Tonight in Washington

vs.


Well, by now we've read all about the shell game of line switches Ted Nolan has been practicing with over the past few days. We also know that in the next 14 days, the Islanders only play three games. Plenty of time to tinker, for sure.

We know that captain Bill Guerin didn't score in the pre-season and has yet to record his first Islander goal as well. So tonight--in an effort to get that thing going--Guerin will be skating with Mike Sillinger and Andy Hilbert. As a consequence of that move, Trent Hunter slides up to play with The Tank and Mike Comrie.

I've never been a huge believer in line changes. I mean, yeah, you know why a coach might be tempted to move pieces around and you hope for the best for a short while--but in the end, these things tend to sort themselves out. Guys at the NHL level should be able to play with anyone else...but of course...there is always going to be a comfort level. I know from my own lowest-level hockey experience that as a defenseman, I really enjoyed playing with one friend of mine as my partner. We complimented each other and really were able to help the other cover the deficiencies in the other guy's game.

Whatever comes of the switches, our boys really need to pick up the scoring. The Islanders have now potted a grand total of 14 goals in six games. Everyone knew losing Blake and Kozlov and even Yashin was going to impact the bottom line. Now is the time for the Islanders to pick up that slack. A guy like Miro Satan should be doing more scoring with increased power play time. Of course, as has been an issue since Miro came to the island, Ted Nolan needs to find someone Miro can enjoy that comfort level with. Last game, with Sean Bergenheim bouncing around the rink, Miro and Josef Vasicek were able to create a lot of chances for themselves. Of course, only one went past Marty Biron. The team needs that to change.