New York Islanders For Life!

Larry King Sty-lee

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who wrote in wondering about the lack of updates. We had some family visiting and trying to juggle work and that made it a wee bit difficult to write anything.

Why is Larry King's picture there? Well, for starters, he is a weird bug-like old man. The way he sits and leans on his elbows makes it look like his head is popping out of his chest and it is way freaky. Plus, he used to write a nonsensical column for USA Today that I loved to read for some reason so in the spirit of a man who is still with us, I am going to write today's post in the style that Larry made famous. Some things in here are going to make no sense in or out of context but bear with me, that is how he did it. Of course, you should be able to follow right along with the nonsense anyway because you're used to seeing Stan Fischler on Islanders TV broadcasts!

Here we go...

Heard that Mike Sillinger is going to be rehabbing in Bridgeport at the end of the month. It's worth the price of your ticket to get out to the rink to see a true professional make his way back from hip surgery. Best of luck, Mike...Speaking of Mikes, I saw that Mike Comrie and his girlfriend Hilary Duff went as Brad and Angelina for Halloween. I gotta stop reading Puck Daddy on Yahoo...That Joey MacDonald is sure making Islanders fans forget about Wade Dubielewicz the same way I forget to wear pants some times...Kazan Ak-Bars is the name of Dubie's new club in the KHL. They're known as the Bears. Figures...Other ex-Islanders are in Russia, too. Old friend Oleg Kvasha is playing for Chelyabinsk Traktor and former captain Alexei Yashin is lighting it up with 14 points in 25 games for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv. Hard to believe that Yashin can't find an NHL team with production like that. What is the emoticon for "rolling my eyes"?...For my money, you can't do better than Wendy's chili when it is free. Keep scoring the goals, boys!...Jeff Tambellini is an enigma. He scores and plays a different game in the AHL than he does in the NHL. Still hoping he lights the lamp one of these days. Why not Friday night?....Sorry to see that Kyle Okposo is out with an injury. He might not be scoring as much as he'd like but he sure works hard out there....I see Jason Blake has come alive after being scratched a couple of times in Toronto. Sometimes being the big fish in a small pond is better than taking the money and running...Is Matthew Barnaby on ESPN the biggest stiff you've seen since Scott Scissons? Matt, brother, loosen up....If I had to have one host for NHL hockey it would definitely be a toss up between James Duthie of TSN and Ron MacLean of Hockey Night in Canada...Is it me or has The Maven upped his cringe-worthy exponent to the power of ten this season?...Has anyone started the "Bring Back Deb" petition yet?...For my money, there is no sweeter drink in the morning than that first sip of Mountain Dew...I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank my wife, Linzi, for getting me the Center ice package as a gift. She posts these ramblings of mine but I don't think she gets much of a chance to read them so she probably won't see this...Islanders got some good news this week that Brendan Witt will be activated and play for the team starting Friday at the Rock in Newark. Brett Skinner was sent back to Bridgeport to make room for the assistant captain but he shouldn't hang his head. He was steady and played well for the big club...Finally, whatever happened to David Volek?

Isles 2, Vancouver 1 - SO

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 02:56:00 +0000

Isles make it 3 in a row! What a finish! Can I hear it for Joe-Mentum?

Isles 3 Senators 1

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:39:00 +0000

Well, what can we say after watching the best sixty minutes of hockey that the Islanders have put together so far this season?

What I liked: Josh Bailey. The kid looks to be a player. His assist on Kyle Okposo's goal did my heart some good. That is what we want to see out of the kids. Kyle had a bit of a tough go there for a while but he was always playing hard and trying to make something happen. It was great to see him get that power play goal.

As far as Bailey goes, all you can say is wow. He played a pretty darn effective thirteen minutes last night and has not looked out of place in either of the two games he's played. With Mike Comrie missing, playing Bailey to see what he could do at this level was a good move. I'm not sure he spends the entire year on Long island, but getting a chance to showcase himself for the coaches is never a bad thing.

Joey MacDonald: What the heck can you say about him? MacDonald came into camp as a question mark and now he is giving the Islanders the best chance to stay in games. Last night, MacDonald made 29 saves for the win and only gave up one goal against a powerful (yet struggling and discontented) Senators offense.

The Power Play: Yes, I said the power play. Our boys went 2-for-5 on the power play and had 12 shots. The whole team looked a hundred percent better than they did Tuesday afternoon.

Trent Hunter, Bill Guerin, and Doug Weight: Big games by the guys that are leading the kids. I have totally become a Doug Weight convert this season. I guess I just never saw enough of him while he was in the Western Conference to appreciate his smooth play with the puck. Plus, you gotta hand it to Weight and Guerin because when the cameras are on the bench, you can see them talking to and teaching their teammates. Nothing ever can go wrong when you are getting a little extra coaching up from a couple of guys who have been in the league for a very long time and have seen everything.

What I didn't like: Not much. The Isles still took too many penalties. I bet that drives Scott Gordon nuts.

Thomas Pock: That elbow on Ryan Shannon just can't happen. The Senators' announcers were right last night when they said it was as bad or worse than the elbow that got Jarko Ruutu suspended for two games. Expect disciplinary action on that one as Shannon was out on his feet after the collision.

Anyway, a good, solid effort last night. Overspeed is working in bursts. Last night, the guys played the press all night long and they got the win in an exciting game that was fun to watch. Hopefully they bring it to the Coliseum tomorrow night in the rematch.

