It was a successful weekend all around for the Islanders. The blue and orange earned four points with a win over the New York Rangers Friday night and a win over the New Jersey Devils Sunday night. The Washington Capitals, the team the Islanders are chasing for a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, also lost Sunday night, which is just what the Islanders needed for a perfect weekend.

The Islanders woke up Tuesday morning 11 points behind the Capitals with one game in hand and two head-to-head matchups remaining. If the Islanders win those three games, they would only be five points behind the Capitals with 11 other games remaining, a deficit which is manageable to overcome.

The Islanders don’t have an easy road to the finish line. They have seven games against Metropolitan Division teams ahead of them. The Islanders also only have six more home games of their 14 games remaining.

The Capitals’ next five are against Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Boston, Philadelphia and Toronto. That might seem tough, but the Islanders’ next five are tougher. The Islanders face Dallas, Carolina, St. Louis and then Pittsburgh twice. If, and it’s a big if, the Islanders win four of their next five and the Capitals lose three or four, it will make the final stretch of the season, especially the two games against Washington, a whole lot more important.

These next five games for both the Islanders and Capitals will dictate the fate of the Islanders’ playoff hopes this season. It is a make or break it stretch for the Islanders in what is probably their toughest five games of the season. On top of that, four of those five come on the road. The Islanders have one last shot. It may be a stretch, but it’s the best shot the Islanders have had since November. It’s never over until it’s over, they say, and it’s true. One last push from the Islanders might catch the Capitals.

Jacob

Writer for Drive4Five covering the New York Islanders.