Islanders have stayed in the moment, and that's kept them on a roll

WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Anders Lee described it as a “great test” and a “great challenge.”

And no, the Islanders’ captain was not referencing any temptation to look past this weekend’s tough road back-to-back to the NHL’s two-week break for the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off Tournament.

The Islanders faced the powerhouse Jets on Friday night at Canada Life Centre before visiting the Wild on Saturday night.

“We still have a job to do here,” Lee said. “The stuff past these next two days hasn’t really crept in at all. We’ve been really focused of late with the task at hand and taking it game by game, and that’s no different for the next few days here. It’s a big weekend. We’ve got four points on the line.”

If anything, it was a chance to put an exclamation mark on their best stretch of hockey. The Islanders entered Friday night’s game having won 11 of 14 to reinsert themselves into the race for an Eastern Conference wild-card spot.

Of course, the Jets entered Friday on an 11-2-1 run and were tied for the most points in the NHL. They also had won 21 of their first 29 home games.

“We’re on a good stretch and, during that stretch, we’ve been taking one game at a time,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau said. “Trying to be the best that we could be that day, and it’s been working for us lately. Our focus right now is tonight’s game. That’s been our mindset.”

Having a gap in the schedule is not anything new for NHL players. Even without a best-on-best world tournament — be it the Olympics or this new event — teams have been receiving bye weeks and All-Star breaks.

Sometimes, though, not looking ahead to a few days of R&R is difficult. Helping the Islanders is their understanding of their desperate need for points.

And, coach Patrick Roy said, finishing up this portion of the schedule on the road.

“I don’t even talk about it,” Roy said. “We’ve got so much leadership on our team. For two, three months now, we’re talking about short term, stay in the present moment. And this is a good moment to stay in the present moment. And does being on the road help a bit? I think so. At the same time, we’re playing against the best team in the NHL, them and Washington.”

The Wild, sitting third in the Central Division that has been dominated by the Jets, are no easy task, either, even if they’ve fared much better on the road (20-7-3) than they have at Xcel Energy Center (12-12-1).

The Islanders will resume their schedule against the Stars on Feb. 23 at UBS Arena and can begin practicing again on Feb. 18.

That leaves plenty of time for the players and staff — only Brock Nelson (Team USA) is on one of the four national rosters — to take a mid-winter vacation.

But just as Roy didn’t feel the need to address the topic with his team, the players haven’t been reminding each other of the need to stay focused.

“It’s not something that’s really talked about,” defenseman Adam Pelech said. “I think everyone on an individual level feels that way. Two games left and then we got two weeks off. There’s nothing to save it for.

“Things have been going well lately. We’ve been on a good run, we’ve got lots of momentum. So it would be great to play solid here and keep that momentum rolling through the break.”

“It will be a great test, that’s for sure,” Lee said. “A great challenge and a great opportunity.”

Notes & quotes: Forward Hudson Fasching was activated off injured reserve on Thursday, but Roy did not alter his lineup . . . Defenseman Mike Reilly (heart condition/long-term injured reserve) joined the Islanders on the road for the first time since suffering a concussion on Nov. 1. He participated in the optional morning skate and stayed on the ice afterward to work with Fasching, fellow extra forward Matt Martin and backup goalie Jakub Skarek. Roy said it did not represent any change to Reilly’s status, as he remains out indefinitely. Simply, the Chicago native will have a shorter trip to be with family during the NHL hiatus after accompanying the team to Minnesota.

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.