Seven days of joy. Two nights of wins.

That sums up the Saturday to Friday week that was for the Islanders.

The victory in San Jose ending the three-game (2-1) road trip -- coupled with Tuesday night's home clobbering of Toronto -- made it three W's in a row and a hoped-for fourth tonight in Columbus. And then maybe even a fifth vs. Buffalo at UBS tomorrow.

If anything, the seven-day adventure converted William Shakespeare's deathless line, "Sweet are the uses of adversity" into reality.

With magical Mat Barzal remaining out of action, coach Lane Lambert has had to compensate for his offensive losses, both strategically and psychologically. 

So far the results have been ginger-peachy.

No single individual has been designated "Barzal Lite," -- or heavy for that matter -- but rather the team philosophy comes down to "Next man up," or, in this case, "Next men up."

The most obvious "Next Man" has been Hudson Fasching, an Apple Valley, Minnesota native who has emerged from out of nowhere to bolster the offense. Big, strong and with a John Tonelli feel about him, Hud makes you wonder why he's played "The Invisible Man" for so long.

"Hudson has a big body and he moves really well," explained Casey Cizikas who knows the value of velocity. "Plus he's smart out there. He plays hard and that's the biggest thing when it comes to our lineup."

Until now, Fasching's speed and skill have not been fully appreciated but it's there to see in living color.

Then there's Pierre Engvall, Lou Lamoriello's Trade Deadline demon. The ex-Leaf brings speed along with savvy, making him one of the better unsung eleventh-hour "gets."

Rounding out the trio, right wing Simon Holmstrom has shown consistency, first-class skating and an encouraging upside.

That the three have seamlessly melded into the lineup is a credit to the very-underplayed coach Lane Lambert. 

The coach also has given Holmstrom "a longer leash," as one observer noted, "and allowed him to find his way as a rookie."

As for Engvall, Lambert made a bold decision. During the Isles win over Detroit, he had Pierre watch from the bench so that the Islander could get a better perspective about how the team's system works. Since then Engvall has looked like a more comfortable Islander.

With Barzal remaining out of the lineup in this hairbreath homestretch, slack must be picked up throughout the lineup with no room for slackers. Or, to be bromidic; all for one and one for all.

Put it this way; another seven days of joy would be most welcome.

LOOKING BACKWARD: The Islanders loss to Los Angeles at the start of their West Coast expedition meant winning the next two games -- in Anaheim and San Jose -- was an imperative. The club delivered with a balanced offense, stout defense and solid goaltending.

Toronto -- at UBS -- was a whole other story; and a scary one -- at first -- at that. The Leafs arrived in Elmont overloaded with stars and crusading for a robust Cup run. Instead the Leafs faced superior Isles goaltending and a busy bottom six that compensated for Nelson's early exit.

LOOKING AHEAD: At Columbus tonight: Granted that the Blue Jackets have under-performed. But any team with the likes of Johnny Gaudreau and Patrik Laine in the lineup has to be taken seriously. In other words:There can be no passengers. As for Buffalo -- tomorrow night at UBS -- a month ago, the Sabres appeared playoff bound but have since faded. GM Kevyn Adams dramatically reshaped his roster, galvanized with the likes of Tage Thompson, Rasmus Dahlin and our old pal, Kyle Okposo. Same deal; They're no pushovers.

ACES ARITHMETIC: Over the last dozen games, the Isles are 8-3-1. In that span, they have outscored their foes 39-28. Against Toronto, Cal Clutterbuck delivered his first-ever three-point game. Meanwhile, evergreen Zach Parise continues to impress; his goal vs. Toronto was Parise's fifth point in his last three games.

BOTTOM LINE: The Wild Card Race is as unpredictable as Pittsburgh beating Colorado in Denver on Wednesday night. Scoreboard-watching is an exciting pastime but for the Islanders the formula moving forward is simplicity personified; they have to win games and more games to qualify.