Simply treading water in the midst of a playoff push is not optimal and, despite some recent strong performances and emotional highs, that’s probably the best way to describe what the Metropolitan Division-leading Islanders are doing right now.
A five-game homestand that has started a disappointing 1-2-0 continues Sunday afternoon at NYCB Live’s Nassau Coliseum against the Flyers, who are on the fringe of the Eastern Conference playoff race. The homestand concludes on Tuesday night against Ottawa, the start of a home-and-home series with the trade-depleted and adrift Senators before the Flyers return to the Coliseum on Saturday.