The New York Islanders won three straight last week against the New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Colorado Avalanche surprising everyone – except themselves. There seemed to be a belief in the locker room that, at some point, the changes head coach Lane Lambert would eventually work, even if it would come with some growing pains.
“Everything that we do is based on hard work. That’s been the No. 1 thing from the start of camp.” Casey Cizikas said in the midst of the team’s losing streak. “There are going to be little growing pains here and there, but at the same time … there’s no quit in this team.” (from “Islanders storm back to win third straight: ‘It’s coming together pretty well,'” The Athletic 10/30/22).
Ultimately, this team has not given up on one another and has found its stride, breaking its three-game losing streak and finding its way back into the playoff conversation. Is their play sustainable? We’ll find out this week as they hit the road.
Islanders Hit Their Stride
The Islanders’ win against the Rangers was important. They desperately needed to end their losing streak and what better way to do that than against your cross-river rivals? Ilya Sorokin stole one for them and Kyle Palmieri potted two to help the Islanders get over that hump. And as important as that game was, the real benchmark, “remember this game” win came against the Hurricanes.
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The Islanders showed resilience in a game that was back and forth in the early going, trading the game’s first few goals. But they eventually put their foot on the gas and never looked back, scoring four goals to eventually win 6-2. That game is something we can remember as a turnaround game, even with their win the following night against the Avalanche. Their ability and willingness to come away with a victory against the powerhouse Avalanche wouldn’t have been there without the confidence that something was brewing in that locker room.
“We have that feeling again of we can really beat anybody,” Mathew Barzal said on Monday after practice. “The years we went to the playoffs, any situation we could win. The other night down three, coming back and winning, it felt like we found that again. It felt good.”
That swagger and confidence are going to be important moving forward, especially as the Islanders figure out if what they’ve got during this winning streak is sustainable. No one thinks that they can come back against serious playoff contenders on a regular basis, but knowing they can when they need to is a serious weapon. This upcoming week will be telling if they can continue this high level of play and prove to the rest of the league what they appear to already know – they’re ready to make it back to the playoffs.
Islanders Barzal Takes Over
Islanders fans have been waiting for Barzal to truly take over a game and help will the team to victory. He’s often tried and, like John Tavares before him, looked like he was simply trying to do too much. As a player that loves to have the puck on his stick to create offense, Barzal has needed to find that balance of possessing the puck and setting up teammates to find the back of the net. In other words, turning expected goals based on a ton of possession into actual goals.
Against the Avalanche, Barzal indeed took over and his creativity and ability to hold onto the puck led to a huge goal. By the end of a long shift by the Avalanche, Barzal had the attention of four players, leaving Scott Mayfield wide open in the slot for a tap-in to tie the game. It’s the type of play fans have been waiting for, and hopefully, it’s something Barzal needs to continue as the team looks to extend its winning streak.
Islanders Week Ahead
The Islanders head through the midwest this week to play the Chicago Blackhawks, St. Louis Blues, and Detroit Red Wings. At the time this article is being written, none of these teams are playing particularly well, hovering around the .500 mark. It’s a week that could really solidify where the Islanders are in the standings and put some decent separation between them and some other teams as they battle injuries, like the Washington Capitals. The Islanders don’t have two days off in a row for a couple of weeks, and the next two weeks of games include a back-to-back against a hot Calgary Flames team and a Rangers club looking to get back to their pre-season expectations.
If the Islanders are indeed who they are these last three games as opposed to the three prior, the next week or two will be very telling. The team has had a mix of heroes while getting support from up and down their lineup. As long as cold streaks don’t align on offense, and they can continue to learn and adapt to Lambert’s style, the Islanders may truly be back in contention by American Thanksgiving.
