2nd Half NBA Schedule Announced

Well, we've waited long enough, we finally have our answer. The NBA released the schedules for the second half of the season for all of its member clubs. Coming out of the All Star Break, the season resumes on March 11th, the regular season ends on May 16th, with the playoffs set to start on May 22nd. So lets not wait any longer. Here's what the second half of the season looks like for both the Knicks and Nets.

March:
March 11 vs Boston 7:30 PM
March 13 vs Detroit 7:00 PM
March 15 vs New York 8:00 PM
March 17 @ Indiana 7:00 PM
March 19 @ Orlando 8:00 PM
March 21 vs Washington 7:00 PM
March 23 @ Portland 10:00 PM
March 24 @ Utah 10:00 PM
March 26 @ Detroit 7:00 PM
March 29 vs Minnesota 7:30 PM
March 31 vs Houston 7:30 PM

APRIL:
April 1 vs Charlotte 7:30 PM
April 4 @ Chicago 2:00 PM
April 5 vs New York 7:00 PM
April 7 vs New Orleans 7:30 PM
April 10 vs Lakers 8:30 PM
April 12 @ Minnesota 8:00 PM
April 14 @ Philadelphia 7:00 PM
April 16 vs Charlotte 7:30 PM
April 18 @ Miami 3:30 PM
April 20 @ New Orleans 7:30 PM
April 21 @ Toronto 8:00 PM
April 23 vs Boston 7:30 PM
April 25 vs Phoenix 3:30 PM
April 27 @ Toronto 7:30 PM
April 29 @ Indiana 7:00 PM
April 30 vs Portland 8:00 PM

MAY:
May 2 @ Milwaukee 3:30 PM
May 4 @ Milwaukee 7:30 PM
May 6 @ Dallas 7:30 PM
May 8 @ Denver 10:00 PM
May 11 @ Chicago 8:00 PM
May 12 vs San Antonio 8:00 PM
May 15 vs Chicago TBD
May 16 vs Cleveland TBD

MARCH:
March 11 @ Milwaukee 8:00 PM
March 13 @ Oklahoma City 2:00 PM
March 15 @ Brooklyn 8:00 PM
March 16 @ Philadelphia 8:00 PM
March 18 vs Orlando 7:30 PM
March 21 vs Philadelphia 8:00 PM
March 23 vs Washington 7:30 PM
March 25 vs Washington 7:30 PM
March 27 @ Milwaukee 8:00 PM
March 29 vs Miami 7:30 PM
March 31 @ Minnesota 8:00 PM

APRIL:
April 2 vs Dallas 7:30 PM
April 3 @ Detroit 8:00 PM
April 5 @ Brooklyn 7:00 PM
April 7 @ Boston 7:30 PM
April 9 vs Memphis 7:30 PM
April 11 vs Toronto 7:30 PM
April 12 vs Lakers 7:30 PM
April 14 @ New Orleans 8:00 PM
April 16 @ Dallas 9:30 PM
April 18 vs New Orleans 1:00 PM
April 20 vs Charlotte 7:30 PM
April 21 vs Atlanta 8:00 PM
April 24 vs Toronto 1:00 PM
April 26 vs Phoenix 7:30 PM
April 28 vs Chicago 7:30 PM

MAY:
May 2 @ Houston 8:00 PM
May 3 @ Memphis 9:00 PM
May 5 @ Denver 9:00 PM
May 7 @ Phoenix 10:00 PM
May 9 @ Clippers 3:30 PM
May 11 @ Lakers 10:30 PM
May 13 vs San Antonio 7:30 PM
May 15 vs Charlotte TBD
May 16 vs Boston TBD

New York Baseball Ultimate Lineup

We had done an article just like this last summer, so now seemed like a good time to do another one. But with a twist. Spring training is underway for Major League Baseball, and with that in mind, we have come up with this list. Since our show is a New York based talk show, we would make this lineup specific to the state.

Every single player and manager that is added to this list has to have been born in the state of New York. There have been a total of 1,221 players that have made the major leagues that have come from the state of New York. So making this list and setting this lineup isn't an easy task. But boy is it going to lead to a fun debate down the line.

What went into this selection? Well, stats played a big role into who was picked over who. Hits, runs, power steals and defense went into selecting the eight fielders. Pitching staff was wins, ERA, K's Saves and depth out of the pen. Management will be determined based on total win loss record in the big leagues.

