Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Why The Islanders Win The Division

There are a few reasons why the Islanders will win this division. Compare the Isles to other teams in the division whom they play the most. First the Flyers, who have just crumbled this year gettng rid of their coach and general manager, are unlikely to compete for the divison this year. The young Pittsburgh Penguins are just that....young. I have to give the Penguins one more year before they are actual contenders for first place, although they will give the everyone else a hard time, i don't think they can play for a full season and win just yet. The Rangers are having defensive problems and a lot of cap problems. The offense is there, but the defense is shaky and the goaltending is not as good as it was last year. The Islanders have owned the Devils the last year in a half, and are considered the two teams to be at the finish line at the end of the year.
Next, the players that were brought in during the off-season have done nothing but produce for this team. Just go down the the line, Witt, Simon, Poti, Dunham, Hill, Kozlov, all have contributed to this team. When there is an injury just bring up some of the promising kids from Bridgeport to fill the need.
Finally, the biggest reason the Islanders will win the division is Ted Nolan. The man has changed the atmosphere, style, and attitude of this team from a year ago. As long as the players continue to follow Nolan, and everyone produces, the division is theirs to lose.