I do not want to pop anyone's bubble with this but reality right now the Islanders are not playing like a 30th place team or even close.
These are games you have to get points from because eventually the club is going to have a bad stretch of games and struggle as all clubs do in this league.
Regardless who is in the lineup if you have a big lead you have to close out the game, the same players got you the lead in the first place after two periods
should be locked into what need to do and confident it can continue.
Right now the veterans are as healthy and rested as they are going to get for an eighty two game season. Guerin, Weight had some very good early chances, Park, Campoli also had good early chances.
Islanders are putting themselves into great position to win games, then they hand it right back to the opposition which so far has been a lot more about the Islanders then a star player on another team putting on a show.
Last night most of the Islander players did not get off the bench before 3-1 became 3-3, when they did there was no skating or attempt to take back momentum.
This has been a common thread going back to preseason at the first sign of adversity.
A penalty, goal against, sometimes just a pressure shift from the other club, it does not take much at all.
The skating stops when the other club gets any momentum like they have no confidence in what they are doing or the system. The coach said they have the green light to go on the offensive so what's the problem? Nielsen in the second just kept taking pucks and rushing into the offensive zone like he owned it, it was a lot of fun to watch.
Scott Gordon said the other day this could easily be a five hundred club, I completely agree.
Terrible teams fall behind early and are overmatched and you can tell they do not have enough talent. With the injuries the Islanders have had if the games turned out that way it would be understandable.
But that is not what's happening, not even close.
At least not yet.