Last night on Hockey Night in New York, former Isles defenseman and current MSG Analyst Thomas Hickey joined Sean Cuthbert and Stefen Rosner in the studio to talk about his Isles career, his transition to broadcasting, and the state of the current Isles on the ice.
Good Morning, Islanders Country.
The Islanders are off to their best start (4-2-1) since 2015-16, but it doesn't feel like it, does it? The best thing you can say is that they are winning the games they are “supposed” to win, beating the Sabres, Coyotes, and Senators all at home. On Friday night, behind 34 saves from Semyon Varlamov, they took care of business against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 2-0 win.
That’s the good news. That’s why Lane Lambert can smile.
The less-than-good news is that the Islanders are still working through some things, and when facing tougher competition, they haven’t been able to overcome the self-inflicted mistakes that have cost them, despite Ilya Sorokin’s best efforts.
Their defensive workload has been lopsided without Scott Mayfield, and the team has allowed 201 shots over their last five games. Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat still haven’t clicked, while the JG Peagu line has been rotating wingers waiting for a player to emerge.
Against two of the faster teams in the league - the New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche, they’ve scored but have had trouble keeping up defensively, and tonight will face a strong test when they welcome the 5-3-1 Detroit Red Wings, who have Alex DeBrincat (already nine goals) and Dylan Larking (already 15 points) to UBS Arena.
Coming up, Varly shows why he is a backup in name only, and the numbers clearly tell us what has been the Isles’ top line. Plus, Cory Schneider makes a guess appearance, Matt Martin gets a tribute video and a milestone birthday for one of the most prolific defensemen in NHL history.
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