New York Islanders Continue Playoff Push Against Flyers

4 of 4

Jan 31, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; The New York Islanders celebrate after defeating the Washington Capitals 3-2 at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports /

Keys to Victory

Remember How To Defend

The last 3 games, the Islanders defense has looked extremely lost in their own zone. Missed assignments, poor changes, and a lackadaisical attitude have hurt the team. This has led to three straight games of 5 goals against. The seven games before that they held opposition to 2 goals or less.

No Snowballs

Appropriate for today’s weather report, it is vital that the Islanders not let the game snowball out of control. Against Detroit and Carolina they let up three goals in a single period. In each of their last three games they’ve let up back to back goals within two minutes of each other. This young team has serious lapses in intensity and its up to Weight and the team’s vets to not swoon after something goes wrong.

Next: Takeaways From Maple Leafs Game

Paging Mr. Greiss

Despite the defensive struggles Thomas Greiss needs to get his head on straight. Islanders management just rewarded him with a fine extension, showing confidence in him as a potential #1 goaltender. He needs to reward that confidence with a return to form soon or we’re all going to be writing articles about when Halak is coming back up.