Islanders 3 keys against Buffalo Sabres: Cut the crap

The New York Islanders face off against the Buffalo Sabres tonight. After yesterday’s 4-2 loss, what do they need to do to win today?

A 4-2 loss wasn’t what most of us were expecting when the New York Islanders took to the ice in Buffalo to face the Sabres. After all, the Sabres were on a four-game losing streak while the Isles had just bested the Rangers with back-to-back shutouts.

We weren’t the only ones to think that, the players did too. Once they got up 2-0 on the Sabres they took their foot off the gas thinking their job was done. Barry Trotz said as much in the post-game, the Islanders arrogance cost them last night.

Which is a ridiculous occurrence when you think about it.

This is a group of professionals who’ve played this game their entire life. They should know by now that taking your foot off the gas can only invite bad things to happen. Like losing a game when you’re fighting for home-ice advantage.

And it’s not like the Islanders should be in any position to play an arrogant game. Sure, they just made the playoffs for the third straight year, but these same Islanders just dropped a three-game series to the Washington Capitals. What right do they have to be arrogant right now?

Thankfully, they can fix that with another date against the same Buffalo Sabres tonight. So what do they need to do to take a win?