Tuesday

There's a few rhetorical questions out there that have been puzzling me for a few years:

1--How in the world did The Wallflowers not make it huge?

2--Why, exactly, after paying the NFL all that money, did NBC ask Pink to sing the theme for Sunday Night Football?

3--Could Mini-Me beat up Bob Costas in a straight-up fist fight?

3--How do you beat the freaking Devils?

Okay, so only one of those has real meaning to Islander fans these days. Tonight is the latest "biggest game of the season" when Martin Brodeur and the Devils invade Long Island.

The Devils have so not been playing Devils Hockey of late. The awe-inspiring turnaround in Pittsburgh this year finds the Penguins tied with the Devils with 96 points; even though the Devils have one more win and a game in hand on the Baby Pens. New Jersey has been a lackluster 4-5-1 in their last ten games and have proven to be beatable without their captain, Patrik Elias in the lineup. Tonight will be Elias' first game since suffering a groin injury on March 15. And, because I am immature, we let the jokes begin: Besides Elias, John Madden and Brian Gionta have battled groin injuries this month.

Let's face it: our boys have not traditionally lit the place on fire when playing the Devils; Sabres; or Senators--this week's opponents. With the race coming down like it has been--and you can argue that the Islanders have essentially been playing playoff games for months now--the guys still need to keep pushing.

I really liked Ryan Smyth's quote in Newsday today:

When asked about not playing Brodeur this year because he spent most of the season in Edmonton, Smyth said, "Nope, not this year. He's going to see me, though."

Smyth's confidence is inspiring. Over the past twenty years or so, the leadership void for the team has been as clear as the nose on the face of Pete Townshend. We've had captains who were too young for the job like Bryan McCabe and guys who were supposed to be leaders of men who ultimately undermined the team like (gag) Kirk Muller and Michael Peca. There have been reluctant captains like Kenny Jonsson; who struck everyone as most comfortable to melt into the background. Guys like Mathieu Schneider and Trevor Linden weren't with the team long enough to make a real difference.

Today, in a turnaround season that has been pretty exciting and unexpected, the Islanders' leadership core has been solidified--and hopefully will be for years to come. Guys like Alexei Yashin and Jason Blake do not feel the need to shoulder the load and in Blake's case, he has flourished while keeping focus on his game and not the extra-curriculars. A guy like Mike Sillinger, as I wrote in the last post, brings a ton to the table. Let's face it: at this stage of the game, you aren't going to be surprising Mike Sillinger; Sean Hill; or Brendan Witt with a whole heck of a lot. And who doesn't love watching Witt and hill irritate the hell out of the opposing players?

The Islanders website also linked to a great blog entry by Newsday's Islander genius, Greg Logan, in which Logan makes the case that if the Islanders front office were to ever "over-pay" for a player, that Smyth is the guy to break the bank for. Smyth has been the key ingredient in re-establishing credibility with the fanbase and in the league. If you haven't read it, please do. You'll be glad that you did.

The stretch for the rest of March is crazy. The Islanders have to go and slay four dragons with history on their side to keep pace. No matter the outcome, we know that the Islanders will be prepared for the fight. The coaching staff and front office has put a team together that has a puncher's chance of making it to the playoffs. And no matter what the outcome is, the season has been better than any of us could have hoped. Let's just hope that the train doesn't stop on April 8 in New Jersey.