Most of what the Islanders can take from watching the playoffs after they were eliminated in the first round boils down to the gap between them and everybody else.
Round by round, it has gotten tougher and tougher to believe the idea that the Islanders are even close to the level needed to compete with the likes of the Panthers and Oilers, the Rangers and Stars.
They need more skill, they need more grit, they need a better penalty kill, they need more depth. If they come into next season still asking to be judged as a Cup competitor, it will be a harsh judgment until proven otherwise.
But with Sergei Bobrovsky being one of the front-runners for the Conn Smythe Trophy, there is a silver lining for the Islanders.
