The Islanders, The 4 Nations Break & Being Ready To Roll Against Dallas

On Saturday, the NHL returned from the 4 Nations Face-Off break, and there were some lopsided results.

The New York Rangers, who had six players at the tournament, got destroyed 8-2 against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Washington Capitals, who had no one at 4 Nations, took down Team Canada captain Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins 8-3.

The Dallas Stars, who had three players participate, defeated the New Jersey Devils, who had four players at the tournament, by a score of 4-2.

The Toronto Maple Leafs, who had three players at the tournament, won 6-3 against the Carolina Hurricanes, who also had three players there.

The point is that teams with many players at the 4 Nations tournament impacted teams very differently in their first game back from break.

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I asked New York Islanders forward Brock Nelson if he thought playing in the tournament kept him fresh enough where rust wouldn’t be a factor.

“I feel like you could look at different situations and say a break would be good, or you could say keep playing is good,” Nelson said.  “You don’t have rust to wear off.

“I feel good, and I hope all the guys who got breaks are fresh and ready because we have to kind of come out of the gates here and get running again right back out in the race.”

The Islanders return to action on Sunday night against the Dallas Stars, five points back of a wild-card spot with a game in hand.

“You switch the mindset into the playoff race now and get back into it and how important these games are for us here,” Nelson said on snapping back to reality after two weeks with the national team.  “I talked a little bit with Patrick just about the energy of the guys and the preparation and how different guys attack it, and just trying to bring that back here and reintegrate and implement it here with the guys.”

Bringing that energy back to the group will be critical to starting the stretch run on the right skate, as Dallas is no easy task.

As mentioned, the Stars beat the Devils on Saturday night, which means the Islanders get them on the second of a back-to-back.

It will be Jake Oettinger, Team USA’s backup between the pipes, with Casey DeSmith getting the nod on Saturday.

The Islanders can’t afford “rust” to play a part because points are needed, especially with the number of games Long Island has to play over the next week plus.

“We’re not gonna focus on six games in 10 days. We’re gonna focus on Dallas, and that’s what I’ve said on the ice. Make sure we’re ready,” Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. “We want to be good on the wall. We want to make sure we break out. We did a lot of scrimmage because we want to make sure that we feel good under pressure, you know? And that’s what we’re going to see tomorrow against Dallas.

“It’s a team that skates well. It’s a team that their defense will be in every rush. So we’re going to have to be good on our tracking. We’re going to have to be good offensively and defensively. So it’s got to be a good test for us. This is a very good hockey club and well-coached, so we’re going to have to be ready for them.”

The biggest thing I’d keep an eye on is how Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin looks early.

Puck drop is slated for 7:30 PM ET and can be found on MSGSN, even if you have Optimum, as the two sides came to an agreement on Saturday.

The Hockey News – BREAKING: MSG Networks Optimum Reach Deal; Islanders, Rangers, Devils & Knicks Fans Can Watch Again! Since Jan. 1, New York Islanders fans, along with New York Rangers, New Jersey Devils, and New York Knicks fans who had Optimum, had been unable to watch their favorite teams due to a dispute with MSG. 

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