Jason Blake goes off

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:27:00 +0000

Don't know if you heard about this, but old friend Jason Blake has been a healthy scratch a couple of times over the past few weeks and has drawn the ire of Leafs coach Ron Wilson for not going to the net and finishing plays.

It all came to head earlier in the week when a frustrated Blake had a bit of a helmet-throwing tirade in the Leafs locker room and then vented to reporters that he might have made the wrong decision in signing with Toronto a couple of years back.

Now the Leafs have another malcontent on their roster and very few options in hopes of rectifying the situation with Blake. His contract--which will run until he is 38--makes him almost untradeable. According to the Toronto media, they could buy out Blake after the season and take the cap hit of 1.3 million over the next 6 years. (Buyouts are taxed toward the cap for twice the remaining years of the contract and Blake has three years left.)

Another idea floating around is that the Leafs could just demote Blake to the American League Marlies to get his contract off the books. The Rangers did this trick with a couple of players in the recent past; most notably, Darius Kasparaitis. They'd still be on the hook for what they signed him for but because he would be in the AHL, the contract and the salary would not count on the Maple Leafs' cap.

It's not been a great career for Jason Blake since he left for less-green pastures. He's had production issues (15-37-52 in 82 games last year and only 2-4-6 in 14 games so far this season) since scoring 40 on the Island two years ago. Plus, he was diagnosed with a form of cancer last season and that may have attributed to his lackluster play.

Signing a big contract in The Hockey Capital brings all sorts of pressures to players who make the move to Toronto. When you're brought in to score goals for a team that hasn't won a Stanley Cup in a generation and plays in a fish bowl, everything becomes magnified.

I hate to say it, but we called this one a mile away. No doubt that Blake thought he'd be playing with his buddy Mike Peca in TO but when the Leafs had no place for the oft-injured Center, Peca had to look elsewhere after the lockout. Blake, who for all of his hustle and determination that makes him a fan favorite, is one of those guys who reportedly tends to rub his teammates the wrong way. Let's never forget the reports that Roman Hamrlik was firing pucks at Blake's head in warm-ups when both were on the Islanders. Think about that. You really need to have strong negative feelings to fire pucks at a teammate in a warm-up.

Anyway, that is where we are with Blake. What does this mean? Well, for the Islanders, not much. They're committed to The Plan right now (as they should be) and are not going to be looking to bring on more payroll for a guy who is overpaid and not producing. Still, that doesn't mean that there won't be all kinds of (alleged) rumors floating around that are coming from Toronto that the Islanders may want to bring Blake back to help a struggling offense.

Don't buy it. Even at a league-worst 4-9-2 record, the Isles are, for better or worse, going with the kids. First-year Islanders coach Scott Gordon told Newsday today that he sees progress in the team. He even plans on playing rookie Josh Bailey with Kyle Okposo tonight in Ottawa in a pair that Islanders fans are hoping will be the combination that leads the team for the next ten years.

This season is going to be rough. Garth Snow, Scott Gordon, and the rest of the Islanders brain trust understand that there are bumps in the road on the way to success. We just have to hope that they know what they're doing and are strong enough in their convictions to stay on course. That course does not have room for a player like Jason Blake right now.

Josh Bailey Debuts Today!

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:49:00 +0000

Point Blank is reporting that Islanders' first round pick Josh Bailey will make his NHL debut today vs. the Flyers.

About Saturday Night

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:02:00 +0000

Thanks to everyone who wrote in to us wondering WTF happened on Saturday night against the Penguins. I so totally wish I could help you but I can't. I mean, once that lead was 2 goals in the second period, weren't you making jokes to yourself about whether the team would blow it or not? Didn't you think that there was no way "it" could happen again? I mean, I'm not ashamed to say it but I was wandering around our apartment doing small chores like dishes and stuff because I didn't want to see what I thought was going to happen. Plus, I didn't want to give creed to the fact that I was thinking negatively about the outcome.

See how stupid we can get? We love the team that can't love us back!

Let me try to explain this a little better. I am a Giants fan. I have supreme confidence in Eli Manning and his ability to lead a late charge for a victory. Even before the guy turned the metaphorical corner last year, Eli had more than his share of late-game heroics. No matter what happens, Eli is going to do what Eli always does: lead the Giants down the field and score the winning touchdown/field goal/whatever. Then the defense will slam the door.

Now, in the NHL, we should feel secure that two points is eminently doable if you go into the third with a lead. I don't want the dead puck pre-lockout snore-a-torium to come back, but I do want that feeling that my guys are going to put this one in the bank. So far this year, every team the Isles have played--in the last week or ten days, anyway--is apparently having whatever Eli Manning has for breakfast because they've all come out and slapped candy out of the Islanders' hands. And it sucks.

Andy Sutton has a great game blocking a Ludwig-esque 8 shots and contributing a couple of assists. Joey MacDonald seemed up to the task of stopping the fire-power of the Penguins. But in the third period, when the Isles should have been socking it away, they gave it away instead. They stopped skating (stop me if you've read this before) and gave up a whopping 18 shots to Pittsburgh and took only one in the final frame--and that one wasn't even a quality scoring chance!

What I liked: Tim Jackman. Billy Jaffe thinks he "looks faster". OK, maybe he does, but Jackman was in great position to put home the rebound to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead half-way through the second. Jackman also played a physical game.

What I didn't like: Well, the blown lead. The power play only getting 2 chances at it while the Penguins got 4. The shootout and Dany Sabourin's hide the puck trick on Trent Hunter's shot. (Yes, it was inconclusive. I agree that it was. Still...)

