Recap: Blackhawks - 5, Islanders - 4

The Islanders fell tonight to the Chicago Blackhawks by a score of 5-4 in a shooutout. The overtime losses drops the Islanders to 7-11-5 for the season, as they travel to Dallas to face the Stars tomorrow evening.

This was a very fun game to watch from all angles - it had good skating, offensive chances, storylines, and execution. Of course, the Islanders gave Al Montoya - the team's #1 despite what the coach publicly claims - the start in his hometown. Montoya had an above average game, stopping 32 shots but making some key saves in keeping the game close. Without him, chances are the Islanders not only lose in regulation, but get blown out of the building. The Hawks' team speed was too much for the Islanders to take, and that alone led to a few scoring chances that were bailed out by Montoya.

John Tavares looks poised to break out of his slump shortly. Even with his two assists, Tavares was active in all zones and is looking more confident with each shift he takes. We've been calling for upgrades on his wings, but Matt Moulson and P.A. Parenteau played like first line players tonight - as each player had a goal and an assist during tonight's game.

The defense was not strong tonight with the subtraction of Andrew MacDonald. We knew that defense was a major weakness of the Islanders, and it showed tonight. All of the defensemen were sloppy tonight in their own zone, especially Mark Streit. Milan Jurcina played soft and lazy, the opposite of what makes him successful in the NHL. Mike Mottau and Dylan Reese had their own ups and downs, but that's to be expected from two fringe defensemen. The Islanders will need to tighten their gaps and coverage against the Stars tomorrow night.

Nino Niederreiter scored his first goal of the season tonight on a beautiful snipe from the slot on a partial breakaway. He's going to score a ton of NHL goals over the next 20 years. That said, he needs to work on other parts of his game - especially his defense. He probably does need work outside the NHL since he is not fully ready, but that doesn't seem like it's an option to the Islanders right now.

It was nice to see Kyle Okposo get on the scoreboard again tonight. Okposo looks like the player that was on the verge of breaking out two years ago. Clearly, this is exactly what the Isles needed to see from Okposo, who is still undoubtedly a big part of the future of the team.

Not much to be mad about overall tonight, with a skills competition being the deciding factor of the game. The Islanders played hard, fast, and with a purpose tonight, which is something we haven't seen much of this season. So far, December is looking like a much better month than November - and I say, better late than never.