Two-Minute Minors for 1/20/10

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!"

Stuck Between a Radek and a Park Place

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.

Launching 2009

Welcome to the new year. First, let me say thanks for allowing me to recharge over the last several days. My batteries died without warning. That and the west coast trip left me feeling oddly detached from the Islanders despite missing only a few chunks of play here and there.

I'll be honest—at times it can feel like there's not much left to contribute with two, full-time major bloggers on top of everything and us independent types with a tiny fraction of the access that they have. You're getting your information and breaking news there first. And Islanders fans themselves are so engaged in everything that all it takes is a trip to the comments on those blogs or forums like HF Boards and Islander Mania to make it seem like there's nothing new to say.

But that's the challenge—to continue to have something to say, or simply something to share. So we press on! (Even if pressing on begins with a post like this.)

It's a few days past now, but still worth it to congratulate Doug Weight on reaching (and passing) the 1,000-point mark, and Josh Bailey on erasing that doughnut from the goals column. I'd also like to congratulate The Drive for Five on being named the 2008 NYI Blog of the Year in voting held at Yes! Islanders.

Who else can we congratulate? How about Garth Snow for picking the right free-agent defenseman?

And while we're passing out accolades, let's recognize the NHL for putting on another great show with this year's Winter Classic at Wrigley.

And for your end-of-year entertainment, here are Puck Daddy's Top Ten Goals of 2008 (one of them scored by an Islander—see if you can guess who before watching).

The tone of this season has certainly changed a lot in the last month. It's no longer about seeing how far this team might go. The day to day of what happened and why is now secondary to the what's going to happen and how well will it work.

It almost seems as though we're entering a period of limbo where not much matters except that Kyle Okposo, Blake Comeau, Jeff Tambellini, Bailey, and a quick healer named Nielsen continue to play larger roles and find some success in doing so.

The first shoe hasn't even dropped yet, but we're already anxiously waiting for the other one to bounce off the floor. After March 4, we'll be able to regroup, enjoy the rest of the season for whatever value it holds, and then look forward to Year 2 of this multi-year project.

I should have more to say soon about specific expectations for players as we move forward. In the meantime, we have a team out west that at least won't let you shut off the game in the middle of the third. With a light schedule on Monday and some flexibility in my lineup for a rental, my fantasy team now includes the point-producing machine Richard Park.

Oh, and I almost forgot. I recently had a random run-in on a New York City street with Butch Goring, whom I have never met, but who was nice enough to stop and talk to a stranger who called out his name.

3-Point Weekend: The Good News/Bad News Report

"We had some pretty good energy," Gordon said. "We spent almost the entire game in their zone. Maybe they had one forecheck at the beginning of the first period. Our guys, from my standpoint, played with a lot of effort. There was a missed coverage on three goals where we had people in place but didn't pick up the man. That was a breakdown, and we didn't get the save. But from a defensive standpoint in our zone, we didn't give up anything and we spent little time there, so we must have been doing something very well in the offensive zone on the forecheck."

That was Scott Gordon's assessment of his team's 5-1 loss at home to the Atlanta Thrashers on December 6th. At the time, I noted that Gordon seemed to go a little too far to paint the loss as a good loss when the circumstances didn't call for it. You certainly couldn't blame Gordon if he wanted to accentuate the positive after last night's 4-3 shootout loss at Buffalo.

For the first time in a long time, there were plenty of positives in the play of the Islanders as they downed the Maple Leafs 4-1 Friday to end a ten-game losing streak, and extended the Sabres to a skills competition Saturday. Only those who wish to see the Isles lose at all costs could have come away from this weekend disappointed (granted, this team desperately needs John Tavares). Here are some of the good news highlights...

Friday

• Kyle Okposo hit the scoresheet with a goal and an assist for his first career multi-point game this season. [Corrected because Okposo had a goal and an assist in his second NHL game, a 3-1 win at New Jersey on March 21, 2008.] Okposo kicked off the scoring just 3:47 into the first period to get the Islanders going. The play was started by a clean breakout pass from Rick DiPietro, who recorded the only assist on the play and in the process set a team record for career points by a goalie (14, all assists).
  
