Put the New York Islanders' uninspiring-but-productive first 19 games aside, and we are still left with this: Just by rankings relative to other teams, they don't look as well positioned in the Eastern Conference as they were looking around this time last year, when they put years of November curses behind by extending October to 60 days.
One of last year's contenders that has only gotten better appears to be the Montreal Canadiens. The Isles have had their troubles with the Canadiens, including a close contest earlier this month that spilled into third-period thumping.