Islanders Outsider by Ken Rosenblatt

Short Take on Rypien's Short Suspension

2010-10-22T16:09:00.003-04:00

Here's what the NHL should have considered when handing down its suspension of Rick Rypien of the Canucks for shoving and grabbing a fan: What would the suspension have been if Rypien had thrown a punch?

I have to imagine it would have been a lot more than six games.

Rypien's thought process short-circuited. He and the NHL are fortunate that the circuit that shorted was the one labeled "Shove and Grab" rather than one next to it labeled "Punch." That's how close an NHL fighter came to punching out a fan on live TV with no provocation other than a sarcastic comment.

The result of the loss of control is not what should have been punished. The loss of control is.

And, while we're at it, it's really annoying when Gary Bettman feels compelled to put an everything's-okay-here spin on matters:

"Fortunately, this incident is not typical of the way NHL players conduct themselves and is not typical of the way Mr. Rypien had conducted himself during his career."

It happened. We all saw it.

Hey, these Islanders are pretty good.

Flatley Joins MSG

2010-10-08T13:52:00.003-04:00

Neil Best is reporting in his Watchdog blog that MSG has hired former Islanders captain Pat Flatley for its Hockey Night Live! studio program. Flatley takes the seat formerly occupied by Butch Goring, who recently moved into the broadcast booth alongside play-by-play man Howie Rose to replace the controversially departed color analyst Billy Jaffe.

It's an interesting choice for Islanders fans as most still have very fond memories of Flats, including his on-ice style and off-ice personality. But Flatley hasn't been close to the Islanders in 15 years, so it's a little strange to think of him as being the Islanders voice on Hockey Night Live! There's a disconnect there that Flatley will have to resolve by spending some time getting close to the team again. Still, I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what he brings to the table.

Lighthouse Hockey Season Preview Roundtable

2010-10-08T12:20:00.002-04:00

Please visit Lighthouse Hockey for an entertaining and interesting Season Preview Roundtable featuring several familiar bloggers, a few singers, a few actors, and a number of fictional characters—including a delicious and structurally challenged gingerbread man.

Gordon Should Name Roloson Starter

2010-10-05T16:15:00.004-04:00

While significant injuries to Mark Streit and Kyle Okposo have curtailed expectations for an Islanders playoff run in 2011, the braintrust of the organization has no choice but to proceed as if that run remains very much in the plans. Therefore, all roster and lineup decisions must address the two-headed monster of maintaining forward momentum of the youth development while attempting to win now.

In a sport that breeds constant chatter about players knowing their jobs, roles, and responsibilities, Coach Scott Gordon has not named the owner of one very important job. Who is the Islanders #1 goalie?

Gordon can go a long way toward starting the season with an air of stability by naming Dwayne Roloson his starting goaltender. Right now, it is the best option for the Islanders to play to their competitive peak.

Roloson played his best hockey last season when he served as the team’s undisputed #1. Sharing the duties with Rick DiPietro and Martin Biron seemed to soften what had been a very sharp edge in net.
It is in the best interest of this year’s team to have an established starter, whether it be Roloson or DiPietro. But, for this season, it should be Roloson for roughly 55 games. The soon-to-be 41-year-old demonstrated last year that he is more than capable of holding down the job and leading the team to victories. The Islanders will get the most out of him in this role.

DiPietro has not been a starting NHL goaltender since 2008. The team should not put itself in the position of forcing itself to see if he can do it again now, and risk losing him for another year or more. Let him re-acclimate to the rigors of an NHL schedule by not playing too much of it—let him play enough to show that his body can absorb the beating it will take, restore his technique and reflexes, and re-build his stamina.

If DiPietro has trouble getting into a rhythm due to sporadic starts, so be it. What the Islanders can get out of him this season is still a question mark. Let him answer that question over 25-30 games. Then, next year, Garth Snow can decide whether to re-sign Roloson as a backup or, more likely, promote one of Kevin Poulin, Nate Lawson, or Mikko Koskinen to serve as DiPietro’s understudy.

If it were clear that DiPietro would outplay Roloson this year, I’d say give him a shot to take the job. But I don’t see how you can say that. The Islanders have a greater chance of getting the most out of their goalies, now and in the future, by giving the starting job for 2010-11 to Roloson.

Islanders Find a Home at 30 Rock

2010-10-01T09:33:00.006-04:00

Okay, somebody's gotta fill me in. I don't get to watch much TV anymore, and when I do it's usually on the DVR. And I don't think I saw a single episode of 30 Rock last year. I happened to catch a new episode last night. So here are my questions:

1) Is Paul Giamatti a regular guest star?
2) Does his character, Richie, always wear a John Tavares jersey?

Good job by the Islanders getting their brand some high-profile exposure. The episode also featured an Islanders pennant on a background wall about four minutes in, which is when I turned the show on. At that point I hadn't even seen Richie in all his home-blue-91 glory, which he wore for the duration of the show. Later, the show's dialogue even had Richie describing himself as an Islanders fan.

To answer one of my own questions, it seems that this was Giamatti's first appearance on the show—at least according to IMDB. But, as chronicled here, it certainly was not the first appearance of an Islanders jersey on the show.

Maybe we can have an escalating battle between Entourage and 30 Rock to see which show can feature the most Isles paraphenalia. If only Hockey Night Live! were this friendly to the Islanders! (I filled out a blogging survey yesterday saying that my style wasn't snarky.)

Update: Here's a good thread on the topic from HF Boards, including a screen cap. I was making dinner while this on and completely missed the Matt Moulson part.

Update: Things are coming in fast and furious now. I'm not surprised that this was also discussed on Twitter, where it was suggested that the mention of/slagging on Moulson may be due to Giamatti being a Yale grad. Yale and Cornell are picked to finish first and second, respectively, in the ECAC this year. I also had no idea that Giamatti is the son of the late Bart Giamatti, former President of Yale and Commissioner of Major League Baseball.

Parallels

2010-07-30T16:08:00.004-04:00

I realize that this is a completely strange reason to come out of hibernation, but something had to do it sometime.

For all of those who felt that Newsday replacing veteran beat reporter Greg Logan with former intern Katie Strang was a purposeful thumb to the nose aimed at the Islanders and their fans, here's an amazing parallel from another market.

Tarik El-Bashir of The Washinging Post is leaving the Capitals beat after five years of top-notch coverage. Dan Steinberg of the Post's D.C. Sports Bog describes El-Bashir's replacement (thanks to Kukla's Korner):

"Katie Carrera, a former Post intern who has covered high school sports for us the past two years, will become the new Capitals beat writer. Katie is a rarity - a sports journalist who actually knows something about hockey. She has assisted Tarik on and off with the Capitals for the past two seasons and now she has the whole show to herself."

Sometimes things change. People get deserved opportunities as a result of those changes. While the circumstances that brought about the change at the Post may be vastly different than those that moved Logan off the Isles beat at Newsday, the effect is the same. Such a succession can and did happen in another market, and it doesn't have to be a reason for the fanbase to feel disrespected or bullied.

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I've been mulling over a meta-post for this blog to explain what is happening with it and what can be expected in the future. The truth is, I really don't know. All I know is that I can't do it the way I used to do it. There is simply not enough time to watch the games the way I used to watch them, to keep up with all that is being written about the Isles and the NHL, to formulate posts, and to execute them properly.

Other blogs are setting the bar pretty high these days. It's debatable whether what I can offer still has a place among them.

I have come close a number of times to just announcing the end of this blog. But here I am once again. And it feels good to be back.

NYI Classifieds

2010-03-03T09:25:00.003-05:00

~~FOR SALE~~ – SOLD – LARGE-BODIED NHL DEFENSEMAN. Surprisingly mobile and good hands for size. Good soldier, may not stay around past springtime. Some wear and tear.

FOR SALE – SHOOTOUT SPECIALIST – Fleet-footed part-time NHL winger. Laser-like wrist shot. Good pedigree. Will score at the AHL level. Some rust.

FOR SALE – VETERAN #1 GOALTENDER – "Lot 1A" Savvy presence in net. Capable of leading team deep into the playoffs. Battle tested, prospers under heavy workload. Atrophies in presence of "Lot 1C" or equivalent.

FOR SALE – VETERAN #1 GOALTENDER – "Lot 1B" Respected and adored by peers. Priced to move. Bags packed and ready to move since September. Also experienced as a No. 2 and No. 3.

FOR SALE – VETERAN #1 GOALTENDER – "Lot 1C" Refurbished former NHL All-Star. Dedicated and tireless worker. Not afraid to make a commitment. Been in the shop a few times. Palatable cap hit, when healthy. Service records currently "misplaced."

FOR SALE – FINNISH FLASH – Young forward with size, hands, and speed. Total package power forward. Slight fear of success. "Poised for breakout."

FOR SALE – VETERAN GRINDER – Winger with agitation mode. One-time 17-goal-scorer. Knee only two years old. Will dominate in AHL. "Depth."

WANTED TO BUY – 2010 AND 2011 DRAFT PICKS As many as possible. Preferably in third round or better. Will pay in cash.

WANTED TO BUY – GOALTENDER – Warm body, possibly two, needed to fill net for remainder of 2009-10 season. Must be prepared to play every night, or not at all.

WANTED TO BUY – YOUR FULL CAP SPACE – Collector with openings in storage. Will accept your bloated contracts for "high-quality draft incentives." We'll turn your mistakes into our roster-hole plugs!

Witt Waiver-Wired

2010-02-03T12:13:00.003-05:00

Katie Strang reports that veteran defenseman Brendan Witt as been activated from the injured reserve list and will be placed on waivers at noon today. If not claimed by another team, Witt will report to Bridgeport.

This is certainly a case where you have to be impressed at Garth Snow's willingness to make a very tough call. While it was obvious that Witt was no longer serving the team adequately in his role, it would have been very easy for Snow to give him several more opportunities to work things out on the ice. You don't decide to waive a player of Witt's character, experience, and performance record like you're deciding which pair of shorts to leave home when you're packing for vacation and your suitcase is full.

Snow is paid to make difficult decisions in order to put the Islanders in the best position to win. Having Witt in the top six was not in the team's best interest. Nor was letting him accumulate dust in the press box. Perhaps Witt will show enough in his time at the Bridge to convince another team to take a chance on him as we get closer to the trade deadline.

While the Islanders can move on without Witt in the lineup, there is no doubt he will be missed around the Coliseum. Of course, as we've seen with other players, being waived and sent down doesn't necessarily mean the end of the line.

Milestones for the Moulsons

2010-02-01T12:09:00.002-05:00

Fresh on the heels of older brother Matt Moulson recording his 20th goal of the season for the Islanders, Cornell freshman Chris Moulson on Saturday scored his first career NCAA goal as the Big Red defeated Clarkson 5-3.

The younger Moulson had only tasted the lineup once this season before being called upon by coach Mike Schafer for both games this past weekend. On Friday night Cornell defeated St. Lawrence 2-1. The 4-point weekend on the road puts Cornell all alone at the top of the ECAC standings and solidifies its top-ten ranking in the NCAA.

Moulson's goal on Saturday night gave Cornell a 3-1 lead early in the second period. After the game, he told The Cornell Daily Sun that speaking with his older, NHL-experienced brother had provided him with some focus for breaking through:

“I talked to my brother before the game and he just said to shoot more pucks and be around the net more,” Moulson explained. “The one thing he always tells me is to do the extra things. Everyone on the team is going to work hard, but you have to be the guy who does the extra things and works hard when everyone else is taking a break. He always told me to remain positive, you’ll get your chance, and you’ll be great.”

If that doesn't sound like the Matt Moulson Islanders fans have come to know this season, I don't know what does.

The Daily Sun reported Chris's goal thusly:

Just 3:32 later, Cornell was once again able to capitalize on a rebound opportunity. Junior defenseman Mike Devin wristed a shot on net from the slot, but Karpowich went down in butterfly position to deflect the shot away. Chris Moulson then picked up the rebound, skated to his right, and flicked a backhand over a sprawling Karpowich and into the back of the net. In giving his team a 3-1 lead, Moulson scored his first ever NCAA goal in just his third career game.

“I can’t even really remember what happened,” Moulson said. “It was a shot from the point … the puck was just sitting there and the next thing I knew I was on my stomach and the puck was in the net. I was trying to get up to celebrate but [Nick] D’Agostino was holding me back.”

If you recall, the elder Moulson had this to say about his brother just a couple of months ago:

"I try to talk almost every day to him. He's working hard. Hopefully he'll get a chance and I think he's probably a better player than me, so, hopefully he just needs a chance and he'll get in there and do well."

Congratulations to both Matt and Chris on reaching these gratifying career milestones.

Two-Minute Minors for 1/20/10

2010-01-20T10:11:00.005-05:00

I've been considering doing some daily posts that are more like Twitter feeds where I just add thoughts as they pop into my head throughout the course of a day. Why not just join Twitter? I don't know—I just kind of like it here.

It then occurred to me that I already sort of do that occasionally with these Two-Minute Minor posts, though without the day-long aggregation. Anyway, we'll see what happens. Let's move on before I get called for delay of game...

Last night the Isles went toe-to-toe with the offensively gifted Penguins and came out a little stubbed. When Sidney Crosby drops a six pack of points on you and Evgeni Malkin emerges from his funk with a hat trick, you just have to tip all those hats and get ready for the next one. Isn't it nice to be in a position to take the positives from a loss and still feel good about what the team is doing? It will feel even nicer if the four-game winning streak is not followed by a losing streak of any kind.
Richard Park finally convinced an official that a shot off his stick is capable of being a goal.
Here's my guess at how Colin Campbell handles Andy Sutton's boarding of Pascal Dupuis: "Well, I just gave Jovanovski, a star, a two-game suspension—I have to suspend Andy Sutton." You know, just a guess, because that's all we can really do at this point. It was a bad play by Sutton and it's refreshing to see a player admit as much. It doesn't matter if you didn't intend to hurt another player—you have to be able to make the split decision that stops you from putting another player in danger. When you don't make that decision correctly, you pay the consequences. In this case a major and a game misconduct suffice, but I actually wouldn't be too surprised or too upset to see Sutton sit out a game or two. But I can't wait for the explanation. Update: I was wrong. Sutton has been suspended for two games and I actually am a little ticked. Why? Because...Prediction: Sometime in the next 12-18 months, Sutton will board someone else and get suspended for five games. You know, because he'll be a repeat offender.
The larger issue is, how long does Gary Bettman let this go on? It's not good for the league to have one of its top officials, especially one who impacts game play, constantly called out. I'm not even saying that Campbell has to be dismissed. But the issue does need to be addressed or the integrity question will continue to fester.
You know what really made an impression on me last night? Very quickly after Sutton hit Dupuis, Dwayne Roloson waved to the Pittsburgh bench for the trainer to come out. Then he skated out of the crease, and out of the TV picture. The next time you see Roloson, he's skating back to Dupuis with the Pens' trainer in tow. Classy move by an opponent.
Yesterday, Uni Watch mentioned John Tavares's bet-losing practice appearance in a Team USA jersey. Uni Watch proprietor Paul Lukas made mention of the mysterious slits in the back of the jersey and wondered about their purpose/origin. I e-mailed Paul to tell him that I had read that the jersey belonged to Sparky the Dragon, and the slits where there to accommodate his wings. At the time, I couldn't remember the source of that information. Paul published my note as an update in today's edition, so I want to make sure to give credit where credit is due. After a little searching, I can now confirm that my source for the Sparky information was none other than blogging pal Dee Karl. Good scoop, Dee!
Finally, it's always good to remind yourself just how obsessed you are with sports. Yesterday, I got lunch from Five Guys for the first time. My order number was 57. While waiting on line, I kept thinking how cool it would be if, instead of calling out my order number when my food was ready, the line cook instead shouted, "Comeau!"

Reason to Believe: Islanders 6, Red Wings 0

2010-01-13T12:46:00.005-05:00

Just some things I'm thinking about following a joyful night of joyful hockey...

Matt Moulson's offense is heating up again. And he's finding the net while playing with Frans Nielsen. Both circumstances help negate the ideas that Moulson is a flash in the pan who got off to a hot start and that his production was due mostly to his pairing with John Tavares.

How nice it is to once again be able to legitimately pin the future of the Islanders on Kyle Okposo, Tavares, AND Josh Bailey. Bailey looked like a boy last year. Suddenly he looks like a man, and plays like one too.

Despite his slow start in the goal column, Okposo will surpass his goal total from a year ago. Watch him light it up in the second half.

Seeing my favorite player of his era, Kenny Jonsson, back in the Islanders family for one night.

The part of NHLer Rob Schremp now being played by...Rob Schremp.

BD might be right that keeping Martin Biron on ice (as opposed to on the ice) might improve his trade value. At the very least, it won't harm his value and it will also protect him from injury (as much as that recalls the awkwardness of the Bill Guerin situation last year).

At first I was opposed to the idea of keeping Biron out of the rotation. I thought he deserved to at least dress on occasion and his exclusion reflected poorly on him and reduced his perceived value. But this is going to be all about Dwayne Roloson and Rick DiPietro, and who gives the team the best chance to win night in, night out. That's clearly not Biron.

I would, however, not be so quick to pull the trigger on a deal for Biron. Let's see DiPietro get the rigors of a few NHL games under his belt before the team puts itself one more injury away from last season's goaltending carousel.

It was a shame that the 6-0 domination of the Red Wings had to occur on the same night as a thrilling shootout (in more ways than one) between the other locals. Not good for getting the deserved local press. On the other hand, it was the kind of win that the rest of the league's cities will notice.

It's good to see some old friends still plugging away in the Blog Box.

I resisted doing this for a long time, but I finally caved.

Let Okposo Hear You

2010-01-01T23:46:00.002-05:00

Just a thought as this New Year's Day draws to a close: It would be a great thing if everyone who attends Saturday night's game channels his or her anger and disappointment at Kyle Okposo being left of the U.S. Olympic team toward a show of support for #21. Let him know how you feel about him—when he comes out for warmups, when he steps over the boards, and every time he touches the puck. The Coliseum could use a night of frequent, loud ovations.

And keep this a positive thing about Okposo and the fan base's appreciation for the kind of player he is and the kind of player he will be. No need to invoke the names Drury, Callahan, Burke, etc. Make it all about Kyle on this night.

Two-Minute Minors for 12/17/09

2009-12-17T13:37:00.004-05:00

Jeff Klein, writing in the Times off last night's 2-1 Islanders win at Madison Square Garden:

"Wednesday’s game was not the first time Tavares had set foot in the Garden. That happened on Nov. 28, when he and his Islanders teammate Matt Moulson watched Moulson’s brother play for Cornell against Boston University. No one recognized him at that game, he said."

I had wondered if Tavares would go to that game with Moulson, and figured he would seeing as how it was through Chris Moulson that Tavares and Matt Moulson became acquainted. At the time, I didn't ask Moulson if Tavares was going with him because a) I already felt like asking him whether he was going bordered on too personal, and b) I swore to myself I would make it through my first conversation with Moulson without mentioning Tavares.

But it's nice to know now that they did make it to the game, even if they didn't actually get to see Chris play (he wasn't in the lineup).

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In Ottawa, Chris Campoli has now gone from power play point man to healthy scratch to...fourth-line winger? (Ottawa Sun via Rotoworld)

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Let's give the Islander credit for this. It's the middle of December and they're still gripping onto this season with all five fingers on both gloves. Despite a thin defense and inconsistent scoring, there are still multiple reasons to watch them day in and day out. You couldn't say that about some Islander teams in the last 15 years, nor could you say it about a lot of NHL teams with this kind of roster.

As this week has shown us, expect more highs and lows. And if the season is going to gradually turn one way or the other from a winning/losing standpoint, I'd still be surprised to see them start winning more consistently than losing more consistently.

But I can also see this team taking that perception as a challenge and pushing themselves to remain prominent in the Eastern Conference's messy lower half. If they can do that at least through the Olympic break, I don't think it's lowering expectations too much to consider it an accomplishment. Not for a fan, anyway. The goal in the locker room should always be to solidify eighth, then climb into seventh, and so on.

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Kudos to Blake Comeau for being in the thick of things once again. It should be easier for him playing with Tavares and Moulson. But, like Moulson has done, you still have to produce.

Learning's More Fun When You Win; DiPietro Aches—No Fun at All

2009-12-14T15:27:00.002-05:00

Blake Comeau has been universally praised, and rightfully so, for his performance in Saturday night's 3-2 overtime win over the Boston Bruins. He capped of a solid game by delivering a near-exquisite backhand pass to Frans Nielsen that resulted in a breakaway game-winning goal for the Dean of Danes.

Yet, my lasting memory of that game, apart from Rob Schremp attempting to pole dance on Mark Streit, is a replay that shows there's always room for improvement—even when your play impressed people all game long and you created the OT winner.

From the view behind the play, what you saw on Nielsen's goal was that Comeau didn't follow up his pass by going strong to the net. Instead, he glided in and watched to see what would become of Nielsen's attempt. In doing so, Comeau allowed two Bruins to get between him and the play.

By going hard to the net, Comeau would have been in position to pounce on a rebound if Nielsen didn't convert. He also could have given Tim Thomas something else to think about, either as a second option for Nielsen or as a distraction.

As it turned out, the additional options weren't necessary because Nielsen took care of business. And I'll also grant that the speed with which Nielsen attacked the goal may have precluded Comeau from being a realistic second option. But he still could have put himself in position to compete for a rebound.

Anyway, my point here isn't to kill Comeau. It's that this Islanders team has already taken a step forward in its development this season, and learning from plays like this one is what will help them take the next step forward. Being relentless and taking nothing for granted goes a long way toward winning more games. I have confidence that this is the type of play Scott Gordon doesn't leave on the cutting room floor after he reviews game tape.

By the way, John Tavares demonstrated what I'm talking about on the Islanders' second goal. After making his no-look backhand pass out front to Matt Moulson, Tavares continued skating around the back of the net and came out on the other side. If Moulson hadn't been able to get a shot off right away, Tavares was wide open at the far post for an easy tap-in.

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All tightness aside, were the Islanders seriously going to let Rick DiPietro back into the goalie rotation after only three rehab appearances? I realize they have to operate within the framework of conditioning assignment restrictions, but for the amount of time he's been away, how could three appearances have been considered sufficient for him to return to game action at the NHL level? I would think five games, minimum, would be more on the mark. He hasn't even played five periods yet.

I may have said this before, but I'm at the point where I feel nothing but bad for DiPietro. For someone with so much talent and drive to be unable to use these attributes because of physical problems—well, I can just imagine the emotional ache that goes with it. Some will say, "What does he care? He's raking in $4.5 per year into the 2020s regardless." I assure you, that's not enough for DiPietro.

We're past the point of worrying too much about the impact of his injuries on the Islanders. As shown by Dwayne Roloson this season, there is life after DiPietro. Or between DiPietro injuries. Even the long ones. It would just be a shame to see him never quite make it back. We're probably a long way from that happening, but the return has been anything but smooth. It's only natural to think about it.

Moulson 12, Moulson 13, Moulson 14

2009-12-03T23:54:00.003-05:00

Just a quick hit to say congratulations to Matt Moulson on his first career hat trick. And in a big road win to boot.

It wasn't quite Mario's five goals five ways, but there was something special about this hat trick. Moulson scored on a booming slap shot from above the circles, a deke on the goalie, and a deflection. This is no one-trick pony scorer.

It's so easy to root for this guy to do well, and I continue to be thrilled as he continues to make his mark on the NHL. With all the talk on tonight's Point Blank chat about locking him up, I couldn't help but think that Moulson is one guy I can't wait to see get paid.

And, yes, he still reminds of me Ryan Smyth out there.

Disappointing Tie for Cornell; Trivino Makes a Point

2009-11-30T13:27:00.009-05:00

In a Red-Hot contest before a (legitimate) sold-out crowd of 18,200 at Madison Square Garden, Cornell and BU played to an exciting 3-3 draw Saturday night.

For the 10,000+ members of the Lynah Faithful in attendance, it was hard not to walk away feeling that their team came out on the short end of the tie. This was a great opportunity for Cornell—to avenge the 6-3 loss to BU at this event two years ago, and to earn a feather in their beanies for taking down the defending national champion, even if this year's version of the Terriers struggled out of the gate and must come from behind to get back in both the Hockey East and Frozen Four races.

Cornell, despite its storied history and a recent decade of strong results, always seems to be standing just outside the velvet rope of the NCAA Elite Hockey Club. A win over BU certainly could have helped mitigate that perception.

When Cornell jumped out to a 2-0 lead inside five and a half minutes on goals by Sean Whitney (Ryan's brother) and Locke Jillson (not Jeff's brother) and BU appeared a little sluggish, thoughts of a blowout even bubbled up in the Big Red end of the arena.

But midway through the game, the Cornell offense slipped into a state of satisfaction and its effective cycle mostly sputtered and then disappeared. The open shots the Big Red did get were harmless snap shots from outside the dots. Meanwhile, BU came alive and showed that with Kevin Shattenkirk, Chris Connolly, and Nick Bonino, there's still plenty of talent left at BU.

