New York Islanders Need Bounce Back Weekend

The New York Islanders are coming off of a brutal loss to the Florida Panthers. With an impending back to back against the Flyers and Hurricanes, the Isles will need to get on track.

The narrative for the 2018-2019 New York Islanders is still in the infant stage of being written. Changes were aplenty during the offseason and we’re still trying to get a read on the new look Isles.

One thing for certain is a game like Wednesday night is unacceptable. The Islanders were hosting the Panthers, who were on the back end of a back to back (losing Tuesday night to the Rangers). The Isles scored first and went up 2-0 going into the third period.

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The Panthers came into the game at 1-3-3. Though they only had one win, three overtime losses were proof they have been playing close games this season. However, entering the third period up 2-0 the Isles should have had no issue closing out the game.

The Panthers struck early in the third with Frank Vatrano scoring just under three minutes into the period. They tied the game about eight minutes later when Evgenii Dadonov beat Robin Lehner.

Mathew Barzal took a penalty late into the third and the Isles began overtime on the penalty kill. A mere 33 seconds into OT Mike Hoffman scored a powerplay goal and the Islanders suffered a disastrous loss.

Entering the Weekend

The Islanders have two days off before an early, 1:00pm puck drop in Philadelphia on Saturday. The Isles will again be the more rested team as the Flyers played the Bruins Thursday night.

The Isles had success in their one matinee this season, beating the Sharks 4-0 on Columbus day. It’ll be the Islanders’ second divisional game of the season and will be a golden opportunity to grab an early division win.

After the game Saturday, the Islanders will head down to Raleigh for a 5:00pm Sunday puck drop against the Hurricanes. Entering Thursday the Hurricanes sit atop the Metropolitan division at 5-3-1.

Of course, the Islanders started the season in Carolina. Opening night saw the Isles win 2-1 in overtime. Early on this season, the Islanders are 0-2-0 seeing an opponent for a second time, losing a combined 9-3 to the Predators and Sharks.

Securing four points over the weekend would be huge for the Islanders. It will be a tough task as Philly always gives the Isles problems, and the Hurricanes are off to a hot start. The Islanders need to get two or three points this weekend, with Pittsburgh and New Jersey looming next week.