With a 7-6 record, a 2.68 GAA and a .915 save percentage this season, it’s fair to say that New York Islanders goaltender Joey MacDonald has been much more than a pleasant surprise this season.

As a matter of fact, I think he’s been a savior of sorts.

Up until the season started, no one thought MacDonald was capable enough to serve as the team’s backup goaltender. Much like Islanders Jeff Tambellini and Andy Hilbert, MacDonald had several solid seasons in the AHL under his belt, but had problems sticking around at the NHL level. This season however, MacDonald has been rock solid, getting better and better after every game.

Last season, I had the opportunity to cover a preseason game between the Islanders and Rangers at MSG where MacDonald played. The Isles had a ton of youngsters in the game and the Rangers featured most of their stars at the time, including Scott Gomez, Brendan Shanahan and Chris Drury, but MacDonald was still solid. It got me thinking what the future held for the kid. However, at the time, with Wade Dubielewicz backing up Rick DiPietro, Joey Mac didn’t look like he was going to crack the lineup. By the end of the season,he appeared in two games and one in particular, the 45 save effort against the Devils late in the season, confirmed in my mind that he should be given a chance.

Nonetheless, I was a huge Dubie supporter at the time and didn’t want to see the guy leave.

Right now though, I wouldn’t change the Islanders goaltending situation at all. And that includes bring DP back.

Sometimes in this sport, you have to ride the hot horse. Al Arbour is a guy that did that quite often and while the motif in the NHL over the past few years is to have one guy play 70 games, why can’t MacDonald play 30 this season and DP the rest? We know who the guy is going to be in the playoffs for this team, but if MacDonald keeps playing the way he has, and DP continues to battle injuries, it’s better to have Mac in net.

Nothing against DP, he is without a doubt the team’s most important player, but if he’s not 100 percent, he’s not going to be able to help this team. With Brendan Witt’s return possibly this weekend as well, MacDonald will have ever more support in front of him and can be even more of a force if given a chance.

From the perseverance he’s shown on the ice so far this season, you get the feeling he knows exactly what’s at stake.

“When you come in and play one or two games a year in the NHL, it’s tough because the different level of play from the American League is so much more up-tempo. Once you get used to the tempo, it’s a game,” MacDonald told the Associated Press.“You’ve got to come up with the key saves. All the good goaltenders in the National Hockey league, Luongo and all of those guys, they come up with the key save and that’s why they’re superstars. That’s my job, and that’s why I’ve got to give the team a chance to win.”

I’m starting to wish that the NHL took a note from the NBA and played 48 minute games. At least then this team would have more of an opportunity to come out with a win every night. Out shot 18-1 in the third period, it’s past the point of wondering why things are going the way they are. It’s one thing to have something happen one, twice, even three times. But as of right now, this is a serious problem for the New York Islanders.

Something needs to be done so this team can hold a lead. They play well for 40 minutes and then fall to pieces like a house of cards. They seem so oblivious on the ice, that I’ve seen Kevin Federline speak at Harvard with more poise.

The even scarier thing though is in reality, what can this team possibly do to stop this? It’s not like a trade is going to solve this problem. If someone gets benched, who comes in that can fill shoes? No one. This team has to win with what they have right now. If they don’t, this season is over.

No its, ands or buts about it.

As bad as the Isles have played though, there are players doing the right thing on the ice.

Guys like Doug Weight and Tim Jackman came to play last night. Speaking of Jackman, maybe he’ll finally got it into his system what he has to do in order to stay in this league the rest of the season. Aside from Trent Hunter and Bill Guerin, the Isles don’t have many players that can crash the net and get garbage goals [one of the reasons why I'm still heavily pissed that they let Mark Parrish sign with the Dallas Stars]. A guy like Jackman could provide a lift and help this team get a few ugly ones to keep them above water.

Another guy that was sound last night was Andy Hilbert. On pace for an 18-goal season, if Hilbert can keep this type of play up, I may not rag on him so much. While that alone isn’t enough for him to be consistent, it’s great to see him contributing more on offense. The numbers that he put up in the AHL, I don’t think it’s asking too much for this guy to score 15 goals a season. Everyone knows he works hard, he just has to finish. So far this season, he’s done a much better job of that.

With their next game against the Flyers on Tuesday, things need to change and change fast.

Aside from the game against the Buffalo Sabres, the New York Islanders’ defense has been solid. It’s almost mind-boggling how in spite of missing Andy Sutton, Chris Campoli and Radek Martinek the defense still remains the least of the team’s problems.

Nevertheless, it is still a facet of the team that needs to be addressed.

In order for Scott Gordon’s “Overspeed” system to work, the Islanders defenseman have to take care of business. That means making the first pass out of the zone, clearing the front of the net, and pinching in along the boards. The way the team has played this season, it’s obvious that the Islanders forward lines haven’t yet caught on to the system. In the games they’ve won, the puck pursuit has been there and they’ve had their legs, which has created scoring opportunities and a plethora of second chances. In the games they’ve lost, they’ve had a huge problem establishing a forecheck and setting up in the offensive end.

