Islanders hope they've turned corner after slow start

WASHINGTON -- There were plenty of smiles and a little laughter in the New York Islanders' locker room following their 3-0 victory against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center on Thursday.
Things are finally looking up for the Islanders, winners of three in a row for the first time this season. Impressive victories against the reigning Stanley champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Capitals, the Presidents' Trophy winners last season, on consecutive nights preceded by an overtime win Monday against the Calgary Flames.

The Islanders' mood has improved accordingly, but they know they're not out of the woods yet after going 6-10-4 in their first 20 games. Now 9-10-4, including 2-6-1 on the road, the Islanders are five points out of the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. But seven teams stand between them and the Tampa Bay Lightning, who hold the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
"If we don't pull together now, it might be too late," defenseman Nick Leddy said. "Hopefully, we've turned the corner here and keep it going."

Before this streak, the Islanders had won as many as two in a row once. That came back in their fifth and sixth games, against the Arizona Coyotes (3-2) and the Minnesota Wild (6-3), on Oct. 21 and Oct. 23, respectively. Those wins evened their record at 3-3-0.
But New York went 3-7-4 in its next 14 games to fall to last in the League standings, fueling speculation that coach Jack Capuano's job was in jeopardy. Although the Islanders felt they played better during their three-game California road trip last week, they went 1-2-0 with losses in the last two games to the Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks.
The 3-2 loss to the Sharks on Nov. 25 was particularly disheartening because they allowed the winning goal with 22.5 seconds remaining after tying the game 35 seconds earlier. It was the eighth time in the Islanders' first 20 games that they allowed a game-tying or winning goal in the final three minutes of the third period.
"If you look at all the bad bounces and late games that we kind of blew, we could have a great record right now," said forward Shane Prince, whose breakaway goal 3:15 into third period opened the scoring Thursday. "It's unfortunate. It's just how our season has went. To be able to string three [wins] in a row together, especially the back-to-back against two of the best teams in the League, it's huge for us and we've got to build off it and keep it going."

If the Islanders can keep building, they'll look back on their 5-3 win against the Penguins on Wednesday as a turning point. They blew a 3-0 third-period lead before Anders Lee's deflection goal with 26.6 seconds remaining put them back in front and rescued them from a potentially devastating defeat.
Capuano was well aware of the urgency the Islanders faced entering this week. Playing well for stretches wasn't good enough. They needed to finish off some games with victories.
"You play the game to win, and at the end of the day there's no moral victories in this League," Capuano said. "Whether we should have had some wins on that West Coast trip or even a few of the other games, or points for that matter, we didn't get it. So to get the points, gives [the players] a little bit of confidence, [helps] because at the end of the day you've got to get points, especially in the division that we're in."
The Islanders remain last in the Metropolitan Division with a difficult schedule this month that includes two more games against the Capitals, on Dec. 13 and Dec. 27, plus games against the division-leading New York Rangers on Dec. 6, St. Louis Blues on Dec. 8, Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec. 10, Chicago Blackhawks on Dec. 15 and Ottawa Senators on Dec. 18.
That's why Capuano said winning the back-to-back games against the Penguins and Capitals "doesn't do anything unless you, obviously, consistently improve on the areas that you're trying to."
The Islanders' luck seems to be changing a bit though.
An apparent power-play goal by Justin Williams at the end of the first period Thursday that would have given the Capitals a 1-0 lead was wiped out when video review showed the puck had not completely crossed the goal line before time expired.
But this win was about more than luck. The Islanders got a strong performance from goalie from Jaroslav Halak, who made 38 saves in New York's first shutout of the season.

Halak, who entered the game with a 3-6-4 record, 3.08 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage, had allowed at least three goals in 10 of his prior 14 appearances and had won once in his previous eight starts (1-3-4). Thomas Greiss (5-4-0, 2.47 GAA, .919 save percentage) has played better, but the Islanders haven't been getting the consistent quality goaltending they'll need to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third consecutive season.
"Our goalies need to play big," Capuano said. "I think early on they've struggled. You look around the League and the teams that are winning are getting real good goaltending."
Another area where the Islanders have improved recently is their penalty kill. Although their power play continues to struggle, going 0-for-10 during their three-game winning streak to drop to 8-for-68 (11.8 percent) for the season, their penalty kill has killed off 13 in a row during the past five games, including six against the Capitals, and is 28-for-30 during the past nine games after starting out 41-for-54 (75.9 percent).
The Islanders also feel they've improved their structure in 5-on-5 play by simplifying their game. That put them position to break open a scoreless game with three goals in a span of 4:28 in the third period against the Capitals.
Before Thursday, the Islanders had been outscored 26-21 in third periods this season.
"I think we're playing as a five-man unit," Leddy said. "We're just playing a little better defensively, not cheating and playing as a unit."
There is more work to do and ground to make up, but the Islanders have reason for optimism heading into their next game against the Detroit Red Wings at Barclays Center on Sunday (6 p.m. ET; MSG+, FS-D, NHL.TV).