Mike and Dan discuss a week of unfortunate injuries and surprising wins for the Islanders and how they've had almost no effect on their place in the standings. Beginning with a win over the then-red hot Blue Jackets before a back-to-back that included a boring but needed win over the Flyers and a surprising OT win over the revamped Hurricanes, the week was another roller coaster for fans who have endured a lot in this season alone. While their path to the playoffs is still long and filled with nearly a dozen direct rivals, and they'll now be without three key contributors in Noah Dobson, Ryan Pulock and Marcus Hogberg, there were moments of genuine enjoyment this week for the first time in what feels like forever. Whether it was Anthony Duclair and Alex Romanov finally getting back on the board, Bo Horvat scoring an honest-to-god power play goal, Brock Nelson crushing the Canes in overtime or an injured Hogberg returning to the ice to accept his Third Star of the Game award (and Butch Goring's amusement at his nickname), the Islanders reminded us that we can still find fun in this sport. In the second half, we look at an upcoming slate of games that might derail that fun, and look at that big Hurricanes-Avalanche trade that confirmed a lot of what we believe about the Islanders, the NHL and the people that cover them.

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Our theme is "Morning Haze" by Family Dinner. Hear more of their music on Spotify, including their new album "God Looks Out for Fools."

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