It’s not quite the full-tilt atmosphere of playoff hockey, but especially for teams whose fate is still in doubt, there’s less time and space on the ice and the game is tighter.
That’s how this Islanders group historically has thrived, and it’s how they’ve reverted to playing without Mat Barzal over the past month.
“I feel like we’ve been in that [playoff] mindset for a little bit,” Nelson said. “Every game seems to be, not quite make-or-break, but it’s crucial in terms of standings and fighting for those wild-card spots right now. Mentally, I think we have to be as sharp as ever.”, a fast-paced game in which the Islanders didn’t have their hands on the reins until the second period, neither team reached 30 shots on net.
Much as the early-season discussion in the dressing room was about a newfound aggression — and there are still times under Lane Lambert when the defensemen will activate more easily in the neutral zone — it’s no coincidence that the talk has turned back to structure and prudence when the games have started to matter.
The presence of Ilya Sorokin and his 2.36 GAA is an advantage the Islanders will have over most of the competition for a wild-card playoff spot.With Sorokin, they are almost always able to weather a run of poor play, case in point being the first 30 minutes on Tuesday when Sorokin made an The Isles have maintained hope that Barzal will be back by the end of the regular season, though it’s getting tough to piece together a timeline for that to happen because he has yet to skate on his own.
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