With Mike Sillinger rehabbing with the Sound Tigers in Bridgeport and Brendan Witt already back, things look to be changing in the Islanders favor very quickly.

Sure, Mike Comrie is still nursing a hip problem and Kyle Okposo will be out for at least a week with arm problems of his own, but as I’ve said before, this team’s defense is much more important than the offense. The way Comrie and Okposo have played this season as well makes their absence from the lineup not as big a deal as it could have been if they were producing.

As long as the defense supports Joey MacDonald and he can see the puck, the Islanders should be in decent shape. The way some of the role players have responded the past few games, guys like Frans Neilsen, Jon Sim and Tim Jackman especially, it feels like this team will find a way to produce enough offense to win. That’s not something I would have gone out of my way to say a few weeks ago, but if this team continues to skate and draw penalties, I feel that players will score for this team.

Kind of funny how a few hard-earned wins will change someone’s mind eh?

With KO out, Newsday beat reporter Greg Logan believes the Isles will have an emergency callup from Bridgeport will be made, but didn’t give any ideas as to whom it might be. My money is either on Blake Comeau, who many feel should have made the team out of camp this season and has 11 points in 13 games this season, or Mike Iggulden who has 20 points in 18 games. That doesn’t mean the Isles won’t take the safer route though and go with a guy like Kurtis McLean, who also has 20 points, but is a bit older than both Comeau and Iggulden.

Regardless of who joins the team, I think that players like Trent Hunter and Doug Weight will have to continue to lead the team offensively, while Radek Martinek and Witt will have to jump right into the thick of things. These guys don’t have the luxury of waiting a few games to find themselves. The team’s top defensive duo, they will have to be on top of their game against New Jersey on Friday. Winning three in a row, the Isles have to maintain this type of play until they get healthy again.

Then after that, we’ll see what this team can really do.

As 80s super group Whitesnake once said: “Here I go Again.”

After the powerplay and Joey MacDonald ran rampant the other night, Islander fans now a tiny morsel of hope. Can the powerplay continue to produce? Can Joey MacDonald do his best Wade Dubielewicz impersonation? Can Trent Hunter pretend he’s in .38 Special and “Get Back to where He Belongs” [being the 20 goal scorer every Islander fan knows he should be]? Alright, enough with the 80s music references. In all seriousness, if the Isles can commit themselves to playing smart defense and can take advantage of mistakes on the powerplay, they can play with any team in this league.

It’s just a matter of the stars being aligned properly for those to happen on a consistent basis.

What I’m looking for the most in this game is for the Islanders to come out strong and take the body. Without Brendan Witt, they are really missing their best physical presence and I think some rough stuff could open up the ice more for guys like Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey.

Speaking of Bailey, it should be interesting where he ends up tonight, although from what Islanders head coach Scott Gordon said the other night, it’s a pretty safe bet were he’ll be.

“Just watching what I saw from Josh the other night (against Philadelphia), it was an opportunity to see what he can do with Kyle and see how it goes,” Gordon told the AP. “We have a lot of young wingers that have offensive potential, but the reality is we don’t have that high-end playmaking center. So, when we look at Josh and what he brings to the table, he has a different element than Richard Park or Nate Thompson, and with Mike (Comrie) being out of the lineup (with a hip injury), it opens up a hole for us.”

Kind of a smack in the face to Frans Neilsen, but it’s the truth. While I think if he continues to develop, Neilsen could be a 30 assist guy in the NHL, Bailey has the pedigree this team is looking for right now. He is the playmaker they need in the lineup, especially without Mike Comrie and Mike Sillinger out as well, who aren’t playmakers and are more of the dangler-type. If he can open some eyes during the rest of this mini-tryout, it’s going to be very interesting what this team decides to do with him next season.

At any rate, we’ll see what he comes up with tonight.

The Shenanigans the Islanders have forced their fans to deal with this season essentially started after the Islanders lost in overtime to the Flyers on October 30. Ever since then, watching this team play the final 20 minutes is worse than a prostate exam.

