The Islanders dim chances at a playoff run were darkened yet again last night at the hands of the New York Rangers. The Islanders once again played a solid forty minutes only to see them get outplayed in the final period. The Rangers scored three times in the third and rolled to a 4-1 win at Madison Square Garden.
Captain John Tavares was held without a point and when the top line isn’t scoring this team has little chance to win a game. I will get to the laundry list of negatives in a minute but there were actually some positives to take from last night's game. Evgeni Nabokov clearly gives this team the best chance to win. Yes the third goal last night was stoppable but the difference in play between Nabokov and any other goalie in the system is leaps and bounds ahead. Rookie defenseman Matt Donovan continues to improve and his play last night was outstanding. It was perhaps his best game in his young NHL career and without question an encouraging sign.
Something has to be done with the second line; quite frankly it’s embarrassing. I feel bad for center Frans Nielsen who simply has nothing to work with. Josh Bailey’s complete regression as a hockey player is beyond troubling. I was asked last night; “what do you do with Bailey;” and honestly I have no clue. I can’t see him having any trade value and he doesn’t deserve top six minutes so I honestly don’t know. Perhaps he could be considered for a compliance buyout at the end of the season. However for that to happen Islander’s General Manager Garth Snow would have to admit that he made a mistake giving Bailey that contract. The fourth line also needs to be addressed at the end of the season as they have had a dreadful season and shown little of the line that caused so many problems for other teams last year.
We all know the problems with the defense and Andrew MacDonald must be moved at the deadline. His performance this season is one of the reasons this team is in this mess and there is no way in the world the Islander’s will extend his contract based on his disappointing play. They also must part ways with Radek Martinek and bury Matt Carkner's contract in the AHL.
As bad as this season is, and the solutions will be easier to fix on July 1st, this team is a forward, one or two dmen and a legit NHL goalie away from being quite good. Even if Vanek doesn’t resign I think they can survive. The evolution of Brock Nelson makes him a strong candidate to get those first line minutes. His size, confidence and defensive awareness could offset a trade of Vanek. Even if Vanek does resign they still need at least one capable forward for the second line. This offense is simply too top heavy.
These next few months are extremely important for GM Garth Snow. He needs to correct the mess he caused last summer and it can be fixed. However it will need the Islanders to open their wallets and be aggressive buyers. I know most are skeptical of that however I feel they will spend only because if they care about this team they simply have to.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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