Islanders taking positives despite slow start: No doubt in my mind

DENVER — The tone out of the Islanders’ dressing room Saturday night was optimistic. They liked the way they started against Dallas, they liked the way they played defensively and they noted how well Jake Oettinger played in shutting them out, 3-0. “I thought it was a good game tonight from us,” Casey Cizikas said, echoing the general sentiment.“We just gotta continue playing like that on this road trip.” A little overly optimistic? Perhaps.

But moral wins are not going to be enough for much longer, and starting the season with a third straight defeat Monday night against the Avalanche would only increase the pressure on the Islanders to start producing real victories. As soon as the schedule was released, it was obvious that the opening run of games — home to Utah before going to Dallas, Colorado and St.Louis — would be an immediate challenge and that has been exactly how it’s played out.

The Avalanche, still seeking their first win of the season but with firepower that includes Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar and a pedigree that includes the 2023 Stanley Cup, will provide no letup. While much of the night will focus on Patrick Roy’s return to Colorado, where he coached from 2013-16, the fact that one of these projected playoff teams will exit the building winless in three games adds a little more importance than might otherwise be attached to a game in the third week of October. “On my side, if we keep playing like this, I know we’re gonna win our share of games,” Roy said Saturday after the Islanders nearly doubled up the Stars on high-danger chances (11-6, per Natural Stat Trick).“There’s no doubt in my mind.”  Sign up for Inside the Islanders by Ethan Sears, a weekly Sports+ exclusive.

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