It feels as if everyone is waiting for the clock to strike midnight and for this Islanders season to turn back into a pumpkin. At this point, an orange tint is starting to show.
There isn’t quite panic yet, not after the 3-1 loss to the Flames on Tuesday night at the Coliseum that still didn’t bump the Islanders from first place in the Metropolitan Division — only by virtue of them holding two games in hand on the Capitals. But start looking, and all of a sudden the Isles are only six points clear of the second wild-card spot with 20 games remaining.
The ground they stand on is shaky, and was not reinforced by team president Lou Lamoriello standing pat at Monday’s trade deadline. Of course, it isn’t just about this year for the franchise, with a focus on solidifying itself for years to come.
But the deadline inaction did act as a confidence boost for this roster as currently constituted. Now, the players would like to respond in kind.
“I think we can just tell we’re not clicking the way we were,” captain Anders Lee told The Post, his team coming off an uninspired 1-1-1 road trip through Western Canada. “We’re in a stretch right now where things aren’t coming easy. They’re coming tough. Whether they’re small little plays or pucks on our sticks, it’s just that you go through these times when the game isn’t coming easy. For us, that’s the issue right now.”
A lot of things have gone right for the Islanders (36-19-7) this season, the first with Lamoriello in charge and Barry Trotz behind the bench. But eventually, the sound of new voices is not going to carry the tide. Eventually, the skill is going to need to come forward — and sheer talent is not the strength of this club.
“The group earned the right to stay together,” Trotz said. “The strength of our group is the group. It’s the chemistry. It’s all that.”
But it wasn’t enough against the Flames (40-16-7), who are deservedly leading the Western Conference. They needed just 1:57 of game time early in the third period to get goals from Mikael Backlund and Rasmus Andersson and turn a 1-1 tie into a 3-1 lead they would not surrender. It didn’t help that the Islanders’ 24th-ranked power play went 0-for-4, never able to beat goalie Mike Smith with the man-advantage despite a handful of good chances.
“I thought our power play was generating quite a bit,” Trotz said, “we just couldn’t find the back of the net.”
That, of course, would be a byproduct of talent. Lamoriello knew his power play needed help, especially as the games get tighter down the stretch. But there were no deals out there attractive enough for him to pull the trigger. There was no deviating from the plan.
But there is no question the Islanders need to raise their level if they want to keep their standing.
“It’s been the same situation in the standings since Christmas,” said goalie Robin Lehner, who gave up three goals on 27 shots and showed a rare chink in his own armor during what has been a relatively spotless season. “It’s a chase; it’s a race. We’re still in a good spot.”
Right now, that’s true. There are a lot of teams looking up at the Islanders who fancy themselves contenders — and who acted as such at the deadline, like the Blue Jackets. But the length of the season almost always brings the best teams to the top.
The schedule also brought the Islanders a five-game homestand, playing eight of nine at the Coliseum. That continues with arguably the most emotionally charged game of the year, John Tavares and the Maple Leafs coming to Long Island on Thursday. Turns out, the Islanders could really use a win, too.
“We have to find a way to stick with it and battle through it and take on some adversity and learn from it,” Lee said. “There’s nothing better than Thursday’s game to get back on track.”