With their 3-0 win at Madison Square Garden over the red hot New York Rangers on Tuesday night, the New York Islanders made a powerful statement about their long-term viability as a contender. It was the sixth win in eight games for the Isles as they took a one-point lead in the Metropolitan Division. The Islanders, general manager Garth Snow, and head coach Jack Capuano have all enjoyed a remarkable turnaround from last year, when they went from a playoff team in 2013 to a major disappointment that missed the playoffs.
Snow Job
Garth Snow became a reviled figure last year with calls for his head by the passionate Islanders fan base that was dumbfounded by some of his trades. The worst was the deal that sent Tomas Vanek to the Island for the popular Matt Moulson along with a first and second round draft pick. Vanek was going to be an unrestricted free agent after the season and to mortgage the future on such an inconsistent player became an outrage that smoldered with each loss. When Vanek turned down a mega offer to stay on the Island, Snow was under the most intense fire of any general manager in sports. Snow has made a strong recovery with a talented roster that is blossoming under Capuano. The best pickup of all was goaltender Jaroslav Halek, who had a .917 save percentage and a 2.22 goals against average with four shutouts.
Tavares Returns
Center John Tavares is moving into the elite level of top shelf forwards in the entire game. Tavares had 19 goals and 20 assists for a strong recovery after missing the second half of last year due to an injury in the Olympics. Tavares is the Islanders franchise player, as proven by their struggles without him last spring when they faded from playoff contention. Tavares leads a center corps that has emerged as among the deepest in the game. Ryan Strome, Brock Nelson, and Frans Nelson. Strome in particular was hot with nine points in eight games and was a team best +14 on the season.
Understated Defense
While the Islanders are not anything close to a shutdown team, they have a defensive corps that is clearly underrated. Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy have steadied the back end and have proven to be full 200 foot players. Boychuk had four goals, 16 assists and was a +8 while Leddy was a +9 with six goals and 13 assists.
Playoff Bound
The Islanders are a bona fide playoff team with a promising future as they will move into the state of the art Barclays Center in Brooklyn next year. The passion of their fans has been reignited. This is a team to watch as they are both good and entertaining with an appealing up tempo style.