I also didn't like hearing that Nate Thompson will miss 2-4 weeks with a groin strain. I mean, yeah, it's good that the team is being a little more forthcoming with injury statuses and whatnot but you get the feeling that an energy center and the franchise goalie are at opposite sides of the spectrum as far as that sort of announcement goes.

Isles are back at it tomorrow at 2 as the Flyers visit.

When a Two goal lead is not enough...

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 13:57:00 +0000

Today is one of those bummer days.

It's rainy and gloomy. I am overtired. There is a lot to do at work and I don't feel motivated. We'll get back to that later.

I'm still not sure what the heck happened in Atlanta last night. The Isles were cruising into the third with another lead and they choked it off in the end and lost to the Thrashers 4-3.

It was pure firepants hockey for most of the game. The pace was sick. Fast breaks were everywhere. And yet, the Thrashers were able to score three third-period goals to earn the win.

I mean, look, I am all for exciting hockey. Let's not forget that before the lockout that the NHL was (as Bill Clement calls it) a "forty-minute game" because whomever was leading going into the third was just going to sit back and trap and bore a submission out of the opposing team.

So far this year--hell, just this past week--the Islanders have let go of two three-goal leads and a two-goal lead when they should have been finishing off the other team. Clearly this team is either not used to winning, doesn't know how to win, or they get too tense and try not to screw it up...which inevitably happens.

Last night was not one of Joey MacDonald's better efforts. At times he's been left alone with some stretchy defensive help but last night you know he'd like to have the entire third period back. MacDonald did have 23 saves in the game.

The scoring started early with Jon Sim's third goal of the season. Thrashers defenseman Garnet Exelby was sent off for holding 31 seconds into the game. Sim's first shot was stopped by Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec but Sim corralled the rebound and fired a wrister past Pavelec's left shoulder at 2:23.

The Mighty Thrash were quick to strike on an Islanders' line change as Slava Kozlov tied the game at 1-1 after a pass from Tobias Engstrom.

In the second, the Isles came alive. Frans Nielsen scored at 9:40 on a pass through the crease by Mark Streit. All-Star Ballot Boy Trent Hunter added another goal 17 seconds later (while I was in the bathroom) on a one-timer over the left shoulder of Pavelec. Streit and Nielsen assisted on the play and all three players had two points on the night.

Then the wheels came off. Third period scoring began with Kozlov adding his second on a nice backhand 29 seconds after resuming play. After MacDonald took a delay of game penalty for playing the puck over the glass and into the crowd, Jason Williams tied the game and I threw up in my mouth.

This is where the Isles stopped skating. Seriously. You could see it coming.

Tobias Enstrom scored the game-winning goal at 11:29 of the third and that was it. The Isles had very little sustained pressure after Enstrom's goal.

Our boys return home for a Saturday night visit from the Pittsburgh Penguins and that #87 guy that you may have heard of. Game time is a 7 PM.

Don't forget to check out "A Day in the Life" with Doug Weight as it replays on the NHLN as well. I saw a little bit of it while waiting for the game to start last night (Atlanta's announce crew is horrible) and it looked to be a heck of a show. I always enjoy those behind the scenes profile things and I'll watch pretty much everything on the NHL Network.

Also worth checking out is the "Voices" show that takes you behind the scenes with some of the great broadcasters of the game we love. Not sure if there is going to be one for Howie Rose or not, but I wish there would be. After sitting through the Thrashers B-team broadcast last night (regular PBP guy JP Della Camera was on MLS playoff duty) you really appreciate what we have in Howie and Billy Jaffe even more.

OK, so to finish up, we get today's work story. It's still pretty early in the day but I have already been asked which super power I would want to have and why. Pretty standard, I know, but we have to remember what we are dealing with here. Everyone wants to be Wolverine so they can skint! blades out of their hands and heal really fast or be invisible, etc. I say that being able to blow green or red mist like The Great Muta would be very handy in situations where people are pestering you with work-related questions when you're trying to write about last night's hockey game. Imagine rendering people helpless just with mist! And you get to wear really cool red karate pants and paint your face!

So, yeah, The Great Muta was pretty cool. See you Saturday night.

Doug Weight featured on NHL Network's "Day in the Life"

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:13:00 +0000

Weight featured on NHL Network's "Day in the Life"
Wednesday, 11.05.2008 / 8:08 PM

Islanders fans have quickly learned that Doug Weight is a hard worker and tireless competitor on the ice. But what does he eat for breakfast? How does he get to the Coliseum?

Find out by going behind the scenes with Weight on the new NHL Network series "Day In The Life." NHL Network followed Weight through his entire game-day routine, from the time he woke up to post-game interviews.

The show will air and re-air at the following times:

Thursday, Nov. 6, 10 pm ET
Friday, Nov. 7, 4 pm ET
Saturday, Nov. 8, 5:30 pm ET
Sunday, Nov. 9, 7:30 pm and 10:30 pm
Monday, Nov. 10, 4 pm ET

Skates and Smarts: Brendan Witt

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:42:00 +0000

We never post videos, but this is really funny. - Mrs. NYIForLife.

Richard Park plays every shift like his pants are on fire

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:15:00 +0000

And that's why we like him so much.

Good win last night at the Gahden for the Islanders. Joey MacDonald is doing his best to make people forget about the weeble known as Dubie. (Speaking of, is there any news how Dubie is doing in Russia? If you have some news, put it in the comments. Thanks.)