By the end of the second period, Cornell still held a 3-1 lead thanks to a Blake Gallagher tally despite being outshot 19-11. Goaltender Ben Scrivens probably should have stopped the BU goal, but overall was far more composed and effective than in his Garden start two years ago.

In the third, the ice continued to tilt the wrong way for the Big Red. The Terriers made it 3-2 at the 4:03 mark when Bonino looked for Connolly on a 2-on-1 and saw his pass deflect past Scrivens off Cornell defenseman Brendan Nash's stick.

In an ending that only an Islanders fan could appreciate, Cornell found itself down two men with 1:58 remaining and a one-goal lead. To up the ante, BU head coach Jack Parker pulled goalie Grant Rollheiser, giving his team a 6-on-3 advantage for 38 seconds. Cornell actually survived that onslaught.

But with Brandon Nash just out of the box, the Terriers converted the 6-on-4. Connolly followed up a Vinny Saponari shot that Scrivens appeared to have stopped. If Scrivens did squeeze the puck at some point, he didn't get it long enough to satisfy the referee. Connolly found the loose puck and poked it home with the ref pointing emphatically the whole way. The play was followed by a discussion amongst the officials, but the goal stood.

In overtime, the Cornell offense re-ignited, generating numerous good scoring chances. But nothing got by Rollheiser or Scrivens. Final shot totals: BU 35, Cornell 17.

For the record, no riots followed the game ending in a tie.

Ah, yes, there is more to this story. Do you think it's good or bad that I did that entire recap without mentioning 2008 Islanders 2nd Round Draft Pick, #10, Corey Trivino? It's neither, really—just building the suspense. Here, then, are my impressions of Trivino...

For a while, it was looking as though the theme of this report was shaping up to be that Trivino didn't strike me as particularly special. To be honest, that never changed. But leaving it at that would be seriously shortchanging his play.

Early on, the best thing I could say about Trivino was that he wasn't afraid to play physical hockey. At 6-1, 180 lbs, he looks lanky out there. But his lack of a large frame didn't stop him from going shoulder to shoulder along the boards. Other than that, there just wasn't much to say.

On the skill side, Trivino, made a nice rush up the middle from the blue line in the first period and got off a good, hard wrister that Scrivens stopped. Unfortunately, the play led to the breakaway on which Jillson scored Cornell's second goal.

Trivino saw time on BU's second power play unit, but didn't get appear on the penalty kill.

It was around the time that BU started taking control of the play that I started noticing Trivino more and more. Midway through the second, he went into the corner in the defensive zone, did some dirty work, and came out with the puck. It was a gritty play that made me smile a little even though I was rooting for the other side.

Trivino almost got on the scoreboard with about four minutes left in the second. He came out of the corner to find the puck headed his way on a nice cross-ice feed to the right post and an open short side. But his backhand deflection went wide.

By the third period, it seemed like Trivino was on the ice every other shift. This was helped by the fact that BU had four of its seven power play opportunities in the third (box score says three of six—still trying to figure out the disparity). On those power plays, he was a focal point stationed in the right faceoff circle and being fed constantly.

What impressed me the most, however, was that Coach Parker leaned on Trivino heavily down the stretch in the faceoff circle. In the final ten minutes of regulation and in the overtime, Trivino took, and won, a number of key draws in both zones. For the game, he finished 11-6 on faceoffs while taking the second most after Bonino, who was 14-14. Trivino had three shots on goal and was -1.

Was Trivno a star in this game? No. Did he look like a special player? Not necessarily. But he's 19 years old and not John Tavares. He's a college sophomore and he definitely has the chance to develop into a solid prospect. He needs to get a little bigger. And I think he'll benefit from staying in school and becoming a team leader in a year or two.

Isles Impressive in 3-2 Win Over Pens: Live Blog DOA; Quick Hit with Moulson

2009-11-27T23:19:00.004-05:00

Today's live blog is brought to you on tape delay. See why below. I decided to carry on as though I were live anyway because I needed the practice. As for the value of still posting it nine hours later? Well, I'll leave that to you to decide. I know I always appreciate the opportunity to go back and see the game through someone else's eyes whether or not I've already seen it myself.

In other news, I finally got the chance to talk to Matt Moulson this afternoon, although only under the chaotic circumstances of an open locker room with victory music blaring and players scrambling to pack their equipment for a quick turnaround tomorrow in New Jersey.

I had a more extensive interview planned out, and maybe I can get back to that one day because I'm really interested in hearing what he has to say about playing at an Ivy League school, playing in the ECAC, what the exact events were that brought him to the Islanders, and more. But given that we were just over 24 hours away from his alma mater, with his brother Chris on the roster, facing off at Madison Square Garden, I just went right for the most pressing issues:

Will he have a chance to get to the Garden Saturday night to see Cornell take on BU?
I'm not sure, I think so. As of now, yeah.

Does he talk to his brother about breaking into Cornell's starting lineup and what advice might he be giving him (Chris Moulson did see action in Cornell's 6-0 win over Brown on 11/14)?
Yeah, I talk to him. I try to talk almost every day to him. He's working hard. Hopefully he'll get a chance and I think he's probably a better player than me, so, hopefully he just needs a chance and he'll get in there and do well.

Is he (Matt) still in touch with his college coach, Mike Schafer?
Yeah, I talk to him every now and then. Talk to him and e-mail.

What kind of contributions did Coach Schafer make to his development as a player?
I learned how to play solid both ways when I was there and the importance of working hard and discipline. A lot of discipline.

What does he think about so many other Cornellians such as Byron Bitz, Ryan O'Byrne, Douglas Murray, Ryan Vesce and last year Mike Iggulden all contributing or better at the NHL level?
Yeah, I think it's good for the program. Guys have done well out there. Hopefully we can keep it going.

Moulson also shared with me that his mom made the trip into New York and said, "I'm sure I'll be over there (at the Garden)."

One thing that I forgot to mention to Matt Moulson was that Chris's bio page at cornellbigred.com still says that Matt plays for Manchester. Let's get someone on that!

I just want to thank Matt for taking the time to answer some slightly unusual questions--unusual, at least, for a post-game following a big win over the conference leader. And based on his scouting report, maybe Garth Snow, Ryan Jankowski, and the staff should keep an eye open for another Moulson.

And, now, for your time-traveling entertainment...

Plausibly Live Blog 11/27/09: Islanders 3, Penguins 2

Good afternoon and welcome to the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Today the 9-9-7 Islanders host the 17-8-0 (how pure) defending Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins for the second time this season. The first meeting was a 4-3 shootout loss for the Islander in their first game of the season on October 3rd.

It's very Pittsburghy here today at the Coliseum, but that's something we've grown accustomed to when a division/geographic rival comes calling and good seats are easy to come by.

Today's first jumpout stat of the day: John Tavares leads all rookies in points, goals, and power play goals. That's the way it was supposed to be, and it's so satisfying to see things play out that way. Tavares does need to watch out for James van Riemsdyk of the Flyers who sits only two points back while playing in six fewer games.

Rule #1 of live blogging: Never show up for a game with a laptop you're bringing the first time. You might have connectivity problems that prevent you from delivering on your promised first live blog of the season. Sigh.

From here, we'll be covering this one more traditionally, or as that most annoying of creatures, the "plausibly" live blog.

This one got off to a rousing start with Tim Jackman and Derek Engelland squaring off at center ice just 13 seconds into the game. This fight had legs with both combatants standing tall to the fight's conclusion. Jackman had the stronger reserve and the better leverage at the end, scoring the decision.

Post-fight, the Islanders opened up the game strong on offense with both the Bergenheim-Nielsen-Okposo and Moulson-Tavares-Hunter lines generating good scoring chances in the opening 90 seconds. Nice passing among the first threesome ending with an Okposo shot, but he was unable to cash in.

If you're going to face a 4-on-4 with the Penguins, do it with Malkin in the box. 2:55 in, the Pens star and Andy SUtton went off for coincidental minors: the Paul Stewart special, two for hooking, two for diving.

12:45 left in wide open first period, Sean Bergenheim sent a wrister just wide from the off-wing raising a chours of oohs from the crowd.

Dwayne Roloson has looked a split-second late on a couple of shots, but a post and some off-target shooting have kept this one scoreless. He did get a shoulder on a tough Sergei Gonchar shot earier in the period.

The Islanders opened the scoring with 10:55 left in the first. A Mark Streit slapper from the left point sat on the doorstep for Josh Bailey to slam home before Brent Johnson could close the open side. Freddy Meyer had the secondary assist.

The first Islanders power play went by the boards with only a post hit by Jon Sim raising the excitement level in the building. I'd like to see Matt Moulson back on that first unit.

6:31 the Islanders get their first test on the penalty kill against Malkin, Crosby, and Bill Guerin. The first good scoring chance, however, goes to Okposo who had plenty of time to set up a shot from the right circle but couldn't beat Johnson.

Roloson looking sharper during the kill, stopping a hard shot with traffic in front.

Okay, so far this has been kind of a hybrid live blog/notes for later entry. From here on, we're going full-bore delayed live blog...

3:12 Park looks short-side top corner from the bottom of the left circle and gets a piece of the iron. On an earlier shift, he and Thompson each went high and wide on shots from a similar spot.

2:36 Malkin rushes down the right wing and shovels a sharp-angle backhnd off of Roloson's body and into the net. Tied 1-1.

SECOND PERIOD

20:00 4th line starts the second period for the Isles.

18:50 Gritty work and strong moves by Okposo to keep the puck in the offensive zone.

18:05 Nearly a highlight reel goal by Tavares but his chip from in close after a nifty deke goes just over the top.

16:37 Isles to the power play.

16:32 Hooking call on Hunter evens up the man power.

16:01 Thompson goes hard to the net to follow up on a Park shot but can't knock the rebound past Johnson.

15:05 Good effort by Gervais to clean up in front of his own net, but he goes off the ice favoring one foot.

14:10 Tambellini throws his weight around with a nice hit along the end boards in the offensive zone.

12:48 Too much rebound left by Roloson + not enough defense covering the front of the net = easy goal for Matt Cooke. Pens lead 2-1.

10:15 The 4th line displays excellent puck control in the offensive zone, but their hard work is offset by an inability to get off anything close to a dangerous shot.

9:15 Bergenheim's low, hard wrister rebounds toward Nielsen but Johnson beats him to the loose puck.

6:41 Hillen takes a borderline interference call along the boards just inside the defensive zone.

6:00 Park comes in shorthanded with some room but his wrist shot goes well wide.

5:36 Potential game-changing moment as Andy Sutton takes a double minor for highsticking. Pittsburgh will start with 55 seconds of 5-on-3 time.

4:30 Hillen comes out of the box and gathers in the puck at the blue line to come in on a breakaway. He got Johnson to go down, but couldn't get the puck by him into the open net. Rebound to Nielsen who also misses the open net from a sharp angle.

1:36 Isles kill off the Sutton penalties to the delight of the home fans. Let's see if the Isles can use this as their own game-changing moment.

1:10 Okposo back on a line with Tavares with Moulson.

0:20 That puts Bergenheim, Nielsen, and Hunter together for the final shift.

THIRD PERIOD

20:00 4th line out again to defend against Dupuis-Malkin-Fedotenko.

19:30 Attempted wraparound and subsequent rebound attempt by the Pens comes much closer to being a goal than it should have.

18:57 New lines remain in effect here at the start of the second.

18:36 Bergenheim, probably the Isles best forward tonight, rips a wrister from the left dot past Johnson. Tied 2-2. Assists to Nielsen and Hunter.

17:50 Thompson gets called for boarding. Staal takes on Thompson, who takes his time before fully engaging. No clear winner except for the Isles as Staal picks up an Instigator penalty and is gone for virtually the rest of regulation. Both get fighting majors, so Thompson will sit for seven.

14:30 Good sustained pressure by the top line. Hard, low shot from the point by Gervais results in the desired rebound. No goal, but the shift results in a bench minor to Pittsburgh. Isles to the power play.

13:30 Nielsen, Bailey, and Hunter out first with Streit and Okposo at the points.

13:00 Now it's Tavares and Moulson up front with Sim parking himself in front of the net.

12:35 Hunter, Nielsen, and Tavares will get the last man-up shift. Bergenheim had been out there for the faceoff but was called back. If the Isles get another power play, maybe Bergenheim or Tambellini get a shift.

11:23 It seems like the Islanders are causing a lot of problems in front of Johnson but since Bailey's goal just haven't been able to capitalize.

6:12 The new (old) top line comes through. Meyer wrists one in from the point with Moulson screening. Tavares pounces on the rebound and Johnson has no chance to stop him. Isles lead 3-2. Okposo with the second assist.

5:07 Prediction: the Islanders will be shorthanded before this period ends.

4:05 Third line wants in...nearly increases the lead but Sim is stopped twice, once by Johnson sliding across the goal line to get back in position.

2:10 Isles doing a good job keeping pressure on the Pens and moving forward.

0:00 Impressive third period by the Isles and a really good win over a dangerous team. Isles win 3-2.

Watch This Space

2009-11-25T12:05:00.004-05:00

Whoa, hey, there's a blog here.

First of all, a very happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving to everyone.

Now, here's what to come...

Friday: The long overdue first live blog of the season from Islanders Outsider. The Isles take on the Eastern Conference leading Pittsburgh Penguins featuring Matt Cooke, Mike Rupp, Chris Kunitz, and some other guys at 2 PM at the Coliseum. You bring the rubber, we'll bring the Roloson.

Saturday: Red Hot Hockey returns! Two years ago, this blog took you rinkside for a look at the renewal of the Cornell-BU hockey rivalry. Saturday night the Big Red and the Terriers meet again at Madison Square Garden in front of a packed house of current students and alumni. Cornell will seek to avenge a 6-3 loss in the last go-round. The matchup should be a little more even this year. Cornell has a more seasoned team and a top-ten ranking (#4, 6, or 7 depending on the poll—got polls? Yeah, we got'em.). Defending National Champion BU has struggled out of the gate with an overall 4-7-2 start (2-6-1 in Hockey East). But you can never count out a Jack Parker team, especially this early in the going.

Cornell defeated Colgate 4-2 last night at Lynah Rink to move its overall record to 6-2, 5-2 in ECAC conference play. Leading the Big Red in scoring is senior forward Blake Gallagher with 8 goals and 6 assists in 8 games. Cornell, normally a low-scoring, defensive-minded squad, has been lighting it up this year to the tune of 4.12 goals per game. Backing up the offense, senior goaltender Ben Scrivens sports a .927 save percentage to go along with a 2.01 GAA.

An added bonus to this year's contest is the presence of Islanders 2008 2nd round draft pick Corey Trivino on the BU roster. The sophomore currently sits tied for 4th in scoring on the Terriers with 2 goals and 5 assists in 12 games. Trivino is +2 with no penalty minutes and a 96-95 record on faceoffs. He will be watched. He likely will not be interviewed.

And for further intrigue, we have the Moulson question. #23 in your program for the Big Red is freshman forward Chris Moulson. He may have a connection to an Islander. Or two. However, Chris has yet to see any ice time so far this season on a deep and talented Cornell team. So the big question is, will big brother Matt (a four-year star at Cornell) and pal John be making the trip to the Garden?

The Isles have a 1:00 game in NJ on Saturday, so the opportunity is certainly there. My intent was to do a piece on the elder Moulson, with the emphasis on his college career and what brought him to where he is today. Part of that was to include talking about his brother and this game in particular. Required, then, would be talking to Matt. Been working on that. Still working. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, have a great holiday and get ready for some great hockey this weekend.

Let's Give 'Em Something to Talk About

2009-11-01T18:54:00.004-05:00

I don't know if there are any Bonnie Raitt fans in the Islander locker room, but it sure seems like they've been singing that refrain lately. Just over two weeks ago, I had nothing more to say about this team. (Okay, to be honest, I did have some things to say about breaking up the top line, burying Jeff Tambellini in the press box, and Bruno Gervais not playing with Mark Streit—but work craziness and a childcare crisis have buried me far away from the press box.)

But seemingly out of nowhere, the Islanders have won three in a row against three of the top teams in the conference. They are giving their fans and the rest of the league something to talk about.

At 4-4-5, the Islanders have reached the magical false .500 mark. Those 5 OT losses don't look nearly as bad when coupled with four regulation wins. The 13 points put the Isles on the cusp of the playoff picture.

What does this mean? It means that Scott Gordon and his coaching staff have demonstrated the ability to get something out of this team in its current constitution. It doesn't mean that the Isles will still be knocking on the door come March. But a season that was quickly slipping away into oblivion, for the time being, is interesting and fun again. And, furthermore, there is more reason—at least an impressive three-game winning streak's worth—to believe that with a deeper roster, Gordon and company can be serious players in this league.

And if you want something to talk about, look no further than Tambellini. Released from nosebleed purgatory seven games ago, the lost action hero has re-emerged with his scoring touch at the NHL level. With two multi-goal games, including a hat trick Saturday night against Buffalo, Tambellini is now tied for the team lead in goals. Bold for how unlikely it was that we would ever be able to say that, and how fun it is to say it now.

And to anyone who might minimize the hat trick due to the nature of the third goal, I would offer two suggestions:

When there is a loose puck in front of a gaping net, you take no chances even if it the puck is most likely on its way in already.
If it were up to Kyle Okposo, he would have done whatever was necessary to make that Tambellini's goal.

Also, count me in as one who was shocked that Tambellini wasn't named 1st star. Giving it to Martin Biron in recognition of the shutout and his 200th career win was nice, but the fans would have appreciated the opportunity to laud Tambellini more.

Several Islanders have emphasized how much they're enjoying coming to the rink this year due to the camaraderie that has built among the players. How much more fun are they having now that they're winning? They're certainly not a difficult team to root for.

And that's your fun hat trick for the evening.

As for me, I'm looking forward to talking more.

Losering (Yes, More Whiskeytown)

2009-10-14T15:37:00.004-04:00

"And, of course, sadly, the Islanders lost to the Los Angeles Kings 2-1."
--Sports update Tuesday morning on WRXP

The Kings weren't built in a year, nor will the Islanders be. But, oh (and woe), the losing. The beginning of a new season has optimism programmed into it, regardless of whether the team finished 3rd or 30th the previous year. Even if you know in your heart that the bottom five is overwhelmingly more likely than the top 16, there is always the hope that things will click this year—that the development of the next generation of Islanders will take a leap forward instead of a step.

And then four games go by without a win.

Suddenly you are awakened from your October honeymoon by the cold reality that if the ship is ever going to be headed in the right direction, it is still hanging around the pier looking for a clear lane.

The Islanders are not in an adjustment period. They are not off to a slow start. They are still dangerously thin on talent. They have shown an ability to compete, but not a sustainable one.

They have not shown a knack for winning when the game is on the line and a win is in reach.

The second half of last year was productive in that it resulted in John Tavares becoming an Islander. It was not, however, enjoyable.

Could it be that, not even at the midpoint Of October, we are already in the position in having to endure a season the way we endured that second half '08-'09?

The thought of it seems insufferable. But it is painfully obvious that the Islanders need another high lottery pick. We want these guys to be good because they're our guys. But most of them are never going to be as good as we want them to be.

For the Islanders to enjoy success in the standings this year, the following would have to happen (forget about Kyle Okposo, John Taveras, and Mark Streit—you know what they are and you can just enjoy them):

Trent Hunter would need to go 25-25-50.
Josh Bailey would need to go 15-25-40.
Frans Nielsen would need to 15-30-45.
Doug Weight would need to stay healthy and perform at the same level he did when healthy last year.
The team would have to get its goals against per game under 2.90, at least.
A defenseman other than Streit would need to score double-digit goals.

How many of those things are likely to happen?

Streit had 16 goals last year. Do you know how many goals the other six defenseman on the Islanders' roster had last year? 16. Granted neither Andy Sutton nor Freddy Meyer played in as many as 30 games. But Streit cannot be the only offensive threat from the blue line.

Hunter is already missing several weeks of games due to a pec injury. Weight has been in and out of the lineup with a groislander injury (did you already do that one, Dom?). And Bailey has looked nothing like a player who's going to sniff 15 goals or 40 points.

So my optimism bubble has burst early this year. The good thing is that they have virtually an entire season to prove me wrong, or get the difference-maker draft pick they have to have again.

But right now I don't care for the pain and the drudgery of another season with little to cheer about. I have losing fatigue. I'm actually thinking about steering my son toward the Yankees. Or, you know, Civil War battle re-enactments. Those plans always turn out exactly how they built 'em.

10/08/09: Senators 3, Islanders 2, OT

2009-10-09T15:44:00.004-04:00

A few quick thoughts off last night's game...

According to The Daily News hockey page, the Islanders game last night in Ottawa did not happen. If you look hard enough on the hockey page of The New York Times, you at least can find a link to an AP article.
You still get the feeling that Matt Moulson needs to put up a point per game in order to stick. But there's a good chance he'll do what Mike Iggulden did last year—start to tail off after a fast start. Then what? Do the Islanders have any inclination to invest some time in him? Or is he only here so they can see what they have while other guys are healing or establishing their claims to spots in the lineup. It will be interesting to watch. But the guy that skates to the front of the net on the power play and then bangs home the nifty feed from the vet behind the net? I like that guy.
The team that gathered around Scott Gordon during a timeout toward the end of last night's third period displayed all the right body language. The players looked engaged, hungry, and ready to win. That being said...
At the conclusion of regulation in each of the first two games, I thought to myself, "All right, a point against the defending champs," and "Okay, a point on the road." In each case, shortly thereafter, I felt like a point was no longer good enough. This team has made a lot of progress in learning how to play together. Next up: learning how to win together.
Before this season, having Kyle Okposo on the team provided a sense of optimism. Getting John Tavares through the lottery also created optimism. After two games of them playing together, having both of them should make you downright giddy.
I'm not thrilled about going into Boston two days after the Bruins got smoked. But they're off to a slow start, so maybe the Bear will remain Smokey.
The Islanders currently sit one point out of a playoff spot and four points off the division lead. (What, too early?)

Note on the blog: The two blog rolls (Blog Box and Additional) are horribly out of date. A lot has changed since last season. My apologies to those of you who have moved. I will get to updating the links as soon as I can—probably after my son learns to sit up on his own. (Don't worry, he's a fast learner.)

Islanders Milking It (Updated)

2009-10-06T12:29:00.003-04:00

Warning: This will not go down as one of the more insightful posts in the history of Islanders Outsider. Anyway...

Those of you who have been reading here for a while know that I like to point out sightings of Islanders presence near the places that I work and live (i.e., not Long Island).

This morning, as I was approaching my office building in midtown Manhattan, I noticed a Tuscan Brand dairy truck parked on a street corner. There was nothing particularly unusual about the white truck with the red Tuscan lettering on the side—except that affixed to each side of the truck, near the cab, was a placard that immediately caught my eye.

The matching placards featured an Islanders logo with the words OFFICIAL PARTNER below it. Is this one of those things that I'm just not aware of due to spending limited time on the Island? Are Islanders-branded dairy trucks a common sight east of the RFK Triboro Bridge (I'll take both names, thank you)? Are there other vehicles roaming the LIE with official partner designations?

I don't know, this may seem mundane to some. But seeing Islanders logos on the side of a milk truck in NYC certainly provided an unusual start to my day.

Anyone have any knowledge of the nature of this partnership? I'd like to guess that the Islanders and Tuscan work together to promote healthy eating and drinking in the schools. Or maybe Tuscan simply supplies milk for the Coliseum (which wouldn't necessarily have much to do with the Islanders).

Can you tell that five days off between Game ONe and Game Two is too long? OK, let's get back to figuring out who sits in favor of Weight and Comeau on Thursday. Right now I'd have to lean toward Recker and Tamby. But Sim may also want to double-check the lineup.

Update 1: One spot cleared: Recker sent to Bridgeport

Update 2: Later on today I saw a guy wearing an Islanders hat at the same intersection where the Tuscan truck was parked. I've obviously discovered the nexus for Islanders presence in Manhattan. Feed the fever!

Yesterday's News...

2009-10-02T14:40:00.004-04:00

...is what I have been readin' (title hat tip to Whiskeytown)

Wang and Rechler Play Hardball

In comments at yesterday's announcement of a lease agreement between the Lighthouse Development Group and Nassau County for the development of the 77-acre Coliseum Property, the developers declared that they are no longer open to suggestions for changes to the scope of the project from the Town of Hempstead.

For months now, Charles Wang has insisted that he is willing to consider such changes if the town would just sit down with him and say what those changes might be. This is an unfortunate turn in strategy because it eliminates a significant pathway to making the Lighthouse, in one form or another, a reality. It was the prospect of such discussions that always caused me to believe that this project would eventually get done. With the option of negotiating the development eliminated, I'm far less optimistic. It was the one major chip that Wang and Scott Rechler could offer, and it has now been pulled off the table.

