NHL LIVE - Bill Guerin to Pittsburgh

For a CONDITIONAL DRAFT PICK. WTF?

Guerin to Pittsburgh

Don LaGreca on the NHL Network says more to come...

Guerin deal dead...

...according to ESPN's Pierre LeBrun. Now it is on to Plan B for Garth Snow.

Deadline Day...or, How hard it is to love something that don't love you back

Every so often, something happens regarding the Islanders that simply defies logical explanation. It often makes us fans want to stick our heads in the toilets and wonder why we even care about this team.

This year's item: Bill Guerin.

A consummate pro and respected leader, Guerin was sent into exile on Saturday because speculation was that a trade was imminent. Banished from the team, Guerin's situation has caused many in the league and in the media to shake their heads, chuckle, and say, "Same old Islanders."

Problem is, the fans aren't laughing.

The way this entire situation has been handled has been unprofessional and embarrassing for the team. By banishing their captain, Scott Gordon and Garth Snow have essentially given a peek into the future for the young and impressionable Islanders; all of whom are probably saying, "If they can do that to Billy Guerin, what the heck will they do to me?"

Shame on the organization.

All of this comes out as allegations surfaced that coach Scott Gordon was not treating the entire team with deserved respect. The whispers about the headstrong coach and the veteran players butting heads all season have been confirmed. Gordon has been accused of not coaching the entire team and holding meetings with the younger players that the older experienced guys have not been invited to.

Let's examine that charge for a minute.

Gordon makes a reasonable argument that the kids are the ones who need the extra tutoring after school. He also has apparently pulled aside some key vets like Doug Weight and Guerin and told them that he can't count on them being on the team next season so he needs to spend his time teaching the players who are going to be the teams' leaders into The Lighthouse Era.

Let's face it: veteran players on the Islanders are desperate to win and to keep their careers alive. Guys like Weight, Guerin, and Witt have, with all due respect, seen better days. They're not part of the future of the New York Islanders. They're stop-gaps. They are either on their way out of the league after freaking commendable careers or they're biding their time until some other opportunity opens up. And there's nothing wrong with that.

It's just like any other job. Some people come and stay and try to make the place they work better. Others just show up and work hard but have priorities in other places. The paycheck is nice, you know, and there's no shame in that. You do what you have to do for your family.

Saying that, you bet your backside Bill Guerin wants to play for a contender and get some more playoff action under his belt. He doesn't know if this is the end of his career--let's remember he didn't have a lot of options in the NHL when he signed with the Isles to begin with. He wants to go out on the highest note possible...and the Islanders deserve to be compensated with a player or a draft pick as they continue to rebuild the once-proud franchise.

Again, I say "once-proud" because, as the DVD set that comes out next week further validates, all we as Islander fans have is (perhaps) misguided hope and our memories of better days at Fort Neverlose.

Memories are great and can get you so far but after a while, you need something more. We sit there and take the crap sandwiches and delude ourselves into thinking it tastes good because the jerseys and logo we love keep feeding it to us.

Which makes this whole Guerin mess puzzling. The whole exile thing didn't have to happen, as Mark Herrmann wrote in Newsday over the weekend. The team could have kept playing Guerin while waiting to see if Washington could dump Michael Nylander's salary to take on Billy for the stretch run in the Southeast.

But see, that would have been the classy move. Management sent him home to wait so that their precious asset wouldn't get injured while the trade wheels were in motion. This precious asset is going to fetch either a third or fourth round pick. Nice, but no windfall. Instead, a proud man who has been nothing but admired and professional is suspended from school for no apparent reason other than he is a good, useful player who is sought after by other teams with much more to gain this season that his present employer.

And that, in a word, sucks.

Guerin News from Darren Dreger of TSN

Dreger: Guerin, Islanders wait on mystery team's decision

The waiting game continues for Bill Guerin and Derek Morris.

However, in Guerin's case, sources say the Islanders forward now knows who the team is and Guerin and Islanders' general manager Garth Snow are both waiting for that team to make its final decision to close the deal.

The identity of this mystery team is being concealed in fear the trade will fall apart.

Final confirmation would end a saga that started when Guerin was pulled out of the Islanders lineup after the warm up and before Saturday's game against the Buffalo Sabres.

