Islanders stay motivated to get out of NHL cellar
Kyle Palmieri of the Islanders skates against the Philadelphia Flyers at UBS Arena on Thursday. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Islanders tried yet again on Saturday night to kick-start what they’ve turned into the near-impossible task of mounting a playoff push.
Yet facing the Sharks at UBS Arena to continue a seven-game homestand that started with two desultory losses really just represented a game between last-place teams, albeit as Brent Sutter’s induction into the Islanders’ Hall of Fame was celebrated.
They know they must look past that reality.
“It doesn’t have to be blindfolds or completely erasing it from your memory,” Kyle Palmieri told Newsday. “It’s an opportunity to grow, win or lose. At the end of the day, we’re judged on wins and losses. As professionals, you show up either way and get ready to work the next day.”
The Islanders fumbled away any momentum they gained from sweeping a road trip for a season-best three-game winning streak by opening the homestand on Tuesday with a 2-0 loss to the Senators in which they had no push while trailing by one in the third period. Then, thanks to a moribund second period, they dropped Thursday night’s game to the Flyers, 5-3, to drop to 17-20-7.
It just made the clock tick that much faster toward the NHL trade deadline on March 7, with Palmieri and fellow pending unrestricted free agent Brock Nelson the most obvious candidates to be dealt.
Of course, ownership and management must consider whether a deeper dismemberment of what has become — on the surface — a stale roster is in order.
But professional athletes always have hope.
“You look at our track record over the last two years and whether it’s around the deadline or around this time, you have to find a way to put a little run together,” Palmieri said. “Fifteen, 20 games where you’re moving yourself up, and after that, you’re reassessing. For us, it’s really just about trying to put together a good streak of hockey. It’s just finding our game and sticking it to that.
“The first half of the season, we’ve found a way to lose a lot of games. Self-inflicted, whatever it may be. Now it’s time to turn the page and get ourselves on a good streak of playing good, winning hockey.”
Coach Patrick Roy has an extensive background running a Canadian junior squad. He said motivating a group at that level and the NHL is the same.
“[In juniors], there’s a lot of kids that know they have no future in the game of hockey,” Roy said. “They know their future is what’s going on at the moment. I feel it’s the same for our guys. They understand the career goes fast and you have to take advantage of every opportunity. We want to make sure we stick to it and believe in what we’re doing.”
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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