Park's relentless fore-check and effort led to the Isles second goal. Park intercepted a terrible cross ice pass and made a quick deke that froze Ranger netminder Henrik Lundqvist before firing a high wrist shot over Zoolander at the 8 minute mark of the third period.

The Isles first goal of the night came earlier in the period after some more hard work on the PK. Nate Thompson jump-started a fast-break 2-on-1 with Frans Nielsen. Thompson fed Nielsen, who clinked his shot off the post. Nate popped the puck out of mid-air and over the prone Henrik Lundqvist at 3:18 of the third period. It was the hard-working Thompson's first NHL goal and first NHL point. Well done, Nate. No word on whether Henrik was so sad that he broke out the Blue Steel pose for reporters after the game. We will work on getting an update.

What else I liked: Joey MacDonald. For a guy with a one-way contract that a lot of people (fans) had questions about, Joey was strong again in net last night. He's sure ending up playing a whole heck of a lot more than anyone ever expected so far this season, and he has gone a long way into securing some further employment for himself. MacDonald's best save of the night came at the end of the second period on a Scott Gomez one-timer. He stopped 29 Ranger shots in the first two periods and kept the game even at zero entering the third period.

Jeff Tambellini fighting. Wow. Did you see his dad in the crowd when Jeff was fighting? Talk about composed. Sure, the Tambellinis are a hockey family and they all understand the role of fisticuffs in the game and all but still, that is your kid out there. And Jeff didn't do too badly in a middleweight scrap with Ranger Nigel Dawes.

Still, Jeff was like the next-to-last Islander I thought I would ever see in a fight. The last? That would have to be Mark Streit. He's from Switzerland, of course, and as we know from the NHL Network commercials, the Swiss were neutral in World War II. I think I learned that in school as well.

Kyle Okposo. Kyle hasn't hit the score sheet as much as he'd like but one thing is for sure and that is that the kid can play. He also is really good "playing in space", which is a soccer term for a player who uses whatever part of the field the defender is giving him to his advantage. Kyle Okposo plays in space and it is going to fun to watch him grow throughout this season.

What I didn't like: Not much. The Isles went into MSG and came out with two points in regulation after having trouble holding onto 3 goal leads in their previous couple of games. Got to like that.

The Isles are bound for ATL on Thursday and that should be an interesting game because the Thrashers play a firepants full-court press brand of hockey that our boys do. They also have Ilya Kovalchuk, who is dangerous when he decides to try.

In Other Ice News

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Mark Parrish has been signed off of the Bridgeport roster by the Dallas Stars. Parrish had two points in three games for the Sound Tigers. Parrish is lucky enough to join the most dysfunctional team in the NHL right now, Brett Hull's Dallas squad. So far this season, Sean Avery has pished off Mike Modano and the rest of the team for taking stupid penalties and making a joke of the organization and the game. After a wild penalty-filled melee in Boston, Modano remarked that Avery and fellow agitator Steve Ott were an embarrassment and speculated that maybe he would be better off in a front office position rather than being involved with the bush league Stars.

So, you know, good luck to Parrish and all. The twenty-five game PTO contract with the Sound Tigers got him what he wanted: an NHL job. Still, walking into that locker room might make the arctic Peca-Yashin locker room look like a revival meeting for like-minded Amway distributors.

Speaking of Mr. Peca, he was back on the island Monday night in a Blue Jackets uniform to take on the Isles. Of course, being Michael Peca, he had to give his two cents about the team he captained and played for earlier this decade. Suffice to say that Peca criticized the lack of stability on the island to Newsday without even once being called on the fact that he allegedly created a lot of divisiveness that fractured the team back in the day. Plus, while he has his Thinking Toque on, let's also remember that he has never been the same player since Darcy Tucker turned his knee to spaghetti in the 2002 playoffs. Yes, the same Darcy Tucker that Peca became buddies and golfing partners with when Peca ended up in Toronto.

Maybe he is a poor judge. That's all I am saying.

Freddy Meyer has surgery

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:40:00 +0000

Greg Logan has a bit of Islanders' injury news.

He's cracked the fact that Freddy Meyer had sports hernia surgery and used some sort of abacus to decipher that Fred will be back in two to four weeks.

Nice to see Andy Sutton do what he does best last night. Sutton was in charge clearing out the crease for Joey MacDonald last night in the 3-2 OT loss to the Flyers. I thought Campoli has a strong game and Mark Streit continues to excel.

Speaking of, Thomas Pock has gone from Rangers-dumpee to playing on the top pair with Streit. Pock has looked good too.

Logan also reports that Radek Martinek (undisclosed upper-body/shoulder injury) was at the optional morning skate today. Radek has been out since October 11.

Rick on Injured Reserve; Champions League Hockey on TV

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 19:20:00 +0000

Right now I am home sick and to my surprise, while flipping through the channels I came across Champions League Hockey from Europe. The game is HV71 (of Sweden) versus Espoo (Finland) is a repeated broadcast but it is still great to see. The teams are fighting for first place in Group B action. Not a hundred percent sure what that means but it has been a pretty good game so far. Also, and I may be wrong on this, but the guy doing the play-by-play sounds like Steve Mears.

Here is a link to the Champions League schedule from Universal Sports HD.

This is the third try at starting a European Champions League and apparently revived in an attempt to compete with Russia's Kontinental Hockey League.

OK, so now that you know that, Chris Botta has a bit on his blog that Rick DiPietro and his mysterious malady have landed on IR. Of course we have no real indication as to what the injury possibly could be or for how long DiPietro will be sidelined.

