The New York Islanders Cannot Win With This Defense

It's pointless to keep repeating the same items. 

The team is above my November projection of three wins with four. 

The loss of Mark Streit was the beginning, it took away scoring (at five on five/powerplay) that was critical.

His loss on defense moving the puck away from the net in transition was noticeable from game one.

After that you take away Visnovsky on a defense already struggling with him most games, finally Brian Strait.

Management seems determined to win or lose with some veterans despite the prospects (Ness, Nelson) showing more. There was a reason Radek Martinek was unsigned at Iceworks waiting for a chance. 

Do I really need to write it again about the mistake(s) every game Matt Carkner makes that always wind up in the net any longer?

When a team is this fragile on defense, it's a matter of when before another team can make a play to beat them, especially in a conference where virtually all the teams can put together long stretches of two goals or less allowed.

Other teams see the exact same thing.

MacDonald/Hamonic have been worn down by so much work, they are not scoring defenders at this point, hard as they try, Mark Streit was. 

Sure the penalty kill is about the defenders, but the forwards as well. The faceoffs have to go on the coaching, along with some players (especially Bailey/Grabner) very quiet recent games.

Thomas Vanek outscored Matt Moulson's entire season with the Islanders on Friday at five on five.

They also went 0-6 on the powerplay which is where Moulson did his best work here.

Bottom line until this team learns to play some defense it has no chance of winning with any regularity, they do not have the players at this time to win on defense.