Doug Weight may have steered the New York Islanders around a corner.
The interim head coach is 2-0 since taking over behind the bench, the latest victory coming Saturday, a resilient 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Weight believes the Islanders can be a playoff team, though they have plenty of work to do. New York sits dead last in the Eastern Conference, yet are only five points separated from the second wild-card spot with games in hand on everyone that lies ahead of them.
It's that, and a refreshed energy surrounding the club, that has Weight and the Islanders feeling good for the first time this season.
"We're entering relevance," Weight said, according to Zach Braziller of the New York Post. "It's a good feeling in that room. They're starting to believe."
Suddenly, the Isles have won four of five overall, and the players are buying in.
"There's just a different feel," forward Jason Chimera said. "Coming off that road trip (when we went 2-1-0), there's a different feel, different swagger."
New York continues its homestand Sunday versus the Flyers, then have a series of tough tests against the Blue Jackets, Canadiens, and Capitals.
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