Islanders vs Red Wings Game Thread: Isles need to bounce back

Get in on the discussion during the New York Islanders vs. Detroit Red Wings. Head to the comments section to have your say.

It’s game day! With an awful defeat at the hands of the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders are back in action against the Detroit Red Wings who sit at the bottom of the NHL. The perfect opponents to bounce back.

Except we know how the Islanders fare against teams who aren’t in the playoffs.

Since December 1, the Isles are 5-6-1 against teams that aren’t currently in the playoff picture. For a team that is the fifth-best in the NHL, a sub .500 record against some of the worst teams in the league isn’t good enough.

Just to compare the Penguins (fourth-best team in the league) and the Tampa Bay Lightning (sixth-best team in the league) are 7-2-1 and 10-2-0, respectively against teams not currently in the playoffs since December 1.

The Islanders need to start putting up a better record against some of the worst teams in the NHL.

Tonight they get to start turning the trend as they face off against the Detroit Red Wings. With 27 points from 46 games, the Red Wings are by far the worst in the league. The Islanders need to take this opportunity to get that loss to the Rangers behind them and start playing like one of the better teams in the NHL.

With 3.78 goals-against this season, the Red Wings are as porous as can be. That should be perfect for an Islanders team that’s having a hard time finding the back of the net. The last time these two teams played the Isles were able to get four goals in a 4-1 win over the Red Wings.

In the following ten games after that 4-1 win, the Islanders went 5-4-1 scoring an average of 2.9 goals-for. Ideally, they can score a few here against the Red Wings at home and use that to fuel them over the next four games before the All-Star break.

Get in on the discussion from puck drop to the final horn in the comments section below!