Not that you can really blame them. The impression one gets is that the town board could go on for at least another year doing what they're (not) doing without realizing that engaging in such a negotiation had become critical. With Wang's deadline of certainty for the project scheduled to pass tomorrow, he had to make a bold statement to acknowledge the lack of progress. Yes, Wang is playing by his own rules, which don't always seem conducive to helping the cause he professes to care so much about. But anyone who has followed his style over the last ten years know this wasn't going to go any other way.

Weight Named Captain

I'm a little turned off by the trend of handing over the leadership reins of a team to the young star before he's old enough to rent a car. So I'm pleased to see the Islanders (players or coach/GM) not do something showy like name Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, or even John Tavares captain at this juncture. On the other hand, in addition to all the other things Islanders fans are starving for, I'd like to see the team with a captain who's going to be around for more than a couple of seasons.

Obviously, then, the player vote that awarded the captaincy to Doug Weight leaves me with mixed feelings. His tenure could be as short as six months. But when you consider the makeup of the team, as well as the makeup of the player, it's clear that Weight is the best man for job right now. The fact that Weight is so enthusiastic about his service makes the choice all the more appealing.

That Kyle Okposo received an 'A' ahead of someone like Trent Hunter did cause me to raise an eyebrow. While I understand the inclination to give the younger players representation in the team's leadership structure, and I've stated previously that the team already seemed to gravitate to Okposo in his first full year, I'd rather see a more veteran presence in that role while Okposo focuses completely on being the best player he can be. Will it really affect his development? Nah, probably not. But I'm all for the idea of guys putting in their years of service as a way to earn such an honor. To that end, I'd prefer to see Mark Streit take over from Weight before seeing a Bailey, Okposo, or Tavares ascend to the captaincy.

Matt Moulson and the Roster

This year, the role of former Cornell Big Red player who has toiled mostly in the minors but now has his best chance to stick in the NHL will played by Matt Moulson, following on the heels of the successful, yet ultimately fruitless, stint of Mike Iggulden. Congratulations to Matt for making the squad and appearing to be the recipient of a plum line assignment. Point Blank has Moulson playing alongside Tavares and Okposo at today's practice. He sure picked the right guy to have chemistry with.

Despite his impressive preseason, Moulson has his work cut out for him if he wants to stick. Today's practice included five full lines of forwards and the news from Mr. Botta that Weight is possible for tomorrow's opener. Who would have to lose their spot once everyone is healthy to guarantee that Moulson remains an Islander?

Well, Rob Schremp is certainly going to get his shot once he's had time to acclimate or he would not have been brought in. That leaves Jon Sim, Jeff Tambellini, Joel Rechlicz, Nate Thompson, and Tim Jackman as possible bubble players. And precedent would suggest that Blake Comeau hasn't quite won full immunity yet.

But Thompson tends to play. Jackman could sit here or there, but seems fairly well entrenched. Rechlicz will no doubt see his time in the press box and in Bridgeport. For Sim and Tambellini, it's all about performance. Sim has added the pressure of not necessarily being part of this club's future plans. But it would be fun to watch both him and Tambellini make lineup decisions more difficult. It's remarkable how much competition there is on a consensus 15th place team.

The Opener

Ha, wouldn't you know it. The season opener (at home!) against the defending champs with their two all-world stars. The debut of the team's first #1 overall draft pick since Rick DiPietro. Catching up with old friends for a welcome night of hockey. And I won't be there. Or, probably, see very much of the game. Such is life!

But I hope everyone in attendance and watching at home has much to cheer about!

Schremp Quotes from Newsday

2009-09-30T10:25:00.004-04:00

I had to laugh a little at the quotes from team brass in Katie Strang's Newsday article about the Islanders claiming Rob Schremp off waivers. This is what you want to hear about the gifted player with upside who has yet to fulfill his potential:

"He's a highly skilled, offensively gifted player with great vision. He's at an age where he is still maturing as a hockey player and a person, so there's upside there for our organization," Islanders general manager Garth Snow said. "To take a chance on a player like this, it seemed like it was a no-brainer to claim Rob."

This, not so much:

"He's got incredible skill," Gordon said. "On a breakaway, he can make a lacrosse-style goal. His hands are really good."

Let's not start out by setting expectations so low that a trick shot is one of Schremp's main selling points. Leave the scoop-n-shovel to the NCAA kids and the minor leaguers. We want to see if Schremp can actually cut it as an NHL regular without being known as a one-shot wonder who encourages labels of immature and unprofessional to be cast the Islanders' way.

On the other hand, he would probably get along really well with John Tavares's uncle.

Schremp Will Try to Make It on the Island

2009-09-29T13:40:00.002-04:00

The Islanders have claimed 23-year-old Rob Schremp off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers. Schremp, described in the club's press release as a left wing, is more commonly known as a highly skilled centerman who has yet to break through at the NHL level. Schremp has logged seven games total in the NHL, accumulating 3 assists, all in four games last season.

In the AHL, Schremp has been a steady scorer with totals of 47-124-171 in 216 games with the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Springfield Falcons. The Syracuse, NY, product also made his mark in the OHL. As a junior player, Schremp piled up 154 goals and 230 assists for 384 points in 247 games as a member of the Mississauga Ice Dogs and the London Knights. His final season in junior hockey resulted in a 145-point season on 57 goals and 88 assists, in 57 games.

The Oilers drafted Schremp with the 25th overall pick in the 2004 draft.

With the Islanders already short a few regulars up front, this is precisely the kind of opportunity that could allow Schremp to prove that his minor league feats can translate to the NHL. There is little risk for the team, which suddenly has an interesting replacement to look at while Franz Nielsen recovers from his knee injury and Doug Weight gets back up to speed after nursing a groin. While of the classic criticisms of Schremp may play out, this is the perfect time to see if there's something there.

The NHL Protects Its Players

2009-09-22T11:26:00.003-04:00

Dear Sidney Crosby,

We are pleased to inform you that can proceed with the 2009-10 NHL season with a clear head: Pascal Morency has been suspended. You can look forward to October 3rd's contest against the New York Islanders without fear. Morency and his antics have been taken care of. You and the rest of your NHL colleagues can go about your business. We have you covered.

Best wishes for a smashing season,

The NHL Head of Discipline

To be fair, the rule by which Morency was suspended for a total of ten games does aim to protect players. But it also protects the league's image (whatever that is). But all you need to know is that Kyle Okposo had several cuts on his face and minor swelling. Dion Phaneuf caused those injuries to the head with a textbook (read:rulebook) charge. Phaneuf has been cleared of wrongdoing and faces no discipline. So, Sid, you and your brethren are not as protected as you think. And it's absurd.

****

Hoping for some amped up coverage of the Isles in The Daily News this year? Well, that particular news organization could teach another news organization a thing or two about how to redesign a Web site. You can actually still read The Daily News online. But here's what you can't do: go to the Islanders page. Because there isn't one. Here's the nav bar on the Sports home page:

And try to find an article on the Islanders on the Hockey home page. The only reference currently there is to Mark Feinsand's wonderful column from the Summary Essay Series about growing up an Isles fan and taking his son to his first game. Otherwise, you wouldn't know there are two other hockey teams about to begin their seasons.

****

Speaking of Newsday, nice to see Greg Logan's name pop up in the byline of some Jets articles over the past several days. It was disappointing to find out that Greg's exit from the Islanders beat was not by his own wishes. I hope he is finding his new assignments to be satisfying, but he will be missed at the Coliseum and On the Islanders Beat.

****

MSG+ will carry tomorrow night's preseason home game against the Devils. No word on whether the Calgary radio guys will be doing the broadcast.

Islanders Season Preview on Illegal Curve

2009-09-19T23:36:00.003-04:00

Illegal Curve has posted its 2009-10 Islanders Season Preview. Please head over to read some thoughts on the upcoming season from IC's David, as well as from Dominik of Lighthouse Hockey, Paul from Islanders Blogger, and yours truly.

My thanks as always to Illegal Curve for asking me to participate. They're a great crew with a top-notch site and it's always a pleasure to work with them.

Morency Suspended, Phaneuf Not

2009-09-18T15:49:00.004-04:00

Point Blank has the news that Pascal Morency has been suspended indefinitely for his role in the post Phaneuf hit action, ostensibly to keep him out of Saturday's rematch.

Via Kukla's Korner, Elliotte Friedman twitters that Dion Phaneuf will not be suspended for the crushing hit on Kyle Okposo last night because a review determined that the hit "wasn’t late, was not targeting head, did not launch or leave feet before collision."

So at least we have this week's explanation.

Here's a comment I made on the previous post that I want to "promote to the main page" (copyright Lighthouse Hockey):

...These things always come down to judgment and perception. I'm not so quick to dismiss the charge call. Rule 43.1 states:"Charging shall mean the actions of a player or goalkeeper who, as a result of distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any manner. A “charge” may be the result of a check into the boards, into the goal frame or in open ice.

"Stu Hackel of The New York Times estimates that Phaneuf lined up Okposo from 45 away. Stu's take on the incident is definitely worth a read.

So many want to assign blame to Okposo for having his head down. The sequence suggests that having his head down may have been an unforunate byproduct of the contact with Dawes. But, setting that aside, if Okposo is expected to be responsible for knowing where Phaneuf is on the ice, is it too much to ask for Phaneuf to be responsible for knowing where Okposo's head is when he hits him? And make every effort to take him off the puck without attempting to destroy him?

I'd like to further add that one of the reasons Islanders fans are so upset about this incident is that they know concussions are like a cat having nine lives, and Okposo just lost one of his lives. But the truth is, with concussions a hockey player doesn't really get nine lives; he may only get three or four. The thought of Okposo being on the road to the devastating effects of multiple concussions before his career has barely started is almost too much to bear.

By the way, when does the statute of limitations run out on comparing every neutral zone, questionable, skate-and head-shaking hit to Scott Stevens? What Stevens was able to do doesn't necessarily legitimize anything that any other player does today.

Okposo Carted Off on Stretcher; Isles Lead 3-2 Midway Through

2009-09-17T22:19:00.004-04:00

Hold your breath, Islanders fans. Just past the five-minute mark of tonight's preseason game in Calgary, Kyle Okposo absorbed a hit from Dion Phaneuf and didn't get off the ice. He left the playing surface immobilized on a stretcher. No replays of the hit were made available on the streaming broadcast.

The Islanders lead 3-2 on goals by Trevor Smith, Blake Comeau, and Matt Moulson on the power play. Martin Biron played the first half of the game and has now given way to Kevin Poulin. It's a testy affair and promises to get even testier down the stretch.

Update on Okposo to follow when available.

Update: Chris Botta reports that Okposo called his father to say that he's all right. That, of course, pending a medical update from someone other than Okposo.

Point Blank also links to video of the hit on Fanhouse. Phaneuf is simply the next in a too-long line of guys who has no respect for the amount of damage he can inflict on another human being. You can't let up in the heat of the action? Of course you can, especially in an early preseason game. Phaneuf could have played the body any number of ways without taking the livelihood of a promising young player in his hands.

Hockeyville Coverage on GHL, LH

2009-09-11T08:49:00.003-04:00

The venerable hockey history blog GreatestHockeyLegends.com will be providing in-depth coverage this weekend of the Hockeyville festivities in Terrace, BC. This year's participants in Hockeyville are the Vancouver Canucks and, of course, your New York Islanders.

GHL's Joe Pelletier will be covering the events, which include visits by Don Cherry and the Stanley Cup and culminate in Monday night's game, for his own site, The Hockey News, and the Islanders.

I'm sure you can look forward to some great historical pieces on both franchises, as well as live coverage, photos, and interviews from Hockeyville 2009. GHL may be the best place to follow the Islanders during their first weekend of training camp—don't miss it!

Update: And how could I forget that Lighthouse Hockey will also have a man on the scene!

Sillinger's Long Journey Comes to an End

2009-08-26T20:43:00.004-04:00

On a conference call with nearly two dozen hockey writers today, Mike Sillinger seemed at peace with his injury-induced retirement from the NHL. His heart may still have several years of hockey juice left, but his body has reached the end of its functional NHL life.

Sillinger, speaking from his home in Regina, Sask., revealed that microfracture resurfacing surgery aimed at sparing the remaining cartilage in his hip failed to do so. Down to bone on bone, he now sports a titanium joint and bone in his hip.

Sillinger said that he knew going in that the surgery doesn't always work. The hip replacement does not preclude him from attempting a comeback, but Sillinger sees no need to play the hero and risk his future health even though he currently feels wonderful.

When asked to recall his most lasting memories from his time on Long Island, Sillinger said, "My time on Long Island was fantastic." He then pointed to making the playoffs his first year and his 1,000th NHL game as standout memories.

Of the latter, Sillinger said, "The organization was first class. It was a day and a game I'll never forget."

Sillinger also spoke of what it was like to join the Islanders, noting that he didn't know what to expect because he had spent most of his career in the Western Conference. Talking to friends like Trevor Linden and Adrian Aucoin encouraged him. They, and others, all said that he was going to a great place with a good bunch of guys.

Garth Snow added that "Mike is good at many different things as a hockey player." The Islanders GM said that the team would attempt to fill the holes left behind with the group it currently has, but Sillinger's are big shoes to fill. Snow continued, "We were very fortunate that Mike was part of our organization. And there will be a lasting effect, especially the impression he's made on our younger players.

As for his future, Sillinger said, "I'm going to take a step back and enjoy the next few months. I'm very fortunate I don't have to rush into anything." He did admit to being a little jealous of buddy Doug Weight, who signed back on with the Islanders and will have the opportunity to play with what Sillinger called "a great young team."

Due to his travels, Sillinger could carelessly be referred to as a journeyman player. But his journey was one that will be highly respected by all who came into contact with him during a distinguished career.

Additional quotes from Mike Sillinger on the day he announced his retirement:

"I think my wife dreaded the trade deadline more than I did."

"In this game, when you feel sorry for yourself, someone is going to take your job pretty quick."

"I'm so thankful to every organization I played for."

For more quotes from Sillinger and Snow, check out Lighthouse Hockey.

Why SNY May Not Be an Option for Point Blank

2009-07-31T12:31:00.006-04:00

As Islanders fans everywhere mourn the potential loss of Islanders Point Blank, they have offered no shortage of fix-it schemes to keep alive the best source of insider news, analysis, and storytelling the Islanders community has ever had.

One of the most popular suggestions is that Point Blank operator Chris Botta contact SNY about moving the blog to SNY.TV's blog network, which has Matt Cerrone's wildly successful MetsBlog as its flagship.

Last September, I wrote the following:

"If Chris Botta's new Islanders Point Blank blog (site not yet active) is as promised, 24/7 coverage (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), then the Islanders community is in for a treat. Botta can do for the Islanders what Matt Cerrone has done for the Mets, but with the credibility and contacts in place from the very start."

Mission accomplished.

Obviously, Point Blank, from the perspective of content, is a perfect fit for SNY, which lacks an Islanders blog. But do we really think that the network is going to offer Chris the kind of compensation that would allow him to continue blogging full time and still take care of his family? Unfortunately, I don't see it—not in this economic climate, not with major partners at SNY having lost $700 million. Someone is going to have to prove how the network could make enough money from Point Blank to consider footing the bill for its resources AND paying the writer an acceptable salary.

Then there's this.

A while back I contacted a significant figure at SNY about them not having an Islanders blog to see what the site's interest would be in adding one (not even mine, necessarily—it would take a good crew of bloggers contributing, assuming they weren't paying much, if at all). Here's what he told me:

"As of now, they only have interest in a Rangers blog, which, frankly, isn't doing very much traffic, so I think hockey is taking a back seat."

Of course, at the time, no one was talking about the Islanders blog being Point Blank, with its impressive traffic, engaged community, and international reputation for excellence.

Anyway, that's what we're up against as far as the SNY option for Point Blank.

Whatever happens, I wish Chris the best of luck and hope we continue to hear from him, whether in a professional capacity or at his pleasure.

If I'm being totally honest, I'll tell you that Point Blank made things difficult for those of us who do this on a part-time basis. It was a challenge to have anything meaningful to say and not feel pushed to the margins in the shadow of the constant and exceptional coverage that Point Blank provided. Trying to keep up was never even a consideration.

That being said, I hope along with everyone else that the challenge continues. It would be a shame to have something so good go away.

Tavares Officially an Islander

2009-07-15T12:36:00.005-04:00

Press releases from NHL teams show up frequently. Many of them are yawnful (I'm allowed to make up words 'cause I don't sleep much these days). Occasionally, a press release gets you pumped up.

Such is the case with today's news that John Tavares has signed his three-year NHL entry level contract with the Islanders. Kudos to both sides for getting this relatively simple negotation completed before anyone really had the chance to ask, "Hey, how come Tavares isn't signed yet?"

Smooth sailing. Island breezes. All good things in this summer of expectations.

General Manager Garth Snow on the signing:

It's an exciting time for the Islanders organization as we develop our young talent into a contender. John provides another important piece to help us achieve our ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup.

Tavares comments:

I'm excited to officially become a part of the New York Islanders organization and begin my professional career this upcoming season. I look forward to joining the Islanders and be part of a team that's ultimate goal is to bring the Stanley Cup back to Long Island.

In other news, B.D. Gallof has a first-hand report on the Islanders' interest in free agent forward Alex Tanguay. According to Tanguay's agent, Bob Sauve, any presumed interest does not exist.

Snow seems to be deadly serious about letting his young forwards sink or swim this season while letting the signed veterans find their place among the future leaders of the team.

A Draft Reflection; Free Agency Day 2

2009-07-02T14:52:00.004-04:00

In the days leading up to the draft, Garth Snow was already being lauded for his handling of the first selection. By not tipping his hand at all, he was keeping the Islanders squarely in the spotlight league-wide, while simultaneously piquing the interest of the fan base. Upon converting the tap-in of actually selecting Tavares, Snow has continued to receive praise.

In the end, the most important thing is that John Tavares ended up in an Islanders uniform. But Snow's approach to selecting the sorely needed goal scorer does carry at least one potential negative consequence. By allowing Matt Duchene and Victor Hedman to be 1B and 1C to Tavares' 1A, Snow has inextricably linked the three players in the minds of many fans. These fans will be following the careers of Duchene and Hedman the same way they follow Luongo, Gaborik, Spezza, Heatley, and every other could've-should've-been.

Indeed, when you weigh it, it's a small risk for the crowning moment the Islanders were able to orchestrate on the evening of June 26th. 10,000 fans roaring their approval isn't often achieved in June. And the solution to all that could ill? Tavares goes out and pots 40 a year for at least the next decade. How hard could that be?

The great thing about the draft being over is that it's finally starting to feel like Tavares is really an Islander. Even if you were 100% sure that the Islanders would draft him, there was something uncomfortable about the relationship, fostered no doubt by members of the media intent on making it uncomfortable. But there was a sense that even if the Islanders drafted Tavares, he wouldn't really be theirs. At best, he was a loaner, conscripted to Uniondale according to the rules.

Now, that feeling has completely drained away. What remains is a potential star for Islanders fans to enjoy free from paranoia about Tavares bolting, snowballing, or blowing away like a leaf.

****

On day 2 of the 2009 free agency period the Islanders have focused on organizational depth. The newest Islanders/Sound Tigers are goalie Scott Munroe, left wing Jeremy Reich, and defenseman Brett Westgarth. Details provided by the team:

Munroe, an undrafted goalie from Moose Jaw, SASK, has been a part of the Philadelphia Flyers organization for the past four seasons. He received his first call-up to the National Hockey League last year with the Flyers. The 27-year-old net-minder posted a career year last season with a record of 31-19-0-4, a save percentage of .926 and four shutouts. Munroe led the Phantoms to the Calder Cup Playoffs in each of the past two seasons. During the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs, Munroe made 65 saves in a five overtime contest against the Albany River Rats to earn the victory in the longest game in American Hockey League history.

Reich has played in a total of 99 NHL games scoring two goals and four assists while compiling 161 penalty minutes. The Craik, SASK native has been a part of the Boston Bruins organization for the past three years and played under Islanders head coach Scott Gordon his first two seasons with the teams AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. Last season, the 6-1, 196 pound left wing, served as the team captain of Providence, setting single-season career high numbers of 21 goals and 13 assists for 34 points in 76 games. Reich was originally drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the second round (39th overall)of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft.

Westgarth played the last three seasons in the AHL. Last year, the 6-2, 215 pound defenseman played for the Worcester Sharks, AHL affiliate of the San Jose Sharks, scoring nine points (2 goals and 7 assists) while totaling 137 penalty minutes. Westgarth, a native of Amhertsburg, ON, is a Princeton University graduate who skated for the Tigers from 2002-2007 where he compiled four goals and 20 assists for 24 points.

Roloson Signed to Two-Year Deal

2009-07-01T14:18:00.003-04:00

Greg Logan reports on his Newsday blog that the Islanders have signed veteran goaltender Dwayne Roloson to a two-year contract worth $5 million.

At first glance, this is a fine solution to the questionable status of Rick DiPietro for the upcoming season. Once given the job, Roloson was very solid in Edmonton last year and can fill the gap until DiPietro is ready to fully carry the load again or, in the worst-case scenario, one of Nate Lawson, Mikko Koskinen, or Anders Nilsson is ready to step in.

Stuck Between a Radek and a Park Place

2009-05-23T00:27:00.000-04:00

I'm going to start off with something on the personal side today, both because it affects this blog and might be a minor source of amusement to some.

This time of year is challenging for a hockey blogger, especially one that covers a non playoff team. The last game was over a month ago. The draft and free agency are over a month away. The news surrounding the Islanders is far from uplifting. Any excitement raised by the expectation of adding a world-class player in June is mitigated by the increasingly murky future of the franchise.

If you're like me, you're growing weary of Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray being the most significant figure in all matters related to your favorite hockey team. And I don't say that to discourage the many talented bloggers out there who continue to pound away at that story. It is a necessary evil. As a fan community we are fortunate to have multiple resources digging away at Lighthouse (non) developments.

But back to my original point, which was that this time of year requires a little extra effort. During the season, topics for discussion nearly write themselves, at the very least, every day there's a game and often on the days in between.

Normally I would spend this time of year coming up with different approaches to providing content: looking back at past players, clearing the notebook of quotes I never got to post, analyzing the fan base and readership through Web metrics, etc.

This spring is a little different. Okay, way different.

My wife and I are expecting our first child shortly. We've simultaneously been going through the process of finding a house, negotiating, trying to encourage the bank to move things along as fast possible, nailing down a closing date, etc. If you can help it, I don't recommend preparing for a new baby, buying a house, and preparing to move all at the same time. (Note: if it's a baby you want, though, become an Islanders blogger—that seems to work.)

Here's where we get to the slightly amusing (I hope), Islanders-themed part. The baby is due about a week before the draft. A few days ago, he was nearly granted an early exemption (that's not the amusing part).

As I was making my way to the hospital, one of the many things running through my head was that we still hadn't settled on a name. My wife later told me that thought was also going through her mind.

We've pored over hundreds of names, restricting ourselves to a finite set of first initials based on loved ones we've lost and want to honor. This goes for both the first and middle names.

Out of our search and discussion, two of the choices that have emerged as possiblities for the middle name are Radek and Park.

Though you may find it hard to believe, those names emerged with no influence from me. It was my wife who first put a star next to them (metaphorically). She has certainly heard of Radek Martinek and Richard Park, but I can assure you that neither popped into her head when she made note of the names.

So there I was the other day heading to the hospital in the back of a cab, which of course got stuck in traffic on the FDR, thinking, "Oh my God, my son is going to end up being named Something Radek Rosenblatt or Something Park Rosenblatt, and all of my blogger friends are going to make fun of me!"

Well, as you already know, we've had a little more time to contemplate things. I'd say, at this point, the chances are remote that Radek or Park makes the final cut (though I do think they are both kind of cool). My wife, at least, has more time to think, as she is now on bed rest. We hope that the little guy waits a while longer before declaring free agency.

We wouldn't want him to miss the combine.

****

Oh, what the heck, one Lighthouse comment. As many of you know, Chris Botta asserted yesterday that the Town of Hempstead will take no action on the Lighthouse prior to Charles Wang's season-opener deadline for finding out where the project stands. At that point, the Islanders' owner can either call his own bluff, or take the teeth out of any further negotiating tactics he might employ. I expect him to do the former, and immediately begin exploring all avenues for ridding himself of the Hempstead and, possibly, the Islanders.

The funny (ha, ha) thing, of course, is that it has seemed all along that Ms. Murray was striving to make sure that the Lighthouse had no impact on the upcoming election and her legacy. Now, for many Nassau residents, the Lighthouse is the mother of all campaign issues. But with the Democratic party yet to announce its candidate to oppose the incumbent, and no perceived enthusiasm over the chances of any one particular candidate, it appears that those hopeful for a change in leadership, and subsequent change in the fortunes of the Lighthouse project, will have an uphill battle to fight.

The grasping-at-straws alternative is to hope that, once re-elected, Ms. Murray herself has a change in attitude toward the project, when it no longer directly impacts her next term in office. But there's always another term, and another office.

