The Islanders return to the ice, tonight, as they take on the Washington Capitals at the Coliseum. The Isles are looking to make it five wins in a row and ten wins in their last eleven contests. The lineup will return to normal, tonight, as Thomas Hickey and Calvin de Haan will return to the lineup after a brief sickness left them out of Monday’s win against the Flyers.

Jaroslav Halak will get the nod in net tonight and while he hasn’t had to steal games during this winning streak, Halak is making the big saves and he is making timely saves when the game is still in jeopardy. There is a calming effect that Halak has brought to this team. Although backup Chad Johnson has struggled at times, there is final stability between the pipes for this franchise. It is also a massive morale boost to the rest of the guys in the locker room, as they know every mistake or breakdown will not end up in the back of their net.

Tonight’s Metro Division matchup provides another chance for the Islanders to prove they can win games within their division. In past years the Isles have struggled against teams in their division but this year they boast a 6 win, 1 loss record against teams in their division. The only Metro team that has defeated the Isles is the Pittsburgh Penguins back in October.

As I look at this team at the quarter poll of the season the division record and the Isles home record have been outstanding. 6-1 against the division and 7-2 at home are both telling stats. These were clear problems for the Islanders in years past and it is encouraging that they are showing signs of overcoming them.

The Special Teams on this squad still need to find some consistency. The power play has been streaky at both ends. It started off red hot then went in the toilet. They don’t have to score every night, but they do need to generate chances on the power play which can grab momentum of a game and carry over to strong play at even strength. The penalty killing has crawled up from dead last to 25th. We can all admit while it is still a work in progress, the team has improved on the PK and the impending return of Michael Grabner can only help. The team has killed off some penalties at crucial times in games and the strong play of Jaroslav Halak has helped as well.

With the return of Hickey and de Haan, Brain Strait and Matt Donovan will return to the press box. The defensive pairings will return to normal and the forwards will be the same as Tuesday night. There is no reason to tinker with the lineup, with the team clicking the way it is. As always, for more on all things hockey, please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78. Have a great Thanksgiving, tomorrow, and be thankful for an amazing start to this season!

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