Nothing Is Lost — It’s Just A Playoff Race Now For Islanders
The Islanders lost ground Thursday, but not their season — and the path back into a playoff spot is right in front of them.
MONTREAL — Contrary to popular belief, the New York Islanders’ season did not come to an end with their 3-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
Was it a loss that certainly hurt the Islanders? For sure. A combination of not recording at least a point and seeing everyone else around them win knocked them out of a playoff spot with 13 games to go.
But nothing was lost. It’s just a race now.
When we talk to Patrick Roy after a tough loss, he always says the following: “That’s what we call a season.”
It’s about handling obstacles as they come. It’s a macro way of looking at a campaign in a spot where most, if not all, also deal with a season in the micro, one game at a time.
But Roy’s quote is all about not panicking when things aren’t going your way.
This Islanders team has been fueled by vibes this season, a season in which we’ve seen resilience from this group that we haven’t seen since the 2020 and 2021 runs to the Eastern Conference Finals.
They’ve given Islanders fans a reason to believe every step of the way. So why stop believing now that they can’t continue that down the stretch?
Yeah, maybe the Ottawa loss counteracted that belief, but it’s not like the Islanders haven’t dropped big games throughout this season when they were in control of their own destiny.
A win and the Islanders could be back in a playoff spot, depending on what happens around the league.
So what does the road actually look like from here?