Sutton out 8-10 weeks; Soundtiger trade

This from http://www.islanderspointblank.com

The Islanders just announced that Andy Sutton had surgery on his broken foot suffered in mid-December and is now out an additional 8-10 weeks.

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Islanders acquire RW Lessard from Thrashers

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK (TICKER) —The New York Islanders on Tuesday acquired right wing Junior Lessard, a former Hobey Baker Award winner, from the Atlanta Thrashers for defenseman Brett Skinner.

Lessard will report to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders’ affiliate in the American Hockey League. He has played in 41 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves this season, recording six goals and five assists for 11 points.

The 28-year-old Quebec native attended the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he won the Hobey Baker Award in 2004 as the top college player in the United States. However, he has played in only 27 career NHL games with Dallas and Tampa Bay during parts of three seasons.

Skinner, 25, did not score 11 games with the Islanders this season. In 24 contests at Bridgeport, he registered a goal and 11 assists.

Munson'd out in the middle of Nashville

Okay, when a guy named Vern Fiddler--no offense, anyone who is Googling him--but when a dude named Vern Fiddler scores to beat you, well it just ain't going good.

The Isles lost to the Pre-daters 1-0 on that goal by Fiddler. This now brings the winless streak to eight games (0-7-1). That's right; it's a one-point December. Merry Christmas, Scott Gordon.

Wait--there's more! Doug Weight missed the last half or so of the game with...anyone? Yes, that's right: a groin in-jo-ree gruh-gruh- groin in-jo-ree. Add in the fact that Andy Sutton broke his foot Friday in Minnesota and the Islanders injury list is now longer than Santa's Nice or Naughty Lists. No wonder they're not winning.

Blake Comeau--who spent Friday night in Minnesota eating nachos in the press box while Mitch Fritz spent it nailed to the bench, was back in the lineup last night. What does Gordon have against Comeau? Fritz continues to make as much of an impact as Vince the creepy Shamwow guy would in the Mojave desert and Comeau is scratched in his place. I don't get that one.

And what do we do about Tambellini? He has finished his "conditioning" stint with the Soundtigers. Is he up or does he get waived. I'm think the injury rash will make that decision for the Islanders and I also don't know that bringing him back to the Island is really what they want to do.

Well, I am done with the weekend mini-vent. I'm tired and I am going back to bed.

Birthday boy Lee nets OT winner for Isles

By IRA PODELL, AP Hockey Writer

NEWARK, N.J. (AP)—Chris Lee scored 2:28 into overtime on his 28th birthday Friday night, lifting the New York Islanders to a 3-2 preseason victory over the New Jersey Devils.

Lee snapped a drive that beat backup goalie Kevin Weekes on New York’s 20th shot. Fellow defenseman Bruno Gervais, who turned 24 Friday, earned an assist. The Islanders got the win after losing a 2-1 lead late in the second period.

“I don’t think the goalie saw it, and to be honest I didn’t see it go in, either,” Lee said. “It was a delayed celebration, but it was a great feeling. This is definitely the best birthday present I’ve ever gotten.”

After recording only five shots in the first period against Islanders third-string goalie Yann Danis, the Devils got even on Zach Parise’s power-play goal with 26.4 seconds left in the middle period.

New York couldn’t get the puck out of its zone during New Jersey’s third power play of the period—a high-sticking double-minor against Jeremy Colliton.

Devils defenseman Anssi Salmela slid a diagonal pass from the left point to Parise in the low right circle. Parise snapped a shot that beat Danis for his fifth goal of the preseason.

The Devils went on a 5-on-3 power play 13 seconds later when Lee was sent off for hooking. New Jersey enjoyed that manpower edge for well over a minute into the third period, but couldn’t take the lead.

It wasn’t for a lack of trying, though. The Islanders killed off the penalties only to go short-handed again at 2:04. The Devils pumped in five shots and hit the post with two other attempts. Patrik Elias slid the puck through the crease, but it caught the right post.

