NEW YORK _ The New York Islanders were a bitter disappointment to two fan bases on Monday night.
In what has been a foregone conclusion the past two weeks, the Islanders were eliminated from playoff contention with a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers at Barclays Center.
Chants for general manager Garth Snow's firing mixed with boos as the last-place Islanders (31-35-10) lost their third straight to conclude a 1-4-0 homestand. They are 2-10-4 since Feb. 19 and will miss the playoffs for the second straight season.
The Islanders were shut out for the third time this season and finished the homestand with one goal in their past two games.
Though the Islanders are out of the playoffs for the second straight season, this miss has a much different feel from last season, when they finished strongly and fell one point short of the final spot.
"It's definitely different this year," Anders Lee said. "Last year, we were pushing and everything was there until the last game. It's just been a bleak outcome for a week and a half, two weeks now. It is different, but you don't approach the way you come to the rink different. You just come in and try to take what you can and continue to try to be professional and continue to work and take pride in what you do."
