New York Islanders Postgame Availability | NYI vs WSH (11/30/25)

Uh, no. I think we we played a pretty good game being honest with you. Um, you know, right now it’s just we got to score some goals and you know, the good thing about it is we’re getting our chances. We are we’re getting some really good chances, but you know, we’re going to have to bear down and find some goals. Um, that’s the biggest thing right now. It’s the difference right now. I think defensively we’re doing a good job. Um, all areas of the game. I thought we played really well tonight. and we just didn’t finish. Was it a matter of running into a hot goalie? Uh maybe a combination. I think a few times we made it a little easy on him. Um but he did make some really good saves as well. So, you know, you can you you just got to stay with it. You just got to find a way. Um I know a little easier said than done. It’s it’s hard to score in this league, but um I think right now it’s just, you know, we got to stay positive. Um you know, keep our joy in this room. Um we’re I think we’re playing really good. It’s just um you know right now we’re just we’re struggling to find the back of the net. How tough is that? You know, obviously Sroken stands on his head for you guys, but tonight that giveaway kind of came at a bad time. Yeah, it happens. You know, we we got to have his back there. Um we got to get that back for him. Um you know, he’s he’s been incredible all year. Mistakes are going to happen. We make them all over the ice and he saves our back. So, you know, we just got to go find a way to try to score a goal and we weren’t able to weren’t able to get that second one. The uh games on the road, you know, you kind of came off, you know, had a great road trip. You got to kind of get these games at home to get back in the right way, don’t Yeah. No, these are big games and right now, um, no, looking back last few games, I think we’ve been playing great. you know, couple mistakes here cost us and then we’re just, you know, we can’t we just got to score. I think that’s the bottom line right now is the chances are there. We’re making plays. We’re doing a lot of really really good things. We’re just not finishing early on. You had two great chances. Yeah. No, exactly. Like we had breakaway and Simon had one, you know, partial break and Yeah. Like I mean it’s just a matter of it uh going in for us right now. It’s uh it’s obviously frustrating. Um but again, just something we got to keep working on. Um and you know just build on you know what we’re doing and eventually it’s going to start going in. You deal for Sroen when he you know obviously he’s bailed you out so many times. Yeah. No and it’s you know stuffs like that’s going to happen sometimes and it’s up to us to to bail him out and he’s bailed us out plenty of times where you know um you know we haven’t played well in front of him and he’s he’s been there for the make that save and we got to find a way to you know to get those goals timely goals for him. Injuries are obviously always a part of this, right? But when you you’re losing a Palms and a Romanov and a PJO, how do you keep from letting that talent drain kind of take you down a little bit? I mean, yeah, those are big pieces obviously. Um, they’re big parts of this organization, big parts of our team. Um, but yeah, it’s like next man up mentality. I mean, we got guys in here that can fill that void and do the job. And, um, you know, we’ve been doing a pretty good job of of doing that so far. uh these injuries and um it’s just a matter of you know getting these wins behind it. When you’re consistently out shooting opponents and not buying the win, what’s the key to kind of staying positive and sticking with it? Yeah, I mean just knowing that you know you’re doing the right things. It’s just uh I think bearing down in front of the net. Um you know, really focusing on when you have your opportunities to to score that goal. So um yeah, it’s it it obviously is frustrating. It gets to you a little bit, you know, mentally, but at the same time, you can’t dwell on it. You can’t um, you know, let it go the other way because we are playing good hockey. It’s just, uh, yeah, we just got to start scoring. Is that a challenge to keep the right mindset during a stretch like this even though you know you’re playing? Yeah, I mean, obviously you get frustrated. Um, you know, and I’m can say that firsthand. I mean, it’s it’s frustrating when you don’t score when you’re you know, that’s your your job is to to put the puck in the net. Um, but at the same time, if if you’re not getting your opportunities and you get a little bit more worried, you know, as a team, we’re getting a lot of shots, a lot of opportunities. It’s just a matter of it going in for us. For sure. Yeah. No, I think um I think positivity and and leading, you know, when you’re when things aren’t going um the way you hoped, I think is a big thing. I mean, um, you know, you get down in yourself and you get, um, too frustrated and it could go the opposite way. So, um, you know, we’re playing good hockey, like I said, it’s just, um, yeah, pucks are going to start going in for us. Patrick, when you’re doing a lot of things right, but you’re just not getting the results. I mean, what has to change? Um, you know, sometimes, you know, you after games there’s nothing to be said. And I think today it’s an example. We did everything right. We had a lot of shots. We had a lot of chances. We just came up short. Um, we could we could find excuses. I get it. I mean, the standard of our team is to win hockey games and and do what’s the right thing. But sometimes there’s just we just need to continue to play the way we are and and believe that