Islanders Anxiety - Episode 355 - The Search for Breathing Room

Mike and Dan run down a surprisingly busy week for the Islanders - feel bad wins, rock bottom losses and one huge OT victory - while taking stock of the first half of their season. We've gone over the Saturday night game against the Maple Leafs in depth on our special emergency podcast, so now we look back at a lucky shootout win over Chicago and a disastrous New Year's Day home game against Utah. The Islanders didn't play well in either, but the game they tried to lose yielded two points and the other was another bad game at the worst time and left an entire arena and fanbase perplexed and angry. Lost points against beatable teams might end up haunting them later, as the entire Eastern Conference continues to be a dog fight. In the second half, we look ahead to a non-negotiable home game against a division rival that proceeds another long road trip, this time through some places the Islanders have rarely, if ever, won in. Getting two points against New Jersey is key to getting off on the right foot before heading to Nashville (on Dan's birthday) and St. Paul, MN and hoping to stay above water. We also take a look back at as good a first half as the Islanders have had in many years. But other teams are right behind them, and a four game losing streak would feel like the end of the world. So some of the players that have been on ice will need to step up in the face of injuries and mounting pressure. Subscribe to our Patreon!⁠ Members get ad-free episodes of all our shows, bonus podcasts, written posts, chats with us and much more. Visit our friends ⁠⁠Vintage Ice Hockey⁠⁠ for t-shirts, hoodies and jerseys with hundreds of classic hockey logos, as well as ⁠⁠the full line of Islanders Anxiety merch⁠⁠. As always our portion of those sales go directly to the Center for Dementia Research. ⁠⁠The Pinot Project⁠⁠ has a Rosé, a Pinot Grigio and a Wine Enthusiast Best Buy Pinot Noir, all under $15 a bottle. Available at local wine stores and UBS Arena. Visit ⁠⁠Lighthousehockey.com⁠⁠ for the most up-to-date Islanders news and discussion. Islanders Anxiety podcasts are part of the Fans First Sports Network (⁠⁠@FansFirstSN⁠⁠). Our theme is "Morning Haze" by Family Dinner. Hear more of their music ⁠⁠on Spotify⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices