Another Lehner special. Hard to watch those last two periods (and not just because I was driving). Fantastic pass by Barzal and a great shot to Val.
Pens lost last night so Isles are now tied with them for 3rd and just 3 points out of 1st place. I just hope they don't have a letdown Thursday night against the Devils and look ahead to Friday's showdown with the Caps.
Pretty dominating game for the boys. Dal Colle with his first NHL goal. A win against Washington combined with a Columbus loss against Montreal tomorrow and the Isles are first in the division.
I’m afraid to start believing this team is for real, I kind of want to keep them in the underdog role. Everyone else is still playing well with the occasional hiccup, this division is very close.
This team will be the underdog the entire way no matter how well they play. The general consensus will be that they will come back down to earth. But I can dream about Ho-Sang and a 1st for Duchesne to be our 2012 Jeff Carter deal. Then everyone will believe.
Every national media outlet in both the USA and Canada shits on the Isles, it will be very easy for Trotz and the boys to maintain the underdog mentality. Hell they could win the cup and you'd have some idiot say that their PDO shows they are not really a good team and will come back to a lower level soon.
Solid win last night. At no point did it look like the Devils could get back into the game. They took care of business against an inferior opponent. Tonight will probably be a different story. 3rd game in 4 nights against a rested Caps team on the road. If they can manage at least a point tonight I will be impressed.
Greg I hear you but I really expect them to come out and play as they did that first game against Toronto,,,,,not that I expect them to dominate and win but I think Trotz has them ready and they play well tonight
I have no doubt they will be fired up. If they win tonight and CBJ loses then they will be in first place. They also want to win it for Trotz. But this team has played a lot of hockey over a short period of time so I wonder how much will they have in tank. You know the Caps are going to come out fired up as well with first place on the line. They are home and rested so advantage Caps.
I know some fans dislike how much Ice time our 3rd and 4th line get, but thats a huge key in keeping the team fresh for back to back games like this. The Guys will want this one for the coach and should be ready to play.
If they were not producing it would be one thing but they are producing and that’s why Isles are where they are. Production from role players is the most important part of a team when they get into playoff hockey. Ask Ovechkin who was the difference maker for them last year. David Smith Pelley had more important goals than Ovie did, they either broke a tie or tied the game.
Without a doubt. Given our down right awful power play, team defense and role player production is a huge reason why we are doing as well as we are. There was a lot of outcry in the off season about how adding vets for the 3rd and fourth line hurt us and that our Kids would not get to play, but what this actually did was force the kids to develop in the AHL while giving our roster a competitive vet feel to it. Towes and MDC are getting their chance now, Barzal has had to become a much better 200 ft player, and the team is both playing well and developing talent. The Trotz Lou marriage has been so big for everyone.
