The New York Islanders have continued to shock the entire league with their elite level of play throughout the majority of the 2018-2019 season. When John Tavares left via free agency on July 1st, nearly everybody, including 17 out of 18 NHL writers, as Brendan Burke pointed out in the playoff-clinching win, picked the Islanders to miss the playoffs.
This season has been a dream come true for Isles’ fans. We have been contenders nearly the entire season, spent months atop the Metropolitan, and gave John Tavares a marvelous welcome back. All that and we’re only getting started.