Nobody expected the New York Islanders to hold first place in October and nobody expects them to maintain it until April.
It’s exactly what the Islanders want us to think.
From puck drop in Raleigh on opening night to their 3-2 shootout loss in Chicago (where they scrounged a point when they arguably deserved none), all the Islanders have done is spit in the face of expectations.
The transformation wasn’t instantaneous, but gradual. All season long, the Islanders have slowly been buying into the system imposed by Barry Trotz and his staff, and the new breed of culture starting at the head with Lou Lamoriello.