We are going by the time-honored tradition of school breaks and handing out report cards.

Pairing Bo Horvat with Maxim Tsyplakov has coincided with No. 14’s breakout, with Islanders coach Patrick Roy first trying the combination on Dec. 7.

For all the ceiling the Islanders had shown just two days prior, here came the thud that has acted as a metronome to the season’s first 35 games. 

The exact details of what former Islanders netminder Robin Lehner is going through are not completely clear, but the string of posts 10 days ago made it obvious that it is serious. 

The fourth line, regardless of how Patrick Roy configures it, has been a black hole for the Islanders all season. 

It was a dream come true for the 20-year-old defenseman. 

Eight weeks later, the biggest piece still missing from the Islanders’ puzzle finally clicked back into place. 

OK, maybe there’s something here. 

All signs are pointing to the Islanders finally playing at something resembling full strength Saturday night.

The Islanders, indeed, might have the worst special teams in NHL history.

Record-wise, the Islanders are in their worst position through 33 games in over a decade. 

The good news, sort of, for the Islanders is that they have not blown a third-period lead recently. 

Coincidence or not, the line of demarcation in Noah Dobson’s season right now looks like it came in the final game of November against the Sabres.

The Islanders’ belief that they can turn the season around is running into the hard reality of what it looks like when they get out onto the ice. 

Sunday made it seven games in a row in which the Islanders have given up the first goal, with slow starts having become a veritable trend.

The goal can no longer be just to hang around.

Meet the healthier Islanders, same as the injured Islanders.

The Islanders entered Sunday with the chance to go above NHL-.500 for the first time since Oct. 25 and get above the playoff cutline.

New York Islanders stars Adam Pelech, Mat Barzal, and Anthony Duclair look promising to be healthy in the coming games.

At times, Oliver Wahlstrom seemed to have nine lives with the Islanders.