NHL Season Has Been Crazy For Islanders and League
As the latest NHL season gets underway, all eyes are on the league tables to get a sense of who, even at this relatively early stage, is beginning to pull ahead or fall behind. Making predictions this early on, however, is complicated even more by the changes to the format of the NHL season this year. And with a reduction in the total number of games set to be played and travel restrictions still in place for the foreseeable future, there is still a huge amount to play for this season.
The ongoing public health situation looks set to continue to prove to be a disruption, with the NHL recently doing a massive rewrite of the East Division schedule, which will accommodate new game dates for a mounting number of postponements. This isn’t even taking into consideration the player reshuffles that will inevitably happen as teams try and keep in line with the latest public health protocols.
#Isles News: The National Hockey League today announced updates to the 2020-21 regular-season schedule. The complete 2020-21 New York Islanders regular-season schedule can be found at https://t.co/h8EROyn11H pic.twitter.com/mfcRxXxVxw
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) February 6, 2021
Amid all this uncertainty, the NHL season continues. Although it might be in a slightly different format this year – with the lack of public crowds proving to be the most notable absence – the action that has unfolded in each game of the year so far does not appear to have taken much of a hit.
One team that people are paying particular attention to is the New York Islanders.
Before the season got underway in earnest, hopes were high for the NY Islanders – particularly if you were following the predictions of head coach Barry Trotz, who seemed confident that the Islanders, playing their signature lockdown game, would be able to find their stride as the season unfolded.
Hopes were particularly high, thanks to the recent addition of Ilya Sorokin. Previously a KHLer, Sorokin had the benefit of an extended off-season with the team, which looked set to prime him to play an absolute stormer this season. For this reason, those eying up potential NHL odds, predictions, betting lines, and spreads had high hopes for the Islanders in the coming season, all of which can be found on WSN.
Just a few weeks into the season, however, and things are looking markedly more downbeat.
At the end of January, the Islanders suffered a particularly grating loss in Philadelphia. Despite battling their way through to overtime, they couldn’t secure the win that would have made the extended trip worthwhile. This defeat had a particular sting to it, as despite throwing it away in overtime, the Islanders had looked on the cusp of pulling it together for the majority of the game.
At this point it looked as if the Islanders were going to have to resign themselves to a trailing position in the NHL East Division.
After making their way home, however, things are looking up for the beleaguered Islanders. Once safely back on home territory, the Islanders secured an important, morale-boosting victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Although it was nerve-wracking at times, with a last-minute game winner by their captain, Anders Lee, no doubt adding to the heightened tensions, the Islanders managed to claw themselves into the win sheets.
Although it was not necessarily the most dominant performance we have seen from the Islanders, it was nevertheless what they needed to drag themselves out of the doldrums. And as a result of this win, plus another win over the Rangers and a shootout loss to the Penguins, the Islanders now find themselves locked into a tie for fourth place in the East Division with Pittsburgh.
With all this said, however, the Islanders don’t have any reason to kick back now that the pressure is a little diminished. There isn’t much space – only three points – between their current position and an eighth-place finish in the division.
With so many games yet to play in both the coming weeks and the season as a whole, there are still plenty of chances for a surprise on the near horizon. The reshuffles that have taken place in both the East and West Divisions this season have thrown the league into a state of chaos. In particular, the reduction in the number of games to be played – from 82 in a normal season to 56 – means that teams have less chance to claw their way back from a bad start to the season. Exactly how this will impact the Islanders in the long run, however, remains to be seen.
