The New York Islanders enter the finale of a four-game road trip in better playoff positioning than when the cross-country trek began March 6.
The Buffalo Sabres conclude a three-game homestand in the same position they’ve been in for more than a decade: On the outside looking in at the postseason picture.
The Islanders’ grip on the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot is in play Thursday night when they visit the Sabres in the teams’ final head-to-head matchup of the regular season. The teams split the first two meetings.
The Islanders have been off since Monday, when their six-game winning streak ended with a 3-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings. The Sabres kept their flickering playoff hopes alive Tuesday night by beating the Detroit Red Wings, 7-3.
The win by the Sabres vaulted the Islanders back into the playoff spot they forfeited with Monday’s defeat. New York remained tied with the Red Wings at 72 points apiece entering Wednesday’s action. New York has a game in hand on Detroit.
The Islanders began the trip four points behind the Red Wings and tied them thanks to wins over the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks and the ongoing skid for Detroit, which has lost six straight games, all in regulation.
The Islanders, who outscored their opposition 30-11 during the six-game winning streak, finally cooled off Monday, when they fell to 0-4-3 in the second game of a back-to-back set.
But head coach Patrick Roy was pleased with New York’s effort in an intense game against the playoff-contending Kings. The Islanders outshot Los Angeles 26-24 and trailed 1-0 before the hosts added a pair of insurance goals, including an empty-netter, in the third.
“We’re playing good hockey and that’s the important thing to me,” Roy said. “We played a good hockey game here. They didn’t play (Sunday) night. We played (Sunday) night. It was a 1-0 game until (almost) midway (through) the third period. I’m very pleased with the effort. It was playoff hockey.”
No team has waited longer to experience playoff hockey than the Sabres, who haven’t reached the postseason since the spring of 2011. The drought is the longest in NHL history.
Buffalo hoped to be on the edge of breaking through after finishing one point out of a wild-card spot last year. But the Sabres’ playoff chances have been imperiled by an inconsistent season in which they’ve won as many as three straight games just once.
The Sabres traded four veterans — including captain Kyle Okposo — at the deadline. But consecutive wins over the Edmonton Oilers, the second-place team in the Pacific Division, and Red Wings pulled Buffalo within five points of the second wild-card spot entering Wednesday.
After playing the Islanders, the Sabres will oppose the Red Wings again Saturday before taking on Detroit, the Washington Capitals and the Tampa Bay Lightning once apiece in the final five games of the regular season. The Capitals had 69 points entering Wednesday while the Lightning led the wild-card race with 74 points.
“We’re pretty lucky to be able to play teams we’re chasing so many times down the stretch here,” said Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram, who was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche on March 6 and scored two goals in his third game with the team Tuesday. “So we definitely have to take advantage of that if we want to get in.”
