Sorry folks, we all want this team to get in playoffs, and win the Stanley Cup.
Sure, they are winning some games, the third period issues/giving up too many shots are still there, and they are essentially playing for the 8th seed unless this team can make the kind of run where they finish with 95 points with the longest road trip in team history/least rest of any NHL team. The powerplay issues continue for the most part, even with Lee giving them what they need to stay on the 1st line.
And please, let's be clear, aside from the Tampa three times this team could have won every game in third period this season which is unusual. I did not see it as an issue of players tuning out any coach.
This team plays in the Metro, not the Atlantic where a lot of teams would be catch able or the west with less teams/more playoff spots. Fast teams continue to press the Islanders, tired Philadelphia came in off a 4-1 loss and took almost 50 shots, and the Islanders lost another two goal lead, then the skills competition.
Plus this time they have to do it with a 31 year old career backup leading, and Berube, who's hardly played for two years, with no 1st line RW capable of putting up the 20+ goals needed, despite Bailey having a career season, with Nelson's spotty production, and Strome simply not giving them enough numbers while Ladd if hurt, could linger for an entire season.
Kulemin is one goal off his last season number after 44 games, Clutterbuck, Cizikas are not giving them the goals their salary mandates, and not going anywhere with those contracts.
I don't see Halak in Bridgeport through next season, he's done a good job there, and was not the issue here on the ice, only management knows what took place off the ice, if anything.
On defense Hamonic has had a tough go before his injury, for years this team went through struggling defenders to go to Seidenberg, who's giving them 20 quality minutes Zidlicky, Visnovsky, Strait, and others could not give them for years.
No rush for Pulock here, if it means an extension for Seidenberg, they should do it. Defenseman are hard to find in this league who can play at his level, considering Mayfield cleared waivers, and Pelech could be lost to expansion. Toews has been a nice surprise for those watching the system.
I like the job Weight has done, only Malkin-Ledecky know what they will do with Snow, and his job titles which decides the head coaching position. My thoughts are the best people are the ones working in January with NHL jobs.
Again the fans have fairly made clear nothing but Snow's dismissal will be accepted after eleven years, who will give them Nassau Coliseum-like support at Barclay's with the usual ton of outside media playing their selective branding card.
A while back I wrote this is essentially a 50 game preseason, we have seen plenty of them, only way to change that is to have a mentality to catch the 7th seed, and reverse a lot of trends that go back years to many past Islander teams.
As for the outside distractions like media creating a circus over Tavares who could leave with team after 2017-18, and decide issue for him, or those who only come around to stir pot but not cover games, our fans are going to have to be smart enough to see through the non-sense for a team with one media person who works for another NHL teams newspaper, and is good as doing his least vs his Newsday counterpart.
Maybe our fans have not noticed, management barely speaks to Newsday beyond the bare minimum they get in print/on television.