With that being said, here's the all New York Lineup:

Manager: John McGraw (Truxton) (2,940-2,120 3X world champion manager)
Bench Coach: Joe Torre (Brooklyn) (2,326-1,997 4X world champion manager)
Bench Coach: Frankie Frisch (Bronx) (1,138-1,078)

Starters:

Catcher: A.J. Pierzynski (Bridgehampton)
1st Baseman: Lou Gehrig (New York City)
2nd Baseman: Craig Biggio (Smithtown)
3rd Baseman: Alex Rodriguez (New York City)
Shortstop: Phil Rizzuto (Brooklyn)
Left Field: Carl Yastrzemski (Southhampton)
Center Field: Dave Martinez (New York City)
Right Field: Rocky Colavito (New York City)
Designated Hitter: Edgar Martinez (New York City)

Bench:
1st Baseman: Hank Greenberg (New York City)
2nd Baseman: Eddie Collins (Middeltown)
3rd Baseman: Tommy Davis (Brooklyn)
Shortstop: Rich Aurilia (Brooklyn)
Left Field: B.J. Surhoff (Bronx)
Center Field: Andy Van Slyke (Utica)
Right Field: Bobby Bonilla (Bronx)
Designated Hitter: Ed Kranepool (New York City)

Starting Rotation:
1. Sandy Kofax (Brooklyn)
2. Warren Sphan (Buffalo)
3. Whitey Ford (New York City)
4. Jim Palmer (New York City)
5. Orel Herschiser (Buffalo)

Bullpen:
Mark Guthrie (Buffalo)
Frank Viola (Hempstead)
Billy Koch (Rtockville Center)
Roy Face (Stephentown)
Johnny Podres (Witherbee)

Closer:
John Franco (Brooklyn)

Batting Order:
1. Biggio
2. Colavito
3. Yastrzemski
4. Gehrig
5. Rodriguez
6. E. Martinez
7. D. Martinez
8. Pierzynski
9. Rizzuto

There's my all New York baseball lineup!

NBA All Star Rosters Announced

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Here we go. We are two weeks away from the NBA All Star Game, the 73rd game in the league's history. It was originally supposed to be held in Indianapolis, but due to conflicts in schedules, it was moved to State Farm Arena in Atlanta. This is the 3rd time that the city of Atlanta has hosted the game, which this year is taking place on March 7th at 8PM. The other two times were February 5th, 1978 (at the Omni) and February 9th, 2003 (from Phillips Arena). The rosters for the game have been announced, and here's what we're looking at for the 2021 contest.

Western Conference:

Starters:
Guard: Stephen Curry, Warriors (7th) 
Guard: Luka Dončić, Mavericks (2nd) 
Forward: LeBron James, Lakers (17th)
Forward: Kawhi Leonard, Clippers (5th)
Center: Nikola Jokić, Nuggets (3rd)

Bench:
Guard: Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers (6th)
Guard: Donovan Mitchell, Jazz (2nd)
Guard: Chris Paul, Suns (11th)
Forward: Anthony Davis, Lakers (8th) 
Forward: Paul George, Clippers (7th)
Forward: Zion Williamson, Pelicans (1st)
Center: Rudy Gobert, Jazz (2nd)

Eastern Conference:

Starters:
Guard: Bradley Beal, Wizards (3rd)
Guard: Kyrie Irving, Nets (7th)
Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks (5th)
Forward: Kevin Durant, Nets (11th)
Center: Joel Embiid, 76ers (4th)

Bench:
Guard: Jaylen Brown, Celtics (1st)
Guard: James Harden, Nets (9th)
Guard: Zach LaVine, Bulls (1st) 
Guard: Ben Simmons, 76ers (3rd)
Forward: Julius Randle, Knicks (1st)
Forward: Jayson Tatum, Celtics (2nd)
Center: Nikola Vučević, Magic (2nd)

It going to be a very weird year this year seeing the All Star game, but it will be a welcomed sight as it is a somewhat return to normal. I know a few of the players aren't happy having the game this year, and rightfully so given the global context Even with that being said, there's a few guys that have been left out of the game. Given rosters sizes around the league, and for the game itself, its impossible to get every team represented like you see in other sports.

I mean, look at a guy like Jimmy Butler, who's been playing out of his mind in Miami since the beginning of last year. He was a huge reason why the Heat not only went as far as they did in last years playoffs, but he's a big reason why the Heat are only a half game out of the final playoff spot in the East. You can also make the same argument for another Heat player who got left out in the cold in Bam Adebayo, who might not be putting up quite the same numbers as Butler but is also helping carry this Heat team. Some around the league feel that one or both of those guys might have had a better shot at making the all star teams if the Heat had a better record.

