Islanders Squeeze Into Last Playoff Spot 2021-06-13 The Islanders, which had gone on a 3-7-0 going into the last day of the season, clinging on to the last playoff spot in the Eastern conference, got bailed out by their goaltender Freddie Andersen with a 37 save performance against the last-place Washington Capitals. The Islanders had a comfortable 6 point lead for most of the second half, but the surging Columbus Blue Jackets with a 9-1 run in the last 10 games, had pushed the Islanders 2 points in the division. The awful stretch by the Islanders in the last 10 games included a key injury to top defenseman Dougie Hamilton, forward Andreas Athansious, and a troubling inability to finish, having lost 2 games where the Islanders put up more than 50 shots. The Islanders eventually tied the Jackets in points but came ahead on the RW tie-breaker. The team finishes with 90 points in the standings and a 42-34-6 record, a minor disappointment with experts at the beginning of the season expecting the team to finish higher in the regular season standings. Patrick Laine's disappointing regular season was only part of a list of disappointing overall performances, including the lack of production from forwards Kasperi Kapenen and top prospect Nick Suzuki. The Islanders will face long-time cross town rivals and player-trading-generator the New York Rangers in the first round next week.