Photo: Matt Kartozian/USA Today Sports
The MassMutual East Division is not for the faint of heart.
It features five playoff teams from last season in the Boston Bruins, New York Islanders, Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers, Devils and Buffalo Sabres may not be good, but they feature young players that can help them win games on a given night.
The Islanders know they have to earn a playoff spot. The standings reflect that. After their 7-2 rout over the Bruins (24 points) Thursday night at Nassau Coliseum, they are a point (23 points) away from first place. They would make the playoffs if the season ended now since they are in the top four in the standings. The four top teams of each division in the standings qualify for the playoffs.
Of course, a bad weekend against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the Islanders would be on the outside looking in.
Such is life in the East Division. One day, a team lives in the penthouse, and the next day, that same team appears in the dumps.
With 37 games left to go in the season, every game will feel like a playoff game. A two-game series will feel like a playoff series. There will be ups-and-downs for sure. Overreaction from fans will be the norm.
The Islanders seem equipped to handle it. They have a great coach in Barry Trotz to lead them. They feature a great goaltending duo in Semyon Varlamov and Ilya Sorokin under excellent goaltending coach Mitch Korn’s tutelage. They boast gamers in Anders Lee, Casey Cizikas, Josh Bailey and Brock Nelson. They display playmakers in Mat Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. They know how to handle the emotions of the ups and downs in a long season.
The Islanders played in the playoffs the last two seasons under Trotz. They qualified in the Eastern Conference semifinals two years ago, and they made it to the Eastern Conference Final this past season. If Nelson hit that breakaway shot that would break a 1-1 tie in Game 6 against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, a Game 7 could have occurred. In Game 7, anything happens in a sense a fluke goal becomes a difference-maker.
These guys know how to grind it out in a division that requires to grind-it-out. All games this season involve divisional teams playing each other. There won’t be any crossover with teams playing other teams in other divisions.
At first glance, Thursday night’s result does not reflect a grind-it-out divisional game between the Islanders and Bruins. But it was for two periods at least.
The Bruins scored the first goal of the game on a Nick Ritchie goal. The Islanders answered back with Adam Pelech goal that tied the game at 1 in the first period. The Islanders finished the period with a 2-1 lead on a Barzal goal.
The Bruins responded to the Islanders’ lead by tying the game at 2 on Craig Smith’s goal, even though it was Matt Martin that accidentally put the puck on his own net in an attempt to break the pass from Smith.
With the score tied at 2 after two, it would come down to who would win the war of attrition. Last season’s playoff star Anthony Beauvilier broke a 2-2 tie by scoring his first goal of the season in the third period. From there, the Islanders followed his lead by scoring five goals in that period.
All in a night of work.
The Islanders could use a laugher like this one. Every game appeared to be a struggle to score for this gritty team this season so far.
After 19 games at 10-6-3, the Islanders should be happy with where they stand. They played to their talent level and expectations. They played consistently well with wins to show for it.
This should provide a reason for Islanders and their fans to be optimistic as the season progresses. This is a playoff team. They are so well-coached every game. They don’t beat themselves up by turning the puck over or giving up bad goals like the good ol’ days.
It may not be pretty to watch, but hockey games are not beauty pageants.
In a division like this, it suits the Islanders well. They grind it out every game, and they win tight games most of the time. Another reason why the Islanders should be a lock to play in the playoffs this spring.
