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Isles set to close season in Buffalo

April 13, 2014, 11:25 AM ET [272 Comments]
Dan Petriw
New York Islanders Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
We have finally reached game 82 of the 2013/2014 NHL season and the Islanders will end their disappointing campaign tonight with a game against the Sabres in Buffalo. For the Isles it will be the final game in a season that never lived up to the high expectations that were set after the playoff run last year. Nobody could predict the amount of key injuries that occurred this season but those injuries exposed a lack of depth in the organization and magnified the failure of last offseason.

As the Islanders prepare to play their final game tonight there will still be plenty to play for a team that is made up of nearly half rookies. This will be the last impression for these kids to get into the blueprints of next year’s roster. Rookies like Ryan Strome, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson have made a strong case that they should be considered for roles in key forward positions next season. Role players such as Mike Halmo and Brett Gallant are also trying to make a case that they can compete for fourth line duty.

On the blue line Calvin DeHaan has clearly become an NHL regular but rookies such as Kevin Czuczman and Scotty Mayfield have certainly not looked out of place and each will make a strong case that they deserve to be on the Islanders’ blue line for the start of the 2014/2015 season. The only locks for 14/15 on defense I see right now are DeHaan and Travis Hamonic so the offseason and training camp will be critical for some of these kids to bulk up and get stronger. This September’s training camp will be a dog fight on defense as some of these kids will want to show that they are ready for primetime.

As for tonight, the Isles will face a Sabres team that is in a similar spot. Buffalo is a team of mostly kids right now and they too are trying to end the season on a high note. An Isles win tonight and they will be in fifth position heading into Tuesday’s draft lottery; a loss and they will be slotted in the fourth spot. We will have the next two months to really dive into this season entry draft. There will be all spring to debate if the Isles should even keep the pick and who might be their selection if they choose to use it.

This ends my first regular season as a Hockey buzz writer and I would like to thank all of you for reading my articles and chatting in the comment section. I have had a blast covering this team; despite the disappointing outcome. Just because the season is ending doesn’t mean that the articles will stop. I will continue to update all things Islanders throughout the offseason and I am sure we will have plenty to talk about this spring and summer. As Always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.
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