What a year this has been for the New York Islanders. They made it to the 2021 playoffs as the fourth-place team in their division, but caught fire as they did the year before and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final.
They unfortunately found themselves taking on the best team in the league, the Tampa Bay Lightning, once again, ending their impressive playoff run one round short of the Stanley Cup Final for the second-consecutive season.
The organization and fanbase were naturally disappointed, but 2021 was a monumental year for the Islanders. This was the year that they formally established themselves as one of the best teams in the NHL.