Then there's a guy like Gordon Hayward out in Charlotte. Hayward is looking like his old self, before the leg injury, and is putting up numbers now almost close to what he did in his final season in Utah, which is saying a ton. Much like the argument made for the Heat in the East, you can make the same thing for the 12-19 Thunder in the West as a reason why Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was held out of the game. He has taken over as the face of this Thunder franchise and his numbers on the floor this season have been backing that up.

So what are your thoughts on the rosters this year for the All Star game?

Reason To Worry on Broadway?

When your an athlete and you come into a sport as the top overall pick in your given profession, there's a log of pressure. If your Alexis Lafreniere, the pressure is double. Not only are you the top overall pick in the National Hockey League, you were picked by the New York Rangers, one of the most storied franchises in the league. There's such high expectations for both him and the team and right now neither one are being met. Yes it is early in the season, but because it's such a shortened season, it turning up the pressure even more for both.

The Rangers are in 6th place in the Mass Mutual East Division, with 11 points in 13 games and have lost three straight. There is guys starting to find their touch, but Lafreniere isn't one of them. He's got one goal on the year, scoring the overtime winner to beat the Buffalo Sabres on January 28th in Buffalo. That's it. Sure, he's taken 20 shot son goal and has the one which is the OT winner, but there still leaving much to be desired.

I get it, he's still a teenager, he's only 19 years old. It does take some time to adjust to the speed of things at this level. Some players have made quick adjustment to playing at this level. Some guys get it right away (like Auston Matthews). Some guys it take time to grow into the player they were meant to be (Vincent Lecavalier comes to mind there). Then there's guys who have such high expectations and totally flame out (no better example then Alexandre Daigle).

There's no doubt that Lafrenier can find the back of the net. He had over 100 points in each of his final two years in juniors with Rimouski. There's no doubt in anybody's mind that this kid has all the goods to make it in this league and be an impact player. He just needs to be able to really find his sea legs as it were and let his game do the talking. His 20 shots on goal in 13 games tells me he isn't really afraid to let go of a shot, he's just having a little trouble hitting his mark. The points will start to come in due time it just going to take a little while to really hit his stride.

Should there be reason to worry about him. Not at this point, he's still young and trying to find his way in the greatest league on earth. All great things come in time and eventually the great ones break loose. Maybe it will start tonight when the Rangers take on the Devils at home.

Canton Makes Call

Ah, the Hall of Fame. Being on that exclusive list means that you were a step above the rest. Those who are lucky enough to be enshrined in Canton, Ohio has grown by eight with this years selection. The announcement came during NFL honors the night before the Super Bowl. Those getting induction into the Hall, which will take place in early August are: Peyton Manning, Charles Woodson, Calvin Johnson, Drew Pearson, Alan Faneca, Bill Nunn, John Lynch, and Tom Flores.

No argument here that the biggest name in this year's hall class is Peyton Manning, who spent 18 years in the NFL, fourteen with the Colts and the final four with the Broncos. He won two super bowl titles, was a five time league MVP and two time offensive player of the year. He was a seven time first team all pro (which tied Sammy Baugh for most ever by a QB), and a two time second team all pro as well. He played in 14 pro bowls and his number is retired by both the Colts and Broncos. 

Peyton's numbers were pretty impressive during his career. He sits third in career passing yards with 71,940, and is third in passing touchdowns with 539. He also holds the records for 4,000-yard passing seasons with 14, the single-season passing yards record (5,477 in 2013), and the single-season passing touchdowns record (55 in 2013). There was little to no doubt in anybody's mind that when Peyton finally retired, the Hall was going to call him. A guy of his talent was hard to keep down and he made it count when he was on the field. Was a shame he only won two titles.

Calvin Johnson was one of the most imposing and dominating wide outs the game ever saw. He played his entire nine year career in Detroit. before retiring. He lead the NFL in receiving yards twice, was a six time pro bowler. He was a three time first team all pro and was a second team all pro twice. Johnson had 83 career touchdowns, 731 catches and 11,619 yards receiving in his career. What sucks most about Megatron's career was that it ended way too early, because of injuries, and in some opinions, a bad Lions organization. Same reasons, some feel, that Barry Sanders retired early. Johnson could dominate games at will. The biggest thing with Johnson was his reliability. He was a stable, steadying force in the Lions air attack.

