That game was something to be thankful for.

Hopefully, just maybe, looking back a few months from now, we can say that this was when the Islanders season really began.

Pure domination, that’s the best way to put it. Every line had their thing going. Asham, Park and Bates were flying all over the ice and the defense was joining the play and not having any problems getting back and stifling the Hurricanes offense.

While the offense of the Hurricanes was held in check last night, the Isles were all over the puck and again, Alexei Yashin and Jason Blake were on fire. Billy Jaffe made a great point by saying that they are both being unselfish with the puck and it’s paying well for them. Also, despite taking a few penalties [one of them was a complete joke as York was getting his stick held by a Hurricane and the back referee made the call for hooking when it was obvious he was getting his stick held], York played a solid game and provided some energy with Kozlov and Hunter.

We were so dominant last night that even Andy Hilbert managed to stick out, managing a season-high six shots on goal.

Simply put, when someone who has no points plays his best game of the year, you have to win. Luckily for the Isles, DP stayed on top of his game despite facing a minimum amount of shots and the rest of the team stuck together and played their best game of the season. Maybe now, the rest of the league will start to take the Isles a little bit more seriously.

BRUNO!

Maybe it was just me, but I’m starting to become a fan of Bruno Gervais. He plays such a solid game on both ends of the ice and it goes almost completely unnoticed. A few times he joined the rush last night and you could see that this kid has some speed. With Campoli in Bridgeport now, it looks like Bruno is here to stay. Originally wanting to see Campoli back in the lineup, I was hesitant of Bruno’s ability, but over the past few games, he’s made me a believer.

POOR MIRO!

I would have never thought that Satan would get himself into a slump like this, even though he’s a streaky scorer. Nevertheless, it’s great that he’s finding ways to score and he really played a great game last night, if anyone deserved that open-netter, it was Miro. If he continues to play this way, I have no doubt that the goals will come.

NEXT GAME…
 
Malkin and the Penguins come to the coliseum on Friday. Crosby missed the last game due to a groin injury, so he’s not likely to be 100% if he plays. This might be exactly what the Islanders need, considering a win against the Pens will put the Isles in sole possession of the last playoff spot in the conference. I know it may be a bit too early to think about the playoffs, but these games against division rivals will end up meaning a lot by the end of the season.