Islanders News: Mission DeBoer-ted

If you don’t bring us to at least two conference finals then it’s a broken promise. | NHLI via Getty Images On the game schedule, the Islanders are idle for several days, but the events around them are anything but. On Sunday, the long-looming games in hand came to roost as the Senators beat the Hurricanes and the Flyers beat the Bruins, both climbing above the Isles to push them out of a playoff spot — and still each with an additional game in hand.

Oh, and before all that, the Isles dropped the bombshell that they fired Patrick Roy as head coach, replacing him with Pete DeBoer. The next few days of practice will be busy indeed. Anything should be an improvement over the uninspired, overmatched, disorganized showing of the last few weeks.

It’s a huge move in that Mathieu Darche made a decision while there’s, maybe, theoretically, if things go right, still time in this season with four games left. But more significantly, Darche made his choice on who would oversee the roster he provides over the next few seasons. DeBoer and Bruce Cassidy were the two most distinguished names available as the offseason neared, and there were lots of teams set to go looking for a coach.

So it’s no small move that Darche nabbed one of them now, to provide the structure and direction Roy’s tenure was unable to and to get ahead of the line. DeBoer and the Isles now have a few days to adjust before their next game, at home Thursday to the Maple Leafs. They could win all four remaining games and still miss the playoffs.