BILL'S TAKE: Last night's win over the Sabres sure was interesting, huh? You had the plucky Islanders still playing hard and the intrigue of the Islanders captain being pulled from warm-ups and a night of speculation from Howie & Billy.

As of the time I am typing this, Point Blank is reporting that the beat writer from the Capitals (they're down 5-1 right now vs. Florida) is not Guerin's destination. So that means the heavy speculation is to Montreal.

We'll have more on this as new breaks. Sad to see Guerin go, of course, but maybe a real prospect and a pick would make us feel better.

Also, last night on Hockey Night in Canada, they had a Tavares update. The Isles are currently 48% percent likely to land the first overall pick in the entry draft.

TSN on Guerin

Sources tell TSN New York Islanders veteran Bill Guerin is willing to waive his no-move clause to accept a trade if the right opportunity is presented.

Guerin hasn't asked for a trade, but it's believed he has discussed his trade potential with Islanders' general manager Garth Snow and has acknowledged a willingness to consent.

The 38-year-old Guerin has 16 goals and 19 assists in 60 games with New York this season. The well-travelled veteran has played for the Devils, Oilers, Bruins, Stars, Blues, Sharks and Islanders.

The 6'2, 220-pound forward was drafted fifth overall in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, the first selection of the Devils.

Back from the brink of Christmas

Sorry for the lack of updates...and so much has gone on in Islanderville over the past few days.

Of course, the first thing we need to mention is that the vile ten-game winless streak is o-v-e-r thanks to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yes, the same Leafs who were told in their local papers that the day-after-Christmas game with the worst team in the league was a late Christmas present of two points.

You have to love the Toronto media. Lose two in a row and the team is a bunch of bums and all of managment should be fired. Win two and the 42-year Cup drought is over and we need to start booking the parade down Younge Street. We need to get the entire Canadian media some Paxil to help with their mood swings!

Big news in that game was that Billy Guerin potted his 400th career goal. His 399th came on a deflection on a shot from Josh Bailey and the deflection was so obvious that I was scratching my head wondering why Billy and Howie were talking about the kid getting his first NHL goal when it was plain as day that Guerin was going to get it.

But, hey, who is complaining. The Isles got the win and Ricky was back in the net. What's more, he played a great, no nonsense, conservative game for the 4-1 victory.
Saturday night, the impossible happened. The Isles play a lackluster 58 minutes (well, not Joey MacDonald--he was pure fire) and then our boys tie up the Sabres with two powerplay goals with MacDonald pulled to send it to OT. Chris Campoli, who loves that top shelf, wristed one past Ryan Miller with 2 seconds left. Sure, the Isles coughed up the shootout but the way things have been going, one point is one point.

And here's a surprise: the Isles play the Rangers tonight and wouldn't you know it, Larry Brooks' man crush on Sean Avery made the papers again yesterday as LB is trying desperately--a little too desperately--to get his boy toy Avery back to MSG.
Look, I understand that everybody has favorite players but Brooks is just making us all a little uncomfortable with his gushing and defending of Avery. He can say whatever he wants about the Rangers needing an edge or whatever. It's just all a bit too much, Larry. You don't want us making the hostage face you made on live TV a few years ago at the NHL Awards, do you?

The "RANGERS (are not) SCREAMING OUT FOR AVERY", Larry. You are.

AND for all of those complaining (like me) about the Isles not releasing Josh Bailey to play in the tournament, did anyone consider that notorious complainer and whining curmudgeon Pat Quinn is the coach of the Canadian team? Methinks Garth and Scott may not have wanted Josh to be subjected to the Quinn negativity.

We'll have more about the Isles tomorrow and some insight on what we've seen while watching the World Junior Championships.

Isles in Minnesota; Okposo and Comrie may return

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Work has been crazy busy trying to get projects in under the wire. Thanks to those who wrote in wondering what has been going on.

I will try to get updates in through the Christmas and New Year's celebrations where I can. I am guessing that things'll be just as backed up both at work and with family visiting.

Thanks also to those who asked me about the place I work. It was recently announced that my employer was laying off some people (not great timing) but so far, I am safe.

Anyway, enough of that. We are here to talk about the Islanders and a seven-game winless streak.

