NEW YORK _ Management showed its faith in the Islanders by standing pat at the NHL trade deadline, though that didn't immediately work out for them on Tuesday night. But this loss only punctuated coach Barry Trotz's message before his team before it opened a five-game homestand.
"This is playoff hockey," Trotz said. "Every game you have to tighten your game and be ready. We're playing a lot of games. That can be mentally hard to grind through."
The Islanders, seeking their first playoff berth since 2016, lost to the Pacific Division-leading Flames, who scored twice early in the third period, for the second time in six days, 3-1, on Tuesday night at NYCB Live's Nassau Coliseum.
