There is plenty to blame on why the New York Islanders are in the basement of the Metropolitan Division. The 13-game road trip, COVID-19, and key injuries have been obstacles that the Islanders have not overcome. While point streaks have snuck themselves into the 30 games the Islanders have played in 2021-22, there is still a major issue with the Islanders that does not involve anything mentioned already.

This New York Islanders team is not built for the long haul of a regular season.

The last two seasons in which the Islanders made the postseason and went on runs to the Semi-Finals masked the true level this team was at.

In 2020-21, the Islanders finished 32-17-7 and made the final playoff spot in the Mast Mutual East Division. In that 56-game regular season, the Islanders did their job against the weaker teams, as they dominated the Buffalo Sabres, the New Jersey Devils, the New York Rangers, and the Philadelphia Flyers, but besides a strong start against the Boston Bruins, the other top teams in the divisions dominated them.