Brooklyn lured the New York Islanders away from the crumbling Nassau Coliseum, but the rest of the Eastern Playoff teams are getting nervous that the Islanders will not have home ice advantage. The 7th-place Islanders have the second best road record in the East (13-5-2, see table) after winning at Toronto 5-3.
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| Road Records | W | L | OTL | Road Pts | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| y – Pittsburgh | 16 | 5 | 0 | 32 | 66 |
| NY Islanders | 13 | 5 | 2 | 28 | 51 |
| x – Montreal | 13 | 6 | 2 | 28 | 59 |
| x – Boston | 12 | 8 | 2 | 26 | 57 |
| Toronto | 11 | 7 | 3 | 25 | 53 |
| Washington | 11 | 10 | 2 | 24 | 50 |
| Winnipeg | 10 | 10 | 2 | 22 | 48 |
| Ottawa | 8 | 11 | 3 | 19 | 52 |
| NY Rangers | 8 | 11 | 2 | 18 | 48 |
Breitbart Sports pointed out two weeks ago the New York Islanders were making a run at ending their playoff drought. They now have a better road record than the home records of their two most likely playoff opponents – the Capitols and Canadians.
John Tavares scored twice and added an assist Thursday to overcome a 2-0 deficit to give the Isles their 28th point on the road this year and 51st point overall. Both the Rangers and Jets would have to pass the Isles to keep the playoff drought alive, and they are both three points back at 48. For the AP story on Thursday’s game, click here.