Speaking of Steve Mears, he breaks news on islanderspointblank.com that enforcer Mitch Fritz will be in the lineup tonight and that Jeff Tambellini will be returned to the press box for tonight's game in Philadelphia.

Rangers 4; Islanders 2

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:14:00 +0000

My sister's father-in-law was a codebreaker for our government in Korea. How do you think he would handle this one:

Rick DiPietro is cryptically listed as being "day-to-day" with "a lower body injury" that he suffered on Saturday night against the Hurricanes. The injury, whatever the actual diagnosis, is "unrelated to his previous injuries."

(Sound of Bill scratching his head.)

Well, for starters, my sister's father-in-law wouldn't be of help because he knows as much about hockey as I do about quantum physics. He likes sci-fi...LOVES sci-fi, so I think we all know what kind of help he'd be able to give us. Second of all, for all of us that love the game and the Islanders and everything that goes with it, even we don't know what to make of this convoluted attitude toward truthiness that the organization is wrestling with.

All the not-lies and un-truths do is make losing that much worse. Let's face it: while a lot of us have been begging the team to go all in with the rebuilding from scratch, seeing the Isles lose to the Rangers is never easy. It also makes it hard to swallow when the team seems to be playing footsies with the truth on injuries for no good reason other than to prove to the fans and the media that they can.

But what about last night? Well, I hope someone in Joey MacDonald's neighborhood gives him a lot of candy on Friday because he has sure earned it. He may have inadvertently kicked in the first Ranger goal (Drury; to the excitement-that-made-us-uncomfortable of Micheletti) but otherwise, he was making big saves all over the place. Whatever the goalie coaches are doing with the guy, it is working.

Nice to see Kyle Okposo get his first of the year last night. Kyle is going to be growing up right before us this season and let's not forget that the kid has nothing more than a handful of AHL games and a few NHL games to prepare him for big minutes this year. Now, um, can we get Jeff a goal? Pretty please?

I got a message from a reader who is not related to me who asked how much longer we have to wait before we pull the plug on young mister Tambellini? My reply: Dude, get a grip. Snow gave him two years to send him the "we're behind you" message and they're going to give him every chance to play himself out of a role entirely. I like the way he is going to the net in these last few games. Billy Jaffe mentioned it in the home opener that when Tambellini is cutting toward the nets and not the boards that he gives himself a much improved lane to move and angle to shoot. Seems obvious, but let's remember that cutting inside is a move that someone playing with confidence is going to make. The move to the outside is the safe move for the players well being. If Tambellini is making that cut inside toward the slot, he is good. The goals will come. Sometimes you just have to get that first one.

Still, our boys got stomped on. The Isles are now leading the Senators (WTF?) in the TANKING FOR TAVARES (TM) Sweepstakes that may or may not end with Ed McMahon in front of the Coliseum with a bunch of ping pong balls in the middle of April.

Thursday the boys travel to Philadelphia which could be still burning if the Phillies win the World Series. Stay tuned for more unnecessary soap opera stuff from the locker room as well.

Islanders Unveil Third Jersey

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:11:00 +0000

The Islanders unveiled their new alternate uniform Monday night at an Islanders Business Club event prior to the start of their game against the New York Rangers. The new uniform, which is reminiscent of the ones the Islanders donned in the mid-1970s, is royal blue with white numbers and letters, outlined in orange.

The Islanders will take the ice in the new uniforms for the first time on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens on "Throwback Night," sponsored by Modell's. The Islanders will wear the new uniform a total of 15 times this season.

(Left: Bill Guerin models the new Islanders uniform - click for a larger image.)

For the full story click here.

Rangers. The Freaking Rangers.

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:25:00 +0000

Well, the DP drama continues. Is he hurt? Is he not hurt? Coach says yes. Team calls up Yann Danis to carry MacD's bags tonight. Botta vs. Logan in one of the stranger faceoffs in our time.

Let's face it: weird shit follows this team around like a bad girlfriend.

The Logan vs. Botta debate is nothing I am going to touch. You know why? Because I know nothing about it. When Linzi and I started this website, I knew for a fact that I was not going to cover pissing contests. My only "deal" (for lack of a better word) with either of the websites is that I am super-glad each exists so that we can get some straight-shooting and news about the team we all love. If there is a professional beef or whatever, out official position is that we hold out hands up. While we are linked from Greg's site--and we love the feedback we've gotten from the traffic funneled our way--we rarely post or make comments there. I've done it maybe twice on the Botta site and that was to get some clarification regarding Mark Parrish's PTO contract with Bridgeport from a guy who would know a heck of a lot better than me.

So, tonight we have the Rangers. No Ricky. No Brendan Witt (for how long?) and no Freddy Meyer (for what, exactly?). Brett Skinner has been called up to the main roster according to multiple sources. He's been enjoying one heck of a start in the American League after what was termed a good camp with the Isles. So we will see him in action tonight.

Ricky was, as you all know, pulled after the first period Saturday night against the Whalercanes. He had a couple of giveaways where he was trying to force the play with the long passes and man, that one he handed to Iron Hands Chad LaRose was a stomach punch. Sing along with me, because we all know the words: Rick needs to trust his defensemen and not try to do too much. Scott Gordon told Point Blank the same thing we've been hearing for years. FOR YEARS.

