Islanders season ends with late collapse
In late March, the Islanders were in a playoff position and feeling good.
Casey Cizikas is in his 15th season with the Islanders. He's seen the team miss the playoffs before.
But Wednesday, as he and his teammates spoke to reporters for the final time this season, he said this year's late collapse is one of the toughest to accept.
"The way we competed and the way we put ourselves into position and then let it slip through our fingers, it sucks," Cizikas said.
In late March, the Islanders were in a playoff position and feeling good.
But on March 19, they lost 3-2 against Ottawa when they gave up a goal with 11 seconds to go.
Islanders GM Mathieu Darche believes that kind of loss, coupled with some injuries, was the signal that all was not well.
The Islanders lost 10 of the 14 games that followed and ended up finishing in sixth place.
It's the second straight year the team missed the playoffs.
"You can feel it today and the last two days really, there is no sense of satisfaction. We are pissed off in this room," said forward Mat Barzal.
The Islanders even tried a late coaching change.
They fired Patrick Roy with four regular season games left to go and replaced him with Peter DeBoer.
The new coach tried to help and implement more defensive structure, but in all fairness to the players, it was like the NHL's version of cramming for a test.
"I think we did as good as we could have done with the time we had," Barzal said.
But this was not the ending the Islanders planned after a season that brought renewed optimism. Some was created by the arrival of the new general manager.
But much of it was brought by 18-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer. He was the first overall pick in the draft and ended up with 59 points. He also tied the record for most goals by a rookie defenseman in NHL history. Schaefer admits that he exceeded even his own expectations.
"It's still crazy to think that I'm playing in the NHL," he said. "It's crazy to think that I was in a sports camp a few years ago, probably. I think everyone is going to do what they have to do in the offseason so that next season we're coming ready and we're coming guns blazing."
But will Anders Lee be part of the team next season?
The Islanders' captain is an unrestricted free agent.
Darche said he'd love to see Lee return and play his 1,000th game in an Isles uniform. The GM did not comment on any negotiations with Lee, but some of his teammates praised the 13-year veteran for his leadership.
"He's been a protector of a lot of guys in this locker room," defenseman Ryan Pulock said about Lee. "He's really done it all. I'm proud to have been his teammate and hopefully for longer. He's laid it all out there every single night."
But now the game nights are over for the Islanders. A once promising season has come to an end, and fans are stuck waiting again for more playoff glory.