  
• After playing only 2+ games this season, DiPietro made a surprise return to the lineup and recorded his first win of the season. He stopped 28 of 29 shots in a solid, controlled performance that seemed to give his teammates a shot in the arm.
  
  
• Bill Guerin lit the lamp twice to notch his 399th and 400th career goals. Guerin is the 8th American player to hit the 400 mark.
  
  
• In addition to Okposo's efforts, the youth brigade was all over the box score. Blake Comeau picked up two assists while Chris Campoli, Jeff Tambellini, and Josh Bailey registered one helper each.

Saturday

• Tambellini finally broke through for his first goal of the season (I—okay, Garth—told you he'd score) by converting a return pass from behind the net by Mark Streit. Tambellini started the exchange by finding a cutting Streit with a sharp pass across the front of the goal. Streit took the puck behind the net and found Tambellini open on the other side. Half the net may have been open, but it looked like a goal scorer's goal.
  
  
• Joey MacDonald stepped back into the starter's role just one day after the return of DiPietro and played solidly, stopping 34 of 37 shots. Odds are that the Isles will need to count on MacDonald more this season and it's important that he remains sharp and confident.
  
  
• Comeau, Okposo, and Bailey all got in on the scoring for the second consecutive game with an assist each. This was in addition to goals by Tambellini and Campoli.
  
  
• The Isles used a late power play and an extra attacker to score twice in the final 1:34, stunning the Sabres and sending the game into overtime. It was nice to see them force an opponent into a third-period collapse, especially after the Sabres extended their one-goal lead to two with only 5:23 remaining.
  
  
• Mike Comrie's goal, which brought the Isles to within one at 18:26 of the third, was the kind of prototypical two-man advantage goal that this team has not scored often enough in the last few years. With MacDonald pulled and the Isles skating 6-on-4, Guerin took a pass down low from Comeau and fed the puck across the crease to Comrie who was waiting on the doorstep with an open net to hit.
  
  
• On the game-tying goal, Okposo refused to be knocked off the puck. His toughness and determination enabled him to feed Campoli, whose perfectly placed shot from the slot tied the game with two seconds remaining in regulation.
  
  
• It looks like Brendan Witt is starting to round back into shape.
  

The Bad News?

• Andy Hilbert is out with a hairline fracture in his foot. Blocking so many shots has its consequences. As annoying as it is to lose another player, and as well as Hilbert has played this season, the Isles can survive without him.
  
  
• DiPietro did not travel to Buffalo and Howie Rose reported that the goalie has a strained groin. Monday should be very interesting. At this point, I feel like it's 50/50 whether DiPietro starts against the Rangers or we hear something about 7-10 days.
  
  
• Unnecessary penalties continue to plague this team. Four consecutive minors in the second period Saturday night and a momentum killer by Sean Bergenheim in overtime were too much to overcome.
  
  
• A 4-point weekend would have been really sweet. The shootout in Buffalo was no contest. MacDonald got toasted by Kotalik and Stafford while Park and Okposo did not fool Ryan Miller in the least.

All in all, a very enjoyable weekend of hockey.

Islanders Top Canucks, Stick It to Vancouver Press

I would have posted this regardless of the outcome of tonight's game, but I admit it's a lot more fun after the Islanders defeated the Canucks 2-1 in a shootout.

A lot was made on tonight's television broadcast of the hatchet job done on the Islanders leading up to the game by members of the Vancouver press. Columnists, bloggers, and TV hosts everywhere have been taking cheap shots at the Isles since the first season previews began to appear, but lately these criticisms are really starting to miss the mark to hilarious effect.

I first became aware of Gordon McIntyre's piece in The Vancouver Province during a visit to New York Islander Fan Central prior to today's game. Let's do a little more call and response...

General manager Garth Snow has put together a pretty good squad -- if it was the 2001-02 season.

But Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin, Doug Weight and Mike Sillinger are all past their best-by date.

