Win Or Go Home For New York...

New York Islander Fan Central | 4/06/2023 02:01:00 AM |

I did not expect the New York Islanders to be a contending team in 2022-23. In a normal NHL season of 82 games it would play out like last year where you had to be 18-20 games over five hundred to qualify for a lower seed. That did not happen this year, in a slight repeat of 2002-03 (with ties) where NYI won 6/26 games down the stretch but still got the eighth seed a game over 500 with 83 points.

We know it has not worked offensively, with even Horvat at center not justifying a contract that does not begin until next year, with a 38 year old who got several bounces to inflate his numbers, Hudson Fashing, and an offense that comes down to Brock Nelson, a slight burst from Palmieri already likely over, and Anders Lee who's struggling again, and the identity line back in offensive hiding. Pageau had a rare goal where Engvall, who's been producing gave Pageau a 1/4 pass against Carolina for a very rare Pageau goal.

Not too many are going in off point shots lately which has held them in many games or a bad goal like Darcy Kuemper allowed to even give them any goals vs Caps. (where they play again)

I don't know what's going to happen. No one does. This team has done everything backwards winning against many tops teams, and not scoring/losing vs poor or struggling teams or Sorokin steals most games. To guess what's going to happen with three likely must win games Flyers/Caps/Montreal is likely more then they can do. We know the math (NYI do not control tie-breaker vs Florida/and do vs Pittsburgh.

Bottom line is we'll know soon if it's play Boston/likely Carolina or the season ends.

I don't think the Barzal card will be played for a career center who got hurt twice, the second time playing wing, who had a poor season overall offensively.