****

Despite the substantial amount of time we've spent discussing the merits of keeping Joey MacDonald or Yann Danis, it's hardly surprising that neither is expected to return, as anticipated by Greg Logan. According to Logan, a Danis encore remains a remote possiblilty if he's willing to settle for a two-way deal. If not, I'm satisfied to see the depth chart at Bridgeport remain in the hands of Nate Lawson and Peter Mannino.

The success of this move is predicated by the Islanders actually going out and getting a goalie like Craig Anderson to backfill Rick DiPietro. Anderson is variously being referred to as a 1A or 1B goaltender. I don't know whether to split the difference and call him a 1A.5, or just see how he likes being called Chico.

The Isles should still bring in a third veteran goalie for training camp, just in case the 1A.5 ends up being the only #1. I'd rather see Lawson and Mannino continue to play in the AHL next year than serve as a sparsely used NHL backup.

Whose Pick Is It Anyway?

2009-05-13T22:17:00.002-04:00

On Monday Greg Logan wrote in his Newsday blog about Garth Snow receiving advice (unsolicited) for handling the No. 1 overall pick in this June's draft. As part of the discussion, Logan quoted Sports Illustrated's Michael Farber from an appearance on TSN's The Reporters. In a segment called, "Thumbs up, thumbs down," Farber said:

"My thumb is down to the New York Islanders, who have decided to poll fans about what to do with the number one draft choice. There are great hockey scouts right there, and they know what they're doing. This is an insult - one, to your scouts. Garth Snow's team is going to look at John Tavares, maybe make him number one, or the tall drink of water from Sweden named Victor Hedman. But if you are listening to your fans, it's an insult because you're pandering people who don't know what they're doing. It was Marv Levy who once said, 'If you start listening to fans, you end up sitting with them.' Listening is a bad idea."

Most Islanders fans know that this quote is a backdoor to a shortcut to an unnecessary conclusion. The submission of fan opinions on the number one draft choice is merely a method by which to enter them in a contest for a trip to the draft. But, once again, it is left to us to make sure that the rest of the NHL community understands the larger, and more accurate, picture.

No one has said that Garth Snow is going to listen to the fans—not in this contest, and not on the many Internet message boards where the vast majority of Islanders fans have already voiced their preference for John Tavares.

Even if Snow himself did say, "What better way to allow our fans to voice their opinion," in the announcement of the contest, it's making a Dominik Hasek-sized stretch to surmise that Snow is taking fan opinions into consideration when he evaluates the top prospects.

The Islanders have already announced the first two winners of the contest. You know what they haven't announced? Any results from the submissions.

Furthermore, I don't know how you can suggest that the scouts are taking offense at any of this. It's marketing and public relations only. The scouts know this. Snow and Charles Wang have heralded their scouting staff over and over and repeatedly stated that the staff is in charge of this process.

If there's one thing I strongly believe, it's that Snow will make what he believes is the right choice regardless of what public opinion says. I don't think the boos that rained down at last year's draft party when Snow traded down from 5 to 7 to 9 and then drafted someone virtually no one in the crowd had considered have changed him one bit. He will risk getting booed all over again to make what he feels is the right choice. And it will be based on Ryan Jankowski's feedback, not ours.

(P.S. I know Lighthouse Hockey already did this, but I had it saved in progress so I'm setting it free anyway!)

Star Power

2009-05-07T23:27:00.002-04:00

Any of you Islanders fans watching the Penguins-Capitals series? Are you, perhaps, more locked into that one than, say, Hurricanes-Bruins? (I'll choose that one simply because the two Western Conference series introduce some time zone issues.) I know I am, and it's so obvious why I'm tuning in:

Star Power.

At 2-1, the series is now competitive. But even if Washington had won Game 3, pushing the series toward disappointing, it still would have had drawing power. Sure, it would be even more special if the Ovechkin-Crosby-Malkin troika were battling with a Conference Championship and a trip to the Stanley Cup Final on the line. But each time I tune in for one of these games I feel like I'm watching NHL history unfolding. It's a treat to watch three such unusually talented players, perhaps not even yet in their primes, duel and dash and dish on the same ice. When the series is over, I fully expect someone to post a highlight video on You Tube with "Duel of the Fates" as the soundtrack.

But let's get back to the intended theme here.

Star Power.

The most-you-could-ask-for scenario for the Islanders and this draft is to have John Tavares turn on his Star Power. It doesn't even have to be of the same magnitude with which Ovechkin, Crosby, and Malkin shine.

But just imagine hockey fans throughout the world tuning in to watch an Islanders playoff game because they want to see Tavares perform.

We don't yet know if Tavares is capable of being that kind of draw. And, if he is, we certainly have no assurance that it will be Islanders' games to which he draws people. The Pens and Caps could go the next ten years without a Cup and they would still be compelling—even more so if they remain in the mix.

I would certainly give Tavares and the rest of the young Islanders another year to get their NHL legs.

Two years from now, the roster needs to include Star Power along with the right mix to make it to this stage of the playoffs. The Islanders need to make NHL fans want to watch.

****

Potvin Dumped

Speaking of star power, one former Islanders star is out of work. Via Kukla's Korner, Denis Potvin has been let go as the Florida Panthers' TV color analyst. The Panthers are paring their broadcast team down to three. Steve Goldstein and Billy Lindsay will handle the TV work, while Randy Moller goes solo on the radio.

Potvin, who had been with the team for its entire existence, was caught off guard by the dismissal. From Steve Gorten's blog in the Sun-Sentinel: "You come to a point where you figure you're a lifer with a company or a group. That's not the case anymore. I was surprised. I was not expecting it."

The Panthers assured the Hall-of-Famer that the decision was neither personal nor performance-based. Still, that has to be a tough puck to swallow after 15 years with an organization.

Potvin has a son still in high school and is not sure of his next move, though he would like to continue in broadcasting.

****

Congratulations to the U.S. Men's National Team for reaching the medal round at the World Championship. Yesterday's 3-2 quarterfinal win over Finland sets up a semifinal matchup on Friday with the defending champion squad from Russia. Team USA hadn't beaten Finland at an IIHF event since the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics. Kyle Okposo contributed an assist to the victory.

****

I thought this was a cool picture, so here's the cover of the 2008-09 End of Season Media Guide...

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=21092)

Hockey Night in Brooklyn

2009-05-04T22:37:00.003-04:00

Notice of an interesting event came through my inbox today and I thought I'd pass it along.

This Thursday evening, May 7, Gelf's Varsity Letters sports reading series will host an all-hockey night at an art gallery in DUMBO.

The panel includes Jason Cohen, author of Zamboni Rodeo: Chasing Hockey Dreams for Austin to Albuquerque; Jeff Z. Klein, biographer of Mark Messier and blogger for Slap Shot, the hockey blog of The New York Times; and Laura Robinson, author of Crossing the Line: Violence and Sexual Assault in Canada's National Sport.

This is a FREE event. Doors open at 7 PM for a 7:30 start time. Please see the link in the second paragraph for details about the location and interviews with the panelists.

In the interviews, Cohen discusses life in minor league hockey after spending time following the Austin Ice Bats; Klein speaks to whether his book The Death of Hockey was premature; and Robinson speaks about hockey's lingering sexual abuse and misogyny problems.

That's probably about all you'll get for local hockey activity on this particular Thursday in May. Unless, of course, you're on the ice yourself!

Excitement, Business Trend Upward

2009-05-01T23:36:00.001-04:00

The Islanders are reporting that their recent triumph in the Draft Lottery has sparked excitement in the fan base and, more importantly, business in the ticket office.

According to a May 1st press release, interest in tickets for next season has grown since the April 14th drawing that deposited the No. 1 overall draft pick in the Islanders' deep but full-of-holes pockets. Phone calls and e-mail inquiries are up 300 percent compared to the same time a year ago.

The team also states that it is on pace to renew almost 90 percent of 2008-09's season tickets. Over the previous three seasons, that number ranged from 67 percent to 80 percent. The Islanders ranked 6th in the NHL this past year in new season tickets. Of course, while that's a positive trend, you have to account for the fact that some teams simply do not have a lot of season tickets left to sell. But the team reports being 40 percent ahead of last year's pace.

Business is good enough (or has leveled off enough—just trying to keep it real) that you can place deposits for partial plans and group tickets as well. A deposit now gets you seat selection priority later—the schedule and details of the partial packages are not yet available. At this year's Draft Party on June 26th, interested parties will be able to tour the available seating areas. (I imagine they should get that part of the event done before the pick is made.)

No doubt this press release is intended to drum up even more business and create a perception about the buzz surrounding the team. But you also have to acknowledge that there should be extra buzz this offseason. With the performances by Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit last season, you know that there's always something to see when you watch an Islanders game. With the possibility of seeing a potential star added to the lineup on June 26th, and the continued development of other young talents, there should be a bump in excitement.

Of course, there is still a sense of hesitation that prevails with some fans due to the increased politicization of the Lighthouse Project. In the past week alone, we've seen one blog assert that a political party opposes the project because of fears that it will increase the numbers of the other party on voter registration rolls. And another blog shines light on the strangeness that has the company backing the Town of Hempstead's evaluation of the Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement also contributing to the Committee to Elect the town's supervisor—but perhaps also consulting for the Lighthouse Development Group.

So it's understandable when some say they refuse to commit their hard-earned savings to a team that might not be here very long. If it were me, and spending the necessary money was reasonable and provided sufficient joy, I would want to enjoy the team as long as I could.

So what's it going to be? Are you swept up by the excitement being trumpeted by the team, or beat down by the immovable project?

****

In World Championship action, Team USA opened the Qualification Round with a decisive 6-2 victory over France. Kyle Okposo opened the scoring just 4:02 into the game. He later assisted on the goal that staked the U.S. to a 4-0 lead in the second period.

Team USA meets Russia Saturday afternoon at 2:15 ET before facing Mark Streit and Switzerland on Monday to finish out the round.

The Swiss surprisingly lost to Latvia 2-1 in a shootout in their opening game of the Qualifying Round. Streit assisted on the game-tying goal with just 1:31 remaining in the third period and played 34:30 total.

Okposo and Streit Win World Championship Opening Games

2009-04-25T19:48:00.002-04:00

Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit both emerged victorious in their first contests at the 2009 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland.

Earlier today, Team USA defeated Latvia 4-2. Okposo assisted on a Jack Johnson goal at 11:15 of the first period to tie the game 1-1. Johnson would score the eventual game winner unassisted with four and a half minutes to go in the second period.

Drew Stafford (unassisted) and Patrick O'Sullivan (from Ron Hainsey and Dustin Brown) also scored for the U.S. The team finished 0-4 on the power play. Robert Esche made 18 saves for the win.

Okposo took two shots on goal, finished +2, and received 15:53 of ice time.

Going by the game notes, it looks as though Okposo (St. Paul) is playing on an All-Minnesota second line with T.J. Oshie (Warroad) and David Backes (Minneapolis).

Team USA returns to the ice Monday at 10:15 EDT to face Austria.

Yesterday, Streit assisted on a power play goal that accounted for all the scoring as Switzerland held off France 1-0. Martin Gerber recorded the shutout.

Streit's name inexplicably does not appear on the individual stats report page of the game summary, so you can just assume that he took 12 of Switzerland's 42 shots on goal and logged 38:42 of ice time.

The Swiss next face Germany on Sunday.

Comeau Reassigned, Cleared to Play; Worlds News

2009-04-21T21:11:00.008-04:00

The Islanders announced this evening that forward Blake Comeau has been reassigned to Bridgeport and the medical staff has cleared him to play. It's a remarkably quick comeback for Comeau, who fractured his wrist only 14 days ago.

The 23-year-old from Saskatchewan will be with the Sound Tigers Wednesday evening when they host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in Game 4 of their best-of-seven East Division Semi-Final playoff series. The Penguins lead the series two games to one.

According to the Connecticut Post's Mike Fornabaio, Comeau took the full practice today, as did Jeremy Colliton.

Comeau appeared in 53 games for the Islanders this season and registered 25 points on seven goals and 18 assists.

While spending the early part of the season with Bridgeport, Comeau had four goals and 15 assists in 19 games.

Comeau's clearance seems to demonstrate how much more cautious the Islanders are with certain injuries, such as those suffered earlier this season by Frans Nielsen, Radek Martinek, and Sean Bergenheim. Those three players have not been cleared to play in the upcoming IIHF World Championship Switzerland despite finishing out the regular season on active duty with the Islanders.

In Nielsen's case, he admits that any deviation from his rehab routine is detrimental to a full recovery from the leg injuries he suffered as the result of a high and dangerous Mike Mottau hit back in November.

The decisions on Martinek and Bergenheim appear to be simply caution at work. It is sensible for the Islanders to allow the two a longer recovery period before next season. Of course, it's also a shame that all three lose out on the opportunity to represent their countries.

Meanwhile, Comeau may find himself in the thick of an intense playoff season two weeks after fracturing his wrist in the Isles' 9-0 loss to Carolina. With no knowledge of the severity of his injury, or medical knowledge to establish a rate of recovery, you'd have to assume that Comeau suffered only minor damage and there is no added risk of incurring further injury.

****

Kyle Okposo and Team USA lost to Mark Streit and Switzerland in an exhibition match by the score of 5-2 today in Kloten, Switzerland. The American team actually led 2-0 on a pair of goals by Dustin Brown. Streit started the Swiss barrage of five unanswered goals at 8:25 of the second period. He later added an assist.

Tournament play begins Friday. Team USA opens up on Saturday against Latvia. The two nations are joined by Sweden and Austria in Group C.

Numbers: Okposo Answers the Challenge

2009-04-19T19:49:00.005-04:00

Back in February, a blog entry I wrote challenged Kyle Okposo to insert himself back into the Calder Trophy talk after a disappointing first half of the season. The point wasn't that he had a realistic shot at winning the award.

By performing up to a certain level for the remainder of the season, he could establish benchmarks from which to launch the type of career we're all hoping he has. He could also remind the NHL community that he is a player in the class of those who will ultimately compete for the award.

At the time, I wrote the following:

Okposo should set two goals to pursue for the remainder of the season. The first is to maintain the elevated level of play that saw him post six points in a five-game stretch from the end of January to the beginning of February. By becoming a consistent performer, he can establish himself as a go-to guy on a team that sorely needs one.

The second goal is strongly correlated with the first one, but goes a step further. Through his play, Okposo should force people—fans and media—to put him in the mix for the Calder Trophy...

...Okposo has ten goals and nine assists in 39 games played this season. Let's set an ambitious but reasonable bar for the rest of the way. How does 12 goals and 12 assists over the final 30 games sound? That would result in a 43-point season in 69 games. That's a good mark for a 20-year-old to launch a career from if you ask me.

That was on February 10th. Okposo played in 25 of the Islanders' final 29 games after that date. In those 25 games, he tallied 8 goals and 12 assists. The 20 points in his final 25 games enabled Okposo to finish the season with 39 points in 65 games.

Frankly, when I came up with 12-12-24 numbers as a goal, I thought he would have a harder time notching the assists than the goals. Instead, he hit the assist mark right on the nose. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't missed four of the final six games?

Realistically, Okposo still would have fallen a little short of the goal mark. And, you know, I don't hear anyone talking about him in the same breath as the anticipated Calder finalists.

But color me impressed anyway. (And, as long as we're talking colors, the Red, White, and Blue were apparently impressed, too.)

Along the way, Okposo put up his second four-game goal scoring streak of the season. He also had an eight-game point scoring streak after putting together two separate five-game streaks earlier in the season.

Okposo finished his season by amassing six goals and ten assists in the final 14 games that he played. I'd love to see what the final totals would have been if not for those missed games and the rust they left for the final two contests.

But you know what I'd like to see more? A full season of Okposo scoring at the rate of .77 points per game that he achieved after Christmas. In fact, since that translates to a 63-point season, I think he can do even better.

He might even be able to do better without the help of John Tavares. But that's one hypothesis I don't think we need to test.

****

Playing without Okposo tonight, the Bridgeport Sound Tigers rallied from a 4-1 deficit to defeat the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 5-4 in OT.

Sean Bentivoglio had the overtime winner and an assist. Jon "Mario" Sim finished the night with two goals and an assist. Peter Mannino scored the victory in net. Ben Walter had two assists, as did Chris Lee. Playing together, Sim and Walter each finished +4.

The Penguins scored on three of their four power play opportunities.

Justin DiBenedetto made his professional hockey debut for the Sound Tigers. He finished -1 with two shots on goal and a roughing minor.

The Sound Tigers now trail the best-of-seven opening round AHL playoff series two games to one. The series continues Wednesday night back in Bridgeport, with games 5 and 6 (if necessary) back in PA.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=20770.)

Two-Minute Minors for 4/16/09

2009-04-16T18:58:00.004-04:00

Lighthouse Hockey has some interesting perspective on Brian Burke's involvement in the upcoming Tavares/Hedman selections.
It was nice to see Billy Jaffe get the plum gig of Flyers-Pens on Versus last night. His star has really risen fast.
The Islanders' broadcast team was further represented in the postseason by Butch Goring, who got the call to man the studio desk alongside Deb Placey on the MSG Network's local coverage.
Congratulations to Kyle Okposo for officially being named to the Team USA roster for the IIHF World Championship in Switzerland. I was also pleased to see that Mark Streit will get the opportunity to represent his country as it hosts the tournament. Now, both of you, stay healthy. The same goes for Sean Bergenheim, if he does take the ice for Finland.
Speaking of Okposo, Okposo Net reports that #21 celebrates his 21st birthday today. Word is that he will be wearing #12 for the Sound Tigers this weekend, so, with back to back games Friday and Saturday, maybe he will limit his celebratory shot intake to that number instead of the traditional 21. (Disclaimer: I have no idea if Okposo drinks, shots or otherwise.)
And there's been a Joe Sacco sighting! The former Islander will join Scott Gordon as an assistant coach to Ron Wilson for Team USA. It's always interesting to hear about what former players who may have slipped out of your consciousness are up to. According to Greg Logan's post in Newsday, Sacco coaches the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL, which now that I think about it, definitely does ring a bell. Sacco played 98 games for the Isles over two seasons in the late '90s. Looking back at his stats on hockeydb.com, I would have pegged him for more than 6 goals and 3 assists in that time. It's funny what memory can do.

Logan also noted that B.U. sophomore forward Colin Wilson made the U.S. squad, while now former teammate Matt Gilroy did not. I think that's more a reflection of player availability and the respective defense/forward depth charts than a commentary on the potential of Gilroy.

[NEW]: Nice job by Logan getting an update on Gilroy from his agent. It doesn't sound like either party is in the other's plans.
If you are not attending this weekend's AHL playoff games at the Coliseum, Tom Liodice of The Tiger Track will be providing the Islanders' official live blog for Games 1 and 2. The coverage will be linked from the Islanders' team site, where Tom has been writing the official game recaps all season long.
Tomorrow, 4/17, New York Islander Fan Central closes its doors for good. I just wanted to take the opportunity to recognize the tireless work that NYIFC has done over the past couple of years. There was no greater source for news articles related to the New York Islanders. The blog will remain available for the next few weeks to allow for coverage of the AHL playoffs and WC through news feeds.
Corey Witt has provided notice that Doug Weight will appear on XM's NHL Live today at 12:30 PM.
Here's something that caught me by surprise last night: I already miss Islanders hockey. I was thinking ahead to today and all that the day would have in store. When I got to Thursday evening, it suddenly hit me: no Islanders game. It's Thursday night—there's usually a game. There should be a game. As much of a baseball fan as I am, at least there's also still hockey to follow, even if the Islanders are only involved in it at the AHL and international levels. And after only one night, this year's NHL playoffs already have considerable buzz and appeal.
Finally, another big thank you to everyone who tuned in for Tuesday night's live blog/chat of Garth Snow's post-lottery press conference. My assumption is that the call was never planned to be that long in the first place, and perhaps the Islanders only reserved 15 minutes on the conference bridge system. When the time was up, the call simply dropped. Press conferences generally do have time limits placed on them by the media relations department—part of their job is to protect the players and coaches. The coach's post-game presser rarely goes beyond five minutes. Anyway, despite the abrupt ending on Tuesday, we still got some decent, if not dramatic, quotes from the general manager. In the end, the short call was fortuitous because I had time to open up the chat to reader comments. You guys did not disappoint! We had some terrific questions and comments, and I was blown away by the level of interest and participation. You all make the community—great job!

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=20693.)

Isles Win Lottery; Live Blog: Garth Snow Conference Call 9 PM ET

2009-04-14T19:57:00.004-04:00

Coming up at 9:00 PM ET, a live blog of Islanders GM Garth Snow's conference call with the media following tonight's NHL Draft Lottery (Versus, 8:00 PM).

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=cac15205fd" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Garth Snow Draft Lottery Conference Call&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Deep Quotes by Mark Streit and Sean Bergenheim

2009-04-11T23:22:00.003-04:00

At some point last season, I stopped recording the post-game locker room interviews on my voice recorder. It was no longer necessary because by the time I got home after a game, video of all of interviews was already posted on Islanders TV.

As you may have noticed, the blanket coverage that used to be provided by ITV has been scaled back. Lately, you usually get Scott Gordon's press conference posted after each game and nothing further. That's the case so far tonight.

If you read Newsday and The New York Post, you will get some of the best quotes from the player post-game scrums in the game recaps by Greg Logan and Dan Martin. But, because the papers have deadlines and limited space, you'll never get the complete take from the night's interview subjects in the absence of the ITV videos. Since I don't have to write a gamer and I don't have a deadline or space restriction, I thought you might enjoy hearing a little more of what the players had to say.

Here, then, are the full quotes from Mark Streit and Sean Bergenheim following tonight's 3-2 loss to the Flyers. Please note that the questions were asked by multiple members of the media and are not presented here verbatim. The questions as stated here do reflect the intent and the spirit with which they were asked. The responses from the players are direct quotes.

Mark Streit

How does today's game compare to recent efforts that resulted in lop-sided losses?

Well, obviously, you can't really compare it. We played way better tonight. Smarter and better effort, obviously. But you know what, at the end of the day it's a loss, too.

What's behind the recent losing after playing well for a long stretch?

Well, it's obviously frustrating. We played some pretty good hockey over a while and then we kind of lost it. I think we're missing consistency in our game and that's a big part in this league. If you want to play well, if you want to make the playoffs, you have to play consistent and we don't do that yet.

Are the recent results attributable to injuries or inexperience?

Obviously it would be nice to play healthy once in a while. It never happened this year. It's been one of those years. It's a very young team. You gotta make the experience and hopefully next year we're going to be better and improve in those certain areas.

How was the team's 5-on-5 play against the Flyers?

We played way better. We made smarter plays, we skated harder, and we kept it really simple. Still, against teams like that you make a couple of small mistakes and they take advantage of that right away. We have to learn and get better at it.

Has it been harder to be as effective against teams that are still playing for something?

I don't think so. Even before that kind of slump we had, we played well and we faced teams that are in the playoff race. The road trip we had in Canada, we played Montreal, we played well. We played in Boston, we played well. We played in Chicago, we played well. We have a young team, lots of injuries—that's just the way it is this year.

Does seeing a team like Philadelphia go from the bottom of the league to the playoffs so quickly give him hope?

Yeah, things can go really fast. I mean, even teams like Washington and Pittsburgh, obviously, Ovechkin and Crosby, Malkin, every year is draft choices. But, still, it can go really fast. You have a good core of young, very talented players and I think they make good experiences this year. You know, they play a lot, they play in key situations, they face good teams, and those experiences are very important for next year. And, you know what? The rest is up to the management. You know, just be here and try to do as good as possible as a player. That's basically what it is.

Does the team need to draft an offensive player or a defensive player?

Well, I think, yeah, we need kind of like a sniper, goal scorer. I think when Ricky's healthy and we have our whole D corps, we have a pretty good defense we can build on and a lot of good talent up front. And, obviously, one or the other guy who can put the puck in the net wouldn't hurt for next year. But, you know what? That's out of my hands and I do as good as possible to be ready for next year, be even better.

Sean Bergenheim

How does he think his line played?

I think our line played well. We should have had at least one, maybe two more goals. It's a little bit frustrating. I think we created chances, but we just didn't bury them. I mean, we got one, but it's a little bit frustrating because we feel we should have scored at least another one.

How did Okposo play in his first game back from 11 days off with an injury?

Great. He's such a good player you don't really notice it that much. I don't know how he felt. He said he felt really good. When I came back I noticed it a little bit in the conditioning, but I think Kyle skated well. I personally didn't notice anything. He played his game, which is always really good.

Does he himself feel close to 100% physically after a few games back?

Yeah, absolutely. I think the first, the Carolina game, the conditioning wasn't really at the game level, but these last two games have felt really good. Obviously, you want wins so you kind of feel a little bit down but the body feels good.

Have injuries caught up to the team and affected the last stretch, in which they've lost 9 of 11 after playing .500?

