Islanders 3rd In The NHL In Points Percentage

At the holiday break, the New York Islanders are third in the league in standings based on points percentage. They’re at a .700 right now.

In the last four games, the Islanders are 1-2-1 and they’ve given up 19 goals over that span. That’s an average of 4.8 goals per game, which is about the exact opposite of what the New York Islanders generally are.

Despite this recent struggle, the Islanders are still one of the better teams in the league at the Holiday Break. If you go based on points percentage, the Isles are third in the league with a .700

That means 70 percent of the time the Islanders are leaving the game with a point, which is tremendous. The only two teams in front of them are the last two Stanley Cup Champions.

As we discussed during their point streak, the Isles were setting themselves up for the future. It would allow them a patch of struggling, which is exactly what they’re going through right now. As currently constructed this is a very good hockey team.

The question then becomes are they just a good playoff team or are they a contender? At this instant, I lean towards a good playoff team.

While I think the defense will eventually tighten back up, I’m still not sure if they have the right amount of “pop” as Barry Trotz would say. Yes, if they stay pat they will be a playoff team again, I’m just not sure if they would get any further than what they did last year.

Granted, this could all change with a deadline day move. The Isles aren’t that far away from being a contender, even their biggest critics in the fanbase will admit that. It seems obvious, to me at least, that they are a goal scorer away from being a legit Stanley Cup Contender.

I’m not saying this team is bad, or that Lou Lamoriello has done a bad job, I just don’t quite think that they’re a finished product and to me, Lou understands that. Why else would he go so hard after Artemi Panarin if he thought his team was fine as is?

Newsflash, he’s aware they need scoring help. With Taylor Hall off the board, I’m curious to see the direction in which they go. We’re a long way away from the deadline but it’s important to realize just how big of a day that could be for the franchise.

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Yes, you should 100 percent be excited about the Islanders’ stellar start. I just don’t think you should be complacent and that’s the difference.