So what does this team need to do in order to get out of the rut they’ve gotten themselves in?

Here are a few of my thoughts:

1- Be more physical, especially in the defensive zone- Giving up 18 shots in the final period on Saturday, this team needs to play with more desperation and more of an edge. Mitch Fritz got into a tussle while up here with the Isles, but I say that isn’t enough. Guys need to start finishing checks on every single shift. Everyone from Mark Streit to Frans Neilsen has to do this in order for it to be effective as well. Being that physical will also open up the ice more and give the few playmakers the Islanders have, guys like Doug Weight and Neilsen room to find the Bill Guerin’s and Trent Hunter’s.

2- Score on the powerplay- Currently ranked 25th in the NHL, Streit and Weight have been brought in to help out and while they have, other players have to start contributing. For starters, the Islanders need to overload the powerplay with guys that can score. Nothing against Neilsen, but he should be one of the last people who get a shot on the PP. Alongside Weight and Guerin, Hunter should play on the other wing with Streit and Chris Campoli. The second unit should be something along the lines of Mike Comrie with Sean Bergenheim and Kyle Okposo with Andy Sutton and Bruno Gervais at the point. While it’s not as deep a unit as I would like it to be, there would be enough diversity to give the Islanders options. The first unit would be all about getting traffic in front of the net and the second would be about puck possession and generating offense from the circles. Once Mike Sillinger comes back, I think this team’s powerplay will get much better, but until that happens, something else needs to be done.

3- Play smarter defense- Going along with my first statement about the team’s need to play tougher, I think the defense needs to cut down on their turnovers. I know it’s not as easy with Rick DiPietro still injured, but overall, this team needs to make smarter passes in their own zone and commit themselves to eliminating traffic in front of Joey MacDonald and limiting second chance opportunities. If they can do that, this team won’t have to score four goals a game every night to stay in games.

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.

I said yesterday that this was a game the Islanders had to win and for 40 minutes, it looked like they were going to do just that. Well, not exactly.

The first period was a toss up, but the Islanders were holding their own. Aside from a bad change that resulted in Slava Kozlov’s goal, the Isles were in fact the better team out there. Over a 17-second span in the second period however, the Isles took control of the game behind Frans Neilsen, who has to continue to play this way if this team is ever going to back to .500 this season and Trent Hunter, who hasn’t been this solid since his rookie year.

Nevertheless, the Islanders found a way to cough this one up.

As I’ve said before, this team cannot make mistakes in the defensive end, especially without three good defensemen on the shelf in Radek Martinek, Brendan Witt and Freddy Meyer. Andy Sutton has been solid since he came back, but everyone else on the defense has to commit themselves to playing well for the entire 60 minutes. Weak penalties like the ones Mark Streit and Joey Macdonald took later on in the game are prime examples of what the Islanders need to stay away from if they are going to turn this season around.

Speaking of MacDonald, I think that while last night wasn’t one of his best games, he did what he’s done for most of the season: keep this team in a game for the entire 60 minutes. As a goalie, especially on a team like the Islanders, that is all you can really do. Asking for anything more from Mac would be crazy.

In the end, I think Islanders color commentator Billy Jaffe said it best during the postgame show; this team needs to cut out the garbage and commit themselves to playing non-stop, in your face, heavy puck pursuit hockey. Anything less from them is going to result in the same thing that has been happening almost every single night this season. I think the fans of this team have already started catching on to that.

On another note, while Kyle Okposo was buzzing a bit at times, he still has yet to establish himself on the ice. I know getting switched to the left side can be an adjustment for any player, nevertheless, a rookie, but he has to start producing. The same thing goes for Jeff Tambellini, who I feel the fan base and coaching staff have already given up on and as soon as Sean Bergenheim gets rid of the flu bug he caught, Tamby will be back to being a fourth liner, or even worse, a healthy scratch.

