Welcome to a weekly feature where we have some fun with underlying numbers. We highlight a couple of trends, then dig beneath the surface to get a better sense of what these trends ultimately mean, what's causing them and how likely it is that they'll continue. Think of these as bite-sized deep dives.
This week, we're going to focus on how the Islanders could improve their lineup, and what the Western Conference elite have to play for in the final weeks of the regular season. Data referenced in this piece is courtesy of Natural Stat Trick, and is up to date through the conclusion of Wednesday night's games.