Patrick Roy expects his NY Islanders to show resiliency with backs against the wall

New York Islanders head coach Patrick Roy hasn't been on the island for long, but he's been here long enough to know the characteristics that define his team. "I think highly of this group. I think they're very resilient," said Roy when asked what he's learned about his team the last three months.

Resiliency alone doesn't win hockey games, but it is true that the Islanders have demonstrated the ability to respond to adversity, although often self-inflicted, throughout the season. Given an under-five percent chance to make the playoffs by some models, the team went 8-0-1 down the stretch to secure a third-place finish in the Metropolitan Division.

The odds are even lower for them to come back from down three games to none in their series against the Carolina Hurricanes, but that doesn't mean they won't show up on Saturday afternoon with their best effort of the series. "We cannot think more than one game at a time," Roy said at Friday's media availability. "We have our backs against the wall. We have to focus on tomorrow. That's all we can do, and we'll see where we are after the game."

If they win, they'll be in the same predicament they were last season, heading back to Raleigh for Game 5 with Carolina having a chance to close the series out. After losing three consecutive close games, it's the best the Islanders can hope for at the moment. Give themselves another chance to send the series back to Long Island and go from there.

The Isles coach felt Thursday night's 3-2 loss was their best game by far in the series. The team had consistent puck possession in the offensive zone but failed to score the clutch goal they've been searching for all series. Resiliency can keep you in games, but it can't win them for you. It can't score goals and can't clear the zone. They'll need to find a way to do enough to prolong their season and give themselves another opportunity to show just how resilient a group Roy believes they can be.