For what seems so long ago, before the Islanders embarked on a home and home, back-to-back series against the Pittsburgh Penguins, we explored the idea of Islanders trying to win “statement games.”
The Islanders were one of the best teams in the league through the first 18 games, winning 12 and losing six. The emergence of their youngsters, and strong play by the veteran additions all coalesced quickly. There was no learning curve for a team that looked very different from the previous season.
The Islanders played great hockey in the month of November. Only an Islanders fan can tell you how shocking that is. They defeated their fair share of contenders at the time, but lost 3-1 earlier in the season to the Penguins. This home and home was for first place, and it became the team’s turning point.
The Islanders won both games, eclipsed first place, and have been not only atop the metropolitan division, but also the eastern conference during various points of the season since. Going into the All-Star break, they were one point behind the Lightning for conference supremacy, with a couple of games at hand.
One game after the All-Star break, the Islanders are back on top after defeating the New York Rangers by a score of 4-1. They are three for three against the Rangers this season, outscoring them 13-4. They’ve out scored them 7-1 in the last two games while Jaroslav Halak came ten seconds away from his second consecutive shutout against the blue shirts.
No matter how many games the Islanders win, its next big game will always come with the question, “Can the Islanders show they’re for real.” Through 47 games, the Islanders are 32-14-1. They hold a three-point lead over Pittsburgh and are 3-1 against them on the season. Speaking of Metropolitan division opponents, the Islanders are 16-2-0 versus those teams and 23-6-1 against the rest of the conference. Halak is 26-9-0-four of those losses are to two teams, the Canadiens and Blues.
To top it all off, the Islanders have made Nassau Coliseum the toughest arena to play in as they boast a 17-4-0 record. Now, with 35 games remaining, 20 are in Uniondale. In a building that has a newfound, old school, swagger thanks to a fan base that has waited far too long for a season like this.
“Yes, Yes, Yes!”
Islanders fans would like to keep their expectations low heading into the playoffs, but the numbers shown above will force them all to feel differently. Under the new playoff format, the odds are heavily favored for them to play a metropolitan team in the first round and again in the second round. Right now, it’d be hard to pick against them in a seven-game series in that case. Even across the Atlantic division, only the Canadiens have had complete success against them.
The team found out they’ll be without Kyle Okposo for the next two months, but there is no panic button. The depth of this team is incredible, and it showed in their first game without Tavares’s right hand man against the Rangers.
Each line plays a different game, the defense has been above average, and their goalie is a Vezina trophy candidate. The team is done making statements, they’ve proven that they belong in that Stanley Cup conversation.
The playoffs may be a different breed of hockey, but there is nothing to suggest that any team can feel good about having to beat these boys four times in two weeks.
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