It’s amazing how well Dwayne Roloson is playing goal ( 12 wins, 7 losses, 5 OT losses, 2.87 G.A.A., SV% .908 in 24 games). I don’t get to see all of his games, but when he plays against the Leafs, at times he looks like a one man show. To be fair, that sounds like a shot at the rest of the Islanders, and it’s not meant to be. There’s a lot to like about that team. Their young players hustle and John Tavares, ( 16 goals, 12 assists, 38 games) as promised, has been showing super star potential. Matt Moulson’s ( 15 goals, 11assists, 38 games) well documented story is an inspiring one of never giving up on your dream, and Kyle Okposo ( 5 goals, 18 assists, 37 games) appears to be a hard working type, based on what I’ve seen in their games with Toronto. The big learning curve for this team, will be much smaller, when they can start playing with poise in the third period, especially when they have a lead or are involved in a close game. Their lack of confidence was painfully evident in their game at Toronto, when Roloson faced 60 or so shots on goal, and to their credit, the young Islanders managed to win the game in overtime, in spite of the Air Canada Centre looking like it was tilted, with the Leafs dominating the nervous looking Long Island team. In the December 23rd match, it looked like it would be the same story, with the Maple Leafs coming out strong to start the third period , and then scoring early, as Niklas Hagman did at 1;56, to narrow the lead to 2-1. The Islanders were outshot 14-6 in the period, and when called upon, “Rollie” as he is known to his NHL peers, made the big stops. Roloson is also very good in particular, at preventing rebounds from getting out, and as soon as their is a loose puck, he is quick to cover it, or move the puck away from from opposing players.
As I have pointed out in this blog previously,it is clear that for teams playing the Leafs, at least the ones who have done their scouting homework, the strategy against Toronto, is to assign a large size player to shadow, as much as possible, Phil Kessel. This tactic seems to be working well, overall. Andy Sutton had that task for the Islanders, and although Kessel did have some very good scoring chances, they were limited in number. Sutton doesn’t have Kessel’s foot speed, so you knew he would not be able to keep up with him for the entire game on his own. But over all he did quite well. The Bruins have executed this tactic perfectly in having Zdeno Chara assigned to the Leafs sniper. Similarly, The Buffalo Sabres have been successful in giving this responsibility to rookie defenseman Tyler Myers, who has been brilliant in handling this task, in limiting the passing and shooting lanes for the former Boston Bruin. Unless something changes drastically soon, it also appears that Phil Kessel, while highly skilled, doesn’t enjoy the physical part of the game. He doesn’t avoid it, in pursuit of the puck, but then again, he doesn’t seek it out either, the way Alex Ovechkin, for example, would look to make contact, while chasing the puck and going on offense. The Maple Leafs don’t have anybody else of Kessel’s caliber, so they will have quite a challenge on their hands for the rest of the season, as the other teams in the league start utilizing a shadow on the Leafs gifted forward.