Man, remember that second week of the 2022-23 season, when the Islanders lost to a Devils team that struggled out of the gate, and it felt like an insult?
Yeah, things have changed since then.
The Devils took off on a season-long quest for a possible division title, while the Islanders ebbed and flowed, listed and righted, taking us through a playoff bubble journey that mixed confidence-boosting wins with deflating losses like this past weekend.
Tonight the Devils are back, having just clinched a playoff spot with nine games to go (for them; eight games remain for the Isles).