Islanders in playoff mode at just the right time

The New York Islanders are morphing into their playoff-ready selves at the right time. Their 3-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on St. Patrick’s Day was a good show of that. The Isles got off to a 2-0 lead in the first period, and then clamped down on the game.

Sure, it wasn’t the most exciting game. But it got the job done. Some fans might kind of gloss over the win in Toronto. The Maple Leafs are reeling this season and hardly playing their best hockey.

But they were on a bit of a roll before slamming into the brick wall from Long Island. And that’s the type of hockey Patrick Roy will be pushing for in the coming weeks. The last dozen games or so in the regular season won’t be just about locking up a playoff spot. The games will be about firmly entrenching the Isles’ playoff identity.

That situation means playing solid hockey in the defensive zone, avoiding careless passes, and, most importantly, taking the neutral zone away.

That’s not sexy hockey. Fans won’t be getting whiplash from seeing end-to-end action. But that’s the point. The point is to take over the game. The purpose is to ensure that the Islanders control the pace and give Ilya Sorokin a chance to make the saves he needs to.

The point is not to rely on Sorokin to steal games. The whole point of entering playoff mode now is that, when Game 1 rolls around, there won’t be a switch to flip. That switch will have already gone off.

Islanders on collision course with Penguins in 1st round

The Islanders are on a collision course with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. Unless something changes, such as the Columbus Blue Jackets dropping the Isles or the Penguins to a wild card spot, the matchup seems likely.

An Isles-Pens matchup could be one of the toughest first-round series this year. The Penguins have a strong offensive squad led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Malkin, in particular, has had a resurgent season. And if he can keep that going into the postseason, the Penguins could be a tough out.

But the Penguins haven’t exactly had an easy time against the Islanders. The Pens won the first meeting between the two clubs back on October 9. Then, the Isles pulled out a 5-4 overtime win in their last meeting on February 3 at UBS Arena.

So, the third and final regular-season meeting on March 30 could become a first-round preview. The Isles will have home ice advantage in that game. Depending on how the standings shake out by then, the game could also mean playing for home ice advantage in the playoffs.

The Penguins are currently one point up on the Isles. With both teams at 68 games, they’ll be jockeying for position down the final stretch. It will be an interesting final month to say the least.