Charles Woodson is going down in the books as one of the greatest defensive backs to ever step foot on a field. He played 18 years in the NFL, including two stints with the Raiders (1998-2005 and again 2013-15) and one go around with the Packers (2006-12). He has a super bowl title with the Packers in 2011. Woodson was a nine time pro bowler, a four time first team all pro and a four time second team all pro, he won defensive player of the year in 2009 and defensive rookie of the year in 1998. When Woodson retired, he was one of three players in league history to have at least 25 picks with two different franchises. He had 65 career picks and 13 defensive TD's.

The other big name defender to go into this class is John Lynch, having played 13 years in the NFL, the first ten in Tampa Bay, with the final three coming in Denver. He won his lone super bowl as a player in Tampa in 2002. Lynch was a nine time pro bowler and was a four time all pro, twice first team and twice second team. He had eight 80-tackle seasons, including 84 tackles in 2006 at age 35, to go with three seasons with more than 100 tackles. Over his 11 seasons, he played on only two losing teams and was a catalyst behind Tampa's Super Bowl title in 2002. He had great instincts as a defender on the field and seemed to always be in the right place at the right time. And he stayed in the game after his playing career ended, going into the broadcast booth before becoming a general manager.

Last, at least in this article, there's lineman Alan Faneca. He played 13 years in the NFL, nine with the Steelers, two with the Jets and one year with the Cardinals. He is one one of only 12 guards in league history to me named an all pro twelve or more times in their careers. Thanks to his outstanding blocking in Pittsburgh, he allowed Jerome Betttis and Willie Parker to have six combined 1,000 yard rushing seasons. He had a unique ability to really be able to control a run game and give his quarterback time and space in the pocket to make plays.

So what say you fellow football fans. Did they get it right? Who got left out?

NFL Hands Out Hardware

Ah its that time of year once again. The time when the NFL honors the best of the best from the season that was. This year, in what was a crazy 2020, the NFL gave fans a welcome distraction from everyday life. Took a bit of a strange direction to get there, but it got there and completed its regular season, and playoffs, without missing a beat. Now it was time for the NFL to celebrate the best of the best. Saturday night, the league handed out the hardware, honoring individual achievement in a great team sport. Here's the full list of winners from the NFL Honors, this past weekend.

Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award: Carolina Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater

AP Assistant Coach of the Year: Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll

Deacon Jones Award: Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher T.J. Watt

Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year: Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson

Pepsi Rookie of the Year: Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert

What happened with him is pretty cool. He was supposed to be on the bench most of the year, learning how to play the position. He was sitting behind Tyrod Taylor. But in week two a freak injury took Taylor out of the Chargers lineup and Herbert went in. He never went back to the bench. He finished the year with 4,336 pass yards, 31 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Those 31 touchdowns were the most ever thrown by a rookie QB in NFL history. He also rushed for 234 yards too. The guy was good, very good.

AP Defensive Player of the Year: Los Angeles Rams DL Aaron Donald

He's won this award three times for a reason. Donald was the key cog in the best defensive team in the league. He was trying to hit everything that moved on the opposition. 13.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss and 28 solo tackles. And all this and more coming from an inside linemen. Impressive. Most impressive.

AP Offensive Rookie of the Year: Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert

See above.

AP Offensive Player of the Year: Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry

It seemed like whatever momentum Henry was able to generate in last year's playoffs, he kept going this year. He was the motor that was powering that Titans offense. He lead the NFL in rushing TD's with 17, carries with 378 and yards with 2,022. He also added 19 catches for 114 yards. Henry did it all for the Titans offense and made life for Ryan Tannehill a lot easier. Henry has put up numbers that are getting better and better in each year he's been in the league. He's got a bright future ahead of him.

AP Defensive Rookie of the Year: Washington DE Chase Young

He was taken as the 2nd overall pick for a reason. He's a lot in the same mold as Aaron Donald, in that he can be a lineman who really changes a game and how an offense plans for it. Young had 7.5 sacks, recovered three fumbles on the year and had ten tackles for loss. The guy disrupted so much for opposing teams in the 15 games he played its hard to ignore how bright a future this kid has.

AP Coach of the Year: Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski

Getting the Browns to where they finished this year gives the first year head coach the right amount of praise and the award. Sean McDermott of Buffalo deserves a lot of credit for helping Buffalo manage to get to the next level. Here's why Stefanski beat him out. McDermott has had this team since 2017 and has been building around his players to fit his system. Stefanski just finished his first season in Cleveland, and took a team that had 6 wins a year ago, and lead them to 11 wins, and a playoff spot for the first time since 2002. Hell this was the first time that Cleveland has had a winning season since 2007.

