It's an opportunity that seemed a bit unlikely for the Islanders at various times during the season, but they can punch their ticket to the playoffs with a win over the Devils Monday night at Prudential Center.
All that is separating the Islanders from a fifth trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the last six seasons is a road win against their Metropolitan Division rivals, who have been eliminated from playoff contention and are without injured superstar Jack Hughes.
But that doesn't make Monday's game any easier for the Islanders.
"It's still going to be a tough game," said Islanders forward Brock Nelson. "They're still playing. It's a tough position when you're out of it and you know your season is going to come to an end. They can play spoiler and we've done that before a few times. You play maybe a little more free and we have to be ready to go. They're still a highly skilled team even with Jack out."
The Islanders sit in third place in the Metropolitan Division with 90 points, and a win would clinch that position for them and a first round matchup against the second place team – which right now would be the Carolina Hurricanes, yielding a rematch of last year's opening round series.
However, a loss could very well drop the Islanders down to the second wild card spot and a potential first-round meeting with the Rangers…or it could lead to the Islanders not making the playoffs at all.
The Islanders would love to take care of their own business, but it's no easy task against a team that would love to spoil the party.
"Those games aren't easy so we're going to have to buckle down and play our best and be ready for the challenge," said forward Mat Barzal. "They have some skill over there. They're a good hockey team over the year so I think it's going to be a good game. They've got nothing to lose so it's going to be a tricky game."
For the Islanders, the trick will be to get off to a fast start, demoralize the Devils, and make The Rock feel like Islanders Country, with a lot of Isles fans expected to invade enemy territory. Meanwhile, the Devils, with their season coming to an end, would love nothing better than to make life miserable for the Islanders.
"They have some dynamic players," said former Devil Kyle Palmieri. "Sometimes you get to the end of the year and there's some call-ups and things like that where guys are trying to fight for roster spots. We're focusing on ourselves and just trying to prepare ourselves to get off to a good start. For them, it's a chance to play spoiler against one of your rivals."
The Islanders have had their problems with the Devils so far this season, dropping all three prior meetings; they lost 5-4 in overtime at UBS Arena on October 20, fell by the same score November 28 at Prudential Center when the Devils scored three third period goals for a comeback win, and then were blanked 4-0 on March 24 on Long Island.
The Islanders have put those three games in their rear-view mirror, though, and are focused on finally beating the Devils.
"Let's do it (Monday)," said Head Coach Patrick Roy. "It's a good test for us. This is a team that has been playing well against us. I feel like we're a different team than when we played them the last time. I like where we're going as a team."
Roy, the players, the rest of the organization, and the fans will like it even better if the Islanders can take care of business, beat the Devils and punch that ticket to the playoffs.
But it won't be a walk in the park against a Devils team that would love to complete the season sweep.
