Good job, good effort.
It didn’t matter whether the Islanders won or lost against the Senators on Sunday. Their fate was sealed the night before when the Maple Leafs clinched the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, eliminating the Isles and their last-ditch effort to reach the postseason.
The Islanders’ (41-29-12) consolation prize was a sixth consecutive victory, 4-2, over the playoff-bound Senators (42-28-10), who rested most of their key players.
The end-of-season winning streak normally wouldn’t mean anything to a team eliminated from the playoffs, but for interim head coach Doug Weight, it showed something.
“We had meaningful games [and] we won meaningful games. There were some really bright spots,” said Weight, who led the Islanders to a 23-12-4 record in 39 games after replacing Jack Capuano on Jan. 17.
As the Islanders unhappily stroll into the offseason, evaluating those bright spots is a tough proposition.
Maybe one is Andrew Ladd, who couldn’t have started the season any worse, but somehow finished the season with 23 goals. He scored in the first period when a kick-save by Senators goalkeeper Mike Condon ricocheted right to him.
Ladd’s rebirth in the season’s second half showed that maybe the seven-year contract he signed last offseason might not be a total wash.
“It’s an uphill battle when you don’t get off to the start you need to,” said Ladd, who didn’t score until his 13th game with the Islanders. “We did a good job of getting ourselves back into [the season] but it doesn’t give me much solace at this point.”
While some bright spots really require some digging, the most obvious lies on the back of Anders Lee.
Lee scored his 34th goal of the season on a smooth near-post finish at 8:17 in the second period. Much of that was thanks to the half-speed Senators, but the Bob Nystrom Award winner’s 34 goals were an extraordinary feat, considering he had just one in the Islanders’ first 18 games.
Leading the Islanders in goals scored is surely something to be proud of. It’s a huge step forward for Lee, who scored 15 a year ago. But the season itself leaves Lee and the Islanders with a sour taste in their mouths.
“We’re going home and we’re packing up. Our season is over without a chance to continue. It’s a bitter feeling,” said Lee, who blamed missing the playoffs on the countless late goals surrendered this season.
To make it a game, the Senators added two meaningless goals in the third, the second coming when Thomas Greiss let Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s attempt dribble between his legs. But despite outshooting the Islanders 34-21, the Senators really had nothing to play for — especially after clinching home-ice advantage Saturday against the Rangers.
The Islanders season ends with 94 points, just one point shy of reaching the playoffs. Thanks to goals from Jason Chimera and Brock Nelson on Sunday, the Islanders finished 2016-17 with five players reaching the 20-goal mark.
On paper, it doesn’t look that bad, but this crucial offseason will tell where the team is actually going. The much-anticipated extension talks for John Tavares, who missed the final five games with injury, start at the top. Then there’s the question of whether Garth Snow deserves to continue as general manager beyond this failed season, after he reluctantly ignored calling up prospects such as Michael Dal Colle and Ryan Pulock down the stretch after standing pat at the trade deadline.
There’s also the question of where the team goes in goal. Does Jaroslav Halak, who acted as the No. 1 goalie during the six-game win streak, retain his old role or has Greiss done enough to regain starter status?
Despite these messy questions, Weight said he found the head coaching experience “exhilarating,” and said he thinks everything will work out just fine.
“It’s not where we want to be, it’s not acceptable, it’s not fun,” said Weight on missing the playoffs. “But for our fans and organization, we’re going in the right direction.”