New York Islanders’ Bo Horvat, center left, Scott Mayfield, center right, Sebastian Aho, right, and Simon Holmstrom celebrate Horvat’s goal against the Vancouver Canucks during the second period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, in Vancouver, British Columbia. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)
EAST MEADOW, N.Y. — A four-game Pacific Northwest road trip could have gone better for the Islanders. Much better.
But it also could have come with significantly worse results in the standings.
The Islanders won just one of three games in their trip to Edmonton, Seattle, Vancouver, and Calgary — the two points coming on the final game of the swing against the Flames in a 5-4 shootout win. It ended what was a seven-game skid that saw the club tumble down the Metropolitan Division standings to seventh out of eight teams.
Picking up an overtime and shootout loser’s point in Vancouver and Seattle, the Islanders did manage to pick up four of eight points, but they were plagued by a penalty kill that has struggled mightily over its last eight games, posting a meager 55.6% success rate. It’s played a major role in the team’s inability to hold on to third-period leads, which have been available despite the recent swoon.
“You go on the road and I think we were kind of digging ourselves some holes at moments,” defenseman Ryan Pulock told amNewYork. “At the end of the day, we came home with four points. Yeah, we would’ve liked to have had more, but I think we were able to at least come back with something.”
“We kind of held on for dear life there for a bit,” center Bo Horvat added.
Despite the downturn in performance and their standing in the division after 17 games played, the Islanders find themselves just three points out of the No. 3 and 4 spots in the division — third place being the last divisional playoff spot up for grabs while fourth would get you in the Wild Card conversation.
“I think if we go through a…
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