Joey MacDonald came in and played admirably for the remainder of the game. The Isles put up a team-record 60 shots on Cam Ward (by the way, Ward is pretty good) and even a PENALTY SHOT with seven-tenths of a second on the clock wasn't enough to pull the Isles through to tie Carolina.

Seriously, though, Dougie, right in the breadbasket?

Oh, and Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen, and Jeff Tambellini haven't scored yet this year. Bergenheim has 2 and he plays like hi pants are on fire every shift he is out there. Nate Thompson took one for the team in a fight with Tim Gleason. The size difference was almost as funny as when Lou the sandwich girl told Chuck that their vast height differences intrigued her last season on "Chuck". Different kind of dance partners, I know, but Nate gave it a shot and it did fire the team up for a while.

Last, I know you all saw the hit on Brandon Sutter from the previously mentioned Doug Weight. Legal hit; Welcome to the NHL. The Carolina players knew it too because no one stepped in to start a fracas or anything with Weight as Doug looked over to see if the kid was okay. Doug is a classy dude and known throughout the league as a good guy and not a cheap guy. Big thumbs up to Chris Campoli, too, who was right there playing Sundance in case someone was going to come after his teammate, bad shoulder and all.

SOUND TIGERS SIGN PARRISH TO P.T.O.

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:30:00 +0000

Bridgeport, Conn. – The Bridgeport Sound Tigers have signed forward Mark Parrish to an amateur P.T.O. (Professional Tryout) contract. Last season, Parrish played with the Minnesota Wild and in 66 games, he registered 30 points (16 goals and 14 assists). A proven leader, Parrish served several times throughout his two years with the Wild as the team's captain.

A native of Bloomington, MN, Parrish is a veteran of 660 NHL games and has scored 208 goals and 164 assists for 372 points. Parrish was part of the Islanders organization from 2000-2006. During that time, Parrish became a main-stay on the Islanders' power-play and had his best season during the 2001-02 when he tallied 60 points (30g and 30a).

Parrish spent a brief part of his professional career in Connecticut when he played for the New Haven Beast when they were a part of the American Hockey League. As a member of the Beast, Parrish played in only three games but had two points in three games.

The 31-year old Parrish was originally drafted by Colorado in the third round (79th overall) in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft.

Too early to talk about 2010?

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:17:00 +0000

Around here, it probably isn't. And we know for sure, in Canada, that speculation is running wild as to who Executive Director Steve Yzerman will choose to be the coach of the Canadian Olympic team in 2010. Those winter games just happen to be in Vancouver, in case you missed it.

Anyway, for the US, we know that Anaheim (and possibly, future TO) GM Brian Burke is in charge of putting together the team. Safe to say that Toronto bench boss Ron Wilson is going to be in the coaching mix. That much we know.

For the Americans, the pool is a bit more shallow than it is for our friends up north. One thing for sure is that the US entry in the 2010 Olympics is going to be a young bunch. Safe to also predict that our very own Rick DiPietro and Buffalo's Ryan Miller will be amongst the group in net. We'll have a good, experienced goalie so that will keep us in most every game.

One of the more intriguing stories about the 2010 games is that of the Russian team; specifically, two players that will be counted on heavily to lead the team to glory: Evgeni Malkin and Alex Ovechkin.

It's no secret that for whatever reason, Alex Ovechkin does not like Evgeni Malkin. (I seem to recall Pierre McGuire talking about a rift involving Russian agents as the cause, but that's unsubstantiated.) If you saw any of the game between the Penguins and Caps last Thursday, you know there were a few times where it sure looked like Ovechkin was taking something of a run at Malkin. The guys at NHL On The Fly had it covered like gravy.

While we may not know what is at the center of the beef between them, we do know that just because two guys are from the same country it doesn't mean they have to be friends. My wife pointed that one out. And if it does all boil down to a personal issue--no matter how many times Ovechkin denies anything is there--the proof is on the ice every time they play. Sure, Alex plays a pretty tough and exciting hitting game, but you don't need to be a seasoned hockey observer to notice that he is really going after #71 in black. And to his credit, Malkin seems to take it in stride as part of the game.

So that's the real rivalry: Ovechkin vs. Malkin. The NHL may find it is easier to market Ovechkin vs. Crosby, but we all know that Alex and Sid have too much respect for each other as players and people to make it a personal issue. Ovechkin and Malkin is personal.

Now, knowing that, if I am the guy in charge of putting the Russian team together that I am going to take it on myself RIGHT FREAKING NOW to see what I can do to get the two of them to knock it off. Seriously. If the Russians have any dreams about mixing it up with the Canadians, Swedes, and Fins in the medal rounds, they're going to need to get this patched up as soon as they can so that both guys will be at their best come Vancouver.

How do you do this? Hell, I have no idea. I don't even speak Russian. But one person I might ask for advice is Sergei Fedorov, Alex's teammate in Washington. From all reports, Ovechkin looks up to Fedorov and I bet Malkin probably does too. Fedorov is arguably the most NHL-accomplished Russian-trained player in the history of the league. Now, he's almost the elder statesman for a lot of the young Russians in the NHL and he deserves that level of respect. Why not reach out to Fedorov and see if he can help build a bridge between Malkin and Ovechkin?

Not that I want to give anyone any ideas or anything.

Saturday Night: Panthers 2 Islanders Zee-ro

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:24:00 +0000

There are two universal truths in hockey....

Actually, there are more that two, but I am going to talk about two so for the basis of the conversation, let's say that is all there is.

Two. Two universal truths.

