Meanwhile, the Islanders limited opponents as you’d hope and expect from a Barry Trotz team (2.79 goals allowed per game, ninth-best in the NHL).Circling back to Bobrovsky, it’s grossly unfair to lay the Panthers’ goal prevention problems solely at his feet/skates. Tom Wilson Drops Casey Cizikas And Then Matt Martin Goes After Wilson And Radko Gudas - Duration: 2:22. A several-month pause could certainly help break such a skid.Overall, the Islanders should be in the playoff discussion for years to come with a disciplined structure, strong goaltending and a true difference-maker behind the bench. That said, overall, one would expect the Islanders to avoid slugging things out offensively.Maple Leafs have a regulation victory. However, in order to become a legitimate Stanley Cup contender and not just a team that qualifies for the postseason consistently, they need to add a dynamic forward.If we’re still counting losing streaks, the Islanders would enter a resumption in play on a seven-game losing skid. The Islanders became one of the most defensively sound teams in the league and instantly became a playoff contender. While he hasn’t matched that explosive rookie year of 85 points in 2017-18, Barzal’s been able to avoid Barry Trotz’s doghouse.The Canadiens experienced two eight-game losing streaks, a five-game skid, and went into the break losing 10 of their last 14 games. Last meeting: Oct. 21; a 4-3 Columbus OT win.Squint a little and you’ll realize there are reasons for optimism, though:Ever since Trotz inked a five-year contract with the orange and blue, he brought a credibility to the team on the ice.
“When I looked down initially, I could kind of see through my sock and kind of just see red there and that kind of freaked me out. It would be surprising if anyone snatched Barzal away, but that offer sheet threat could really drive up the price for the Islanders.The Carolina Hurricanes swept the Islanders in a second-round series during last year’s postseason as they won four straight and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final.
That slide goes back to mid-February as they won just twice in their last 13 games and have six total victories since Jan. 11.
CIZIKAS SKATES ON LONG ISLAND: While Boychuk made the trip out west, Casey Cizikas started skating on Long Island on Monday, according to Head Coach Barry Trotz. The team has diagnosed Cizikas with a lower-body injury. Last meeting: Feb., 21; a 5-2 Rangers victory.As experienced as Varlamov is, we haven’t seen him in the postseason very often lately. The Islanders were one point back of Columbus for the second wild card spot, while Florida sat three points behind the Blue Jackets.On paper, the duo of Semyon Varlamov and Thomas Greiss give the Islanders an edge over the Panthers, particularly looking at Bobrovsky in 2019-20 alone.But it’s worth pondering just how long it’s been since either Varlamov or Greiss served as go-to playoff goalies.Yes, there are plenty of counterpoints to throw water on those positive thoughts. Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Casey Cizikas, 1991-02-27 Toronto, ON, CAN Canada. Barzal has a chance to be that type of game-breaker in today’s NHL but you need more than one player with that skillset.Besides strong leadership behind the bench, the Islanders have developed a strong culture inside the locker room.