Surprise New York Islanders fuelled by rejection, doubt

Maybe it shouldn’t be a huge surprise that the New York Islanders waltzed into Toronto on Saturday and beat the Maple Leafs rather resoundingly in a contest their head coach Barry Trotz said proudly afterwards never once felt “in doubt.”

If you subscribe to the notion that certain motivating factors can uplift performance, it wouldn’t be a reach to determine that the Islanders closed the talent gap on this night through increased incentive.

While one player on the Leafs — former Islanders captain John Tavares — had external factors playing into his psyche, there were 20 somewhat-jilted opponents on the other side — revelling in some rare national television shine, no less — that combined for a total team performance and victory against the league’s No. 2 team.

And in the end it was the Islanders’ new No. 1 center after Tavares bolted for his hometown team in free agency, Mat Barzal, leading the charge with a natural hat trick in the second period to set the table for a comfortable 4-0 victory.

“It feels really good,” said Anthony Beauvillier of the first meeting with the Leafs since Tavares’ departure. “Everyone had the game marked on their calendar.”

Let’s be honest, though. For all the hype that follows the Maple Leafs — and conversely the doom and gloom expected this season on the Island — this was far from a historic upset. No hockey game ever is that.

Reality is, New York was just as hot coming in despite snapping the Leafs’ five-game win streak. The Islanders now have six wins in their last seven games themselves, and have crept to within a point of a playoff spot (with two games in hand) with the fifth-best goal differential in the Eastern Conference.

Exceeding everyone’s expectations this season, the Islanders are affirming the belief they have in their room.

“We’re just hungry I think,” said Beauvillier. “We want to keep climbing, keep working hard. We’ve had some tough games, but we’re trying to prove to everyone and ourselves that we can compete against the best teams.”

“When we play like that, man, this team can be pretty special I think,” Barzal said.

Reminding his team that Tavares no longer wanted to be their teammate in the lead-up to Saturday’s game, Trotz and the Islanders coaching staff may have successfully helped extract a positive result from the omnipresent rejection narrative.

What’s motivated the group to this point, though, hasn’t been Tavares’ decision to abandon Long Island.

Instead, it’s the fate it was supposed to endure in the absence of their captain.

“In the summer everyone was predicting we would be at the bottom of the league,” said Beauvillier. “The little chip on our shoulder, it’s there. When we came in to training camp we knew we had a good group. We have a lot of depth still up front and on the back end and our goalie has been doing the job.

He added: “I think we’re shocking the hockey world a bit right now.”

It’s still relatively early to anoint them a postseason team in the tightly-bunched Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference, but the Islanders are faring better this season despite the loss of their superstar.

Are they a better team without Tavares, though?

Trotz would scoff at that suggestion, of course, re-shifting the focus back firmly to what remains in their control.

“We’re not looking back. We always have to look forward. That’s what our team and organization is wanting from the players. That era is done, and we’re trying to create a new era.”

Good call, coach. Wouldn’t want to lose that chip, now.