At least it’s not COVID-19.
The islanders can now add the weather to the long list of issues that have disrupted their 2021-22 season.
The game scheduled for Saturday against the Kraken was postponed late Friday due to the snow storm that would hit the New York metro area. The game, originally scheduled for 2 p.m., would have been Jordan Eberle’s return to Long Island and would have been an opportunity for the Islanders to get back on track after a demoralizing loss to the Kings on Thursday night.
Long Island Railroad and Metro North service is expected to be suspended and roads could be poor, with snowfall expected all day Saturday.
The NHL announced the game against Seattle is moved to Wednesday evening at 7 p.m.
That shortens the Islanders’ All-Star break by one day, and means they’ll play back-to-back before the break, with a game against the Senators at the UBS Arena on Tuesday night. Their game against the Wild on Sunday is still on the program.
Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the Kings narrowed the Islanders to .500, another disappointing performance against a playoff team. Almost nothing went right for the Islanders during the first half of the season.
Outbreaks of COVID-19, both among the islanders and throughout the league, were the reason for the postponement of several matches in November and December. That resulted in the Islanders playing only twice in more than three weeks at one point.
On the ice, the product was disappointing as a team that has made it to the Stanley Cup semi-finals in the past two seasons found themselves outside the playoff frame, with its window to come back starting to slamming.
“We’re in a hole,” Scott Mayfield said Thursday night. “I think .500 was a benchmark that we looked at. We were able to get there. But yes, it has been tough. It just went back and forth. One game ahead and then right back.”
The Islanders’ struggles of late have arisen against playoff teams such as the Kings. The Wild, the Islanders’ opponent on Sunday, has a wild card seat in the Western Conference. The Islanders’ offense remains an issue, and a game against the Kraken – whose goaltending has been downright chaotic all year – could have been an opportunity to set things straight.
Instead, it will have to wait.
“Our concern is winning hockey games and for that you have to score,” Anders Lee said on Thursday. “Tonight we generated some attacks, it didn’t come on the net. It may feel worse than it was. Every time you lose, it doesn’t feel right.”
