Islanders' Nick Leddy has been a force at both ends of the ice

The Islanders will need more consistent efforts offensively and defensively when they open a season-high, six-game homestand against the East Division-leading Capitals on Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum, given they’ve gone four games without a regulation win.

But Nick Leddy just needs to keep doing what he’s been doing.

The defenseman extended his point streak to three games with his team-leading 24th assist in Monday night’s 2-1 loss to the Penguins that concluded a 2-2-0 road trip. The Islanders also lost, 6-3, to the Penguins on Saturday.

"Honestly, I don’t try to change my game up too much," Leddy said recently. "I just try and do what I can to help the team win, whether that’s doing my best to add offense if we’re down or being good defensively when we’re up. Whatever we need."

He was on the ice for the Penguins’ first-period winner on Monday as the teams skated four-on-four. But that was actually a sign Leddy did the correct thing. He was the only skater not to participate in an ill-timed line change that ultimately cost the Islanders the game.

Defenseman Thomas Hickey, along with Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anthony Beauvillier headed for the bench with the puck still at center ice. Four seconds later, Jared McCann scored at 18:28 as defenseman Adam Pelech, Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle had too little time to get into position.

The Islanders have lost four of seven since ending a stretch of seven of eight games against either the Sabres or Devils, the division’s bottom two teams. They trailed in every game on the road trip and by multiple goals in all but the opening 2-1 win in Philadelphia.

"Some of it might be a little bit of fatigue, the grind of the season," coach Barry Trotz said. "We’re falling on the wrong side of the ledger. We’re just going to have to look at Washington as our next opponent and see if we can get a win against them."

Leddy has been one of the more consistent Islanders and has an outside chance of topping his career-high 35 assists despite this being just a 56-game season.

"Leds is solid back there, one of the best skaters in the game," center Brock Nelson said. "He’s able to control the play based off of that alone, create some rushes out of nothing. When he’s going and skating, he’s driving some offense for us."

Notes & quotes: The Islanders were off on Tuesday…The Islanders have re-opened their Preview Club in Manhattan, which mirrors the suite experience at the under-construction UBS Arena at Belmont Park, and have hired Dr. K. Elizabeth Hawk and New York-based engineer Ed Bosco as consultants to oversee health and safety procedures. "Our COVID-19 task force has considered and evaluated more than 250 strategies to identify those that rise to the top as we work to develop the roadmap for facilities of the future," Bosco said. "The Preview Club is our first opportunity to introduce the public to these solutions."

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.