50 plus shots the other night against Florida= no goals. 18 shots against the Rangers= three goals. Either the Islanders were that good on offense or Henrik Lundqvist was that bad. In the end, I think it was a combination of both. Aside from a few sloppy plays on defense, the Isles did a decent enough job limiting quality opportunities from Jagr and company as well, putting them in a situation to squeak out with a 4-3 win via the shootout.

Wade Dubielewicz may not be the most talented goaltender in the NHL, but I think it’s fair to say that he may have the biggest heart. For a guy that plays once a month, he sure does show up when this team needs him, doesn’t he? Aside from the one goal in the shoot out, Dubie did everything he did to keep this team in the game and made more than his fair share of solid saves.

If the Isles could learn how to play defense while on the powerplay, Dubie would have gotten them the two points the easy way. Nonetheless, the important thing is that he was sharp and didn’t buckle under the pressure of playing a must-win game in MSG.

It also helped that the Isles got a few goals as well. It’s funny how I called out Trent Hunter, Andy Hilbert and Sean Bergenheim to start producing yesterday and two of them got on the scoresheet. As Meat Loaf would say, “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad.” Like I said yesterday as well, these guys do so many different things on the ice and while they’re not the kind of players that can carry the load offensively, they have to start chipping in more. I think Blake Comeau and Jeff Tambellini fit into the situation as well. If the Isles had four lines of players that could score 15-20 goals a season and play well on defense, they wouldn’t be in the situation they’re in right now. Right now isn’t the time for wishful thinking though. The chances of the Isles being able to roll four lines with that kind of offensive balance is as slim as being able to hear the National Anthem at MSG.

In all seriousness though, this team needs to do whatever it takes on the ice to ensure a playoff birth. If only they could get guys like Miroslav Satan and Bill Guerin hot down the stretch, then maybe things would be a little easier. For the time being though, they’ll have to continue to play gritty and hope they can outlast the opposition. Time’s running out.