NY Islanders' ECHL Affiliate Eyeing Huge Weekend Series versus Reading

It's been a down year for the New York Islanders organization. The NHL club, following their embarrassing collapse versus the Nashville Predators, has seen their slim playoff hopes erased. The AHL club, the Bridgeport Islanders, has long been out of playoff contention. The ECHL's Worcester Railers serve as the org's last hope of seeing playoff hockey (of any capacity) this season. And the Railers have their work cut out for them.

Through 70 games, Worcester sits at 75 points with a 34-29-3-4 record. Thanks to a strong three-game series versus the Adirondack Thunder, they're clinging to the final playoff spot in the North Division by two points. The team trailing them is the Reading Royals, who have 73 points through 70 games. Guess who the Railers play for their final two games of the season? The Reading Royals, on the road.

Like the NHL, the ECHL uses a 2-1-0 points system. Teams earn two points for a win (of any kind), one point for an overtime loss, and nothing for a regulation defeat. That means the Railers' magic number is two. If they earn two of a possible four points this weekend, they'll clinch their postseason birth since the 2017-18 season. They can do that by winning one of the games or by losing both in overtime.

If you'd like to watch, both games will be streaming on flohockey.tv. The first game of the weekend will be on Friday, Apr 11. The second game, the Railers' final of the regular season, is the following night. Both games will start at 7 pm.