Yeah, I would say so. At some point, it's going to show. A game like today, also I think the Pittsburgh game, we played pretty well. Then they get a few goals and we really can't keep up after that. There's a lot of good stuff in our game, but we're a little bit off so we that don't get those wins. I would say that injuries are maybe catching up a little.

Which player should the team choose if they get the No. 1 draft pick?

I know there's talk about these two players, Tavares and Hedman. It's something that we can't control. I think both of those players would bring a lot to this team. Even if Hedman is a defensman, he's going to bring a lot offensively, too. That's why we have good scouts, and a good GM, and they're going to make the decision. So, it's not up to the players.

Has he seen Hedman?

Yeah, I've seen him. I think both players are impressively good, so we're going to see what comes out of the draft there for us.

Has he seen more of Hedman than Tavares? Has he played against Hedman?

I think I have. I can't remember—I'm sure I have because I played that one year in Sweden. I can't remember. But I've seen him on TV. I've probably seen him more than Tavares. Yeah, I would say so (Hedman has a lot of offensive skill). He's a pretty good all-around defenseman. You don't see those come that often.

Is the team headed in the right direction?

Absolutely. I think the coach had a pretty good quote there in one newspaper. He said that the first half of the season felt like three years and the last half was like a month and a half. That tells you something. I think a lot of the players, I know I feel the same way too, when things are fun, when things are going well and in the right direction, time goes by a little bit faster too. I think we're all positive and there's a good atmosphere here. We've got a few missing pieces to this team and then we're going to be...personally, I think there's a bright future here and I think everybody here thinks the same way.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=20590.)

Gilroy Wins Hobey Baker Award

2009-04-10T19:29:00.004-04:00

Long Island's own Matt Gilroy, senior defenseman for Boston University, has just been announced as the winner of the 2009 Hobey Baker Award. The Hobey Baker is awarded annually to the top player in men's collegiate hockey.

Gilroy is only the fifth defenseman to win the presitigious award. Tomorrow night, he and his BU teammates, including Islanders draft pick Corey Trivino, face Miami (Ohio) for the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship. Following that game, Gilroy will be an undrafted free agent, likely fielding offers from over a dozen NHL teams.

****

Earlier post reprinted from http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=20562:

Have the Isles Finally Reached the Breaking Point?

How long can a team in 30th place keep itself from looking like a 30th-place team?

What's the breaking point for a team that was undermanned from the start, then was further compromised by an unprecedented string of short-term and long-term injuries, and still managed to be competitive nearly every night?

Right now, it seems it's about 78 games.

In the last two games, the Islanders have turned in their spoiler card for an S.O.S. alert. They have quickly transformed from a tough out into a flotilla with no float (or too much float?). The performances against Carolina and Pittsburgh, 9-0 and 6-1 losses, have left even the best of us mixing our metaphors.

This has been a season of challenges for Scott Gordon. First he had to convince his veteran players to conform to a style that may never have seen, let alone played. Then he had to be a coach enough to tinker with his strategy when it wasn't working.

Gordon had to carry on without his No. 1 goaltender and his best faceoff man. He faced long stretches without Frans Nielsen, Trent Hunter, Doug Weight, Brendan Witt, Andy Sutton, and Freddy Meyer, and shorter ones without Kyle Okposo, Radek Martinek, Mark Streit, Sean Bergenheim, and others.

He dealt with players who were not thrilled to be here and the vacancies created when those players were dealt.

Gordon has one more challenge to face before this season ends: rally the troops one more time and give the fans an exciting final weekend of hockey.

One can imagine how easy it might be for the players to lose focus at this point. The end of the tunnel is right there in front of them. I think they are mostly confident that they can improve next year, but you can't start doing that without a definitive break. They can't improve this year. That makes it easy for the games this week to feel more like exercises—exercises that they have not performed well so far.

Despite the record, I would have anticipated some excitement in the building this weekend as the Islanders hosted their final two opponents of the season. However, assuming Okposo remains sidelined, and counting the injury to Blake Comeau, there is simply less to be excited for now. The depth chart has been flattened too far.

The Islanders are in a position now where they can show up but simply not have enough to bring with them. The offenses that could have walked all over them at times this season, but met resistence instead, are now finding the going much easier. And the return fire is muted.

Yet, a little buzz remains in the air. For a fan, every gamenight is a big night. The sense, for the fans, if not the players, is that Sunday is not a dead end. There's another huge game Tuesday night, and building some positive momentum toward the Draft Lottery would be the ideal way to end the season.

It will be very difficult to compete against Philadelphia and Boston with the current roster. Even if the opponents rest some of their big guns, there will still be significant disparities in talent and experience. But if the weight of the season hasn't finally broken the Islanders, wouldn't it be great to close it out with a couple of wins? And no conflicted feelings!

It would be unfortunate if this season, which was built for struggling but offered real hope, ended with a big whimper.

The players talk repeatedly about how all that matters to them now and always is winning. Hopefully they have enough left in the tank and on the bench to improve on the recent 2-7-1 stretch. Then they can say, "Look what we can still do. Look how far we've come."

And we can say, "Yeah, that was fun, and look what we're adding to the mix Tuesday night."

Happy holidays to those of you who are observing now and in the coming days.

The Dish on Bailey's Dishing

2009-04-06T00:26:00.003-04:00

Every time I see Josh Bailey display his natural offensive abilities while scoring a goal, I'm encouraged that he will reach his full potential as an offensive threat in the NHL. His power play goal in the third period of last night's win over the Lightning is certainly a prime example of the full stable of talents that Bailey can bring to the Islanders' offense.

On the goal, which you can watch above, Bailey used speed, instincts, and hands to get behind the Lightning penalty kill, receive a fine pass from Blake Comeau, and beat Mike McKenna from in close.

It is this type of effort that makes me hope that Bailey is not too pre-programmed to always think pass first.

Sure, playmaker is the role he has grown up with and it is the role he is expected to fill for the Islanders. But we have seen convincing glimpses of what Bailey can do with the puck on his own stick.

So does Bailey have to be aware of his mindset on the ice so that he doesn't always defer to his playmaking abilities when a goalscoring opportunity arises? Here's what he told me:

"I'm always going to think that I'm more of a playmaker than a goalscorer. Since I was little I've always been like that, so I always think pass before I shoot. I'm just trying to open my eyes a little more, to shoot a little more. It'll open passes up when I do that. I think that's something I've been working on this year."

At this stage of his career, I'm glad that he's conscious of defaulting to a single role when he's capable of developing into so much more. That is to say (and forgive the ridiculously lofty comparisons), I hope he's thinking more Bryan Trottier or Steve Yzerman than Adam Oates.

Of course, if he achieves even two-thirds of any of their career point totals, he'll have had a fantastic career. But you get the point. Bailey is too young to settle for being a 15-20 goal guy when the sky is still the limit.

By the way, I'm fairly convinced that by this time next season no one will be wondering if Bailey would have been better served by playing an extra year in juniors in 2008-09. He is well positioned for an Okposo-like progression.

In other news, Yann Danis doesn't know what the coaching staff has in store for him and Joey MacDonald for the final week of the season, nor does he think knowing necessarily helps him.

"I don't know if they have planned it out or not. They haven't told us, so I don't know. You just have to stay ready, no matter what happens."

Danis also told reporters that he hates losing and hates not playing at his best. He said it was huge for him to have the opportunity to bounce back and get in a rhythm again. Danis seems to have just the right balance of fire and cool these days.

Finally, I have been referring to Joel Rechlicz as "Wrecker" for some time now. I now have unmitigated reason to believe that the proper nickname is "Recker." So from here on, we drop the W.

(This article was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=20468.)

All Five Callups Will Play Tonight

2009-04-04T16:23:00.003-04:00

Press release from the Islanders regarding tonight's lineup:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ISLANDERS RECALL FIVE FROM BRIDGEPORT

Fraser, Fritz, Iggulden, Joensuu and Rechlicz will play tonight

Uniondale, NY, April 4, 2009 – The New York Islanders have recalled forwards Mitch Fritz, Mike Iggulden, Jesse Joensuu and Joel Rechlicz and defenseman Jamie Fraser from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League on an emergency basis. All five will be in the Islanders’ lineup tonight when they take the ice against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Fraser will make his NHL debut, marking the 12th Islander to appear in his first career game this season. The 23-year-old Sarnia native has played in 63 games with Bridgeport this season, recording seven goals and 13 assists for 20 points and 28 penalty minutes. He also ranks fourth on the team with a +12 plus/minus rating. Fraser was signed by the Islanders as an undrafted free agent on December 30, 2006.

****

Live blog of tonight's Lightning-Isles game is here.

Saturday's Leftovers

2009-03-31T19:34:00.005-04:00

What's the rule of thumb for how long you should keep leftovers before you throw them out? In my family it was always three days. Let's see...Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Yup, better use these now or they'll be no good tomorrow.

Saturday night's leftovers...(*New fresh ingredients below!)

****

The integrity of the game is paramount in competitive sports, particularly at the collegiate and professional levels. So I'm surprised there hasn't been more criticism of Scott Gordon for using Brendan Witt in the shootout against the Flyers.

Sure, it was a topic of conversation. In fact, before Gordon entered the press room, it was pretty much all that was being talked about. And, if you watched the press conference, the very first question from Stan Fischler was about Witt in the shootout. Gordon treated the subject lightly, and went on to back up his choice by saying that his defensemen had performed well in practice shootouts. If I'm the Penguins or the Avalanche, or anyone else jockeying for any kind of position in the NHL standings, that's not good enough for me.

You can do things to reward players in concert with the game's integrity. Putting a big guy in front of the net on the power play is established practice. I can stomach that reward for a player like Witt, though I never believed it would bring about any long term power play success. I can't get on board with this one, though. Islanders fans would be none too happy if the Avs threw Adam Foote out there for a shootout at this stage of the season, and he has 66 career goals.

It's nice to be able to play things a little loose, to have some fun, when wins and losses are secondary to competing and developing. But I think you have to take a closer look when it impacts the rest of the league.

****

Rob McGowan, who writes his Islanders blog on HockeyBuzz and is also a member of the Blog Box, made an interesting observation during the course of Saturday night's physical mayhem. He said that for all the talk of Ted Nolan's teams being tough and physical, they never hit the way this Islanders team does.

So, does Kyle Okposo think that his team's physical style is providing an advantage against teams that aren't expecting it from a team that is challenged in the size department? I wish I could tell you that he took the bait, but here's what Okposo actually had to say:

"I don't think so. Everybody watches video in the league and they know that we're gonna come hard. I'm sure that they're expecting a hard game when we play them."

Ah, yes, the boring reality of the video age, where everyone knows what's coming all the time. The Islanders opponents can probably play Scott Gordon's system better than the Islanders can. John Stevens probably has clips of Tim Jackman's hitting technique on his iPhone. (I have no idea if John Stevens has an iPhone.)

****

After Doug Weight had been interviewed, after Yann Danis, and after Okposo had walked in, a very large, bearded man appeared on the carpet inside the Islanders' dressing room. He proceeded to ask blogger Dee Karl how she liked the game in soft, sweet, caring tones. You know the stereotype of the hockey pugilist who's actually a gentle giant off the ice? Meet Joel Rechlicz.

Of course, Wrecker is happy to be in the NHL, and at this stage of an NHL career, most would go out of their way to be accommodating. But watching him hold court with reporters and bloggers alike, there is no mistaking that he is the genuine article—a guy who gets, and embraces, his role with the team, appreciates the opportunity, will do whatever it takes to be a fixture, and understands that the people surrounding him after a game find him very interesting.

Did I mention that he's huge? Put him in a superhero outfit and you've got yourself a movie franchise. Off-ice character and demeanor aside, maybe referring to him as soft, sweet, and caring wasn't such a good idea.

****

If you missed the interview that HNLI Steve and I did with Greg Logan on Saturday, you can still listen to the archived show on the Hockey Night on Long Island show site. Greg did a really great spot with us, and I may add some quotes if I have time to transcribe them. You may have read the story he told about Mark Streit and Bruno Gervais in Greg's most recent Islanders Insider column in Newsday.

*Logan has more on Gordon's use of Witt in the shootout. He also reports that Streit is day-to-day with a strained groin and did not make the trip to Washington. Let's hope he didn't injure it in the shootout! (Kidding.)

Live Blog: Flyers @ Islanders

2009-03-28T18:59:00.001-04:00

Tonight's live blog of the Flyers vs. Islanders can be found here.

Hockey Night on Long Island with Special Guest Greg Logan

2009-03-26T23:13:00.005-04:00

Please join me on Saturday, March 28th, as I sit in for Alex on Hockey Night on Long Island. Steve and I will welcome Newsday's Islanders beat writer Greg Logan as our special guest. The show begins at 3:30 PM ET. You can click right here to listen live.

As always, feel free to join in by calling 718-664-9597, AIMing hockeynightli, or visiting the HNLI chatroom on the episode page.

The Lighthouse Project: String Theory

2009-03-25T23:19:00.002-04:00

Chris Botta is convinced that Charles Wang's self-imposed deadline of the beginning of next season for receiving a decision on the Lighthouse Project is non negotiable. Writes Botta,

"What’s different about April of 2009? Actually, something monumental. For better or worse, we are finally at the end of this horror story. Wang and Scott Rechler will know by the start of the Islanders’ 2009-10 NHL season in October if they have a deal with Nassau and Hempstead. If they don’t, consider them very unrestricted free agents."

Perhaps even more telling, he concludes his entry with this:

"At this juncture, knowing the options, I think I’d sign up for Queens."

For those of you who don't follow the Islanders regularly, know that Mr. Botta's connections to the Islanders are as strong as anyone's. For him to make that statement at this juncture speaks volumes about how hazardous the road to approval of the project remains.

Charles Wang has absorbed losses as owner of the franchise for nearly a decade. He was prepared to do that when he bought the team. It seemed that he was prepared to absorb red ink for a while longer if it meant allowing this process to work itself out—even it meant that a game of political hot potato got in the way. Mr. Wang's patience appears to have run out.

What does this mean for Thursday night's meeting at the Marriott? The sense is that Mr. Wang and Scott Rechler, his development partner are prepared to make game-changing comments about the future of the Lighthouse Project. However, my feeling is that any perceived grandstanding or ultimatum-giving is still not in their best interest. Fortunately for them, they do not have to take that approach.

The Community Outreach Education session is an open forum. You can bet those in attendance will ask the tough questions. I fully expect Wang and Rechler to give frank responses that could serve the same purpose as a game-changing speech would. You could even go so far as to suggest that this event is set up for that purpose.

Could there be some kind of significant news coming out of this event? Sure—among the leading contenders would be an announcement that the developers and the County have finalized the framework of a new lease for the Coliseum property, which would have to be voted on by the board of County Legislators. This is one of the key moves that the developers and their governmental supporters can take to keep momentum going in their direction.

But how much momentum can they really create? Knowing the political forces at work, as explored by B.D. Gallof at Islanders Independent and Nick Giglia at Let There Be Light(house), I think I, too, would sign up for Queens. How can you expect to survive a situation in which one political party wants to campaign on the project while the other doesn't want to take responsibility for it? Ideology and power trump all.

It is also with significant reservation that I say I would sign up for Queens. I have friends who, understandably, scream at the notion of the Islanders leaving Long Island proper. I respect the loss they would feel. I also fully recognize being part of a minority whose ears perk up at the idea of the Islanders actually being closer and more accessible in Queens.

Clearly, the Islanders could benefit from being part of a new development hub that already includes Citi Field. Being in the confines of New York City opens many doors, not the least of which would be a path for casual fans in Queens, Brooklyn, and other surrounding areas to become ardent supporters. The NYC address also raises the marketability cachet of the team. It's the difference between being "out there" and "in here."

But I'm also aware of the Queens option being cast in a Utopian light. How many Nassau- and Suffolk-based fans would go from ardent to casual, at best? And who's to say the same political paralysis wouldn't develop in Queens County? What if the owners of NYC's only current NHL franchise fear a cut into their market and call in favors to hinder a Willets Point solution? The ice isn't always smoother on the other side of the county line.

The cautious approach would have been for Mr. Wang and Mr. Wechler to let the review process play out with no strings attached. It is, by design, a slow process. But as they look around and see so many of the other players attached to strings, it's hard to blame them for wanting to pull a few of their own.

(This article was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=20230.)

Island Hopping

2009-03-24T22:04:00.003-04:00

Two games in two days, four days off. Two games in two days, three days off. Lately, the schedule brings to mind island hopping. With the most recent two games anchored in the middle of a nine-day ocean, I think it's a good time to reset.

So put on your seatbelts as we take this puddle jumper on a three-hour tour of the Islanders archipelago.

Greg Logan reports that Kurtis McLean's footy foot injury is a dastardly ruptured Achilles tendon. Saying that this type of injury is a major impediment to the career prospects of a 28-year-old career minor leaguer may be an understatement. All the best to Kurtis for a quick and successful recovery.

A lot of people want to get on him for the way in which he injured himself. These types of cross-training warmups are fairly common throughout sports. A pitcher loosening his arm by throwing a football (or in El Duque's case, a softball) is probably the most common example. I'm not going to get on McLean because I'm in no position to say whether the injury was directly caused by the activity. It's entirely possible that the tendon was already vulnerable and regular hockey activity would have brought the same result. That being said, I think it's worth it for trainers and physicians to explore further whether it's risky for even highly conditioned athletes to engage in activities that use the body in ways that aren't required by their normal training. But, again, sometimes you just get hurt.

Also in Newsday, Tim Jackman is satisfied with his role but still looking to improve his game, and Joey MacDonald is ready to return. This is an important stretch for MacDonald as he's lost some ground to Yann Danis. On the other hand, perceptions being what they are (hard to shake), MacDonald might do better on the open market than Danis.

In the most recent Islanders Insider, Brendan Witt and Kyle Okposo do not have a problem with Alexander Ovechkin's 50th goal celebration, and Garth Snow compares Okposo's stickhandling ability to a lizard's tongue. The column also makes us relive the horror of Teemu Selanne breaking Mike Bossy's record for goals by a rookie. (For me, the horror was not the celebration, but the fact that the record was broken.)

The Ovechkin question is a weird one for me because I usually can't stand this type of scripted celebration. Generally speaking, if you hit a home run, and that's your job, round the bases and get off the field in a dignified manner. If you're a wide receiver and you catch a touchdown pass, you have similarly merely done your job.

Of course, there are times when circumstances call for, and intrinsically create, displays of enthusiasm. Such displays often endure as a classic moments, whereas their scripted counterparts run for a day and a half on SportsCenter. Ovechkin's 50th is clearly the latter. However, his hot stick routine came across more as Look how much fun I'm having! than simply Look at me! That doesn't mean that Rick Tocchet won't have someone take a run at him next time. In this game, that's okay too.

In the Post, Dan Martin confirms what many of us having been saying all year: the current players aren't at all focused on who might be joining them from the 2009 NHL Draft class.

Point Blank shows that time heals by throwing some love to this space's actual lease holder (I'm the sub-tenant), BD, and also speculates that Thursday night's Meet Me at the Marriott event will be more interesting than you might have anticipated. Messrs. Wang, Rechler, and Suozzi have something up their sleeves?

Lighthouse Hockey gives careful and well-thought-out consideration to re-signing Doug Weight. It's a complicated equation, and Dominik does a terrific job of breaking down the contribution factors.

Following the recent no-point weekend(!), the Isles stand six points clear of Tampa Bay and eight points clear of Colorado for 30th place in the overall standings.

Starting Wednesday night, the Isles play three games in four days (Minnesota at home on Wed., at Detroit on Friday, and back home for Philadelphia on Saturday). The Wild come into town with a disappointing 34-30-8 record (4th in the Northwest division, right on the playoff bubble in the Western Conference). The holders of one of the best looking home jerseys in the NHL finally got Marian Gaborik back, but now face a stretch without leading scorer Mikko Koivu. The Wild will pay a visit to the Garden tonight before heading east to take on native Minnesotans Okposo and Jack Hillen (pending Andy Sutton's return).

By Sunday, we should be able to put much of the calculating to rest. One thing you can be sure of: St. Louis and Stamkos, Stastny and Svatos, and Mueller and Turris aren't playing for draft position either.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=20205.)

Islanders Extend Jackman for 2009-10

2009-03-19T11:48:00.004-04:00

If you've been looking at the Islanders' current crop of forwards, imagining what additions they might make this summer, and trying to figure out who would be back to fill the top 12 spots, today you have one question answered.

The Islanders have signed Tim Jackman to a one-year contract extension. Jackman, who was slated to be an unrestricted free agent, is not a Ted Nolan-type player or a Scott Gordon-type player. He is everyone's definition of a character player. His willingness to be the team's enforcer in the absence of a true heavyweight is just one of the reasons that players and fans alike are glad to have him around.

In my last entry, I said that Jackman makes the most of his ability and the time he's given to prove himself. It's good to confirm that the Islanders agree. In a press release announcing the deal, here's what GM Garth Snow had to say about the forward:

“Tim earned this extension by showing his willingness to do whatever is necessary to help the Islanders succeed. We know Tim is excited about being an Islander next season and we’re just as excited to have him back.”

Jackman has four goals, two assists, and 133 penalty minutes in 57 games for the Islanders this season. In 12 games with the AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the 6'4" native of Minot, ND, contributed six goals and one assist to go along with 35 PIMs.

Jackman was originally drafted as a second rounder by the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2001.

With Jackman now in the fold, here's a list of free-agent forwards the Islanders will have to consider re-signing over the next several months (status source, nhlnumbers.com):

Doug Weight, UFA
Mike Sillinger, UFA
Andy Hilbert, UFA
Nate Thompson, RFA
Blake Comeau, RFA
Dean McAmmond, UFA
Mitch Fritz, UFA
Ben Walter, RFA
Kurtis McLean, UFA
Mike Iggulden, RFA
Trevor Smith, RFA
Jeremy Colliton, RFA

Let the guessing begin.

For more on what Jackman brings to the Islanders, pay a visit to Lighthouse Hockey.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=20133.)

How Does DiPietro Fit In?

2009-03-18T00:07:00.002-04:00

The Islanders have a new identity. It has been forged over seven months, starting when Garth Snow hired Scott Gordon to build a new team. The identity is not only that they show up every night—it's that they're a tough opponent and they're going to get better.

Since August, numerous figures in the organization have contributed to this identity. Thus, it is an organically developed new identity, as opposed to the manufactured identities that have failed to take hold the last several years.

Start with Gordon, who implemented his system rigidly, and then quietly adjusted when he saw an opportunity to help the team perform better.

Go to Snow, who didn't hesitate to remove the players who were rotting the core of Gordon's apple.

Look at Brendan Witt and Sean Bergenheim, who were unhappy—one with the team's approach and the other with his role—but chose to make themselves part of the solution rather than part of an infection.

Look at Mark Streit, who wasn't satisfied to produce on scale with his new surroundings but instead has already set a career high in goals and now has people legitimately mentioning the Norris Trophy thanks to his all-around fantastic play.

Look at Kyle Okposo, who became determined to show that he is all that he was cracked up to be.

Look at Blake Comeau, who accepted the responsibility of being an NHL player and understands what that takes.

Look at Bruno Gervais, who may have been running out of chances to be a key player and now has his career on the upswing again.

Look at Tim Jackman, who makes the most of his ability and the time he's given to prove himself.

Look at Frans Nielsen, who now trails only Streit and Doug Weight in assists despite missing 23 games.

Look at Mike Iggulden, Jesse Joensuu, Jack Hillen, Joe Callahan, and many more, fitting in seamlessly when called upon

Look at Yann Danis, who has obviously put in the work necessary to convert his talent into that of NHL starting goaltender.

Funny thing about looking at Danis and talking about the team's identity—you can't help but think about Rick DiPietro. For years, DiPietro, as the team's most talented player and only star (Yashin aside), has been the Islanders' identity. He was indispensable.

That is no longer the case.

Before this run of winning hockey, before this season, it was only possible to imagine the Islanders being successful with DiPietro in goal. Whether by pedigree or contract, he was going to be there. He earned the All-Star label, and goaltender was simply the one position the Islanders were not going to be concerned with for many years.

Quite suddenly, it is evident that the Islanders can be successful with someone else in goal. And, by all accounts, the current squad gets on as well off the ice as they have been on the ice.

What happens, then, when you throw DiPietro back into the mix?

It's an odd thing to consider—wondering how much time the star goalie is spending with the new-look Islanders as they find their way in the NHL and set expectations for the future. How much a part of it does he feel? How will they feel about him reasserting his presence on the ice and in the locker room?

You know as well as I do that answers to those questions are not forthcoming. At least, not beyond something like, As a player you can't worry about that sort of thing. You support your teammates, no matter who's on the ice. And they'll go on to express, genuinely, that DiPietro is a great teammate and a great goalie.

Ultimately, that's what it comes down to. The next time DiPietro steps between the pipes, he will be stepping into a better situation than he was in the last time he played. If that means that the Islanders are no longer his team exclusively, they are better for it. If his absence extends further, they are prepared for it.

