The Islanders and Red Wings did battle tonight in Detroit. The two teams entered with nearly inverse records, and Detroit waltzed into the evening on a nine-game losing streak, its previous seven losses coming in regulation.
It wasn’t a game the Islanders absolutely had to have. But it was a game a team like the Islanders should’ve treated like an assumed two points—not to overlook or discredit the Wings, but in a tight Metropolitan Division race, it’s important to bank the easy points against the league-worst team—and it’s good that they got them. It’s also good to get Jordan Eberle off the schneid.