Tuesday night the New York Islanders clinched a playoff spot for the second consecutive season and the third time in four seasons, statements that could last be made in 2003-04 and 2006-07, respectively.
With a break between games during this hectic final week, today presents a chance to truly appreciate that fact. The playoffs. They're a big deal.
The latter team had Jason Blake, Miroslav Satan, Mike Sillinger and Viktor Kozlov as its top scorers. The former was led by Trent Hunter, Oleg Kvasha, Mariusz Czerkawski and Blake.