Wendell Cruz-Imagn ImagesOkay! Okay! No alibis today,
The Maven orders, NO EXCUSES.
Each of our three Met New York Area teams are out of the playoffs because they simply were not fully qualified to make the cut.
And, in each case, injuries proved to be the deciding factor although certainly not the only one.
RANGERS: Two of the Blueshirts best players – Igor Shesterkin and Adam Fox – were injured almost simultaneously. Without the top goalie and best defenseman for an agonizingly long period, the New Yorkers faded out of the picture.
NEW JERSEY: No question – see the 2026 Olympics – Jack Hughes makes the Garden State hockey machine go. Doesn't matter whether Jack's finger wound was a freak accident or not. It was MAJOR LEAGUE serious and Jack was out too long to help. PLOP! BYE-BYE DEVILS!!
ISLANDERS: Before you could say, "Patrick Roy, please help us," the Isles had lost top scorer Kyle Palmieri and ace back up goalie Varly Varlamov for the entire season And it got worse and worse. Neither Varly nor Kyle returned nor did the necessary traction to reach the post-season, Locals going oh-for-three. OY-VAY!