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Islanders’ Tavares: ‘We’re not earning it’

Detroit Red Wings v New York Islanders

skates against the New York Islanders at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on November 29, 2013 in Uniondale, New York. The Red Wings defeated the Islanders 5-0.

Bruce Bennett

At one point is it rock bottom for the New York Islanders, a team that qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs last spring and appeared on the upswing.

The Islanders were beaten 5-1 by the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, running their recent funk to eight games without a win, their last coming on Nov. 16.

The Blues scored three times on the power play, breaking the game wide open with a trio of goals in the second period.

Thursday’s result drops the Islanders’ record to 8-16-5. Their 21 points puts them dead last in the Metropolitan Division, and right now they’re only seven points up on the Buffalo Sabres, the last-place team in the Eastern Conference and the entire National Hockey League.

“We need to have a lot more pride,” Islanders captain John Tavares told Newsday Long Island after Thursday’s defeat.

“You’re playing in the NHL ... We proved a lot last year, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to just keep climbing. We’re not earning it.”

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