Why have the Islanders followed their six-game winning streak with a five-game losing streak?
That is the burning question right now in Islanders Country, and some of the reasons were shared not long after Tuesday night's 4-1 home loss to Carolina. Perhaps the most revealing thought came from Head Coach Patrick Roy, who noticed that his team needs to play at a faster pace and that comes with shorter shifts.
"If you want to be consistent in the intensity, that's a good wakeup call for me," said Roy. "If you want to do this on a consistent basis, you cannot have long shifts. You gotta keep your shifts short and I feel like it gives a rhythm to your team."
Roy felt like the Islanders are going to have to learn how to get on and off the ice quicker and be well rested for the next shift. If a player gets to the end of a shift and there's nothing there in the way of open ice, don't try to be a hero. Just dump the puck in and change it up.
And there's plenty of blame to go around.
"It's on everyone…myself included," said Roy. "It's on me as well. We're together in this. No one loves losing games but we need to learn. Using those losses to make us a better team…that's what I'm hoping to see."
Things were looking great for the Islanders after a 6-1 win over the Ducks in Anaheim on March 10th, their sixth straight win. But the next night the Islanders were blanked by the Kings 3-0 in Los Angeles, and then came a 4-0 loss in Buffalo on March 14th. Two days later, the Islanders lost to Ottawa 4-3 in overtime and then this past Sunday they were pummeled by the Rangers 5-2 at Madison Square Garden.
On Tuesday night, the Islanders looked lost and inconsistent at times, something that was not the case during the winning streak.
"We were on a roll," said Captain Anders Lee. "I think you could see in our game how connected we were and how guys were supportive on one another in all three zones. In the last five games, it hasn't been as consistent as it needs to be. That's what's hurting us."
As bad as the last week and a half has gone for the Islanders, they are still very much in the playoff race with 14 games remaining in the regular season. It's been a tough stretch for the Islanders, but they have some time to get their game back.
"We're feeling it," said Lee. "It's not going our way and to end it we gotta find a way to have each other's backs and to play together. We got a lot of hockey left. It's obviously dwindling but the race is tight. We're in that race. We're right there."
The Islanders head into Thursday's crucial game in Detroit three points behind the Red Wings for the second Eastern Conference Wild Card spot. However, the Islanders also have to jump the Washington Capitals, who are two points ahead of the Isles and one point behind Detroit. Third place in the Metropolitan Division is also still in sight for the Islanders, but they are now five points behind the Flyers.
The Islanders can't keep talking about being alive. They have to start winning games again.
"We're running out of words to say and we just gotta start finding ways to win, dig a little deeper here and scratch some wins together," said forward Matt Martin. "We still have life and we need to find life inside this locker room and start finding ways to win."
And that has to start on Thursday against the Red Wings, a team the Islanders are trying to catch.
Being more aggressive offensively would be a good way to help turn the tide.
"We just gotta get more pucks to the net…more bodies," said defenseman Noah Dobson. "We just gotta find a way to work inside and get more pucks to the net and try to find something there."
With the clock ticking, the Islanders are well aware of what the stakes are. In this up and down season, every game is critical, but none more than the next one.
"Let's end it," said Lee of the losing streak. "Let's get the (win) in Detroit…obviously a huge game. It's going to be a great atmosphere."
Shorter shifts. More consistency. Pucks to the net.
That's how the Islanders can find life in their game.
