Islanders News: What’s a team gotta do to get three regulation wins?

Seriously, someone tell the Islanders they only have one of them.

After an off day yesterday, the New York Islanders will hit the ice for practice this morning. Perhaps Patrick Roy will speak.

The Isles have a very winnable stretch of three games before the first Battle of New York this season: home to the Anaheim Ducks tomorrow, visiting the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday, and visiting the Buffalo Sabres Friday night. Given the back-to-back, I think the expectation should be for the Islanders to earn five out of six points out of them.

But they also have only one regulation win. So, it would be wise to win all three in regulation if they want to restore faith in the fanbase. Maybe. It’s not like winning games against these three teams will make me feel better about them, not by any significant margin, but three regulation wins against teams they should beat would be a start.

That said, less than five out of six points would probably make us all feel worse, even the most optimistic fans.

Islanders News

• I thought the blown leads were a relic of Lane Lambert, but Roy hasn’t figured it out yet, either. And just like last year, imagine where they’d be in the standings if they held onto even half of them. [THN]
• Three takeaways from the weekend: (1) There’s a mental component at this point with the blown leads; (2) Roy and Lou Lamoriello might not be on the same page (this is a beat writer saying this by the way); and (3) attendance could be an issue this year. [Newsday] On (3), like I said yesterday, baseball has something to do with it right now. Halloween parties too. But if watching the Islanders wasn’t such a miserable experience, maybe they aren’t seventh on the list of things for people to do on a Saturday night.
• The worst part about the blown leads this year is that the top six has played well, even if the results haven’t reflected it. [THN]
• Even if there isn’t any rift between Roy and Lou—and there probably isn’t; Roy was probably just mad post-game and English isn’t his first language—it’s clear that after a summer of promising things had changed, nothing has. [The Athletic]
• Happy Baileyversary.

Elsewhere

Last night’s NHL scores include the Oilers beating the Red Wings in OT and the Devils defeating the Ducks.

• The noise around Martin St. Louis had been growing, but it quieted a bit with the Canadiens’ two wins over the weekend. [Sportsnet]
• A long-form piece about how much Maple Leafs have suffered over the last several decades. Delicious! [The Athletic]
• Who’s getting the next big contract? Brock Nelson mentioned. [ESPN]