Stefen Rosner on Morning Cuppa Hockey Talking Islanders On their first road trip of the season, the New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/] went 1-1-1, earning three out of a possible six points. If you are going to go .500 on the road, you need to make that up at home, and that's the opportunity that lies ahead for the Islanders. Four of their next five games will be on UBS Arena ice, where they went 21-10-10 last season and earned 52 out of a possible 82 points (.642). Patrick Roy's squad is already behind the eight ball in Belmont after losing their home opener to Utah Hockey Club, a 5-4 overtime result. The Islanders hosted the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday, a team that shocked the league with a 1-0 shutout victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs to kick off the season but have gone 1-3-0 since. They've lost their last two games, being outscored 10-4. Following that game, the Islanders host the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Steve Yzerman's squad has been abysmal to start the season. Through four games, they're 1-3-0 like Montreal but have been outscored 15-9, allowing four or more goals in each of their losses. No team in the NHL can be taken lightly, but the Islanders definitely have looked much better than those two teams, and anything short of three points would be a failure. The Islanders then take a quick trip to New Jersey next Friday to face the red-hot 5-2-0 Devils before returning home to face a Florida Panthers (3-2-1) team currently without Sasha Barkov on Satuday. They conclude their four-of-five stretch at home with an Oct. 29 showdown against Ross Johnston and the Anaheim Ducks, who are off to a surprising 2-1-0 start but they're a young team with a lot to learn. The Islanders 1-1-2 record isn't indicative of how they played so far. Now, they get the chance to prove to the Islander faithful that they're better than their early-season record suggests. TOP STORIES
