Islanders looking to build consistency — and their win streak

The realization of just how bad things had gotten for the Islanders before Lou Lamoriello pulled the trigger on a coaching change comes with the realization that Thursday’s win over the Lightning was the first time they had won back-to-back games since Dec. 13. 

That is nearly two months, a span over which the Isles’ season-long inconsistency spiraled, nearly sending the year off the rails.

That inconsistency is what Patrick Roy is now wrestling with in trying to get the Islanders over the playoff cutline. 

The win over the Lightning is notable not just because the Isles finally can put together a veritable streak if they follow it by beating Calgary on Saturday afternoon at UBS Arena but because it was the sort of 60-minute effort they have usually failed to put together. 

“I think that’s the hardest thing to do in this league,” Jean-Gabriel told The Post after Friday’s practice. “It’s to be consistent, not only game by game but you play a good period, you need to wash it away and go back and try to have a better period. And I think that’s the mentality he tries to bring in. 

“Every period is like, it’s a new period. Leave it all out there 20 minutes at a time. Shift by shift, try to refocus. [You have] a bad shift, well next shift, I’ll be better. He’s very positive and I think brings that new mentality of every shift, play the best that you can.” 

As good as the first 20 minutes were for the Islanders on Thursday, the game could have gone in another direction after Brandon Hagel scored to make it 3-2 just 1:14 into the second. A lot of times this year, that’s just what would have happened. 

Instead, the Isles kept stacking shift after shift. And they put the Lightning away. 

Now the challenge is to stack game after game. 

“Since the first game he came in, right away we did some good stuff,” Pageau said. “We kept getting better and better. You could see parts of the game, that’s how we want to play. And control the puck, have that puck possession and be quick in the [defensive] zone, you start seeing the results. I think now we’re getting the wins because we did that for a full 60 minutes. That’s why we deserve to win.” 

After missing the final 10:16 of Thursday’s game, Alexander Romanov did not practice Friday, with the Islanders calling the defenseman day-to-day with maintenance.

Roy said his status for Saturday’s game would be decided during warmups. 

Robert Bortuzzo (lower body) was a full participant in Friday’s practice, his first time skating with the team since getting hurt in a loss to the Avalanche on Dec. 2.