AP Most Valuable Player: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers

Rogers numbers during the season were almost video game like. 48 touchdowns and just five picks. FIVE. And those numbers came on 526 pass attempts during the season. Oh and he also completed 75.1% of his passes from week nine of the regular season on. He finished the year throwing for 4,299 yards, he lead the league in TD's completion percentage and passer rating. He had outplayed Patrick Mahomes and Derek Henry, both of whom earned votes for league MVP. But Rogers was playing at another level and helped guide the Pack to the best record in the NFC and second best record in football.

Another Title To Tampa

This is becoming a recurring theme as of late. For both the City of Tampa Bay and for Tom Brady. In a game that had a lot of hype going into it, Super Bowl LV didn't quite match the full expectation. At least not for one side of it. Tampa Bay rolled over Kansas City to the tune of a 31-9 Bucs victory, giving them their second title in franchise history. Its also the second title for the city in the last year, as the Tampa Bay Lighting had come off a Stanley Cup title run back in October, as well as a World Series appearance for the Tampa Bay Rays. As for Tom Brady, this gives him a 7th Super Bowl title, more than any other player in the history of the game, as well as a 5th Super Bowl MVP.

In reality, as good as Brady was, the MVP award could have easily gone to the Bucs defense all the same. They were putting pressure on Mahomes most of the day, forcing him to make throws he wasn't comfortable making. Some of the throw Mahomes made while on the run were outstanding. He managed to gun a pass, side arm, while falling down, and it was still almost caught by his receiver, before hitting him in the face mask and falling for an incomplete pass. Mahomes seemed like he was under fire most of the second half, his line was bad. That's putting it nicely. Missing two of his starting linemen due to injury didn't help his cause and the pressure that the Bucs were dialing up were on point on Sunday. Mahomes finished 26 of 49 for 27 and 2 picks. He was able to work well with Travis Kelce, who finished with 10 catches for 133 yards. Those two guys are still a damn good combination.

So to are Brady and Gronk. Gronk caught two TD passes from Brady, giving them fifteen in the playoffs, more than any other QB-Receiver combination in the history of the game. Brady was effective on Sunday, going 20 of 29 for 270 and three touchdowns. He swooped up MVP honors for the 5th time in his career, and at 43, he's the oldest player to ever win MVP. The next closest player with MVP awards is Joe Montana with three. Brady is also one of five guys, all quarterbacks, who've won multiple MVP awards. The others are Joe Montana, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw and Eli Manning.

Part of what cost KC this game was the line not protecting Mahomes. The other part was penalty trouble, most notably on the defensive side of the football. Kansas City had 95 yards in penalties in the first half, a bulk of which came late in the 2nd quarter, setting a record for most penalty yards in a half. The old record had been 91 by the Cowboys in Super Bowl V. Those kinds of mental mistakes ended up killing any hope that Kansas City even remotely had. Or at least took away any of their momentum. Do not give a guy the talent level of Tom Brady, even at his age, any second chances to operate on a football field. He will carve you up. That's exactly what happened.

Whatever could have gone wrong for Kansas City did. Whatever could have gone right for Tampa did.

Congratulations to the Buccaneers on their 2nd Super Bowl Title!

Super Bowl LV Preview

The time has arrived. When we started this journey back in September, we had 32 teams starting out. Now, we are down to just two. All with the Vince Lombardi Trophy on the line. Its the battle of young versus old. Its the veteran and a man who's been here ten times, taking on the defending champs and MVP in this very game last year.

Lot of history in the state of Florida for this game. It marks the first time ever that a Super Bowl will have a team play in it's home stadium. it marks the 4th time ever that the game will be held in the same state in back to back years, as it was played in Miami last year. This will be the fifth Super Bowl hosted by the Tampa area and the third held at Raymond James Stadium. It was played at Raymond James in 2001 and 2009, with the other two games (1984 and 1991) being played at Tampa Stadium.

So lets see who we got and how we got here for the Big Game!

The NFC Champions the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be taking on the AFC Champions the Kansas City Chiefs. 

Tampa Bay made it in as a wild card team, with an 11-5 record. They started the playoffs off with a win over Washington wild card weekend. They followed that up by beating New Orleans in the divisional round. Finally the closed out the conference by winning the NFC crown over Green Bay. The Bucs are the first wild card team since the 2010 Green Bay Packers to reach the Super Bowl. Tampa is unbeaten in Super Bowls, winning their lone title in 2002.

