New York Islanders

Even if you have never been there, New York holds a special place in everyone's heart. The same is not always true of the New York Islanders, which has managed to remain a respectable team that has trouble winning games. They are a true underdog in the NHL.

The Players

A team is only as good as its players. The roster for the New York Islanders includes a diverse group of athletes from across the globe.

• Sebastian Aho: Defense
• Josh Bailey: Center
• Mathew Barzal: Center
• Anthony Beauvillier: Left Wing
• Steve Bernier: Right Wing
• Johnny Boychuk: Defense
• Jason Chimera: Left Wing
• Casey Cizikas: Center
• Cal Clutterbuck: Right Wing
• Michael Dal Colle: Left Wing
• Brandon Davidson: Defense
• Calvin de Haan: Defense
• Jordan Eberle: Right Wing
• Tanner Fritz: Center
• Christopher Gibson: Goalie
• Thomas Greiss: Goalie
• Jaroslav Halak: Goalie
• Thomas Hickey: Defense
• Joshua Ho-Sang: Center/Right Wing
• Ross Johnston: Left Wing
• Nikolai Kulemin: Left Wing
• Andrew Ladd: Left Wing
• Nick Leddy: Defense
• Anders Lee: Center
• Scott Mayfield: Defense
• Brock Nelson: Center
• Adam Pelech: Defense
• Shane Prince: Center
• Ryan Pulock: Defense
• Alan Quine: Center
• Dennis Seidenberg: Defense
• John Tavares (C): Center
• Chris Wagner: Center

Fan favorites at present are Barzal and Tavares, scoring 85 and 84 points, respectively. They are trailed shortly behind by Bailey and Lee at 71 and 72, the ordering of which also reflects their number of assists. As a team, they had a mediocre season, winning 35 games and losing 37. This is below average for the league, which may be part of the reason they are not picking up some love this season by fans old and new.

There probably is not as eclectic a group of players as there is here on the New York Islanders, hailing from all over the world across many continents. This is likely part of the reason they are mostly unknown.

Why Fans Love Them

Largely because they are from New York. They really have a lot of work to do here.

The Bottom Line on the New York Islanders

True underdogs that need to get their act together! Come on, guys.