I know what you’re thinking now: “I’ve read this on other Islander blogs already.” Well, I think I have a different take on this that has nothing to do with the lack of depth on the forward lines or the amount of youth present.

Here it goes.

I think the main reason why the Isles have had problems maintaining the level of offensive consistency and passion is because the defense, just like the offense, hasn’t yet bought into the system fully either. The two wins the Islanders have this season were due in part to the fact that the defense, alongside the offensive, were physical, swarming the puck and skating.

This generates scoring opportunities, something this team always seems to be short on.

However, in the games the Islanders have lost, where have the D-men been on the offensive end?

Mark Streit, Jack Hillen, Bruno Gervais Thomas Pock and Freddy Meyer are all defensemen that have above average skating skills and should have no problem joining the rush and helping out pinching on the boards. Streit especially, who came here to help the team on the powerplay and be a force on offense, needs to be a bit more proactive. In Montreal, he had no problems joining the play and applying pressure to opposing defenses. In order for this team to stay above water this season, Streit needs to be a factor

In the games this team have been outscored though, that hasn’t happened from Streit or any other member of the defense. They’ve been too preoccupied keeping the opposition out of the zone to be a force.

So in order for “Overspeed” to really work, two things need to take place at the same time. One being that the Islanders forwards have to skate their tails off. Secondly, the defense has to take chances on offense and take shots.

As we’ve already seen so far this season, if that doesn’t happen, they don’t win.

A battle of two rebuilding franchises will take place tonight between the Florida Panthers and the New York Islanders.

However, they are two teams that are very different from one another.

The Islanders on one hand are hoping, almost praying, that guys like Sean Bergenheim, Kyle Okposo and Jeff Tambellini can develop into superstars and take them to the next level. They’re also hoping that guys like Mike Comrie, Trent Hunter and Richard Park can have career years, while keeping their fingers crossed that Doug Weight and Bill Guerin can prove they have some gas left in their tanks.

The Panthers on the other hand, missed the painfully obvious memo last season that most of the kids they’ve drafted over the past few years have turned into decent players, rather than the superstars they’ve envisioned. Sure Jay Bouwmeester, Nathan’s Famous Horton and David Booth are great players that any team would like to have, but even the biggest Panthers fan would have a problem explaining what went wrong with guys like Stephen Weiss, who was supposed to a point a game player in this league at one point and Rusty Olesz, who prefers to hit people from behind nowadays, rather than put the puck in the net; something he hasn’t shown too much proficiency doing yet anyway. After that, they have former high picks like Shawn Matthias, Kamil Kreps and Anthony Stewart, who are servicable players that are merely taking up space on the bottom two lines. Add in acquisition Corey Stillman, who has never been the same player since leaving the Lightning and it’s easy to see how similar, yet different these two teams really are.

So with that being said, what do the Islanders need to do to come out victorious tonight? The same thing they did against the Lightning: SKATE! If the Isles keep those legs moving, they will draw penalties and with the way Hunter and Weight have played over the past few games, the Isles can and will pot few with the man advantage.

However, there is another way the team can give themselves a chance at victory tonight and that is having a healthy Rick DiPietro in net. Newsday beat writer Greg Logan seems to think DP is in the net tonight and I have to agree. He’s been off the ice first in practice, which is customary for the starting goaltender of the next game and I think after the 6-0 loss in his first game in the preseason, his conditioning may finally be where it’s supposed to be now. If he is healthy, the Islanders just got their best player back and a third defenseman on the ice that will keep the Panthers at bay behind the goal line.

If not, Joey MacDonald will get the call and that in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Despite the one game against Buffalo, where the team’s defense called in sick, Mac has been good enough for the Isles.

At any rate, regardless of who is in net, this should be a fun one to watch.

Well, here it is, courtesy of the team’s official website:

http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=385315

Well, now that that’s out of the way, here are my thoughts:

Anyone that doesn’t like that first round pick Josh Bailey ended up making the team is out of their minds. Sure, the Islanders have a host of veterans on the team this season, but with Bailey’s cup of coffee this season, combined with getting to see Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini, Sean Bergenheim, Blake Comeau and possibly even Jack Hillen develop, this team has the potential of being very fun to watch.

Are they going to make the playoffs? Who knows. If these young kids can play well enough and guys like Bill Guerin, Mark Streit and Doug Weight can pull their “weight,” then this team may have a shot to surprise a few people. Again, much like the last few seasons, the team won’t be expected to do much, but like I said, if they can stay healthy and get contributions from everybody, these misfits will challenge for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Much like the team two seasons ago, the Islanders will need to get offense from all four lines in order to be successful. Can it happen? Asking Andy Hilbert to be consistent every night on offense will be bad enough, but players like Frans Nielsen and Richard Park will have to be steady and score about a dozen goals as well. Can that happen? Stranger things have happened before.