All right. But let's just do this for fun:

Doug Weight—18 GP, 4 G, 12 A, 16 pts
Henrik Sedin—18 GP, 3 G, 12 A, 15 pts

Bill Guerin—18 GP, 6 G, 6 A, 12 pts
Daniel Sedin—18 GP, 6 G, 8 A 14 pts

I don't know. They still look fresh enough to me.

And, yikes, is that Richard Park wearing an 'A' and logging up to 19 1/2 minutes?

Yes, that is the highly respected veteran, loved by players and coaches alike, wearing an 'A' in the absence of injured teammates Sillinger and Brendan Witt. And while Park may have hit 19 1/2 minutes here and there, he's averaging around 15 minutes per game. Actually, now that I look it up, Park has only hit 19 1/2 minutes once, 18+ minutes once, and 17+ minutes twice. He's played as few as 12+ minutes four times.

This once-proud franchise has long been a joke and owner Charles Wang is hinting he will leave town or sell the team if the decrepit Nassau Coliseum, long past the glory years of Bryan Trottier and Mike Bossy, isn't replaced.

Actually, he's not hinting that. The media and the commissioner are hinting that.

The Isles will be missing defenceman Thomas Pock, suspended for five games after getting a major and being tossed from Thursday's game for elbowing former Canuck Ryan Shannon in the head in his debut with the Senators.

They would also be missing Witt and Freddy Meyer, who have played very little this season and, no offense to Pock, are much more significant losses.

I don't want to get in the habit of doing this (unless it proves to be endlessly fun), but sometimes they just make it too easy.

MacDonald Leads Islanders Over Rangers 2-1 at MSG

Joey MacDonald standing on his head + offense from Richard Park and Nate Thompson = win. This is not the formula on which the Islanders are counting for success.

Or is it? Outstanding goaltending + tenacious defense + opportunistic, aggressive offense = too much for the opponent to overcome.

MacDonald was the difference. And just a few days after a frustrated Marty Turco called out the skaters in front of him for trying to play goalie and not letting him see the puck, MacDonald was buoyed by 32 blocked shots from his support staff. The Isles also scored 27 hits.

It was important for Nate Thompson to get on the scoresheet, even if he did so with a put-the-pizza-in-the-oven goal. Clearly, Garth Snow and Scott Gordon did not bring Thompson here for organizational depth, but to play a meaty role. It's reasonable to hope that breaking through for his first goal will boost his confidence and get him on track to being the complete player he was in the AHL. Can you imagine Thompson developing into a Michael Peca type player? That's a lofty expectation, but it's fun to think about the ceiling for some of these young guys.

Nate Thompson puts the pizza in the oven.

Of course, we're still staring at two scoreless periods that were rescued by two shorthanded goals in the third. Consistent five-on-five scoring is the next hurdle to overcome. But for now, let's enjoy having won two in a row.

The New York (Global) Times covered the New York Islanders vs. the New York Rangers in New York City with an Associated Press article. Stu Hackel did provide some commentary in Slap Shot.


Fantasy Report

Game 11: Islanders 4, Blue Jackets 3, OT
Fantasy Stars of the Game
1st Star: Chris Campoli (2 G, 1 SHG, +2, 4 SOG, 4 BkS, 1 hit)
2nd Star: Trent Hunter (2 A, 1 SHA, +2, 3 SOG, 1 hit)
3rd Star: Richard Park (1 G, 1 A, +1, 3 SOG,
4th Star: Mike Comrie (2 A, 1 SHA, +1, 2 BkS)
5th Star: Bill Guerin (1 G, +1, 2 SOG, 2 BkS, 2 PIMs, 5 hits)

Game 12: Islanders 2, Rangers 1
Fantasy Stars of the Game
1st Star: Joey MacDonald (W, 1.00 GAA, .972 SV%)
2nd Star: Frans Nielsen (1 A, 1 SHA, +2, 4 SOG, 3 BkS, 2 hits)
3rd Star: Nate Thompson (1 G, 1 SHG, +1, 1 SOG, 2 BkS, 4 hits)
4th Star: Richard Park (1 G, 1 SHG, +1, 3 SOG)
5th Star: Thomas Pock (1 A, 1 SHA, +1, 1 SOG, 2 BkS, 1 hit)

