No Doubt

Let last night be the last time we doubt the New York Islanders and of what they are capable. In the first meeting of the year with the Ottawa Senators (on paper a far superior team and a team that has dominated the Isles over the years), the Isles stuck with the Sens and managed to pull out a 3-2 shootout victory. The Isles not only competed with the Sens, but they finally looked like they belonged on the ice with the perennial Canadian powerhouse. The Isles are among the top defensive teams in the league, and if Rick DiPietro continues his solid play, there won’t be many teams that the Isles can’t handle.

The Sens had the Isles running around for the first 10 minutes or so, but after the Isles were able to withstand the barrage of shots, they were able to regain their composure and implement Ted Nolan’s strong fore-checking defense-first system. DP was solid in net, but he did not have to be spectacular until the shootout. He allowed two strange goals, but was more than solid over the course of the game. There are few goaltenders I would trust in a shootout over Rick DiPietro.

Silinger has had two good games this season: his 1,000th game a few weeks back and last night’s contest. Silinger looked at ease on the rink, his skating looking smoother, and his shot harder and more accurate. He actually looked more adept than Mike Comrie as the center on the PP because he was successfully moving the puck to his teammates and getting quick shots off on Emery. He chipped in a go-ahead goal and scored the deciding goal in the shootout. Yet what most reflects that Silinger had an edge last night was his dominant faceoff percentage that saw him win 17 out of 23 draws, good for over 70% faceoff percentage. It’s not like I don’t like Mike Silinger—it’s more that Isles fans became accustomed to consistent solid play last season and thus expect that consistent play to carry over into this season.

Simon is a waste of a 1st line forward and I was happy when Nolan reduced his ice time and sent him back to 4th line duty. The 1st line cannot seem to get going, having expelled all of their magic during the first weeks of the season. By first line I mean Mike Comrie and Bill Guerin, both of whom cannot find the score sheet on a consistent basis. The Isles are desperate for a new first line winger, one who can skate and finish on a more regular basis.

It has now been 10 straight games in which the Isles have scored 2 goals or less. I repeat that’s 10 straight games in which the Isles have not had at least 3 goals in a game (last night’s shootout ceremonial goal does not count). Even more strange is that the Isles are now 5-4-1 over that stretch. Most teams that manage a mere 17 goals over 10 games without scoring more than 2 goals in a game would probably have a record of 2-8 or worse. This is a tribute to the Isles strong defensive play that has seen them only allow 20 goals over that same span.

I thought MAB looked particularly strong in his own end last night and I am hoping Nolan will reward him with more playing time. Last night MAB received more ice time than Sutton, Gervais, and Campoli and look for Nolan to continue to ride MAB until the latter causes Nolan to decide otherwise.