For twelve years when I was a kid loving hockey, from 1976-1988, NO one besides the Canadiens, Islanders or Oilers won a Stanley Cup. Yet unless you remember 1993, and a shocking number of you don't, you probably can't fathom how much these three teams termed the word Dynasty. Montreal won 4 Cups in a Row...then the NY Islanders won 4 Cups in a row...then the Edmonton Oilers won 4 Cups in row....and actually 5 of the next 6.
So for me to think that these three teams would all enter into a season like this one with such low expectations was Bizarre.
Before the season started there was one obvious narrative that was driving the NY Islanders...How would they survive the loss of JT? But the reality was that was only one of an ever growing list of question marks .... a new coach, a new GM, where the heck would they be playing in a few years?
If you remember October of last year the NY Islanders were actually quite the story. They sat in 4th in the Conference on Halloween with a record of 7-4-1. In their first ten games they went 5-4-1 scoring 33 goals and allowing 33 goals.
Well, the NY Islanders are 10 games into this season as well... Their record? 5-4-1. EXACTY the same as it was in the first ten games last year with Tavares. They have scored 5 less goals without JT, but they have given up 8 less goals.
So in 2017-18: 5-4-1 33GF 33 GA and in 18-19..: 5-4-1 30GF 25 GA
Not incredible of course...but far from the dismal outlook that everyone was waiting for when JT dropped the orange from his uniform and headed to Leafs Land.
And they haven't been the only remarkable early stories...
In the Oilers first ten games last year they went 3-6-1 scoring 22, giving up 33. This year they are 6-3-1 scoring 29 giving up 30.
And how about the Canadiens??
The Habs first ten games... 2017-18: 2-7-1 scoring 18 and giving up 38 2018-19: 6-2-2 scoring 33 giving up 25
So the Islanders, Oilers and Canadiens, three of the 2018-19 prognosticators' whipping boys who went a combined 10-17-3 last year with a DIFF of -31 in their first ten games this year are a combined 17-9-4 with a DIFF of +11.
Will it last?
Who, of these threes teams, do you see as a legit playoff team?
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— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) August 2, 2017