Isles need ‘magnificent seven’ to get in

Back-to-Back Losses Leave New York on Outside of Playoff Picture

March 28, 2017 By John Torenli, Sports Editor Brooklyn Daily Eagle

Thomas Hickey and the rest of the Islanders were just a step behind the Nashville Predators during Monday night’s 3-1 loss at Downtown’s Barclays Center. AP Photo by Kathy Willens

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The Islanders have just seven regular-season games remaining to earn an Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Judging from their performance before a crowd of 11,671 at Downtown’s Barclays Center on Monday night, Brooklyn’s NHL squad is in serious danger of missing out on the postseason for the first time in three years.

“Tough loss obviously,” Josh Bailey ceded following the Islanders’ 3-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. “At this point, you’re just looking to get wins no matter how ugly they are.”

Wins have been at a premium for New York since it slogged its way through a mediocre at-best first half of the season. Despite climbing all the way back into serious playoff contention, the Isles’ last two losses, including Saturday night’s crushing 2-1 home loss Boston, have left them two points back of the Bruins (84 points) for the second and final wild-card spot in the East.

Making matters worse, playoff-hopeful Tampa Bay, the team that knocked the Isles out in last year’s conference semifinals, has also snuck past New York by a point in the ongoing hunt for a postseason berth.

“Obviously, we’re going to have to win some games and probably get some help at this point,” Bailey added. “So we’ll just worry about what we can control.”

The Isles had full control of their playoff destiny entering Saturday night’s crucial tilt with Boston, but now must rely on others to drop points if they are to get back into position for a third consecutive postseason appearance.

More importantly, they have to get back on a winning track after losing six of nine during this late-season malaise. New York has also gone a dismal 0-4-1 at Barclays since putting together an 11-game point streak on home ice during its post-All-Star break ascension up the standings.

Interim head coach Doug Weight openly confessed that his team may be running out of gas just as the finish line is coming into sight.

“I’ve been through it where you have to be at the top of your level for the last four to six weeks and every game is a playoff game and it’s tough,” said Weight as the Isles began turning their attention toward Thursday night’s game in Philadelphia.

“We have to find a way to dig deeper and try to put games together,” he added. “We are too late to the party on a consistent basis. It’s been a problem.”

Those problems figure to grow exponentially if New York doesn’t find a way to put the puck in the net.

Thomas Greiss stopped 28 of 30 shots for the Isles on Monday night, and 16 of 18 against the Bruins Saturday, but New York has managed more than two goals just once in its last seven contests.

“Real frustrating one tonight for sure,” team captain John Tavares admitted after New York went 0-for-2 on the power-play and only snuck one puck past Nashville netminder Juuse Saros Monday.

Saros finished with 24 saves and Kevin Fiala, Viktor Arvidsson and Ryan Johansen scored the goals for Nashville, which is in a playoff race of its own in the Western Conference.

“We’ve given ourselves a good chance to make the playoffs, put ourselves in a position to be fighting here until the end,” Tavares added. “We’re just disappointed we didn’t play well enough, starting with myself, today. It’s just not good enough.”

“Just not good enough” may prove to be this team’s tag line if it doesn’t find a way to play magnificently over these final seven contests.

And get a little help along the way.

Isle Have Another: The Isles announced Monday that they signed forward John Stevens, formerly captain of the Northeastern University hockey team, to a two-year, entry-level contract. Stevens, 22, scored 28 points (five goals, 23 assists) in 25 games this past season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder helped the Huskies win a Hockey East Title and reach the NCAA Tournament in 2016. In four years at Northeastern, Stevens scored 106 points (26 goals, 80 assists) in 138 games. A native of Sea Isle City, NJ, Stevens is a two-time Hockey East All-Academic Team member (2014, 2016) and is a candidate for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award, an honor given to NCAA Division I senior student-athletes who excel in competition, community, character, and in the classroom … The Isles’ injury woes aren’t helping their playoff push any. New York was without forwards Nikolay Kulemin (upper-body injury) and Ryan Strome (wrist) and defenseman Johnny Boychuk (foot) in Monday’s home loss. “Johnny is close. It’s good to see him out there today,” Weight said of his veteran blueliner. “Hopefully, we can get two or three really good days of practice here and see what he has for us on Thursday. Maybe he’ll play Thursday or Friday. That’d be great.”… Thursday’s trip to Philadelphia marks the beginning of a season-ending stretch that will see the Isles play five of their final seven games on the road.