There’s a difference between an excuse and an explanation.
So being on the back end of a stretch of six games in 10 days doesn’t excuse a sloppy 4-3 five-round shootout loss to the Canadiens on Monday night at Barclays Center. But it does explain why the Metropolitan Division-leading Islanders skated sluggishly in having their five-game winning streak snapped.
Islanders coach Barry Trotz cancelled Tuesday’s planned practice to give his tired crew a rest, and the team will reconvene on the ice on Wednesday in Tampa, Florida. When the Islanders (8-4-2) return from this two-game trip, they play their next seven locally, including games against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden and the Devils at Prudential Center sandwiched around Thanksgiving.