Islanders Anxiety – Episode 369 – They Threw It Away

Q: Why were the Islanders eliminated from playoff contention?

The Islanders were eliminated after losing crucial games against Ottawa and Montreal, leading to a decline in their playoff chances.

Q: What does the Islanders' recent performance indicate about their team culture?

The recent performance suggests a troubling team culture, with many players displaying a lack of effort and commitment, raising concerns about the franchise's priorities.

Q: What are the implications of the Islanders' failure to make the playoffs this season?

The failure to make the playoffs may lead to significant changes within the organization, including potential roster adjustments and a reevaluation of the team's goals and strategies.

Mike and Dan react immediately to the Islanders getting eliminated from playoff contention after a lost weekend against Ottawa and Montreal.

We’ve seen the Islanders lose in many different ways over the years. But we’ve never seen them choke away a season like this. They played almost every game since the Olympic Break as if they were playing out the string, whittling away a playoff berth that they might not have totally deserved. And while a few players get a Hall Pass, namely Matthew Schaefer and Cal Ritchie, many of the guys who have been here a while conducted themselves in a despicable, cowardly fashion. Which calls into question what the franchise’s real intentions are and where their true priorities lie. Do they want to get people to watch them and spend money on them, or do they actually want to win games first and foremost? Do they want to be just good, or truly great?

In the second half, we look ahead to their final, meaningless game against Carolina and the few milestones that we’d like to see get hit. We also talk briefly about the week’s one victory over a DOA Leafs team in a game we can’t even enjoy anymore because, like everything else, it amounted to nothing. Very few of their games over the last five seasons have been purely enjoyable because of the team’s attitude. There have been players and moments to remember but overall, this era can be personified by a noticeable and unsatisfying lack of accomplishment.

REFERENCES:

The Islanders enjoyed Patrick Roy’s old Cup stories, actually.
At least one Islanders team made the playoffs.

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