For Islanders, a long season is now getting short in April playoff push
Islanders center Casey Cizikas skates with the puck during the third period of an NHL game against the Capitals on Wednesday in Washington. Credit: AP/Nick Wass
TAMPA, Fla. — The Islanders were at Amalie Arena five games into the season and returned on Saturday night to face the Lightning with just five left after the match.
The hard grind of a season that begins well before the players report for training camp in September has turned to April with the Islanders holding the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot. They also face a road match against the Hurricanes on Sunday in a potential first-round playoff preview.
Time can fly when teams are winning.
“We were just commenting that we were in here for game five,” coach Lane Lambert said of the Lightning’s 5-3 win on Oct. 22. “On one hand, it seems like forever ago. On the other hand, it seems like just yesterday. It’s kind of a bizarre way to look at it but it is true. There are points of it that go either way.”
It has been an up-and-down season for the Islanders as they went 4-8-3 in January but 8-3-1 in March to gather momentum during their playoff push. The Islanders missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2018.
“You’d ask last year, I’d say it’d be going pretty slow,” defenseman Noah Dobson said. “This year, it’s been quick. April has come up quick. But, yeah, it’s crazy to believe it’s April. The grind of the season kind of goes away when you’re playing this meaningful hockey. It rejuvenates you and it’s exciting. We’re enjoying the grind right now.”
“Every year there’s stretches of the season that go fast and stretches of the season that go slow,” Matt Martin said. “I’d say games 40 to 60 are probably the lull in the season. Generally, you’re playing a lot of games in a short period of time. Playing meaningful hockey is the best thing. You wake up every morning excited and understanding that the game is a huge two points. Once you get to this point, it kind of flies by.”
The Islanders will face the Metropolitan Division champion in the first round if they can maintain the first wild-card spot. The Hurricanes and the Devils are jockeying to finish first.
The Islanders beat the visiting Devils 5-1 on Monday. Like Sunday’s game against the Hurricanes can be, that win was a good chance to do some pre-scouting and set an early tone in the matchup.
Or to see what parts of their game must improve.
“Yeah, I think so,” Kyle Palmieri said. “You look at even the way the last couple of weeks have unfolded, you know those games are going to be tight. It’s not going to be easy. No one is going to hand it to you. But I think our team has done a good job of staying focused on that day and that game and not getting ahead of ourselves with looking at our schedule and other teams’ schedules.
“The position we’re in, we just want to win hockey games no matter who it’s against. We want to get points and clinch a playoff spot. We’re going to play a good team no matter what [in the playoffs]. It’s going to be a battle no matter who it is.”
Which is exactly what it’s been for the Islanders since their January slump forced them into desperation mode.
“We believe we’re a good team,” Dobson said. “We believe we’re a playoff team. When we’re playing our game and we’re on top of it, we can compete with the top teams in the league. You’re going to be prepared because you’ve been playing that style of hockey for a little bit now.”
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.
