New York Islanders escape with much-needed victory 2
Nov 30, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders center Ryan Strome (18), right wing Cal Clutterbuck (15), left wing Andrew Ladd (16) fight with Pittsburgh Penguins center Nick Bonino (13) and right wing Tom Kuhnhackl (34) during the second period at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Islanders regained some confidence with a succesful mini-homestand.

Alright, this is absurd.

In the age of instant recaps, we journalists need to recapitulate the game before it’s even concluded. Tonight, the storyline seemed pretty simple: ‘Isles heat up, blank Penguins.’

But that’s the problem with this squad. They play forty solid minutes a night, and are just brutal for the other twenty. The numbers are staggering: five blown leads in the final three minutes, a negative winning percentage when entering the final frame with a lead.

The Islanders nearly squandered a three-nill lead on Wednesday night. Thomas Greiss surrendered three third-period goals to his former team, before Anders Lee and Nikolai Kulemin rescued him.

Nonetheless, the Islanders doused the fifth-place Calgary Flames and defeated the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins in a three-day span to gain (some) confidence.

Jack Capuano lives to see another day.

The Isles entered the brief two-game homestand with the league’s worst record. They’ve emerged with a newfound sense of self-assurance.

“What are you going to do, right? You’ve just got to keep pushing. Things aren’t always going to go your way, [but] you’ve got to stay resilient, stay positive and keep working towards getting that win,” forward Josh Bailey said, via Brian Compton of NHL.com.

It’s hard to stay positive if you’re the Islanders. General manager Garth Snow blatantly screwed up free agency, and the team has underachieved remarkably up to this point.

Still, there are reasons to be optimistic. Forwards Brock Nelson and Anders Lee are both heating up, and goalie Thomas Greiss has been above-average as of late. The Isles have won back-to-back contests, and will soon get the opportunity to clear their heads with a prolonged road trip.

The Isles could turn the corner with a victory against the Washington Capitals tomorrow night.

Justin Weiss is a staff editor at Elite Sports New York, where he covers the New York Islanders and Brooklyn Cyclones. In 2016, he received a Quill Award for Freelance Journalism. He has written for the Long Island Herald, FanSided and YardBarker.