things will will go on our way. I mean, not sure, but I think it was the fourth game we gave less than 20 shots. I mean, okay, I get it. I mean, we we don’t get rewarded with, you know, our action going to the net and and this and that. I mean, pucks did not bounce our way on some of those, but at the same time, I mean, you you and I’m not trying to get a moral victory here. Last thing I want to do, I mean, I want to be honest and and and coming and talk, but if I’m honest, I like the way we’re playing. If I’m honest, I love the way that we compete. Um, I know I would like to have the second goal back. And and what I love the guy on the bench said, “Let’s get that one back for him.” So this this group plays as a team. This group is trying to find solution to to get that puck behind the net and and and win some hockey games. You talked about getting, you know, ugly goals maybe to kind of snap out snap out of it. How do you do that? Well, that’s what we did on that point shot. You know, Anders had a rebound and then Bo got the second one. I mean, that’s how sometimes you you you get things going and that’s what they did. I think it’s power play goals now in in two straight games. The the first two power plays tonight. Were you getting enough dangerous looks? Were you getting enough side to side action on that? Um I think we move around a lot and we didn’t get that the shots. So I wouldn’t disagree with you on on that. I mean, in a way that we could have better better tries and and better quality shots and take those shots when the scene was open. But Washington did a good job, too. I mean, getting in those lanes and make it difficult on us, but that’s why we tried that in on the third one. I mean, Ray wanted to have a shot from the top and that’s what Pley did. I get when you’re missing players, the whole team wants to step up, right? But specifically the the the the top line players, do you do you see sometimes when when the injury when the roster is a little injury depleted that that the topline players didn’t see that at all? No, no extra pressure on them. So I don’t think so. Um I think I thought that we played our game and and we focus on what we control and what we control is the guys that are in the lineup and the way we’re going to play the game. And I I thought that we play a 60-minute from the start to the end. We didn’t give them much. Um I think chances were like 22 to to to nine or something like this f in that game. So we play well enough to win and I know that if we continue to play that way, we will win. You know, that’s that’s the thing you want to as a coach, you want to make sure that our players are continued to believe in and the way we’re playing will bring some wins and not changing anything. Just just a matter of scoring goals right now for us because we’re playing really well defensively. We give oursel a chance to win every night and and I could not ask for any better than that at this moment. But yeah, the standard is to win. Don’t get me wrong here. The standard is about winning and we want to be part of the playoffs. So, I mean, urgency of winning games are always there and we it continue to be and that’s what these guys in that room wants. Just w with Ilia, has there been more of an emphasis for him on on playing the puck this year and and the play today aside? Every day we practice goalie breakout. every day we do. If it’s a a morning skate, if it’s a yesterday, we do. But I totally understand how he feels. It happens to me many times. Um I was pretty good at turnovers. So, I mean, I I I just it happens, but like I said, I’m going to repeat myself here, but I love the way that guys react. They want to get that one back. Um, and the the the power play goal, you had Pulock out there instead of Shabinoff. Just what kind of what what led to that? And I I assume you I think Ray wanted a shot on, you know, a shot from the top. Um, there was urgency for us to score at that moment. It was like what, six minute left in the game and we needed a we needed a goal and and we felt like, you know, getting a shot from the top might help and and it it did actually. Have you noticed anything different from the way you guys put on the road first at home so far? Not really. I feel like we played pretty much the same way. Actually, we might give more shots on the road than at home, but other than this, I feel like we we’ve been playing the same kind of hockey. I I I really do. Um, is the puck bounc our way? Maybe a little more on the road. Maybe. Yes. Obviously, we score more goals. Uh, but I mean I felt like we played really well defensively. I thought we remember that that trip where we we won what six out of the seven. I mean the game that we lost was the game we played our best and we’ve been playing some good hockey and unfortunately we just don’t win. With having a a few impressionable young players on this team, do you how do you balance the the frustration in losing versus how you’re proud of the team is playing and make sure that the message doesn’t get stagnant while the results aren’t there? Yeah, I think it’s in the standard. I think it’s your standard that’s going to dictate what you want. And I think we we’re never going to be satisfied by playing well. The standard of this team is to win hockey games and then we won’t we won’t change that. Um, every day the the guys come into the rink with with with the approach of of winning the then the next game and and the game and the next game. Um, not looking behind. And I think that’s how we’re going to maintain that level of intensity or or confidence.

Hear from Bo Horvat, Ryan Pulock and Head Coach Patrick Roy after today’s game.

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