Islanders try to tighten fragile grip on playoff spot as they embark on four-game trip

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The suggested notion that the Islanders need to “salvage” their season irked captain Anders Lee.

However, there’s no doubt that the Islanders’ recent play has endangered their playoff chances, and coach Barry Trotz acknowledged that his team has been “a little bit fragile lately.” The team has another chance to change that narrative with its last lengthy road trip of the season, a four-game swing that opens on Tuesday night against the Canucks at Rogers Arena.

The Islanders, off on Sunday as they traveled to Vancouver, began the day holding the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference after Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum. That extended their losing streak to six games (0-3-3), though it did snap a three-game skid without a point.

But after the Hurricanes’ 6-2 win in Pittsburgh and the Blue Jackets’ 2-1 victory in Vancouver on Sunday, Columbus holds the first wild card with 81 points and the Islanders are tied with Carolina for the second wild card with 79, three points ahead of the Rangers and Panthers. The Islanders have played three fewer games than Columbus has.

“Salvage a season? C’mon, we’re in a playoff spot,” Lee said after Saturday’s loss. “There’s a lot of hockey left. We played a good game [Saturday]. There’s nothing lost other than a point and a good effort. We had a good effort and we go on the road and we make it right.”

Except the Islanders have lost six straight road games, five of them in regulation, including Thursday night’s 4-3 loss in Ottawa.

This four-game trip matches their four-game swing from Feb. 13-19 as the season’s longest. The Islanders went 0-4-0 against the Predators, Golden Knights, Coyotes and Avalanche, were shut out in the first two games and scored only two goals total.

The Islanders also will play the Flames, Oilers and Penguins on this trip. All four opponents are in playoff positions, with the Oilers and Flames battling for first place in the Pacific Division.

“Sometimes you get some funky stats,” Josh Bailey said when asked about the Islanders’ recent road struggles. “I don’t think we’re a team that’s worried about the road. It’s just the way the last couple went. We’ll just get ready for it like every other game. Sometimes it’s good to get on the road and get with the guys, come together and try to get the job done that we need to get done.”

There were some positive signs in the Islanders’ loss to the Hurricanes after a sluggish first period.

Thomas Greiss, pulled from two of his previous three starts, played a strong game with 25 saves. That was a direct result of a sounder defensive structure in front of him.

“In the first period, you could tell we’ve been a little bit fragile lately,” Trotz said. “We weathered their storm.

“I thought, in the first, we were a little bit cautious. We haven’t been rolling well,” Trotz added. “After the first, we said, ‘Let’s close a little quicker, play with a firm commitment.’

“I thought, when we did that, we got much better the rest of the game. We’re inching our way up to hopefully getting our game in order.”

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.