The New York Islanders attempt a last-minute squeeze into the postseason

By Sarah Morrison

PHOTO CREDIT: Samantha Stoll, Elmont, N.Y.

Farmingdale, N.Y. — As the NHL regular season comes to a close, many desperate teams are making a “final effort” push to make the postseason. One such team being  the Islanders, whose path to the playoffs is rocky to say the least; their next five games are against all post-season-bound teams, like the Washington Capitals, the Minnesota Wild, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the Tampa Bay Lighting, whom they play twice.  

Farmingdale, like many other towns in Long Island, is home to many dedicated New York Islanders fans, who all have varying opinions on the team’s playoff push,  Farmingdale resident and self proclaimed “Islanders super-fan", Samantha Stoll, says, “Due to excessive injury and miscalls [by the referees], it puts the Islanders in a struggling position. However, with the close race in the Eastern Conference, I am confident they can get a playoff spot.”  Speaking on her experience at the UBS arena and if she’s ever watched a playoff game in person, Sam said, “If they do play the Capitals in round one, it will be an unbelievable experience to watch live at the UBS Arena. Playoff games [at UBS] are the best part of hockey season and I hope I’m able to experience that again this year!”   

Another Farmingdale resident and self-proclaimed “Islanders expert”, Kieran DeMaria, is hopeful that the Islanders will make a good run in the postseason, “I think they could have a chance at being a round one or two playoff team, but they are still having trouble communicating with each other on the ice.” Kieran goes on and says, “Between the injuries and trades that have been going on within the roster, I think the team has had a hard time figuring out who their ‘leader’ is in each shift, and that’s definitely been an adjustment from the playoff push in years’ past.” Kieran also said, “If they can find their groove within the next few games, I can definitely see us with a spot in the playoffs.”  

Despite the positive outlook of some fans, The Islander’s most recent game against the Vancouver Canucks gives cause for concern when it comes to their playoff chances. In the game, Islanders’ goal tender Ilya Sorokin was pulled early in the third period after making just 15 saves on 19 shots, and Marcus Hogberg came in relief to save all five Canuck shots he faced. After period one, the Islanders led the shots by 10-5, but neither team could score. After being down 0-1 in the second period, J.G. Pageau and Casey Cizikas connected to score a shorthanded goal for the Islanders, tying the game at 1. Then, exactly nine minutes into the middle frame, Tony DeAngelo scored, giving the Isles a 2-1 lead. After that, it just went downhill for the Islanders. With the regular season ending in just under a month (April 17th),  the Islanders are racing to squeeze their way into a playoff spot for the first time since November 16th.