Victory-starved Islanders begin critical road trip against Panthers in Florida

The numbers do not lie. Just ask the Islanders.

There are 11 games in a little more than three weeks remaining in the 2023-24 season and they are seven points behind Philadelphia for third place — and a guaranteed berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs — in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders trail Tampa Bay by 10 points for the first Eastern Conference wild-card position, and are six back of Washington for the second.

So, yes, the team that has lost seven out of eight — including three shutout defeats — fully recognizes it is firmly in must-win territory.

“We need to win a lot of hockey games down the stretch,” Noah Dobson said after practice Wednesday at Northwell Health Ice Center.

And so, what could be categorized as a season-defining stretch begins Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, against the defending Eastern Conference champion Panthers. Following the match against Florida, the Islanders call on the Lightning Saturday before wrapping up the three-game road trip Monday in Philadelphia against John Tortorella’s Flyers.

It is an opportunity to make up ground against teams ahead of them in the standings. But that is only if the Islanders (30-26-15) win the games.

Which has become something of an issue in recent weeks. Following a six-game winning streak between Feb. 26 and March 10, the Islanders have earned just three out of a possible 16 points in the last 2 1⁄2 weeks.

As a result, the Islanders are 11th in the Eastern Conference.

“We’re in a position where we have to go one game at a time,” coach Patrick Roy said. “We know what six wins in a row does but unfortunately we have to go one game at a time.”

To that end, the Islanders spent a significant amount of time during the 45-minute practice doing one-on-one battle drills below the hash marks. It was not-at-all subtle attempts for the Islanders to get back to basics and to instill desperation and will into their mindsets.

“We play like we practice,” Roy said. “What I love is that sometimes you want drills that are short but sometimes when you have those compete-level drills, sometimes you want to keep them [going] a little longer because you want to see the mind: ‘OK, when I’m tired am I going to give up or am I going to find a way?’ Because sometimes, like I said [Tuesday], it’s not just the body you need to convince; it’s the mind that needs to be. That’s what you have to do.

“In those drills, sometimes, they go a little longer because when you’re tired, how do you react? That’s what we need to bring in our game because that’s how it happens. There will be shifts where you’re going to be there unfortunately 40 seconds, a minute sometimes in your zone. It’s fun when it’s 20-25 seconds, but when you have a shift that is a minute, 1:20 and you finish the shift in your zone, you have to dig. You have to find a way to finish this and do it the hard way. Sometimes when you’re mentally tired, it’s tougher to remain focused as you were.”