Maple Leafs Power Past Isles

Tonight, your New York Islanders met the Toronto Maple Leafs in a game that would usher in the unofficial Kevin Poulin era.  Which Islander team will show up in front of him?

Forwards:  Nelson-Tavares-Okposo, Bailey-Nielsen-McDonald, Bouchard-Regin-Clutterbuck, Martin-Cizikas-Boulton.

D-Pairings:  Ness-Carkner, MacDonald-Hamonic, Donovan-Hickey,

Kevin Poulin in goal with Anders Nilsson on the bench.

 

The Leafs scored on the first rush of the game just :22 into the period to take a 1-0 lead.  Although the Isles would have flourishes of good play through out the game, it was a poor effort for what is becoming a desperate team.  In the second period, Casey Cizikas broke out a scored a big one on one goal to bring the game to a 2-1 score.  The Isles were engaged and found their second wind, but it would be snuffed out soon enough after falling further behind until Frans Nielsen (Bailey) scored for the Isles at the 15:14 minute mark of the third period.  Toronto would finish with a 5-2 win despite being outshot 37-24.  Kevin Poulin would finish 19/24 with a .792Sv%.  He wasn't the issue tonight.  The Isles fall to 8-11-3.  Their dressing room remained closed to the media directly after the game.

 

Tonight the Islanders were abysmal on defense.  They lacked any consistent pressure on physical play or on the fore or back check.  Special teams is unstable and scoring depth seems to flicker into and out of play.  They are dealing with some key injuries that have directly affected their ability to play their game.  Losing Visnovsky, Vanek, Strait and now Nabokov is big.  Players like Aaron Ness,  Matt Donovan & Brock Nelson are young players who have a lot to grow into with the needs of the Islanders, but they have done pretty well with the situation they are in.  Plugging in Radek Martinek is a stop-gap solution who can act as an experienced defensemen when called upon, but he has big limitations.  All these factors are the reality.  The Isles need another top defensive player.  They could use an experienced goaltender as well.  We will see what Garth Snow is forced to do if the Isles are pushed into more lopsided loses.  Picks are thinned from the Moulson trade, but they do have several levels of prospects they can use to trade.  Which picks the team is willing to part with to get the player/s they want is another story.

 

I am guilty of saying that this team is inconsistent and that they are mismanaged by their head coach.  I still believe it to be true.  Success can build out from a stable base, but until the team can execute their game plan and regroup consistently, it will not be able to sustain a winning culture.  From his time in Bridgeport, I mentioned the value of Casey Cizikas to the New York Islanders Organization.  I think he will be a major part of the rebuild and is a major component of what works for the team.  They will arrive, its just going to take more time and frankly, more adjustments in my opinion.