NHL

Islanders roll past woeful Panthers

So it’s that time of year again when Islanders’ games don’t mean anything and so, in turn, they start playing well.

Though ‘well’ was a relative term Tuesday night at the Coliseum, when they thumped the absolutely atrocious Panthers, 4-2, making the Isles 5-1-1 in their past seven — and still hopelessly out of the playoff conversation, 30-35-10 with just seven games remaining.

“I don’t believe in any of that stuff — I don’t believe teams play loose when they have nothing to play for,” said coach Jack Capuano, who again dressed nine rookie skaters. “To me, you coach and try to prepare you team to win a game and players prepare to win.”

When that same question about the change in their game once out of the playoff picture was posed throughout the locker room, a common refrain came back.

“I have no idea,” said forward Colin McDonald, who played arguably his best game all season in collecting two assists, his first game since being announced as the team’s nominee for the Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to hockey.

“The whole reason why you play the game is to play for something, so when you’re not playing for anything, it’s disappointing,” McDonald said. “I think guys are fighting for jobs, and maybe that’s one reason we’re playing the way we are, because we know no job is safe.”

Josh Bailey, who got his seventh goal of the season and is a renowned late-season scorer, had a more cerebral answer.

“I just think guys are working hard and not really thinking too much,” Bailey said. “I think sometimes you can tend to over-think things, and sometimes you just go out and work hard and let the game kind of come to you, it tends to go in your favor.”

Matt Martin got his eighth of the season late in the second to make it 3-1, and it was followed early in the third by fourth-line rookie Mike Halmo getting his first career goal, making it 4-1.

Quintown Howden opened the scoring for the Panthers (27-42-8) just 1:50 into the first, and Brandon Pirri finished it off with four seconds remaining.

“I think it’s easier to get wins when you’re winning — it’s contagious,” Bailey said. “Everyone goes through their ups and downs, but obviously our downs were a little too much this season.”