“At 5-on-5, I thought our guys did a tremendous job,” first-year Islanders coach Scott Gordon said. “I’d be surprised if they had more than 15 shots 5-on-5. The majority of their shots came on the power play, particularly the 5-on-3.

“When you’re short-handed for pretty much six consecutive minutes and close to eight, you’re going to lose momentum.”

New Jersey took a 1-0 lead 3:32 in on its first shot. Johnny Oduya let go a drive from above the left circle that hit the right post and caromed in.

The Islanders tied it on Andy Hilbert’s stuff shot near the right post with 4:29 left in the first period, and Kurtis McLean made it 2-1 for New York 2:55 later when his drive from the left point seemed to hit Salmela in flight and take a dip past Weekes.

That was quite a change from Wednesday on Long Island when the Devils defeated the Islanders 3-0 behind a 17-save effort by No. 1 goalie Martin Brodeur.

“Every game you play you want to win,” said Mike Comrie, one of the few Islanders veterans in the lineup. “When you’re playing a division rival, you just expect a lot out of everybody. It’s nice to get a win but we know we have a long road ahead of us.”

The Devils outshot New York 12-0 in the third on Friday before the Islanders recorded their first shot of the period shortly after the 13-minute mark. Until then, New Jersey had showed mostly lackluster play.

“For the first half of the game, that’s exactly what we were,” Devils coach Brent Sutter said. “We did a much better job in the second half of having some assertiveness and puck pursuit. Our forecheck was a lot better, there wasn’t as many gaps. The shots on goal showed that.”

Danis finished with 28 saves. Regular backup Joey MacDonald also dressed, but New York’s No. 1 netminder Rick DiPietro is close to returning. He skated with teammates Friday morning and is expected to get the start Monday when the Islanders finish their preseason schedule at Florida.

The Islanders and Devils will open the regular season against each other next Friday in New Jersey.

Notes

The Islanders are expected to be without defensemen Andy Sutton and Chris Campoli for several weeks. Sutton is out because of hand surgery. Campoli is sidelined by an injured shoulder, not the one he dislocated last season that knocked him out for the season in January. … Veteran forwards Bill Guerin and Doug Weight sat out for the Islanders. They are expected to play the final two preseason games.

Islanders D Sutton out 4-6 weeks

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK (TICKER) -- New York Islanders defenseman Andy Sutton will miss up to six weeks after an MRI revealed a partial tear of his hamstring, the team announced Tuesday.

Sutton, who suffered the injury during Monday's 3-2 win over San Jose, has appeared in 58 game for New York this season, recording one goal and seven assists.

To replace Sutton, the Islanders recalled defenseman Drew Fata from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.

The 6-1 Fata has played in 48 games this season with the Sound Tigers, registering three goals and five assists. His 156 penalty minutes rank second on the team.

How Do You Say "Stinker" in Chinese?

I'd check Altavista, but I am much too lazy.

The Isles squandered another 2 goal lead today and lost in OT to the visiting Carolina Hurricanes with children's teams and General Colin Powell in attendance.

Andy Sutton's crosschecking penalty gave the Hurricanes a PP in OT and Cory Stillman scored at the 52 second mark to give the visitors the extra point.

Billy Jaffe said it in the second period: the dogs were out tonight. I'm not sure why it is, but it always seems like afternoon games are (shall we say) a little less spirited than the ones played at night. This one was no different--totally devoid of emotion and grit even though there were lots of kids in the rink on this Martin Luther King Day.

The Isles were paced by Andy Hilbert and Miro Satan and opened up the 2-0 lead about halfway through the second. Hilbert's goal came on one of those weird Coliseum caroms. Freddy Meyer tried to dump the puck into the zone but the biscuit hit the boards and popped right into the slot. Hilbert flipped a nifty backhander over Cam Ward and the Isles took the lead with 3:17 left to play in the first.

Scary moment as the second ended when Ricky DiPietro seemed to flop wrong on his right knee and he was slow to get up. A couple of stretches and Flexes and we all held our breath to see who would be leading the team out to the ice to start the third period.

