The Islanders aren’t playing the Flyers for the Atlantic Division title this afternoon. Instead, because of the Rangers’ 2-1 loss in Philadelphia yesterday, the Isles are going to play the dress rehearsal for the playoffs every bit as hard as they would have for first place, but it’ll be to move up to fifth place in the Eastern Conference.
That’s the best the Isles can finish now that the Flyers clinched the division yesterday against the lifeless Rangers who, for one day, had some fans on Long Island.
But after all their help yesterday, everyone who had a ticket to what they thought would be a first-place playoff game today at the Coliseum hates them even more.
The Devils’ triumph last night, combined with Ottawa’s loss to Toronto, leaves the Isles in sixth place, a point behind New Jersey heading into today’s finale. A win today and the Islanders will face the Maple Leafs in the first round of the playoffs; a loss or tie means Carolina is the opponent.
Aside from having their hearts broken in falling short of finishing first in the division, second in the conference and getting home-ice advantage a season after finishing last in the entire NHL, the Islanders some scattered injuries to mend before the playoffs start.
The roster read like an injury report by the time the Isles flew out of Tampa, with Alexei Yashin (groin), Kenny Jonsson (quad) and Dick Tarnstrom all day-to-day.
Yashin, who skated by himself in Tampa and yesterday on the Island, said Friday he’s still uncomfortable with the strained groin sustained in last week’s playoff clincher against the Capitals. During the recent trip through Nashville and Tampa, he was still walking gingerly.
The Islanders’ top scorer sat out the last three games against Carolina, Nashville and Tampa – the most he’s missed in his entire career with an injury – and will not be hurried back to the lineup.
“Alexei Yashin will play when he’s ready to play,” coach Peter Laviolette said on the trip. “In the end, nothing is more important than the playoffs.”
Jonsson, one of the team’s top two defensemen, twinged a quadriceps muscle Friday night against Tampa and was also listed as day to day. Compounding the Jonsson injury, however minor, was that Tarnstrom sat out again Friday night with a strained wrist, cutting the Isles’ defense by a third and leaving Adrian Aucoin, Eric Cairns, Roman Hamrlik and Darren Van Impe the only healthy regulars, plus Evgeny Korolev.
Since acquiring Van Impe at the trade deadline, the nagging injury to Tarnstrom and a two-game Cairns suspension have kept the Isles from rolling their best six for any length of time.
