Islanders buoyed by more efficient power play, surge of confidence

And now, the Islanders must do it again.

They face the Predators on Thursday night at UBS Arena looking to win back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 4-6 after snapping their 11-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory at Ottawa on Tuesday night.

The last-place Islanders (6-10-5), who did not practice on Wednesday, already face a decidedly uphill battle to return to the playoffs for a fourth straight season under Barry Trotz. But they have strung together points in four straight games (1-0-3) and Trotz sees signs of sustainability for success after a COVID-19 outbreak that saw eight players test positive — Casey Cizikas is still unavailable — plus injuries to stalwarts Ryan Pulock and Brock Nelson.

"Oh, absolutely," Trotz said after Tuesday’s win. "That’s what we’re working toward."

Tuesday’s goal output was the Islanders’ highest since a 6-2 win at Montreal on Nov. 4. Their power play, ranked 29th in the NHL, is 3-for-9 over the last four games. More important, even in going 0-for-2 against the Senators, there was good puck movement and opportunities. Momentum was gained on the man advantage rather than lost.

"We said we needed to get our power play being a threat, because it was sucking the energy out of us," Trotz said. "We made some changes in how we operate and that’s happening. We’ve scored some power-play goals. Even the first power play that we had, we got energy from it. We didn’t get the energy sucked from our bench like we have been four or five games back. We’re starting to say this is a piece of our game that you’ve got to worry about."

Next on the list of building confidence for the Islanders is winning at their new home. The Islanders are 0-4-2 at UBS Arena, where they play eight of the next 10 games to close out December.

For Trotz, the key to any Islanders’ turnaround is sustaining the confidence that is seeping back into the players’ games.

"Once they get that confidence, then they can trust it a little better," Trotz said. "I think what you’re seeing maybe the last three games, the passes are a little firmer. They’re a little more accurate. Decisions are happening a little quicker and that’s part and parcel from getting people back, getting a little confidence but, also, getting us playing again. It’s been really difficult for anybody to get a feel for the puck when you play three games then you don’t play for a while.

"Now, we’re in a rhythm. Hopefully COVID doesn’t hit us again. Or injuries. We can get everybody rolling. I can answer in all confidence that we can get our game in order and we’ll stick with it. But we have to follow this win with another win against a very good team in Nashville."

The Predators (14-10-1), who have won three of their last four, beat the Islanders, 3-2, in a shootout at Nashville on Oct. 30.

Notes: Anatolii Golyshev, a KHL standout playing his first North American season, was placed on waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. Golyshev, 26, had five goals and two assists in 15 games for the Islanders’ AHL affiliate in Bridgeport but was a healthy scratch for the only two games in his NHL call-up. ... Forbes ranked the Islanders as the 10th most valuable NHL franchise at $950 million, an increase of 83% from last year.

By Andrew Gross

andrew.gross@newsday.comAGrossNewsday

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.