Back in November, two situations seemed unlikely: One, that the Islanders would actually fire coach Jack Capuano and two, that they would get within shouting distance of a playoff berth.
Incredibly, both actually did happen, and heading into Thursday night’s game in Philadelphia, the Islanders trail the Flyers by just three points for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. There’s no guarantee they make it, of course, but they’ve certainly come a long way since earlier in the season when they were dead last in the conference and fans were looking at what players could be unloaded at the trade deadline.