Intermission Report

Isles head into break with a chance

The NHL is about to break for the 4 Nations Face-Off, and everyone in Islanders Country seems to be wondering what Lou Lamoriello may have up his sleeve between now and the March 7th trade deadline. Are they close enough in the standings to contend? Will they sell? Will they stand pat? Will they buy..? Who or what is he willing to deal?

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Good Morning, Islanders Country.

Before this weekend, the Isles had already done enough to make the games following the 4 Nations Face-off matter. That, in itself, was far from a guarantee a month ago. In early January, we debated whether Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri would be on the move BEFORE the break in the schedule. Now, it’s feeling possible, if even likely, that GM Lou Lamoriello will hold on to both and perhaps add to the roster for a third straight playoff push.

They’re four points out of a playoff spot with 27 games left in the season and six remaining before the trade deadline. These past few weeks have shown how quickly things can change. Teams that are sellers today can be buyers tomorrow, and there’s enough time for conventional wisdom to reverse course again.

Regardless of how things went this weekend, the momentum they built these last three weeks wouldn’t carry over naturally—there’s too much time between games. The back-to-back games against Winnipeg and Minnesota looked daunting, and the Isles made too many mistakes to beat two good teams on the road. It was a missed opportunity, but not one you dwell on.

“I said to the guys that I was very proud of them before the game,” head coach Patrick Roy said after Saturday’s 6-3 loss. They've been doing exactly what we wanted, and we are playing good hockey right now… Our guys deserve the break, and we need to be ready when we come back, when we play Dallas.”