The last time these two clubs met, things were a bit different on both ends. The Leafs had not gelled enough as a team, and the Islanders were about to endure another long November.
- New York Islanders (22-18-10)
- Toronto Maple Leafs (24-17-9)
- Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY
- MSG+, 88.7 FM, 970 AM
Defenseless Losses
Both literally and figuratively, the New York Islanders cannot defend their past two strings of blown games.
Despite scoring four goals in the past two games, the Islanders also allowed 10. The first loss came just one week after allowing the fewest goals in the NHL.
It’s hard to blame the Detroit loss on Thomas Greiss, who has otherwise been spectacular since signing a three-year, $10 million contract.
JF Berube suffered the same fate against the Hurricanes Saturday night, but having that been his seventh start all year, it’s difficult to tilt the blame in both directions.
Either way, the Islanders stumbled. They only earned one of a possible four points after earning 10 of 12 in a six-game window.
There’s no time to sulk, it’s time to brush it off and move forward.
Lineup Notes
It’s definitely interesting to not see any lineup changes in light of two defensive collapses by the Islanders.
Interim head coach Doug Weight has actually made few changes to the lineup overall, despite the defensive woes the past two games. Shane Prince has been the forward in and out of the lineup when all are healthy.
Weight cites the reasoning being that Prince has not impacted the score-sheet, but it is not for a lack of work ethic.
Cal Clutterbuck remains out with a lower-body injury. Clutterbuck has suffered repeat injuries for the second consecutive game after being activated from the IR.
Greiss will be in goal for the Islanders, Frederik Andersen is expected to get the nod in net for Toronto.