The New York Islanders have clinched their first bottom-11 finish since the 2017-18 NHL season.

The team went 35-37-10 and finished 22nd out of 31 teams that season.

This season, they sit at 35-34-12 heading into Game 82.

If the Islanders manage a win against the Columbus Blue Jackets and the New York Rangers fall to the Tampa Bay Lightning in regulation, the Islanders will finish 22nd in the standings.

Any other outcome in either game will result in the Islanders finishing 23rd.

Regardless of the result, the Islanders have clinched a chance to land the first overall pick in the lottery, as only the bottom 11 teams are able to move into the No. 1 position.

The last time a team outside the top 10 moved up in the draft lottery was in 2020 during the pandemic, when "Team E," a placeholder that had just a 2.5% chance of winning the lottery, landed at No. 1. 

That pick eventually went to the New York Rangers following a subsequent lottery.

Before that was 2019, when the Chicago Blackhawks went from pick No. 13 to No. 3 to select Kirby Dach.

The year prior, the Carolina Hurricanes jumped from No. 11 to No. 2 to select Andrei Svechnikov, while the Philadelphia Flyers jumped from No. 13 to No. 2 to select Nolan Patrick the year before that.

The Islanders will have a 7.2% chance to land a top-two pick if they finish 23rd in the standings and a 6.2% chance if they finish 22nd.

Needless to say, it is absolutely possible the Islanders move into a top-two selection.

The draft lottery is set to take place on either May 5 or May 6.

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