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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
Last night’s wild game in Nashville was tied 2-2 after one, 4-4 after two, and 6-6 after three. That’s only the second time that has happened in NHL history (12/14/1985 - Toronto Maple Leafs at Minnesota North Stars). Most of us have never seen that, but we have seen bad bounces, blown leads, and crushing losses in Nashville, a place the Isles haven’t won since Oct. 28, 2017.
Whenever you think the Islanders should be better than their record, they remind you why their record is what it is and why the season is effectively over. They now trail Montreal by eight points with five games remaining after the Habs won their sixth straight on Tuesday night. Mathematical possibilities remain; hope does not.
Leading by two goals in the final minutes against a team that had lost six straight, the Isles blew their lead of the game. The first goal happened because of a bad penalty, followed by the second because of bad luck. But in short, it’s the type of bad things that happen to teams with a mostly lousy season.
“We didn’t play as well as we did at home (on Sunday),” Bo Horvat said after the game. “There’s no excuse, especially when we’re trying to fight for a playoff spot and keep ourselves in it. We definitely didn’t help ourselves tonight.”
When the moment has called for their best, too often, the Islanders can’t help revealing their worst trait - beating themselves.
