Terrible Twist Of Fate Has Islanders On Outside Looking In & On Trial

With four games left, the New York Islanders’ playoff hopes are fading fast—now everyone is under the microscope as Mathieu Darche and Pete DeBoer evaluate the roster’s future.

PHOTO: Dennis DaSilva / New York Islanders

It’s not over until it’s over—but it’s getting dangerously close.

In the span of a week, the New York Islanders went from sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division with a path to the No. 2 seed… to now being three points out of a wild-card spot with just four games remaining—and two more days before they even get a chance to make up ground.

The out-of-town scoreboard had been kind to Long Island for a while.

Then it flipped.

The Philadelphia Flyers and Ottawa Senators both won in regulation, and the Columbus Blue Jackets followed by beating the Detroit Red Wings in a shootout.

You can run the scenarios. You can play with the math.

But the reality is simple: the Islanders need to run the table if they want any real shot.

And while a playoff berth may be slipping away, one thing is certain:

This team is on trial.