Fantasy Star Points Top Ten (Through 12 Games)

1. Streit 31
2. Guerin 22
3. Hunter 22
4. Weight 15
5. Park 12
6. MacDonald 9.5
7. Bergenheim 9
8. Comrie 9
9. Thompson 8
10. Meyer 7

Daily Double

It's rare that I get to watch my two favorite hockey teams play simultaneously. So tonight was a pretty good way to spend an evening. In the right sight line, I had Islanders-Devils on the TV. In the left sight line, Cornell-Harvard in the semifinals of the ECAC Hockey Championship live via B2TV.com ($8.00 for the single game pass). The results were a mixed bag.

Cornell was the visiting team in the ECAC tournament game contested at the Times Union Center in Albany. I clicked on the "visitors" link hoping to hear a Big Red broadcast. Instead, I got the Crimson announcers. Thinking the site had possibly reversed the links, I fired off a quick e-mail to customer service asking if it were possible to access the Cornell broadcast without having to purchase another pass. B2TV Networks impressed me with an almost immediate reply that consisted solely of a link. The fact that the link included "harvard" in its address wasn't promising, however. Indeed, I was once again fed the broadcast in a darker shade of red. At that point, it wasn't worth pursuing anymore as I had two hockey games to watch and only two eyes!

The webcast, while not superclear, was high enough quality to be enjoyable to watch. The audio was often a second or two ahead of the video. I'm only pointing all of this out because B2TV also webcasts minor league hockey games, including those of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers. So, if the Sound Tigers find themselves involved in critical games over the next few weeks (a likely event), you may have the option of watching the game in the comfort of your own home.

As for the game, Cornell fell victim to a couple of lapses in discipline and was unable to contain the Harvard power play. The Crimson scored two quick goals with the man advantage on consecutive opportunities in the second period. Cornell responded quickly after the second goal to cut the lead in half with a power-play marker of its own.

In the third period, Cornell really took the play to its arch rival. The Big Red dominated possession and fired 16 shots on goal. Unfortunately, tonight's version of the Big Red looked a little like the Islanders in that it struggled mightily to finish its scoring chances. Still trailing 2-1 with just under three minutes left, Cornell took its sixth minor of the game. Harvard scored its third power-play goal in six chances to put the game away. Cornell was unable to cut into the margin with a 6-on-4 advantage in the waning minutes.

Harvard's Doug Rogers, a fourth-round draft choice of the Islanders in 2006, picked up an assist on the second Crimson goal and took five shots. Rogers stands second on the team in scoring with 13 goals and 20 assists in 34 games. He is a +15.

Cornell's season ends at 18-14-3 with no chance for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. [Note: Cornell defeated Colgate 4-2 in Saturday's consolation game.] The Big Red can be optimistic about the years to come. This year's top two scorers, Colin Greening (Ottawa) and Riley Nash (Edmonton), are a sophomore and a freshman, respectively. Assuming they don't leave early, they should be fun to watch for a few more years. Starting goaltender Ben Scrivens is also a sophomore. The team will lose only four seniors.

Fortunately, the Cornell game ended just in time for me to focus on a helmetless Kyle Okposo ripping an off-balance one-timer past Martin Brodeur to give the Isles a 2-1 lead over the Devils with 2:35 remaining. The power play goal, off a Richard Park feed, was Okposo's first in the NHL and his second point, after an assist on a Blake Comeau tally earlier in the evening. Wade Dubielewicz stood, well, tall in the face of a strong Devils attack. Dubie continues to state his case for being a legitimate NHL netminder who can be relied upon in any situation.

Bryan Berard recorded two assists, including the secondary on Okposo's goal. Trent Hunter sealed the fight-filled game with a rare Islanders empty-net goal. Bill Guerin, Matt Spiller, and Josef Vasicek all took fighting majors, as Ted Nolan got his wish for a more spirited performance. Spiller was the unfortunate recipient of an Arron Asham knockout punch to the cheek that drew blood.

