New York Islanders play host to the Toronto Maple Leafs
The second game of Tuesday will be hosted by the New York Islanders against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This will be the second of four meetings between the two sides. The last game between the two teams took place at the Air Canada Centre where the Islanders
managed to notch up a 2-1 overtime win with John Tavares scoring the winning goal of the match.
One of the big stories on Sunday was Phil Kessel of the Maple Leafs telling reporters that he was not talking with Ron Wilson, Coach of the Maple Leafs. During his conversation with media he also said that there was no need for improvement in his game and
that he is already a good player.
Brian Burke, General Manager for the Maple Leafs, looked into the matter after Kessel’s comments. He made both player and coach meet and resolve any issues between them. "I just told them to, 'Sort it out with each other, get it cleared up,'" Burke said
Monday. "Because neither one of them is going anywhere. I am not trading the player. I am not firing the coach.
He explained further, "Listen, this is a tempest in a teapot. It's a frustrated hockey player who isn't happy because he isn't scoring and said some things that weren't perceived correctly. Phil Kessel does not want out of Toronto. He told me (Monday) morning
he loves it in Toronto and would like to sign another contract here."
All the commotion around the team did not seem to affect their game play. Toronto was able to beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-4 thanks to Nikolai Kulemin and Tim Brent, who scored a goal each in the final period and guided their team to a win. The Toronto Maple
Leafs are back in the hunt for a play-off position as they are now only nine points behind the final play-off position in the Eastern Conference. "We look at the standings every day," Brent said. "We don't have room to be complacent."
The Toronto Maple Leafs have played 53 games so far, out of which they have won 22 games in regulation time, 5 games in overtime and scored 49 points. On the other hand, the New York Islanders are really struggling once again. They have played 52 games out
of which they have won 17 games in regulation time, seven games in overtime and scored 41 points.
Ty Wishart had to wait for more than a month to make his debut for the New York Islanders. He came up with a decent performance which saw him making two assists during the game and was applauded off the ice by fans. Wishart is relatively young, 22-years-old,
and has a lot to learn and offer to the National Hockey League (NHL). He was brought in during an end of the year trade that saw Dwayne Roloson going to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Wishart coming to the Islanders. "Initially, it was a shock to be traded,"
Wishart said this Monday. "I had no idea I was getting traded. But I kind of said goodbye to the guys, settled into my hotel that night and said, 'Wow, this is a great opportunity.' I just want to take advantage of the situation."
With the playoffs at stake, the game against the Maple Leafs will be an important one for the Islanders. Fans and management both seem to be hoping that players and coaches can come together on the ice and get them into the play-offs.
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