Islanders miss playoffs for 1st time in 3 seasons

The New York Islanders failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

The Islanders (34-33-12) were eliminated from contention with a 4-3 shootout loss at the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday. They qualified in five of the previous six seasons.

Here's a look at what happened in the 2024-25 season for the Islanders and why things could be better next season.

The skinny

Potential unrestricted free agents: Kyle Palmieri, F; Matt Martin, F; Hudson Fasching, F; Tony DeAngelo, D; Mike Reilly, D

Potential restricted free agents: Maxim Tsyplakov, F; Simon Holmstrom, F; Marc Gatcomb; F; Noah Dobson, D; Alexander Romanov, D; Adam Boqvist, D; Scott Perunovich, D

Potential 2025 Draft picks: 7

What went wrong

Special teams woes: The Islanders were let down by their power play and penalty kill. They are 31st in the NHL on the power play at 13.1 percent, and 31st on the penalty kill at 72 percent. Their 26 power-play goals are the fewest in the League and their eight short-handed goals allowed are tied for the fourth-most.

Barzal injury: Forward Mathew Barzal has missed the past 28 games because of a lower-body injury sustained after blocking a shot late in the third period of a 3-2 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 1, and he had what the Islanders said was a minor procedure Feb. 6. New York had won seven straight at the time of his injury but has gone 10-13-5 since. Barzal, who also missed 21 games from Nov. 1-Dec. 12 because of an upper-body injury, has 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 30 games. He led or tied for the Islanders’ scoring lead in six of the previous seven seasons.

Close games, blown leads: New York has lost 12 games in overtime or a shootout, and 19 one-goal games, key points that could have made the difference in the playoff race. It also had trouble holding leads, especially late, losing six games when leading after the second period. The Islanders also have been shut out seven times this season, tied for the fourth-most in the NHL.

Reasons for optimism

Ilya Sorokin: One thing the Islanders don’t have to worry about is their starting goalie for the foreseeable future. In his fifth NHL season, Sorokin has his lowest single-season save percentage (.905) and second-highest goals-against average (2.77), but the 29-year-old has a 2.59 GAA and .916 save percentage in 251 career NHL games, and his 21 shutouts since the start of the 2020-21 season are second in the League behind Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets (25).

Cole Eiserman, Calum Ritchie: The Islanders’ prospect pool may not be deep, but two forwards stand out. Eiserman, selected in the first round (No. 20) of the 2024 NHL Draft, had 35 points (24 goals, 11 assists) in 38 games as a freshman at Boston University, and the 18-year-old helped them advance to the 2025 NCAA Tournament championship game, a 6-2 loss to Western Michigan University on Saturday. Ritchie, 20, who was acquired in the trade that sent forward Brock Nelson to the Colorado Avalanche on March 6, had one goal in seven games with the Avalanche to start the season and 70 points (15 goals, 55 assists) in 47 games with Oshawa of the Ontario Hockey League. These two could help add some punch to New York’s offense as soon as next season.

First-round picks coming: After going four years without a first-round draft pick from 2020-23, the Islanders selected Eiserman in that round last season and have four first-round selections over the next three seasons. That should help them refill the prospect pool.