The Islanders hit the ice at 12:30 to take on the Caps in a pivotal Metro Division matchup in our nation’s capital. The start time is rather odd today as I feel like information is coming in at a snail’s pace. Hopefully the Isles will not be half awake as this puck drops in a game featuring two teams separated by only five points in the standings. Chad Johnson gets the start in net and he will hope to carry the momentum of his last outing this past Tuesday where he led New York to a 4-1 win in Carolina. With the Islanders back at home tomorrow against the Canucks, it was expected that Johnson would get one of these starts and after his play in Raleigh he certainly deserves the nod in net. These are important starts for Chad Johnson. He doesn’t have to win every game he tends the goal, but he has to look like a capable NHL backup goalie. Johnson needs to prove to this coaching staff and this team that they are set at the goalie position moving forward.
Calvin de Haan returns to the lineup in place of a struggling Lubomir Visnovsky. The bottom pairing of Thomas Hickey and Visnovsky has been awful the past month. We are at a point now that the if the Islanders are going to part ways with Visnovsky perhaps they should move him at the deadline and bring in a younger more reliable defender. I think if Hickey and Brian Strait are your sixth and seventh defender then the Isles should be in good shape. As we get closer to the deadline I will feature some players that I feel would be a strong addition to this Islanders team.
Casey Cizikas remains on the Injured Reserve list and the Islanders have recalled Kael Mouillierat to take the place of Cizikas. This is a well-deserved call up and if anyone deserves to make his NHL debut it is a player with the character of Mouillierat. Kael is a steady veteran presence in Bridgeport and the team’s leading scorer with eighteen goals and twenty two assists this season. He will center the fourth line today in between Colin McDonald and Matt Martin.
This is a trying weekend for the team against two very good teams. The Capitals are in a dog fight in the Metro Division and Vancouver is entrenched in a playoff battle out west. Why the Isles are playing five games in seven days is puzzling to say the least but they need to get through this five game stretch with a winning record. I am certain we will see some nonsense from our friends in the Vancouver media tomorrow who always like to remind us how poorly our franchise is run. Does Matt Coulson ring a bell? As always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.