Islanders face tough road ahead

November 3, 5:40 PMNew York Islanders ExaminerLee Forman

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Hockey truly is the fastest game on Earth.  In what other sport can a team go from playing as poorly as the New York Islanders did to begin the season, to looking as good as they have in their past 6 games?  

Through the first couple of weeks of the 2009-10 season, many fans wondered if the team would ever register a win in regulation.  It took 11 games, but the Isles finally won a game that did not necessitate an overtime and/or shootout to break a tie.  The last time the scorching squad failed to come away with at least a point was October 22nd versus the Montreal Canadians (7 games ago).  Scott Gordon's club has posted an impressive 4-0-2 record in their last 6 games.  Before fans start envisioning longer winning streaks and potential playoff runs, keep in mind it's only November.  More importantly, as previously mentioned above, things can change at the drop of a puck. 

The Islanders face a brutal upcoming schedule that will provide a more vivd picture of what type of team Long Island currently has.  Although there are some difficult opponents over the next month and a half (Devils, Penguins, Flyers, just to name a few), things become infinitely tougher with the amount of games the Isles will be playing on the road.  14 of their next 17 contests will be played outside of Nassau Coliseum.  While that might be good visually for the team (more butts in the seats and playing in a legitimate NHL facility), they have struggled on the road so far this year (1-2-3). 

Sniper Brendan Witt and his teammates begin this tough stretch Wednesday night in Buffalo.  The Sabres will surely be looking to extract some revenge following last week's 5-0 shutout at the hands of the Martin Biron-led Isles.