Weekend losses doom New York Islanders playoff chances

The New York Islanders took a real gut punch this weekend, losing back-to-back games. The losses against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday and the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday put the Isles behind the 8-ball.

Had the Islanders won at least one of those two games, they could have been in a playoff spot. Instead, the two losses now doom the Islanders’ playoff chances. While not all is lost, things don’t look too good.

The Isles now trail the Montreal Canadiens by three points for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The New York Rangers are tied with the Canadiens in points but sit below the playoff line. Then, the Columbus Blue Jackets lead the Isles by one point, with the Detroit Red Wings tying the Isles with 74 points.

All told, it seems like the Islanders have simply run out of runway. The team had a golden opportunity to move into the final playoff spot and missed it. Of course, it’s not the end of the world, but it kind of is.

Missing the playoffs this season will raise a number of offseason questions we will have to ask, and, most importantly, answer. Most notably, which players stay and go? Also, what does Patrick Roy’s future look like in Long Island?

All of the questions, among others, will have to be answered over the summer. While I wish the answers were black or white, the fact is that it will be nearly impossible to find a clear-cut solution to them.

New York Islanders now on a five-game losing streak

Following Sunday’s loss, the Islanders are now riding a five-game losing skid. They are 3-4-3 in their last 10 and look to be on the ropes.

Yes, there have been plenty of positives. The Isles have not thrown their hands down and given up. They’ve fought hard until the final buzzer. At least three of those five losses were winnable games. With a lucky bounce here or there, the Islanders could have won all five games.

In fact, many will point to the Kyle Palmieri disallowed goal against the Blue Jackets. But then again, relying on luck isn’t always the best strategy. Teams must be good enough to overcome calls that don’t go their way.

Unfortunately, that has not been the case for the New York Islanders. Blown calls, like another disallowed goal against the Seattle Kraken earlier this season, have derailed the Islanders' chances to win games.

Heading down the stretch, the Islanders have a chance to lay down the foundation for a successful 2025-26 season, in which healthy stars can go out there and win games based on their skill, not getting calls going their way.