Where the Islanders & Wild Card Race Stand Heading Into the Weekend

The New York Islanders sat down and could do nothing but watch TV last night as the team made their way to Tampa Bay. They likely had a firm eye trained in Philadelphia, where, fresh off firing John Tortorella, the Flyers dropped a six-pack onto the Montreal Canadiens.

The Flyers did the Islanders a massive favor after Vancouver beat the Islanders on Wednesday. The Islanders did not lose ground in the playoff race on the first two days off before tomorrow night’s game in Tampa Bay. If certain things fall their way, they could be in a playoff spot tomorrow night for the first time since November 19.

Back to last night, the Montreal-Philadelphia tilt represented the only game the Islanders had to keep an eye on. Tonight, it gets far more intriguing. However, all season long, the team approached these situations as things they didn’t focus on. Head Coach Patrick Roy admits to watching the games, but he focuses on what his team can do.

This Weekend Will Be Difficult:

Perhaps Roy did some scouting by watching the Tampa Bay Lightning last night. If he did, he may not have gotten a ton of sleep. The Bolts surgically dismembered the Utah Hockey Club 8-0 in Amalie Arena. Nikita Kucherov recorded four points, while Jake Guentzel scored twice.

Tampa Bay currently sits one point off the top of the Atlantic Division, chasing the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers. Believe it or not, Tampa would greatly prefer to win the division and play the recently floundering Ottawa Senators. The alternative is a fight to the death with Florida or Toronto in the dreaded 2v3 matchup.

That game against Utah was hardly a one-off. On Tuesday, also at home, Tampa pulverized the Penguins 6-1. Kucherov had three more points in that one. Tampa’s power play has struck in three straight games. So over their last six periods of hockey, Tampa Bay has beaten their opponents by a combined score of 14-1.

If the Islanders fail to bring their best on Saturday, it could get ugly.

That brings the Islanders to Sunday, the very next day, where they’ll return to a building where their season ended last year. Lenovo Center, home of the Carolina Hurricanes. Sometimes, in a back-to-back, the opposition also plays the previous night. No luck for the Islanders, there.

Carolina is idle on Saturday. They’ll be sitting and enjoying their Saturday afternoon while the Islanders will be in a knife fight with the Bolts. Carolina’s lost two of their last three entering tonight, including a surprising 3-1 loss to the Predators on Tuesday.

You can bet Carolina will be up for the challenge.

What About Tonight?

Perhaps before Sunday’s showdown, the Hurricanes can do the Islanders a big favor. After two nights off at home, the ‘Canes host the Canadiens. The Canadiens played in Philadelphia last night and now are a massive underdog tonight.

If Carolina can beat the Canadiens, it will take some pressure off the Islanders this weekend. What’s more, Montreal’s next two games after that are both against the Florida Panthers. Florida gains back Brad Marchand tonight and is also in that three-way scramble for the Atlantic crown.

All this to say, perhaps a split this weekend would suffice quite nicely. The only problem with that, another team has entered the picture.

The Columbus Blue Jackets, currently one point behind the Islanders, also play tonight. They’ve played one less game than New York and Montreal. A Columbus win and a Montreal regulation loss, and all of a sudden, the no-goal call on Kyle Palmieri will literally be the reason the Islanders are not in a playoff spot entering Saturday’s game.

Columbus takes on who, you ask? The Vancouver Canucks. You know, the team that just bullied the Islanders on Wednesday. Columbus has not played since Monday, so they’ve just practiced and fueled up for their game tonight. Tomorrow night, Columbus has the second half of their back-to-back in Ottawa. Not the easiest of weekends for them.

Finally, no conversation is complete without adding the New York Rangers back into it. They also have their own back-to-back this weekend. They’re out in California, and they’re in Anaheim to take on the lowly Ducks tonight before they play the Sharks tomorrow night.

All this to say, things are wide open. Nobody’s seizing control. This weekend will provide some serious clarity, as every single team involved plays twice. Or hey, maybe the pattern from the last month continues and everyone stays superglued together, separated by a point or two. In fact, it’ll probably be exactly that. Either way, we have you covered here for it all at NYI Hockey Now.