The New York Islanders had a November to forget. They went 5-5-4 and looked like one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference while doing so. The Islanders had a seven-game losing streak, blew multiple leads in the third period — none more notable than the Nov. 28 collapse to the New Jersey Devils — and played undisciplined and poor defensive hockey.
The rough month was one of the worst under general manager (GM) Lou Lamoriello’s tenure. It certainly felt like the worst one for the fans but where does it fall compared to the other rough patches?
The Islanders, more often than not, have been a steady team under Lamoriello but some months have nearly derailed (and one did) promising seasons. So let’s look at the four worst months since the start of the 2018-19 season, beginning with a unique month where the Islanders didn’t play a lot of games for reasons that weren’t in their control.
4. March 2020 (Islanders’ Record: 0-2-2)
This was a tough month not just for the Islanders but the world. March 2020 is associated with the COVID-19 pandemic which shut down all the major professional sports and impacted every facet of life.
Related: 4 Takeaways From Islanders’ 5-4 Loss vs Devils
From the Islanders’ perspective, they were stumbling in the month. They entered March with a three-game losing streak and lost back-to-back games against the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators. They managed to earn two points with two overtime losses but left the month with zero victories. To make matters worse, the defense, which was a strength under head coach Barry Trotz, fell apart, allowing 18 goals in the four-game stretch.
Fortunately for the Islanders, they built up a good enough record that the 0-2-2 month did not eliminate them from the playoffs, which were played in a bubble in summer. They finished the season 35-23-10 and then went on the first playoff run where they reached the Eastern Conference Final before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six games.
3. November 2023 (Islanders’ Record: 5-5-4)
The Islanders were a different team throughout the past month. They’ve been known for playing great defense, having shutdown goaltenders, being disciplined, and most importantly, closing out games with the lead. They had none of those attributes in Nov. 2023. A regression was expected from the defense, especially after Adam Pelech and Sebastian Aho were placed on injured reserve but they were one of the worst defenses in the league, allowing an average of 3.42 goals per game. To make matters worse, there were a handful of games they easily could have won and ended up on the losing end.
The blown leads felt like an endless story and an inevitable end to all the games the team played. They had a 3-0 lead against the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 4 early in the second period but lost 4-3 in overtime. They had 3-2 leads in the third period against the Vancouver Canucks and the Seattle Kraken on back-to-back nights but lost both games 4-3 in overtime. Then came the worst loss of the season, one where the Islanders had a 4-2 lead to start the third period but lost 5-4 to the Devils and came away with no points. It felt fitting in a way that the last game in the month saw them blow two leads in the final period against the Hurricanes, including allowing a goal with only seconds to play (fortunately, they managed to take the game 5-4 in overtime).
Oddly enough, the overtime losses saved them and prevented the month from being worse. The four overtime losses allowed them to earn points that slowly moved them up in the standings and kept them from falling out of the playoff picture early.
2. January 2023 (Islanders’ Record: 4-8-3)
For the first time in head coach Lane Lambert’s tenure, the Islanders started to show weaknesses on the defensive end of the ice. Lambert wanted the defensemen to play aggressively, joining the rush and playing a more active role in the offensive zone. In Jan. 2023, this style backfired and they allowed opponents to run up the score. Five times in the month, they allowed four goals or more and in consecutive losses to the Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leafs, they allowed five goals.
What made this month a particular disaster was that the offense was hapless, going through a “Dry January” in the 15-game stretch. The Islanders averaged only 1.93 goals per game and was dismal on the power play, scoring only twice despite having 36 opportunities. The offense needed a spark and a scorer felt like a necessary addition — it prompted Lamoriello to acquire Bo Horvat during the All-Star Break.
The team exited the month with a 25-22-5 record and they were on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. A strong second half allowed them to sneak into the playoffs as a Wild Card team but the month looked like it doomed them, just like one stretch did in the previous season.
1. November 2021 (Islanders Record: 2-8-0)
A cliche in all sports is that a team can’t win a title in the first month of the season but they can certainly lose one. That’s exactly what the Islanders did in Nov. 2021. The 2-8-0 record was bad enough, but the eight consecutive losses put them in a hole that they never recovered from.
Everything that could have gone wrong for the Islanders did. Mathew Barzal finally showed weaknesses, specifically that he needs a shooter on his line, something the team lacked with Jordan Eberle being claimed by the Kraken in the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. The injuries piled up and left the team in shambles by the end of the month. Anthony Beauvillier struggled to find a role on the wing and a skater who looked to take a step forward took a big step back. The defensive unit was slow and struggled to move the puck up the ice. Lastly — for the first time under Trotz — they looked lethargic and didn’t play up to their head coach, a sign that he wasn’t the right person to lead them.
By the time the Islanders were done with the month, they were 5-12-0 and near the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. A respectable second half wasn’t good enough to make up the ground they lost and they missed the playoffs for the first time under Trotz, resulting in his firing in the 2022 offseason. While the club entered the season considered a team ready to make another Cup run — as they did the previous two seasons — they ended up looking like an old and slow team that failed to live up to expectations.
Oddly, The Islanders Remain Alive
Despite all the gloom and the terrible play last month provided, it didn’t leave them out of the playoff race. The Islanders have a 9-7-6 record and are right in the middle of the Metropolitan Division as well as the Wild Card race. While the past few weeks have exposed them and exploited their weaknesses, a turnaround is not only possible but likely. The Islanders know that if they cut down on the mistakes or step up in the final minutes, specifically by slowing games down, they will once again be a contender.
The overtime win against the Hurricanes to close out the month was the jolt that this team needed. They are now heading into December with the hopes of leaping to the top of the standings and all it will take is a hot streak for them to do just that.
