Every team goes through periods where certain elements of their game take a dip. Sometimes the offense has difficulty finding the back of the net, and other times you get defense and goaltending that leaks pretty badly. The one thing that can carry a team through those sorts of spells is special teams. The New York islanders have been relying heavily on theirs of late, and may need to do so again when they head to San Jose to face the Sharks on Tuesday.
The biggest issue for the San Jose Sharks (7-7-0) right now is consistency, as you have to go all the way back to the first week of the season to find the last time they put together back to back wins. A lot of their problems have actually come on home ice, where they find themselves a game under .500 at the moment. This is a team that has shown that it has the ability to score goals, but they have just not been able to do it on a consistent basis. Last week was a perfect example, as they scored 9 goals in the two games that they won, and only 2 goals in the 2 games that they lost. The Sharks are right in the middle of the pack on defense, so they really need the goals that they know their attackers can provide.
NHL Betting Game Preview: Islanders vs Sharks
Date: Tuesday, November 10th, 2015 Time: 10:30PM Venue: SAP Center Opening Line: San Jose -124
#Isles start their California road trip vs. San Jose at the shark tank tonight. Preview: https://t.co/iSnFVs8a8y pic.twitter.com/S50NJlrHjN
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) November 10, 2015
The New York Islanders (7-5-3) started the season on fire, but they have not been very hot of late. They have dropped 5 of their last 6 games, and would be a lot worse off were it not for the fact that a couple of those losses came in OT. The goals appear to have dried up, with only 9 goals scored during that 6 game stretch. Their special teams have been keeping them in games all year long, and both the PP and PK are in the top 5 in the league. While it’s nice to see special teams doing their part, it’s worth remembering that the majority of games are played 5 on 5, which means the Islanders really have to start addressing what is going wrong at both ends of the ice. The defense is doing its best to keep the Islanders in it, and they are going to have to be at their very best during this upcoming 3-game west coast road trip.
The biggest issue for the San Jose Sharks (7-7-0) right now is consistency, as you have to go all the way back to the first week of the season to find the last time they put together back to back wins. A lot of their problems have actually come on home ice, where they find themselves a game under .500 at the moment. This is a team that has shown that it has the ability to score goals, but they have just not been able to do it on a consistent basis. Last week was a perfect example, as they scored 9 goals in the two games that they won, and only 2 goals in the 2 games that they lost. The Sharks are right in the middle of the pack on defense, so they really need the goals that they know their attackers can provide.
