When the New York Islanders cut head coach Jack Capuano loose, the club sat dead last in the Eastern Conference. Just five games later, the Isles have overtaken five Eastern teams and are one mediocre win streak away from a playoff spot.
That stark turnaround isn't simply the result of new bench boss Doug Weight's inspiring leadership - though the Islanders have gone 4-1 since he took over. It's just the reality of the situation for teams in the East this season, where the battle for the last few playoff spots is nowhere near finished.
Heading into the home stretch of 2016-17, the seven clubs at the bottom of the standings remain just three points apart, and all are within reach of a wild-card spot.
Four teams (the Carolina Hurricanes, Buffalo Sabres, New Jersey Devils, and Detroit Red Wings) are tied for last at 49 points. The next tier is only a mild step above, as the Islanders, Florida Panthers, and Tampa Bay Lightning all sit between 50-52 points.
After triumphantly closing the gap on the backs of their elite rookie stars, the Toronto Maple Leafs have temporarily dropped out of a postseason position. Yet they remain just one point behind the Philadelphia Flyers for the second wild-card slot, and the Leafs have played three fewer games than Philly.
Needless to say, it's still anyone's year in the East.
Perhaps the only clubs sure to remain in their current spots are the Metropolitan Division leaders, where the Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Pittsburgh Penguins have been rolling over the rest of the league all season. All three have cleared 65 points and don't look likely to fall too far before the year is through.
The Atlantic Division-leading Montreal Canadiens appear to be a sure thing as well, sitting with a seven-point lead over the second-place Ottawa Senators.
Past that, the rest of the conference is an all-out mess. This time last season, the bottom three teams in the East were already well behind the middle-of-the-pack clubs by a full 10 points or more, their playoff hopes all but dashed.
But the basement dwellers are hanging around this time, which should mean plenty of heated conference rivalry tilts once the All-Star break concludes.
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