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Islanders rally for zany OT win vs. Leafs; Bruins drop out of playoff position

Minnesota Wild v New York Islanders

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 23: Brock Nelson #29 and Thomas Greiss #1 of the New York Islanders celebrate their 6-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild at the Barclays Center on October 23, 2016 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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The next month-and-a-half could bring the Doug Weight honeymoon period to a screeching halt for the New York Islanders, but the good feelings lasted at least one more night.

Mike Babcock? He’s probably not feeling too happy.

The Toronto Maple Leafs did salvage a standings point, and their young guns did look great on Monday, but Babs is likely fuming about a 6-5 overtime win for the Islanders. He’ll be unhappy with the wide-open game, and also probably with the fact that Andrew Ladd’s tying goal came with just 1:29 left in the third.

Still, those Leafs kids are alright:

The Maple Leafs squandered leads of 2-1, 4-2 and 5-4 in eventually losing to the red-hot Islanders. Brock Nelson was one of the Islanders’ biggest heroes, scoring two goals, including the overtime-clincher.

The good and the bad for each team

Looking at the big picture, it’s more of a mixed bag for both teams.

Yes, the Maple Leafs suffered from the downside of a wide-open style:

Still, it’s easy to forget that the Maple Leafs were closing off a six-game road trip. Tuesday begins a four-game homestand and they play eight of their next 10 games at home. Even with a congested schedule, the Maple Leafs gain great opportunities to put even more distance between themselves and the Boston Bruins.

Tonight’s single point pushes Toronto to third in the Atlantic while the B’s fell out of the East’s top eight altogether:

Top five in Atlantic:

Canadiens - 68 points in 54 games
Senators - 60 points in 50 games
Maple Leafs - 58 in 51

Bruins - 58 in 55
Panthers - 56 in 52

East wild card races

Rangers - 67 in 52
Flyers - 59 in 54

Bruins - 58 in 55
Islanders - 56 in 51
Panthers - 56 in 52
Devils - 56 in 54 (New Jersey beat Buffalo 2-1 on Monday)

See full standings here.

As you can see, the Islanders find themselves in a remarkable spot. When you consider their games in hand edge over the Bruins and Flyers, their playoff dreams seem surprisingly reasonable right now.

There’s some reason to believe that Weight & Co. might stumble, however.

The Islanders play three of their next four games on the road, but the challenges get scarier as you head into mid-March. Just three of their next 16 games take place in Brooklyn, with a nine-game road trip from Feb. 21 - March 11 standing as the biggest hurdle to clear.

So, yeah, the Maple Leafs’ and Islanders’ schedule argue that these two teams could be feeling very differently in the next few weeks.

Then again, such thoughts cement this as a pretty important win for the Islanders. They might just be able to withstand the challenges ahead if they continue to gather momentum.