The New York Islanders fell flat to conclude their seven-game road trip on Wednesday night in Seattle.
The Seattle Kraken dominated portions of the games, ultimately winning 4-1. The Islanders received seven power plays and scored on just one of them. The special teams futility became the main story.
There was a clear opportunity to grab at least one, if not two, points outright. Ilya Sorokin sparkled, but it didn't matter.
The offense was quiet, with Head Coach Patrick Roy noting they passed up too many shots, especially on the power play.
Defensively, Roy singled out their poor tracking in their own zone, letting Seattle dominant possession.
The entire team was not happy.
"I think tonight we gave up a few turnovers and odd-man rushes, and they capitalized,” Ryan Pulock said. “That’s kind of the difference. In the second period, we kind of gave it to them. They scored, and then we were chasing."
If you look at the road trip as a whole, it's not a disaster by any stretch. Yes, the Pittsburgh Penguins did catch the Islanders in the standings for second place, but the Islanders maintain a two-point gap above the Philadelphia Flyers (who collapsed and lost from 3-0 and 4-2 leads against Utah on Wednesday).
Now, the Islanders return home, and they'll have a chance to rattle off wins and give themselves a big cushion.
How they play over the next 14 days, in a stretch of eight games in 13 days, will decide whether General Manager Mathieu Darche buys, sells, or stands pat at the trade deadline.
So, who do the Islanders face? First, the red-hot Buffalo Sabres in a Saturday matinée inside UBS Arena. Buffalo is 6-2- 1 in January, and the Sabres occupy the top wild-card spot in the playoff race.
After that, the Islanders head to Philadelphia for what becomes a seismic, potentially season-shifting game with the Flyers. A regulation win could see the Islanders move six points clear of Philadelphia, a ginormous gap.
A regulation loss could shrink the gap to two points or fewer, depending on Saturday.
Then comes a home-and-home with the New York Rangers on consecutive days, two games the Islanders simply have to have. The Rangers are utterly lifeless, last in the Eastern Conference and flailing.
January ends with the Nashville Predators visiting UBS Arena on Saturday, the 31st.
February begins in Washington, D.C., and a road trip to see the Capitals on Monday, February 2nd. The very next day, the Islanders host the Pittsburgh Penguins in UBS Arena for another huge game, potentially for second in the Metropolitan Division.
Finally, the mad dash to the Olympics ends in New Jersey, where the Devils host the Islanders to conclude the pre-Olympic portion of the season.
Eight games in 13 days. Six games against divisional foes, with four against teams positioned between second and sixth in the division.
Of the eight games, six come against non-playoff teams. Only the Penguins and Sabres occupy a seat at the table.
If, even with a returning Bo Horvat, the Islanders fall flat, do not be surprised if talk turns to selling at the deadline. It'll be very hard to justifying keeping Jean-Gabriel Pageau, despite his excellence, if the Islanders are outside the cut line and on a run of poor form.
The value they could receive for him would be gigantic.
If the Islanders excel, it's quite likely they'll make a purchase or two. There'll be plenty of options to hunt for, big or small.
If they simply tread water with another run similar to this recent run of 3-3-1, say 3-3-2, standing pat perhaps makes the most sense.
Make no mistake, it's a favorable schedule, despite the heaviness. Four games at home, four on the road (with two in Madison Square Garden and the Prudential Center, so not exactly road trips either). It's a more-than manageable stretch, on where if the Islanders play their best, you can easily envision a 6-2-0 run.
If the wheels come off, they could just as easily find themselves outside a playoff spot heading into the Olympic break.
Any way you slice it, it's time for the New York Islanders to make a big statement.