New York Islanders Lineup and Keys To Win Against Arizona Coyotes

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NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 24: Josh Bailey #12 of the New York Islanders and Anthony Duclair #10 of the Arizona Coyotes battle for the puck during the first period at the Barclays Center on October 24, 2017 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /

The New York Islanders continue their western conference swing with a date in Arizona with the Coyotes. To get a win they’re going to have to channel Aretha Franklin and have some R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

It’s easy for the New York Islanders to enter Arizona with their heads held up high. The Coyotes are bottom dwellers yet again in the NHL. It seems like a lifetime ago that this franchise made it to the Conference Finals in 2011-12.

Yeah. Conference finals. The Coyotes. I forgot too. That means the Coyotes have more playoff series wins than the New York Islanders in the last six years.

But since that trip to the conference finals, the Coyotes haven’t made the playoff and finished 19th, 18th, 29th, 24th, 28th, and are now 31st in this season.

The Coyotes just aren’t any good. But you still need to give this team some respect. This is still an NHL outfit, meaning there’s quality in this lineup.

Being the basement dwellers they’ve been for the last few years the Coyotes have a number of quality young players. Max Domi, Clayton Keller, and Jakob Chychrun on defense. Don’t forget about Oliver Ekman-Larsson. It feels like OEL’s been here forever but he’s still only 26 years-old.

With that quality, it means that anything less than a full effort will severely reduce the Islanders chances at a win. Something the New York Islanders have been guilty of all year long against better teams than the Arizona Coyotes.