"Look, we just needed to do it."

EAST MEADOW, NY -- The New York Islanders desperately needed to close out Saturday night's game in regulation after they took the lead into the third period for a fourth straight game.

The Islanders, who returned home Saturday after a 1-2-2 road trip, held a lead in the third period in each of the final three games but lost two of them in regulation and one in a shootout.

"I was asked about in Detroit. It's frustrating, but it's not like you can go up and draw set plays that'll get you through the last eight minutes, 10 minutes of the game," Kyle Palmieri told The Hockey News. "So, I think it's really just sticking with the things that make us successful as a team, playing fast, supporting each other, and sometimes it's just not going to bounce your way, and other times you're going to find ways to win it."

The frustrating part about blowing all these leads was that it erased all the good things the Islanders had done for 50 or so minutes, and it wasn't something they could practice.

"You look at the last weekend, and I mean, we're all frustrated with the results and the way things folded for us towards the end of that trip," Palmieri told THN. "But I think it was really just another opportunity to do it. Nothing's going to be perfect, as much as we want no-brainer wins and to shut it down. It's not the way this league works, and you have to earn everything. So I think it was a good way for us to fight through some of the things we've been battling with and, I mean, hopefully tonight, we put ourselves in another opportunity to prove it to ourselves that we can continue to do."

Confidence comes with winning.

"Look. We just needed to do it," Islanders captain Anders Lee told The Hockey News on Monday morning ahead of their 7:30 PM showdown with the Detroit Red Wings. "I thought our 5-on-6 structure was great. They didn't have any looks off of that. They had a good third period for sure, but when it came down to it, I thought we did a good job of executing and getting the puck out."

That strong structure allowed the Islanders to take a 3-1 lead, with Kyle Palmieri scoring an empty-net goal:

"Nelly and Palms went down and popped an extra one in. So I thought overall, it was just a good step in the right direction in that regard," Lee said. "And let's keep building off that."

Lee nailed the execution part because, in the final five minutes of the game, the Islanders made the plays they had to make. 

I went back and re-watched the end of the game, and their success started with key face-off wins, key blocks, and ultimately key breakouts:

"Any time you get results, it's good. I thought we did a good job," defenseman Noah Dobson told THN about closing out that Saturday game. "They had a push early in the period. And teams that are down have that push. You have to manage it. I think at the end of the game, everyone had good composure."

Was the Islanders' composure different on Saturday compared to what we saw from the team in the final three games of their trip?

"No, I think just more execution of doing what we need to do in that moment," Dobson answered. We managed the pucks while not giving them much. I think the composure has been there, just the execution...it's been poor at times. So that was a positive, and hopefully, we can build on it."

Islanders head coach Patrick Roy echoed Dobson's sentiments regarding his players' composure.

"I love how composed we were and how we played with the same poise, I mean, and I think that's what good teams do," Roy said. I mean, [good teams] don't panic with the puck. They hold onto that puck, they eat it on the wall if they have to, and they wait for support and get it out. They muscle it out. 

"But I mean, what I really love about that game is how we played that 5-on-6. We didn't give any chances. We were right on top of them. They didn't have any offense, any opportunity to create something. So I thought we did a really nice job. I don't think they had a shot on that, and our forecheck was really good, and we scored on it. So, that should bring a lot of confidence to our group."

Roy believes the Islanders are a much better team than their record indicates, believing that "the game hasn't been fair to them" and that "they could have had more wins" but understands that the reality is that they haven't one them. 

So, winning one by locking down a lead has been a huge issue for this squad ever since Barry Trotz was relieved of his duties following the 2021-22 season.

"When you start winning one game, two games, three games, four, all of a sudden, everything falls in this place," Roy said. "And sometimes you just need to be patient and try to win that 2-1 game until that confidence comes in. And I think, I hope, that's what's going to happen if we could win some games in a row."

That's the key.

Doing the Salsa, winning one game and dropping the next, does nothing, and right now, with how wide-open the Eastern Conference wild-card race is, they need to continue to take steps up the dance floor, not moonwalk back toward the .500 mark.