Islanders Eliminated From Playoffs After Late-Season Collapse

New York team falls short of postseason for second straight year despite early promise

Apr. 13, 2026 at 1:56pm

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A cubist, geometric painting depicting a fragmented hockey scene with overlapping planes of navy, royal blue, and white, conceptually representing the Islanders' disjointed end to the season.The Islanders' late-season collapse shatters their playoff dreams, exposing the fragmented nature of their season.Elmont Today

The New York Islanders have been officially eliminated from the NHL playoffs after a disastrous end to their season. Coming out of the Olympic break, the Islanders had a comfortable hold on a playoff spot, but they stumbled down the stretch, going just 4-9-0 in their final 13 games. The team's struggles on both offense and defense since returning from the break proved too much to overcome, despite the midseason acquisition of forward Brayden Schenn and the continued development of young players like Matthew Schaefer and Calum Ritchie.

Why it matters

The Islanders had made the playoffs in five of the six seasons prior to this current two-year drought, so missing out again is a major disappointment for the franchise and its fans. While the team did improve on last year's point total, the failure to secure a playoff spot will sting, especially after they had positioned themselves so well earlier in the season.

The details

After the Olympic break, the Islanders saw their playoff position slip away, going just 4-9-0 in their final 13 games. The team struggled on both ends of the ice, ranking in the bottom-11 in the NHL in both goals per game and goals against per game since returning from the break. Despite the midseason acquisition of forward Brayden Schenn and the continued development of young players like Matthew Schaefer and Calum Ritchie, the Islanders were unable to rediscover the form that had them in a strong playoff position earlier in the year.

  • Coming out of the Olympic break, the Islanders had a comfortable hold on third place in their division, sitting four points up on the Columbus Blue Jackets.
  • Since the Olympic break, the Islanders went 4-9-0 in their final 13 games.
  • The Islanders were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday, April 13, 2026 with a 4-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in Game No. 81 of the regular season.

The players

Bo Horvat

Star forward for the New York Islanders.

Anders Lee

Captain of the New York Islanders.

Ryan Pulock

Veteran defenseman for the New York Islanders.

Brayden Schenn

Middle-six forward acquired by the Islanders at the trade deadline.

Matthew Schaefer

Young player who continued to develop for the Islanders this season.

Calum Ritchie

Young player who continued to develop for the Islanders this season.

Pete DeBoer

Head coach of the New York Islanders, hired with four games left in the season.

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What they’re saying

“We put ourselves in that spot all year. Down the stretch here, when it really mattered, and we needed to get the wins, we just didn't get the job done. It's a pretty crappy feeling. It's on us in this room, and we've just got to learn from it and try to get better next year.”

— Bo Horvat, Star forward

“We needed to get a couple wins here in the last couple days, and we fell short of it. It's just a lot to think about, a lot to wrap our heads around right now. It sucks, it f—king sucks. We're disappointed in it, we put everything we could into making this happen, to pushing ourselves in the playoffs. We just faltered in some moments down the stretch.”

— Anders Lee, Captain

“The first three quarters of the year were such a fun year, just with [Schaefer] and some young guys here and just the group and competing. Finding ways to win hockey games and putting ourselves in a good spot. Throughout the whole year, it was a battle the whole time with playoff position and whatnot. We got ourselves into a pretty good spot, and then just to fall short and not be able to collect a couple extra wins here and there down the stretch, it's painful. It doesn't sit very good and in this moment it sucks.”

— Ryan Pulock, Veteran defenseman

“I'm disappointed. I know they were in a good spot a month ago, coming out of the Olympic break, probably, and a lot of work goes into that. I can only speak to the last seven days; these guys have had a lot of stuff thrown at them. One coach left, a new coach came in, a lot of new stuff, so they're wearing that a little bit and you feel for them. I can tell you I'm proud that they didn't quit. They played right to the buzzer tonight. We know we have a lot of work to do but there's a lot of good things too.”

— Pete DeBoer, Head coach

What’s next

The Islanders will look to end their regular season on a high note when they take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday, April 15, 2026.

The takeaway

Despite the disappointment of missing the playoffs for a second straight year, the Islanders have shown signs of progress with the continued development of their young core and the midseason acquisition of Brayden Schenn. With a new head coach in Pete DeBoer, the team will look to build on this season's lessons and return to the postseason next year.