In the brief glimpses of success the Islanders have had over the past three seasons, they have never done anything more than gone meekly into the playoffs and out in the first round the same way.
The hope is that might soon change, as a 4-1 win over the Red Wings on Monday afternoon at Barclays Center reignited expectations for the stretch run of the regular season. It was the Isles’ fourth win in the past five games and allowed them to leapfrog the idle Devils and regain third place in the Metropolitan Division.
“You work hard all summer and all season to this point to be in a position we’re in right now,” forward Josh Bailey said after his power-play goal was sandwiched by tallies from Brock Nelson and Marek Zidlicky to produce a three-goal second period and a 3-0 lead.
“I think we have a long way to go, but we realize we’re in a good position. We just want to keep playing better, playing harder, and keep putting points in the bank. It’s going to take a lot to make the playoffs, so it’s a long way to go.”
Coach Jack Capuano still has many roster questions, none more pressing than who his No. 1 goalie is, following another impressive 28-save performance from the formerly presumptive backup, Thomas Greiss. Questions also loom for general manager Garth Snow as the Feb. 29 trade deadline approaches, and teams in the Eastern Conference certainly will be sacrificing the future with the carrot of the Stanley Cup dangling in front of them.
But as the Islanders (30-19-6) look ahead to the final 27 games of the regular season, with 11 against divisional foes and 20 in the conference, performances like this are surely a positive sign. The Red Wings (29-19-9) were on the second leg of a back-to-back, coming off a 6-5 win in Boston on Sunday night, and the Isles were trying to forget their stinker of a 6-3 loss to the Hurricanes in Carolina on Saturday.
The Isles’ tidy and structured performance then showed maturity and poise and professionalism that this team has lacked in the past, and might bode well for how they play down the stretch.
“I don’t think our mindset varies a whole lot,” Bailey said. “We try to keep that even keel through the course of the year — never get too high, never get too low. I think it’s so important through such a long season, it’s such a grind. If you get too many ups and downs, you’re not going to get the results you want.”
The results that matter for the Isles will come in the springtime, when they hope to win their first playoff series since 1993. But if that sounds like a broken record, it’s because that has been the goal for a long time, and high expectations often have been unfulfilled.
“For me, it’s not pressure, it’s just holding yourself accountable if you want to be successful,” Capuano said. “I think guys know where they are. We have guys that have played together here. For us, it’s making sure those younger guys take the next step.”
This was another good game from 24-year-old Brock Nelson, who tied John Tavares for the team lead with 21 goals. Less than three minutes after Detroit broke Greiss’ shutout with a rebound goal from Pavel Datsyuk at 9:31 of the third, another Isles youngster, 22-year-old Ryan Strome, showed his talent in burying a wrist shot for a 4-1 lead to retake the momentum and finish this one off.
“We’re, what, 11 games over .500? And we’re battling,” Capuano said. “Every night is a battle in this division to try to make a playoffs push.”