As the losses and injuries mount for the COVID-19-stricken Islanders, it’s fair to wonder whether their bid for a fourth straight playoff berth, never mind a Stanley Cup after back-to-back trips to the NHL semifinals, is over by Thanksgiving.
Wednesday night’s 4-1 defeat to the rival Rangers before a sellout crowd of 17,255 at UBS Arena marked the seventh straight for the last-place, makeshift Islanders (5-9-2). They are now 15 points behind the Rangers for the Metropolitan Division’s third and final guaranteed playoff spot.
The latest version of the Islanders’ lineup cobbled together by coach Barry Trotz included Otto Koivula making his season’s debut as the third line center after being recalled from AHL Bridgeport earlier in the day with Brock Nelson (lower body) out two-to-four weeks.