When you hear New York Islanders, you think of perennial basement dwellers. Prior to the lockout shortened season of 2012-13, the Islanders hadn’t made the playoffs since 2006-07. They just squeezed into the playoffs in the lockout year, beating out the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final spot. They were unable to move past the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round however, and were knocked out in six games.
The Islanders have not made it past the first round since the 1992-93 season, almost 23 years ago, where they bowed out in the Conference Finals to the Montreal Canadiens in five games. Since then, they have only made the playoffs a paltry six times, and always losing in the first round. The closest they came to breaking past that barrier was in 2001-02, losing in seven games to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
It’s safe to say that the Isles were a horrible team backed a goalie, Rick Dipietro, when he was healthy that is, who had no business being a first overall pick, or even a top sixty pick. They had constant management issues, trading away franchise building blocks, spending way too much money on players who didn’t deserve it, and maddeningly confusing picks.
Now fast forward to 2014-15, and the Islanders are looking like a playoff team. In their first twenty games, they have gone 14-6-0. They haven’t started the season off this well since the 2007-08 season where they went 12-8-0 in the first twenty games. The Isles did not qualify for the playoffs in 07-08, but were only four wins away from being above .500.
The Isles are looking like a team recharged and ready to prove that they are done being one of the jokes in the NHL. Move over, Edmonton. We warmed up your seat, Buffalo. Led by 2009 top pick and captain John Tavares, the Isles are winning games, and not just here and there, they have put up three winning streaks of three or more games this season already, and are currently riding a three game streak, after shutting down the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 on November 22nd. These Isles are showing no signs of stopping or sinking.
The Isles are racking up 3.2 goals for per game, tied for third overall in the league, and allowing 2.8 goals per game, tying them for 18th overall. Another stat the Isles are excelling at is getting shots on net, throwing 32.8, second in the NHL, on net a game and getting shot on 29 times per game, tied for 12th. The defense is doing a great job of limiting shots, and keeping the Isles competitive.
The defense is the area that got a huge upgrade this offseason. The Chicago Blackhawks and the Boston Bruins were two teams that were perilously close or over the salary cap and were forced to ship out a big contract. The Isles jumped on the opportunity, grabbing Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy from the Bruins and the Hawks, respectively. The Isles gave up no roster players, only sending mid round picks and prospects for the two, but these two deals gave the Isles what they have been lacking for a long time. Two defensemen who can play in a top four role and eat up big minutes. Boychuk has especially been productive, notching 13 points in 19 games played.
On the forward ranks, years of smart drafting with Ryan Strome, Kyle Okposo, John Tavares, Brock Nelson, Frans Nielsen, Anders Lee, and even long forgotten Josh Bailey is finally paying off. Five of these homegrown developed players are leading the Isles in points. Nelson is probably the most intriguing. Last season in 72 games played, he had 14 goals and 26 points. This season, playing with Strome and Lee, he is racking up the points with 19 points in 20 games. Offseason free agent additions Nikolay Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski are providing secondary scoring, just what the Isles need with 11 and 9 points respectively. And even with Michael Grabner out for the foreseeable future, the Isles don’t seem to be missing him, and may even try to move him, especially if the youngsters continue to impress.
Jarsolav Halak and Chad Johnson are forming a solid duo, with both able to steal two points for the team. Halak was acquired for a fourth round pick from the Washington Capitals, but has played like a goalie worth more than a fourth rounder. Bet the Caps are feeling a bit silly now.
The Isles are finally starting to come together, looking like a playoff team. Despite having a stacked team with some big names, they still have $7 million free in salary cap. Tavares’s new deal plays a big part in that. You can’t find many all-star talents like Tavares only being paid $5.5 million per year. The Isles do have a big summer ahead of them, especially on defense with six defensemen coming off the books, but will be looking to keep them. Nelson, Lee, Cory Conacher, and Eric Boulton will also be looking for new deals. But for right now, the Isles are focused on winning and proving they aren’t a basement team anymore. They are ready to take the East by storm and get past the first round in the playoffs. They also have a new home to look forward to by next season and what better way to move into the new arena by advancing far in the playoffs?
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