The first universal truth is that if your team does not create second chances, you're not going to win. The second is that if the other team has possession longer that your team does, you're probably not creating many scoring chances.

So, right there, we've figured out the game of hockey. Possess the puck and create chances to score. If you don't do that, you are most likely not going to win.

Exhibit A: Saturday night, Sunrise, FL. Panthers 2; Islanders 0.

What I liked:

Kyle Okposo. The guy can flat out move and he has a sneaky fast gear that can take him around defensemen. They're not used to him yet. He blew by Bouwmeester twice to try and push the play. Still, like Billy Jaffe said, Kyle (and a lot of the kids) have got to learn to make shooting their primary option and get away from the instinct to make the perfect play. There's simply not time at the NHL level to try and score video game goals night after night.

Jeff Tambellini. We've seen glimpses of Bridgeport Jeff so far this year and we need more of it. When Tambellini used his speed to set himself up for scoring chances, he is dangerous. When he tries to take it outside the defense and to the boards, he just gets himself out of position.

Rick DiPietro. I thought Ricky settled down fine but didn't we all just throw up in our mouths after that first goal went in only 24 seconds into the game? And yet, his lateral movement seemed fine and he even was able to make a couple of those Ricky Saves that only he can make.

Mark Streit. Seriously, what was all the bitchin' about? He has onlyproven to play a pretty solid two-way game and let's face it, when he has the puck on the PP, you inch forward thinking something could happen.

What I didn't like:

The power play. Lack of chances.

Even strength. Lack of chances. Lots of shots but no real quality.

Puck possession. We didn't have it enough. Sure, the Panthers are a speedy bunch but they are still the Florida freaking Panthers. The Isles didn't initiate tempo enough. Was that because the Panthers were just that much better at it? Hard to say.

Scott Gordon's boys can go back to the drawing board for a few days. The Isles are off until Thursday, when That Avery Guy and the Stars invade from Dallas. Marty Turco is playing at his usual playoff level by letting in a lot of soft goals (in the games I have seen anyway) so this is a team that could be had.

Anyone else tired of CJ Papa yet? Where do we write to see if we can get Deb back?

Isles beat the Bolts in OT, 4-3

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:07:00 +0000

What I liked:

Trent Hunter. I think we may see more of the offensive spark from #7 this season that he showed in the years before Ted Nolan took the helm. Clutch play by a guy who used his instincts to get to the right spot so that Frans Nielsen could slide him the puck after Olaf Kolzig misplayed it. That leads us to another played we liked last night...

Frans Nielsen. In four games this year, Nielsen is proving that he belongs in the NHL. Two assists last night and man is it good to see him as he emerges as a fine playmaker.

The assertiveness of Freddy Meyer. Billy Jaffe said it best when he complimented Freddy on the fact that the kid just stands his ground in front of his own net even though he is often smaller and outweighed by the guys trying to screen our goalies.

Bruno Gervais. The overspeed pressure of Gordon's means that the defensemen are likely to jump into the play. Heck, we even saw Brendan Witt trying to make stuff happen in the offensive zone last night! Bruno looks more comfortable out there so far jumping into the play and using his skill in the offensive zone. I mean, the kid has three assists so far! Good job out there.

The Penalty Kill. OK, last year I bored my friends and family complaining about the PK. The guys always had two hands on their sticks in their own zone and not only does that limit your movement as a skater, it makes you smaller and opens up passing lanes. Duh.

Last night, I actually had to grab a stick to demonstrate to my (very patient and sweet-to-play-along) wife that when you use one hands on the stick, you eat up space in your own zone by playing "bigger" than you really are. It's common sense!

With apologies back to Ted Nolan: duh. I guess he was too busy not checking in with the kids and coaches in Bridgeport to notice that. Or maybe he was too busy not installing a decent game plan and style for the Sound Tigers to play so that when they got to the Island they'd be NHL-ready. But why nitpick?

What I didn't like:

Um, the penalties...and the power play. The first few PPs were good and there was decent pressure on Kolzig. Somehow, our boys need to go back to Iceworks and get that together.

As far as the penalties go, giving a team with names like Lecavalier and St-Louis seven chances is far too many, even if Tampa is struggling.

Saturday the soap opera continues with Rick DiPietro. Many are speculating that he'll make his season debut in Sunrise against the Panthers. We shall see. Coach Gordon has said that he doesn't like to tip his hand as to who he will start in net for any game, but all the talk is that DiPietro will get the call. Stay tuned.

Isles D Martinek out 4 to 6 weeks; Comeau demoted

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:55:00 +0000

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP)—New York Islanders defenseman Radek Martinek will be out four to six weeks because of an unidentified upper-body injury sustained during a game last weekend, the club said Tuesday.

Martinek was knocked out of the Islanders’ home opener in the first period Saturday night after he absorbed a hard hit behind the net. He was evaluated by doctors that night and didn’t play in New York’s 7-1 loss to Buffalo on Monday.

The Islanders revealed the length of time Martinek is expected to miss, but still declined to provide any information about the injury.

Martinek was skating along the end boards behind the New York goal and crumpled after being crunched by St. Louis center David Backes with 3:10 left in the period. He remained down on the ice for a few moments before skating without assistance toward the tunnel to the dressing room.

It is the latest injury to the Islanders’ already banged-up defense. Just three games into the season, New York is also missing Andy Sutton (hand surgery) and Chris Campoli (shoulder). Both are expected to be sidelined for several weeks.

