The sense of urgency is there. The Islanders know they have to keep winning or else their season is finished. They’re starting to score and the defense is playing their best hockey of the season, despite serious injuries to defensive stalwarts Brendan Witt and Chris Campoli. Rick DiPietro has been facing fewer shots as of late and should have the energy needed to keep the team alive over the last 20 plus games.

With three consecutive wins, the Islanders couldn’t have asked for a better opponent than the San Jose Sharks, who have been dealing with offensive and injury problems of their own. All the Islanders have to do is try and mirror their performance against the Thrashers, which means play physical, draw penalties, get traffic and then finish. If they can do that, there aren’t many teams in the NHL that can stop them.

I mean c’mon, the Thrashers and Flyers are anything but cellar-dwellers and the Maple Leafs have the talent to do plenty of damage in the Eastern Conference, but have no chemistry. If they can keep up this type of play and do some tweaking at the trading deadline [maybe picking up another well-rounded defenseman and a young winger with some spunk], they could be a sleep team. However, all of this wishful thinking hinges on how long the Islanders can keep winning. If they go on another seven-game losing streak though, all of this goes out the window of course. That’s when the Isles see what they can get for some of these unrestricted free agents and start building for next year.

That’s why the play of Ruslan Fedotenko, Miroslav Satan and Trent Hunter is a two-sided sword. If Fedotenko and Satan stay hot, the Isles can trade them and start building towards the future. I really don’t even want to think about trading Hunter, as I think he should be the team’s next captain once Guerin’s tenure is over. Sure, his goal numbers are down, but he’s still on pace for his typical 40-point season and I really think he’s ready to turn the corner. The guy epitomizes what this team is all about. He works hard on every shift, takes the body and isn’t scared to get in front of the net. Fedotenko and Satan can be extremely effective players at times, but lack the consistent effort the Hunter puts forth every night. If the Isles trade him, it will be a grave mistake.

But like I said, if the Islanders keep winning, I doubt if anyone will be traded.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2008, Pregame Musings