NYI Fan Central Comments:
Montreal is a good skating team that can score. Islanders are going to have to break out with a big offensive game or again work the opposition into the ice and play for a low-scoring game. Islanders saw this team in camp twice for what that is worth.
A lot of players are due to score in this lineup.
Usatoday.com: Kevin Allen has an outstanding feature on the Islanders so far this season where he writes this is the most cohesive teams the Islanders have had in years. Garth Snow said the club will address resigning Comrie halfway through the season when they are allowed to negotiate.
"The biggest plus on our team right now is chemistry," Snow says. "So many of the players have come up to (coach Ted Nolan) or myself and said this is the best group of guys they have ever played with."
"It's like we have been playing together for years," says Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro. The biggest need we had was for a guy like Bill Guerin to come in here and be a leader and hold guys accountable."
Newsday: Erik Boland as usual opens the debate for post-Ranger hangover discussion while captain Bill Guerin called it ridiculous and is not talking anymore about it. He did talk about all the close games the Islanders have been involved in, while Ted Nolan was asked if the Islanders playing 15 games in 27 nights will force Rick DiPietro to take a break?
"You're never comfortable in those situations but we know how to play in those situations," Guerin said. "We want to get away from playing in those and it would be nice to play with a little cushion now and again, but the league's so close now you rarely get that."
"If he has to stop five or six breakaways a game or five or six 3-on-1 opportunities, that's pretty taxing," Nolan said. "Right now, we're pretty solid defensively." Nolan later added: "Right now he's as fresh as I've seen him and we'll just keep riding that fresh horse while he's fresh."
NYI Fan Central Comments:
Guerin is right in Boland bringing up post-Ranger hangover and calling it ridiculous. This ended last season with the Islanders winning several games after beating the Rangers and has continued this season and he knew the numbers so why bother? It's as dead as the streak the Caps had against the Islanders.
All the good story lines around this team and no daily blog, no hype for a lot of players who deserve it and no increased coverage. Instead this is what the club gets going into a big game against a very good Canadians team?
Media is the problem, not the team. This is why a lot of good players who merit praise get an under-rated label and no coverage.
Ct Post: Will have coverage tomorrow of the game Wednesday night at Hershey.
