Let's just call it what it is: the New York Islanders have been playing some pretty shitty hockey lately.
Over their last 10 games, the Islanders are just 2-6-2. That's two wins, six losses and two ties — hardly the kind of stretch you want to be putting together with the playoffs approaching.
And the scary part?
We're still in fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
The Islanders sit at 37-27-7-2 with 83 points, which would normally be a pretty damn good position with 73 games played. But the problem isn't where the Islanders are right now.
It's who's coming.
Boston is only one point behind at 82.
Florida is two points back at 81.
Tampa Bay is three points behind at 80.
And Pittsburgh is only four points back at 79.
That means the Islanders have essentially gone from having some breathing room to having a pack of teams breathing directly down their necks.
The Islanders' recent 2-6-2 record is particularly ugly when compared with some of the teams around them.
Florida has gone 6-4-0 over its last 10.
Boston is 5-3-2.
Tampa Bay is 4-5-1.
Pittsburgh is 5-5-0.
We're not exactly watching the teams behind us tear through the conference, but the Islanders are doing enough damage to themselves that they don't need anyone to.
The teams above New York aren't exactly struggling either.
Columbus is sitting comfortably at the top with 96 points and an 8-2-0 run over its last 10.
The Rangers have 90 points, while Washington has 89.
Washington is especially relevant because the Capitals are absolutely flying right now, going 8-1-1 over their last 10.
Meanwhile, Montreal is sitting at 85 points.
Then there's us.
83 points.
The gap between fifth-place New York and fourth-place Washington is six points, but the gap between us and the teams fighting to get into the playoffs is much smaller.
That's the problem.
The frustrating thing is that this isn't some offensively challenged hockey team.
The Islanders have scored 216 goals, which is actually tied with the Rangers for the third-most in the Eastern Conference behind Columbus and Florida.
So scoring isn't necessarily the issue.
The Islanders have also allowed 206 goals, leaving them with a +10 goal differential.
That's respectable, but it's nowhere near the numbers being put up by some of the teams ahead of us.
Washington is +37.
Columbus is +54.
Florida is +23.
Even the Rangers are +16.
The Islanders have enough offensive firepower to be a serious team, but lately they're not getting the results necessary to take advantage of it.
Here's where things get uncomfortable.
The Islanders have 83 points with 73 games played, but Boston has 82 after 75 games, Florida has 81 after 74, Tampa Bay has 80 after 73 and Pittsburgh has 79 after 73.
That means there isn't much separating the Islanders from the teams immediately behind them.
And with the Islanders sitting on a 2-6-2 record in their last 10, we're basically handing those teams an invitation.
The good news is that New York still controls its own destiny.
The bad news?
We need to start playing like it.
A team with 37 wins shouldn't be looking over its shoulder every night, but that's exactly what this recent stretch has created.
There is still plenty to like about this Islanders team.
216 goals. 83 points. Fifth place in the East.
Those are playoff-caliber numbers.
But the recent results are not.
If this team continues playing at a 2-6-2 pace, it won't matter how good the first 73 games were. Boston, Florida, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh are all close enough to make this race extremely uncomfortable.
The Islanders don't need to become Columbus overnight.
They don't need to go 10-0.
They simply need to stop giving away points.
Because right now, the Islanders aren't being chased out of a playoff spot.
We're trying to play our way out of it ourselves.
And with the playoffs getting closer every day, that's a problem we need to fix — now.
10/3/2026 - 650 words
