This has never happened before, so it comes as a bit of a surprise. But there are some national analysts who are skeptical about the Islanders.

Entering Wednesday’s game against the Penguins, the Islanders’ 41 points were good for second in the Metropolitan Division, third in the Eastern Conference and ninth in the NHL. And yet, national voices seem to agree the Islanders are outside the top 10 teams in the league.

The NHL.com Super 16 pre-Christmas ranking had the Isles 12th. So did ESPN. Bleacher Report had them up at No. 11, but The Athletic had them down at No. 13.

The question here is: Do they have a point?