Hall of Fame Football Coach Marv Levy once famously said, “There is no such thing as a must win game, World War II, That was a must win.… With that being said the Islanders really need two points tonight as they face off with the Florida Panthers. This Panthers team has been a matchup nightmare for the Isles in recent years. The Islanders do not handle fast teams well, see their last game in Boston. The Islanders also do not handle big physical teams well, see their games against the Capitals. Well, the Panthers are fast and big and just create headaches for this team.
First some medical housekeeping. Calvin de Haan has been activated off Injured Reserves and will be in the lineup tonight in place of Brian Strait. Mikhail Grabovski has also been activated off of IR but he will not be playing tonight as Islanders Head Coach Jack Capuano will keep the same lineup that slept through much of the matinee Saturday in Boston. Finally Thomas Greiss will be back in net. Greiss was a little shaky in Toronto and did let in one bad goal against the Bruins but for the majority of the past week his play has been fine.
The Islanders season will not be defined by their goaltending. I truly believe this. It will be defined by their blue line and forwards. When the Isles’ defense is possessing the puck and getting it out of their own end cleanly, this team wins more than it losses. The loss against the Bruins is a prime example of what occurs when the blue line fails miserably at this.
The Isles’ season will also be defined by the play of their forwards. The fourth line, Frans Nielsen and John Tavares give you an honest effort night in and night out. Yes their plays waivers but all and all these are the most consistent forwards. Brock Nelson and Anders Lee have had good moments but not enough. The rest of these forwards have to step up. Now! The Islanders are in dire need from consistent play from the likes of Kyle Okposo, Nikolai Kulemin and Ryan Strome. Also if anyone finds Josh Bailey please return him to the Barclays Center as his parents are worried.
If the Islanders are going anywhere this spring they need a better effort from their forwards. They simply are not working hard enough. It is really that simple. As always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.