islanders vs hurricanes

Again, rookie coach Gordon signals for the lefty and starts our favorite hero, DP. However, I'm uncertain as to whether he looked sharper in warmups or during the first 9 minutes when he let two weak pucks slip past him. During the first intermission however, Gordon yanked Rickie out of the net, and after the game during his press conference said, "He's day to day. But I assure you it was not his performance," regarding the switch. Gordon also explained how DiPietro wants to contribute and help the team in every way possible, but maybe the best way now, to help the desperate Isles, is to mentor rookie MacDonald until DP is nursed back to form.



Now, on a more positive, reflective side, the Islanders showed some signs of life tonight, drawing seven power plays, and although only capitalizing once, they generated fifteen shots on goal, from their new all time record of sixty. Mark Streit and Doug Weight quarterbacked the man advantage well, and Streit netted his second of the year on a perfectly sniped shot from a Weight feed. Also, on the offensive side of the puck, gritty Bergenheim was aggressive as ever, drawing penalties, surrendering his body in the neutral zone and driving into the net for his second score of the season. Bregenheim looked like a Chihuahua on the rink, fiercely attacking the puck on both sides of the rink.

The Islanders face their biggest challenge yet, skating against their oldest and strongest rivals, across town. Scott Gordon said, “As a kid growing up, you play hockey to be a part of the big rivals." The Islanders need a big game against the Rangers on Monday night to rejuvenate themselves and prove to all that they aren't just a freshmen team with old, lingering vets, but youthful, talented groups of guys and although they dropped a heart breaker in the finals second, literally, they will build from this loss and come out hungry. Despite the loss, the Islanders looked better and more coordinated versus the Hurricanes as they have looked all season thus far. With heavy pressure and fresh legs look for the Isles to jump on New York early, and if Gordon mixes things up with more Park and Sim, we should see another "W" on our side!