![\"Anders](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-06T030737Z_1265593497_MT1USATODAY28166284_RTRMADP_3_NHL-NEW-YORK-ISLANDERS-AT-NEW-JERSEY-DEV.jpeg\" "\\"Islanders")
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Feb 5, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New York Islanders left wing Anders Lee (27) skates against New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec (17) during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
NEWARK, NJ \u2014\u00a0New York Islanders captain Anders Lee seemed almost sheepish when admitting that his team\u2019s ridiculously packed schedule took a toll on them when I asked him about it following Thursday night\u2019s 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, we\u2019re feeling. The boys are feeling it,\u201d he said quietly as he leaned in. \u201cYou could probably tell I\u2019m feeling it.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
It was the final game of a grueling stretch. The Islanders played eight games in 13 nights before the NHL\u2019s three-week break for the 2026 Winter Olympics, during which its players will be sent for the first time since 2014. Amidst that barrage was three games in three different cities in just four nights. They fell in Washington, D.C., to the Capitals on Monday night, then pulled out a 5-4 overtime win<\/a> at home to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. On Thursday night, Bo Horvat broke a 1-1 deadlock<\/a> with 3:27 left in regulation with his third goal in the last two games \u2014 as good a way to end it as he joins the vaunted Team Canada in Milan-Cortina for the Winter Games.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I don\u2019t, honestly [remember ever playing such a busy schedule],\u201d Lee said. \u201cWe\u2019re at the mercy of something great that\u2019s coming up here in the Olympics, and it\u2019s awesome that our league is in it, it really is, but it puts pressure on our schedule.\u201d<\/p>\n There was no questioning that their legs were getting heavy. They were chasing the Penguins throughout most of Tuesday night\u2019s win, which included a comeback in which they trailed 4-3 midway through the final frame. On Thursday, they were outshot 24-14 by a Devils team in full-on crisis mode, having lost four of its previous five before hosting the Islanders.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think we\u2019re feeling it. I know I was,\u201d defenseman Ryan Pulock told amNewYork. \u201cAt times, we just weren\u2019t able to move our feet as well as we\u2019d like. The schedule has been condensed, and there\u2019s a lot of hockey, and sometimes, it becomes a bit of a mental game when you\u2019re not feeling great physically. I think a lot of credit is owed to the guys for bearing down. Maybe it\u2019s not pretty at all times, but they just worked until we found a way.\u201d<\/p>\n The way they finished their pre-Olympic schedule might have been the crowning achievement of the Islanders\u2019 surprising unofficial first half. They went 5-3-0 over that heavy final stretch and remain just one point behind the Penguins for second place in the Metropolitan Division<\/a>, which is now something they get to sit on for the next three weeks.<\/p>\n Consider it a perch well-earned for a team that outside prognosticators expected little of this season.\n<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I love about this game sometimes is that it\u2019s such a grind, and it\u2019s that much more rewarding when you go out tonight and get two points,\u201d Lee said. \u201cYou really feel accomplished in your task. I give a lot of credit to our group for finding ways to win in games where you don\u2019t have your energy, your legs.\u201d<\/p>\n More importantly comes the well-deserved rest. After playing 58 games before the Olympic break \u2014 only the Capitals have played more amongst Eastern Conference teams \u2014 the Islanders do not take the ice again until Feb. 26 in Montreal to face the Canadiens.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m really proud of our group. This group is resilient,\u201d head coach Patrick Roy said. \u201c[This break is] gonna be good. We know we\u2019re going to have a tough schedule coming back, but the fact that we played 58 games might give us a chance to not play as much as some other teams.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Bo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2026-02-06T024038Z_1658948998_MT1USATODAY28165896_RTRMADP_3_NHL-NEW-YORK-ISLANDERS-AT-NEW-JERSEY-DEV.jpeg\" "\\"Islanders")
Feb 5, 2026; Newark, New Jersey, USA; New York Islanders center Bo Horvat (14) celebrates with teammates after scoring against the New Jersey Devils during the third period at Prudential Center. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images<\/p>\n