The Islanders return home tonight to take on the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Coliseum. With the blockbuster trade occurring between the Sabres and Jets, one has to assume that the Leafs will be the next team in fire sale mode as they have dropped 12 of their last 13 games. These two points tonight are ones that the Islanders clearly need.
We all saw what happened in the third period Tuesday as the Islanders were badly out played by the Oilers yet found a way to win. For years, this always happened to the Isles where they would completely manhandle a team yet still find a way to lose. This simply can’t happen tonight. I know the Leafs have matched up well with the Isles over the years and they did defeat New York already once at the Coliseum this season, but these are two points that need to be secured.
With that being said the Isles need to raise their level of play against struggling teams. They need to lean on these teams early and often and establish their physical presence. The fore check needs to be constant and for the love of god they have to kill penalties. It is not even funny at this point. Something has to be done with these special teams or this team is going nowhere in the playoffs. I can live with a hot and cold powerplay but this PK is just awful and it needs fixing now.
As for the lineup tonight, Jaroslav Halak will get the nod in net. Cal Clutterbuck will return and play alongside Nikolay Kulemin and Brock Nelson. As a result, Harry Zolnierczyk has been returned to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. Zolnierczyk performed admirably in his brief stay and can definitely fill a whole if there is another injury. Calvin de Haan is close to playing but will get one more day’s rest. Both teams’ scouts have been watching each other play for the past few weeks and with the trade deadline coming up they could be trade partners. If the Leafs were to move Phil Kessel I do believe that the assets desired and Kessel’s contract would be a major deterrent. However if the Islanders do add another defenseman and a backup goalie than Toronto would be a good fit. It will interesting to see how this all plays out when the deadline hits in March. Pending a major rash of injuries, from what I have been told I don’t see the Isles acquiring a major name. It is fully expected that they will look to bolster their blue line and add a backup goalie if Chad Johnson is still floundering. As we all know this is totally subject to change. As always, for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.