The NY Islanders have one of the longest droughts in the NHL when it comes to playoff series wins

When the NY Islanders advanced to consecutive Conference/Semi-Finals in 2020 and 2021, it was thought that the organization was moving in the right direction and on the path to a Stanley Cup triumph for the first time since 1983. But since that magical run ended after a Yanni Gourde short-handed goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Islanders have struggled to even make the postseason.

Though it’s only been five years, the Islanders currently have the ninth-longest drought in the NHL when it comes to winning a playoff series. The Mammoth, who have only been in existence for two seasons, have never won a series, while the Los Angeles Kings haven’t won a series since defeating the New York Rangers in the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals, despite making seven playoff appearances since. 

Between 1993 and 2016, the Islanders went 21 seasons without winning a playoff series. That long-awaited series victory came off the stick of John Tavares, who scored the 2OT winner against the Florida Panthers at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round.

While five years now seems like an eternity, there's no reason to believe the Islanders will go as long as they did without a series victory as they did from 1993-2016, and that's mostly due to the emergence of Matthew Schaefer.

It's difficult even to comprehend that Schaefer was just 13 years old the last time the Islanders won a playoff series. Still, the teenage sensation is making Long Island a more desirable place to play, which should lead to more postseason appearances.

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