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The nightmare that is the 2017-18 Islanders season has just ten games left. There will be no postseason for the second straight season and eight out of the 12 seasons under Garth Snow's reign.
For the diehard fans that are a glutton for punishment and will watch the final ten games, here are a few things to look, and hope for, in the final ten.
Moving Ryan Pulock up
In the last couple of seasons that would have read "bring Ryan Pulock up", but the young defenseman has arguably been the team's best defenseman this season. It took a while for the organization to open their eyes to Pulock, playing just four minutes in the NHL last season and was scratched the first six games of the season, but now is fourth in NHL rookie defensemen scoring. In 14 fewer games, Pulock has 26 points, four fewer than Brock Nelson.
For some strange reason, Pulock has been paired with Thomas Hickey on the third pairing all season and trails Hickey, Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield in time on ice. Give him the first-pairing minutes down the stretch and see if he is indeed a potential top-two defenseman.
Pulock's entry-level contract is set to expire at the end of the season. Snow chose to give Mayfield and Pelech multi-year extensions before Pulock, who should be given a Travis Hamonic-type deal ASAP.
Play Anthony Beauvillier at center
If John Tavares does in fact leave the Islanders after the season, Mat Barzal will fill that role as first-line center. The loss will once again leave the Isles without a second-line center. See what you have with Anthony Beauvillier, who prefers to play center. Drop him down to the third line down the stretch and let him center whomever is going to play wing. Move Nelson up to the second line to play wing, let Barzal help him reach 20 goals for the fourth-straight season and trade him by the draft.
Bring up Josh Ho-Sang
When the Islanders sent Josh Ho-Sang back to Bridgeport, the team was 18-12-3. In Ho-Sang's absence, the Islanders went 12-20-7. Their struggles are not due to Ho-Sang's departure. It's not like he's been lighting up the AHL. His numbers in his last ten games are respectable, two goals, seven assists. The Bridgeport Sound Tigers are unlikely to qualify for the AHL Playoffs. This move would be to add some excitement to, what will likely be a dead Barclays Center the rest of the way.
Root for Spokane
The WHL Playoffs are set to begin next weekend. The Spokane Chiefs are set to face the Portland Winterhawks. Kieffer Bellows's first season with Portland has been far more successful than his freshman season at Boston University. He left BU for the WHL to play an NHL-type length of season. The 2016 first-round pick has 41 goals in 56 games. His nine goals at the World Juniors this year set a record for most goals by an American, besting Jeremy Roenick's record of eight.
The quicker the Winterhawks are eliminated, the quicker we will see Bellows in an Islanders jersey.
Sumo goaltender
Lets fulfill Charles Wang's dream and sign a sumo wrestler to play goalie, can't be any worse.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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