Sean and Stefen cover the last week for the Isles and look ahead to the Capitals with some help from Sammi Silber of THN.
2:00- Sean and Stefen talk about the overall week that the Islanders had. They’re a resilient group and are finding ways to get points, but they are still struggling with blowing leads and late game situations.
6:30- Stefen talks about Ross Johnston’s return to the Island, who was claimed off waivers by the Ducks this fall. Johnston talked about how strange it was to play his former teammates and close friends, describing the game feeling like an “intersquad game.”
9:00- The boys talk about the Islanders game against the Bruins, who scored 3 power play goals and came back from 3 separate deficits, and ended up winning the game in the shootout. The Islanders played a very good game, but the penalties killed them.
12:30- Sean mentions that against Montreal, the Islanders showed up with nothing in the tank for the first 40 minutes of play. The Isles made the game interesting and showed a little fight in the 3rd, turning a 4-0 hole into a 4-3 game.
“You might have to go back to Dennis Potvin… This is the first time the Islanders have had an elite defenseman – bonafide number one defenseman – since then. This might just be the Noah Dobson we’ve been waiting for, who’s a point-per-game defenseman, and what a game changer that is!”
-Sean on Noah Dobson’s incredible season
14:30- Sammi Silber of The Hockey News joins the show to discuss the Washington Capitals!
39:30- Sean points out that the Islanders are averaging 4.1 goals per game while giving up 3.6 goals per game. The offense is just different compared to years past. Mat Barzal, Noah Dobson and Bo Horvat are lethal offensive weapons. Dobson is averaging over a point per game as a defenseman while being third in the league in assists for all defensemen. Barzal has 32 points in 29 games, Horvat has 30 points in 29 games, Dobson has 32 points in 30 games and Brock Nelson is there too, with 27 points in 30 games.
47:00- Stefen points out that this team is ultra-talented, and if they can find a way to hamper down and hold onto leads, they are more than capable of going on a playoff run. Even though there’s 52 games to play in the regular season, Sean points out that the playoffs are looking more and more realistic for this team, especially with most of the metro looking mediocre.
50:00- Sean and Stefen talk about the Islanders newfound defensive depth and options without three of their top guys. Mike Reilly has looked fantastic since he’s arrived, showing shades of Nick Leddy. Bortuzzo has added depth to the right side. With the injuries, Dobson and Alexander Romanov have been forced to pair up, and they’ve figured out how to play together, turning into a no-doubt number one pairing. When Ryan Pulock and Adam Pelech return, the door is wide open for them to play together, giving the Islanders two top-pairs. How’s this for a healthy top six: Pelech-Pulock, Romanov-Dobson, Reilly-Mayfield.
54:30- What’s on Tap!: The Islanders face the Oilers on Tuesday, the Caps on Wednesday, and the Hurricanes on Saturday.
59:00- Hero of the Week!
Stefen’s pick: Noah Dobson
Sean’s pick: Simon Holmstrom
1:10:00- Questions Brewin’!
Catch Hockey Night in New York with hosts Sean Cuthbert and Stefen Rosner live from Floored Media in Rockville Centre Sunday nights at 8PM ET throughout the season.