Paging Mr. Stamkos

"Might as well write 'em off. Let's close up the bridge. Let's get out of here. Close it up, lights out." - William Shatner, Airplane II

And so the death knell of the 2007-08 season for the Islanders tolls. Sure, there are 11 games remaining, but anyone who witnessed the pathetic 8-4 walloping laid on them by the Lightning has to believe that there are no more miracles remaining for this squad. As it turned out, the six game winning streak before the deadline was obviously false hope that may have actually hurt the team in the long run as it forced GM Garth Snow to stand pat for the most part rather than sell more of the Isles' UFAs. While I'm sure the Isles aren't going to tank the season, the final 11 games should now be used as tryouts for next season's team, and for guys that are playing hurt, they need to be given some rest while the youth attempts to show whether they belong in '08-'09.

And while the Isles are at it, please feel free to use these next 11 games as a lab and experiment with the power play. For instance, a power play line of Tambellini-Walter-Comeau scored just six seconds after they were put on the ice. Why not try using them more often - even if this was a fluke, they can't possibly be worse than what we've seen over the last couple of months.

In a bright spot, with tonight's loss, the Isles are fifth from last in the league, which makes them eligible for the Stamkos Sweepstakes. And given the way they've been playing lately and given their remaining schedule, 28th place appears to be a distinct possibility, which would mean they would draft no lower than fourth - thereby enabling them to pick up a top defenseman or an able scorer.

I leave you with 80's goodness to wipe the taste of this game from your mouth.