Over the past few years, the New York Islanders have struggled during West Coast trips. This problem isn’t unique to the Islanders, as many Eastern Conference teams struggle when playing far from home. Long-distance travel can really throw players off their game. However, the Islanders have disproportionately struggled in the state of California. Let’s analyze this trend.

California is home to three NHL franchises: the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and San Jose Sharks. Generally, the Islanders will play these three clubs consecutively during road trips. Over the past three seasons, the Islanders are a measly 2-6-2 in these games (excluding the 2020-2021 season, where the Islanders played no games against Western Conference teams). 

So, eliminating that season, we are examining the 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2021-22 seasons, respectively. In the 2018-19 season, only the Sharks made the playoffs from this group. In 2019-20, none of the team made the playoffs. So far in the 2021-22 season, the Kings sit comfortably in the playoff race, while the Ducks are close in the wild card race and the Sharks are a little further out. Meanwhile, the Islanders soundly made the playoffs in both 2018-19 and 2019-20. The point is, none of the California teams have been particularly difficult opponents during this time.

First, 2018-19.

The Islanders had to make their California trip early in the season, playing their fifth game of the season on Oct. 17, 2018. That day the Islanders fell to the Ducks 4-1. The next day, the Islanders defeated the Kings 7-2, before losing in the Sharks 4-1 again two days later. In a season the Islanders finished second in the Metropolitan Division, they went just 1-2 in California.

The 2019-20 season is the biggest example of a disappointing west coast trip for the Islanders. The Islanders came into the road trip feeling like champions, going 15-0-1 in their last 16 games. In the three games to follow, the Islanders threw the almost-historic streak out the window. First, the Islanders scraped together a 2-1 overtime loss to the Sharks on Nov. 23, 2019. This at least extended the point streak to 17, but when the Islanders went to SoCal, a 3-0 loss to the Ducks and a 4-1 loss to the Kings were dreadful performances.

In 2021-22, the Islanders did it again. First, they lost in San Jose — this time 4-3 in a shootout on Feb. 24, 2022. The Islanders then lost to the Kings 5-2, before finally getting a 4-0 win over the Ducks. That totals a 2-6-2 record in their last nine games in California, despite the majority of those games being played during winning seasons.

As stated before, it is not unusual for East Coast teams to struggle on the other side of the continent. The Islanders, however, have never been remotely successful in California in recent years.

Ben Kule

Die-Hard Islanders fan and writer from Plainview, Long Island, NY. I have a passion and knowledge for this team and I enjoy sharing that with others