Saturday, October 12, 2013

Handzus Leads Hawks Over Isles 3-2

Tonight, our Islanders suffered their first regulation loss of the season getting defeated 3-2 by the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks.  Here are some of my notes:

-All things considered, Poulin played well and kept us in the game when he needed to.  If we could get play like that from him all season, we maybe in a bit better position in net then we thought.

-Clutterbuck's low ice time is concerning, seems to be a signal to me that maybe he wasn't as ready to comeback as some people thought.  If he can't play a consistent shift then he shouldn't be dressed.

-Very pleased with the play of the Nielsen line.  Early on this season they have been by far the teams most consistent offensive threat.

-Can Pierre Marc Bouchard please get benched for tomorrow nights game?  I was shocked he played tonight and not Nelson but even tonight he did nothing.  If he is bringing nothing to the lineup, it makes zero sense to keep him in.

-Our play in the defensive zone needs to get a lot better!  We were running around way to much tonight and giving the Hawks way to much time and space.  We had similar issues in the game last week against the Devils.

Overall, the Islanders in spurts were able to hang in there toe to toe with the defending Stanley Cup Champions tonight which is encouraging.  The biggest positive to take out of tonight for me is the play of Poulin against an extremely tough opponent like the Blackhawks.  They surely have a lot of stuff to work on though as they prepare for tomorrow nights game in Nashville though.

Next Game: Tomorrow night @ Nashville

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