The leadership and talent need to be more balanced going forward, rather than having such a strong presence emanating solely from the net. The Islanders have the pieces in place to make that happen now. DiPietro can return and just be the goalie, as opposed to being the singular face of the franchise.

It is a little complicated that I no longer consider him indispensable, considering he has 12 years remaining on his contract. But worrying about that serves little purpose until he's actually back on the ice.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=20100 on March 17, 2009.)

Isles Drop Hard-Fought 2-1 Decision to Bruins

2009-03-14T18:38:00.005-04:00

If you thought the resurgent Islanders might start dropping more points against top teams on the road, you might be a realistic Islanders fan.

If you thought the resurgent Brendan Witt could still occasionally be taken advantage of by younger, faster players, you might be a realistic Islanders fan.

If you hoped this whole post was going to sound like an old Jeff Foxworthy routine, you might be out of luck.

Indeed, Phil Kessel did make Witt look silly as the two met up at the Islanders' blue line early in the first period. The meeting didn't last long. Kessel left Witt flat-footed before feeding Marc Savard, who beat Yann Danis to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead before five minutes had elapsed.

Just over a minute earlier, Kessel had found himself the benefactor of a fortuitous bounce. He easily buried the loose puck to get the Bruins off to a fast start.

The Islanders played a first period that was much less fluid than their recent efforts. They fought the puck and made poor passes as the Bruins gave them little time to make plays.

It took a little longer than it did the other night in Montreal, but the Isles did eventually right the ship and put up a good fight in this 2-1 loss.

Kyle Okposo plays like a fullback who refuses to be brought down as three linemen and two linebackers jump on top of him. I wouldn't be surprised if one day he scores a goal by skating the puck across the goal line while dragging three opponents with him. How long before we start calling him El Toro?

As if that's not enough, on a second period power play, Okposo skated the puck back behind his own net with Patrice Bergeron in pursuit, and then turned up ice and skated away from Bergeron to lead the rush. Apparently he wants everyone to know that he could be a tailback too.

And there were other pluses to recount. Mark Streit displayed his brilliance once again on an individual effort, 3/4 of the rink rush to score the only goal of the game for the Isles. Streit took advantage of the extra space on a 4-on-4, and a wrong guess by Zdeno Chara allowed the Isles' leading scorer to burst through the offensive zone and get a clear look at Tim Thomas.

Bruno Gervais look as confident as he ever has carrying the puck through the neutral zone.

Danis was not at all fazed by the two quick early goals. And, just for comparison's sake, Danis has been playing solid to spectacular goal for two months now, not just one.

On the questionable side, Scott Gordon continues to take liberties with his game strategy. Despite his recent positive assessment of Joel Rechlicz's ability to contribute at the NHL level, Gordon didn't roll the agitator out there for a regular shift. Wrecker played a season-low 3:35 over five shifts.

Gordon also played clear favorites with his defensemen. Jack Hillen only saw the ice for 13:57, while Thomas Pock got off the bench for a scant 9:19. Fortunately, Gordon does have a solid core of four to lean on, so he can distribute major minutes to the pairings he prefers. Streit, Gervais, Witt, and Radek Martinek all played between 22 and 27 minutes.

Finally, if your power play has been struggling, and your second unit features Jeff Tambellini (fine), Andy Hilbert, and Witt up front, maybe it's time to take a look at Mike Iggulden's big frame down low with the man advantage instead of experimenting with Witt there.

I'm all for rewarding a hard-working, gritty player like Witt once in a while, but I'd like to think that the strategies Gordon employs now are geared toward future implementations. I don't think this one follows.

All in all, though, the Islanders continue to play entertaining hockey. That's all anyone can really ask of this season at this point.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=20058.)

Red Hot Hockey Returns

2009-03-13T17:08:00.007-04:00

Following the resounding success that was Red Hot Hockey on November 24, 2007, I'm pleased to report that Cornell University and Boston University have booked a return engagement at Madison Square Garden for November 28, 2009.

Yesterday I was privileged to purchase pre-sale tickets to this special event. Tickets are on sale to the general public beginning today.

If you live in the New York area and you've never had the chance to see an NCAA hockey game, you should not pass up the opportunity to see two of the most storied programs, and current powers, go at it in front of 18,000+ fanatics. Last time it was truly remarkable to watch the thousands of current students and alumni from both institutions stream into the Garden on Thanksgiving weekend, armed with spirit that's normally associated with a Big Ten football rivalry.

Need an Islanders angle? Watch the program that produced Mike Iggulden (the defensive version—not the 5-points-in-4-games version) face off against the program that produced Freddy Meyer and Rick DiPietro (a little bit).

Past connections not good enough? You never know what will happen between now and then, but Islanders 2008 2nd round draft pick Corey Trivino should be in the lineup for the Terriers.

What's that? Matt Gilroy also plays for BU? What could that possibly have to do with the Islanders?

By the way, if you do decide to attend, try to get tickets in the Cornell section. It's the most fun you'll ever have at a hockey game outside of Lynah Rink.

Pop Culture Watch: How I Met Your Center [Update]

2009-03-09T23:13:00.005-04:00

Despite what one CBS sitcom would have you believe, only in passing on the way from Uniondale to Buffalo.

If you watch How I Met Your Mother, you're aware that the character Robin Scherbatsky, played by Cobie Smulders, is proudly Canadian (as is Smulders—born in Vancouver).

On the episode that aired earlier tonight, Robin was shown in a flashback near comatose and blabbering as a result of taking sleeping pills. In her sleeping stupor, she resorted to her native tongue—hockey play-by-play.

If my ears heard correctly, she called a goal that went something like this: LaFontaine passes to Turgeon, he shoots, he scores!

Obviously that's an impossibility, as the Islanders acquired Turgeon by trading LaFontaine to Buffalo. (And, no, it couldn't have been Sylvain either.) Perhaps the writer was an Islanders fan fantasizing about a ridiculous 1-2 punch up the middle.

But it's always nice to hear two Islanders greats getting a little pub in an unexpected way.

[Update] CBS won't let me embed the video, but here's the link. The scene in question occurs just past the 14-minute mark (you'll have to watch a few commercials). And my memory was a little off...the line was more like, Lafontaine gets the puck to Turgeon. Turgeon shoots...glove saaave.

See, too good to be true. No goal.

Live Chat: Coyotes @ Isles, Sun 3/8, 3 PM ET

2009-03-08T01:56:00.001-05:00

The live chat is running at my other place starting at 3:00 Sunday afternoon.

Lottery Confusion: 25% or 48.2%?

2009-03-06T18:24:00.004-05:00

What chance do the Islanders have of picking first overall in the 2009 Draft if they finish in 30th place? Is it 48.2%? Or is it 25%? Both numbers have been circulating, causing understandable confusion. I think I have the explanation. If not, then I've probably launched an explosion of misinformation for which I will pay dearly.

In any case, as I understand it, the Islanders have a 25% chance of actually winning the lottery. That is, being the team that is selected in the random drawing, automatically giving them the No. 1 pick. However, their chances of picking first overall rise to 48.2% due to the fact that teams 6-14 could win the lottery without displacing the Islanders in the No. 1 slot. Those teams can only move up four places if they are selected, so, in a sense, if one of those teams wins, the Isles win as well.

This is all illustrated here, which I was reminded of by the post here.

Charles Wang Talks to Howie Rose About the Lighthouse

2009-03-05T19:16:00.004-05:00

For those of you who may not have a chance to see it, here are some notes from Howie Rose's interview with Charles Wang on tonight's MSG+ pre-game show...

Rose asked Wang about a drop-dead date for getting approval (something I tried and failed to get from the Lighthouse Development Group just eight days ago—timing!) for the Lighthouse project. Wang said, "We have limited time. We have to have certainty." He then specifically pointed to the beginning of next hockey season as the time by which the organization needs to know if this development project is going forward.

While discussing the possibility of other options, Wang again emphasized that his focus, his love, and his passion is to do this on Long Island.

In regard to the language in the Environmental Impact Study that says the Islanders will leave the venue if the project is not approved, Wang declared that Nassau Coliseum will not be a viable venue for the Islanders to play hockey in by the time the current lease expires.

The Lighthouse group is working on the new lease for the Lighthouse with the County in parallel with the efforts to get the Town of Hempstead to approve the project. In relation to this, the subject of the Islanders' out was revisited: once the developers and the County hammer out a new lease, the County legislature has 120 days to approve it. If they fail to do so in that time, the Islanders are free to explore other options.

Rose wanted to know if 100 percent of the project needs to be approved by the Town of Hempstead in order for the development to go forward. Wang first responded with a little history on the project, reminding everyone that the County, which owns the land and the arena, couldn't afford to fix the Coliseum or continue to run it. The County decided instead to develop the surrounding land parcel and chose the Lighthouse group to do it after a Request for Proposals process. Wang then offered that there is the possibility of further negotiation within the proposal, and referred to the changes in the height of the original tower plan as an example of his willingness to make changes.

Wang was not cautious about admitting that he has trepidation about securing financing for the Lighthouse if the project is approved. He actually said that he has "tremendous trepidation." But he can't really pursue that aspect of the project now because you can't finance virtual space, and he would be wasting time trying to negotiate at this point, when the final plans have not yet been adopted.

Addressing the idea of taxpayer contributions to the project, Wang said he would like to have help on some infrastructure stimulus, and that is worked into the project. "Whatever help we can get, especially in this economic time, we welcome."

Finally, Wang urged all supporters to get involved because if the project fails to go through, it's his fault, but it's also the public's fault because of the officials that have been elected. But, as he stated earlier in the interview, he is optimistic that they will work through the process.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=19918.)

Bill Guerin Traded to Pittsburgh for Conditional Draft Pick; Snow Speaks to Media [Update]

2009-03-04T14:14:00.007-05:00

According to TSN, the Islanders have traded Bill Guerin to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a conditional draft pick.

Stu Hackel in the Times reports that it's a 5th-round pick, which becomes a 4th rounder if the Pens make the playoffs, and a 3rd rounder if they advance to the second round.

Greg Logan and Chris Botta add that the 3rd rounder is also conditional on Guerin playing in 50 percent of the games (presumably the first-round playoff games).

Jon Sim assigned to Bridgeport, Nate Thompson activated—ouch. That's a hard one to swallow (other than the obvious youth-focus aspect of the move). I really feel for Sim in this situation.

What if...?

2009-03-03T19:33:00.002-05:00

With one day remaining for teams in the NHL to complete trades, you are by now well versed in the "who." The "to where" and "for whom" are still mired in the swamps of speculation. Odds are that they won't become any clearer until you see those Islanders logos pop up on whatever ticker you choose to follow. But what if certain deals don't go through? What will it mean for the Islanders over these final weeks and into next year?

What if Bill Guerin doesn't get traded?

If a deal cannot be worked out for Guerin, then he returns to the active lineup. He and Scott Gordon conduct themselves like the professionals they are. Up until the point when Guerin was removed from the lineup, Gordon had not marginalized the captain. Yes, he was bumped down to the second power play unit so that the coach could see what Frans Nielsen, Blake Comeau, and Josh Bailey would do with first-unit responsbility. And Guerin likely would have to live with that situation again. He shouldn't look at it as an indignity.

As for the domino effect, who loses out to Guerin? Easy enough—Jon Sim is on waivers again, Trent Hunter is hurting, and Guerin's replacement, the fresh-faced Jesse Joensuu, wasn't expected to see the NHL season. Things only start to get uncomfortable if Sim stays, and Hunter, Doug Weight, Richard Park, and Nate Thompson all get healthy (and haven't themselves been traded). In that scenario, I don't envy Gordon. I'm sure he was counting on having extra forward slots to fill over the final twenty games.

Does Guerin retain the captaincy? Yes, absolutely. Unless he speaks out in a way that is detrimental to the coach's authority, Guerin deserves to remain captain.

Does Guerin re-sign with the Isles? It's entirely possible that Guerin and Gordon can put their differences behind them and come to understanding about how to make it work together. I don't imagine it playing out that way.

What if Brendan Witt doesn't get traded?

If you've read Point Blank, you know that one expert feels that Witt isn't going anywhere. The logical domino effect, then, is that Garth Snow uses Radek Martinek to bolster his draft ledger or prospect pool. It seems like a downgrade in trade value, and therefore a downgrade in return. But Martinek's fragility probably has him past the peak of his value, both on the ice and on the trade market. Despite some promising prospects in the system and competent showings by the likes of Joe Callahan and Andrew MacDonald, the Isles aren't deep enough on defense to trade both of these guys. Gordon adjusted his defense, and Witt adjusted his attitude toward being a part of it. If Witt stays, you could be looking at the next captain.

But what happens next year? Gordon did indeed make adjustments this year that were agreeable to Witt. That doesn't mean that the coach won't show up at training camp in September with designs on restoring his system to its original state and having another go that way. Can Witt make it work under those circumstances? That seems problematic. Will Gordon be willing to adjust again if things aren't working? I think so.

Witt has expressed the kind of genuine enthusiasm for staying that makes you believe. If he can keep the elbows down, his presence in the lineup will be welcomed for another two years. And if things don't work out, there's always next March when Witt will have one fewer contract year for a trade partner to absorb.

What if Doug Weight doesn't get traded?

The biggest impact here is on next year. The Weight experiment has produced good results and he would be valuable on next year's roster. But what happens if the Islanders are able (and willing) to draft John Tavares? They will will head into camp next year with Tavares, Bailey, and Nielsen at center, not to mention Richard Park and a host of RFAs currently in the organization who could be re-signed. So certainly the draft could play a role in Weight's future as an Islander. This one's impossible to predict.

What if none of the Islanders remaining best chips gets traded?

First of all, Garth Snow will come under heavy criticism from the fan base for failing to convert assets, especially the expiring ones, into draft picks. Second, Snow will be more likely to move his secondary assets for whatever he can get. Here's where you start talking about names like Joey MacDonald or Yann Danis and Bruno Gervais, who suddenly looks like he could fill Martinek's role.

The MacDonald/Danis question is a tricky one because Danis benefits from the recency effect. It's like the 11-1 college football team (pre-BCS) that lost its one game in September being ranked higher than the 11-1 team that suffered its only loss in November. Danis is excelling right now, whereas MacDonald's stretch of excellence is a distant memory.

Islanders 4, Avalanche 2

Goal scorers: McAmmond, Joensuu, Gervais, Tambellini. If that's not the unlikeliest bunch of Islanders goal scorers you've seen, it's gotta be close. But congratulations to Jesse on his first, and to Sim (3 assists) and Tambellini (1 goal, 1 assist) on their multi-point efforts. One more big question for Garth: Being that he's already signed, does Tambellini get another shot, I mean a real shot, at launching NHL Career 2.0 next year? If he survives the deadline, I'm leaning toward yes.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=19765.)

Bergenheim Emerges (It's Our Time Down Here!)

2009-03-01T20:47:00.003-05:00

[Those on the Islanders beat (Greg Logan, Chris Botta) are reporting that there will be no announcement tonight. Furthermore, there is no anticipation of an announcement at any particular time. Remember, Guerin always retained the right to refuse a trade. And GMs (Snow included) retain the right to change their minds. We now return you to your regularly scheduled program, Bergelicious: The Sean Bergenheim Story.]

In the midst of the hoopla surrounding the location and destination of Bill Guerin, there was a hockey game last night. I will leave the chasing of Guerin to the better connected for now.

Yann Danis posted his second consecutive shutout at home in a 2-0 Islanders victory over the Buffalo Sabres. But this was Sean Bergenheim's night.

The Islanders are a 30th place team in a 30-team league. They have won only 19 of 62 games this season (.306), and in the process of selling off most of their established talent to the most desperate bidder.

Yet, this will be the third gushing article I've written on an Islanders player in the last couple of weeks. And I've only complimented Danis and his impressive play in passing.

Bergenheim is a 5'10", 205-lb. left wing who was drafted by the Islanders 22nd overall in 2002. Now 25 years old, he has been playing on the fringe of the organization's plans for a few years now. You know the story—flashes of what could be if could ever figure it out and pull it together. Kyle Okposo seems to have done that at the age of 20. Some people just take a little longer.

For much of this season, talk of the Islanders' youth core has centered around Okposo, Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, Frans Nielsen, and Jeff Tambellini. Bergenheim was often an afterthought in that conversation. Oh, yeah, it would be nice if he developed, too.

In accounting for all of the Islanders' scoring last night against the Sabres, Bergenheim established a career high in goals with 11. He has three goals in two games, four goals in the last four, and seven points in eight games. Like Okposo before him, Bergenheim has figured out that his time is now. (I would have given you a picture of the Goonies with Okposo and Bergenheim's faces photoshopped in saying, "Down here it's our time. It's our time down here!" But it's a busy day so you'll have to settle for the mental image right now.)

Also like Okposo, Bergenheim has shown, as he did last night, that he can play the role of the go-to guy for this team when necessary. It's not just that he's scoring consistently. It's also the manner of his offensive contributions. On the first goal last night, he battled for position in front of the net and was rewarded with a loose puck, which he whirled around on and threw past Patrick Lalime almost blindly.

On the second goal, it was tenacious forechecking by Bergenheim that caused Derek Roy to cough up the puck deep in the Buffalo end. The puck ended up on Nielsen's stick behind the net. He fed Bergenheim, now camped out at the side of the net, and Bergie shoveled it past Lalime to ice the game with just over two minutes remaining.

It was this emergence of Bergenheim as a go-to guy, along with similar play from Okposo, that led me to ask Scott Gordon in the post-game about the younger players realizing the need to fill the impending leadership void. Gordon, in an answer that was more revealing than I had anticipated, admitted to having spoken to those players already (updated with full quote):

"I actually addressed a few of our younger players at one point. I went right to the point and I said, 'In this group here there's going to be two captains. It's what you're going to do in the second half that's going to allow me to make that decision.' When it'll happen, I don't know, but there's a good mix of character in our room."

So they didn't merely sense an opportunity. They have been challenged, and some of them have already accepted. You have to have guys on your roster who will take turns saying, "I'm going to win this game tonight." Bergenheim appears at ease with that role. Maybe he always was. But now he can back it up.

Gordon also explained that he showed Bergenheim video of the things Okposo was doing right to elevate his offensive game. It seems Bergenheim is a fast learner.

Gordon's methods have been under heavy examination this year. As Newsday reports, they have not gone over that well in some circles—so much so that it's no longer necessary to ask whether Bill Guerin has expressed a desire to re-sign this summer after being traded away. Regardless of that controversy, and setting aside the record, this season will conclude with some success stories.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=19707.)

Streit Appreciation Day

2009-02-28T00:06:00.002-05:00

Many of us sounded the call once before this year leading up to the All-Star break. But, in these dog days of February, with little to be measured by game results and visions of ping pong balls dancing in our heads, let us pay tribute to the revelation that is Mark Streit.

I will point to two moments from last night's game, one a shift in thinking and one a display of skill. You can add your appreciation as you wish.

With a little over ten minutes remaining and the Islanders trailing 4-2, it was apparent that Streit had eleveated his game to another level. You could practically see the thought process play out before your eyes...

I'm the leading scorer on this team...I'm going to take over and get this done...Hop on board, boys, here comes your offense.

Streit is aggressive from the backline both by nature and by role. But down by two goals with half a period left to play, that was not enough. He needed to force the play more, pinch more, rush more, and risk more. Not only was he willing to do it, he was capable. There was your adjustment in thinking.

With a little over eight and a half minutes remaining, Bruno Gervais sent a pass across to Streit at the left point. Streit had some space in front of him, so he drifted in toward the top of the left circle while preparing to take a slap shot. He had a decent look, with Josh Bailey and Pavel Kubina providing a screen halfway between the puck and Vesa Toskala in the Toronto net. Streit has the shot to score from there.

He didn't shoot. He faked. He drifted a little more. He got a clearer path for his shot. He got Toskala to move. Then he put the puck right through Toskala and into the back of the net.

It was an exquisite goal. In a moment of insanity, I found myself thinking, Maybe this guy should be a forward. But I quickly corrected myself. Streit's defense is just fine, thank you, and he's probably more dangerous attacking from the top of the offensive zone where all of his options are open. He can boom the slap shot by your goaltender or carve up your forwards and your defensemen on the way to the net. And he can finish.

You can break that goal down to the elements that add up to what a special player Streit is. He had the vision to see it. The patience to try it. And the skill to execute it.

With just over three minutes remaining, Jon Sim tied the game on an assist from Streit. The Islanders would go on to lose in a shootout. Streit looked a little gassed at the end of regulation on his way to playing 31:31 and with the Isles down two defensemen. It's not the totally happy recap, but it is an opportunity to express appreciation for a player that you get to watch for four more years.

Guerin Opens the Door
Streit's presence may become even more substantial next week as the Islanders shed themslves of other veterans at the trade deadline. Chris Botta reported last night on Islanders Point Blank that the Isles have cleared a path to trade captain Bill Guerin, who has a no movement clause. As expected, it is a narrow path, as Guerin still controls where he can go and it's up to Garth Snow to make it work with the few teams to which Guerin would be willing to go (previously speculated here as Boston, NYR, New Jersey, and Philly—Mr. Botta expands this to other eastern teams, including Montreal, Buffalo, Washington, and the very intriguing Pittsburgh). But it seems more and more like this is going to be a very young team for the final five weeks of the season.

The Shootout
If you had Nielsen with the deke to the backhand, Tambellini with the mid-range wrister over the glove, and Okposo with the in-tight drag to the backhand, well, you would have split the jackpot with thousands of other people. It's not that anyone can score in the shootout every time. And it's not as if these guys have been around long enough that it's like the goalie is sitting on their fastball. And if ever there was a time to work on things in a game situation, it's now. But at some point soon, these guys will need to work in some different moves.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=19658 on February 27, 2009)

Witt Suspension Results in Ironic Press Release

2009-02-27T17:57:00.004-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NHL SUSPENDS ISLANDERS D BRENDAN WITT FIVE GAMES

Uniondale, NY, February 27, 2009 – The National Hockey League has suspended Islanders defenseman Brendan Witt for five games, without pay, as a result of an elbowing incident during NHL game #910 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, the National Hockey League announced today.

“We are disappointed to lose a player of Brendan’s caliber and character for this period of time, but we understand the League’s concerns regarding hits to the head,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Witt will forfeit $74,372.75. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

At 2:21 of the third period, Witt delivered a blow to the head area of Toronto forward Niklas Hagman. Hagman was injured on the play and did not return to the game. Officials assessed Witt a major penalty for elbowing and game misconduct on the play.

Witt will miss Saturday’s game against Buffalo, March 2 against Colorado, March 5 against the New York Rangers, March 7 against New Jersey and March 8 against Phoenix. He will be eligible to return March 10 at Toronto.

****

Blue emphasis (mine) = Don't bet the farm on it. Of course, there's nothing the Islanders could do in this situation but play it straight and carry on as though Witt will definitely be around to miss all those games. Tough spot to be in and I certainly wouldn't read anything into it. It's just interesting to note some of the challenges of communicating with the public.

One Small Step for Wang

2009-02-26T00:31:00.002-05:00

One giant leap for Wangkind?

The tricky part about following the progress of a project like the Lighthouse is that there are so few milestones that you can really sink your teeth into. That's why when months go by without discernible progress, it's easy to suspect the worst. Add a dash of Kansas City and a sprinkle of Saskatoon, and all hell breaks loose—even when there are assurances that everyone is taking care of their business.

It's also why days like yesterday seem like major victories, when in reality they are merely single, positive steps up the ladder to the lantern room. In all fairness, the Lighthouse Development Group made sure that yesterday's town meeting actually climbed two rungs.

For those of you that may not have the time to follow, or make sense of, this complicated process, the Town of Hempstead voted 6-0 yesterday to adopt the final scope of the Draft General Environmental Impact Study. In plain English, as I understand it, that means that the Town Board accepted the developers' proposal of the range of environmental issues that pertain to this land development project and need to be addressed.

Under typical circumstances, that would have been yesterday's big news. Once the final scope was adopted, the developers would then have to prepare the Environmental Impact Study to state how the project actually impacts the environment and how they propose to manage the environmental concerns. Having no interest in delaying any further, the Lighthouse Development Group, led by Islanders owner Charles Wang and real estate developer Scott Rechler, submitted the completed studies the very same day. You can read as much of the document, in all its thousands of pages, here, if you so choose.

So what's next? Here is the sequence of steps as reported by Nick Giglia of Let There Be Light(house), who spoke at yesterday's meeting in support of the Lighthouse Project:

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) Submitted (Lighthouse/Town of Hempstead) - DONE as of this afternoon
Review period and public comments (Town of Hempstead)
Final Environmental Impact Statement and Scope (Town of Hempstead)
Approval of Property Divisions (Nassau County Planning Commission)
Re-zoning Hearing (Town of Hempstead)
Lease Negotiations (Nassau County)
Building Permits Hearing (Town of Hempstead)
Shovels in the Ground

As you can see, there's still a lot of work to be done before the earth starts moving. But progress is progress. Now we enter another waiting period, so don't be surprised if the quiet time leads to more speculation that the train has gone off the rails. That began today with a focus on the fact that Wang and Rechler will not be footing the bill for the Lighthouse on their own, and there's debate about how easy it will be to round up investors in the current economic climate.

