3 Takeaways From a Weekend of Comebacks by the New York Islanders

No one should misunderstand where the New York Islanders stand right now. They’re 5-10-4 and watching the gap between themselves and the rest of the Metropolitan Division grow larger.

That being said the Islanders had a better weekend than they’ve had in quite some time. They may still be looking for their first win in a month, but the New York Islanders have picked up points in consecutive games for the first time since the beginning of November, right around the same time that they last won a game as well.

“It’s unfortunate we didn’t get the second point, but we’re building here,” Josh Bailey said after Sunday’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks. “There’s some positives, it’s starting to feel right again, but there’s still more. Baby steps. This isn’t going to happen overnight, but we’re trending in the right direction and have to keep working and keep our heads up.”

It has been the first signs of life the Islanders have shown in quite a while during their current 11 game losing streak Let’s take a look at three takeaways from this week’s slate of back-to-back games.

Islanders are Building, but is it too Late?

The New York Islanders finally have a little momentum going after a pair of decently played games against the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks. They showed character with comebacks in both games that forced those contests into overtime. The Islanders rallied twice from behind on Saturday, with Oliver Wahlstrom scoring two tying goals on the man advantage. Noah Dobson scored with 2.3 seconds left on Sunday night to secure a point.

The Islanders were able to secure at least a point from each game and have a three-game point streak going, but the hole they find themselves in with over a quarter of the season finished has not gotten any smaller and the NHL betting odds aren’t looking very good for them right now. They’re 20 points back of the first-place Washington Capitals and 12 points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the final Wild Card spot in the East.

“We’ve been doing some good things in the last three games,” Pageau said. “We want that extra point, but we’re building right now. I think our game is going in the right direction. You see, when you score like that at the end, that the team is ready to play a full 60.”

While the Islanders have been playing better hockey of late, they’ve still struggled five-on-five and have failed to capitalize on the limited offense that they do generate. New York did show fight in Sunday’s game, but when Dylan Strome scored just under six minutes into the third the air came out of the Islanders tires for a good portion of the period after that.

Dobson, Wahlstrom Finally Playing the Way They Need to

It doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that the New York Islanders play has improved around the same time that Noah Dobson and Oliver Wahlstrom have begun to find a rhythm of their own. Wahlstrom had a pair of power-play goals on Saturday in Detroit, becoming the first Islanders player to score twice on the man-advantage since Ryan Pulock in 2018. Dobson scored the game-tying goal with mere seconds on the clock and played a career-high 26:14.

Dobson’s five shots on goal led the team and the young defenseman played with a confidence that helped propel him to third star honors in the loss. It was a needed sign for both players who have up and down seasons so far.

It was even more important considering the role both are expected to play this season.

“In the last couple of weeks we’ve had some guys go down and we’ve been playing shorthanded a bit. I’ve tried to elevate and step up,” Dobson said. “As a d-core as a whole that’s what we’ve tried to do. We’re missing a few guys back there so just continue to do that and play with confidence.”

Power Play Finally Producing

It’s been a pretty rough season for the New York Islanders power play and it was a source of some derision on Sunday night by the fans at UBS Arena, but in back-to-back games, the Islanders have scored power-play goals and they’re 3-for-7 on the man advantage in two games.

“I feel like we’re playing pretty simply on the power play,” Sebastian Aho said. “We’re just trying to get pucks to the net and we’re working hard. I feel like we’re winning a lot of puck battles so we don’t have to go back and get the puck in our own end and start over again. That takes time. I think we just have to stick with what’s been working, putting pucks to the net and just getting the greasy goals.”