Stars align to give New York Islanders another kick at the can

The stars have aligned to give the New York Islanders another shot at a playoff spot on Saturday night. With a win, the Isles can move into the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. That’s something I didn’t think would happen, particularly after the Islanders’ 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks last Wednesday night.

The Isles could have moved into the final playoff spot in the East with a win over the Canucks. Instead, the Isles fell flat and could not take advantage of the opportunity. Well, it seems the universe has given the Isles a second kick at the can.

But first, let’s look at some of the moving parts leading up to this golden opportunity. On Friday night, the Montreal Canadiens lost an awful 4-1 game to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canadiens managed just 15 shots on goal, leaving them with little offense to show for their lack of effort.

The Canadiens’ defeat left with the 75 points. Then, the Columbus Blue Jackets rallied past the Vancouver Canucks 7-6 in the shootout to give them 75 points. But by virtue of one fewer regulation loss, the Blue Jackets jumped into the final wild card spot.

Lastly, there were tee New York Rangers. The Rangers missed their chance to jump into the second wild card as they lost 5-4 in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks. The loser point was only good enough to make 75 points, placing them in a three-way tie with the Canadiens and Blue Jackets.

Well, with all that being said, the Islanders now have a chance to make 76 points on Saturday night and blow past everyone for the second wild card spot. But the Isles will have to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning to do it. It’s no easy task, but it’s the obstacle standing in the Islanders’ way at the moment.

Ilya Sorokin looking to bounce back for New York Islanders

New York Islanders starting netminder Ilya Sorokin will be looking to bounce back after a not-so-impressive outing against the Canucks. Now, Sorokin didn’t have a bad game, to be fair. Patrick Roy’s decision to yank Sorokin early in the third period against the Canucks was a measure to stop the bleeding.

In short, Roy wanted the team to react before the game got out of hand. For the most part, it worked. Marcus Hogberg looked fine and the Isles did not give up another goal. However, the Islanders could not close the gap and lost the game.

As such, Sorokin will be looking to have a solid game, especially going up against Andrei Vasilevsky. Now, Vasilevsky hasn’t been his usual Vezina-Trophy-winning self this season, but he’s still been good enough to keep the Lightning in the hunt for first place in the Atlantic Division.

Overall, Sorokin, and Noah Dobson who’s leading the Isles in scoring with six points in his last five games, must step up to beat the Lightning and take advantage of the opportunity to claim the last playoff ticket this season.