It’s not technically over for the Islanders. But even the math is starting to look impossible after Wednesday’s 3-1 loss to the Canadiens in Montreal.



— Speaking of numbers, this was probably the most lopsided game in the Isles’ favor this season. Attempts were 62-40 at even strength as the Isles continued a trend they started last week by playing pretty low-event hockey, especially in their own end. Unfortunately, they’ve got exactly one point to show for this new style, with their prolific scoring touch abandoning them at just the wrong time.



“We’re not scoring as many goals as we used to,” Anthony Beauvillier told reporters after the game. “It’s hard to say what it is.”



Not sure how to definitely say “regression to the mean” in Beauvillier’s native French, but that’s one part of the story during this crushing 0-3-1 slide that now has the Isles at around 10 percent to...