It’s not over for the Islanders. They still sit in playoff contention amongst a conglomerate of teams that are either similarly just hanging in there or hitting their stride now (whoa, Carolina).
The season isn’t over and the playoffs are a possibility, but this Islanders team is not a playoff team. It isn’t built for playoff hockey, nor does it have the mentality to win a playoff series.
Let’s explore.
This word is thrown around often, especially this time of year when each game becomes the ‘biggest of the season’. The Islanders rarely show a sense of it and come into the majority of these games flat.