The Islanders second contest of a nine game road trip continues to night north of the border in Montreal as they square off with the Canadiens at 7:30 PM. The Isles have played well against the Habs this season but the Bell Centre has been a house of horrors over the years for New York.
However, as we talked about the other day, if this team is serious about making the playoffs then these are the games the team needs to figure how to at least walk away with a point. The Isles are miraculously in the final wild card spot after the Panthers and Bruins both lost in regulation Wednesday night.
It is pretty amazing that this team has been able to jump over so many teams but there is still a lot of work left if they want to make the playoffs. Despite the hiccups last night both the Panthers and Bruins appear to have gotten their act together and I don’t see them falling out of the race. Tampa is also coming on strong and with the talent they have in their lineup, they too cannot be counted out.
This is why points are at a premium. The Isles simply have to find a way to get this train rolling forward. The injury bug has hit the team as Cal Clutterbuck is hurt again and center Casey Cizikas will miss about a month. As for the lineup tonight, Bridgeport call-up, Bracken Kearns will make his season debut and Stephen Gionta will return to the lineup. Both forwards can certainly handle fourth line minutes until Cizikas and Clutterbuck are ready for action.
Thomas Greiss will be in goal tonight and he looked sharp in the team’s 3-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings Tuesday night stopping 26 of the 27 shots he faced. The team simply needs more performances like this as well as smart and simple play in their own end.
Finally, the Islanders have signed Sound Tiger Connor Jones to a two-way deal for the remainder of the season. This allows the team to call him up if the injury bug continues. Jones could handle a fourth line roll, provide energy and kill penalties.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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