from Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post,

When general manager Garth Snow traded for defensemen Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy just four days before the start of the season, almost all around the league applauded the moves and immediately inserted the Islanders into the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

Yet to be at 31-14-1 and in first place 46 games into the season? To be four points ahead of the Penguins (who have on game in hand)? And to be five points ahead of the defending Eastern Conference champions and blood rival, the Rangers — who just so happened to win 16 of 19 before the break, yet still hold two games in hand.

“I’m very pleased up until this point with our hockey club,” Capuano said. “We’ve done a lot of good things, not only winning hockey games, but how we’re winning games and how we’re playing within the structure and the framework that we talk about every day.”

The thing is Capuano isn’t holding some secret motivational tool (as much as he often sounds like an excerpt from Rhonda Byrne or Tony Robbins). Instead, the motivation has come simply from piling up wins, which has come from the addition of new players who are playing well and have added depth.

Sometimes, it’s really as simple as getting better players.

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