The win by the Islanders and the performance by Okposo were a nice salve to the wound that was the Cornell loss. A double-victory would have been nice. But, for a hockey fan, it was still a pretty good way to spend an evening.

On the Roster

I'm as anxious as anyone to see how the most recent Bridgeport callups fare against the Los Angeles Just Ducks of Anaheim. Will Tambellini and Nielsen be paired on the same line with an incumbent? Or will they be assigned to different lines, thus giving the team a transfusion on three of its four lines (assuming that neither one was going to play with Brennan)?

The braintrust had some difficult decisions to make as far as where any callups would be slotted into the lineup (assuming that the decision to actually make callups was not difficult itself). It's rather unfortunate that the decision was rendered easier by injury (Sillinger) and illness (Park and Hunter). I'd certainly rather see a new-look squad that included both Sillinger and Park. While Sillinger's numbers have fallen off from last year, and Park's have fallen off in the last few weeks, they remain key components of a successful Islander team. As for Hunter, I have to admit that I am curious to see how the team looks with a little more speed and skill. The downside is that I like having a hitting machine out there, and Hunter's performance on the penalty kill cannot be overlooked. I don't imagine that he'll be spending additional time in the press box once he's recovered from the flu.

Then there are the ancillary stories. First, how will Okposo fare with new Sound Tiger linemates? It's not as though he can't adjust to playing with new faces. He went from Minnesota to Team USA to Bridgeport in a matter of weeks. But there will be a dropoff in talent no matter who fills in for Tambellini and Nielsen next to Okposo. Furthermore, Kyle will likely be looked to as more of a leader on his new line, whereas he was clearly the protege next to two guys with successful careers in professional hockey and tastes of the NHL. Of course, the convenience of having two forward spots open on the Island may last only a few days. Once Hunter and Park are healthy, I wouldn't be surprised to see Nielsen and/or Tambellini right back next to Okposo.

Second, no matter how well Brennan fills Jackman's shoes, his big-club tryout has a finite lifespan. The Islanders have made it clear that the door to the bench is wide open for Chris Simon, whose return stands just over two weeks away. By then, the team will either have a lot of competition for jobs (if they turn things around) or a lot of vacancies to fill (if they're out of it).

Update: Now that I've had a chance to read the literature from the Islanders, I see that Nolan intends to play Tambellini and Nielsen together. I like this decision and it indicates to me that the pair will get a decent shake at quality ice time. Nolan also suggested that Park would be ready to go tomorrow night, but didn't mention Hunter. So, we should see Tambellini, Nielsen, and Brennan in for Sillinger, Hunter, and Jackman/7th defenseman, at least for one game. After that, it will be interesting to see whether one of the struggling regular forwards takes a seat.

DiPietro Enters NHL's Star-Making Machine

Congratulations to Rick DiPietro for being named the starting goaltender for the Eastern Conference in tonight's All-Star Game. As an Islanders fan, it's a thrill to see a member of the team playing such a prominent role in one of the league's marquee events. The fact that the starting job became available as a result of Marty Brodeur's absence really doesn't taint the honor in any way for me.

DiPietro has represented the Islanders very well so far this weekend. You can follow his experiences in Atlanta by paying a visit to Islanders TV at newyorkislanders.com, and by visiting Chris Botta's NYI Point Blank blog. Chris is doing his best to track Rick's every move. Mike Schuerlein of IslesBlogger.com has also been very active in keeping up with the weekend's events.

It is obvious that DiPietro has been in high demand by the media covering the All-Star Festivities. It is also obvious that the higher-ups in the NHL are finally recognizing the star power that DiPietro can provide. He has finally arrived as a marketing tool for the entire league, not just the Islanders.

You can probably attribute some measure of DiPietro's visibility over the last two days to the gap in star power created by Sidney Crosby's injury. The NHL made a good choice in trying to fill that void with the Islanders' young goaltending star. The great thing is that DiPietro had already earned the respect of the most important members of the league, its players and coaches, for being a talented and hard-working player before being thrust into this role. There is no chance of him being dismissed as a pretty face, quick with a quip. He earned the attention he is receiving.