Billy and Howie suggested that Dubie could be making the start tomorrow night in Carolina for the second part of the home-and-home. Makes perfect sense because you know that Rick is going to start the game in Boston on Thursday and then he is off for the All-Star festivities next weekend. Besides, you don't send a guy to Bridgeport for conditioning purposes and then not use him after he gets his confidence up. Expect Dubie tomorrow night.

Good news was that Radek Martinel and Brendan Witt made their returns to the lineup this afternoon. Radek had missed the last 13 games with a bum ankle and Witt missed the last four with an ankle issue as well.

Where was "Black Betty"?

Well, the Giants pooped in the punch bowl for sure yesterday and that
has me feeling prickly as a summer cactus. When I get fired up about
the inability of some of the higher-salaried people on the Giants
roster, I just try and relax and I remind myself that the Islanders are
9 and 4 so far this season. Yes!

This week begins a stretch where our boys are finally going to be
playing some games on the road...such as they are. I bet teams from the
Western Conference are jealous when they see stretches like this. The
Isles meet the Flyers tonight and the Penguins on Thursday. Then they
head to Jersey for the Devils on Saturday, the Rangers on Monday, and
the Canadiens on November 21. The day after Thanksgiving the Isles are
in Boston for a nooner and then host the Bruins the following night at
the Coliseum. Not a whole heck of a lot of traveling, for sure.

What can we say about the Devils game...other than the Games Ops peeps
didn't play "Black Betty"? I keed. No, it was another solid effort by
our boys in blue and orange. Somebody needs to call the fire department
because Miro Satan is on fire! Also, we need to keep Dancin' Stan
Hunter (love that nickname) in LI because his son Trent has been playing
very, very well since Dad came to visit. Billy Jaffe and Howie Rose
made the observation and I think it is true: we need to get Stan on the
road trip!

I especially liked the way our defensemen were heading to the net
Saturday night. Billy and Howie mentioned Andy Sutton's name many times
because Sutton was setting up shop right in front of Martin "Mr. 499"
Brodeur. Again, I keed. I love Brodeur and I think he is the best
goalie I've seen since Roy (I know how to take a stand on the real
issues, eh?) but everyone knows that the best way to beat any goalie is
to keep the puck near his feet. Sure, he is awesome in the butterfly
but packing the crease and playing it to his feet is the way to slide
'em past him. Of course, I say that and recognize that Miro's GWG was a
quick slam on a goal mouth pass from Trent Hunter that Brodeur had no
chance of stopping--especially because it was on a 5-on-3 PP advantage.
You know what I mean.

Over the weekend the Isles also welcomed back one Frederick Meyer IV as
well. Freddy had been with the Isles until getting cut when the team
needed to sign Bryan Berard. Of course, Berard has been out for a bit
and now ace in the hole Aaron Johnson is out for 6-8 weeks with a knee
injury so the backline is looking a bit depleted. Hey, the great thing
is that Meyer comes in fully aware of the systems and style of play so
he should be ready to go as soon as tonight against the Flyers.

Bill Guerin took a puck to the face against the Devils and although he
came back to play because he is a hockey player and that's what you do,
The Captain ended up missing the third period with the injury. Looked
to get him on the eyebrow area and he is reported to be re-examined
today before the Flyer game. I have a sneaking suspicion that if the
swelling is down and there's no damage to the eye itself that The
Captain will be in the lineup tonight.

Radek Martinek also was rocking a cut over his eye that needed a few
stitches the other night. He came back to play and was his usual steady
self. He reminds me a lot of Kenny Morrow in so many ways. I know that
is saying a lot but both guys were steady and played against the top
offensive players all the time without making any mistakes. Radek and
Brendan Witt compliment each other so well. You get the sense of
stability that Kenny Jonsson and Adrian Aucoin used to give us.

