The Islander Rick DiPietro has been ruled out indefinitely due to concussion. It is a shame that DiPietro is injured once again, and the injury bug has revisted. Despite the prospected starter being out, Al Montoya has been putting up some good numbers. The 1.35 GAA and .953 SV% are a big reason why the Islanders have started the season 2-1. John Tavares‘ 4 points and 2 goals this week are enough to lead the team in the respective stat categories.
After getting shut out to drop the season and home opener to the Florida Panthers, the Islanders went on the beat the Minnesota Wild 2 nights later 2-1. The most recent game for the Islanders was more of a clinic than a game. The Islanders throttled the Tampa Bay Lightning, an Eastern Conference finalist, 5-1.
Sydney Crosby has been cleared for full contact at practice. Aside from leading the Atlantic conference through the first week and a half of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have something else to be happy about. The young captain skated before the Captials game for the first time with a black helmet on. Prior to Thursday Crosby had been wearing a white helmet, comparable to a quarterbacks red practice jersey, and was not allowed to participate in full contact drills. This is a step in the right direction to a healthy return for the Pens’ superstar, and gives fans and teammates something to be excited about. The penguins have proved that they can hold their own without their biggest stars, but have also proved to do better with them on the roster. Evgeni Malkin, who sat out 2 games this week, returned to action last night in a shootout loss to the capitals. The pens have tallied 8 playoff points in all of their 5 games so far this season.
Another notable from Pittsburgh is the fact that their special teams have become a major factor in the early season success. The PK unit has shut down 16 of 17 powerplay opportunities. The PK has also accounted for 2 shorthanded goals this season. The Powerplay is 6 for 25 which is great compared to what the PP looked like last season.
The New York Rangers have earned playoff points in both games this season. Although this is true, the Rangers are winless thus far. Being 0 for 8 on the PP hasn’t helped the struggling rangers team, and neither has being out shot 58-41. The Season is not starting out the way New York fans had hoped. With only registering 3 goals the Rangers have had a hard time finding the back of the net.
The New Jersey Devils have managed to get 2 wins in the first week of the season. Their only loss came to Atlantic division rival Philadelphia. This is a good start for a teams whose previous season start buried them so deep that the they were unable to recover and ultimately missed the playoffs for the first time since the dawn of man. Zach Parise is the team leader in both goals and points with 2 and 3 respectively. The defense has given up 6 goals with 3 of them coming in the opener.
Philadelphia is the only Atlantic team with a record of perfection through the first week. The Broad Street Bullies have dealt season opening losses to both Boston and New Jersey. Not wanting to leave anyone out they have also beaten Vancouver. Bryzgalov has been on a tare and continues his dominance in front of the 4X6.
The forwards for Philly haven’t had much trouble scoring either. the offense has scored 10 goals in 3 games, 3 of these were on a power play. Claude Giroux has lit the lamp 3 times and has had 2 assists total a team high 5 points.
MISH MASH – There are some key match-ups for all the Atlantic teams this week including a showdown between The Islanders and Rangers tonight.
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