In case you missed it, here is (once again) and embed of Yzerman talking to Ken Kal about the season:
It was deeply saddening to see a comment from XtremeMachine on the Buffalo Post Game report that showed he’d driven 5 hours to watch that brutal contest. First ever trip to LCA was a nasty one, to be sure. With the season rounding out as easily the worst in 30+ years, fans still want to see the team show up. Wins and losses aside, when you’re the league’s bottom placed team, give some snarl.
I’m certain the grading systems have changed in school, but growing up in the 80s, elementary school report cards had not only the academic grade, but also grades based on effort. If you came home with a C overall, but an A for effort, it was slightly less daunting. My older brother is a member of MENSA, and my oldest and younger probably could have been. All three could score an A in academics with an F in effort. That’s life sometimes. There are people who can just show up and win without caring, and people who can give everything they have and fall short. Brian Burke put it this way, if a more talented team beat you it’s easier to accept. If a less talented team outworked you, that’s where the problem lies.
Detroit isn’t going to face anyone with less depth at this point, and so the work has to be the focus. Make the fans give you an “A” for effort more often than not and they’ll be less disappointed. Enter the New York Islanders.
When John Tavares left the Isles, it was assumed they would regress to a disastrous degree. The opposite held true. As the face of the franchise left, a franchise coach entered in. In fact, the Islanders made an impressive run to the post season and had more success than the Maple Leafs. Anders Lee stepped up, the team went into defensive lock down and everyone is carrying the load. The team simply knows how to turn ice into mud for the opposing forecheck. Goaltenders seem to thrive under the system, and they are a physically punishing team to play at times. The balance of skill/effort/coaching seems to be in harmony. Teams much more loaded with scorers try to outscore defensive issues on a nightly basis, that isn’t the case for the Isles. Even though the Islanders rank 21st in goals for at 2.75, they rank 5th in goals against at 2.64. A positive differential while scoring fewer than three goals per game is beyond impressive.
Detroit Still ranks 31st at goals for (2.15) and goals against (3.78). The Islanders hold a plus 7 goal differential compared to Detroit’s -75. You can see a clear stamp of what I believe to be the best coach in the league. Trotz built a franchise in Nashville, took the Capitals to the cup, and now has turned NYI completely around. Whatever he’s preaching, it seems to work everywhere he goes.
The task is daunting for Detroit, and even more so as Bernier is out until after the all star break. Howard is 0-10-1 in his past 11 and has a goals against of over 4. The veteran net minder is trying to stay positive and believes things will turn round. We can only hope that tonight is the night.
Realistic expectations for tonight’s game - show up at puck drop. Get pucks deep and finish your checks. Turnovers in the neutral zone will quickly become high percentage chances against. No “cute” plays in the defensive zone. Get the puck out, even if you have to risk an icing call. Your goaltender is searching for his confidence and leaving shooters alone in front of the net and handing them the puck isn’t going to help.you may have to fall back into a 1-4 forecheck (or a 1-1-3). It makes offense much more difficult, but you can try and seal up the defensive zone. The Islanders aren’t a team that will let you outscore your deficiencies on any regular basis so you have to shut it down. Stay out of the box and skate hard.
IF Detroit finds success tonight, it will be outside of the numbers. Someone will have a career scoring night, or Jimmy will have found his game. Other than that, this could very well be a 3-0 loss with the Isles scoring one in each period and limiting Detroit to 20 shots or fewer for the game. It will take every player working their hardest every shift to see this contest be close. It’s not impossible.
Hoping to see Zadina back on the scoreboard as he continues his development. Larkin, Fabbri and Bertuzzi have had some good moments, and Hronek has shown some nice flashes as well. Helm and Glendening have regularly hard working and tougher to play against. Those two never seem to quit. We’ll see if Detroit can pull it all together and find some success against one of the leagues stingiest teams.
Check back after the game for some post game thoughts and analysis. Enjoy it! Thanks to everyone who stops by to read and comment. Keep it coming!
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • 
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