Given our failure the first two months, I'm going to assume the poll was too close to pr*j#ct%ng, so I'm going to ditch it. Instead I'll just do the overview of what we're facing the next few weeks. Instead, I'll just ask-what do you want from the Islanders for Christmas?

Here's the schedule including opponents' records through November:

12/2 @CHI 14-8-3

12/3 @DAL 14-9-1

12/6 vTB* 11-11-2

12/8 vCHI 14-8-3

12/10 vPIT 14-7-4

12/13 @MTL 10-11-4

12/15 vDAL 14-9-1

12/17 @MIN 15-7-3

12/20 @WIN 9-11-4

12/22 @NYR 13-5-3

12/23 vTOR* 14-9-2

12/26 @NYR 13-5-3

12/29 vCAL 10-12-1

12/31 vEDM 12-10-3

* denotes second half of back-to-back games.

Opponents records through the end of November: 136-100-30

Isles were 4-7-2 in November after going 3-4-2 in October.

The Islanders have fourteen games in December-seven each at home and on the road. Technically we play three games in a row on the road, but one of those is in Manhattan, so I'm not sure anything really qualifies as a road trip.

Only three division games this month, while we play seven out of conference ones.

There are three two-game series-we play Chicago and Dallas both home and away, and travel to The Garden twice to face the Rangers (note:these are not home and homes).

We play back-to-back twice, starting the month @CHI and @DAL, and then later in the month in New York @NYR and home against the Leafs.

We only catch teams on the second night of a back-to-back twice-TB and TOR. Additionally it will be Tampa's third in four nights.

However, we are the first tilt of a back-to-back for our opponent four times. The first is 12/2 against the Blackhawks, so it will be interesting to see if they save Crawford for St. Louis the next night. We're also the first of consecutive nights for Dallas on 12/15, so likewise regarding Lehtonen against us or the Devils. The Rangers play the Flyers on 12/23, so we might miss Lundqvist the night before. Finally, Calgary and Kiprusoff go to Ottawa the night after our 12/29 game.

Obviously, this is a tough month looking at the opponent records. The only teams with losing records are Winnipeg, Montreal, Calgary and Tampa Bay, and they're all right on the cusp of .500. However, a number of those winning teams seem due for some regression. (data here)

Entering December we are the lesser team by record in every one of these matchups (it happens when only one team has less wins). Will the same hold true at the end? Can we have a winning month?