In the meantime, Wang was feeling good enough about the day's events to go on the record with Newsday's Eden Laikin about a number of issues that have occupied Islanders fans and watchers over the last couple of months. Wang admitted that scheduling an exhibition game in Kansas City was a purposeful tactic in what has been a mostly amicable tug of war with the Town of Hempstead. He also expressed his right to keep his options for locating the team open should the deal sour (including an out in the lease), but spoke even more forcefully of his desire to see the Lighthouse through.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=19626 on February 25, 2009.)

Big House Hat Trick for Islanders Owners

2009-02-25T15:29:00.001-05:00

The Daily News reports that Paul Greenwood and Stephen Walsh, two members of the so-called Gang of Four ownership group that did Islanders fans no favors, were arrested on charges of securities fraud today. The charges accuse the Gang of Two of using investment funds from the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University to purchase such things as horses and luxury apartments for their own gain. The two universities are seeking the return of $114 million. This marks the third time that Islanders owners have faced significant fraud charges in that last 15 years. John Spano and Sanjay Kumar are already serving jail time. It's enough to make you wary of anyone with enough money to buy a professional sports franchise. Or, in Spano's case, not enough.

Saturday Post-Game Extra

2009-02-23T21:31:00.001-05:00

With another two days to go before the Isles take the ice again in Pittsburgh, we have the opportunity to leisurely bathe ourselves in the glory of Saturday night's 4-0 win over the Devils. To that end, here are some closing thoughts...

First of all, this game was a joy to watch. The Isles were good, almost from top to bottom. This was not a case of the Devils not showing up or having an off night. They were simply beaten, soundly, in all three zones nearly all night long.
The Devils had their opportunities, but Yann Danis wasn't having any of it. He was that half step quick enough and in position for every threat. You could say that Danis is also in position to put to rest the question of who should be the Isles' backup next season. But, if he keeps playing like this, he may think about shooting a little higher than NHL backup. Perhaps Yann should keep one eye on what teams are thin in goal and the other on Rick DiPietro's recovery. Danis, by the way, is from Lafontaine, Quebec. That either makes me think he's destined to be an Islander or he's destined to replace the injured Ryan Miller in Buffalo.
Funny story about Danis: After the game, he was given a puck in the locker room that was labeled "1st NHL Shutout." He quickly protested (with a smile) that it was not his first NHL shutout, but his first Islanders shutout. Indeed, Danis shut out the Thrashers 2-0 in his October 2005 NHL debut with Montreal.
Chris Botta pulled this quote from Sean Bergenheim after another good effort by the young Finn:

“I want to make it work here, on Long Island, with the Islanders,” Bergenheim told us after tonight’s 4-0 win over New Jersey. “I really like to live on Long Island and I want to stay here. I consider this my home now. The Islanders drafted me into the NHL and I have never forgotten that and never will. It’s important to me that my NHL career takes the next step as an Islander.”
When I spoke of disappointment in Chris Campoli wanting to leave, it was because I'd really like to see more players have Bergenheim's attitude. Like Campoli, Bergenheim's quest to establish himself has been a bumpy ride. But Bergenheim still wants to be part of the solution rather than look for where the ice might be greener. I understand that Campoli may believe that his career couldn't take the next step as an Islander. But it's still refreshing to hear that a player even has some loyalty to the organization that drafted him, let alone hear him express that loyalty.
At the risk of going overboard with the Okposo accolades, he has now reached the point where I look for him to do something special every time he's on the ice. Remember the days when you just couldn't wait for Bossy's next shift? Or Pierre's? Or Ziggy's? It's nice to have that feeling again.
Finally, here's a message from Katrina Doell, blog administrator of The Light Post, about tomorrow's Town of Hempstead public meeting:

There are few times throughout the process of getting the Lighthouse done that the thousands of supporters who have written letters, called our office, or met with us directly can publicly show their support. Tomorrow, Tuesday, February 24, is one of those times.

At the Town of Hempstead public meeting at 10:30 a.m. at the Bennett Pavillion at Town Hall, the Town Board will vote to adopt a scope of studies for the project. The Lighthouse Development Group has conducted these studies and they can be submitted as soon as possible after the scope is adopted.

This is a step forward. This is a step toward bringing the tax revenues, jobs, careers, and countless opportunities Long Island needs right to your backyard.

I look forward to seeing all of you tomorrow.

-Katrina

The Campoli Trade: A Disappointing Success

2009-02-23T18:03:00.001-05:00

Two things disappointment about me the Campoli-Comrie trade. First, I was disappointed that the Islanders completed and announced the deal at a time when I wouldn't be near a computer for about six hours. Woe is me. Cry me a river. I mean, please, cry a river for me.

Second, and more significant, it's disappointing that Chris Campoli did not want to be part of the solution here. I don't say that with any intention of maligning a good guy for his play, his attitude, or his desire to seek a trade. But when you have a young player you drafted, who does seem to fit what the organization is doing, and has a chance to be part of the organization's turnaround, it's disappointing that he couldn't find a way to make it work.

Quotes from the coach indicate that he challenged Campoli to be better. Gordon has tried this motivational tactic with other players, and seen positive results. However, some players don't respond to being challenged. Or, worse, they respond negatively. It's up to Gordon to figure out whether his motivational style is appropriate for everyone. He may need to take a page from the master, Al Arbour, who was known for adapting his motivational techniques to get the most out of each individual.

I share Islesblogger's concern that multiple players have seen fit to express their dissatisfaction with playing under Scott Gordon. For now, we will have to cling to the idea that weeding out those players is simply a tollgate in the process of launching Islanders 8.0 (version number debatable).

Campoli could have been a useful player for the Islanders for years to come. They will get on just fine without him. If he does elevate his game with Ottawa or another team in the future, you can't ask the Islanders how they have replaced a player who never reached that level with them. All indications are that they would have been happy to keep Campoli for at least his next contract. Once a player asks to be traded, he is no longer the same asset with the same potential or the same future.

Gordon really is getting the opportunity to create this team from his own mold. Let's hope Garth Snow can find enough willing pieces of raw material. Remember, at the AHL level, not many players are going to complain about the system or seek a trade because they think they need a change. They are subservient to the opportunity to prove themselves. That's not the case in the big leagues.

Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, Mark Streit, and Trent Hunter are the first wave of players that must buy in and accept any challenge put forth by the coach. So far, so good.

All things considered, the trade itself is not a disappointment. Jack Hillen has as much potential to be Campoli as Campoli has to be better than what he has been to this point. We've already discussed how accumulating more draft picks is in the Islanders' best interest. Adding a top-30 pick for a player you can replace looks just about right.

The trade did leave me wondering if the Islanders had burned two trade chips for the price of one return asset, but I imagine that if Snow could have turned Campoli into a first-rounder and Mike Comrie into something with more of a future than Dean McAmmond, he would have done so. We'll probably never know if Snow needed to include Comrie, or if he insisted on it. Either way, if Snow's goal was to get a first-rounder at reasonable cost, considering all the circumstances, he succeeded.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=19539 on February 21, 2009.)

Live Blog 2/21/09: Devils 0, Islanders 4, Final

2009-02-21T17:56:00.054-05:00

1:00 We'll call it a blog here.

1:45 Goal to Guerin on assists from Nielsen and ~~Okposo~~ Streit. Gionta still in the box.

2:08 Guerin rips one from the point that finds its way in. May have been deflected. Isles lead 4-0. Talk about a strong finish.

2:42 Gordon takes a timeout as Gionta goes to the box for hooking. 5-on-3 for the Isles here.

3:00 Assists to Comeau and Nielsen on the goal. Okposo paid for it a little bit following the faceoff. He went down in the corner for a few seconds and was holding a towel to his face on the bench.

3:53 Unless, of course, they score. Okposo with the power play goal. Isles lead 3-0.

4:25 Martinek being attended to by the training staff for a minor cut. The good news is the cut resulted from a Clarkson high stick and the Isles will finish out most of the remaining time on the power play.

5:04 Jackman's forecheck created a turnover, but he couldn't control it enough to get a scoring chance.

6:05 Witt getting another opportunity with the man advantage, but the puck control has been lacking and he hasn't had the chance to set up in front of the net. Not much to write about on that power play.

7:34 Okposo draws another penalty. Isles will try the power play one more time.

8:44 The forecheck remains strong.

13:10 Isles are doing a better job of keeping the Devils from gaining all the momentum.

13:44 Through two periods, McAmmond won five faceoffs and lost only one. Hilbert, Bailey, and Nielsen combined to win three and lose 20. Yikes.

14:18 Good coverage against the Devils' rush results in a pass going harmless through the slot untouched.

16:25 Clarkson was right on Yann's doorstep but couldn't get his stick on a deflection.

16:35 That Devils shot just made the kid below me jump up in his seat, but Danis was all over it.

18:31 Just a minute and a half into the third and it feels like the Islanders are playing a prevent defense.

19:12 First threat to the lead denied. Danis hold his ground on a Devils chance in close.

20:00 Let's see how this latest incarnation of the Islanders roster handles the two-goal third period lead. They'll start this one off shorthanded for another 13 seconds.

THIRD PERIOD

1:47 Danis slides across the crease under control to meet a Clarkson one-timer. The ensuing pressure from the Devils results in a hooking penalty on Hillen.

4:45 Danis gets nice and square to a Parise shot and the rebound goes flying well out of danger.

7:49 Good pressure from the Jackman-Hilbert-Tambellini line results in a couple of scoring chances but no goals.

9:20 McAmmond gets off a good shot from the slot off a feed from Sim but Clemmensen handles it.

11:15 Sim pounces on a loose puck in the offensive zone and backhands it by Clemmensen. Isles lead 2-0.

12:45 Okposo left his man in the dust along the left boards but couldn't connect on a pass to the crease.

15:40 Sim came in on a break and his shot left a rebound that no one could control.

16:30 Great pass from Nielsen behind the net to Bailey in the slot, but he can't beat Clemmensen with the one-timer.

17:30 Good D from Streit to prevent a shorthanded chance.

18:01 Streit moves in from the point to one-time a feed from Guerin, but Clemmensen stones him.

18:31 Zubrus cross checks Okposo, Isles to the power play. Hilbert getting time on the PP with Guerin and Hunter.

19:26 Danis makes two good early saves, not giving up a rebound off a point shot by White, and then getting in front of an Elias shot after the faceoff.

SECOND PERIOD

0:03 Danis stops a partial break to end the period. Much better effort by the Islanders tonight in front of strong play by Danis.

4:52 Danis gets enough of a Zajac shot to deflect it over the net. Zajac was all alone in the slot.

7:13 Neat little dish from Okposo to Streit just inside the blue line leads to a good shot, but kicked away by Clemmensen with the left skate.

8:54 It was initially thought that Andy Hilbert would be centering Bill Guerin and Jon Sim with Dean McAmmond taking 4th-line duties. In fact, it is McAmmond between Guerin and Sim, while Hilbert is playing with Tim Jackman and Jeff Tambellini.

9:33 Kate Murray just delivered a video message promoting the Town of Hempstead. I have no idea what she said due to the booing.

10:37 Okposo just flashed some more of his blossoming offensive prowess with a spin-o-rama as he darted in from the left side. Clemmensen made the save.

12:47 Katrina Doell of the Lighthouse Development Group and blog administrator of The Light Post just stopped by with a fresh batch of sparkling white Lighthouse t-shirts. Katrina does a fantastic job promoting the project.

16:10 Streit out of the box leads a rush, feeds Bergie for a one-timer that beats Clemmensen. Great goal. Isles lead 1-0.

16:40 Danis looked sharp denying Langenbrunner toward the end of the kill.

16:59 Nice takeaway by Nielsen and a clear.

18:18 Streit goes off for hooking. Hilbert and Bergenheim started the kill, then replaced by Okposo and Comeau. Now Nielsen and Jackman.

19:15 Bergenheim has had two early chances. On the second one his shot off Clemmensen resulted in juicy rebound and wide-open net, but Bergie managed to put the put-back into the goalie's outstretched arm along the ice. Just needed to lift it a little more there.

20:00 Yann Danis is in goal tonight. Witt and Martinek will start on defense. Up front, the Bergenheim-Nielsen-Hunter line opens the game.

Mr. Clavin has received his expected chorus of boos while entering for the ceremonial faceoff.

FIRST PERIOD

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Good evening and welcome to Town of Hempstead Night at Nassau Coliseum. To answer the $4 billion question, tonight's ceremonial puck drop will be performed by...Don Clavin, Town of Hempstead Receiver of Taxes. I'm not sure choosing the tax guy was the best way to avoid provoking a hostile reaction to the local government representative, but we'll see how it goes.

For you followers of the casualty statistics, the Islanders are listing the man games lost to injury at 384. And don't forget the 5 man games lost to illness (not inlcuded in the 384).

I've spotted my first message-to-Kate-Murray t-shirt on this night of white, but unfortunately I couldn't get a good read on it.

For you ex-Islanders followers, Chris Campoli debuted for Ottawa this afternoon with two assists in over 23 minutes of ice time in a 5-3 loss to Montreal. Mike Comrie did not register a point for the Sens. By the way, Ottawa is second to last in the Eastern Conference in goals scored.

I have to say, the early returns for the white-out don't look too promising. Perhaps the enthusiasm of the crowd will make up for it.

Newcomer Dean McAmmond is wearing #37 for the Isles.

For any newcomers, after these pregame notes the newest entries will appear at the top of the blog. Timestamps refer to the time remaining in the period.

Islanders vs Rangers Live Chat

2009-02-18T18:16:00.003-05:00

Doug Davidson of Official's Outlook is hosting another live chat tonight during the game between the Isles and Rangers at Madison Square Garden. You can participate over there or right here at Islanders Outsider. The chat will involve Islanders bloggers from the Blog Box and beyond. I will be in and out tonight, but I will try to at least stop by the chat and say hello, if not more.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=e6a812b93b" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Live Blog from The Couch: Islanders v. Rangers 2/18/09&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Trade Deadline Coverage at Illegal Curve

2009-02-17T21:04:00.002-05:00

Illegal Curve has updated its Trade Deadline Central page with detailed recaps of the needs and assets of every team in the NHL. My thanks to Richard and the IC Team for inviting me to provide the Islanders content, and for adding a link to my follow-up coverage when Doug Weight went down after the original submission. I'm sure it was no easy task to request and collect material for 30 teams. The page will be updated with supplemental article lilnks as new rumors surface and trades are completed.

And, in case you missed it, Illegal Curve recently published its Broadcast Rankings, which rank all 30 NHL television broadcast teams. Howie Rose and Billy Jaffe fared rather well. Hmm...that story seems to be missing now. It still shows up in my news reader, though, so I can tell you that Howie and Billy came in fourth overall. They finished behind the Dallas team of Ralph Strangis/Daryl Reaugh, New Jersey's Doc Emrick and Chico Resch, and Buffalo's Rick Jeanneret and Harry Neale. Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti claimed the fifth spot.

Teddy Update: Here's Let Teddy Win!'s post on the Presidents Race at the Coliseum with links to the local coverage and photo gallery.

Isles-Pens Intrigue: New Coach, Teddy at the Coliseum

2009-02-15T21:26:00.005-05:00

No, not that Teddy. We'll get to that story in a second. But first...

Monday's afternoon tilt between the Islanders and Penguins will likely see a spike in media attention. The plummeting Pens have fired head coach Michel Therrien. His replacement, at least for the time being, actually has some experience coaching at Nassau Coliseum. Dan Bylsma, who had been manning the bench for Pittsburgh's AHL affiliate, was an assistant for the Isles during the 2005-06 season. You can count on national media from both Canada and the U.S. descending on Uniondale to get Sidney Crosby's take on the move.

If that isn't sideshow enough, the Islanders are honoring Presidents Day by bringing in the competitors from the Washington Nationals' Presidents Race to compete on the Coliseum ice. The big question, of course, is whether the change in venue and surface will benefit Teddy Roosevelt, who, to this point, is winless in his career. President Roosevelt will be joined by Presidents Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln for a race around the rink during the second intermission. Will Teddy win?

Pay a visit to Let Teddy Win! for more on the history of this event.

The Weight Injury and What It Means for the Deadline

2009-02-14T14:37:00.003-05:00

The sprained MCL that Doug Weight suffered Wednesday at New Jersey has significantly altered the outlook of the trade deadline for the Islanders. Before the injury, I (and probably everyone else) had the team's assets ranked as follows in terms of trade value:

1. Doug Weight
2. Brendan Witt
3. Mike Comrie
4. Bill Guerin

Guerin, though his perceived value may be higher than Witt's or Comrie's, ranks behind those two because his no-movement clause makes it more difficult for the Islanders to leverage his value.

But the loss of Weight from the picture doesn't necessarily mean that everyone else simply moves up a spot. Witt does become the most marketable trade chip. Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, and a few others are said to be intent on adding a defenseman. Just realize that Witt is hardly the only one available. After that, things become somewhat muddled.

If the Islanders were going to bring back a potentially useful young player, such as the oft-mentioned Marc Methot, it would have been for Weight. Comrie doesn't just take Weight's place in that kind of deal. You can pretty much eliminate the idea of the Islanders acquiring someone who is ready to step in now or next year—except for one scenario, which I'll get to shortly. What will be interesting to watch is how Scott Gordon uses Comrie over the next couple of weeks. Will the Islanders decide that they need Comrie to help fill the void left by Weight? Or will they use the injury as an opportunity to give another Sound Tiger a promotion? Ben Walter, Jeremy Colliton, and Kurtis McLean could all get another look. Depending on how they perform, Comrie could be deemed more or less expendable. If it's more, then the question is whether the return is worth the paperwork.

Weight's injury also impacts Guerin's status. Suppose Weight had stayed healthy and the Islanders decided to move him. That may have resulted in Guerin being more likely to waive his no-movement clause (unless they had some agreement by which Guerin agreed to stick around for the benefit of Weight's left-behind family—you know how tight those guys are). With Weight not going anywhere, Guerin has more incentive to stick around. And without the perceived obligation to convert the movable asset, Weight, into something of value, it's much less complicated for the Islanders to entertain another a year of Weight's skills, leadership, and infectious personality. You know the old saying: where there's Weight, there's Guerin. (Yet Smoke hasn't gotten a sniff all season.)

Based on all that, I think there's a new entry in the rankings that comes above Guerin, and maybe above Comrie. (A certain former PR exec already stole my thunder a little on this, but I'm going to proceed anyway.) This scenario assumes that Garth Snow has his heart set on continuing to fill out his draft-day coffers. With less depth (or height) in his stack of chips, he may have to make a tough decision on a young player who hasn't quite hit his stride yet. The new expendable asset is...the Upside Kids. Chris Campoli, Sean Bergenheim, and, to a lesser extent, Bruno Gervais, Jeff Tambellini (lots of you would pack for him), and even Blake Comeau (lots would howl).

Certainly, the last three may have more value to the Islanders as themselves than as trade bait. But if they have reached their ceiling for usefulness, then there's no reason why Snow shouldn't try something else with them. Campoli and Bergenheim, while potentially able to bring back a worthwhile pick, could be used another way—in an even swap for another young player who hasn't quite gotten over the hump in his current organization. I wouldn't be thrilled to see the Islanders taking on projects at this stage of the franchise's development curve, but if the project comes with size, toughness, or finishing ability, then trading one of the Upside Kids for someone else's upside kid might be a good gamble.

So let's revise the rankings:

1. Witt
2. Upside Kids
3. Comrie
4. Guerin

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=19372 on February 13, 2009.)

Okposo Should Shoot for the Calder

2009-02-11T18:34:00.003-05:00

Right now, on February 10th, Kyle Okposo has had a satisfactory rookie season in the NHL. It started off a little rough, with the Islanders' best prospect making less of an impact for the team than most had hoped. Then Okposo suffered a wrist injury that kept him out of the lineup for 13 games. One started to get the feeling that 2008-09 would basically go down as a lost year of development—or, at least, a disappointing one.

Then, after returning from the injury and listening to his coach implore him to do more than play as if he were just happy to be in the NHL, Okposo took an important step forward. He emerged as the considerable talent that coaches, scouts, fans, and the Islanders had made him out to be.

When you watch Okposo now, you see him trying the things that he's probably been able to do all his life, but seemed hesitant to try over roughly the first forty games of his NHL career. It's as if he remembered that he is special, and not just another winger skating up and down when his line is called. Whether it's a quick bit of stickhandling to create an extra foot of space, a swift and sneaky extra stride to beat his man to the puck, or a push of his tenacity-boost button to simply not be denied, Okposo has demonstrated the combination of skill and confidence that we associate with star players.

Okposo should set two goals to pursue for the remainder of the season. The first is to maintain the elevated level of play that saw him post six points in a five-game stretch from the end of January to the beginning of February. By becoming a consistent performer, he can establish himself as a go-to guy on a team that sorely needs one.

The second goal is strongly correlated with the first one, but goes a step further. Through his play, Okposo should force people—fans and media—to put him in the mix for the Calder Trophy. He's not going to win it. But he was certainly in the discussion when the season started. His rough start removed him from that discussion. He has 30 games to get back there starting tonight at home against the Kings. It will be tough with Versteeg, Ryan, Wheeler, Mason, Berglund, and a few others setting a strong pace. But, again, the goal isn't for Okposo to win the race. It's to make people remember and notice that he is in that class.

Okposo has ten goals and nine assists in 39 games played this season. Let's set an ambitious but reasonable bar for the rest of the way. How does 12 goals and 12 assists over the final 30 games sound? That would result in a 43-point season in 69 games. That's a good mark for a 20-year-old to launch a career from if you ask me.

(This post was originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=19312 on February 10, 2009.)

The Islanders Children's Foundation Event Auctions

2009-02-09T23:05:00.005-05:00

The Islanders Children's Foundation raises money for charities that focus on education, youth hockey development, and health.

For the next few weeks, you can contribute to the Foundation by bidding on any of three special event auction items.

Sticks out of the Hands Auction: The highest bidders will receive two tickets to attend the February 28th Islanders game as well as the opportunity to take the stick out of the hand of the Islander player they bid on as they get off the ice post game.

Private Skating Event on the Coliseum Ice: The highest bidder for this auction item will receive the following: 1 Hour of private ice time for a group of 12 people following the 2/28 game, 12 tickets to the Islanders game on 2/28, and a visit from a special Islanders guest during the post game skate. (Winner must provide their own skates for participants. Additional game tickets can be purchased once auction is closed.)

Islanders Team Photo Opportunity: The winner of this auction will be invited down to the Nassau Coliseum prior to the Islanders practice and join the team for the end of season photo. The winner will receive a framed copy of the photo that will be autographed by members of the 2008-2009 team. Winner must be available on Friday, March 6th.

Click here if you wish to read more about these auction items, view the items, or place a bid.

The Buzz on Gordon's Sandbox

2009-02-08T00:13:00.005-05:00

For those of you who don't already know, I'm filling in for B.D. Gallof as the Islanders blogger on HockeyBuzz for at least the rest of this season. I still haven't figured out exactly how I'm going to manage the content in both places, but I don't intend to let this blog die.

I imagine there will be many times when the content will be mirrored from one place to the other. I respect that some people may prefer to read here, so this arrangement will work out well for you. On these occasions, I will probably post there first, and then re-run the content here on a delay. We'll see how that works out. Thanks so much to all that have supported this blog, and I hope you stay with me one way or another.

Here's the latest (and first), originally published at http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Celebrity-Guests/Introducing-Our-New-Islanders-Blogger-Kenneth-Rosenblatt/33/19250...

During the first period of the Islanders' 3-2 loss to Florida, I expressed both my disagreement with Scott Gordon's decision to start Joey MacDonald and my ambivalence over how much the decision really mattered. To sum up, I don't see how you deny Yann Danis the opportunity to keep rolling and to test how long he can maintain a streak of solid/winning play. The ambivalence comes from the idea that at this stage of this season, the winning doesn't matter, and Gordon is going to use MacDonald down the stretch anyway. So why not last night?

The overriding issue is that Gordon is free to play around (tinker toys?) with no fear of significant consequences. He isn't going to blow a playoff run, and he isn't going to lose his job.

The only possible dangers I see are Gordon hindering a young player's development or alienating the veteran players to the extent that the club atmosphere suffers. Let's look at these two dangers a little more closely.

Perhaps the prime example of Gordon being able to see what he has without worrying about consequences is his use of Kyle Okposo on the point during power plays. Did anyone imagine at any point until the coach put him there that Okposo would play the point? I certainly didn't.

