The New York Islanders’ three-goal third period against the Colorado Avalanche shows that the team’s heart is there, but their skill is not.

The Islanders are currently 24th in the NHL, sixth in the Metropolitan Division and 21 points out of a playoff spot. The team’s season is likely over.

On Monday night, the Islanders faced off against the Colorado Avalanche after beating the St. Louis Blues Saturday afternoon. After going into the third period tied at one, the team imploded, giving up four straight goals. The team responded by scoring three straight of their own. However, the Islanders ultimately lost 5-4.

This season, the Islanders have had a theme of going down in the game early, trying to come back at the end of the game and then coming up just short.

On Sunday, Jan. 30 in a game against the Minnesota Wild, the Islanders were down 2-0 early. After a back-and-forth game, the score was 3-2 going into the third period. The Wild made it 4-2 midway through the third period and the Islanders cut the deficit to one with four minutes left in the game. However, they failed to send the game to overtime. The Islanders lost the game 4-3 in regulation.

On Thursday, Jan. 27, the Islanders faced off against the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings led 2-0 going into the third period. The Islanders cut the deficit to one with about two minutes remaining in third, but the team then proceeded to give up an empty-net tally. While the Islanders cut the deficit to one with 20 seconds left, the Islanders lost the game 3-2 in regulation.

On Tuesday, Dec. 12, the Islanders played the Detroit Red Wings. The Islanders were down 2-0 to the Red Wings halfway through the third period. After failing to score all game, the Islanders managed to get on the board with around 2:30 left in regulation. However, the Islanders ultimately lost 2-1 in regulation.

The Islanders have also lost many games this year due to blown third-period leads. However, too many times this year, the Islanders have made a last-ditch effort to come back in the third period, but have ultimately fallen short.

While these last-minute comeback attempts show heart on the Islanders’ behalf, it highlights that the Islanders’ skill is not up to par with their opponents. If the Islanders can score in the last few minutes of the game by throwing everything they have at the other team, but they fail to generate offense throughout the entire game, there is a problem.

The offense simply does not have the skill 0r the talent to put pressure on their opponent for a full 60 minutes. And, as a result, the Islanders have come up mightily short this season.

Ethan Halle

Ethan is an Economics Major at the University of Florida looking to pursue a double major in Sports Management with a minor in political science.