Over .500? Check. Out of the basement? Check. 

The Islanders checked off both those goals on Friday night at UBS Arena — and finally won a game in which they decidedly outclassed their opposition. Yes, it was the lowly Coyotes, but this game looked the way it was supposed to look: A 4-0 Islanders win in which Brock Nelson scored twice, Ilya Sorokin earned his fourth shutout of the season and the result wasn’t in much doubt beyond the first period. 

At 14-13-6, the Islanders are back over .500 for the first time since Nov. 11. And with 34 points, they’ve jumped the Devils and Flyers in the Metropolitan Division. 

The Islanders didn’t get their first shot on net until more than 10 minutes into the game, but once they broke the initial drought, things came more easily. 

Scott Mayfield put them up 1-0 with a slap shot from the right point with 6:09 to go in the first period. A few minutes later, Mayfield assisted Austin Czarnik with a cross-ice feed that Czarnik deposited into an open Arizona net to double the lead. 

Against bottom-feeding Arizona, that was enough to be pretty comfortable. 

Though the Islanders didn’t score again until early in the third period, they played one of their cleanest defensive games of the season, suppressing and blocking enough shots that Sorokin was only called upon to make 17 saves, few of which gave him any trouble. 

“It’s a good sign when that’s happening,” Mayfield said. “We’ve kinda been able to put it together here for a little bit. Things seem like they’re coming together.” 

At 1:22 of the third, a two-on-one rush gave Nelson an easy look at goal, which he converted with a wrist shot to make it 3-0. That put an end to what little suspense lingered. Nelson added another with 10 minutes to go in the game, sliding the puck in from Anthony Beauvillier on a rush. 

The Islanders might have the look of a team that’s rolling — they’ve now earned points in eight of nine games — but none of their wins during the current run have come against teams in playoff position. They’ve done what they need to do, but have yet to prove it against the sort of competition they’ll need to beat to maintain their climb into relevance. 

That chance will come on Saturday when the Maple Leafs, who battered the Islanders 3-0 at UBS Arena in November, make a return visit. 

On Friday, all the Islanders could do was beat the team in front of them — a goal they accomplished with ease. 

“I think that’s the style we want to play,” Mayfield said. “When we got in their end we were able to control the puck. We didn’t give them easy exits.” 

There’s still a long way to go. But when they wake up on Saturday, the Islanders will be happy to finally see teams below them in the standings.