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Same Old Story for Isles Fans
By Alex G. on March 7th, 2008 12:12 PM |
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Last night’s 4-1 loss against the hated New York Rangers only reminded Islanders fans of what we already knew: We need a playmaking forward.
The Islanders have one of the best goalie tandems in hockey with Rick DiPietro and Wade Dubielewicz, but you cannot rely on your goaltenders as heavily as the Isles do. The Islanders have given up the 5th most shots in the league but DiPietro has given up the 6th fewest goals. A goalie can only do so much to help their team win. The glaring weakness on this team is the lack of offense. Up until last week the Islanders were the only team in hockey without a 20 
goal scorer. The team is 29th in scoring. Couple that with the amount of shots they give up and it’s not a recipe for success. Â
At certain points in a season, teams need a forward to carry the load for a while. Evgeni Malkin has done it for the Pens this year, as well as Alex Ovechkin for the Caps. The Isles simply do not have a player the calibre of those two. It was as evident as ever last night.
In the 1st and 2nd periods, the Islanders had great opportunities but came up just short because they did not have a forward who can put the puck in the net consistently. The only player in the Islanders organization who can become a game changing forward is Kyle Okposo. But a clause in his contract states that if he plays 10 games this year, it counts as a full year of service. So Islanders fans will have to wait until at least the 08-09 season to see him on Long Island.
That day cannot come soon enough.
There is currently one response to “Same Old Story for Isles Fans”
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That’s a dumb clause for an agent to negotiate for his client when you know you’re dealing with an organization like the Isles that’s going to be extremely cap-conscious and protective of their assets. it only makes the road to the NHL tougher for the kid, and could even push his eventual pay-day further away. really really bone-headed.