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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
The season had started with promise. A strong, intense training camp, a few early impressive wins, and flashes of brilliance. But as the months wore on, injuries piled up. Leads were blown. Games were lost by inches, by bad bounces, by the kind of mistakes that haunt seasons. Expectations slowly turned into excuses, and hope gave way to frustration. The standings didn’t lie—they were out. Weeks ago.
The season ends tonight in Columbus. After 82 games, the long NHL season doesn’t feel long enough for the teams that miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The goal at the start of the season was to reach the playoffs. No matter how you get there, when you’re in it, you have a chance, and when you’re not, the feeling is empty, knowing you won’t be part of the most exciting part of the season.
The days following tonight’s game will tell the story of the franchise's direction more than any one season could. Will the Islanders stubbornly stay the course or set forth on a new direction, that while uncharted, has more promise than the one they are currently on? One more game between us and finding out.
