The back end of their two-game mini road trip finds the New York Islanders in Ottawa this afternoon. With a win today and a Flyers and Bruins loss, the Islanders will slide into the eighth playoff spot in the East.
The first of two meetings against the Senators will see the Islanders tested against a team that’s fighting for their playoff spot. Naught but three points separates Ottawa, Toronto, and Boston, all vying for the Atlantic spots behind Montreal and the second Wild Card.
How the Islanders play today will reveal how badly they want that second Wild Card spot. The other meeting against Ottawa will be their last regular season game of the 2016-17 season at the Barclay’s.
Potential Starting Lineup
I don’t see any reason why Doug Weight would not stick with the same lineup after a solid performance in Philadelphia Thursday night.
Lee-Tavares–Bailey Leddy-Boychuk
Beauvillier–Nelson–Strome de Haan-Seidenberg
Ladd–Quine–Chimera Hickey-Pelech
Prince–Cizikas–Kulemin Greiss (Berube)
Injuries
For the Islanders, Cal Clutterbuck and Travis Hamonic are still sidelined with lower body injuries.
For the Senators, Clarke MacArthur has yet to play a game this season due to a concussion. Craig Anderson remains day-to-day as he has taken time off to be with his wife during her cancer treatment.
Hot/Not
Islanders – Hot
Anders Lee – Seven points in four games as Lee continues to make the most of his time on the top line.
Andrew Ladd – Seven points in seven games has Ladd inching his way back into Islanders’ fans good graces.
Ryan Strome – Five-game point streak (seven points) is the longest of his NHL career. The young forward continues to flourish having shrugged the yolk of Jack Capuano’s fickle healthy scratches and misuse.
John Tavares – Eight points in seven games is good, but those numbers don’t convey how good the Captain has looked playing additional minutes on the Penalty Kill.
Casey Cizikas – Three points in three games from the tenacious fourth line center.
Islanders – Not
Anthony Beauvillier – One point in ten games is not great. The 19-year-old continues to hustle, unfortunately, it’s just not translating to stat sheet success.
That is IT! Boychuk and Seidenberg both had assists and Greiss was a wall at even strength saving 34 out of 35 total shots. As an Islanders blogger, I will say it is strange not having more to complain about…
Mar 23, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Ottawa Senators defenseman Chris Wideman (45) and New York Islanders center Ryan Strome (18) battle for the puck during the second period at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Hot/Not
Ottawa – Hot
Mark Stone – Five points in five games
Erik Karlsson – Five points in five games
That’s about all the heat there is in Ottawa. Shut out in two of their last three games and only able to force overtime against the Stars because of an own goal.
Ottawa – Not
Bobby Ryan – Four points in the last ten games is, ok, unless your cap hit is $7.25 million for the next five seasons. Trade speculation has Ottawa considering moving this albatross at the deadline whether they’re in the playoff hunt or not.
Dion Phaneuf – One point in seven games and -4 over that time is not what you’re looking for from the second highest paid player on the team.
Dec 18, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; New York Islanders center John Tavares (91) knocks Ottawa Senators defenseman Dion Phaneuf (20) to the ice during the first period at Barclays Center. The Senators won 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports
Keys to Victory
Special Teams
The Senators are 22nd (16.9%) in the league on the PP and 10th (83.4%) on the PK. Not great, but better than the Islanders at 26th (15.9%) and 18th (80.8%), but that’s not the whole story. Since Weight took the helm the Islanders are 24% on the man advantage and have power play goals in 5 of their last 6 games.
Since Weight took the helm the Islanders are 24% on the man advantage and have power play goals in five of their last six games.
Additionally, they are a miserly 86% on the PK over that same span. Whether it’s the coaching change or just a hot streak, it’s clear at least some of the Islanders recent success hinges on special teams play.
Road Woes
The Islanders are 7-10-4 on the road this season. If they want any chance at making the playoffs they’re going to have to get behind enemy lines for wins. Ottawa is decent at home, but by no means unbeatable at only 15-8-6. This game is a good opportunity to bring home an important road win.
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