The good news is that the Islanders' website is reporting that Mike Comrie should make his return tonight in Minnesota. Newsday and other places like Point Blank are also saying that Sillinger and Okposo are coming back better than expected from their respective injuries and could possible play either tonight against the Wild or tomorrow night in Nashville.

Do you realize that the Isles have not played either Minnesota or the Predators since 2006? Do you realize that we haven't missed those game a-tall? I mean, playing the Wild at this time of year is great for the red-and-green Christmas spirit but the Predators? Outside of Shea Weber and Dan Ellis, do you ever hear much about their players?

Anyway, the Islanders are riding a one-point December so far and man, has it been miserable. If you're reading this, I don't have to tell you. Of course, the "frequency" of my updates has been tempered by not only work, but my realization that the team could be out of the playoff picture already. And that just sucks.

What we need to face is that yes, we are the collective beaten-down dogs of a fanbase and yes, rebuilding takes time. Year one of the process--assuming ownership stays the course--is always the hardest, most painful, and depressing of the four-year plan.

Call me an optimist--I've been called worse--but we need to take pride in the development of the young kids, assuming they can make it back to the ice. Also, with Bill Guerin getting close to 400 career goals and Doug Weight now 3 points away from 1000 career points, we can take some satisfaction that these great players--and American hockey players at that--will be hitting some very serious career milestones in the sweaters with our favorite logo on it.

On the other side, hard to take those comments in Newsday from Brendan Witt this morning. What he said in the report by Greg Logan sounded to me like the frustrations of a proud man who is on a team that has not won in seven games--not to mention that he was a minus-five the other night. Some will say that Scott Gordon is trying to teach the old dog a new trick. Read into this what you will.

Regarding the team's style of play: "I don't think we play well defensively five-on-five, and it shows," Witt said. "We're leading the league with goals against . It almost looked like [the Capitals] were on a power play [with 40 shots]."

Gordon's system: "We're showing progress, but we haven't showed it very often for 60 minutes," Witt said. "Until he says something different, we have to play the way he wants us to play."

And this chestnut: "Personally, I think it's more of a risky type of game," Witt said. "There's a lot of odd-man rushes. But that's the way he wants us to play, and until he decides he wants to change that, we're going to play that way."

Yeesh. I am a big fan of Brendan Witt's but...wow...to say he isn't on point is being kind. Of course, he could also just be frustrated as hell. I know I am when I watch the games.

It's also not out of the question that any of the veterans playing well could be moved at the trade deadline. In fact, they probably should be if they're not able or willing to fit into Gordon's system or understand their roles in said system. Nothing surprises me any more with the Islanders so guys with value like Weight, Guerin, Witt, Sillinger, and Comrie are probably going to be traded for value (draft picks) come March 4. Witt is frustrated and Comrie did not show anything that says he can play the up-tempo style Gordon and Snow want to play. Sillinger also has had difficulty coming back from his surgery and found himself sidelined shortly after making his return with groin issues that are directly attributable to the forechecking style employed by Gordon.

Tonight the Isles are in Minnesota. Okposo is enjoying the comforts of home. Let's hope he's back in the lineup tonight, too.

An Islanders Thanksgiving

Well, it's that time again...time to worry about making it to .500 and whether or not the franchise goalie is ever going to make it back to the lineup. Yes, that is what I wonder about while sitting here at work when almost everyone in the office has taken the day off and I am the only one in the building. Don't worry--I'll turn out the lights when I leave.

I love this time of year. I am a Christmas nerd. Turkey is like my favorite thing to eat. I have a great and supportive family and the best wife in the world. So, yeah, I know I am lucky and that I have a lot to be thankful for.

This forum gives me a chance to entertain and inform with my musings. Yes, I am thankful for my readers. Both of you.

In that spirit, I want to make a list of what I am thankful for hockey-wise this year. Indulge me if you will.

I am thankful for Joey MacDonald. Admit it: when Rick went down (all of the times) you thought our goose was, um, cooked. But Joey MacDonald has nutted up and made himself a darn good NHL goaltender. Sure, he's had coaching and sure he has a underrated corp of defensemen, but in the end, he is that last line. MacDonald has taken his ball and run with it. He's no Wally Pipp--I fully expect that when Ricky can go that Ricky is gonna go--but MacDonald has solidified himself as a good NHL player and he's made Garth Snow look smart for letting Dubie go to Siberia...or the KHL.

