Skating round in circles
More of the same for Isles in 4-1 loss to Bruins to close out homestand
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Good Morning, Islanders Country.
The Isles’ decision to call up 20-year-old prospect William Dufour wasn’t made out of necessity. There were other options, albeit not inspired ones (Simon Holmstrom has 1 goal in 18 games), but the Islanders are in desperate need of a spark, and bringing up the offensively gifted Dufour and putting him on a line with Mathew Barzal might not have been the “do something” fans expected, but it was the path chosen in a predicament with few choices, none of the clear answer.
“(Barzal) is one of the best players in the NHL, probably, said Dufour after the morning skate. “It’s just amazing to practice with him, and if I have the chance to play with him, I’m going to give 100% for the chance to stay there.”
He didn’t stay there for long. Dufour made a pair of defensive zone turnovers, both of which eventually led to the puck in the Islanders’ net. He didn’t get back on the ice and played just 6:48 in his NHL debut. There will be better days.
For weeks, the coach and players have been emphasizing the same things without achieving different results. Sure, they’re saying the right things, but the words have lost their meaning. Nothing changes. They’re skating round in circles.
“If you look back at all five games, I feel we've played better than what the results are,” said Lane Lambert after the game. There’s some truth to that; the Islanders were in a position to win each of the first four-games of this homestand but only came away with four points, and ultimately, that’s all that matters.
The longer nothing changes, the longer the results same the same, the more fans will start clamoring for bigger, more consequential changes to be made. The Islanders feel like a team without a compass right now, both for the short and long term.
Coming up, William Dufour makes a brief NHL debut, and he and four teammates are ranked in the top 100 under 23. Plus, JG Pageau lets his feelings be known on the Ovi hit, a change of plans for Mama Dufour, a Greisser shutout in Brooklyn black, and Mark Parish talks Isles in “the aughts.”
Let’s dive in.
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