After falling short in the Eastern Conference Finals in back-to-back years during the 2020 and 2021 seasons, it seemed like the New York Islanders were right on the cusp of bringing home a fifth Stanley Cup to Long Island. However, in the following season, the team took major steps back and missed the playoffs entirely which led to the firing of future hall of fame head coach Barry Trotz. Stepping up into the head coach position was assistant coach Lane Lambert who was able to bring the Islanders back into the playoffs in 2023 but were eliminated in round 1 by the Carolina Hurricanes. Coming into the 2024 season, there was confusion regarding whether the New York Islanders were not only playoff contenders, but could they possibly get back to where they were just a few years ago competing for the Stanley Cup.

The 2024 season has been a rollercoaster ride for the franchise. The Islanders were able to quickly show the league that they weren’t done competing and asserted themselves among the top of the Metropolitan division sitting in second place heading into December.

The holidays weren’t too joyful for the blue and orange as the team quickly fell outside of the playoff picture coming out of the holiday break. They lost all 4 games on their road trip, which led to head coach Lane Lambert getting fired. Taking Lambert’s spot as the Islanders new bench boss was 4x Stanley cup winning goaltender Patrick Roy. Again, the hockey world batted an eye when they realized the Islanders weren’t going to give up on their core group of players. It appears this would just lead to more mediocre play from the Islanders posting a 4-5-3 record with the new coach on Feb. 24.

On Feb. 26 with all hope being lost, the Islanders visited the red-hot Dallas Stars for a Monday night matchup in which they were able to squeak out an overtime win. Then they traveled to Detroit to play the Red Wings. After a grueling back and forth game, it was the Islanders who came out victorious for a second straight win against another very good team.

Fast forward two more nights, the Islanders hosted the Boston Bruins at UBS arena where they completely dismantled the powerhouse Bruins by a score of 5-1. Now it seemed like this is the Islanders team that everyone has been waiting for. On Tuesday morning, Lamoriello released a statement saying the team was “not subtracting” and “looking to add” at the deadline. This struck the media immediately hours before the Islanders faced off against the St Louis Blues and extended their winning streak to four straight games. The Islanders now sit four points out of a divisional playoff position with games in hand on the teams in front of them.

Just when you think this team is out of it and the end is near, this resilient group continuously proves everyone wrong. It will be a fun finish to the season, and it will be interesting to see if the Islanders can squeak their way into “the big dance” in April.