Islanders five feel-good moments from the 2019-20 season

With the 2019-20 season on pause for a full month now, let’s go over some feel-good moments for the New York Islanders this season.

The 2019-20 season had its ups and downs for the New York Islanders. The last time we saw the Islanders they weren’t exactly playing the best hockey.

Over their last ten games, before the season was put on hold, the Isles were 2-4-4. Their only two wins came against the Detroit Red Wings and the San Jose Sharks. Two of the worst teams in the NHL this past season.

That streak, coupled with the rest of the Metropolitan Division playing better hockey than the Isles, pushed them outside of the playoff picture for the first time in months.

So yeah, the way things were before the season was put on hold wasn’t, as you’d say “great”.

In this time unprecedented time with negative story after negative story I thought it would be a good idea to go over some of the feel-good moments from the 2019-20 season.

Why not a positive spin to get us through another week of quarantine. What are some of the best feel-good stories this season?

Belmont

Where the New York Islanders will play has been an ongoing saga for years. After it was clear that staying at the Nassau Coliseum was no longer possible, the Islanders moved to Brooklyn to play at the Barclays Center in 2015.

But the marriage between the Islanders and the Barclays Center was rocky right from the start. And it never really got any better. Getting out of Brooklyn became a priority within two years after arriving.

In December 2017, the Islanders won the right to build an arena at Belmont Park in Queens. The Isles would have a new state-of-the-art arena all to themselves and it was on Long Island.

After two years of planning, legal work, environmental assessments and such, State Governor Andrew Cuomo, as well as a huge crowd of Islanders fans, broke ground on September 23, 2019.

While the announcement that the Isles had won the right to build the arena back in 2017 was a big deal, getting a shovel in the ground was always going to matter more. Getting a shovel in the ground is a clear line from concept to concrete. From an idea to reality.

Why is this a feel-good story?

It’s a clear reminder that this franchise is healthy and has a long-term future on the Island. Something that wasn’t so clear just a few years ago.

PS: Even though construction is currently on hold because of COVID-19, you can watch a timelapse of the construction from August 29, 2019, to March 28, 2020, and bask in what will eventually be the home of the New York Islanders.

See Belmont timelapse here.

17-Game Point Streak

From October 12, 2019 to November 23, 2019, the New York Islanders were the best team in the NHL. In 17 games, the Isles held a 15-0-2 record. Collecting 32 points from a possible 34 points.

If not for the Washington Capitals putting up an impressive run of points during that time the Isles would have sat at the top of the division and even maybe even the NHL.

By November 24, the Isles were fourth in the NHL with 34 points from 21 games played. By points percentage, the Isles sat at the top of the NHL with 0.810 points-per-game. Boston was second with 0.761 points-per-game.

After that 103 point season in 2018-19, the Islanders, under Barry Trotz and Lou Lamoriello had clearly established themselves as one of the better teams in the NHL.

They weren’t flashy. They didn’t have the best offense in the league. But they made up for that with a good worth ethic and a solid plan. They showed that a team can overcome a talent disadvantage and win with the proper plan.

Not only that, but the 17-game point steak would go in the history books as the longest point streak in franchise history. Not even during the Islanders golden-era had they put up a 17-game point streak.

The previous point-streak record was 15 games from the 1981-82 season.

Why is this a feel-good story?

While the Belmont arena had us feeling good about the future of the franchise. The 17-game point streak had us feeling good about the current status of the franchise.

The Isle were one of the better teams in the league. What’s not to like about that?

Trades

Lou Lamoriello went 593 days between trades from July 4, 2018, to February 16, 2020. It’s not like the team didn’t need help or that players weren’t available via trade. But for some reason, Lou just wasn’t using the trade market.

Finally, after almost 600 days, Lou made a trade. He acquired Andy Greene from the New Jersey Devils. A few days later Lou made a few more moves, the biggest being the acquisition of Jean-Gabriel Pageau from the Ottawa Senators, and then locked him up for six years.

It’s clear that Lou felt this team needed a bit more help to get them over the top.

Now, Lou didn’t get a top-six winger, but getting Jean-Gabriel Pageau (who’s a top-tier third-line center) would help out the rest of the roster.

With Pageau, the Islanders would have a usable thrid-line again. Something they didn’t have all season long in 2019-20. Derick Brassard was brought it to fill the Valtteri Filppula role on the third-line and just didn’t do a good enough job.

With a functional third-line, the Isles could role out four lines with near even usage and get them back to playing the type of game they like playing. And maybe, that would be enough for this season.

Why is this a feel-good story?

While the trade wasn’t exactly what we were looking for, it was a good sign from management. It was clear that Lou sees the Islanders window opening and with some extra help, this team could find themselves in contention.

With years of inadequate management, it felt good to know that a window was opening and that Lou was trying to get the Isles over the hump.

Brock Nelson

In the last game of the 2019-20 season before the break, Brock Nelson put up two goals in a shootout loss for the Isles. Those two goals put him at 26 goals for the year and 54 points (a career-high). Proving that 2018-19 was no fluke.

For years Brock Nelson was an enigma on the New York Islanders roster. It was clear that he was a talented individual, but was he giving us his full potential? For months Brock would seemingly disappear after starting the season on fire. Imagine what Brock could be if he could just be consistent?

And then in 2018-19, we got to see what a more consistent Brock Nelson could become. In 82 games, Nelson scored 25 goals and a career-high 28 assists for 53 points (then a career-high).

Almost over-night, Brock became the second-line center the Isles had been looking for since the departure of Frans Nielsen in the 2016 free agency period.

But was this the true Brock, or was he just getting a “Barry bounce”? Was his career year in 2018-19 due to his contract coming to an end and unrestricted free agency looming? Could he be the same player in 2019-20?

Armed with a new six-year $36 million contract Brock Nelson proved that his 53 point career-year in 2018-19 was no fluke.

Had the season gone a full 82 games, Brock was on pace to score 31 goals and 34 assists for 65 points. Crushing his previous career-high.

Why is this a feel-good story?

Brock becoming a true second-line center in the NHL is a feel-good story because it’s nice to know that there’s untapped potential in some players. It’s nice to know that guys who might be underperforming could blossom into something more with the right set of hands guiding them.