Don’t look now but the New York Islanders are the NHL’s hottest team

The New York Islanders have won eight of their last ten games and have cruised into a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Should other teams be worried?

The New York Islanders are 2019’s Buffalo Sabres. There’s a good chance that most reading this won’t really understand that statement, so I’ll provide an explanation.

The Sabres are the trendy team being talked about this season. They are vastly outperforming their bottom-dwelling campaign from last year, they are fun to watch and they have star power through every position. There’s a good chance they make the playoffs and once in, they won’t be a team anyone gets excited about facing. At least, this is what the media will tell you.

The New York Islanders are the actual team no one will want to face by the time the NHL postseason comes around (assuming they make it). The Islanders, coached by current Stanley Cup champion Barry Trotz, who is fresh off taking a team no one thought could win to the promise land, are dangerous on all fronts. They have the key pieces required to win any game and they are only going to get better.

Note: This is not meant to be a slight to the Buffalo Sabres. The media darling Sabres are still a great team. This is more of a warning, or a set up to say “I told you so” when the Isles make some waves late in the year.

Winning eight of their last ten games, the Islanders are arguably the hottest team in the league since Christmas. They would have likely been on a seven game win streak if not for a few costly errors against the Hurricanes last night. They ended up losing 4-3 to another team that is red-hot (five straight wins for Carolina). New York currently sits one point outside of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, but they are heading in the right direction.

The Isles have five players with double-digit goals and three more knocking on the door with eight or nine a piece. This is the type of balance that helps teams put together long playoff runs. They are deep and don’t rely on one line or a couple of star players for all of their offensive production. Their defensemen are playing well too, which is an added luxury that this team is not used to. A big part of that luxury is recent AHL call-up Devin Toews.

Toews suffered a shoulder injury midway though last season that kept him out of AHL action until this season. After being called up, the Isles rattled off six straight wins before the loss last night to the Hurricanes. Still, in that loss, Toews continued to contribute.

Toews, who has two goals and an assist in his first seven games, spoke to the New York Post about his debut in the NHL.

"“I thought before I went down with the shoulder injury, it was nagging me a bit, but I felt like I was playing some of my best hockey. The offseason was huge for that, just getting my shoulder healthy and ready to go. Training camp, I felt awesome. They make their decisions, and I support their decisions. And yeah, I felt like I was playing really good hockey down there and contributing and developing.”"

Toews spent the first half of the season with New York’s AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. He didn’t crack the line up until an injury opened the door in late December. It’s safe to say he isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Goaltending has played a massive role in the Islanders surge as of late. For the first time in a long time, goaltending hasn’t been the Achilles heel to this team’s success. Robin Lehner is 11-6-3 with a 2.18 goals against average and a .927 save percentage. Thomas Greiss is also doing well at 12-8-1 and 2.69/.914. The two of them splitting time has led to success for the Isles.

The Islanders will be a fun team to watch through the back half of this season. If they can continue playing well and put together a few more win streaks, don’t be surprised to see this team make a push in April and May. A potential playoff series with Toronto would be so much fun, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves as it’s still early.

The Isles are playing like a top team in the Eastern Conference. If they keep this up and get to the playoffs, expect Barry Trotz to prove he’s worth every penny of that new contract.