A look at who stands between the Islanders and the playoffs
The Islanders' Anders Lee finds himself in the middle of a scrum in front of the Blue Jackets' net in the third period of their game at UBS Arena on Sunday. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
This much is known about the Eastern Conference: The Devils, Panthers, Maple Leafs and Rangers are not making the playoffs. But the 12 other teams, the Islanders included, are all either engaged in battling for playoff positioning or trying to qualify.
The Islanders, who play nine of their last 11 at UBS Arena, host Chicago on Tuesday night after opening a five-game homestand with a crucial 1-0 win over the Blue Jackets on Sunday night. That left them in the second wild-card spot and tied with the Blue Jackets, third in the Metropolitan Division, with 85 points.
According to Tankathon.com, the combined points percentage of .602 for the Islanders’ remaining opponents gives them the NHL’s third-toughest remaining schedule.
Tiebreakers will likely come into play to determine seeding and the following, in order, is the NHL tiebreaking protocol: Regulation wins (RW); regulation and overtime wins (ROW); total wins; head-to-head records; goal differential; total goals scored.
Here’s a look at the Islanders’ closest competitors:
Blue Jackets: Despite Sunday’s loss, the Blue Jackets are still 18-3-4 since Rick Bowness was named coach on Jan. 12. They have 12 games remaining, facing the Metropolitan Division-leading Hurricanes twice, playing twice in Montreal and another road game against the Atlantic Division-leading Sabres. Tankathon.com lists their .606 strength of schedule as the league’s second hardest. They and the Islanders each have 26 regulation wins, but the Islanders own tiebreakers against them in ROW (36-31) and total wins (40-37) and won three of four against the Blue Jackets.
Bruins: The Bruins have points in five straight games (3-0-2) and are one point ahead of the Islanders for the first wild-card spot having played one fewer game. Tankathon.com lists their remaining strength of schedule (.612) as the hardest in the NHL; they face both the Blue Jackets and the Lightning, battling the Sabres for first in the Atlantic, twice more with single games against the Sabres and Hurricanes. They are ahead of the Islanders in RW (29-26) but tied in ROW at 36 and one behind the Islanders’ 40 total wins. But they swept the three games against the Islanders.
Canadiens: The Canadiens, currently in third in the Atlantic with 86 points in 69 games, walloped the Islanders, 7-3, on Saturday night and the teams have split two games in Montreal with a match at UBS Arena on April 12. Tankathon.com lists their remaining strength of schedule (.588) as the eighth hardest in the NHL and they play the Hurricanes, Lightning and Blue Jackets each two more times. They are tied with the Islanders in RW (26) and ROW (36) and have two fewer total wins at 38.
Capitals: The Capitals are statistically still alive in the playoff chase as they sit sixth in the Metropolitan Division with 79 points in 71 games. Their .561 strength of remaining schedule is 22nd in the NHL, according to Tankathon.com, and they have two games against the Penguins and one each against the Sabres, Blue Jackets and Flyers. They beat the Islanders in three of their four games and have a 30-26 edge over them in RW while the Islanders are ahead in ROW (36-34) and in total wins (40-35).
Flyers: The Flyers have won three straight and five of six and are fifth in the Metropolitan with 80 points in 69 games. They have beaten the Islanders twice in shootouts and lost once in regulation with a final match on April 3 at UBS Arena. Tankathon.com lists the Flyers sixth in remaining strength of schedule at .590 with three games remaining against the Red Wings and single games against the Hurricanes, Canadiens, Bruins and Blue Jackets.
Penguins: The Penguins are second in the Metropolitan with 86 points in 70 games and have split two games with the Islanders with a third Monday at UBS Arena. They have an edge over the Islanders in RW (29-26), but the Islanders lead in ROW (36-33) and total wins (40-35). They host the Avalanche on Tuesday night and also have single games remaining against the Lightning, Red Wings and Senators with a Tankathon.com-computed remaining strength of schedule of .586 that is tied for 10th in the NHL.
Red Wings: The Red Wings are one point behind the Islanders for the final wild-card spot with 84 points in 70 games as they own a RW edge of 27-26 and are tied in ROW at 36. The Islanders, who have two more total wins than the Red Wings’ 38, beat them in two of their three games. The Red Wings have single games remaining against the Sabres, Lightning, Penguins, Blue Jackets and Senators and their .586 remaining strength of schedule is tied for 10th, according to Tankathon.com.
Senators: The Senators defeated the Rangers, 2-1, on Monday to move to two points behind the Islanders, whom they beat, 3-2, on Thursday night in Ottawa. Entering Monday, their .589 remaining strength of schedule was seventh in the NHL, according to Tankathon.com, with two games remaining against the Lightning and single games against the Hurricanes, Sabres, Penguins and Red Wings. They have split two games with the Islanders and will be at UBS Arena on April 11.
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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