I said a few days ago that Isles forward Richard Park needed to finish more, and over the past two games, he’s done just that, paving the way for two consecutive victories.

If hearts grew on trees, the only person who would be able to grow said tree would of course be number 10 himself.

After starting their season in most dismal fashion, Park and the boys from Long Island have rebounded quite nicely, playing well enough to win and providing some spunk in the process. Despite some bumps in the round in the third period on Monday and a scary last minute at MSG last night, the Isles have their first winning streak of the season.

While guys like Park, Trent Hunter and Bill Guerin have stepped up their play as of late, Joey MacDonald kept the Isles in both games this week and has been a key reason why this team is treading water for the moment. At 4-4, MacDonald has played his part in relieving the injured Rick DiPietro.

Simply put, there’s nothing else more he could do at this point. Despite not hugging the post and having inferior footwork in the crease through a few of his losses, MacDonald looked stellar last night, making a handful of spectacular saves. Let’s be fair here, despite a nasty loss to the Leafs the other night, the Rangers have been one of the best teams in the league this season. Because of that, this was easily one of the biggest wins of the season.

Overall, the Islanders played like a team and players stepped up and that’s why they ended up with two points. Nate Thompson is now my favorite Alaskan [next to the uber-sexy Sarah Palin of course.], due to the fact that he not only got one shorthanded when the team needed it, but I think you’d agree that the way he did it was insane. Most players would have given up on that play, but he showed the moxie to keep his legs moving and finish the play [in mid-air nonetheless] he started that Frans Neilsen couldn’t finish. Good work Nate.

Speaking of Tambellini, the kid showed some fire last night in dropping the gloves. He also finished a few checks. Nonetheless, this kid has to score. Otherwise, he goes right back to being a healthy scratch when Sean Bergenheim gets back from the flu.

Now with a day off before their next game, the Isles can concentrate on facing another high energy team in the Atlanta Thrashers and proving that last night was no fluke.

Lindsay Campoli’s [I hope I spelled her name right!] birthday may have been yesterday, but her son gave her the best present a mother could ask for in a 4-3 Islanders win.

The game wasn’t all peaches and cream though.

Scary stuff indeed.

Just when you think this team has a game all sewed up, they play down to level of their opponents. If this team is going to get back to .500, things like this cannot happen. See how fast this team sinks tomorrow night against the Rangers if they pull these same type of shenanigans.

Nevertheless, there were several positives to take from this game.

1- Trent Hunter had a solid game.

That’s not to say that he hasn’t been playing well this season, but I feel he needed a multi-point game to really get him going on a consistent basis. In addition, he was taking the body and was in front of the net. Again, if this team is going to be better than average this season and with Rick DiPietro out for the next six weeks, Hunter has to continue to produce.

2- Bill Guerin had a solid game.

The same thing goes for Guerin. That breakaway goal was a thing of beauty just for the simple fact that the Islanders captain isn’t the type of player that is known for deking out goaltenders. Again, much like Hunter, Guerin is going to have to stretch his mold and be more than the player he’s known for. Asking something like that from a player at Guerin’s age may be a bit too outlandish, but who would have thought Doug Weight would be playing as well as he is right now? If he can do it, why can’t Guerin?

3- Richard Park finished!

This guy works so hard on the ice and it was great to see him pot one. Another guy the Islanders need to produce offensively, I don’t see any reason why Park can’t score 15 goals and add 20 helpers this season.

4- Campoli breaks out finally.

The way the Islanders offense is built, guys like Chris Campoli and Mark Streit can really benefit if they’re proactive and take shots. That was definitely the case tonight.

Sound bite of the night: Islanders color commentator Bill Jaffe went on the big tirade in the second period, comparing Jeff Tambellini to Andy Hilbert. I know what point that he was trying to make, saying that Tambellini needed to find himself as a player, but comparing Tambo to Hilbert isn’t in the best interest of either player. Tambellini has a much better shot and pales in comparison to being the defender Hilbert is. Aside from their inability to produce offensively, they are two different players.