Islanders attempt to go above .500, turn to Biron

The New York Islanders are in Carolina tonight to take on the fast sinking Hurricanes.  In an attempt to go above the .500 percentage mark, Scott Gordon and the Islanders will turn to Martin Biron tonight.

Carolina is on the decline this year, as injuries have taken a toll on the team. They are winless in thirteen straight games and are in search of some kind of change. With twelve straight losses in regulation, the Islanders hope to make the lucky number 13 happen tonight. A regulation loss, meaning the Islanders do not have the game go into overtime or a shoot out.

Yes, the Islanders have their fair share of injuries as well but it has not stopped them from playing.  By playing, they are staying competitive in every game and although there have been lopsided affairs this season the Islanders are above water skating at a record of 6-6-6.  What an interesting record it is and tonight the common interest is to add a win and gain the two points that are needed.

Hopefully gaining the “needed” two points, the Islanders would propel into the seventh seed in the standings within the Eastern Conference. A situation they have not involved themselves in for quite some time.

Tonight’s “M*A*S*H” unit line-up (subject to change) is as follows:

Line 1:
Matt Moulson
John Tavares
Kyle Okposo

Line 2:
Sean Bergenheim
Frans Nielsen
Trent Hunter

Line 3:
Robbie Schremp
Richard Park
Jon Sim

Line 4:
Blake Comeau
Nate Thompson
Tim Jackman

D-Pair #1:
Mark Streit
Bruno Gervais

D-Pair #2:
Andy Sutton
Freddy Meyer

D-Pair #3:
Brendan Witt
Jack Hillen

Goalie:
Martin Biron

Not much of a change from last game against the Capitals for the Isles, except of course for the obvious.  Gordon continues to swap off his goaltenders, which right now should not be done.  Roloson has been, by far, the better goaltender. I will question why Gordon goes with Biron, but it could be the right decision for this evening. Islanders nation will have all eyes on Biron as they watch in hopes of the team being victorious.

Biron is 1-5-2 with 1 shutout on the year.  His .915 save percentage and 2.83 goals against average are both better then Rolosons numbers, but he can not seem to put together a complete game in order to get the wins. Tonight in Raleigh, it is just another thing the Islanders look to change.

Matt Moulson and John Tavares have seemed to find quite the chemistry playing with each other.  Scott Gordons system is working well for the top line tandem. Both players lead the Islanders in points (14) and Moulson leads the Islanders in Goals (8).  If the Islanders are to be victorious tonight, expect both to be on the scoresheet and look for the secondary scoring to step it up a notch just like they did against Washington to come out of that game with a point.

Thirteen Things:

Being that it is Friday the 13th, here are 13 things about the New York Islanders heading into tonight.

1.  Biron has played Carolina 18 times in his career. 13 starts with a record of 9-4-1-2 and 1 shutout.

2. Jeff Tambellini is averaging just under 13 minutes of ice time a game while Nate Thompson is averaging just over 13.

3. Josh Bailey has a shooting percentage of 13.04 on the season. Could a goal be on the horizon tonight for Friday the 13th? No, as he is scratched from the line-up tonight.

4. The Islanders have scored 12 powerplay goals this season. For good measure, how about getting #13 on the 13th?

5.  Frans Nielson will be playing in his 13th game of the season for the Islanders tonight. He has 7 points on the year and is a plus-6.

6. John Tavares is currently third in rookie scoring with 14 points (tied with Ryan O’Reilly of the Avalanche). He is only one point behind Del Zotto (Rangers) and van Riemsdyk (Flyers)

7. Matt Moulsons 8 goals moves him two away from doubling his season best of 5 in 2007-2008 with the Kings.

8. The Islanders have 8 first round draft picks currently playing on the team (Biron, Witt, Okposo, Tavares, Bergenheim, Tambellini, Schremp, Bailey)

9. Andy Sutton, Jack Hillen, Brendan Witt and Robbie Schremp all have 13 shots on the season.

10. Tonight’s game is the 10th road game of the season for the Islanders.

11. Blake Comeau will play in his 11th game of the season tonight.

12.  Robbie Schremp wears #13 – hoping that the day and the number provide a superstition for him to score a goal tonight.

13. If you subtract Roloson’s number with Biron’s number (43-30), your total = 13!