The Islanders currently hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. They will likely have to play a solid effort in the season's final two months to keep ahead of the bottom teams.
The Islanders hope to avoid their first six-game home losing streak in seven years Thursday night when they face the Los Angeles Kings. In the first game following the All-Star break, the Islanders spotted Eastern Conference-leading Ottawa a three-goal lead and never rebounded in a 5-2 loss Tuesday.
New York (24-21-6) was hurt by the absence of two regulars - left wing Ruslan Fedotenko and defenseman Andy Sutton - who both were out with the flu.
Sean Bergenheim and Bryan Berard scored for the Islanders, who dropped to 1-3-1 in their past five games overall. They are 0-4-1 in their last five games at the Coliseum, their longest home drought since a seven-game slide from Feb. 27-March 29, 2001.
The Islanders haven't won at home in 2008, as their last victory at the Coliseum came against New Jersey on Dec. 29.
There are still a few player (Sillinger, Berard, and DiPietro) that may not be available to help the Islanders try to end their home skid. All those players did not practice on Wedsnday. Stay tuned for more updates to see if there are any more players either not playing or being called up.
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