If not for the enormity of his contract and, with it, such standing in the Islanders’ organization, you could replace Alexei Yashin in the lineup with just about any of the healthy scratches in this best-of-seven Eastern quarterfinals if he continues to play the way he has through three games.
Imagine if Steve Webb were getting the 14 minutes Yashin saw in the Game 3 loss to the Lightning, in which the Isles were shut out for the second time in this series on a night that could have been Yashin’s most abysmal in an Islander uniform. Webb may not have the playmaking potential, but his work ethic and grit will never be questioned.
Yashin is easily replaceable when he’s not skating, as was the case Monday night as the Lightning built a 2-1 lead in the series, behind Nikolai Khabibulin’s second shutout. Yashin is expendable when he gets one shot on net, as he did in that game, and he is of no use to the team when he’s checked to the ice and makes no effort to get back on his skates.
But can the Islanders win this series without No. 79 scoring?
“It’s always going to be some unlikely hero,” Rick DiPietro said. “We have so many guys that are due and can score goals. We’ve just gotta get hungry around the paint. That’s where the chances are gonna be. We’re gonna need guys to sacrifice the body, get in front of the net and deflect shots and get in [Khabibulin’s] face, and we’ll get him off his game.”
Steve Stirling said that skill will not be enough to topple the No. 1 Lightning. That means Yashin and the Isles must get tougher. The coach was counting on the magnitude of tonight’s Game 4 to help his team find another level of courage and get the series even before going on the road again.
“We need a whole bunch of guys to play better, so it’s not fair just to pick on Yashin,” Stirling said. “Can he get better? Of course he can. We’re hoping [tonight] he is.”
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Stirling would not reveal any lineup changes yesterday, including the decision to play Webb in Game 4. Ignoring Webb’s unique home-ice ferocity, Stirling scratched him for Monday’s loss.
“I haven’t made any decisions and even if I had, I haven’t told the guys yet,” Stirling said, “so I’m not in a position to tell you people.”
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After playing well in the first two games of the series, Mattias Weinhandl saw his ice time slashed to seven minutes in Game 3 as Stirling gave Mariusz Czerkawski and Arron Asham well-earned time.
“I’ll have to regroup and find a way to get Wino back on the horse because Wino’s done a pretty good job for us,” Stirling said. “It’ll cost somebody else some minutes, but we’ll worry about that later.”
