The Islanders stayed perfect in the season by defeating the San Jose Sharks last night, 4 to 3 in a shootout. The attendance was 11,200 but it was loud and rocking. I challenged the casual fans in Long Island to care and while they didn’t sell out, last night was a good turnout. The game itself had the feel of a playoff game as the Islanders went toe to toe with an extremely talented Western Conference powerhouse.

The Islanders peppered the San Jose net, outshooting the Sharks 45-23. If it wasn’t for the strong play of goalie Alex Stalock, the Isles could have potted 6 or 7 goals as they were creating numerous quality scoring chances. Nick Leddy, Kyle Okposo, and Josh Bailey did find the back of the net and John Tavares had the clinching shootout goal as the Islanders now look to make it 5 wins and no losses on Saturday against the Penguins in Pittsburgh.

The top line was flying last night as Tavares, Kyle Okposo, and Cory Conacher dominated play, shift after shift. It has also been encouraging to see the play of the second and third lines as it appears that Frans Nielsen, Josh Bailey, and Nikolai Kulemin have found some real chemistry. We have all been hard on Josh Bailey, but his effort is standing out and I can certainly live with his current role on the third line.

Last night was one of those games where I would have been fine, regardless of the outcome. The Islanders were flying, generating scoring chances, and moving their feet the entire night. We all know this team is not going undefeated, but I for one can live with losing games if I’m seeing the effort that the Isles are displaying on a nightly basis. We definitely have a long way to go in the season but what we have seen from this team is very encouraging. I see a hungry, hungry team; hungry to score goals. I also see a team that is not content to sit on a lead as they are constantly pushing to add on and salt games away.

The only negative from last night was the Isles losing Mikhail Grabovski as he was knocked out from a monstrous, but clean, hit from Sharks’ forward John Scott. Arthur Staple reported that a concussion was ruled out which is really good news. Grabovski is listed day-to-day and his status for tomorrow’s game in Pittsburgh is still uncertain. I would imagine that the Isles would slide Colin McDonald into the lineup rather than wasting a recall on Anders Lee if this injury is not serious.

The lines might be a little different tomorrow as I would think Kulemin would slide up and take Grabovski’s spot on the second line. Then Colin McDonald would be slotted into the third line with Bailey and Nielsen and I don’t think there is that much of a drop off. I am still looking for some consistency from the fourth line. They show flashes of solid play but collectively need to possess the puck more when they are on the ice and not spend their entire shift defending.

Tomorrow will be another tough test as the schedule makers did the Islanders no favors. We all know the skill and talent that the Penguins have, but we also know what their weaknesses are. For two teams that like to get up and down the ice, this game could resemble a video game. As always, for more on all things hockey please follow me on twitter at @DanDanNoodles78.

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