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Can New York Qualify For Covid Cup II?

Kind of feels like we are right back in March 2020, when they were completely exhausted, and lost (with skills competitions) seven straight. Of course this time New York has been home, have had significant rest time vs most past seasons.
Bottom line the scoring issues that had me calling for a housecleaning early continue to surface, many very ugly wins, many in skills competitions. Clearly Trotz is trying everything, and given the teams record, they had to make the trades they did because they earned that right.
Having written that the trends of struggling on road (especially vs top teams) has lingered during the entire Covid Cup schedule, along with a powerplay that most of the time cannot produce. Varlamov has played well above his career trends, and Sorokin (not counting his last game where he needed to be ready) has played like a franchise goalie.
Soon we get our answers, do they make one of the top four seeds (needing 7-8 points depending on tie-breakers) to elimiate the 5th seed or do they go down in flames and waste the first round pick used in what would be nothing short of a collapse?
On the other end the sunshine keeps being poured on Cuomo/Dolan/Wilpon UBA arena operated by Leiweke, booked by Azoff, while they can't make up their arena opening dates (NHL season expected to begin 10/12) between Oct or Nov, with the nine hundered 24/7 workers promised in October never hired and the building a skelton with a massive fit-out required as a fully lit building with lights on all night sits empty?
Everyone knows where I want them to play and why, the money Belmont future tenants Malkin-Ledecky, have been losing in Nassau at this time must be well north of fifty million, someone's paying them for that, they lost 39 million last year & that was likely much higher. Ledecky should be ashamed of himself posing with Cuomo(no questions unless Dolan friendly media) Newsday.
The good news:
Ok, hoping like last year for another trip to Covid Cup playoffs, winning is always good for a franchise, but not very optimistic qualifying or going far. Of course if they can't go 4-0 vs Buffalo/New Jersey they don't deserve a spot or won't have one very long anyway.

New York Notables

Lamoriello Comments Post Trade Deadline:

Coburn driving down, 4-5 day quarrantine. Golyshev heading to Bridgeport after paperwork. Salo coming directly to New York when his season ends. Colin Adams/other college prospects not mentioned. Will try to sign all players here via trade, but no guarantees.

New York At Trade Deadline Final: Braydon Coburn/7th

NYIFC Comments: Nice he has cup in background, but depth, likely less to offer than Hickey/AHO, but now that he's here, will play over both.
Adams apparently signed.

New York Press Conference on trades

New York Acquires: Kyle Palmieri, Travis Zajac

Lamoriello said both players will be at morning skate on Thursday, both players happy to be coming, want to win. Sure NYI website will have his media conference later. Devils gm, Tom Fitzgerald, hoped it would be the 32nd pick because both players deserve to win the Cup.
“I know what they bring on the ice,” Islanders president and GM Lou Lamoriello, who has worked with both Zajac and Palmieri in his previous position with the Devils, said. “I know who they are as people and how well they’ll fit in the locker room. Chemistry is extremely important. Their experience, their talent, their competitiveness, especially in this division, knowing what they have to go through, brings excitement on our end.”
“When I heard that the Islanders could be an option, I couldn’t have been more excited,” Palmieri said. “As the days wore on here, there was a little bit of anxiety in terms of waiting for that call. I got that call tonight and it was really difficult to contain the excitement of joining this team.”
“It’s a bolt of energy for sure,” Zajac said. “You’re excited to come in this situation and coming to a team that just does things the right way. They know how to win. They’re tough to play against, they’re consistent. It’s exciting to be a part of that group.”
NYIFC Comments: A lot to digest there. We know 1st was likely going to be outside the lottery picks. (or could be conditional upon making Covid Cup Playoffs) Greer/Jobst, were hardly top level prospects, and conditional pick could be contingent upon winning Covid Cup. Want to sit with this a while, but on the surface, like the trade, they clearly did not have enough, and they kept Wahlstrom, Bellows, Dal Colle, and their top prospects, and players with some apparent value in Wilde, Bolduc, and Holmstrom.