Islanders veteran Streit takes on more responsibility
New York Islanders' Mark Streit (2) circles the net with the puck as he is chased by Toronto Maple Leafs' Viktor Stalberg (45) during the first period. (March 14, 2010) Credit: AP
At 32, Mark Streit is considered one of the old guys.
But his years on the ice have never been more crucial to the Islanders than now.
With a rash of recent injuries to key defensive players, such as Dustin Kohn (concussion) and Bruno Gervais (strained groin), Streit has had to assume more of a leadership role on the ice. And it's a role, he said, he's enjoying.
"I like to take responsibility," Streit said Wednesday after the team's optional skate at Nassau Coliseum. "And it's something I wanted to do. If a guy asks my opinion or asks about the game, or whatever, I'm happy to help them out.
"But I think the best thing to do is lead by example out there and play well and do your thing and just help everybody out. The coach [Scott Gordon] talked to me and said, 'You're going to get more minutes, so play smart out there and don't have extended shifts and stuff like that. And I think I'm doing a pretty good job so far."
Though Gordon said Bridgeport call-ups Andrew McDonald and Jack Hillen have done a good job patrolling the blue line, there's no substitute for defensive experience, particularly on a very young Islanders team.
"When you get shorthanded on defense, there's a transition that gets lost getting the puck to the forwards," Gordon said. "It makes it a little harder but, in saying that, our players that have come up from Bridgeport, they've gotten some experience that if we didn't get these injuries it wouldn't have allowed us to evaluate them and see where they're at and expose them to new opportunities. So they're have been some plusses to it."
Though Streit said the injuries have been challenging, he believes inconsistency has plagued the Islanders more. Especially in tight games.
"The injury bug has been hitting the 'D' a lot in the past weeks, but I thought when you see how good we can play at times - like yesterday, the first period and then the second period was like a whole different team - I don't think you can really blame the injuries," he said, referring to Tuesday night's 4-3 loss to the Rangers. "Obviously we have to get better. We have six games left and I think it's a good time to play those games and play them for 60 minutes and learn, and get better for the future."