I am also thankful for Doug Weight. Weight is a guy who took a chance on Long Island and has been a pleasant surprise. I'm not even sure Doug Weight thought Doug Weight would be leading the team in points and almost scoring a point per game...but he is and he has been part of the leadership core that Scott Gordon has had to rely on to make the Islanders one of the more surprising teams in the league.

Naturally, if we are talking about Doug Weight we have to segue into to speaking about captain Billy Guerin. Let's make one thing perfectly clear: if Guerin didn't buy into Gordon's overspeed then the team would have been down the drain. He had some well-documented issues with the previous coach and the system (or lack thereof) that the team was employing night after night. After the change, Guerin got his buddy Weight to come to NY and once they bought in, they set a professional example for the younger guys. Plus, Guerin is scoring some.

I am thankful for overspeed. Sure, it was a weird catchphrase for a while but now that we see it working, the system is a lot of fun. Islanders games are never dull because everyone is moving. Scott Gordon is still getting used to the big time and all but it really is great having a coach with a plan that the organization can rally around with everyone pushing in the same direction.

I am grateful for Brendan Witt. Things just are better when he is out there on the ice. Witt brings the snarl that every hockey team needs. Plus, he is signed for three years so he is going to be around to help shape the islanders of the future.

And man, for Mark Streit. I can't even put into words how freaking impressed I am with Streit. Whatever his rep was in Montreal, who gives a crap? He has been playing at an All-Star level since he arrived.

Finally, what can you say about Trent Hunter and Richard Park? Cast into checking roles by Ted Nolan, Gordon has released the guys to become point producers and offensive contributors. Hunter seems to have found his scoring touch and Park plays like his pants are always on fire. (I know I've said it a lot but it is true.) Watching these guys get time on the power play proves to the young guys that if you produce, you're going to be rewarded.

So there you go. No, it's not been all a hayride this season. Jeff Tambellini has the same numbers of goals that I do. The whole injury non-disclosure thing was strange and the DiPietro cover up continues. But if you think about it, when we all thought the team was Tanking for Tavares, if we were told the team would have 20 points in 21 games, would we have believed it? Probably not.

Isles go for .500 tonight with the Penguins. It's March of Dimes night. Don't forget to bring some canned food to the game on Saturday if you're going to help some people out.

Islanders Unveil Third Jersey

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.

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.

New Hockey Cards!

I love it when I find the new hockey cards each year. It's one of the three barometers that we are getting closer to hockey season; along with The Hockey New preview issue and exhibition football.

Upper Deck's Victory set is always the first out, so you can imagine how happy I was to see the boxes at our local Target. I picked up one of those boxes that has ten packs (plus a "bonus" pack--why not just say eleven?) for $9.99 yesterday. My wife and I ripped them open and as you have probably figured out, all we want really is Islanders. We don't mind getting cards of the stars and all, but our boys always are more important.

So, guess how many Islanders I got in a box of 11 packs and 66 cards? That's right: zero. Didn't get any Rangers either, which we are oddly okay with. Still, with 250 cards in the set and getting 66 cards in the box, you'd figure that the odds are pretty good that we would get some Isles, but we didn't. We did get Crosby and Ovechkin and an oversized Tomas Vanek card (yawn).

So, out of (let's say) five stars, I would give this rip about a two. One star for getting Crosby and Ovie and one star for just being happy that there are hockey cards out. We'll also give Upper Deck some credit for improving the design of the cards, which are much more appealing than last year's Victory set.

The Islanders players in the set are cards 71-76: Rick DiPietro; Bill Guerin; Miro Satan; Trent Hunter; Mike Comrie; and The Tank.

Thanks to The First Lady of NYIFORLIFE.com, my wife Linzi, for the photo. She's also the webmistress for this site as well.

The Wheels On The Bus Go 'Round and 'Round

According to Greg Logan's post on Newsday, Bill Guerin was less than surprised that Ted Nolan got the boot from Islanders general manager Garth Snow. I guess we now know the name of that certain Islander veteran who allegedly caught Ted in some lies about how management was running the show. If it is Guerin--and this is only my speculation--then good for him. He's the captain and he raised an issue and tried to fix it along the chain of command. He went to the coach before certain events led him to seek out the advice of the owner and GM.

