Lane Lambert's post-game tone missing the mark with NY Islanders fans

The New York Islanders fan base is angry, frustrated, annoyed, and worse, on the verge of turning apathetic toward the 2022-23 season. After a performance like last night, a 4-1 loss where they were outplayed and outclassed by a Boston Bruins team hitting on all cylinders, you want the reaction of the team and the head coach to match the way you feel. No sugar-coating things, no talking about the positives, or finding a silver lining. The time when that was acceptable has expired.

The fanbase got more of the same from head coach Lane Lambert last night during the post-game. While we acknowledge what he is doing and saying behind closed doors and during practice could be different than his message to the media, there are points in a season where the right thing for the coach to do is to show the fans you are as disappointed and aggravated as they are. - that you know the current product is unacceptable.

"If you look back at all five games, I feel we've played better than what the results are," Lambert said during the post-game. Not what they wanted to hear. Yes, there's some truth to that - the Islanders were in a position to win or get points in the first four games of the homestand. Still, this isn't a bump in the road; this is a continuation of the uninspired, sometimes complacent efforts the team has been giving throughout the season.

"We've out-chanced teams, we've outplayed teams in areas, we're a little bit snake-bit right now. We have to get our power-play going."

Lane Lambert

The team talked about how big the season-long five-game homestand was, only to squander that opportunity and finish 1-2-2. They somehow remain just two points behind the Pittsburgh Penguins for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, with the Pens having two games in hand. There's still time to turn things around, but the more you hear the same matter-of-fact messages coming from the coach and players, the less you believe that it can happen.