As many of you know, last night's Versus broadcast of the NHL Skills Competition made frequent use of a wired DiPietro. He offered insight and entertainment. Even my wife, who only knows him through his business-like, sometimes-bordering-on-surly answers (thanks to Jim at Greetings from Islander Country) in post-game interviews marveled at how engaging he was. Yes, an open mic did expose the audience to some colorful language from DiPietro.

Like most Islanders fans, I imagine, I was far less concerned with the expletive as I was with the rest of what the franchise goalie said, which was something to the effect of, "I just f----d up my hip again." Anyone else's heart skip a few beats there? Fortunately, DiPietro did not leave the ice and could be seen smiling later on. I haven't seen a flat-out denial that he tweaked something, in fact he basically acknowledged it in one interview, but both DiPietro and Botta seem comfortable enough with his condition that I'm still looking forward to watching him represent the Isles in the starting lineup. I think DiPietro takes winning seriously enough that he wouldn't endanger his season for the sake of an All-Star game appearance.


This week's edition of Islanders Insider in Newsday featured Richard Park as the team's unsung hero. The piece reminded me of an exchange I had last week with another blogger at the Coliseum, which didn't make it into my post from that game. Jon Jordan was up from Florida making his first appearance in the Blog Box. We ended up seated next to each other and traded comments and observations throughout the game. Early in the first period, Jon asked me if it was difficult to keep our cheering in check in the Blog Box. I told him that I tend not to be that demonstrative at games anyway, but that a big goal will certainly give rise to some high-five in the Blog Box. He asked me what defines a big goal. After thinking for a moment, I replied, "Pretty much anything Richard Park scores."

Moments later, Park scored on a breakaway. The goal came 22 seconds after the Flyers had scored, and tied the game at one. Jon and I shared a quiet high-five. Thanks to the unsung Parkie for providing one of my favorite moments of the season so far.

Stand Up and Take a Bow

It's the first day of 2008, and I feel like handing out some accolades...

To the Islander players, for finishing 2007 with a strong 5 wins in 6 games, including a convincing one-off road-trip victory in Carolina on New Year's Eve. The only team out of reach at the moment is Ottawa. It's going to be a wild second half.

To Ted Nolan, for instilling in his team the belief that a squad without a top-tier offensive player can reach the top tier of the league.

To Richard Park, for running away with the opportunity to break free of labels and stereotypes that limited the roles he had been given throughout his NHL career. Maybe he won't finish the year on a scoring line, but he continues to prove that he can be one of those guys.

To Wade Dubielewicz, for answering the call and those who doubted his ability to do so (myself included).

To Rick DiPietro, for transforming himself into a leader with presence, deserving of high praise.

To Jeff Tambellini, for being named AHL Player of the Week and making it difficult for people to forget about him.

To John Hynes, Kyle Okposo, Rhett Rakhshani, Tyler Rueggsegger, James vanRiemsdyk, and the rest of the U.S. National Junior Team, for advancing impressively through the preliminary round of the WJC and earning a bye into the semis. Isles prospects Okposo and Rakhshani have been overshadowed on the scoring leaderboard by vanRiemsdyk, Colin Wilson, and Jordan Schroeder (not to mention Isles propsect Robin Figren playing for Sweden) but their line has been recognized numerous times for dominating play and they made significant scoring contributions to Team USA's 4-0 start.

To Brendan Witt, for being the kind of warrior that every good team needs.

To Freddy Meyer and Blake Comeau, for making Aaron Johnson's return to the active roster a very interesting story.

To Bill Guerin, for filling the role of captain admirably, and for demonstrating that there's plenty of life left in him.

To my colleagues in the Blog Box (and some outside of it), for their outstanding work, which provides us all with an unprecedented richness of Islanders coverage, and for their spirit of generosity.

This was not meant to be a recap of the 2007 portion of the season. These were simply some people who stood out in my mind recently.

