Nelson Trade Talk on Hockey Night in New York The New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/latest-news/new-york-islanders-butch-goring-no-91-nassau-coliseum-jersey-retirement] have the chance to string consecutive wins together for the seventh time this season when they battle the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday at 7 PM ET. It won't be an easy task, as the Red Wings are on a six-game win streak, but if the Islanders are going to qualify for the 2024 Stanley Cup, a winning streak is not a want but a need. The Islanders enter Thursday's contest seven points back of the second-wild-card Tampa Bay Lightning, with three games in hand, and the Metropolitan Division third-place Philadelphia Flyers, with two games in hand. There are many reasons why the Islanders are on the outside looking in with 24 games to go, but consistency, or a lack thereof, remains the ongoing theme. The Islanders went 2-0-0 out of the gate to start the season before dropping three straight games. Then, they put together their second two-game win streak of the season after they beat the Ottawa Senators and Columbus Blue Jackets on Oct. 26 and Oct. 28. Back to the losing they went, dropping seven straight (0-4-3) before winning three straight at the tail-end of November, knocking off the Calgary Flames, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Senators before closing out the month losers of two of three. Entering December with an 8-6-6 record, the Islanders rattled off two wins, beating the Carolina Hurricanes in overtime before taking down the Florida Panthers in regulation. It was actually a pretty strong start to the final month of 2023, which saw them win six of their first 10 December games (6-1-3), which included a season-long four-game winning streak. But the Islanders couldn't finish the month as strong as they started, going 3-4-1 to enter 2024 with a 17-10-11 record (.579 point percentage). Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA0Njk1OTU0MzgzNzA5Nzc2/usatsi_22203588.jpg] Then came a putrid January, where the Islanders failed to win consecutive games the entire month, which led to a coaching change on Jan. 20, with Patrick Roy coming aboard, replacing Lane Lambert. After going 1-2-1 in Roy's first week, the Islanders ended January with a 3-7-3 record, entering the All-Star break on a three-game slide. Once play resumed, the Islanders strung two wins together for the first time since early December. But, again, the Islanders failed to build on that slim streak, dropping their next three games (0-1-2), ending it with a heartbreaking loss at MetLife Stadium to the cross-town rival New York Rangers: Image [https://thehockeynews.com/.image/c_fit,h_600,w_600/MjA0Njk1OTY2MTk0ODY5NTc5/usatsi_22557668.jpg] They're 2-2-0 in their last four games entering Thursday night, and with 22 games to go, can they win two games in a row for just the seventh time this season with a win over Detroit? Their season depends on it, and if they can string more wins together before next week's 2024 NHL Trade Deadline on March 8, it may push general manager Lou Lamoriello to buy if he's on the fence given where they sit at this current moment. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5MgCw7gyCQ[/embed] TOP STORIES
