So I’m going to do my best to try to explain why it is the Isles just own us. I think it is a combination of a few things.
1. The Rangers were unwilling to dump the puck into the corner and retrieve it with any consistency whatsoever. They allowed DiPi to take control of the game by trying hard arounds instead of straight corner dumping, and they fell right into the Islanders trap by trying to beat a 5 man wall at the blueline.
2. The Islanders are an extremely proactive team. They never let the play come to them, they take the play to the opponents. The Rangers had big time troubles trying to execute a straight breakout play because of the relentless, and aggressive Islanders attack.
3. The Islanders are an extremely well coached team. The amount of teams that are as well coached as these guys can be counted on 1 hand, possibly on one finger. Ted Nolan (who should have been our coach, *grumble grumble*) knows how to coach. Period. Very very very rarely will you outcoach him, or will you come at him with something the he doesn’t immediately solve and counter.
4. The Islanders have great chemistry. Never discount it, because we don’t even have a quarter as much chemistry as these guys do. Is it an intangible? Is it something that can be coached, or the players can do on their own? I really don’t know the answer to those questions, but it is clearly there for the Isles, and isn’t quite there yet for the Rangers.
5. Brendan Witt. He is the reason why Jaromir Jagr has been doing his best impression of Marcel Hossa. All JJ does when Witt is on the ice, is control the puck along the boards, and eventually turn it over. No Brendan Witt, no way to control Jagr.
So that really sums it up, at least to me. I think those are the reasons why they have really dominated us, in winning 3 of 3 against us, and why we look so pathetic against them. Some of these things are correctable, some are not. I just hope Renney does his best to fix what can be fixed.
P.S.
What the hell is going on with our Power Play?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
P.P.S.
You guys HAVE to check out this link about our resident scapegoat Jason Strudwick…
P.P.P.S.
Heres a new game for you, it’s called, Where’s Jaromir Jagr. See if you can spot him… It’s almost as hard as it was to spot him on the ice today against the Islanders.
Posted by inferno272 on Monday, November 19th, 2007 at 11:07 pm.