Lastly, I don't want to start an Oprah book club or anything, but people
have been asking me about the new books written by Bret Hart and Chris
Jericho. I've read both and I can tell you that each one is definitely
worth checking out. Jericho's book flows along like a buddy telling you
stories and when you're done, I think you can't help but like the guy
more and more. Bret's book is just like he seems to be: rather tortured
at times and serious. The guy has been through a lot and let's face
it--he's been on the doorstep of a lot of history. When he wasn't
knocking on the door of history, he was directly in the middle of
controversy. If you're looking for massive insight and disclosure about
Montreal 1997, there's not a lot new here. But if you want to learn
about the real Hart family and a lot about the early WWF, this is a good
one to read.

So there you go. Five stars for each book. Five stars for entirely
different reasons.

What the Andy Sutton signing means for the Islanders

I really liked the signing of Andy Sutton. As they say, you can't teach size and at 6-6, Sutton is one big dude. You add in a nice mean streak and the Ludwig-like willingness to block shots and you have a great policeman on the ice for the team.

Isn't it amazing that shot-blocking is almost a found art these days? In the "old NHL", it seemed that you had a few guys like Jay McKee and Sean Hill who were willing to block shots, but very few others. Maybe that was because with all of the hooking and whatnot that was going on it was hard enough to block a shot when you're holding a guy by the sweater.

I was asked by a friend if the Isles overpaid for Sutton. That's a tough one. Being below the salary cap allows Garth Snow the ability to pay higher salaries to the guys that they feel are the best fit for the kind of team Ted Nolan wants to put on the ice. So in that regard, I guess that would make the Islanders a better alternative than another squad who offers less. Coach Nolan had a quote that I read where he said that Andy Sutton is the kind of player the team wants to "commit" to. To me, telling a player that you want to commit to him is not different than committing to a spouse in a lot of respects. Sutton is no different than any other player that signed with the Islanders this off-season--he has something to prove (in his case, that he can stay healthy while playing a rough and tough style)--and having a team court you and give you the opportunity has to be attractive.

Some other interesting news over the weekend:

Steve Zipay in Newsday is reporting that the new upgrades at the Coliseum won't be in place until 2011 at the earliest. Wow. The Giants can get a new stadium and the Yankees can get a new stadium and the county can't agree to do something beneficial for the rink and the surrounding area for 18 months. I am so glad that I am not paying taxes in Nassau County. That's all I can say about that.

Eklund is also reporting that the Islanders are talking to Jason Allison, a guy who hasn't played in like forever because of injuries and personal issues that kept him out of the league last year. I really liked him when he played for the Bruins and Capitals because he was productive as heck and looked like he was able to skate just a little better than I could. Not sure how he will fit into the New NHL where skating is a priority but much like I said with Andy Sutton, you can't teach goal scoring and production.

Anther rumor online that got some traction in the Canadian press was that Michael Peca was looking to sign with the Rangers. Not sure if this was floated to get the Leafs to move or not, but it seems entirely likely to me. The Rangers are paying Drury and Gomez a ton of money and you know Jagr is getting his chunk already. If they had to trade Matt Cullen to move his salary, I am guessing that the Rangers are up on that cap pretty hard.

With any of these rumors, you have to take them with a grain of salt; for lack of a better cliché. All we can do is wait and see how it all goes down.

There's a new sheriff in town

ANDY SUTTON ADDED TO BLUELINE
Chris Botta New York Islanders
Aug 10, 2007, 6:40 PM EDT
8-year NHL veteran defenseman signed to 3-year deal

The New York Islanders have signed 6-foot-6 defenseman Andy Sutton to a three-year contract. Sutton, who will enter his ninth NHL season in 2007-08, scored two goals and added 14 assists for Atlanta last season and is known for his shot-blocking and physical play. Despite playing in just 55 games last season, Sutton ranked 19th in the NHL in blocked shots with 162. In 2005-06, Sutton ranked fourth in the NHL with 195 blocked shots.



We'll have more this week regarding all of the new guys in a roster review...