Will 9th Time be the Charm?

The Islanders will be facing the Sharks shortly as they try to stop their losing streak from entering into historic territory. With players such as Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, Joe Thornton, Dan Boyle, Devin Setoguchi...we can go on all day...it's going to be really tough.

The Islanders had a decent effort against the Ducks, but fell short losing 1-0. That is as tough as they come, considering the Islanders only gave up 14 shots. The team was a bit tighter than they had been, and they just need that to carry over into these other games. Meanwhile, the offense has gone absolutely silent as evidenced by the Islanders going 0-for-6 on the power play against the Ducks.

P.A. Parenteau was back in the line-up last night, while Rob Schremp was a healthy scratch. Apparently, the same deal will apply for tonight. Dwayne Roloson gets his 4th straight start in a row, and he simply deserves it right now. If he plays like he has the past couple of games, then the Islanders are in this game. The offense really needs to get in gear.

The Isles need to come out forechecking hard. Perhaps Matt Martin can try to make an early statement by knocking down one of the big guns, which is something he definitely hasn't shied away from. This is a game where the defense needs to step up and be solid. Any lapses or breakdowns and the Sharks will eat it up, no pun intended.

What the Isles do have going for them is that either Sharks goaltender is beatable. I'm not the biggest fan of Antero Nittymaki or Antti Niemi, so we'll see if that's a match-up that can swing in the Islanders favor. Based upon the performance of back-up Curtis McElhinney, they can't take anything for granted.

-CH

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