New York Islanders Welcome the Anointed One to Brooklyn

The New York Islanders have a date with the still uncomfortable to say, red-hot Edmonton Oilers. It’s not good timing for the below 500 Islanders.

The New York Islanders welcome the Edmonton Oilers to the Barclays Center today. Not great timing for the Isles as they look to rebound.

The Isles are seemingly in a bit of a tailspin. Losing 6-1 to the Tampa Bay Lightning just four days ago. Then a 3-2 lackluster loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Now the Edmonton Oilers come to town.

Looking at the schedule in September, the matchup with the Oilers looked like a good one from an Islanders perspective. Sure, they still had Conor McDavid then, but this was a team that just didn’t know how to win.

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But now that the Oilers are 7-3-1 and looking like a real threat in the Pacific division. Not just because the Los Angeles Kings are a sinking ship without Jonathan Quick. Which, is of course, a great help.

But the Oilers still had to win those seven games. Sure, they were against some lowly opposition, St Louis and Washington aside. But the Oilers still had to win those points.

Now flip to the Isles. A team that’s slowly working its way to the bottom of the table. A position they’ve been accustomed to in the past, but something the team had thought it had exercised with two 100 point season.

Now the Isles are hitting panic mode. Just look at this lineup for the matchup tonight.

Isles Opening Lines:

Bailey-Tavares-Clutterbuck            Leddy-Hamonic
Ladd-Strome-Beauvillier                 Hickey-Boychuk
Lee-Nelson-Chimera                        de Haan-Seidenberg
Kulemin-Cizikas-Prince                   Halak

Oilers Opening Lines:

Maroon-McDavid-Eberle                      Klefbom-Larsson
Pouliot-Nugent-Hopkins-Puljujarvi   Sekera-Gryba
Lucic-Draisaitl-Kassian                          Nurse-Benning
Lander-Letestu-Pitlick                           Talbot (Unconfirmed)

Coach Jack Capuano is trying anything to get some offense going. Rolling the dice on Clutterbuck and Bailey on that top pairing could work. Bailey has been a man possessed this season. But let’s be honest, that trio doesn’t look like a top line on 29 other teams in the NHL.

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Team Matchups:

The New York Islanders have the Oilers number when it comes to welcoming them to Nassau/Brooklyn. Since 2010, the Isles have gone 5-0-0 when the home team against the Oilers. Winning on average 3-2.

Hopefully, that continues tonight. A 3-2 win against the Oilers would do just fine for the Isles and it’s fans. The ‘W’ is all that matters right now.

Next: Recognizing a Problem vs. Fixing it is Snows Failing

Where can you watch the game:

Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NYC
TV: MSG+
Radio: AM 570 WMCA, 88.7FM WRHU, 103.9FM LI News