The final game before the 19-day Olympic break summed up the Islanders’ season so far: Optimism at the start and finish, blown chances and disappointing play in between, and in the end, another dismal result.
So, a season that began with playoff expectations on the heels of last year’s run to the postseason continued with yet another loss, a 5-2 setback to the Avalanche in front of an announced crowd of 16,530 at Nassau Coliseum on Saturday night.
“A lot of guys need to look in the mirror and get better,” said Islanders goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, who made 22 saves. “I think it’s pretty much every which one of us. I know we can be [better]. We have to dig in a little bit, get [ticked] off, get mad. I don’t care what we have to do, but we have to find it.
“Maybe we need to stop being nice to each other.”
Seemingly beaten after two and a half periods, the Islanders suddenly snapped out of their funk. They struck twice on the power play in the span of 57 seconds — John Tavares and Lubomir Visnovsky did the honors — to turn the lifeless building loud, slicing a three-goal deficit to one.
Nevertheless, the equalizer never came, and the Avalanche got a pair of empty-netters in the final minute, sending the Islanders to another defeat, their seventh in eight games, another losing stretch extended.
It would take a remarkable streak over the season’s final 22 matches for the Isles to make up the mammoth 12-point gulf that exists between them and the Red Wings, owners of the second and final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
“It’s obviously been a tough go. It’s been frustrating all year not getting to where we want to be,” Tavares said. “Clearly as each game goes by, our window gets smaller and smaller. Hopefully, we can use this time to get away, for some guys playing smart hockey, for other guys getting some rest. … Come back with a little bit of a fresh mindset, finish the year strong.”
The Islanders (22-30-8, 52 points) got the start they were looking for, a forceful, active and buzzing end-to-end effort. Predictably, however, it only resulted in scoring chances and a 10-1 shots edge, not an actual lead.
Colorado (37-16-5, 77 points), meanwhile, scored on its fifth shot, when Nathan MacKinnon filled in a half-empty net on a rebound at 13:04 of the first period, the first of three goals, the other two from Matt Duchene, as Colorado built a 3-0 lead entering the final period.
Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic returned to the ice after missing 12 games with a concussion he suffered Jan. 12 against the Stars. He reported no problems after receiving 19:07 of ice time.
Islanders defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky was not cleared by the team’s medical staff to participate on Team Slovakia in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Visnovsky, who has missed 46 games this season due to a concussion, was evaluated after the Islanders’ 5-2 loss to the Avalanche on Saturday night. He had a goal and an assist.
General manager Garth Snow and the Islanders did not want the defenseman to participate in the Olympics, and Visnovsky released a statement on the Islanders’ website Saturday night.
“I’m honored to have been selected to represent Slovakia at the Sochi Games,” the statement read. “I’m disappointed that I will not have this opportunity to compete for my country, but respect the decision the Islanders have made. I’m excited to watch Team Slovakia compete throughout the next two weeks and wish them all the best.”
Additional reporting by David Satriano