And here's a fun one...The other day I was checking in on Team USA's performance at the WJC via the live updates at onlajny.cz (thanks to Slap Shot). At the top of the page, I noticed the in-progress score of a game in which Skalica was trouncing Trencin 7-0. Remembering that Skalica was Ziggy Palffy's hometown, I clicked on the scoreboard link. Sure enough, there was Ziggy all over the scoresheet with a goal and 3 assists. That one brought a smile to my face.

Ziggy was the first player I can remember being proud of. I remember watching him quickly go from being a young, struggling talent to an NHL-caliber sniper and feeling proud because he became exactly what the Islanders hoped he would be. It's too bad that his 3 consecutive forty-goal seasons didn't coincide with better results for the team. Sadder still, that his time on the Island was cut short by frugal ownership.

Please note that the playoff confidence poll is still open. If you haven't voted yet, please feel free to voice your opinion. Vote "10" if you think the Isles are a lock for the playoffs, "0" if you think they have no shot, or any other degree of confidence in between.

Measuring Expectations

Let's take a look at where we we've been over the last several days. I had very low expectations going into the Ottawa game on Thursday night. Take a middle-of-the-pack team on a three-game winning streak and send it on the road to play the second night of a back-to-back against one of the elite teams in the league. Sprinkle in a rusty backup goalie and all of the ingredients for a loss were precisely measured. To be honest, I was fine with that. Yes, the Isles played the Sens tough enough last time to pull out a shootout win. But I wasn't looking at this as a critical game. It was an opportunity to see how they currently stacked up against the best team in the conference. The game played out much as I thought it would. The Isles kept things tight as long as they could, but eventually the discrepancy in talent was too much to bear. I guess you could say that my acceptance of this indicated that I was pleased with the direction in which the team was headed. Three hard-fought wins in a row will allow for that.

That brings us to Saturday, where my perception of the game's importance was radically different. A home game against the division-leading local rival following a loss elevated my expectations. The Islanders' 3-0 record against the Devils this season made me want another victory even more. The Isles did their fans proud. The outstanding performances in this game were such that I don't feel it's necessary to repeat what has already been reported in so many other venues. But I will highlight my favorite moments and aspects of this game:

• The Isles delivering the victory in front of a raucous crowd and refusing to be deflated after giving up a 2-0 lead.
• The Isles finally being on the plus end of a shorthanded goal, and Richard Park's vision resulting in the opportunity.
• Park picking up two more assists, giving him six helpers in the last three games, seven points in the last four, and a point-per-game pace over the last nine.
• Trent Hunter's exceptional patience and strength with the puck while waiting for the rest of his mates to join him in the offensive zone leading up to Andy Sutton's game winner.
• Mike Comrie mixing it up and putting home a rare empty-net goal for the Isles.
• Sean Bergenheim being rewarded for his energy with a loose puck in the slot and a gap in the net.
• Wade Dubielewicz standing tall in the net and inspiring his teammates to play their hardest in front of him. If this was Dubie's last game filling in for Rick DiPietro on a full-time basis, I have to consider the stint a big success.

So that's where we've been. To figure out where we are, I thought I'd take a page from Matt Cerrone at MetsBlog and do a little confidence poll. The difference is that we will focus specifically on the playoffs rather than on the overall state of the team. If you would, please take a moment to register a vote in the poll over there in the sidebar. How confident are you right now that the Islanders are a playoff team? If you are absolutely sure that they will finish in the top 8, vote 10. If you are convinced beyond a doubt that they are destined to miss out on the post season, vote 0. And, of course, you may vote anywhere in between. At this moment, the Islanders occupy the eighth spot in the conference and stand only 5 points behind fourth-place Montreal and second-place New Jersey.


Update: It looks Dubie will be backstopping the defensive effort for one more game. A late article on the Islanders' Web site reports that DiPietro did not make the trip to Carolina and will take the opportunity to get additional rest for his knee before returning on Thursday. The more surprising news is that Mike Sillinger is also staying behind to recuperate from various minor (presumably) injuries. Ben Walter was recalled from Bridgeport, and the Sillinger news explains why this HF Boards poster spotted Walter at Iceworks earlier today participating in practice. Walter centered Blake Comeau and Tim Jackman, so look for Andy Hilbert to move up to the second line in Sillinger's place between Ruslan Fedotenko and Trent Hunter.

