It's Not the Broken Stick...It's the Execution

Whoever insinuates that last night's game was lost at the hands- or rather, the stick- of defenseman Brendan Witt, which snapped in the third period just before Maxim Afinogenov's shot went in to make the score 2-1 in favor of Buffalo- can stop talking right now, before they go any deeper into a hole.

It occurred to me that perhaps some people thought it was Witt's fault that Buffalo won the game, and while he did take an unnecessary penalty at the end of the second for cross-checking (Christine has already enlightened us on the aspect of penalties- just don't take them), he redeemed himself with the only Islanders goal of the game in the third, shortly after coming out of the penalty box. Plus, those who blame it on him didn't see the whole game, or else not the stats at least- or else they would have asked, "Why on earth wasn't this an Islander win?"

43 shots, ladies and gentlemen. 43 shots, 42 of which Ryan Miller saved with splendor, making enough of a difference for the Sabres so that they stole two points out from under us and evened the season series at 2-2, when it should have been 3-1 Islanders. Then again, it's no one's fault but ours. We had the chances, we had the opportunities- but we also had the penalties to run us down and cost us time.

Speaking of costing time...dump-and-chase hockey? With precious little time on the clock, you're going to waste it by spilling the puck into the offensive zone and then having to chase after it, when a Buffalo player- or any other team, for that matter, as the Isles have been playing this way all season- has already gotten to it, to have you running again? It's a poor strategy- no skill, no thought, no creativity, and we are suffering because of it. I mean, I know we are supposedly starving for talent, but even a passing play done quickly enough would suffice. Quick passes, quick shots- that's all I ask for. Not this mindless hockey that the Isles have been playing as of late. Granted, last night's game was full of effort, but not execution. Of all of the shots that the Isles threw at Ryan Miller, the score should have been 4 or 5-1, as Christine said yesterday on the phone to me, and we just didn't do enough to make that happen. No screens, no traffic in front, nothing... and it cost us. Not Witt, who did what he could and was simply put in a bad spot.

I expect- or at least hope- that whatever Ted Nolan does next to wake up this team, they'll come out tomorrow night in Pittsburgh ready to blow up the opposing net.