At this point of the season, it is clear that the New York Islanders will likely not win the Metropolitan division. They are 20 points behind the Washington Capitals, and their 6-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday was a tough pill to swallow. On the surface, it would look like Islanders rookie goalkeeper Jakub Skarek struggled in his NHL debut. However, his head coach Patrick Roy said all the right things to the press regarding Skarek, including Newsday's Andrew Gross.

“#Isles Patrick Roy on G Jakub Skarek's NHL debut: ‘He's the reason why there was a game here tonight,'” posted Gross on X, formerly Twitter, following Saturday's matchup.

Making your NHL debut on the road against the defending Stanley Cup champions is a pretty tall task for any rookie. That pressure likely doubles at the very least for a goalkeeper. Skarek may have allowed five goals on 32 shots, but he did show flashes in the loss. The result was especially stinging as it ended a seven-game winning streak and forces the Islanders to refocus on their next test: a matchup hosting the Vegas Golden Knights, the 2022-23 champions. Can Roy and his squad get back on track? Their playoff hopes may depend on it.

Islanders look to rebound after latest loss

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New York Islanders goaltender Jakub Skarek (1) defends his net against the Florida Panthers during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena.
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At the moment, the Isles are currently three points out of the last Wild Card spot. So, it's certainly not an insurmountable amount to overcome. Worst teams have overcome bigger deficits to clinch a spot in the playoffs. The Islanders are playing some of their best hockey right now, as based on the seven straight wins before Saturday's mishap. Normal starting goalie Ilya Sorokin earned a day off, and recent backup Marcus Hogberg is now injured. This is in addition to normal backup Semyon Varlamov being out indefinitely due to injury. This turn of events led to Skarek breaking down his opportunity to shine after the loss.

“#Isles G Jakub Skarek: ‘It was pretty fast,'” Skarek stated (via Gross) post-game. “Florida is one of the better teams in the NHL. It probably was a little bit of a harder of a game. At the same time, I'm very grateful I got to play. The dream came true.”

The dream has certainly come true. In fact, it has remained true. Sorokin needs an understudy. For the moment, that is Skarek. He certainly earned his coach's respect following the tough set of circumstances he faced off against Saturday. Will those circumstances allow him to rise to the occasion here at the pro level? That's something that Roy and his staff certainly hopes will happen.