The Islanders have won three straight games and if they are going to make the playoffs, need to keep that momentum going, including at practice.
EAST MEADOW, NY -- The New York Islanders are feeling good about themselves, winners of three straight games after a dominating 5-1 win against the Boston Bruins on Saturday night.
Although wins will keep morale high, especially for a team chasing a playoff spot, the last thing Islanders head coach Patrick Roy wants to do is see his players start to slack.
"I think the message was that we won a couple of games in a row, but we can't take practice off. We can't let anything slip," Islanders rookie Kyle MacLean said. "We've got a little bit of momentum now, and we just got to keep it going, and it starts in practice. And that's what his message was.
"He's passionate about it. He wants to get that through to us."
The Islanders have little room for error, and their schedule over the next handful of games should allow for success to continue if they play the right way.
That's a big "if" for a team that's struggled to play with consistency all season.
"The key is to continue to practice well. I'm a huge believer that you play like you practice," Roy said. "If you practice well, you will have great games, and I don't want us to slack in our practice. I want us to continue to be intense with our compete and make sure that the intensity is there.
"When you get complacent, the first place that it shows up is in the practice, and we don't want to do that. We want to make sure that we continue to grow as a group, but also make sure that we keep practicing hard and will be ready for our games."
The Islanders battle the St. Louis Blues Tuesday night before playing the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night out west.
Practice Notes:
* Ilya Sorokin will make his fifth straight start against St. Louis on Tuesday
*Matt Martin, who missed most of the third period on Saturday, was a full participant.
* There's no update on Hudson Fasching, who has been practicing for a few days but remains on long-term injured reserve.
* Scott Mayfield has yet to skate and will likely miss his fifth straight game on Tuesday.