The Islanders Can Flip Their Playoff Chances This Week

The New York Islanders currently sit at 31-27-15 with 77 points, putting them five back from the final Wild Card in the East. The team has just an 11.3% chance of making the playoffs entering Monday, but the good news for the Islanders is that they can flip their whole season this week.

The Islanders face the Flyers, who hold the final Wild Card spot, on Monday, and Philly is in the middle of a collapse. They've lost their last four games while falling out of third place in the Metropolitan Division. A win in Philadelphia could pull them within three points of the playoffs with a game in hand on the Flyers.

Tuesday they'll face a Blackhawks team with nothing to play for except for draft positioning as they've been long eliminated from the playoffs. It'll be inexcusable for the Islanders to drop this game at home in the middle of a playoff push.

Thursday the Isles will once again draw an opponent with nothing to play for when they travel to Columbus. The Blue Jackets are the worst team in the East with 60 points and are 2-6-2 over their last ten games.

The biggest test of the week will come on Saturday when the Islanders host the Nashville Predators. The Predators are 7-2-1 over their last ten games and are still fighting for their playoff lives in the loaded Western Conference.

The opportunities are there for the Islanders can they seize them?

As much as a disappointment as 2024 has been at times for the Islanders, they'll have a chance to end up in the playoffs if they handle business this week. You couldn't ask for a more perfect upcoming week, playing the team you need to beat and two teams with nothing to play for when you desperately need points.

The question is can the Islanders handle business though, after losing eight of their last ten games? If the Islanders want to prove they're a playoff team, they'll enter Saturday on a three-game winning streak -- while anything less would likely spell the end of New York's playoff hopes.