The Islanders' season is only 20 games old, but it already feels like things are hitting a critical point.

Not because they are at risk of falling out of the playoff race. On that front, they are pretty much OK, though the situation is not ideal -- just two points out of a wild-card spot, and it's so early that it's impossible to be out of the race, anyway.

Rather, the Islanders, 7-8-5 after 20 games, are at risk of their fans tuning out due to a combination of mediocrity, predictability and the lack of a clear way to fix it.

After a road trip on which the Islanders just lost three straight games, all in the third period, all after having a lead, all in the context of having repeatedly done the exact same thing since October 2023, the reaction from the fan base was neither outrage nor disgust. It was resignation mixed with anger.