Thursday, March 12, 2009

KO With OT Winner in MTL

It's hard having divided loyalties. On the one hand, we're personally elated that Kyle beat Canadiens' goalie Carey Price in overtime on Thursday night (3/12) to give the Isles a 3-2 win. Okie has *again* scored in four straight games this season, which is amazing considering his age and NHL (in)experience.

However, as Howie Rose pointed out on the home telecast, there is a camp of fans that believes the Islanders need to be dropping these games, not dominating the opposition. This is especially true on nights when the other bottom-feeders are winning. These victories are meaningless in comparison to the *huge* wins we could be enjoying in the next few seasons. And mortgaging a big part of the rebuild by playing spoiler at the end of this season just doesn't seem that appealing to those in that camp, Okposo Net included.

So yes, it is absolutely great to see Kyle and the other young guys working, scratching, clawing away, and finally mobbing each other after a hard-fought victory like the one in Montreal. Yes, we'll admit Kyle's 16 goals in 55 games is superb. We like the way the future is shaping up. Just realize that good things await at or near the top of the 2009 Entry Draft. Things vital to this team's rebuild. So for the next 14 games or so, let's not get crazy, okay boys?

1 comment:

Dr. Hook said...

Well, today was a good loss - no blow out, decent goaltending, Okposo gets an assist, and yet no points. If we can get some wins from TB, ATL and COL tonight, we'll be in good shape. Plus, checked the Isles sched the rest of the way - almost all playoff teams or teams fighting for a spot. Cautiously optimistic about getting the 30.