So the first month of the NHL Season has come and gone and for the New York Islanders it has been an interesting one at that. As of now the Isles sit 4th in the Atlantic Division with a 4-5-2 record, good enough for 10 points, just a tad bit better then the New Jersey Devils who sit in last place in the division. The Isles opened the season with a 5-4 Overtime loss to the Dallas Stars. What impressed me the most about that game was the fact that the team twice overcame 2-goal deficits to force overtime and earn a point. They followed that up with a 6-4 beating of the rival New York Rangers (who i oh so lovingly call the New York Retards). 3rd game of the season saw the team's first regulation loss a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals. The lone positive taken from that game was the 1st career goal from Nino Niederreiter. If you have yet to see the video here it is:
So after the loss to the Caps, the Isles moved on to Pittsburgh where they lost another heartbreaker 3-2 in Overtime to the pens. The next night was a 5-2 beatdown of the Colorado Avalanche. The Biggest game to this point, in terms of emotion, was a 2-1 overtime win by the Islanders in Toronto against the Maple Leafs on October 18th. For the 2nd time in less then a year the Islanders basically steal 2 points from the Leafs in Toronto in a game they really had no business winning. Dwayne Roloson made 29 saves and got help from 2 goals waved off and Martenek making a diving stop late in the 3rd period and John Tavares winning it in the extra frame with a wicked wrist shot. The Isles next game 2 days later was another overtime win this time against Tampa Bay and with Matt Moulson being the hero. Since that game however the Isles have lost 4 straight games. The only bright spot during that losing skid was John Tavares scoring his 1st ever NHL Hat Trick against the Panthers in a 4-3 loss.
So theIsles seem to be holding their own in the division without their 2 best players in Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo, who are both out with shoulder injuries. The injury bug has flown around the Islanders room a bit as Rob Shremp, Trent Hunter and Josh Bailey have missed time due to various injuries. All 3 are now back in the lineup. The big surprise on offense early on has been the play of both Blake Comeau and P.A. Parenteau. Rick DiPetrio has been able to stay healthy through the 1st month which to me is a bit of a surprise given his injury problems over the past 2 seasons. James Wisnewiski is leading the team in points right now with 11 on 2 goals and 9 assists. Next on the list is team Captain Doug Weight with 8 points. Weight is tide with Parenteau and Moulson with 8 points each. The team seems to have a bit more of a balanced scoring attack this season then they did last year but it is still early on in the year.
November is going to be a tough month for the team as they have the west coast swing early in the month. Here is what the month looks like for the Islanders in November:
11/3-@Hurricanes 7pm
11/4-@Senators 7:30pm
11/6-vs Flyers 7pm
11/10-@ Ducks 10pm
11/11-@ Sharks 10:30pm
11/13-@ Kings 10:30pm
11/17-vs. Lightning 7pm
11/20-vs. Panthers 7pm
11/21-@ Thrashers 5pm
11/24-vs. Blue Jackets 7pm
11/16-vs. Devils 1pm
So as you can see the month of November is gonna be a tough one for the team but here's to hoping they can get through it and be in the top 8 in the Eastern Conferance by the time december hits.
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