March New York Islanders Monthly Report
As shocking as it may sound, hockey was played this month before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the stoppage of all sports. The Islanders had a rough start to March before the NHL season was postponed; they went 0-2-2 in four games. Hopefully, we see more hockey this season but for now, let’s take a look back at March.
March 3: Montreal: 6, Islanders: 2 at Barclays Center
In what could be the final Islanders game at Barclays Center, the Habs built a 4-0 lead through two periods and New York never recovered. Thomas Greiss was pulled after allowing three goals on 12 shots in the first period.
March 5: Ottawa: 4, Islanders: 3 at Canadian Tire Centre
Anders Lee opened the scoring with his 20th of the season and Mat Barzal gave the Islanders a 2-1 lead in the second but the Senators scored three unanswered to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Ryan Pulock pulled New York within one with two minutes to go but it was too little too late. Craig Anderson made 37 saves.
March 7: Carolina: 3, Islanders: 2 (OT) at NYCB Live
In one of the most controversial games of the NHL season, Vincent Trochek scored the overtime winner to give the Hurricanes a critical extra point in the playoff race. The contentious part of the play came from Andrei Svechnikov. He seemed to have knocked the puck to Trochek with a high stick. The play was reviewed and eventually upheld, much to the dismay of the Islanders’ faithful.
March 11: Canucks: 5, Islanders: 4 (SO) at Rogers Arena
This back-and-forth affair featured three goals in the first three minutes of the game, including Andrew Ladd’s first of the season and two from Brock Nelson, including the game-tying goal in the third. Thatcher Demko’s career-high 45 saves helped keep the score tied to the shootout where he beat Ladd in the third round to give Vancouver the win and push the Islanders’ losing streak to seven games (0-3-4).
After that, the Islanders went to Calgary to continue the Western Canada road trip but their game with the Flames was postponed hours before puck drop. With the NHL season still in doubt, the Islanders sit one point out of the second wild-card spot with two games in hand on Columbus. If the NHL decided to start the playoffs based on points percentage, an idea that has been thrown around, New York would make the playoffs with a .588 point percentage over the Jackets’ .579 point percentage.
