The Islanders continue their west coast trip tonight with a stop in Los Angeles to square off with the Kings. New York took advantage of some awful team defense and even worse goaltending in San Jose as the Isles defeated the Sharks by a score of 4-2. While the Sharks really helped out, this was by far the best performance by a struggling Islanders team in days.
For a team that has been struggling to score goals, the Isles started strong and then finished strong to knock off the Sharks and get a must needed two points. Jaroslav Halak will be between the pipes tonight and the lineup and defensive pairings will be the same.
The Kings enter this game coming off a defeat at the hands of the Coyotes Tuesday night. However they were 9-2 in their previous 11 games prior to dropping those points in Arizona. Tonight will be a battle of two teams that have a hard time possessing the puck. It should be interesting to see who prevails tonight as neither team has been boasting strong advanced stats. The Islanders however were at their best in weeks in their 4-2 victory in San Jose. While it wasn’t a perfect performance it was something positive to build on.
The defense pairings seemed to work. I was skeptical about Isles’ Head Coach Jack Capuano’s move to split up Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy. However after the game I came away feeling better about the move. New York desperately need Nick Leddy to regain his form from last year. They need the mobile, puck moving dman that can deliver a good pass or skate away from trouble. I thought Leddy started slow in San Jose but finished strong with new d partner Travis Hamonic.
Johnny Boychuk did not miss a beat being paired up with Calvin de Haan. The duo was by far the teams most consistent and reliable against the Sharks. The bottom pairing to everyone’s dismay stayed intake as Marek Zidlicky and Brian Strait did what they do best. Give Isles fans heartburn. I never thought I would miss Thomas Hickey this much. Don’t worry Isles fans, star prospect Ryan Pulock continues to shine in Bridgeport. At some point he will replace a 93 year old Zidlicky. That has to happen at some point, but right now I’m not sure if I’m asking or telling all of you.
The Isles and Kings will drop the puck at 10:30 tonight and the game will be on MSG following the Rangers and Blues. Grab a cup of coffee as there is nothing better than some late night hockey, when your team wins. There is nothing worse than staying up till 1:30 in the morning, only to watch your team lose.