Islanders Face Coyotes
The last time the New York Islanders were in town was on opening night of 2006 where the Coyotes defeated them 6-3. Now they return with a 10-22-4 record that puts them last in the division, last in the conference and miles away from contention.
By not having the services of Rick DiPietro, the Islanders have had a difficult season. Lately, the only bright spot they have seen is the play of former Coyote Mike Comrie.
So far this season, they have had the worst of it playing away from Long Island. They are 5-13-2 with 2-6-2 in their last ten games. They do rank higher than the Coyotes in their specialty team statistics, but they are not that great everywhere else. The Islanders are a terrible third period team only scoring 32 goals to their oppositions’ 57!. On the other hand, the Coyotes have been a terrific third period team all season long.
They still have to play the game, and I wouldn’t give the Coyotes a victory without doing so, but it’s a good matchup for the Desert Dogs. However, they still have to play at a high level; giving two points to the Islanders would not be a wise idea.
It looks like goaltender Ilya Brzygalov is still sore with a bad back, so Mikael Tellqvist will get another shot in goal tonight.
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