It’s going to be a showdown!

Thank you to Jeff Lynne, and the Electric Light Orchestra for putting this song on 51 years ago in 1973 on the album, “On the Third Day”. For those who do not know ELO (especially folks under the age of 50) – they were a trendsetting rock group that combined synthesized music with full orchestral accompaniment (including Electric Violins) – which gave them a unique sound. This band is a major influence on my teen and adult years, and I am still a huge fan to this day!

But tomorrow – there is going to be another showdown. One on a 17,000 square foot sheet of ice in Elmont. At 7:00 PM – the Rangers and Islanders renew their potential inhospitable rivalry in another IMPORTANT game for the home team.

At this moment – the Isles sit in the number 3 spot in the Metro – thanks to a steep drop off by the Flyers and the inability of the Caps and Pens to take advantage of games in hand. Two weeks prior, the Isles were good as dead. I even thought that much on my Isles Talk podcast.

Well – I am glad to be wrong.

The Rangers are the top team in the league right now. First year coach Peter Laviolette has done a tremendous job in righting this ship in the right direction; something he has done in every destination he has been a coach in. However, this team has one flaw that can be exposed quite easily.

Five on Five – this team is less than mediocre. You can see that in some of their recent losses that they have. To be fair – they are a team that can be beaten. The one thing that you need to be – if you are playing the Rangers, is WELL DISCIPLINED!

If you stay out of the box, you can beat this team.

Their power play is extremely lethal – we have seen this all year. And with the Islanders PK being at times inept, this can be the difference in two points versus zero in the standings.

So, if I am going to be a coach and talk to the team – I would tell them to look at periods 2 and 3 from Saturday night’s game and mimic that 100%. Be physical but don’t get too much. Forget about Rempe and the other fourth liners that are going to try to get under the skin. This is a “TURN THE OTHER CHEEK NIGHT”, as long as you still let them know that they cannot be pushed around.

I absolutely love the insertion of Casey on the top line. I know that Bo and Barzy do not necessarily need the physical presence on their line – they can handle themselves quite well – but that edge gives a little bit for freedom for freelancing and letting them be themselves.

The Nelson, Palmieri, Engvall line needs to be at their absolute best. Getting some scoring from them – can be just what the doctor ordered. Kyle has up to 26 and has a good shot of reaching 30 (Sorry Steve J in section 316). Balanced scoring is key to this team – to keep the Rangers lines having to pay attention to all four lines.

Semyon Varlamov is getting the start tomorrow against the Rangers. He has been the hot goalie, and it is necessary to stick with what is good. It may very well happen that Ilya may be the playoff goalie, but with Semyon’s good history against the Blueshirts, why not!

Are you ready? Here we go!