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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
This sucks.
Those were the two words used by captain Anders Lee to describe the team’s current stretch following Saturday’s 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Alumni Night at UBS Arena.
This is losing eight of nine games (1-5-3). This is not having scored a third-period goal in those nine games. This is a new injury every week. This is rookies forced into action too soon. This is not having Adam Pelech or Kyle Palmieri back. This isn’t what we’re used to - not after the first three seasons under Barry Trotz.
This is an organization in limbo.
GM Lou Lamoriello felt he owed his core group an opportunity to give it one more go after last year’s adversity-filled season - understandable. But what 48 games have shown is that they were always built closer to a fringe playoff team than a serious contender.
On a personal level, we like this group, but increasingly we’re coming to terms with the probability that they’ve reached their peak and that everything that was there to be squeezed out of them already has been.
So Lou has a dilemma. Re-tool? Rebuild? Stand pat and hope they're due for a 6-7 game winning streak because … don’t most decent teams have one? Whatever the option, it feels more lose-lose because the Islanders, as constructed, don’t appear able to go all-in in any direction, at least in the short term.
Change will likely come, but it’s uncertain whether it can be the type of change that can change course. For now, we’re stuck with this - and it sucks.
Coming up, another D-man is called up from Bridgeport, and Mathew Barzal’s linemates are many. Plus, the Sebastian Ahos give us another mind-bending moment; Mike Bossy can’t find the open net in Detroit, the Isles can’t find the net in the third period, and another successful Alumni Weekend.
Let’s dive in.
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