Looking at the New York Islanders at season’s quarter mark

The New York Islanders are not quite where we expected them to be at the quarter mark of the season. After 20 games, the Isles are 7-8-5 for 19 points. That total puts the Isles six points back of the New York Rangers for fourth place in the Metro.

But it also puts the Islanders in a precarious position. The Isles are one point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Philadelphia Flyers, and Pittsburgh Penguins for last place in the division. As such, there is little wiggle room for the Islanders at the moment.

Now, there are two major storylines for the New York Islanders at this point in this season. The first is the injury bug that has plagued the team. The unreasonable high number of injuries to key players had made it difficult for the club to find momentum.

Moreover, the lack of scoring afflicting the Islanders is largely due to the absence of top liners Anthony Duclair and Mathew Barzal. Then, the number of injuries on the blue line has also been significant. The losses of Adam Pelech, Alexander Romanov, and Mike Reilly have all taken their toll.

While Romanov is back in the fold, Pelech and Reilly seem further away than expected. As a result, a case could be made that the Islanders’ overall mediocre record is due to absence of key players. But there’s another storyline that deserves close attention

Blown lead have been the bane of New York Islanders

The Athletic’s Arthur Staple pointed out an interesting fact. The New York Islanders have allowed seven tying or go-ahead goals during the final five minutes of games. That number illustrates the sheer number of blown leads the Isles have encountered this season.

Thus, if the Isles had held on to those leads, the Islanders could conceivably be second or third in the Metro. However, the Isles are struggling to keep their heads above water.

Granted, the Isles have played well enough to get down to the wire with the lead. But they just haven’t been able to translate those leads into wins. As Staple highlighted, “Call it bad luck, call it a lack of confidence, call it whatever you want – they’ve done it so often this season and last season that it’s mind-boggling.”

This statement sums up the struggles befalling the New York Islanders. The Isles will need to minimize the number of blown leads in the next quarter season in order to have a realistic chance at making the playoffs.

Otherwise, the Isles could fall out of contention by the halfway mark of the season. If that’s the case, Lou Lamoriello could be forced to start selling off assets while Patrick Roy could be on the hot seat.

The silver lining is that once injured players come back, the Isles will get much-needed reinforcements capable of turning the season around. Let’s hope that’s the case.