Okay, I know I said not to get worked up about the preseason. And I firmly believe that. But if you are going to care about the preseason—and I did mention this when I said not to care, so you can’t wedge anything in on me!—let it be toward the end when the bona fide NHLers start to ramp up their effort, and the systems get finalized.
It was, at the very least, encouraging to watch the New York Islanders look cohesive on the attack and on defense against the New York Rangers, a team that people fall all over themselves to declare the league’s next best team.