New York Islanders: What lies ahead for the Isles as the season hits March

The New York Islanders are closer to the end of their season than the beginning. . So, how does the month of March look for the Isles?

The New York Islanders have not had a productive month since November. It has mostly been down hill for this team since then. As the month of February concluded with a 3-1 loss in Montreal, the Isles can finally look ahead to March.

The Islanders quest for the Stanley Cup playoffs did not get any easier after an insignificant trade deadline.

There are however some new faces in Chris Wagner and Brandon Davidson. They are set to get playing time as March progresses. As for more changes, the Isles will be without veteran Jason Chimera on the team for the first time since 2016. The changes are not too significant in terms of immediate impact but new faces and the key departure will still be something to watch.

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The Isles start the month at home vs the Canadiens. But the schedule does not favor them early on. The Isles then go on the road for four straight. This includes their final trips to Canada in Vancouver, Edmonton, then Calgary. When the Isles inevitably struggle at the beginning of the month, they can cling to any playoff hopes by playing well in their five game home stretch starting on March 18 vs the Hurricanes.

By the end of the month, the Isles will be closer to knowing their fate in terms of if they will make the playoffs. They play just three games in April. The playoff chase came down to the very last game last season.

The Isles see both the Capitals and Penguins twice in March. Those two teams are probably the top dogs in the Metro division. The path to the and the eventual playoffs will go through both Washington and Pittsburgh.

Those four games will be a tough but good test for the Isles to see if they are a contender. No signs have pointed to the Islanders having an eventful or non-aggravating month of March.

Next: Grading the moves at the NHL trade deadline

The team is free-falling quickly right now. However, it is officially crunch time and every point matters. New York heads into the month having seen every opponent already this season. Much to the fans’ chagrin, that means the other teams have seen the Isles as well. The Isles have had problems adjusting all season. Doug Weight has been out-coached many times this year. If the Isles are going to make a run they need to be able to adjust to teams adjusting to them. It is not easy so the team and coach are going to have to give maximum effort.

March is an important one but a difficult one. And although the writing on the wall points to the Isles having nothing left in the tank, a stretch of good games this month will go a long way.

Hang on, Isles fans. March is going to be interesting.

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