The Islanders return to the ice to face off against the Edmonton Oilers at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Jaroslav Halak will tend the goal for the Islanders and the lineup will be the same that defeated the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday. The defensive pairings and forward lines remain the same as the Isles will still be without Michael Grabner, Cal Clutterbuck and Calvin de Haan. Clutterbuck and De haan are practicing so let’s hope they return to the lineup soon.
The Islanders will face an Oilers team that defeated the New Jersey Devils last night. These are two points that the Islanders need. The Oilers defeated the Isles during New York’s tour of Western Canada in January. While the Islanders have struggled in Edmonton over the years, they are 17-6 at the Coliseum this year. The Isles are also catching another break as Oilers sniper Taylor Hall was injured and is out for 4 to 6 weeks. The Islanders need to come out and establish their forecheck early and wear down an Oilers team that should be looking to find their legs in the first period. The Islanders’ schedule is favorable this week and these are games that you have to win. The Eastern Conference is so tight from top to bottom and they cannot afford to throw away points.
While the Islanders are banged up right now the depth of the organization is being tested. In years past the likes of Colin Mcdonald would be playing significant minutes on a nightly basis. Now he is a call up to fill in when called upon and provide quality depth. The likes of a Mcdonald, Aaron Ness or Harry Zolnierczyk provide a sufficient stop gap while players overcome minor injuries. Now if there was a rash of major injuries we could talk about Islander General Manager Garth Snow brining in external help, but I think we can all agree that these players can help plug holes in a leaky dam.
We really have to see where this team is as we approach the trade deadline. I do think the Isles will add another veteran dman and possibly a backup goalie. I think if the Isles were to acquire a forward it would be due to the injuries throughout the lineup and not performance based. Kyle Okposo will be close to returning around the deadline and if the forwards are all healthy I think they are good to go. As always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.