The Islanders also sent down 22-year-old forward Blake Comeau to Bridgeport of the AHL on Tuesday. Comeau, who had eight goals and seven assists as a rookie in 57 games last season with the Islanders, didn’t dress for any of New York’s regular-season games this season.

He had no points in three games with the Islanders during the 2006-07 season after making his NHL debut.

What is it that they're not telling us?

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:08:00 +0000

So, you know, yesterday, I'm watching the Isles game and it's 5-0 and Joey MacDonald looks like Ronald McDonald back there and the fans start the chant for DP! DP!

I mean, it makes sense, right? Goalie looks bad and he gets the hook. Happens every so often. Pull the guy out of there before his confidence goes south. Get the backup some PT. Mike Keenan does it after he sneezes. C'mon, guys, let's get Ricky in there!

And yet, there was Rick...sitting on the bench...wearing a cap...smelling his catching glove...and not making eye contact with anyone who has authority to put him in the game.

The Sabres torch MacD for another couple of goals after Trent pots one for the good guys and we end another fight-filled Kid's Day on the bidness end of a 7-1 loss.

Look--we all are thinking it. Many of us are trying to make sense out of it but you just can't. The Isles are protecting their injury reports better than the government protects visiting foreign dignitaries. Everything is ballparked as a lower-body injury or an upper-body injury and it is just useless. I'm getting an upper-body injury wondering why the heck they have to keep these government secrets so tight.

There is no right or wrong here. The Islanders--and any other team in the league don't have to be truthful about the injury situation of their players--but it helps, you know? The whole thing comes off as petty and cheap because they can't be honest with their fans.

The whole DiPietro thing is stranger than a guy you don't know asking you for money. If he's hurt and isn't able to play, then why does he sit on the bench? If he isn't ready to play, then don't have him backup Joey MacDonald. Bring up Yann Danis for a bit so he can wear a cap for a while in case they need him. Having the franchise player sit on the bench when he is in no condition to play--which, of course, is only speculation on my part because the Islanders are playing some weird game here--is not a logical move in any way, shape, or form.

Scott Gordon told Newsday that he prefers to have his goalies battle through tough spots rather than yank them out to save whatever shred of professional confidence that they have. That's fine. In fact, since he is a former goaltender, Gordon would know what it is like to poop in the punch bowl and then watch another guy mop up the mess. That's cool. But don't they realize that when you play this silly game that fans and people in the media are only going to speculate about the "real" motives in player moves and whatnot because you're not giving them anything factual to work with? In the real world, we need something. Plus, there's the whole idea that being forthcoming and honest with the fans is good business because, in the end, we are the ones buying the tickets and jerseys and Center Ice packages.

It is always something with this team. An organization secure in their vision and abilities to realize that vision don't lower themselves to weird cloak and daggers bullshit.

With that, I will leave you with the last paragraph from Greg Logan's game report from today's Newsday. Read between the lines at your own peril.

....But the suspicion is that MacDonald knew no reinforcements were coming if he got in trouble. Asked if he knew DiPietro wasn't available, MacDonald said, "Yeah," then caught himself. Backtracking, he added: "Well, I don't know about that. Like I said, I just kept on concentrating and tried to keep battling."

And it is only the third game of the season, Islander fans!

Isles get doors blown off on Kid's Day

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:49:00 +0000

What a freaking nightmare.

I stopped caring when it hit 5-0. Weird, but that seemed longer than some of the guys on the ice.

Joey Mac was left out there to get his doors blown off. Sure, some of the goals were his fault--he left his game over the weekend--but the Sabres aren't THAT good. It was like they were playing NHL 09 and the Isles were playing NES Ice Hockey--and nobody picked the big fat guy who could shoot really hard.

The final was 7-1 and Trent Hunter ruined the shutout for Sabres b-teamer Patrick Lalime.

Now it's time to get ready fpr the G-Men. Hopefully they'll bring some better news.

Rangers prospect dies during game

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 22:49:00 +0000

NEW YORK (TICKER) —New York Rangers prospect Alexei Cherepanov died during a game in his native Russia on Monday night. He was 19.

The Rangers did not reveal the circumstances of Cherepanov’s death when contacted by PA SportsTicker.

The New York Post reported that Cherepanov suffered a heart attack and collapsed on the bench during Avangard Omsk’s game against Vityav Chekhov.

TSN of Canada reported that medical officials attempted to get Cherepanov’s heart beating again. According to the web site, there was no ambulance present at the arena. The report stated that it took between “15 and 20 minutes” to transport Cherepanov from the arena to the hospital.

Rangers general manager Glen Sather addressed the tragedy in a statement released by the team.

“We are extremely saddened by the tragic passing of Alexei,” Sather said. “On behalf of the New York Rangers organization, I would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his family. Alexei was an intelligent, energetic young man with tremendous talent and an extremely bright future.”

The 17th overall selection in the 2007 draft, Cherepanov had been playing with Avangard Omsk of Russia’s Continental Hockey League. He had seven goals and five assists in 12 games for Avangard this season.

“He was a great kid,” Cherepanov’s agent, Jay Grossman, told TSN. “He had a great smile and was an outstanding player with a great future on and off the ice. It’s both shocking and devastating news for all of us.”

In and Out

noreply@blogger.com (LGS) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Goaltender Joey MacDonald gets his third straight start in place of Rick DiPietro. DP will be on the bench in a backup role according to Greg Logan.

Jack Hillen is back in the lineup on defense in place of the injured Radek Martinek (right shoulder, or as they say in the biz the somewhat vague "Upper body injury").