NHL Thursday Preview: New York Islanders vs. Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres vs. Florida Panthers
New York Islanders vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 PM ET)
After being embarrassed by New York in their fourth matchup of the 2011-2012 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season, 5-1, Tampa Bay will be looking for revenge as the Islanders and Lightning face-off again on Thursday, October 20, 2011, at the St. Pete
Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, United States.
Only a week ago, New York managed to destroy the Tampa Bay defence by their high flying shooting and taking advantage of a number of power play opportunities awarded to them throughout the match.
Currently, the Islanders are on a three game winning streak, only having lost their first game of the season against Florida Panthers, while Tampa Bay won their season opener against Carolina Hurricanes, but have lost five straight, including two straight
losses against Florida Panthers.
Islanders will be kicking of their two game road trip in Florida before going home as they face Tampa Bay on Thursday and Florida Panthers on Saturday following a trip back home to hose the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Tampa Bay can easily be considered to be a stronger team against a club like the Islanders, but working out a proper attacking strategy going up against them is what head coach, Jack Capuano, has in mind for Thursday.
"It's about puck management and clock management and [that line] understands those two things", coach Jack Capuano said. "They know who they're up against at certain times and when you do that and think the game like they think, you're going to have success.
What they do is valuable for our hockey team".
Top 2009 NHL Entry Draft pick by New York, John Tavares, has been performing miracles for the Islanders team by scoring goal after goal, leading them to victory, which certainly makes the club grateful for having signed him over the offseason.
Tavares has scored eight points (5 goals, 3 assists) in a total of four matches including four points in their last matchup against a team like the New York Rangers alone, getting his first hat-trick of the season and picking up an assist.
The Lightning is looking to hopefully make a comeback before their losing situation gets out of hand and having a healthy roster full of experienced players does not seem to make the difference they want.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Florida Panthers (7:30 PM ET)
Buffalo has made many leaps and strides in its reputation during the new season by now having won four of its last five contests. They seem to be on the right track with the vision of their new ownership for a much better impression this time around.
Florida on the other hand, is not doing badly either and has won some key matchups against tough competition including two straight wins over a team like Tampa Bay. Coming out of 3-0 shutout against Washington Capitals, they hope to regain their momentum
going up against the Sabres on Thursday at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise, Florida.
Ryan Miller, Buffalo’s main goalie, has been the shining star on the franchise, recently making 40 saves against Montreal on Tuesday to lead them to their second straight victory and does not seem to plan on doing otherwise against the Panthers.
Florida also has veteran goalie, Tomas Vokoun, who has also been a major contributor for his team by blocking a number of key shots when they need them the most.
Seeing both teams face-off on Thursday will certainly be thrilling taking into consideration the interests of both teams with the outcome.
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