Why The Final Metro Playoff Spot May Come Down To The Islanders & Rangers

The New York Islanders have suddenly and quickly played 10% of their season, with the exact figure sitting just over 9.5%.

As soon as the first period Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks is concluded, that'll be 10% of the season done and dusted.

Through eight games, the Islanders are 4-3-1, good for nine points. That leaves the Islanders one point adrift of both the Washington Capitals for third in the Metropolitan Division and the Buffalo Sabres for the final wild-card playoff spot.

Washington has only played eight games, same as the Islanders. Buffalo, however, sits with nine played.

By points percentage, if the season ended today, the Islanders would be headed to the playoffs for the first time in three years.

Moneypuck.com makes it all look rather simple by their odds.

They have the Islanders, New York Rangers, and New Jersey Devils all within a few ticks of one another for a playoff spot.

That's the Islanders' competition right there, point-blank.

The Pennsylvania teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, both are well below .500 and have had big trade rumors swirl around their clubs two weeks before Halloween.

The Columbus Blue Jackets remain wildly inconsistent, and look further from a playoff spot than they were last year.

That then leaves the Islanders, Devils, and Rangers.

The Islanders have an extremely clear X-factor:

Ilya Sorokin and Semyon Varlamov, emphasis on Sorokin.

The Devils goaltenders? Jake Allen and Nico Daws. The Rangers lost Igor Shesterkin for the year due to a lower-body injury. Right now, they've got rookie Dylan Garand and journeyman Spencer Martin as their duo, with Joonas Korpisalo expected back from injury in mid-November.

Ilya Sorokin is the standout goalie in the Metropolitan Division, with Logan Thompson the only healthy goalie that comes anywhere close.

It's the Islanders' biggest X-factor against any team, and it's plain to see, especially when you look at the state of the Devils' goaltending. It's hard to see a path to true contention for the Devils unless they make a massive in-season trade for a goalie.

That leaves the Islanders and the Rangers for the final playoff spot. The Rangers hold a four-point edge over the Islanders right now.

Had the Islanders beaten the Rangers at Madison Square Garden in the second week of the year, the Islanders would sit tied for second in the Metropolitan Division, with the Rangers.

That's how narrow the gap is right now, with Washington in the middle but expected to finish second behind the perennial division champs, the Carolina Hurricanes.

The next six months look set to become an incredible chapter in the Islanders and Rangers rivalry.