I have some comments about the Isles before I end things with a paragraph or two on the Caps, who I follow by default down here in DC.
Dwayne Roloson kept the Isles in it. Good to see that Rollie hasn't missed a beat. Several textbook saves from him, some of which DiPietro definitely wouldn't have made at this stage of his comeback. Roloson's a reliable option to have in case it hits the fan with DP, and I imagine Nathan Lawson can answer the call for ten or so games in an emergency situation. Many people might've questioned how Dwayne could hold up at 41, but he looks sharp as ever.
Radek Martinek is the Ovechkin kryptonite. I mentioned this in a post over at Islander Mania before the game started, but I'm beginning to notice it at an increasing rate. Despite Ovechkin factoring into both goals tonight, Radek stymied him at several other points in the game. When Ovechkin scored, Eaton was defending him, and there was nothing more the big guy could've done-- Alex is just that good. When Backström scored, Martinek wasn't on the ice. You don't hold the Caps to two goals at home very easily, and Martinek was the biggest part of that tonight.
Nino Niederreiter is probably here to stay. He had his first NHL goal this evening, and he nearly had another one off a great release from the high slot after a faceoff win. His instincts are top-notch, and he still has rhino strength on the puck at the NHL level. I think all of us underestimated his ability to succeed this quickly in the pros. He's gonna be an all-around contributor to this team for a long while.
Michael Grabner has a place here if he works hard. The Isles haven't had a guy with that kind of speed since Palffy left the building. I liked his offensive creativity as well. If he can meld into the system, I like the idea of having him on the team. He gets my tentative approval for now.
The negatives:
Blake Comeau must learn that he can't take that kind of risk in that situation. I understand he was just finishing a check, and it was a very ticky-tack call, but that's the kind of knowledge he will have to gain with experience as a go-to guy in the final five minutes. Comeau will probably never completely eliminate the brain farts from his overall repertoire, but he made great contributions in other areas tonight and peppered the net with some quality shots. He's officially turned the corner, but it's now time to work out the kinks; this is the second really bad penalty from him in a late-game situation.
I don't understand why Andy MacDonald is on PP1, even with Wisniewski out. MacDonald had another sound defensive game tonight, but I put his power play troubles on Scott Gordon. Jack Hillen is a power play quarterback by trade. He anchored an atrocious second unit to the tune of 20+ points last year. If he's gonna be in the lineup, he should be playing the point, especially with Wisniewski sitting out. I'd even argue that Hillen and Weight should be playing the points on PP1, then Jurcina and Mottau should be out there on PP2.
Trent Hunter doesn't appear to belong anymore. It's a speed-oriented system that favors players with quick releases. Hunter, unfortunately, brings neither. He does have virtues: strength on the puck, high character, a good slapshot. The reality is, though, that it's time for him to move on. He's an NHL player, but he'd be better in some other system... Calgary would be good for him, or Jersey might even be the right stop at his price tag.
I've seen enough of P.A. Parenteau. The experiment was nice, but I believe it'll end as soon as John Tavares is re-inserted into the lineup. He's not quick enough with either his feet or his decision-making, he turns the puck over in every zone, he's easily overpowered, and he doesn't play much defense. The team-- get this-- has too much talent for him to stick around. Nice knowin' ya, buddy.
On the Caps:
I still don't understand George McPhee's thinking. Three things were clear after the Capitals dropped their first round series to Montreal: (1) Bruce Boudreau needed to go; (2) the team as a whole needed to get physically tougher; and (3) the defense just wasn't gonna cut it as is. What does he do in response? Returns the same defense corps, puts his stamp of approval on Boudreau's failures with the NHL's most talented squad for multiple consecutive years by keeping him around, and imports DJ King in exchange for one of his most intriguing prospects.
What did we see tonight? King made his debut, had zero on-ice impact, and clearly hasn't effected the top-down change that the team desperately needs if it wants to win the Cup. Boudreau promotes a system sorely lacking in fundamentals that allows Ovechkin and Backström to dance around with the puck and hopefully make something happen through sheer force of skill. The defense is barely able to handle a tenacious Islanders forecheck, leading the crowd to applaud almost every time the puck was skated out of the zone.
Let me ask a stupid question: does a team whose achilles heel is its defense look smart if it returns all of its top four and supports them with two fresh-faced rookies who can't play in their own zone? John Carlson looks lost in every area of the ice except the opponent's blue line. I didn't even know Karl Alzner played in the game until my buddy John told me after it was over. Mike Green had his usual abominable game in his own end. This Tyler Sloan character is not gonna be the elixir. Where was, say, Anton Volchenkov? Andy Sutton? Sergei Gonchar? They certainly had the cap room.
If McPhee wants to take home the Cup, he should flip some of his farmhands and his first-round pick for the best defenseman available come the deadline. Because in spite of an explosive offense-- one that the League is slowly starting to figure out, by the way-- and an encouraging young goaltender, the Caps have no shot at any hardware if they continue along with these six guys on the blue line.
For the Isles, it's on to Pittsburgh, where they can hopefully take advantage of a reeling team that can't seem to find any giddy-up in spite of really positive changes in the off-season.
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