Metro Division allows Islanders to be patient with slow start

The New York Islanders have been a bit of a chameleon this season. 

On the one hand, they’ve had tremendous showings like the 6-0 demolition of the New Jersey Devils a few nights ago. Then, there have been the thuds like the 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.

Despite the seemingly slow start, there’s no need to panic in Long Island. The Metro Division provides enough slack for the Islanders to remain in the playoff picture.

Beyond the Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals, there really isn’t one team that has truly distanced itself from the Islanders. 

Yes, the Rangers have been off to a strong start. But you have to think that the loss of Igor Shesterkin will eventually catch up to them. Unless Dylan Garand can come out of nowhere like Jim Carey or Tim Thomas did, the fact is that the Rangers will eventually hit a wall.

The rest of the division, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, and Columbus Blue Jackets, has not shown any significant superiority over the Islanders. That situation makes you wonder just how much runway the Islanders have.

In fact, you could say that the Islanders are in the same position as the Devils. Both clubs have plenty of talent, but they just can’t seem to string together consistent efforts.

And that’s just the answer: All the Isles need to do is string strong efforts together to pull ahead of the rest of the pack.

Islanders are still a work in progress

Despite being a veteran team, the Islanders are a work in progress. It’s easy to forget that Peter DeBoer hasn’t even coached this team for a dozen games. Plus, the shortened preseason has exposed plenty of sloppy play around the league.

That’s not an Islanders thing. It’s an NHL thing.

The prevailing opinion has been, across the league, that a longer training camp would have enabled clubs across the NHL to shore up many of the miscues we’ve seen throughout games so far. 

Moreover, other areas, such as special teams, have suffered the most as a result of the shorter training camp.

That’s all water under the bridge now. There is no point in complaining about the situation. The only path forward is for the Islanders to become more comfortable under DeBoer. And when they finally hit their stride, the Isles could become one of the most dangerous teams in the NHL.

That’s the advantage of playing in a relatively weak division. If the Islanders were playing in the “Death Valley” Central Division or the stacked Atlantic Division, a lukewarm start could be devastating.

That’s not the case, fortunately.

The Islanders have a little more runway to find their footing. And when they do, it could be at the most opportune time. The club could ride a hot streak straight into the playoffs and potentially a prolonged postseason run.

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