Oh Good Grief!  When this road trip started, the NYIC crew was clamouring for 8 points out of it.  I said I'd take 7.  It started out with the 1 point out of Atlanta.  Not the start any of us were hoping for, but it WAS the first game of the trip.  Now with last night's shut out of the Isles, we can start praying for 5 points out of the four game road stint?  I'm beginning to think that will take more than a few rosaries and novenas to roll over a hot Lightening team and their league star.

So what's wrong?  Ted says they have to work harder.  I think the team wasn't there at the beginning of the season listening to Garth's goal scoring equations.  According to Snow, what the Islanders LOST in the off season in the way of production numbers, they made up in acquisitions.  As a matter of fact, his calculator came up with even higher projections for on ice stats.  Well, please send him into the locker room with that same set of charts and diagrams and show the team.

With a league low in goal production, I'm sure they are starting to think no one will ever find the back of the net again.  That frustration is showing in the types of penalties they are taking that caused last nights power play goals.  As even my Ranger fan friends said to me last night at our office Christmas party, "You can't blame your goalie for that loss with that many shots on goal."  NO KIDDING.

It was nice, however, to be in the back room of Matteo's with one TV airing the Islander game on FSN and the other TV airing the Ranger game ... on CHANNEL 14!!!  Welcome to MY world RANGER fans!  Last night it was their chance to get cut away immediately after THEIR loss to the Cablevision channel guide.

Back to numbers.  GARTH, please take your pad and pen, your calculator, your chalk board and anything else you may need, and sit everyone down today and explain what their numbers SHOULD be.  Make it a mandate. 

"Billy, you gotta give me TWO.  Mike, I'd LIKE 4, can we settle for 3?  Josef, you've been great.  Anything you can contribute is just fine.  Tank, keep up the good work, but gimme at least one.  And Sean... I'm expecting at least ONE out of you that you don't KICK into the net.  This isn't Bridgeport."

Got it?  Now go score some goals guys.  Or that plane ride, even with the Dad's on board, won't be much fun.

DON'T LET LIGHTENING STRIKE TONIGHT!