Islanders Anxiety - Episode 386 - To What End?

Mike and Dan get big picture after two Islanders losses to better teams last week and a looming trip to California this week. Stop us if you've heard this before but the Islanders lost to the Hurricanes. They also blew a 4-2 lead and lost to New Jersey two nights later. Although the games weren't similar, one aspect was: the Islanders simply don't have the talent to beat the NHL's better clubs. They can hang with them for a bit, and the Islanders love to talk the talk about how great they are. But ultimately, this roster is simply full of too many players bringing too little - which, ironically, is the best they can do. Has the team been bad for so long that they forgot that they can be better? Why bring in marginal players like Ben Hutton and Robby Fabbri with other similar players already here? What is the point of any of this when the playoff cutoff line gets further away and the reality of what this team is sinks in? What is the difference between false hope and the kind of manufactured hope the Islanders keep trying to sell us? In the second half, we discuss the upcoming trip through San Jose, LA and Anaheim. On paper, the Islanders can win these and get back into the playoff picture. But it's difficult to see them doing that, so things could be worse by next week. We also talk about the Hometown Remix jerseys, which were rolled out last week, and the Fisherman logo that still drives people crazy. This might be shocking but lots of younger people like it. Finally, some late breaking news prompts our first ever impromptu Devil Piece Theater. In which their new big star goalie won't play against his old team because of... data. Sure, guys. 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