The Doug Weight era began in earnest last night as the Islanders shut out the Dallas Stars 3-0. Future Selke Award finalist John Tavares scored twice, Calvin de Haan potted an empty netter and Thomas Greiss recorded his second straight shutout.
The power play continued to struggle going 0 for 7 but the team had jump at even strength and if it wasn’t for the strong play of Kari Lehtonen, the Isles could have had a lot more. The team reacted how you would expect under a new coach. They had life, they were fast and they carried the play against a struggling team.
Ryan Strome had jump. Jason Chimera is playing well and Nikolay Kulemin and Shane Prince are showing signs of life. There is a long road ahead and as we know the playoffs right now are a pipe dream but this was a strong start.
The Isles have a six game homestand and if they are going to claw their way back into the race they need ten points minimum out of their next six games. It won’t be easy as the Kings are in town Saturday and they tend to suck the life out of a hockey game.
What I am looking for this second half is a pulse. I want to see what we have with some of these players. I feel like a new voice can be good for Strome. The talent is there. It is between his ears. Can Weight harness this talent? Can the new coach remind Brock Nelson that he is 6’3”? Can Weight get this power play going? All question that will be answered.
This roster is not good enough. We all know this. However the goaltending can be a strength. I also think the defense can be a strength as well. Nick Leddy looks like a new player being paired with the steady Adam Pelech.
It will be interesting to see what happens the next couple of weeks but let’s hope that a new voice can help save this floundering season. I don’t expect Weight to be the savior but if he gives it everything he has and this team responds, maybe just maybe we can be playing meaningful games sometime in the near future.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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