Islanders 4, Maple Leafs 3, OT

Comrie's Two Goals, Park's Three Assists, Help Isles Overcome a Depleted Back Line

While the stakes were certainly lower, tonight's victory over the Leafs rivaled last spring's playoff-clinching, shootout win over the Devils in terms of pure excitement. It's not often that a December game gets you to jump out of your chair and pump your fist in triumph. In fact, I think the last time I did that was for Dubie's now-legendary poke check. Circumstances conspired to make this an absolutely thrilling victory.

Let's start with the late news that Radek Martinek was scratched with a hip injury that is being termed day to day. Certainly, the Isles are fortunate to have two veteran d-men waiting to break back into the lineup, and Bryan Berard got the call. But Martinek's quiet, responsible defense is not easily replicated, especially not by a more offensive-minded player like Berard. As the game began to unfold, and the Leafs took an early 1-0 lead, it looked as though the Isles back line would not be able shoulder the load without the steady Martinek.

Much to the delight of Islander fans everywhere, the defense bent but didn't break. Meanwhile, the offense picked up its play to the tune of three first-period goals causing Howie Rose to invoke the spirit of opening night as well as the defunct New York Arrows of the old MISL. That brought back great memories for me, as my first trips to the Coliseum were not to see the Islanders, but to watch Steve Zungul, Branko Segota, Shep Messing, Renato Cila, et al., lead the arrows to four consecutive championships of their own. On this night, it was Andy Hilbert, Mike Comrie, and Bill Guerin filling the net, with Richard Park picking up assists on the second and third goals.

The momentum from the offensive outburst in the first was stifled at the beginning of the second with the news that a knee injury would keep Rick DiPietro from returning. DiPietro tweaked the knee during the pre-game warmup, and FSN was right on the ball with bird's-eye-view footage of the injury as it happened. DiPietro is scheduled to be re-evaluated on Thursday. With a rusty Wade Dublielewicz in net and the hulking Leafs finding more than enough room to operate, the outlook wasn't brilliant for the Long Island Locals. You could see the difference in positioning between Dubie and DP. You could also see the difference in physical skills. But Dubie pulled it together, shook off the rust, and became a key player in a scoreless second.

A boring third was just what the doctor ordered. Alex Steen would not cooperate, however, notching his second goal of the game, a shorthanded seeker to the top-left corner, to square things just 1:15 into the final (or not so final) frame. From there it was a battle of chances. When Comrie is battling people like Hal Gill for the puck and winning, despite the action looking like a deleted scene from Lord of the Rings, you know there's something to cheer about. Dubie held strong, but was matched by Andrew Raycroft, and we found ourselves in overtime.

In the extra session, a hard-to-figure hooking penalty (the Isles' fourth of the night) against Park put the home team at a 4-on-3 disadvantage. Having already missed on a couple of prime scoring opportunities, the odds of the Isles coming away with the second point looked slim. The Toronto power play put on as much pressure as you can imagine. A power-play OT game winner seemed inevitable. Brendan Witt and Andy Sutton, exhausted from being pinned in their own end and following quick passes back and forth, found the reserves to get in the way of pucks and clear them. Dubie saw the puck better and better and wouldn't let it through.

Park returned to the ice with 43 seconds left, and a chance at a shootout win suddenly seemed more realistic. Except Park wasn't interested in waiting that long. He stripped Jason Blake of the puck at the Isles' own blue line and tore down the ice toward Raycroft on a two-on-one with Comrie. Park didn't get all of his slapper, but Raycroft left a rebound after stopping the puck with his left pad. Comrie swooped in and knocked the loose puck under the Toronto goalie for the game winner, setting off a jubilant celebration on the ice and in the stands. Park recorded his career-best third assist on the play. The Islanders deserve a lot of credit for overcoming some key losses, sticking together, and entertaining their fans with an exhilarating victory.