In a perfect world, the Islanders would have been getting ready to take on the Montreal Canadiens on Monday night at UBS Arena. Instead, when the Islanders took the ice Monday morning at the Northwell Health Ice Center, it was not a morning skate but instead an abbreviated practice. That's because Monday night's contest was postponed when the National Hockey League put a halt to games involving cross-border travel because of the rise in COVID-19 cases.
For the Islanders, it was the latest chapter of a season-long story regarding the team's experience with COVID-19. They went through an outbreak earlier this season and now there are many other teams around the league that have been shut down through the holiday break.
"It's been a little bit disruptive," said Islanders Head Coach Barry Trotz. "It's been disruptive through the whole league."
The last thing that the Islanders want right now is to have a break in the action because they are finally starting to show signs of life.
But all the Islanders can do is just focus on what directly lies ahead of them.
"I've sort of been rolling with the punches," said Trotz. "I think everybody has. Would we have liked to have played (Monday)? Absolutely. You start to feel good about your game. The players know when they're on. The coaches know when you're getting to that level and you want to keep playing because you're feeling good about your own game."
The Islanders have gone 3-2-3 over their last nine games, picking up points in six of those nine contests to start creeping their way back up the Eastern Conference standings. They are scheduled to host the Washington Capitals on Thursday night at UBS Arena before taking a brief holiday break, returning to action on December 27th in Buffalo.
Beyond a few days off for Christmas, the Islanders want to keep playing.
"I don't think we need a break," said forward Anthony Beauvillier. "We've played some good hockey lately. We want to collect points and want to keep grinding and keep climbing."
The Islanders will have a day off on Tuesday, and then they'll return to practice on Wednesday to get ready to face Alex Ovechkin and company in Elmont Thursday night.
At this point, given everything that is going on in the league and really in the world, the Islanders are taking things day by day.
"You don't know what's going to happen," said defenseman Andy Greene. "We have to be adaptable and be ready and go from there. There's not much more you can do. You show up every day and get ready to prepare and play and you go from there."
One thing is for certain: The Islanders have certainly learned how to deal with adversity over the last few years.
After the pandemic halted the 2019-20 season in March of 2020, play resumed over the summer in the bubble – and the Islanders embraced the situation, advancing to the Eastern Conference Final.
Last season, the Islanders navigated their way through a shortened schedule, playing games only within a realigned East Division, and they made it to the Stanley Cup Semifinals.
If the Islanders are to dig themselves out of the hole they are currently in this season, they will have to continue finding the right ways to handle everything that has been thrown at them.
"You gotta lean on each other," said Trotz. "In our sport, we talk about mental toughness, but everyone handles it differently. We'll just deal with the day. Let's just deal with what we can do today and not think about next week or two weeks from now."
The Islanders, like other teams around the NHL, are truly taking things day by day. They are still waiting to get Mat Barzal, Matt Martin, and Robin Salo back from COVID protocols, and they are also awaiting the return of injured defenseman Ryan Pulock.
Tuesday is a day off for the Islanders, which was probably going to happen even if they played on Monday night. Going forward, the Islanders are hoping that days off continue to be within the context of the schedule and not because of postponements. They just want to play hockey.
And recently, they've been playing a lot better.
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