10/08/09: Senators 3, Islanders 2, OT

A few quick thoughts off last night's game...

• According to The Daily News hockey page, the Islanders game last night in Ottawa did not happen. If you look hard enough on the hockey page of The New York Times, you at least can find a link to an AP article.
  
• You still get the feeling that Matt Moulson needs to put up a point per game in order to stick. But there's a good chance he'll do what Mike Iggulden did last year—start to tail off after a fast start. Then what? Do the Islanders have any inclination to invest some time in him? Or is he only here so they can see what they have while other guys are healing or establishing their claims to spots in the lineup. It will be interesting to watch. But the guy that skates to the front of the net on the power play and then bangs home the nifty feed from the vet behind the net? I like that guy.
  
• The team that gathered around Scott Gordon during a timeout toward the end of last night's third period displayed all the right body language. The players looked engaged, hungry, and ready to win. That being said...
  
• At the conclusion of regulation in each of the first two games, I thought to myself, "All right, a point against the defending champs," and "Okay, a point on the road." In each case, shortly thereafter, I felt like a point was no longer good enough. This team has made a lot of progress in learning how to play together. Next up: learning how to win together.
  
• Before this season, having Kyle Okposo on the team provided a sense of optimism. Getting John Tavares through the lottery also created optimism. After two games of them playing together, having both of them should make you downright giddy.
  
• I'm not thrilled about going into Boston two days after the Bruins got smoked. But they're off to a slow start, so maybe the Bear will remain Smokey.
  
• The Islanders currently sit one point out of a playoff spot and four points off the division lead. (What, too early?)

Note on the blog: The two blog rolls (Blog Box and Additional) are horribly out of date. A lot has changed since last season. My apologies to those of you who have moved. I will get to updating the links as soon as I can—probably after my son learns to sit up on his own. (Don't worry, he's a fast learner.)