Masked by back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup SemiFinals, the New York Islanders and the fanbase may have been a bit farther than it appeared.

Taking no credit away from the 2020-21 and the 2021-22 teams, as that resilient group defied odds in both seasons and given their keen attention to detail and structure, were able to knock off top opponents. In the 2022 postseason, a short-handed goal proved the difference-maker in Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

A win in that game gave the Islanders a heavy chance at raising their fifth Stanley Cup in franchise history, in what would have ended a