The Islanders earned 93 points last season and got into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. What do we expect from them this year? More of the same. A 92-point finish and a dogfight to make the playoffs. The Islanders’ 43 percent chance puts them 10th in the East, 4.2 points off the projected eighth seed.
That has less to do with the Islanders and more to do with how competitive the East is slated to be this season. A 92-point season was enough in 2023, but that’s unlikely in 2024.
The issue here is that a lot of the teams around the Islanders improved and they didn’t. This is still an elite defensive team backed by one of the best goalies in the world, but it’s also one of the worst offensive teams in the league. That makeup plays well in the postseason, but it makes it hard to actually get there. An offseason of inaction did them no favors and given the ages of everyone on the roster, it’s difficult to see an unexpected breakout to get New York over the hump either.
The Islanders have a decent shot of making the playoffs and would be a hard out if they did. But as it stands now, it’s only an outside chance. They’re good, but in the East, “good” isn’t good enough.
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