Johnny Boychuk wasn’t mincing words when he told Arthur Staple of The Athletic prior to the season that the New York Islanders would be competitive in 2018-19.
“I’ve already seen people pegging us as being in the bottom. That’s just a slap in the face when I see it,” he told Staple. “Our team is really good. I think we’re going to show them that we are a good team.”
Just one-third of the way into the season, the Islanders are proving that they are playing with a chip on their shoulders — regardless of how they fare the rest of the way.