The Islanders are in Philadelphia tonight in need of a win. It is really that simple. They need a win against the Flyers in the worst way. The Isles need to clean up the slop and their special teams cannot be this awful. I’m not going to panic yet but points are at a premium and the conference is tight from top to bottom so they cannot afford any extended losing streaks.
Lubomir Visnovsky will sit tonight in favor of Brian Strait and after how poorly Viz played against the Panthers I don’t really have a problem with it. We all know the limitations of Brian Strait but his play over the past two weeks have been fine and this is a clear message to the team, if you don’t play well then there will be consequences. Now obviously, not everyone is going to be scratched but this is a chance to sit someone down and send a message. I know many people get on Islanders’ Head Coach Jack Capuano for refusing to make performance based changes, so I don’t think it is fair to knock him in this instance when he is clearly trying to shake up the team a bit.
Jaroslav Halak will be in net and the rest of the lineup will remain the same. What did work in Tuesday’s loss against the Panthers was Anders Lee on the first line. He did exactly what I wanted him to do. He got his nose dirty and drove the net and was able to score twice. What the Islanders just need to do is simplify everything. They need to play a north/south game where they can establish a forecheck and a physical presence. The penalty kill needs to WIN FACEOFFS and clear the puck every time they have the chance. They need to eliminate the neutral zone turnovers and the power play needs to get bodies to the net and SHOOT THE PUCK.
This team has gone through these stretches before this season and have been able to bounce back each time. Tonight is another challenge and this is where the likes of Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy pay massive dividends. These guys have been through the ups and downs during cup runs and they can settle this lineup down.
I wouldn’t freak out or panic yet. This is beyond fixable the team just needs to return to what made them so successful. The attention to detail needs to be there and if it is the Isles can right this bump in the road. As always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.