The playoff-bound Islanders are certainly slogging to the end of the regular season.
They lost their third straight to one of the East Division’s distant bottom-dwellers and Thursday night’s 2-1 defeat to the Devils at Nassau Coliseum, officially ending any faint hope they had of earning home-ice advantage in the postseason.
It also spoiled Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac’s first chance to play against their former team since being acquired on April 7. The teams play again Saturday night in what could be the final regular-season game at the Coliseum with UBS Arena at Belmont Park targeted to open in November.