probably a lot better than other guys. You don’t know how family members are dealing with it, you don’t know how your friends are dealing with it."
The Islanders went into their holiday break with three players in COVID-19 protocols. Mathew Barzal tested positive in Detroit on Dec. 14, and Matt Martin and defenseman Robin Salo were added to the list on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Trotz’s February schedule has changed with the NHL and NHL Players’ Association deciding to pull out of participation in the Winter Olympics in Beijing. Trotz had been named as an assistant coach on Jon Cooper’s staff for Team Canada.
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.
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