WFAN.com
First off, let’s make one thing perfectly clear: The Islanders are off to a much better start this season than a year ago.
The Isles buried themselves to begin 2016-17, winning just six of their first 20 games (6-10-4). As a result, they were tasked with a season-long uphill climb and forced to play stressful hockey for seven months. Though they fought the good fight during the season’s second half, they ultimately fell one point shy of a playoff berth.
Fast forward to September. Fresh off having the interim label removed from his title, head coach Doug Weight declared that the Isles needed to emerge from training camp with a purpose.