Islanders salute Nassau Coliseum fans after 4-1 win Saturday in Game 4 against the Penguins. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The fact that 16 players were part of all four Islanders' Stanley Cups in the early 1980s was an achievement then and is inconceivable in the modern, free-agency era.
But by 21st century standards, the current Islanders have an impressive list of longtime players, continuity that in theory bodes well in a long, contentious playoff series like their current first-rounder against the Penguins.
That is the sort of pressure the Islanders faced entering Game 5 on Monday night in Pittsburgh — a best-of-three series with two games on the road.