New York Islanders' late-season dominance makes them scary ahead of playoffs

Extending their winning streak to five games with a 4-2 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday, the New York Islanders have climbed beyond the grind of the Eastern Conference standings and now find themselves holding the No. 3 spot in the Metropolitan Division.

With stellar goaltending from both Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, Matthew Barzal continuing to tear up the scoresheet, Noah Dobson emerging as one of the best blueliners in the game, and of course, the boost that’s come with the hiring of Patrick Roy as head coach, the Islanders have emerged as a team with plenty of upset-potential in the first round of the playoffs.

On Wednesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discuss the Islanders’ hot streak and how good they’re playing as we get closer to the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Tyler Yaremchuk: The New York Islanders get their fifth-straight win on Tuesday with a 4-2 decision over the New York Rangers. Bo Horvat got the game-winning goal, and with another big two points over a strong opponent, it’s starting to feel like the Islanders have a stranglehold on that No. 3 spot in the Metropolitan Division.

Frank Seravalli: Without a doubt, they’re in the drivers’ seat. They’re playoff chances have rocketed all the way up to 82 percent, according to Ineffective Math. The big thing that stands out to me is the five-game winning streak, and you’ve only allowed eight goals against.

When we start to talk about which team might be a live dog in the first round, the Islanders stand out to me. Anytime you can throw out Ilya Sorokin at someone in a seven-game series, that has unique, game-breaking potential. Obviously they’re energized and playing much better, and leave it up to St. Patrick to try and make some miracles happen for the Islanders.

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…