In this conference you need to be at least ten games over five hundred, between ninerty two and ninety six points to make the playoffs.
You lose three games in a row in a division like this where teams can go on long, sustained winning/unbeaten streaks you are going to find yourself tied for last or in the basement unless you can keep up.
Pittsburgh did it last year, the Devils are doing it now.
Things change quickly. For the Islanders, who have not won five games in a row in for close to a decade or longer they are going to have their own winning or unbeaten streak.
A week ago things were far from perfect but the Islanders were locked into third and with a win at Msg would have moved into a virtual tie for first place.
Today the Islanders find themselves tied for last place in the Atlantic Division with far more questions/problems then answers. Hard to see a trade that helps unless Garth Snow wants to give up a player like Hunter, Bergenheim, Campoli, Gervais or one of his prospects which would only be a shortsighted move.
Fair to say Ted Nolan has the most offensively challenged team he's had in his entire NHL coaching career and it's becoming a grind for him. The character has been there but is being tested to the max because the players being counted on the most simply cannot score and the frustration is building as the coach has seemingly tried almost every possible line combination with mixed results at best because the team does not have enough skilled players who can finish.
The more some players press the more mistakes they make on a club playing with almost no margin for error and it does look like this group is simply not deep enough in the scoring department.
I have not written this but there is no doubt this club misses Jon Sim's speed and mid level offensive ability. On another club a player like Sim may be an important depth player but on this team his loss is critical because the players put in his spot simply do not have any scoring resume in this league to this point.
Islanders have had a poor week, starting Friday they need to have a good week or the alternative will be a last place team.
What difference will the next week bring?