Atlanta Journal Constitution: Has game recap of New York's 2-1 loss to Thrashers.
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The New York Islanders are not mathematically eliminated, they had a lot of days off in Florida before coming home to play tonight.
They have not come close to a sixty minute effort or an A game for a while.
I know over eighty two games, teams have clunkers, what happened against Atlanta tonight goes back to previous five games where you could see the skating, passing and play drop significantly, despite the wins/shootout/overtime games.
I also understand they had a few pp goals on the road, they also showed a lot of the poor trends with the man advantage Atlanta handily exploited tonight, dominating the puck and pinning the Islanders in their own end.
Only Atlanta being frankly a struggling team themselves, with Montoya's goaltending kept this from being 5-1 or worse. Sure Montoya turned his pad into the net on Schremp's goal which was brutal and the same goal he allowed in his Buffalo debut.
There is winning ugly, and playing to build something that's a formula for long term success. Beating the struggling Lightning, Panthers with sporadic good moments is not the team we were watching earlier.
If the Islanders played like the team that defeated Boston, St Louis, took forty shots and had pressure all over Atlanta and lost 2-1, credit the other goalie.
In the context of one game, tonight is no problem.
Six games in a row something's missing.
Some individuals had some good moments against Atlanta, especially fourth line, however shots against reflected game/skating/effort tonight. Atlanta was a team with four days rest, coming off an 8-2 still with playoff hopes, two points ahead of New York going into tonight.
Where was the Islanders playoff desperation tonight, or really for the last six games? Jack Caupauno can talk about long road trips but it was three games on road with a lot of days off.
The 6-1 losses are going to be happening soon via Flyers, Devils & Rangers if this team does not raise their game significantly. If I were deciding on players or the interim head coach status this is where I want to see if this team how hard this team is willing to compete down to game eighty two.
Clunkers? Sure, all teams have them.
Six games of ok to fair/poor efforts is not convincing me.
Easy from a keyboard to coach, tonight was the night to see Capuano do a little line juggling in my estimation to shake up some players.
Buffalo's number to eliminate New York stands at three/Sabres have games in hands and wins tie-breaker.
Streit not to return this season, draft pick Brian Day in Bridgeport on ATO, along with several other players per Ct Post.
NYIFC Comments:
Bridgeport was eliminated last Saturday, Day is a prospect who has to be signed upon graduation. From what I'm reading Anders Nilsson's team is in playoffs (Nilsson and team doing very well) so he likely will not be making a cameo on an ATO as we saw with Kevin Poulin or others.
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