On this edition of the New York Islanders Daily Insight, we preview a game that’ll bring a lot of late night fun with the Anaheim Ducks.
- New York Islanders (1-1-1, 3 pts)
- Anaheim Ducks (1-1-1, 3 pts)
- NHL, Oct. 11, 2017, 10 p.m. ET, MSG+
- Honda Center, Anaheim, California
The New York Islanders (1-1-1) are looking to damper the last game of Anaheim’s (1-1-1) 4-game season-opening homestand at the Honda Center on Wednesday night.
A way to capitalize against Anaheim is to take advantage of their roster. Currently, the Ducks are without the services of Ryan Kesler, Patrick Eaves, Nick Ritchie, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen as well as backup goaltender, Ryan Miller. With many holes, the Islanders should look to get on the board early considering they got off to a slow start against St. Louis on Monday. Meanwhile, John Gibson has started all three games for the Ducks. While this shouldn’t be a major issue, he, just like anyone else needs rest. Perhaps Anaheim will start Reto Berra in his place.
The Islanders will look to build off of their late-game rally against the Blues. The third period featured Andrew Ladd and Anders Lee scoring a goal apiece to force the game to extra time. The Isles would eventually fall in a shootout.
Perhaps the aspect of the Islanders game that needs the most improvement is the power play, specifically, their zone entry. This is not a new issue and it should be addressed as soon as possible.
Capitalizing on the manpower advantage does not just result in a boost of goal production, but it also affects the mentality of the opposing team. If the Isles can be dangerous on the power play and fire on all cylinders, they can be a devastating team. If an offense like the one on the Saturday home-opener against the Buffalo Sabres shows up, they won’t need the power play unit. However, they can’t play a whole season like that. The Ducks are another team that have yet to score a goal on the power play this year.
Forward Cal Clutterbuck was injured with a lower-body injury in the season opener against the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus and has yet to return to the starting lineup. He and Alan Quine, who was injured in preseason, have been skating in the morning practices but have no further developments.
As for the forwards, head coach Doug Weight should continue to give the young players their chances. Despite no immediate breakthrough from young players Josh Ho-Sang and Mathew Barzal, they’ve continued to do things correctly while working through their rookie growing pains. If they continue to see middle six minutes with power play time, the two will be fine.
On the defensive side, there are many routes for head coach Doug Weight to choose. Denis Seidenberg, Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock are all ready to grab spots on the bottom pairing. Pulock is the only one that has yet to make his season debut, but for Anaheim, who is a more physically demanding team, do not be surprised if Mayfield and Pelech suit up for the Isles. The two go into the dirty areas and are not afraid to wreak havoc for the opposing forwards looking to gain zone time.
Puck drop is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET in Anaheim and will be televised on MSG+.
Other Isles News, Stories:
- Rick Weiner has the news of Jon Ledecky clarifying the arena situation.
- Isles fall to Blues, 3-2, in a shootout (highlights).
- ESNY’s Justin Weiss asks if the second pairing will hold the team back.