But more to the point, what is the point of him being there? Does anyone envision that being his long-term role? I certainly don't. Which begs the question, Why put him there now? Wouldn't Okposo be better served, in this, a year of organizational development, by gaining experience down low where we all assume he will eventually be?

Maybe Gordon sees something and Okposo will be a fixture on the point for years to come. The coach has also explained that he views Streit as the sole point man, while Okposo and Doug Weight are really positioned more along the half wall. But it seems to me that both forwards spend plenty of time just inside the blue line with the man advantage.

We've seen Okposo blast a well placed one-timer home while playing point. We've also seen him rip a trio of one-timers wide of the net. Gordon is playing a delicate game of balancing what's good for the team right now and what's good for its future. Right now, he doesn't have many options to put alongside Streit on the power play. There's really no one else. So maybe Okposo is there only out of necessity. But if Gordon isn't intent on Okposo being in that spot next year, I'd rather see Chris Campoli (when Streit returns), Radek Martinek, Jack Hillen, or even a playmaker like Frans Nielsen on the point.

That being said, Okposo is showing himself to be every bit the professional both physically and mentally. He will not be ruined by playing out of place for a while.

As for the idea that the clubhouse could be poisoned by vets made unhappy by reduced roles, that's only a concern if the poison trickles down from the vets to the kids. That's not going to happen with Bill Guerin and Doug Weight around. And if they're not around? Then there's no problem to be had.

But those two have done everything the team has asked them to do, and been everything they've been asked to be. This team can continue to develop with Guerin and Weight in the fold for the rest of this year and next year.

By letting Okposo, Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, Nielsen, and Trent Hunter feed off each other, Gordon has created a level of enthusiasm that his older players are forced to match.

Just as Gordon challenged Okposo not to be content with simply being there, the coach has challenged the rest of the young players to make it their team as much as it is Guerin's and Weight's. That is a significant step in the development of the team. Don't forget it.

I imagine that Gordon will continue to make the occasional small decision that leaves us scratching our heads. But let him have his sandbox for the rest of the year. That's where kids learn to play.

Gordon Calls MacDonald's Number—What Would You Have Done?

2009-02-05T19:34:00.005-05:00

I suppose I can allow for the idea that if the remainder of this season is to be about seeing what you have, then there's no reason to stick with axioms like riding the hot goalie.

Scott Gordon faces few consequences for the decisions he makes the rest of the way. If his feeling was that it's time to get Joey MacDonald back in the action, I can accept that reasoning. Gordon will obviously be using MacDonald the rest of the way, so why not start now?

Yet, I can't completely convince myself that the coach made the correct decision tonight. If it were me, and I say this without the benefit of having a dynamic with either player, I would have sent Yann Danis out there again. Let him complete his run, as far as it goes.

I say this halfway through the first period with the Islanders trailing Florida 1-0. MacDonald may stone them the rest of the way. Again, it doesn't really matter. The Islanders are not in desperate need of a win—or a loss, if that's what you're looking for.

But sometimes you just have to go with a feeling. Tonight, mine would have been to go with Danis.

Delayed Live Blog: Lightning 1, Islanders 3, Final

2009-02-03T19:45:00.029-05:00

I have some time to sit down in front of the TV and the computer for tonight's game against Tampa Bay. I'm not sure how the entire evening will pan out, so I'm not going to do a full live blog. Instead, I'll post some thoughts from time to time as the game progresses and we'll see where things lead.

First Period Notes

The power play at least showed good patience and generated a couple of quality scoring chances, if not a quantity of chances. On the first PP, the Weight-Streit-Park-Comrie-Guerin line created a good, open shot for Park at the bottom of the right circle, but he was unable to beat Karri Ramo. I do have to wonder how long it will be before Jeff Tambellini gets another crack at the lineup.

Vinny Lecavalier did a good job of neutralizing Tim Jackman in their tussle. Just holding Jackman off for the majority of the fight almost proved to be a good strategy, as both players tired and the Tampa Bay captain found on opportunity to get back to throwing punches. But Lecavalier really only got in one more good shot before the linesmen broke it up.

Bill Guerin leaving with a lower-leg injury after absorbing the brunt of a Mark Streit shot could have implications as the trade deadline approaches. I'll have more on that at Illegal Curve in the very near future. Of course, Guerin could reappear for the second period and make this a non-issue.

One thing you certainly don't have to worry about with Yann Danis is whether he has a quick glove.

Kyle Okposo is continuing to show all he is capable of with and without the puck.

Second Period

This has nothing to do with the run of play, but my vote for next captain of the Islanders is Trent Hunter. I was just reminded of that when he rang one off the iron early in the 2nd Period.

I don't know what to think of Nate Thompson. Scott Gordon obviously likes him. He does bring something to table, particularly on a team at this stage of its development. But I can't help think that in a couple of years, if things go according to plan, guys like Thompson will have a much harder time find a spot in the lineup.

Guerin is indeed back on the ice, so now we can focus on just the normal speculation surrounding the likelihood of his departure. But not right now, not right here (second tease).

There's that guy Hunter I was talking about getting a dirty-deflection power play goal. Assists to Nielsen and Okposo. Islanders lead 1-0.

Wait, we're not supposed to get excited about winning, right? Streit slaps one through Ramo. Great to see after Streit had some arm/shoulder discomfort on the bench earlier. Hmm...right now they're giving it to Comrie who was in front. We'll see...anyway, Isles lead 2-0.

Radek Martinek with a half-slapper from the half-boards makes it 3-0 Isles. That one sent Ramo to the bench for NHL newbie Mike McKenna. That would suggest that the scoring portion of the game is over for the Islanders.

There's that glove from Danis again. Remember, I said it was quick. I didn't say anything about it being sticky.

Prospal beats Danis but not the post. Some would argue that means he didn't beat Danis. Either way, my fantasy team registers nothing.

There it is, a 3-0 lead after two. You can put this one in the books.

Third Period

Mark Streit will not return for the 3rd Period. Assistant Coach John Chabot is calling it precautionary. And to add insult to injury, Streit's goal is still credited to Comrie, who deflected it past Ramo using the Force.

Lightning about to begin a 5-on-3 for about 1:40.

Lecavalier scores with :02 left on the two-man advantage. Isles lead 3-1.

Prospal pitches in by taking a slashing penalty. Of course, with Streit unavailable the opportunity seems less thrilling.

Nice moves by St. Louis. Nice save by non-St. Danis.

This is not exactly what you'd call sprinting toward the finish line.

Were they able to retire Adam Graves's jersey tonight? Or was the Messier ceremony still going on?

In case you're looking for something a little more interactive, the live game thread at Lighthouse Hockey is open. (Which I probably should have mentioned about two hours ago.)

The Isles get a break as they look to close this one out as Tampa takes a penalty in the offensive zone.

Park fanned on a shot while on the power play, leading to a clear by the defense. But this power play also serves to knock two minutes off the clock in the late stages of a two-goal game.

St. Louis thought he had a deflection for Tampa's second goal but instead he was whistled on a delayed cross-check.

A Campoli penalty means we'll finish this one up 4-on-4.

Third-period lead? Piece of cake. Isles win 3-1 and have forged a four-game winning streak.

Okposo, Bailey, and Comeau Lead the Isles to Victory

2009-01-29T19:06:00.004-05:00

If you are an Islanders fan searching for a reason to be interested in this season's remaining games, coach Scott Gordon has given you a dandy. By hitching Josh Bailey to Blake Comeau and Kyle Okposo, Gordon is maxing out your chances for excitement the rest of the way.

The youth brigade should be energized by relying solely on each other. Putting this line together signals that it's really their time now. Okposo, in particular, looks so confident now, even on the penalty kill. It's almost hard to believe that he played only 14:08 in tonight's 5-4 win at Atlanta. It seemed like he was out there every other shift.

One difficulty that could surface for the Comeau-Bailey-Okposo line is a failure to have the puck. If Bailey doesn't continue to improve on faceoffs (he won 5 of 9 tonight—a good result), the line will waste precious seconds of its shifts forechecking and playing defense. Obviously those duties are necessities and all three should aspire to be solid two-way players, but this line is together to produce offense.

That they did so in the first period of their first game together, on a skilled Bailey-to-Okposo conversion, gives Gordon all the evidence he needs to keep them together without worrying about them needing a veteran presence.

And what more could you ask for than all three players on the line working to create the goal that saved the Islanders from complete collapse after coughing up three-fourths of their four-goal lead in the third period?

For most of the third period the team played its best tentative, we-have-no-idea-what-to-do-here hockey. It was easy to wonder what had happened to the tenacity best exemplified by Okposo's play in the first period.

Then Comeau made that chip-dump into the corner, and you could just tell by the way he pursued the puck that there was still something left in the Islanders' tank. Comeau to Bailey to Okposo. Bang, 5-3, and the eventual game-winner.

Yes, the Atlanta defense was full of holes and starting goalie Kari Lehtonen looked like he was playing in roller skates. But when that happens, a team has to pounce. And the Islanders did. When Lehtonen dropped Andy Hilbert's harmless shot, Tim Jackman got to the net and put the puck across the line.

I love to see Islanders forwards show composure and be patient enough to score goals like Trent Hunter did to give the Islanders a lead just 55 seconds into the game. Too many times in the past, a forward would have let the goalie keep his angle and be rewarded with a harmless shot to the crest. Hunter made sure to hit the back of the net after not scoring in his previous 17 games.

The Islanders needed a game like this. Even if you're rooting fervently for them to cement their hold on 30th place, constant misery is no good for the fans, the players, or the organization. Neither is setting records for futility on the road.

So let them have this would-be-but-wasn't laugher and don't worry about the draft just yet. Remember, you don't know what the Islanders are going to do with that pick anyway. Maybe Luke wasn't the Schenn they wanted.

Fantasy Update Continued: Specialists

2009-01-28T18:29:00.004-05:00

With regular season action for the Islanders finally back within smelling distance, we conclude this latest look at the team's fantasy prowess with the Specialists. These are the players who ordinarily might not be on your roster because they are one- or two-dimensional, but their abilities in one or two categories make them options if you can absorb their low production on the rest of the board.

First, we begin with a tribute to one of the Islanders' recent top specialists, faceoff-man extraordinaire, Mike Sillinger. At times throughout his career, Silli was more than just a top-notch draw man, but if your league counted faceoff wins or winning percentage, he could certainly be your go-to guy. With his hip now getting the Zamboni treatment, we wish Silli the best.

And now for the rest...

Specialists
PIMs—Tim Jackman is your team leader with 76 PIMs in 34 games. You can likely find better options on other teams. Nate Thompson is your next best bet, on a slightly slower pace than Jackman with 42 PIMs in 24 games.

(+/-)—The wasteland of Islanders fantasy hockey. Nothing to see here.

Shots on goal—It's still Bill Guerin and Trent Hunter up front and Mark Streit from the blue line. If Sean Bergenheim can stay in the lineup, he at least gets some shots away. If you want to package some SOG with some BkS, keep an eye on Andy Hilbert as he comes back from injury. And don't forget about Kyle Okposo as he gains confidence and his role continues to increase.

Hits—Hunter ranks 22nd in the league with 111 hits (Cal Clutterbuck leads with 173). That should give you a healthy idea of what's left when next on the team is Streit at 75 hits. When Freddy Meyer is healthy, he does become an option, having registered 71 hits in only 27 games. Brendan Witt is only at about 2 hits per game, and you're not going to endure his +/- for that. Jackman and Thompson are also good for about 2 per game.

Blocked Shots—Surprisingly, there are no Islanders in the league's top 30. As a whole the team leads the NHL in blocked shots by more than 50 over second-place Montreal. Witt and Streit lead the way with Sutton out. Hilbert ranks sixth on the team, the only forward among the top eight.

Faceoffs—With our hero (see above) now lost for the season, options are few. Of regular shifters, only Richard Park is over 50% (51%, to be exact). Frans Nielsen is knocking on the door at 49.5%. Should he find his way back, Jeremy Colliton did a terrific job in six games, winning 64.3% of his 70 faceoffs.

Time on Ice—Streit ranks 14th in the league at 25:18 per game. The best forward, Doug Weight, comes in 48th among all forwards at 19:05. Of course, Weight is in danger of losing ice time, if not his New York address.

Fantasy Update Continued: Prospects

2009-01-25T17:48:00.004-05:00

As we get ready to watch fantasy stud Mark Streit represent the Islanders at the All-Star Game in Montreal, let's continue our review of the Islanders roster as it pertains to fantasy hockey.

In the previous post, we took a look at players who are viable contenders for your fantasy roster right now. In part two of this update, we examine prospects.

When we last did a fantasy roster review, the prospects list consisted of Andy Hilbert and Rick DiPietro. Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, and Joey MacDonald had fallen off the list since the previous evaluation. Without further adieu...

Prospects
Kyle Okposo—The rookie right wing has been one of the team's most productive players in the second half, putting him back on this list. He seems to have decided not to struggle through his rookie season and is instead looking like the player that some were touting for the Calder before the year began. Since the Christmas break, Okposo has 5 goals and 5 assists in 13 games. His last two goals have come on the power play where he is playing the point on the first unit. The return of Doug Weight may shake things up a bit, but you can count on Scott Gordon continuing to give Okposo ample oppotunity with the man advantage and plenty of ice time overall. Okposo ranks 17th in rookie scoring, but should move up the table as the second half progresses. He is 8th among rookies in shots on goal despite missing 13 games to injury.

Andy Hilbert—Hilbert made this list last time and was enjoying somewhat of an offensive renaissance playing under his former AHL coach. Hilbert was leading NHL forwards in blocked shots before he got injured. It remains to be seen where Gordon will slot him in when he returns next week, but expect him to get plenty of time on the penalty kill and possibly time on the 2nd power play unit.

Joey MacDonald—Still on the injured list but making progress, MacDonald is unlikely to replicate his great November. However, when he returns he may face some competition for starts from Yann Danis as they battle for the #2 job next year. Perhaps the competition will elevate his performance and make him an option for those in need of a depth goalie.

In the first part of this update, I teased Danis as a fantasy prospect. I'm not seriously recommending that you pick him up, but his statistics over the recent stretch do deserve a mention. In fact, on the season Danis actually has the best GAA and SV% of all Islanders goalies. Of course, it's close enough and he's played few enough games that it could change very quickly. However, in his last five games, Danis has a GAA of just over 2.00 with a SV% of .940. Unfortunately, there's only one win in there.

In the third part of this All-Star Break update, we'll take a look at fantasy specialists.

DiPietro in the Man Cave

I saw a commercial today for the DIY Network's Man Caves show, which stars Jason Cameron and Tony Siragusa. This looks like a typical home makeover show that focuses on converting areas of homes into sports and entertainment paradises that put the local sports bar or clubhouse to shame. What's notable is that in one clip from the commercial, you could clearly see a framed DiPietro jersey hanging in the background.

Fantasy Update: Villains

2009-01-21T21:13:00.004-05:00

When I saw this photo on Point Blank today, I had two thoughts: The Islanders should have won a lot more games in the first half with Sylar in goal. And how did he get hurt?

My goal here isn't really to paint the Islanders as villains. But if you have been counting on any of them for fantasy production over the last while, you may think them a dastardly bunch.

As the team nose-dived in the standings, much of their worthwhile fantasy production also plunged to insufferable depths. Some were held down or held out by injury. Others hit Tailspin Road because their linemates hit the IR Express.

With only three wins since the beginning of December, are there no heroes left in orange and blue tights? Let's have a look.

When we last visited the Coliseum of Justice about five weeks ago, Mark Streit, Doug Weight, Trent Hunter, and Bill Guerin had been carried over in the Player category. Despite the Islanders' inability to post more than a goal or two per game recently, you can continue to hold onto these players. And I say this despite the fact that Hunter was dropped in my league on this very day. Here's what they can do for you.

Players
Mark Streit—Simply put, just play him and don't worry about it. Streit was recently the NHL leader in points by a defenseman and will represent the Isles at the All-Star Game with distinction. As of this writing, he still leads the league in power play points by a defenseman. And just for good measure, Streit is only a -3 on a team with no active plus players (Kurtis McLean doesn't count) despite acquiring 21 of his 34 points with the man advantage.

Doug Weight—Obviously Weight hasn't been doing anything for you lately. But if you were able to stash him in an IR slot, know that he skated today and should be back within two weeks (one of which has no games scheduled). Despite missing time, Weight is still only two off the team lead in points. He should continue to be very productive in assists and on the power play. Of course, keep an eye on his opportunities when he comes back as Scott Gordon has vowed to use his young players in expanded roles the rest of the way. And there's always the chance that a trade will come Weight's way and that could alter his production significantly.

Trent Hunter—Hunter is actually on the bubble here. Believe it or not, since we last did this in the middle of December, he has not registered a goal. In that time, he has managed only four assists. At 11-15-26, he's not that strong of a play anymore. But Hunter does still have a decent shot total at 118, and he's 20th in the league with 111 hits. Note that Hunter is currently recovering from a hand injury suffered in practice.

Bill Guerin—You can also see the downward trend in Guerin's stats. Last time, he was in the top ten in shots on goal. Entering tonight's action he was down to 20th. During this dry spell for the team, he does have three goals and nine assists. At 14-18-32 he may be a marginal play in some leagues, especially since he's added only six PIMs in the last five weeks or so.

I'll have to leave it at that for the moment, but check back later for news on specialists and fantasy prospects Kyle Okposo and...YANN DANIS?!

Playing to Win; Exclusive Comeau Quotes

2009-01-17T23:46:00.006-05:00

"For the second half of the season, we're not measuring our success based on wins and losses, but whether we are giving up few chances and creating our own. We had a good number of quality chances against Boston, we just couldn't bury them."

When I first read that quote from Scott Gordon in the Islanders' preview of Saturday night's game against the Devils, I thought it was a refreshing and honest evaluation of where the team is positioned at this point in the season.

After reconsidering the quote, I wondered if it was a little too candid (along the lines of "Joey's not Ricky.") I think most fans will agree that regardless of development and the desire for the No. 1 overall pick in June, this team needs to throw in a few wins once in a while.

That idea was certainly strengthened by watching the 3-1 loss to the Devils. For most of the game, the Islanders looked like they had nothing to play for. Gordon certainly wasn't pleased with effort. I asked Blake Comeau, the Islanders' lone goal scorer on the night, about this approach of focusing on components of the game other than wins and losses. Here's what he had to say:

Islanders Outsider: Blake, with wins being tough to come by, is there any way you can sort of break things down to more specific goals and maybe progress from there? Building blocks, that kind of thing?

Blake Comeau: Well, I think any time you're going through a slump like this you have to start worrying about the little things and do the little things. Those are things that add up. And, you know, we talk about it, chipping pucks and playing physical. I think when we're playing physical as a team that's when we're playing our best hockey. And, you know, we've got to keep doing that.

Islanders Outsider: Coach Gordon had the comment yesterday about, you know, not worrying so much about wins and losses but things like getting more scoring chances than you're giving up. So is that the kind of thing you can focus on in practice and in the games to get where you need to be?

Blake Comeau: Definitely. I think that's where it starts is in practice. You know, when we got drills, we have to do them with a purpose. We have to shoot to score in practice and it's going to carry over into the game. We can't just go through the motions and hope things are going to turn around in games. That's something we gotta do. We gotta work hard and we gotta pull together to turn this around.

You do have to wonder how satisfying it could be for a player or a coach if the team consistently outchances its opponents only to consistently lose because it can't bury those chances. I like the idea of shooting to score in practice and not just going through the motions.

Regardless of how hard you work on generating your own chances and limiting your opponents' chances, there's an edge required for winning and establishing a winning culture. The Islanders should make sure not to put the pursuit of that edge on the back burner.

Live Blog 1/17/09: Devils 3, Islanders 1

2009-01-17T18:39:00.039-05:00

0:46 Time called by the Isles. There's nothing to suggest a miracle finish is on the way so that's going to do it for now.

2:46 Break in the action and the building begins to clear out. We'll hang on for one more flurry here before packing up.

3:00 Isles are finally getting some sustained pressure but having trouble hitting the net.

6:35 The scoreboard and the Event Summary are claiming that the Isles are outhitting the Devils 26-7. Kind of strange considering the Devils had 7 hits in the first period.

8:30 Martinek and Comrie get the assists on the Comeau goal.

9:25 Comeau all alone in front grabs a rebound and easily puts it over a sprawling Clemmensen to get the Isles on the board. Devils lead 3-1.

12:16 Goal-mouth scramble with Sim hacking away at the puck to no avail. Clemmensen covered up.

14:12 Streit gets away with a dangerous cross-ice pass just inside the offensive blue line.

16:02 Rolston came in alone from the left side put pushed it just wide of the far post. Danis may have gotten a piece.

16:15 Witt being attended to on the ice. Now going to the locker room holding something up to the area near his left eye. Didn't see if it was a puck or a stick that got him.

17:40 Park danced between two defenders in the slot and got a good scoring chance on Clemmensen.

THIRD PERIOD

Second Intermission: There's still not much you can imagine a coach being happy about from this game. We'll see if they can generate anything in the third period to make Scott Gordon's post-game less prickly.

5:18 There's not much of a tempo right now, which is a good thing considering I feel a reboot coming on.

8:57 You can currently file this one under uninspiring.

12:15 Jackman and Salvador engage. Jackman landed a lot of what seemed to be forearms more than punches. But give him the decision and the takedown. Five each.

13:24 Devils fans are getting louder with each goal.

15:02 Madden works hard to get the puck out of the corner to Clarkson whose sharp-angled slapper beats Danis. Devils lead 3-0.

17:22 Good effort by Comeau to gain some speed at the blue line and work his way through the defense to get off a shot. Tough chance to score on though.

19:03 Langenbrunner sends a medium-soft shot/pass to the front of the net that deflects to a wide open Parise at the side of the net. No trouble for Parise to make it 2-0 on the power play goal.

19:48 Thompson to the box for boarding.

SECOND PERIOD

1st Intermission: The Isles are fortunate to be down only 1-0 after that period. You can't play that carelessly with the puck and expect to survive against the Devils. The good news is that they're still in this. The Isles do have 12 hits to 7 for the Devils. The home team should attempt to use physical play as a catalyst from here on. If you're wondering how the fan base would respond after the KC/Saskatoon news, it's a very strong crowd here. Plenty of Devils fans for sure, but it would be a good crowd even without them. There was one sign being paraded around the concourse with a very simple sentiment directed at KC. Something akin to the city having the main the feature of a vacuum cleaner.

0:45 Streit took a tough bump to the lower back but appears to be okay.

2:32 Langenbrunner flubbed a short-side shot at a half-empty net off a pass from behind the goal line.

4:46 Campoli with a nice hit on Andy Greene in the defensive zone. On today's episode of HNLI, one thing John Fischer was worried about was how the Devils would respond to physical play tonight. So for he doesn't have much too worry about.

7:23 Isles are making it too easy for NJ with giveaways. Danis just survived that mini-break.

10:04 Nothing doing on that last power play. If the Isles don't start putting some legitimate pressure on the Devils they're going to fall way behind fast. A goal-mouth scramble where Danis didn't see the puck right away almost made it 2-0.

11:44 Isles not moving the puck well at all on the power play. A poor pass results in a breakaway for Zajac who was only stopped from getting his second shorty by a quick glove from Danis.

12:55 Zubrus trips up Streit just outside the Devils' zone. Isles back to the power play.

13:54 Danis gets his pocket picked behind the net by Zach Parise, who gets the puck out in front of an empty net. Travis Zajac deposits it for the shorty. Devils lead 1-0 on a terrible goal to give up.

14:50 The No. 1 unit of Bailey-Nielsen-Hunter-Okposo-Streit goes of without generating much.

15:42 Today's press clips packet includes a couple of articles about Wade Dubielewicz being happy to be back with the Islanders. Talk about short-lived news. John Madden takes a 2:00 minute minor for high sticking.

16:59 Mike Comrie needs to get the offense going again. He has only 1 assist to show for the last 6 games after scoring goals in three straight.

18:00 Nifty pass from Streit to Park but Clemmensen gets a glove on it. That's the second glove save he's made from in close.

20:00 Thompson centers Sim and Jackman to start with Witt and Martinek on D. This is the Islanders' version of a crash line.

FIRST PERIOD

Just finished up the pre-game ceremony jointly honoring Bill Guerin for his 400th goal and Doug Weight for his 1,000th point. I'll post some video later if it looks worthy of posting.

********

After a couple of days of headline-making off-ice news, it's time to get back to some hockey. For those who are curious, Yann Danis is back in his #34 jersey and Peter Mannino did make it in time for pre-game warmups.

I'd like to thank Steve and Alex from Hockey Night on Long Island for allowing me to occupy Alex's empty seat on today's show. It was a great episode and Steve did a terrific job running the board with so much news to discuss. As always, the show is archived on the HNLI show site and also available to download as a podcast from iTunes. Further thanks to John Fischer of In Lou We Trust who was an excellent guest and provided an astute preview of tonight's contest from the Devils' perspective.

Back shortly with the opening draw!