Many, including myself, thought that the New York Islanders would go down and out after the amount of players missing time with injuries, most recently Ryan Pulock and Noah Dobson both going down. The Islanders have given a new hope. On and off the ice.
The Islanders are riding a 6 game winning streak heading into tonight’s game at Tampa Bay. In the month of January they had a record of 9-3, and their penalty kill is showing significant signs of improvement. Going 21/23 (91.3%) in that stretch. The Islanders are playing some of their best hockey of the season, and they have flung themselves right back into the Eastern Conference playoff race. Currently sitting at a 23-20-7 record for 53 points, they sit 4 points behind Tampa Bay for the 2nd wild card spot. If the Isles continue to play how they’re currently playing, the Islanders could reasonably ascend to the East’s top Wild Card spot. If their winning ways continue, the Islanders are most definitely going to buy at the trade deadline.
Lou Lamoriello has caught a lot of criticism from many, including me. But man he’s on a great run of acquisitions right now. Goaltender Marcus Hogberg was signed over the summer to be the 3rd goalie, and play in Bridgeport. He stepped in for a stretch where Ilya Sorokin was not playing great, and he stepped up in a big way, going 2-1 with a 1.26 GAA and a .946 SV% before sustaining an upper-body injury.
With the Islanders having a myriad of injuries to their defensive core over the course of the season, Lamoriello has continued to make additions to the defense. Firstly, when Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly went down with injuries early in the season, the rookie Isaiah George was called up and played a good amount of games, showed his future potential to be a top-4 defenseman in the NHL but like most 20-year old defensemen, there are some things in his game that need to be improved. When Dobson went down, Lou made a quick and somewhat controversial strike, signing veteran defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a 1-year deal. DeAngelo had just recently been playing in the KHL, but was coming back to North America. The Islanders swooped in to get him and he has fit in amazingly so far. Showing a great ability to move the puck and has become the quarterback of the Islanders power play. The Islanders then made an under the radar but solid trade, acquiring Scott Perunovich from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a 2026 5th rounder. Perunovich is a good puck mover with good skating who definitely can log some minutes in a bottom pairing role. He didn’t really get much of an opportunity with the Blues, but the Islanders may be a much better spot for him. Lastly, the most recent move, the Islanders claimed Panthers D Adam Boqvist off of waivers yesterday. Boqvist, like DeAngelo and Perunovich, is a guy who can move the puck with a good skating ability, and can play on the power play. Boqvist was a former first round pick with the Blackhawks and never really found a long term spot. On a one-year deal, I wouldn’t be shocked if he parlayed his time with the Islanders into a longer deal.
BS Reports 
Leave a comment