And Then There Were Three...

Tomorrow at home vs. the Devils...Thursday entertaining the Rangers...and Friday in the city to close out the schedule.

The Devils are currently in fourth place in the East with 93 points. The Rangers are in sixth with 91. Both teams have played 78 games so far. The Rangers have the same amount of points as the Bruins and Flyers do but are ahead on tie-breakers. On the outside looking in are the Capitals, with 88 points.

Yes, this thing is going to go down to the wire and if there is anything good that can be said for the Isles right now it's that they really can mess with some rivals as they head to the playoffs. Imagine if the Isles sweep the last two games of the season from the Rangers and Cablevision boys miss the playoffs. How sweet would that be? I'll tell ya how sweet that would be--it would be freaking hilarious!

Speaking of hilarious, did you happen to see reports on Saturday that Jaromir Jagr is planning on meeting with some Russian (legitimate) businessmen who represent the new Elite League they're trying to establish regarding playing in this league next season? How great is the gift that is Jaromir Jagr? Not only is he the captain of the team who is afraid to nut up in a shootout, but the Rangers are fighting for a playoff spot and he is reportedly already looking at bailing and making a move for next year. He is simply tremendous. I am so glad that he is a Ranger so that he can tank, whine, quit, choke, and blow a shoulder out throwing a phantom check at somebody every year. He may as well be introduced to the Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" before each game. What a complete loser.

So the game on Saturday needs to be addressed, I suppose. Strong effort by Wade again in net with like 500 saves. Some of the boys on the Taxi Squad were looking a bit fatigued in the third, I thought, but who could blame them? Matthew Spiller has impressed me some by making the simple, smart play when he needs to...but he was probably one of the sleepy defenders worth noting late in the game.

And what do we make of this Tambellini move back to Bridgeport? I can understand the thought that management wants him to play the last few games this season to help the Sound Tigers make the playoffs but if I am Jeff, right now I am seriously wondering what the eff is going on. I mean, he has had some top-six chances with the Isles this season and if he is judged on that alone, then he is really looking like he is grading out as a tweener who too good for the AHL but not getting it done at the NHL level. I'm all for the kids getting as much playoff experience as possible because at any level, the playoffs are the playoffs. With guys like Blake Comeau and Frans Nielsen (welcome back) getting good NHL looks as well, it bodes well for their careers as the team moves forward.

I had a discussion with someone I trust this weekend about the Isles and we both agreed that the Islanders are better off playing out the string and reloading in the off-season rather than squeaking in and losing in the first round of the playoffs. Plus, with the chance to play ping pong for a kid like Steven Stamkos in the entry draft, missing the dance may not be a bad thing overall.

So, coming up in this space will be a post-season roster breakdown where we'll speculate on the futures of some guys by saying hello to future mainstays like Comeau, Nielsen, and Okposo and a hearty adios to players like Bryan Berard that we don't expect back next season. We'll also have some playoff predictions that will prove to be pretty wrong but we love to do that kind of stuff anyway.