Eyes On Isles
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New York Islanders: Now What?

By Michael Iuzzini

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The Islanders have one option, forget this awful mess of a game and simply get it done.

Yes that was embarrassing.  There is no drawing board to go back to, this is it.  The Islanders have backed themselves into the corner and the inevitable end is near.  It is very hard to remain positive after a 5-1 drumming by the Washington Capitals.

At first Islander nation felt the level of energy rise as Anders Lee and Tom Wilson exchanged punches.  That one was for Lubomir Visnovsky.  Twenty-six seconds later Josh Bailey scored the first goal of the night.  The Isles looked poised and ready to take charge.  Then reality set in and did it ever.

The Capitals scored one in the first, one in the second and three in the 3rd.  Yes that’s five unanswered goals.  They outshot the Isles 41-23, wrecked them in faceoff wins 31-18 and owned them all night.

The Islanders could not get room on the ice to generate any momentum.  No Travis Hamonic, no Visnovsky and it showed.  It was nice to see Mikhail Grabovski but we all know how long it takes him to get things going.

Such an overpowering decisive win can only carry over into game six.  The Islanders will not survive a close game.  Their only chance to force a game seven is if they respond with a blowout of their own against the Caps.

Jack Capuano and his cast need to be well aware the end is near for all of them, and yes you too Doug Weight.  The amount of power play opportunities the team has had and to not capitalize on any is unacceptable.  Everyone is at fault here, coaching will and should take the heat.

The players on this team with the right coaching are the Stanley Cup contenders they were first looked to be mid-season.  A shake up is needed and what better time to start then now.  A new beginning is coming with the move to Brooklyn and life as all Islander fans know it will change forever.

A proven coach is needed.  They mad the mistake not going after Peter Laviolette when the Flyers let him go.

Forgive me for being so negative when just a night ago I was saying they will win game five.  After witnessing this hot mess on the ice tonight I think many of us are preparing for the worse.  Can this be the last game played at the Nassau Coliseum?

The Old Barn will rock.  The fans will make sure they are heard and the team must do what the Caps did to them.  Beat the heck out of them.  That will not happen if the secondary scoring remains obsolete and again back to special teams.  It is just gross watching them struggle to work the power play and finish.

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We Islander fans can only wait, watch and see what will unfold for us.  What Islander team will show up?  The pressure is on and who is going to be the hero.  Because right now not one player in an Islander Jersey can raise their hand and say we will in.  It is painful to see Johnny Boychuk’s great efforts overlooked.  Jaroslav Halak was sharp early.  He cannot be blamed for what happened tonight, not at all.

The one positive for fans was that it was stress free.  No close game, no overtime.  It was like watching a train wreck.  You could see it coming from a mile away but you had to keep watching.

I know I am not ready for this season to end and yes the team will come out hard, but will that make a difference?  The Caps dominated the game in such an extreme way that their confidence will be beaming.  No lead will be large enough to stop that team from its relentless assault.

The Islanders could have swept this series.  If they would have held the lead in-game two and Cal Clutterbuck’s shot that hit the crossbar late in-game three goes two centimeters lower the team would be gearing up for what looks like would be the Rangers in the second round.

There is no regrouping or watching films that will help the next game.  Each and everyman on that bench, coaches included most be not just at their best but they need to learn how to leave it all on the ice.  Right now they only thing they are leaving is for a long flight back to the Island.

99.999%  I am that guy that always will find the good in a loss in a tough situation.  I cannot find that peace from within right now.  I saw a team tonight that looked like they know it’s over.  They have sixty minutes in-game five to prove myself and pretty much the entire Islander community that we should never doubt them.

I am sure the “We Believe” signs will be all over the Coliseum come game sixth.  But this team has to give us something to believe in and it must be now.

Next: New York Islanders: Tough Loss Will Not Bruise Teams Ego

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