The Islanders' season is all but over. They are surely set to miss the playoffs for a second straight year after a four-month period in which they won only 10 games in regulation. Currently, the Isles sit 10 points behind the last Eastern Conference wild-card team, the Devils, with nine games to play. You don't need to be a math expert or check out the latest playoff odds to know that the time to focus on any possible front-office changes and draft preparation can begin right now.
On the ice, however, to a man, the team hasn't quit -- and won't quit until the final horn goes off in Game 82 in Detroit. The role of spoiler is one the Islanders will employ over the next three weeks, and while that might anger the "tank" crowd that would rather see the team drop all its remaining games to put itself in the best possible draft position, it's just something never ingrained in a player's DNA.
Tuesday night was a perfect example. On paper, you would have expected the Pittsburgh Penguins, chasing the Washington Capitals for a Metropolitan Division crown, loaded with supreme talent and welcoming back their No. 1 goaltender -- two-time Stanley Cup champion Matt Murray -- to blow the Islanders out of a scarcely filled Barclays Center. However, the opposite happened. New York took advantage of some defensive lapses by the visitors in the first period to take a 2-0 lead it never relinquished in an eventual 4-1 victory. It was just the Isles' second victory in their past 13 games.
"I think, throwing aside as well as I thought we played, they needed it," coach Doug Weight said. "It's for morale. It's not where we want to be, and we're all disappointed with it, but we get paid to play every game, and they played today like they wanted to win. They wanted to have that feeling. We want to keep growing it and come out with a strong effort Thursday (against the Tampa Bay Lightning)."
Weight has had his troubles this year managing the collapse of a team that was 15-7-2 at the end of November. His inexperience, and perhaps distaste for the job entirely, has led to some testy moments with the media along with a forever-enshrined reaction to a question from MSG Networks' Shannon Hogan after a recent loss.
Doug Weight can't handle the one MSG camera, Shannon Hogan and the 1-2 beat writers that travel with the team on the road #Isles pic.twitter.com/kPIoyU9aLK
— IslesBlog (@IslesBlog) March 9, 2018The omission down the stretch of Sebastian Aho, who was sent down to Bridgeport on Thursday, has been a head-scratcher for sure, and who knows if Weight returns next season or takes what is assumed to be a preferable position in the front office?
This is tryout time for many Islanders before they head off to their summer destinations. Tanner Fritz, Chris Wagner, Ross Johnston and Christopher Gibson are four Islanders trying to impress heading into next fall. Others, including Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock and Anthony Beauvillier, are just trying to continue building their games, as their roster spots are considered more stable.
"It's very important," Gibson said. "We love to play hockey, and everyone hates losing. It's big for us to fight until the end. We're playing for the team and the organization and each other in the dressing room. It's crucial.
Even rookie Mathew Barzal, almost certain to be a unanimous Calder Trophy winner as the league's top rookie, feels the strain of the team's record but knows, to build professionally, you keep playing right to the end.
"We're in a tough spot," he said. "We're all competitive guys. We want to win. Games like this help the locker room, and we want to make it an enjoyable last 10 games here."
The Athletic's Arthur Staple opined in a column earlier this week about Anders Lee -- who added to a career season with his 36th goal Tuesday -- that power forwards in similar styles don't seem to "age well" and Lee could become a trade possibility for a team that desperately needs to add defensive help this summer. When you have such a dynamic scoring sensation as Barzal and the continued development of Beauvillier in a supporting role, Staple's point is further validated by suggesting you can keep Jordan Eberle for likely less money and term. Eberle hit the 25-goal mark against the Penguins, continuing to prove that, when all else fails, call Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli.
"Nice to get a win," Lee said. "We knew we were coming in facing a really good team that has a lot to play for, a division team we have good battles with. We played a solid 60 minutes, Gibby (goaltender Christopher Gibson) was great again tonight, and it was a good win."
No matter where the Islanders go from here, from decisions on the future of GM Garth Snow, to Weight, to Lee, to the ultimate decision yet to be made by captain John Tavares, the team won't stop playing. And while that's little consolation in what has been a completely disappointing season -- one with historically bad defensive numbers -- it's something that nobody should have questioned.
Follow Andy on Twitter at @AndyGraz_WFAN
