After knocking off the top team from each conference to conclude their homestand, the Islanders now do a traveling back-to-back through Florida with start times 22 hours apart for some reason.
As they continue to defy expectations at each turn, your mileage may vary on whether this weekend will be a “thought they’d get stomped but stole points” or “thought they had proven something, what a disappointment” kind of experience.
Things start in Tampa with their second of three meetings with the Lightning in 11 days.
The injuries up front have created some opportunities, including Max Tsyplakov putting together a couple of good games in two different roles. Meanwhile, Travis Mitchell seems to be preferred over Adam Boqvist on the left side of the third pair for now. More reps available with 120 minutes or so to dole out over the next 24 hours.