Islanders need elusive win streak to get back into playoff hunt
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SUMMERLIN, Nev. — The Senators did it. The Canadiens did it. The Red Wings are in the midst of doing it.

Why can’t the Islanders?

“I think if we’re gonna have a chance, we’re gonna need to win some [on a] streak,” Jean-Gabriel Pageau told The Post. “Not only two in a row.”


Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who said Wednesday the Islanders need to get on a winning streak, skates with the puck during their win over the Bruins on Jan. 5, 2025.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, who said Wednesday the Islanders need to get on a winning streak, skates with the puck during their win over the Bruins on Jan. 5, 2025. NHLI via Getty Images

The Islanders will attempt to secure their second consecutive victory when they face the Golden Knights on Thursday. Achieving two wins in a row has proven to be challenging for the Isles this season. They have only managed to accomplish this feat twice, and on both occasions, they were unable to secure a third consecutive win.

Despite their current standings in the Eastern Conference, where they are in 15th place, the Islanders find themselves just five points behind the Blue Jackets, who currently hold the final playoff spot. Additionally, they have a game in hand over the Blue Jackets. A short series of victories could significantly alter the perception of the team’s performance.

The Senators won six in a row in mid-December.

Montreal concluded the year 2024 by winning six out of their last seven games. Meanwhile, the Red Wings have been enjoying a five-game winning streak after making the decision to replace coach Derek Lalonde with Todd McLellan.

Earlier this season, all looked like they were going nowhere, and all are now very much in the playoff chase.

If there’s a case for the Islanders to turn it around, that’s it.

On a relative scale — relative being the operative word — it is not that impossible.

“It’s close for a couple teams. You put a string together, you never know what can happen,” Scott Mayfield told The Post. “I think of St. Louis [in 2019], end of January, start of February, they were in last place in the league or something. And they won a Stanley Cup that year. It can turn around, but you have to have that belief. You can put in the work, you have to have that belief. I know it’s in here, we just have to do it.”




Coach Patrick Roy said Anthony Duclair — who’s played seven games since returning from a suspected groin injury — still has “a little bit to get there” in terms of returning to full effectiveness.

“I’m very comfortable with what I’ve seen so far,” Roy said. “He’ll be fine. I’m not worried about him at all.”


The Islanders lines and pairs were unchanged in practice from what they ran on Sunday in Boston.

Ilya Sorokin came off the ice first, indicating a likely start Thursday.

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