The Islanders, led by goaltender Rick DiPietro and offensive threats Bill Guerin, Ruslan Fedotenko and Mike Comrie have certainly dismissed the cynics this season with an early burst from the gate. Skepticism surrounded the team last season for a number of reasons, most ranging from the acquisition of veteran Bill Guerin, to the poor front office negotiations that cost them Ryan Smyth and a first round draft pick.
And if the Islanders were looking to let the Penguins know they mean business then they certainly did so Thursday night as they took down the Lightning in a 4-0 Dipietro shutout.
The Lightning, similar to the Penguins, certainly have their share of offensive threats as well. If the Islanders can limit the play of superstars along the likes of Lecavalier, Prospal and St. Louis, then can they do the same for Malkin, Crosby and Sykora? Let's find out.
The Islanders were thought to have lost a key part of their defense in sending Jason Blake to the Toronto Maple Leafs but the void wasn't closed for long. Campoli, Gervais, Berard and Bergeron stepped up their play and are now asking, "Blake who?"
Consider this: the top three point leaders on the Islanders were NOT with the club last season. Comrie leads with 13 points, followed by Guerin (11) and Fedotenko (9).
Last season the Penguins saw these guys in action with their former teams (except Guerin), but now Fedotenko from the Lightning and Comrie from the Senators will be attacking as one with the Islanders. As far as my money goes, it's an under estimated and under appreciated attack.
I think the play of DiPietro is at this point highly respected and feared, but I'm going to say it anyways. It's highly respected and feared. When the guy's hot, he's hot and you can't get much hotter than coming off a 4-0 shutout.
So where does this leave the Pens? How do they match up?
Well, for starters the team has equally comprable offensive threats in Malkin, Crosby and Sykora, each of whom have had at least one-two goal games each this season. The first line has finally clicked and gone through it's shifts and changes to a point where I can comfortable say it's working. Even more threatening is the first powerplay unit which has clicked at least once every game this season. However a key part of that unit is listed day-to-day. Defenseman Ryan Whitney didn't play the third period against the Avalanche the other night, leaving with a sore groin. Although listed DTD, it's expected he'll play. Yet in the event he does not, the Penguins will have to promote an offensive defeseman to the line to match with the likes of Sergei Gonchar. If I had to pick I'd say Sydor. Although he only has an assist on the season, he certainly packs a punch that has yet to be unraveled since his acquisition from the Stars in the offseason. Sydor has yet to have a season with more than 50 points, but I feel that can change this year with the Penguins.
I think the biggest controversy surrounded the Pens this year is their goaltending. Fleury or Sabourin, hot or cold? It seems to be an on-going trend between the two. Fleury saw two straight outstanding performances against the Rangers and Capitals before slipping and sliding against the Leafs in a 5-2 loss at home. Since then it's been the Sabu show, who shouldn't have given up a game-winning wraparound last night considering his coverage of the net and the strength of the shot. But what's done is done, and personally I have no idea who they are going to start tomorrow night.
Outside of the starting roster, there have been some talks of bringing in veteran goaltender Curtis Joseph as a potential second string threat. I for one felt Thibault filled this position just fine, even recording a shutout last season against the Devils, but I'm not the front office, financial manager of Jocelyn Thibault for that matter.
Whatever the case may be, I feel the Penguins' offense needs to step up their play, and by offense I don't just mean Crosby. The forechecking in the first period against Colorado was phenomenal, as was the penalty kill. Then it just all went to hell. To win this game the Penguins need a solid performance on both sides of the puck. You can not get in to a shooting match with the Islanders, especially with DP between the pipes.
The puck drops at 7pm.
