ELMONT, NY — When the New York Islanders returned to UBS Arena for a seven-game homestand on Nov. 22 following a dominant 6-1-0 road trip, the hope was that they could continue their strong play.
Despite playing well enough to do just that, Patrick Roy’s squad struggled to score, going 1-3-1 while being outscored 13-7.
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And things certainly weren’t going to get any easier once the calendar flipped to December. The final two games of the homestand were against the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Colorado Avalanche, before hitting the road for a Florida back-to-back against Tampa, again, and the Florida Panthers.
After that?
The Islanders would then return home to face the Vegas Golden Knights, Anaheim Ducks, and Tampa Bay.
Sheesh.
They’d need home ice to turn into an advantage pretty quickly.
Credit to the Islanders for not changing how they were playing at all, and finally, the results came.
The Islanders held on to defeat Tampa 2-1. They exploded against Colorado, beating them 6-3 before shutting out Tampa 2-0 in Florida. They struggled against the Panthers, falling 4-1, but they didn’t let that take the wind out of their sails.
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In a back-and-forth game, they overcame a late blown lead, defeating Vegas 5-4 in a shootout in their home return, before dominating the Ducks on Thursday night, en route to a 5-2 victory.
With their latest win, the Islanders have now won four straight home games for the first time since a six-game win streak before the Four Nations break last season, and they sit a point back of first place in the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference.
They’ve outscored their opponents 18-10 over their last four home games and now sit at 9-6-2 on home ice, to go along with an 8-4-1 record.
To fully appreciate what the Islanders just did in Elmont. Tampa leads the Atlantic Division. Colorado leads the Central Division. Vegas leads the Pacific Division, with the Ducks tied in points with Vegas.
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Can the Islanders keep the home win-streak going when they host the Lightning for a Saturday matinee on Saturday, the day when Pat LaFontaine heads into the Islanders’ Hall of Fame?
The Islanders are now 18-11-3, a season-high seven games over NHL .500. If the Islanders beat Tampa on Saturday to sweep the season series, their potential 41 points would lead the Eastern Conference.
