Struggling again at the Bell Centre

The Islanders can't seem to catch a break in Montréal, where they managed to make a game of it tonight despite being thoroughly outplayed most of the game. The power play continued to click magically, but even-strength was a mess once again. Is it a team regressing to the mean, or a team weary from so much travel in a grueling road schedule? Either way, it didn't help that the Isles ran into the best defensive team in hockey, and it plays in front of a goaltender who can do no wrong this season.

Positives

The power play has mostly worked to perfection. James Wisniewski was a worthwhile addition on this front, adequately replacing Mark Streit's production and supplying a badly needed right-handed shot. He's been dead-accurate with it recently. Puck possession has been really good, and all five guys on the first unit have great vision (even P.A. Parenteau). It's been keeping the Isles in games, but it's anybody's guess as to how long the power play output continues at this blistering rate.

The set plays and chemistry look much better. The deflections and tap-in attempts are very well synchronized, one of which led to a goal tonight (Tavares's deflection). The Isles have undoubtedly been working on this throughout the last couple months. This is a natural byproduct of the continuity in personnel, an element of the team for which Garth Snow deserves a lot of credit. The clear evidence that these guys know each other well and enjoy playing on this team is a real credit to what the GM is putting together.

Negatives

The Islanders were dominated at even strength again. Not nearly as mortal a sin as the abysmal performance in Florida, mainly because Montréal is an excellent team that was playing absolutely airtight defense until halfway through the third period. Carey Price was also bulletproof from the opening bell on every variety of shot except a slapper from the point. Nevertheless, it's a concern that the Isles still spent tons of time in their own zone and looked completely outmatched by Montréal in every area. This time, the shot differential accurately reflected which team had the better of play.

The team still can't clear the crease or the zone. This is the one factor that will keep the Isles from stringing together several wins in a row. Even if Mark Streit were healthy, this would still be a huge concern. We knew Mark Eaton wouldn't be that guy. We were hoping James Wisniewski was that guy, but he's not. Milan Jurcina needs to get a little more physical if he wants to fill this role. No matter who it is, someone on the Isles' blue line has to step up and shoulder these responsibilities; preferably, it'd be at least one guy on each pairing. Mottau and Jurcina are certainly capable.

Dougie Weight needs to keep the puck in the zone on the PP. This time, the mistake was fatal. Weight had a problem with this against the Rangers, when Gaborik got past him. Weight hooked Gaborik from behind and the Ranger sniper missed the penalty shot. Here, the result was a two-on-one misplayed by Wisniewski that resulted in a Travis Moen shorthanded goal. This type of gaffe has to be inexcusable going forward.

The team is giving up too many odd-man rushes. Montréal had several throughout this game, most of which were the results of forced errors. Some of that is the Canadiens' doing, but some of it is due to mental mistakes from the Islanders. Dwayne Roloson had to be very good to keep the score manageable at the end of the contest. If not for his heroics, the score could've been 7-3.

The Isles can't handle speedy teams. When the other guys are faster, the Isles have no real solution. That's something that Scott Gordon will have to work out strategically, considering they're not getting another personnel overhaul anytime soon. Missing Grabner really hurt, and guys like P.A. Parenteau and Matt Martin were really exposed.

On the Habs

I have little doubt that this is the best defensive team in all of hockey, especially given Carey Price's performance. He was spectacular tonight. The Isles couldn't break the Canadiens' defensive formation if their very season depended on it. They're in first place in that division for a very good reason: they execute their system to total perfection. The speedy forwards, particularly Cammalleri and Plekanec, gave the Isles fits all evening.

Their defense is excellent 1-6; after dropping Marc-Andre Bergeron, they imported sensational rookie P.K. Subban. Subban is such an incredible player at such a young age that it's simply astounding-- he could be the best defenseman in all of hockey by the time he hits his prime, even with Doughty, Hedman, and Larsson in the League. Hal Gill and Josh Gorges are underrated but nevertheless extremely effective. Finally, note that Montréal played suffocating D without Andrei Markov in the lineup (he's scheduled to return Friday, when these two teams play in the Coliseum).

I'll have a brief post tomorrow on Nino Niederreiter and Matt Martin before heading northwest for the weekend.