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- Finally, place a $5+ money-line bet on the Islanders vs. Devils game and get $200 back if you pick the winner! (That’s $200 in addition to your winnings)
It is truly insane to think of second-week games in the NHL as ‘must-win’ but here we are. The Devils have been all over the place, but mostly not good. A similar statement can apply to the Isles, though they have been better.
This is the last of four home-ice skates for the Long Islanders before heading to Florida for two and dropping a contest to the Devils will make for a long flight. To set the mood for what is happening in the fanbase, the podcast Islanders Anxiety dubbed this season “six months of playoffs.” That has to be stressful for everyone.
The good news is that there have been plenty of bright spots early for the team.
Two of them have been on special teams. The penalty kill unit has been perfect on the season, including killing a 5-on-3. The Islanders have also been solid (looking) on the power play. More conversions figure to come but the spacing and shots have been encouraging.
More excitement, if not downright optimism, comes from the changing of systems. Barry Trotz has historically run a defense-first system. Obviously new coach Lane Lambert is not going to abandon defense, he is just going to ask the guys in the back to attack more.
That change in philosophy could come to directly benefit Noah Dobson.
Dobson is already piling up points — like he did last year — and more is expected. The 22-year-old defenseman totaled over 50 points last season. It was just the fourth time in 30 years that an Isles defender hit that number. This season the expectation is that he will go over 60, potentially chasing Denis Potvin who had 68 points in 1984-85. He may start having fans dreaming more about the Potvin version from 1975-76 in no time.
Before the Devils loss to Detroit, Mike Wood called the contest a “must win.”
That is not what anyone — especially the coach and GM — wants to hear. The fans already knew it though, so it is not a shock. But now it permeates over each game.
Betting on the emotional state of a team is tough but the Devils are firmly in a corner. It is also tough because the Islanders look like they can take advantage of all the holes the Devils have.
Sometimes the math is easy and the Islanders are just the better team right now.
Take the Isles to win and get your free $200 from DraftKings!
