Friedman: Islanders Will Definitely Get In, But Still Aren't Ready For The Playoffs
By Daniel Friedman
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As of this very moment, the New York Islanders are a single point away from clinching a playoff berth for the second time in three seasons.
That's all they need, one point. If Boston or Ottawa loses in any fashion any of their remaining games, that will also do the trick.
However, it should in no way change how the Isles approach their final two games.
A lot would have to go wrong, even now, for them to miss out on the postseason. Should they be so fortunate to get there, they'll have to be ready.
Despite all the Islanders have accomplished this season, they are not ready. They are not in sync, nor are they consistent or building any sort of momentum heading into the postseason. The games have gotten far more intense and, over the last little while, they have failed to match that intensity level.
The loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday night, coupled with Ottawa's comeback against Pittsburgh, was a major dagger that likely cost the Isles home ice advantage in the first round. It's still theoretically possible, but it will be much more difficult to achieve.
The Isles will likely play either Washington, Tampa Bay, Montreal or the Rangers in the first round.
What was troubling about the Isles' performance against the Flyers was not the fluky goal that Jaroslav Halak somehow let up with just 2.1 seconds remaining in regulation. He's not going to dwell on it, so neither should you. He'll shake it off like the veteran that he is.
What was troubling was that the Islanders, faced with the prospect of clinching a playoff spot and a chance to keep pace in the Metropolitan Division, did not appear the least bit motivated until late in the third period.
They should've come out flying to start that game. There should have been a furious push, a strong, determined effort to make a statement at a crucial juncture in their season.
Instead, there was, well, nothing -- except for Eric Boulton pummeling Ryan White.
We saw the same thing in the third period against Columbus. Ryan Strome's goal 55 seconds in gave the Isles a 3-1 lead and continued the very solid effort from the first two periods. But for whatever reason they decided to ease off the gas pedal the rest of the way. The Blue Jackets forced overtime, then won in a shootout.
Had that not occurred, John Tavares and Co. would've clinched two days later, with their shutout victory over Buffalo. But, once again, the Islanders failed to put forth a consistent effort, and it hurt them.
I really don't care how many games Columbus had won in a row to that point – when you have a two-goal lead midway through the third, you have to find a way to seal the deal, end of story. Turtling into a conservative shell is not the way to do that, especially if your opponent is playing as well as the Jackets had been of late (and still are). You had to know a push was coming.
Interestingly, there are certain areas where the Islanders have definitely improved as far as "playoff-style hockey" goes. They've got more bodies in front of the net, which is nice to see, and their power play has started to improve.
However, they've not been as good defensively over their last few games, and you hope that's just a temporary thing. Swapping Brian Strait and Calvin de Haan would help, but Strait's far from the only culprit here.
It's when those things start to happen that there's a reason to worry.
As tough as it was to see the Islanders lose so many games in March, the vast majority of those were hard-fought, and they were a bounce away from either going to overtime or winning. The penalty kill, defense and goaltending had also been very strong despite the losses, so that was somewhat of a silver lining.
But this is different. This is a lack of focus, a lack of consistent, determined effort. That's simply unacceptable this time of year.
Inexperience plays into this, to be sure, and the younger guys in that locker room are learning a valuable lesson -- albeit the hard way. Still, at a certain point, you have to apply what you've learned. If the Islanders want to compete in the first round – let alone survive it -- they'll have to start making those adjustments and rising to the occasion.
Coaching is a factor here as well, which is something I discussed last week. It's not in any way logical to suggest that Jack Capuano is the reason why the Isles are where they are right now, but he is a factor – as is everyone else on the bench he stands behind.
Most likely, the Islanders will make the playoffs, whether by their own merit or by another team getting the job done for them. SportsClub Stats has their odds of clinching at 99.8 percent (that .02, though!), if that puts it in perspective.
If the Isles' aspirations are merely to clinch, they needn't worry (too much). If they long for something bigger than that, they better step up their game.
The playoffs are right around the corner. Ready or not, here they come.
Follow Daniel on Twitter at @DFriedmanOnNYI
