Isles right in the thick of playoff hunt (Micheletti) -- Islander Mania

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Date Posted: 15:58:12 02/06/03 Thu
Author: Lisa
Author Host/IP: ool-18b8f7c4.dyn.optonline.net / 24.184.247.196
Subject: Isles right in the thick of playoff hunt (Micheletti)

http://www.msgnetwork.com/content_news.jsp?articleID=v0000msgn2003-02-05T20-39-19-4-86&newsgroup=columnist.article&sports=ice-hockey&team=Islanders&league=nhl

Joe Micheletti
Isles right in the thick of playoff hunt

Feb 06, 2003

Thirty games remain in the Islanders� regular season and the playoff race is certainly tightening in the Eastern Conference. With just five points separating the No. 5 through nine spots, the Islanders find themselves battling just to remain in the race - tied with Tampa Bay for seventh place.

It�s my guess that the Islanders are looking at just making the playoffs at this point, as opposed to eyeing a certain spot. I�m still thinking they�ll have to end up around five games over .500 at season�s end to make the postseason, which would give them 87 points or so. That means, this team needs between 15-17 wins, with ties factored in, to reach the 87-points minimum I feel they need to get in. They have 30 games to accomplish the task.

Based on what is needed to reach the playoffs, the Islanders will have to find a way to play a couple of games over .500 and that�s more than obtainable for them because this club has been on a pretty good run the past couple of months. Sure they had their disappointing setbacks, like the shutout losses to Philadelphia on Jan. 9, the Devils on Jan. 15 and the Rangers on Jan. 21. You can balance that out with some really important wins after losing those games. Routing the Thrashers after the loss to Philly, winning in St. Louis in OT after losing to New Jersey and topping Philadelphia after falling to the Rangers.

These Islanders have shown the mental toughness to battle through adverse times, and they certainly have time to display that trait now as the playoff push enters a crucial stage with the season winding down.

FINDING SUCCESS ON THE ROAD

This is a team, to me, that has been better on the road (10-8-3-2) than at home (14-13-2-0) this season. So, I�m not bothered by the fact that they�ll be away from the Island a lot to round out the regular season.

To succeed in the playoffs, you have to win on the road. If you look back to last season�s playoff meetings with the Maple Leafs, the home team decided that series. Neither team won a road game, so the Islanders ended up losing in a seven-game series � losing all four in Toronto. That stressed the importance of being able to win away from your home ice and that�s something the Islanders have been able to prove thus far this season.

A HEADACHE ON DEFENSE

Defenseman Kenny Jonsson was hit along the boards during his first shift by Philadelphia's Jeremy Roenick during Tuesday�s loss at the Coliseum, and returned for one more abbreviated shift before exiting the game early. The Isles are already dealing with the loss of Eric Cairns on defense - who is expected to be out the rest of the month with a dislocated shoulder - but certainly welcomed the return of Adrian Aucoin, who sat out the previous eight games because of an injured groin.

Even though the team doctors are calling Jonsson's injury a post-traumatic migraine, and I�m unaware at this point how much time Jonsson can miss, any absence at all will hurt the team. He�s such an important player from the standpoint of giving Peter Laviolette a lot of minutes, being able to play in all situations and let�s not forget how he stepped up his game when Aucoin went down.

The attitude Laviolette is taking with this team is that every team goes through injuries and his Isles are no different than any other NHL club. You have to pick yourself up as a group, move forward and don�t worry about it. To a certain extent, this team has been able to do that. But, without question, just having Jonsson out hurts.

Jonsson has had a history of concussions, so a matter of caution may be needed in dealing with his latest setback. The way teams deal with concussions these days is that they really watch the player closely more so than any other time. I think it�s a good idea to keep a close eye on someone who has sustained a concussion, especially if they have experienced problems in the past, and I don�t feel they should allow anyone to play with those symptoms.

Again, we�re talking about concussions and the team is saying Jonsson did not sustain one. If this is nothing more than a migraine headache, and I don�t mean to lessen the prognosis, then that�s better news for the team as it seems to be less substantial than a concussion.

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