Here we are, the final two games of the season for the New York Islanders, and how appropriate it is for them to be vs. the New York Rangers. The New York Islanders enter into tonight’s contest sitting 13th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 34 wins – 37 losses – and 9 overtime losses, which is good for 77 points. The Rangers meanwhile are on the other side of the spectrum. They sit 5th in the Eastern Conference with a record of 41 wins – 27 losses – and 11 overtime losses, which is good for 93 points. The Rangers are looking to obtain home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, while the Islanders are looking to try and stop the Rangers from making the playoffs altogether.
How can the Islanders play the spoilers? Well, it is a complex situation, and it depends on a lot more than just the Islanders. First off, we need to beat the Rangers tonight at the Coliseum and tomorrow night at the Garden. The Rangers would also have to lose their season finale game Sunday against the New Jersey Devils (who could be there likely opponent in the first-round should they clinch). While this happens, the Washington Capitals would need to win their remaining three games, the Boston Bruins would need to win two, the Ottawa Senators would need to gain one point (shootout or overtime loss to the Bruins), and the Flyers would need to win two games as well. Is it possible? Yes! Is it probable? I’d love as an Islander fan to say yes, but I think the Rangers have come together too strongly towards the end of the season for such a tremendous collapse to occur. We can only wait and see….
We should understand though that being the spoilers could come at a steep price. If we are to win the remaining two games versus the New York Rangers and move our point totals to 81 points, it could move us out of the top 5 for a draft pick and cost us our lottery chances. This all depends on how the Columbus Blue Jackets and the St. Louis Blues fare in their two head-to-head games. If we do win both games, and the St. Louis Blues win both of the games vs. Columbus in regulation, we could be out of the top five. Now that I have cleared up the spoiler and lottery pick situation for you, let’s move on to what we should see tonight.
Rookies, rookies, and more rookies. Kip Brennan will be appearing in tonight’s game vs. the Rangers and it comes as no surprise to me. We should see him try to fight the entire Rangers team, as that is the entire reason he was called up. To many Islander fans this comes as a saving grace as we have pined for an enforcer for the entire season, and only now have we gotten one. We will also be seeing the addition of John Hillen III to the lineup tonight. Better known as Jack, he will be sporting his 5 foot 10 inch frame and the number thirty eight, alongside our most steady defenseman Radek Martinek. What we can hope to see from him is a good first pass out of the zone, quick skating, and working the point on the power play. Since he will be paired alongside of Martinek, we could see him log a significant number of minutes in his first game. Tonight will also be the debut of Kyle Okposo vs. the cross-town rivals. It will be a treat to see how Okposo handles what many consider to be the toughest rivalry in the NHL. Hopefully, for the Islanders sake, he handles tough situations such as these with the same poise and concentration that he has shown in the last 7 contests. Wouldn’t it be nice to see him net the game-winner or shootout winner tonight? We can only hope for the best! As for our goaltending situation tonight, I’d fully expect to see Wade Dubielewicz between the pipes as I feel he has been outstanding for us. Although I feel MacDonald has been impressive in his two starts, I don’t think we could ask for a better back-up goaltender than Wade Dubielewicz.
The ferry ride is slowly coming to an end so I best pack up my things and prepare for the drive to Uniondale. I will be in section 203 for what will be the last home game of the 2007-2008 season. I would love to see the Islanders at least take tonight’s tilt so that we don’t allow the rangers to clinch a playoff spot on our home-ice. I hope you all enjoy the same and LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!!
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