Islanders look better under Pete DeBoer, but it's probably too late to save their season

AtlanticBruinsCanadiensLightningMaple LeafsPanthersRed WingsSabresSenatorsMetropolitanBlue JacketsCapitalsDevilsFlyersHurricanesIslandersPenguinsRangersCentralAvalancheBlackhawksBluesJetsMammothPredatorsStarsWildPacificCanucksDucksFlamesGolden KnightsKingsKrakenOilersSharksScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsFantasyNHL OddsNHL PicksPlayoff projectionsNHL Draft rankingRed Light NewsletterNHL Regular After a 3-0 loss to the Senators, the Islanders don’t have the luxury of wiggle room as they push for a playoff berth. Rich Graessle / Getty Images Share full article1ELMONT, N.Y. — On another day, the Islanders’ result would’ve been acceptable. Pete DeBoer has been the head coach for less than a week, and his team played a pretty even game against a hot Ottawa Senators team likely bound for the postseason. If the Islanders compete the way they did at five-on-five Saturday, they’ll likely have success over a large sample size of games, at least at even strength. But the Islanders don’t have the luxury of wiggle room. If general manager Mathieu Darche’s late-season coaching pivot from Patrick Roy to DeBoer was going to have an impact on this season, the Islanders likely needed a win against the Senators. “You concentrate on the good things,” DeBoer said after his team’s 3-0 loss. “I thought we played a really good hockey game five-on-five. We defended well. … There were a lot of positives in there. It doesn’t feel great right now, but we’re still alive.” Alive, technically, but barely. With two games remaining, the Islanders (91 points) will have to pass Philadelphia (92 points with a chance to move to 94 on Saturday against Winnipeg) and likely Washington (91 points and in possession of the tiebreaker). Columbus could also hop New York with a win Saturday. Darche fired Roy for DeBoer with the future in mind more than the present — he essentially cut the line to nab one of the top coaching free agents — but also said he believed it gave the Islanders a better chance to make the playoffs this year. That’s likely a fair assessment, with the Islanders looking re-energized in two games under DeBoer. They dominated against a hapless Leafs team Thursday, then seemed to have the five-on-five edge against Ottawa. But this time of year, process matters less than results. And a bad one Saturday probably sealed New York’s fate. DeBoer called the Senators game a “playoff-type chess match” with limited space for players to create chances on the ice. Captain Anders Lee looked to offer his team a jolt early, dropping the gloves on the opening faceoff with Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk in a rematch of their game-opening fight in March. That set the tone for a chippy start: Kyle MacLean got called for roughing after decking Nikolas Matinpalo into the boards in defense of Matthew Schaefer, and Brayden Schenn got a few shots in on Tim Stützle during a battle in the corner. Both teams were finishing their checks, and the crowd at UBS Arena was alive with excitement. If the Islanders could’ve mustered a goal, it was ready to burst. But the element of the game ripe for seizing momentum proved even worse than fruitless. Midway through the first, with the Islanders on the power play, Michael Amadio beat Tony DeAngelo to a Jean-Gabriel Pageau pass, setting up a two-on-one rush. He fed Ridly Greig, who scored on a backhand. The goal, DeBoer said, “obviously took some of the momentum away.” It also set the tone for a dreadful special teams showing. Ottawa gifted the Islanders five power plays, and New York mustered only three shots in those 10 minutes, none of which beat Linus Ullmark. The fans booed in the third period as the Islanders sputtered again on the man advantage. “They held the blue line really well (on the penalty kill),” Lee said. “If you watched our break-ins, we couldn’t get in. … They were on top of us from the get-go, right across the blue line and they made it really difficult to get set up.” Added Bo Horvat: “We’ve gotta be a heckuva lot better.” It’s the fifth time this season the Islanders have gone zero-for-five on the power play and have allowed nine short-handed goals on the year, which is fourth-most in the league. In total, they have the third-worst power play conversion rate in the league. The Senators, meanwhile, have a top-10 power play. The Islanders survived their first three penalty kills against them, but then Ryan Pulock tripped Stützle on the fourth, setting up a five-on-three. Jake Sanderson capitalized by scoring a rebound goal. DeBoer, who held his first practice with the Rangers on Monday, noted he hasn’t spent much time working on the power play or penalty kill with his team. The focus through the first week has been five-on-five. The new coach is in an interesting position. He didn’t seem despondent in his postgame press conference. If anything, he acted encouraged by his team’s defensive effort and details. The players, meanwhile, have been here all season and have watched their once sturdy postseason positioning slip away. “It stings, for sure,” Horvat said, later adding, “We’ve got to win these next two (games) in order to give ourselves at least a little bit of a chance.” The Islanders’ poor play down the stretch has left them totally at the mercy of other clubs. So while the new coach bump might be in effect, it doesn’t seem like there’s enough time left for it to matter. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Peter Baugh is a staff writer for The Athletic NHL based in New York. He has previously been published in the Columbia Missourian, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Kansas City Star, Politico and the Washington Post. A St. Louis native, Peter graduated from the University of Missouri and previously covered the Missouri Tigers and the Colorado Avalanche for The Athletic. Follow Peter on Twitter @Peter_Baugh