Stop me if you have heard this one before. When the Islanders play average to above average in their own zone they win. Honestly its that simple,\; make smart plays, stay out of the box and have good gap control between forwards and dmen. When this happens the Islanders win.
For the first twenty four minutes the Islanders were doing that and executing rather well. Then the wheels came off; actually the wheels where blown off. Moreover the whole dang wagon was blown to high hell. In a blink of an eye the Capitals scored 5 second period goals leading them to a 6-2 victory over the Islanders.
Turnovers, penalties and horrific penalty killing led to the downfall of a promising evening. The Caps scored four power play goals; anytime that happens you are going to lose. The defense was running around in their own zone puck chasing like a collection of squirts. The forwards did not pick up open men and had way too many turnovers in the neutral zone. Also the inability to win faceoffs is another growing concern.
With all that being said the Islanders goaltending is average at best. However if the team can play a solid defensive system I do believe that the goaltenders are good enough to win games. Something has to be done about this defense for this team to have any chance of returning to the playoffs. Until then any thoughts of a playoff run are merely pipe dreams.
I have also gone from concerned to worried about the play of Travis Hamonic. I know the awful play of his partner Andrew Macdonald has had something to do with it; but "hammer" has been so soft around the net and in the corners. Where is the defenseman that would put people on their backsides with ease? The Islanders need him to raise his game.
The only good thing last night is the continued progression of the top line as they continue to click. Islanders head coach Jack Capuano needs to get the second and third lines going and I would like to see either Brock Nelson or Michael Grabner play alongside Frans Nielsen and Josh Bailey.
The Islanders need to write the ship tomorrow as they head into the eye of the storm and face off with the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh. Perhaps the Canes will call up Rick Dipietro and let him start against his old squad. As always for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at DanDanNoodles78.