When the obituary on the New York Islanders 2021-22 season is finally approved for publication, the first footnote should cite March 3, 2022, Elmont, New York.
In a maddening 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks, the Islanders were alternately uplifting and deflating, organized and self-sabotaging, rising to the occasion and then collapsing in the blink of an eye.
It was a nice night for Semyon Varlamov in some moments, “are you kidding me?” in others. That applies to most of the lineup, Varly’s just an easy symbol as the goalie. Just as sure as the Isles “found their game,” in the parlance of our times, they threw it out like a candy wrapper from a car window back before humans discovered litter doesn’t just magically disappear like Josh Bailey’s scoring touch.