Getting Rick DiPietro back the other day is also a sign of good news, even though his play in the team’s final exhibition game was far from solid. The team’s vocal leader and general on the ice, DP will be counted on again to lead the charge. With Radek Martinek and Brendan Witt around though, DP will have one of the best defensive tandems in the league on the ice for 25 minutes a game. Despite that, no one really knows who will fill in for Chris Campoli and Andy Sutton through the first handful of games, making the Islanders last pair of defensemen a toss up. For my money, Jack Hillen and Freddy Meyer may be the best way to go, considering Hillen’s upside on offense and Meyer’s physical ability and knack for playing smart in both ends. Bruno Gervais may be the best skater of the remaining defensemen and Thomas Pock may have the most offensive ability, but Hillen and Meyer have the poise in my mind to keep the team above water until Campo and Sutton are ready to come back.

At any rate, we’ll see what Scott Gordon decides to do tomorrow in the season opener.

Even though the Islanders defense will feature crafty veterans like Andy Sutton, Mark Streit and Radek Martinek this season, Brendan Witt will be asked to lead the charge once again.

Nothing against those guys, but Witt is arguably one of the best stay at home defensemen in the league and can lift a team’s spirit with a blocked shot or a big hit. No ask yourself, how many players in the league can do that?

Recently signing a new contract, Witt be will the Bert Marshall of what will hopefully be a young Islanders team that matures over the next few seasons.

Hopefully, his new contract will also put an end to the endless debate on the message boards and on all the “rumor” sites that Witt would be traded. I know he has plenty of worth out in the open market, as do guys like Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie and Mike Sillinger, but enough is enough. I said it a few months ago when I was writing about Witt’s performance last season and I’ll say it again- he is the heart and soul of the New York Islanders. Add in the fact that the team doesn’t have a legitimate enforcer this season and Witt’s value just went up even more.

So not only will he be asked to piss off guys like Sydney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin day in and day out, he’ll also have to drop the gloves with David Clarkson, Riley Cote and Chris Neil too.

Sounds like a fun job right?

Now take into consideration the “all guts, no glory” position that both a shut down defender and enforcer have on the ice. Having a guy that can do both and provide leadership on the ice and in the locker room make him an indispensable commodity in my mind.

As a matter of fact, this guy is such a solid defender that I think he could score 35-40 points [which would never happen, but let my imagination run it's course here] he would be a Norris finalist every year. But like I said before, since the focus in the NHL now is on less hitting and more scoring, the true value of a guy like Witt will only be apparent to someone who either truly understands the game or has the opportunity to watch him day in and day out.

Luckily, I fall into both of of those categories [or at least I think I do, let my imagination run it's course again guys] and know that the only reasons why the Islanders were in the playoff hunt for as long as they were was the shutdown defense of Brendan Witt and the goaltending of Rick DiPietro and Wade Dubielewicz [it figures that as soon as I can spell his last name by heart, the dude goes to Russia].

If the Isles are to make another attempt at a playoff spot this season, Witt is going to have to be on his game once again.

Photo by NHL Media

Last season, Bill Guerin proved he wasn’t a savior.

Nevertheless, he did prove he was still a solid player who could contribute. I don’t anyone would have argued if Guerin put up the same numbers, 23 goals and 21 assists on the second or third line of a team like the Penguins, Red Wings or Sharks. But this is the New York Islanders we’re talking about and Guerin’s 44 points were a bit of a disappointment to many of the fans here, despite what he did in the locker room and in the community.

Before he played his first game with the Islanders, I predicted he’d score 30 goals in 08. 23 isn’t so far off that prediction, but when you add in how cold Mike Comrie was at times and that the team had no one around him that could give him some space, 23 goals is pretty damn good if you ask me. I don’t know if this year is going to be different, but I think if guys like Trent Hunter and Comrie come into this season looking to take their games to the next level, Guerin could be a huge benefactor of their success.

Let’s face it, the Islanders don’t have a legitimate first line. Rather, they have two above average second lines, a great third line and a young energy line on the bottom. It doesn’t matter who defenses put up against these lines because none of them feature game-changing players. They feature hard-working players that will make you pay for your mistakes, guys like Hunter, Richard Park, Sean Bergenheim, etc. If a few of these players can have solid seasons, somewhere along the lines of 20-25 goals and 30 helpers [I don't expect Park to do that considering everything else he does for this team, but I see no reason why Hunter or Bergenheim can't, I mean Hunter did it his rookie reason], defenses will have to plan against the Isles differently.

As of right now, they know to keep Guerin away from the front of the net and slot and to watch out for Comrie’s toe drag. Mark Streit’s presence on the blue line and a healthy Chris Campoli should help the offense as well, but back to Guerin.

Aside from the 99 Oilers and 2004 Stars, Guerin has never been the go to guy on offense for any team he’s played for. He’s been a great secondary scorer and a guy that can provide leadership though and if the Islanders can either develop or get someone who can be that legitimate go-to guy, I think they’ll see a more productive Guerin.

Photo by NHL Media