This Saturday on Hockey Night in NY, the Isles continue to take steps in the right direction under Patrick Roy with two big wins over Toronto and Tampa before an uninspiring setback vs Calgary. Sean and Stefen discussed their performance and where it leaves them.
Good Morning, Islanders Country.
I did my best to put some positive Patrick Roy energy into the hockey universe on Saturday morning. Well aware of the Isles' troubling trend of playing flat during day games, I wanted to believe that Roy’s presence and the urgency the standings demanded would be enough to lead to a rare result with the kids in attendance.
It wasn’t.
You can change the arena. You can change the players. You can change the coach, but you can’t change the feeling of impending doom when there is an arena full of families ready to watch the Islanders in a weekend matinee.
The Flames were a hot team coming in, having won three straight, but this was still against a non-playoff team at home following a resounding 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.
With one more game before the Stadium Series match-up with the Rangers at MetLife Stadium, there was an opportunity to carry significant momentum in that game. Instead, the Isles are just 3-3-1 with Roy behind the bench and no better or worse than they were in the standings before the All-Star break.
Is there still time? Yes, there are 30 games left, and the Islanders have four-point games against teams they are chasing or battling for a final spot. However, for this being “playoff hockey,” like Roy said it was, performances at home like Saturday can’t happen, regardless of what time they drop the puck.
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