With Playoff Hopes Hanging By A Thread, Islanders Face Bruins In Season's Biggest Game

Yahoo

27-02-2025

BOSTON, MA -- It was just last week that Brock Nelson and Team USA were skating on T.D. Garden ice in their 4 Nations Championship against Team Canada.
Now, Nelson gears up to hit the Boston ice with the New York Islanders when they battle the Bruins on Thursday night at 7 PM ET.
"Just trust your instinct, trust yourself. It's too easy when things are not going the way you want. You let that affect you, and [Sorokin] should not let that affect him. He should go out there and trust what he does."#Isles @TheHockeyNews https://t.co/LkOvjEEVoE
— Stefen Rosner (@stefen_rosner) February 27, 2025
This game doesn't have the aura or win-or-go-home tag-line. But, this certainly feels like a Game 7 for the Islanders.
After falling 5-1 on home ice to the cross-town rival New York Rangers, the Islanders are running out of time.
Yes, the race remains tight, but the work the Islanders did to inch within a few wins of a wild-card spot when they weren't on their seven-game win streak has been more or less erased by a four-game skid.
The Bruins are one of six teams the Islanders are chasing in the standings, so Thursday night is one of those four-point games.
Head coach Patrick Roy had a heart-to-heart with the team at center ice during Wednesday's practice on staying positive at a time when it was very easy to just throw in the towel.
"We need to show some swagger. You don't have to tell how you feel deep inside," Roy said. "I remember one year when we played Detroit in the playoffs. We lost the first two games at home, and my teammates had their heads between their legs, and I came out singing and this and that. Deep inside, I was afraid, but I felt like I had to show some swagger, not to let the other team know that I was afraid.
"We were all scared going into Detroit down 2-0. That's what I want to see from our group, that little bit of swagger."
Patrick Roy's Rallying Cry To Islanders At Wednesday's Practice EAST MEADOW, NY -- Patrick Roy has tried to remain calm and positive during his tenure as the New York Islanders bench boss. But, on Wednesday morning after a 5-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday, the Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender didn't like what he was seeing and let it be known.
The runway is short, and the light at the end of the tunnel is fading. The team may not be viewing their schedule as a Trade Deadline countdown, but how can they not?
They're human.
I spoke with Islanders forward Bo Horvat about that very thing.
"We're still very much in this," Horvat told The Hockey News. "Roy was just reminding us that details and practice matter and now we just need to be on the top of our game to bring ourselves back into the fight. "We got a lot of work ahead of us.
"[Trades] are a nature of the business. There are decisions that have to be made, unfortunately, and the only thing we can control is what goes on in here and what goes on, on the ice. Other than that, it's out of our control. It's just up to us in here to play well and to win hockey games. And, hopefully everybody gets to stay.
READ MORE AT THE HOCKEY NEWS ISLANDERS SITE:
Islanders Activate Noah Dobson Off Long-Term Injured Reserve Ahead Of Game vs. Boston
Capitals Winning Ways Make Them Match For Islanders Brock Nelson Ahead Of 2025 NHL Trade Deadline
Scott Mayfield Shares Mindset Ahead Of Being A Healthy Scratch Yet Again
Stay updated with the most interesting Islanders stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.