Flyers Gameday: The Islanders Last Supper

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Her Mother is so proud. Tonight the Flyers take on the lowly Islanders in what hopes to be an easy two points for Philly.  This game has “trap” written all over it.  After Sunday’s resounding victory of the Devils, the Flyers had a nice 3 day break.  It was a long time coming since March was filled with back-to-backs and little rest.  And during a frustrating losing streak, the team finally put together a solid 60 minute effort and beat the Atlantic leading Devils.  Now, for their next act, they play the Atlantic sucking Islanders.  With the way the Flyers have played down to teams this year, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that they don’t show up and lose out on extremely valuable points….. But c’mon, lets get serious.  It’s the Islanders. You have to give Islanders coach Scott Gordon credit.  He has his team playing hard all the way up to the end.  The Islanders have made some progress this year after being at the bottom of the NHL barrel in 2008-2009.  With a young core they are posed to be a good team in the future.  They need better goaltending and a bigger blueline, but some good players already make their home on Strong Island.  Development of their young core is slowly paying off and the team, while still struggling to obtain a playoff seed, has a lot to look forward to.  They’re a decent club, but not overpowering in any category.  Their lack of size and scoring hurts them, and generally leads to their defeats.  Goalie tandem of Dwayne Roloson and Marty Biron have been filled for ultimate goalie bust Rick DiPietro.  Both of these guys aren’t the answer…and thank Holy Thursday Jeabus that we didn’t make a dumb move by trading for Rolo.  Bottom line is this:  the Islanders are 2 years away from taking over as the East’s 4th best team. The Flyers should be looking at this team the way a hungry pit bull looks at a kindergarden recess.  This is a team they’ve beaten 15 times in a row.  In a row.  And again for emphasis:  in a row.  They are more physical and much bigger and wear down a small team like the Isles so that by the third period, the ice is tilted way downhill and the powerplay really gets to let loose.  I’d much rather put this game away in the first 30 minutes and concentrate on the defensive system rather than letting the Isles hang around.  The coaches need to reiterate that these two points tonight are some of the most important of the year, and we need them.  With Philly, Boston, Atlanta, Montreal and the Rags all looking for three spots, play has to be error free.  Wins against a non playoff team have to happen.  It’s that simple.  You cannot lose this game.  Does that stack the deck against the Flyers?  Maybe.  But a good team takes care of the Isles, and thats what I believe the Flyers are, and will do tonight. With Carbomb in lockdown, look for Rabbit to hit the ice, as his knee issue seems to be gone.  Personally, I’d like to see Gagne, Leino and Briere stay on the first line, and let Giroux and Rabbit wing it for Richards. After that I don’t care, so long as Rockin’ Riles gets a chance to drop the gloves against Trevor Gillies.  Cote is going to be playing in two straight games, and I’m fine with that.  He’s actually been refreshing to see back out there.  Sure I have a brain aneurysm everytime he’s in the defensive zone, but while Carcillo waits, our goon quota must be filled. Last meeting of the year, and last time we’re on the Island

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