from Neil Best of Newsday,

The job is not done. The object of the quest requires eight more victories, and nothing short of that will be fully satisfying.

But save such thoughts for Monday, when the Islanders open the Eastern Conference finals against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Edmonton.

For the moment, feel free to party like it’s 1993.

The Islanders deserve it.

Their fans deserve it even more.

Saturday night’s 4-0 victory over the Flyers in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series advanced them to the NHL final four for the first time in 27 years, and a big step closer to their first Stanley Cup in 37 years.

But the degree of difficulty was even greater than in most seasons. Getting there required 11 victories, including a qualifying round added in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a stay of six weeks in the Toronto “bubble.”

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