Another tough loss; Hockey Day in Canada

Even the refs aren't giving the Islanders much rope these days.

In case you missed it, last night, our boys lost 4-3 to the Crosby-less Penguins. It looked like Captain Guerin tied it with .4 seconds left in the game and the goalie pulled, but the play was whistled as dead as the team's offensive production these last few weeks. Stupid Dave Jackson.

The Isles got a solid effort from Mike Comrie, who had two of the goals (The Tank had the other on the PP) that counted and even chipped in with a little scrap for his efforts. With alternate captain Mike Sillinger out nursing a hip injury, Comrie was wearing the A on his sweater.

The Islanders fought back from a third period deficit to tie the game at three but ultimately, a sharp angle shot from Kris Letang deflected off of Brendan Witt's stick with only 3:49 remaining in the contest. Pittsburgh was paced by Islander Killer Ryan Whitney's two goals and Geno Malkin's three helpers.

The Sound Tigers line of Jeff Tambellini, Blake Comeau and Frans Nielsen had a presence as well. Each man played over 13 minutes as the second line for the big club. Comeau was also recently singled out by Bill Guerin as the team's best player over the past few weeks. We won't argue.

I just don't know what the heck needs to happen to get a win for our boys. I mean, there are a lot of injuries but you can't use injuries as an excuse. Ricky said that this week in Newsday and you really need to look no further than the Giants to see how younger players can step into bigger roles when given a chance. Really has to be frustrating to be in the room right now for the players.

Another thing we need to know is whether or not this recent spin has forced the team to become sellers instead of buyers as we approach the trade deadline. Right now, as constructed, the Islanders have to be sellers. They have 54 points in 55 games and are currently in thirteenth (!) place in the east. They're also only two points out of last, where Tampa is currently underachieving. The Bruins are in the eighth spot with 59 points. That means the Isles would have to leapfrog the Panthers; Thrashers; Hurricanes; and Sabres just to catch the Bruins.

Do the math. The Islanders are sellers. What do they have to sell? I don't know.

In other hockey news, tomorrow, Islanders forward Jon Sim will be working for the CBC in Canada as they celebrate Hockey Day in Canada from Winkler, Manitoba. The CBC does this every year to celebrate the game at it's grass roots-level throughout the country. There's a triple-header of games for the celebration and if you have the Center Ice package, I suggest you check it out.


http://www.hockeydayinwinkler.com