The New York Islanders have made it back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They earned their spot in this year’s competition thanks to a convincing 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Monday night.
It’s been a wild campaign for the Islanders. For the longest time, they resembled anything but an operation that merited a place in the playoffs. That resulted in former head coach Lane Lambert receiving his marching orders in January. He was immediately replaced by Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy, whose first head coaching stint in the NHL was with the Colorado Avalanche from 2013 to 2016.
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Through perseverance, the club started compiling just enough wins to sneak into third place in the Metropolitan Division. Monday’s game was never much of a contest against a moribund Devils squad, with Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri, Brock Nelson, and Kyle MacLean all netting goals for the playoff-bound Isles. It’s a well-rounded side, with Mathew Barzal, Noah Dobson, and Bo Horvat all having great seasons, not to mention two dependable goalies in Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov.
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