A few days off after a win like the Islanders had the other night is definitely a good thing. Bouncing back after an ugly loss against the Bruins on Friday, is it fair to say they’ve learned their lesson and are committed to playing 60-minutes of intensity-filled, high-speed, jaw-dropping, rockem-sockem, hyphen-induced hockey?

Guess we’re just going to have to see about that, but at any rate, they’re are a few players that I feel are going to get the most out of the next three days off.

Joey MacDonald- Even when the Islanders defense was without the likes of Andy Sutton, Radek Martinek and Brendan Witt, Joey Mac has done everything but bribe the opposition in order to keep this team in the mix. A few times he’s come down to earth, showing an inability to keep his feet moving in the crease, but for the most part this season, his positioning, determination and poise have been excellent.

Either way you feel about MacDonald’s play, it’s pretty hard to argue with eight wins in game in November.

“Joey’s given us a chance to win every night,” team captain Bill Guerin told the Associated Press. “That’s all you can ask from your goaltender. He’s played as well as anybody out there. He’s just a great teammate, and works his tail off every day. He deserves a lot of accolades for us being in every game.”

I still can’t believe I’m going to say this, but another guy that deserves a few days off is Andy Hilbert. Six goals already this season and a heck of a lot more polish in the offensive end have quickly proven to me that Super Andy may just have a 20-goal season in him. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if this is another Jason Blake case, where the guy just needed a coach to have more confidence in him and play him in every situation. I know Ted Nolan always had a soft spot for the kid, but I never thought last season that Nolan trusted him for offense late in games when the team was in a bind. This season however, Scott Gordon seems to really trust him and because of that, Hilbert is having the best season of his NHL career.

While guys like Trent Hunter, Doug Weight, Mark Streit and Guerin have been solid as well, I really hope Mac and Hilly get a few good night’s rest under their belt before Thursday against Washington.

In other news guys, my site has been nominated on YesIslanders.com for Islanders Blog of the year! The voting takes place all month. Please stop by and throw me a vote!

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2008