The Positives
Dwayne Roloson stole another one. This much was obvious. He received some help from his defensemen, though, and not just when they made game-saving stops in the crease area. Radek Martinek had another excellent night against the other team's best player, this time marking Phil Kessel to near-perfection as the highly creative winger was left zero space to operate. Mark Eaton and Andy MacDonald were all over the passing and shooting lanes. But I can't take away from Rolo here-- the guy came to play. Other than one broken sequence on a power play that never should've happened late in the third, he was perfect.
Is Frans Nielsen the League's best defensive forward? His body of work over the last two and a half seasons speaks for itself. I always thought this title belonged to Pavel Datsyuk, and no one else was close. The Russian's backchecking and stick work are out of this world. However, he doesn't function in a system where he's constantly recast as a defenseman every time someone pinches. Nielsen's play to prevent Phil Kessel from going to the net in the second period was something I'm not sure any other forward does in that situation. If the Islanders are fortunate enough to make the playoffs this season, Nielsen may get nominated for the Selke.
John Tavares has greatness written all over him. It's not just because he returned to his hometown that he played like a man possessed tonight. His play to seal the win against Colorado shouldn't be overlooked, either. His skating is worlds better, and he's stronger on the puck than last year. He made several high-level plays tonight to create offense out of whole cloth. His hockey sense continues to impress, and he made some good-looking defensive plays. The mark of greatness is continuing to improve out of the absence of complacency.
The team is showing its mettle in crunch time. The Young Islanders of the past two seasons would fold in the kind of pressure-cooker situations in which they found themselves the last four games. Instead, the New Isles managed five important points in four games. Blake Comeau's penalty was the difference between walking out of the Verizon Center without points and walking out with points, but to the Isles' credit, they continued to battle in the next couple games and fought for points against good teams. The NHL has been put on notice early: even when they're down-- as they've been all year without Streit or Okposo, and without Schremp, Tavares, and Bailey at times-- the Islanders are for real. They're not going away.
The Negatives
James Wisniewski can't take that penalty late. The cross-checking was entirely unnecessary. Obviously, that late, the only acceptable penalties are those that prevent sure goals. J-Dub almost prevented the victory with his blunder, which really took the wind out of the Isles' sails. They were visibly exhausted after rolling three lines in the last two periods because Bailey was incapacitated; you could see how demoralized they were after they knew they had to kill one last penalty. The boys in blue and orange almost did it, too, but a freak bounce to Kessel's stick made the difference. Luckily, the Islanders still pulled it out.
The Isles have to do a better job of clearing the zone. Unlike last year, it's no longer about aggressive pursuing the puck to gain control. Now, it's about making the simple play when the opportunity arises. On the game-tying goal, Jon Sim tried to rush the puck up ice instead of making the easy play and clearing the zone. It came back to bite the team. There were several other close calls in the Isles' zone when they had the puck firmly on their sticks and couldn't get it past the blue line. They're getting way better at this, but there's still room for improvement.
On the Leafs
I hate the Toronto media-- not mentioning any offenders-- just as much as anyone, but I have to admire what Brian Burke is doing here. Ever since his Anaheim days, I've understood that this guy knows exactly how to build a contending team. Sure, there's the Cup to his credit and the Olympic silver medal as GM of the Gringos in British Columbia. However, note also that Vancouver has made a string of playoff appearances with a roster whose foundation was brought in by Burkie. Nowadays, after adding Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf, the Harvard Law grad has Toronto going in the right direction.
Here's the thing: Kessel and Phaneuf are the only headliners on the Leafs. However, Burke has cobbled together the right depth to support these guys. They play an up-tempo style under a really good coach (Ron Wilson) that puts tons of pressure on the opposition, especially at home. I was confounded as to how that team could go undefeated on paper, but seeing them in action, it's quite obvious.
One more thing: I'm not a huge fan of Tyler Seguin, so I don't think this Kessel trade will come back to bite them so much. Ultimately, that's a fair price for a guy who can create offense for both himself and others, not to mention the 40-goal potential. Kessel's a true game-breaker; ask yourself how many other wingers in the whole NHL you would take over him for both now and the future. The Bruins, in the meantime, essentially passed over this guy and thought they could replace him with Nathan Horton. Methinks that one's not gonna work out so great.
Kessel's brother Blake, by the way, isn't so bad either.
Bring on the Fighting Stamkoses.
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