Last night on Hockey Night in New York, Sean and Stefen break down the Islanders performance so far, cover the latest on Pelech and Aho injuries, the Mike Reilly pickup, and more. Plus, Mike Morreale joined to preview Isles vs Devils and give a scouting report on Tyce Thompson after being acquired for Arnaud Durandeau.
The Isles were able to string some wins together and collect points to stay in the playoff mix as they hit the quarter mark of the season. Are they doing enough to remain in the hunt as the schedule gets tougher?
Good Morning, Islanders Country.
I have a complicated relationship with the Holidays. On the one hand, it’s wonderful to see family and friends (most of the time), and as a parent, it’s magical to see your kids light up from the wonder and excitement of it all.
On the other hand, it’s beyond exhausting.
The traffic, the decorations, the lists, the gift wrapping, the sending out the cards, the preparation, the hosting. It’s the most tired I am all year long, and if you’re like me, you also end up putting on 3-5 pounds.
The only thing that I can imagine that is remotely close to surviving the Holidays is having to log nearly 30 minutes on back-to-back nights. That was the case for four Islanders defensemen, and despite that adversity, the team not only survived, but thrived during their Thanksgiving week test.
They needed to follow up the win in Calgary for it to mean anything, and they did exactly that, securing five points out of a possible six in a span of three games over four nights.
Would it have been great to steal a second point on Saturday night? Of course, but I am much more excited about Ilya Sorokin finding his elite game than I am concerned about a weary and tired group not putting away point-blank chances and overtime and failing to score in the shootout (after all, they do that when they are rested and as fresh as can be).
“The effort was outstanding. We’ve played a lot of hockey lately and traveled a lot lately including last night. The four defensemen that played last night played a ton of minutes last night. It wasn't necessarily pretty at times, but I thought we gutted it out. And we battled and I give our team full marks.” - Lane Lambert
The week ahead is challenging with road games in New Jersey and Carolina, and the realization that Adam Pelech isn’t coming back soon will set in. The two prior occasions Pelech has missed extended time have coincided with the team struggling mightily in his absence.
Unlike in those seasons, the team has already suffered a seven-game winless streak; they can’t afford a similar stretch again this season. It’ll be on everyone to step up, not just those on the blue line to improve upon their current position.
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