Standing by the wayside with a wrench in hand are the Islanders, outsiders in the playoff race but crucial participants in its outcome.
Tonight they will try to complete the sweep of a home-and-home series with the Penguins, who are five points behind the Rangers for first in the conference.
“Our guys know since day one where the standings are and where we’re at, so that’s not a question,” coach Jack Capuano said yesterday about his Islanders, on the verge of being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs for the fifth straight year.
“Like I told them before [Tuesday’s 5-3 win], when we play teams that are on top of the standings, it’s a challenge for us,” Capuano said. “It’s where we have to get. So as an individual and as a team, it’s a great measuring stick.”
Being 11 points out of the final playoff position with six games left means the Islanders will most probably be toast by the end of tonight. But that doesn’t mean they’re struggling to find motivation, especially against a team like the Penguins.
“Our two biggest rivalries, for us, it’s the Rangers and Pittsburgh,” P.A. Parenteau said. “When you’re not going to make the playoffs, and you’re pretty much mathematically out, you have to find motivation. We know we don’t like [the Penguins], we wanted to [tick] them off, and I think we did a pretty good job of that [on Tuesday].”
Parenteau is going to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, and with his breakout year (16 goals, 49 assists) he will demand quite a payday. But the former Rangers’ farmhand said he sees hope on the Island.
“There’s a lot of positive around here,” the 29-year-old winger said. “The future is bright, I really believe in that.”
It will look even brighter if they can put up another win against the Penguins, albeit with a blind eye as to how they’re helping the Rangers.
“Against the Rangers and against Pittsburgh, we’ve played hard,” Capuano said. “Pittsburgh’s four lines are as deep as I’ve seen in a long time. … They’re so skilled and they have the ability to move the puck. We’ve played those teams with desire and desperation in our game.”