Kansas City is looking to become the first teams since the 2004 and 2005 New England Patriots (ironically both quarterbacked by Tom Brady) to win back to back Super Bowls. Kansas City went 14-2, earning a bye in the first round. They beat Cleveland in the divisional round and knocked off Buffalo in the AFC title game to get to this point. Kansas City is 2-1 lifetime in Super Bowls, losing in 1966 and winning in 1969 and 2020.

These two teams have never faced in the big game. They met during the regular season, a week twelve meeting, which also took place in Tampa. Kansas City won 27-24.

So how does it all break down?

Experience edge has to go to Tampa, at least at the QB position. This marks the tenth Super Bowl for Brady, and his first one outside of New England. Tampa had the 7th best offense in terms of total yards and the 3rd highest scoring team in the league during the season. They showed during this run in the playoffs that they can pretty much play any style. This team can score through the air, with the likes of Chris Goodwin, Mike Evans, Scotty Miller, Cameron Brate and possibly Antonio Brown, depending on his status. Tampa was almost as good on the other side of the ball, finishing with the 6th best defense in the NFL.

Kansas City can match in the receiving game with Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. The running game is decent with Le'Von Bell added to the mix half way through the season. Throw into the mix the running of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and it adds another dynamic skill set to the offense. On the other side of the ball, the Kansas City defense can put pressure on the opposition. They sacked Josh Allen in the AFC title game two weeks ago.

Bottom lines comes down to who can make the bigger play at the right time, Both QB's have those moments and can make the big plays when its needed. They have the weapons to make it happen. This could be a very high scoring game. Last time we had that expectation, we got Super Bowl 53 and a 13-3 win by the Patriots over the Rams. This one is going to be different then what we got in that game. This one is going to be close, its going to be intense and its going to be very very good. At the end of the day, its the youth that wins out.

Pick: Kansas City 34, Tampa Bay 27

Islanders Catch A Break?

Well it seems like this could be the same old song and dance with the New York Islanders. They had gotten off to a good start, winning three of their first four games. Then they hit a slid of sorts, going winless over their next five games. Three losses and the last two coming in overtime to the Flyers. They were supposed to return home to play Buffalo Tuesday and Today, but because of the Sabres travel and COVID issues, the Isles get a week off before facing the Penguins on Saturday. Never thought I would say this, but this break could be a possible good thing for the Orange and Blue.

Different set of circumstances I know but think back to last year. The Isles had been slumping badly. February 23rd last year, they beat the Sharks at home by a 4r-1 score. They wouldn't win another game during the regular season, finishing on a seven game winless streak. Then the pandemic hit, shutting everything down for a couple of months. Thanks to a reworking by the league, the Islanders got another shot with the qualifying round. They won, beating the Panthers in four games. In doing so, they made the playoffs. And they kept rolling. Right to the conference finals.

Yes, it was a different time and a different reason, but this does seem to be a little familiar. Isles start a slump, then things stop. The difference is it was just the team, not the league and nothing they did on their own. This could turn out to be a really good thing for the team. It could be the kick in the pants that the Islanders need to get back on track. Matt Barzal has hit his stride with ten points. Leddy, Dobson, Lee and Eberle have five each. The one thing I've really been complaining about the last fe2w seasons has been lack of scoring depth and lack of major punch.

Yes the offense started to show a little signs of life against the Flyers. Based on that two game set over the weekend it does give a sliver of hope that they might be coming out of this thing. It happened last year, but that was cause they got everybody healthy at the right time and got hot. Hopefully this thing could be what the Islanders need.

They got the Penguins at home Saturday night, then its off to MSG to play the Rangers on Monday. Then Pittsburgh and Boston, both at home. This could be something to be a tough test for this team. But this could also be just the thing they need. Its going to be a crazy stretch the rest of the way trying to get all the games completed. but maybe a week of practice was just what the doctor ordered.

Coach Trotz had talked in an earlier press conference this season, saying that the Islanders needed to get back into a playoff mentality. They kind of need that with how this season is setup and how big all these games are. I know its early in the year, it might be too early to be hitting the panic button. But I've kind of seen this act before from the Isles. They dig themselves into an early hole and can't manage to get themselves out of it for a playoff push.

It could be me just reading this whole thing ally wrong. The next couple of games will be the true sign of how this team is going to go.