Islanders Look to Turn Tide Against Columbus

Helllloooooooo Islanders Nation!

I am blogging live from our hotel room in Las Vegas. It’s noon here, so I wanted to get a few things out before tonight’s game.

I did not get a chance to watch the game from Saturday night because I was driving from San Diego to Las Vegas. I did “watch” the progress of the game via the live tracker I posted – and I was happy for most of the game with the progress. I was actually in disbelief that the Habs managed to score 4 unanswered goals late in the game – it made me very mad that the “collapse” moved late in the game as opposed to the first period.

Things are definitely getting closer to a complete game and it’s a positive that Gordon recognizes flaws and addresses them as they come up. It’s unfortunate however that the Islanders only have two wins in the standings. Maybe in a few more games the team will become more consistent and they will start to gain some forward momentum.

Injuries

One of the biggest surprises for me on Saturday when I landed in California was the news release that Rick DiPietro was to undergo another knee surgery. Why was DiPietro allowed to even entertain playing with whatever damage was left over in his already repaired knee? At least the issue will be corrected and he is now shut-down. He needs to return 100%, not 40% – hopefully Danis and MacDonald can hold the fort down in his absence.

In another surprise move, as if the pressure from Greg Logan, the Bloggers and fans is getting to the team – the team announced more injury information. Defenseman Freddy Meyer underwent abdominal surgery and will be out for the short term.

Positives

The power play is coming around, with Mark Streit and Bill Guerin getting things done the past several games. Streit looks more and more comfortable and confident in every game he plays – making the deal he was given over the summer look like a genius move by Garth Snow.

Kyle Okposo has been moved up to the top line following very solid play – he will be on the wing with Guerin and Weight. Having another big body on that line is going to be fun to watch, especially with the talent Okposo possesses.

The goaltenders look good – but the team in front of them lets them down, if they can somehow maintain solid support they can each get through a full 60 minutes without a problem.

Mitch Fritz gets the best of Laraque – first title bout win for him, he deserves it.

Tambellini is back after being a healthy scratch for two games. It’s always important to watch how a struggling player responds after being taken out of the lineup – I would love to see Tamby come in and ignite his game with a multi-point night.

It should be interesting tonight, but again – I can only “watch” via the live tracker. I will try to analyze the highlights of tonight’s game like I did of Saturday’s game.

Live Tracker