At the deadline, the Islanders made a huge trade acquiring center Jean-Gabriel Pageau from the Senators. The Isles desperately needed scoring help as they are under the league average in goals per game. Adding a center was definitely an area that needed some help after Casey Cizikas went down a couple of weeks ago, and has yet to even return to skating.
The 27 year old has been having a tremendous season in Ottawa, scoring 24 goals, which no Islander has yet to reach this season, as well as 16 helpers in just 60 games played.
Pageau has been playing fine, but the rest of the team hasn’t. The Islanders have played 6 games since making this trade and they have yet to secure a victory.
On this Islanders losing streak the team has been outscored 24-12. Scoring has been a big problem for this team the whole entire season, but as of late, it has been an even bigger issue.
With that, the Isles have now lost 10 out of their last 12 games, and the Isles have been plummeting down the standings, as they now hold the last Wild Card spot only 2 points ahead of the Rangers.
Getting an early lead is a key to having a chance to win the hockey game. The problem is that the Islanders have barely been able to score. Hopefully the team bounces back, but they have to start rallying around their new star if they want to do so.
Photo: Winona Daily News