To me, that is leadership. He wanted to fix a problem and went about it the right way. If this un-named Islander was, in fact, Billy Guerin, then lock the guy up with a job after his playing career is over. He wants to get things done.

Anyway, that nightmare is over. I think I speak for all of us fans when I say that I am glad this crap didn't spill over into the regular season. Now Snow can move on and begin what is now a real NHL General Manager's job. No more committee. It is all on Snow. He has to make the perfect choice to lead the Islanders out of the shadows. It ain't gonna be easy, either.

Because I care, I have a list of dudes that are probably on Garth's radar. These are all experienced NHL coaches with some pedigree and success in their rearview mirrors. Strap yourself in and feel the Gs as we take a ride on the Let's Draft John Tavares Express!

Bob Hartley: Apparently, Hartley has some sort of relationship with GM Garth Snow and after flaming out in Atlanta, all reports are that he wants to get back into the league. Hartley won a Stanley Cup and that is instant credibility to a dressing room full of young and impressionable kids. He's fiery and hates to lose. Not a bad pick and many in the media have anointed Bob Hartley as the logical and most likely choice.

The people involved with the league don't believe the words "logical" and "choice" are to be ever be associated with the Islanders, and quite honestly, right now I don't think I can stand behind those words either.

Having said that, Bob Hartley may be the right guy at the right time to turn things around for the franchise. He will rely on his leadership core and push the buttons to get the young players to achieve. He also has proven to take losses hard and by the way, walks into the job with a Stanley Cup championship ring. Never discount that piece of jewelry.

John Tortorella: The intriguing media-friendly option. I bet Greg Logan is holding rosary beads right now, hoping Johnny Torts becomes the next Islanders coach. Tortorella always speaks his mind and he sure isn't afraid to challenge his players. His combative nature and competitive streak would make Tortorella the king of the Lighthouse. The fans would love the guy. Whether he can sit in the same sandbox as Garth Snow and Charles Wang is to the big question. He seemed to do OK in Tampa and would walk into the room with a Stanley Cup ring.

In a perfect world, a guy like me on the outside would like to see Tortorella get the job. He'd bring a new element of competitiveness and aggression into rivalries with the Devils and the Rangers and he has proven to be the kind of coach who holds everyone in the room accountable. I want a coach full of piss and vinegar who is just beside himself after close games and spitting up bile after tough losses. I want a guy who cares as much as the fans do. John Tortorella is that guy.

Pat Burns: Interesting situation here. No one will argue that Burns is a Hall of Fame-quality coach. He's had successful teams and high-profile jobs in Montreal; New Jersey; and Toronto. The guy has got rings. Now he has been out of the game battling cancer for a few years and from what I read, he would like to get back into the NHL. I think if he is up to it and willing to come to Long Island, then Garth Snow owes it to the organization to consider a guy with a resume like Pat Burns. It's a tough one to beat.

Marc Crawford: Crawford allegedly ordered the hit on Steve Moore by Todd Bertuzzi. We all know that. So, right there, do we need a guy coming in here with that sort of baggage? Plus, he has that weird Kerry Fraser hair. But he does have his name on The Cup. Still, no magic in Vancouver and not a lot of progress in Los Angeles. Next.

Paul Maurice: Maurice is a good coach. We all learned that when he got the overachieving Hurricanes to the finals a few years ago. He actually was able to hack it in Toronto with all of their crazy media and constant spotlight, etc. because he has a sense of humor. Now that I think about it, his dexterity with the media in Toronto may have given him great on-the-job training to juggle in the Long Island Circus. May be a good pick if he is the kind of guy to play nice with the GM and ownership. He had a great run with the Whaler-canes and had proven to fit well into their power structure with Jim Rutherford as a strong GM and that ponytailed freak (I won't say his name) as the owner.

Maurice also has a track record with developing the kids. He was in a fairly similar situation when he took over the Whalers in the mid-1990s. Not a bad choice if it happens.

Butch Goring; Bryan Trottier: Butchie probably would love to get another crack at it and he might be a pretty good guy to keep the kids going. Then again, when he was the Isles coach it wasn't like anything was lit on fire around the Coliseum. He's good on TV with Deb between periods and has an obvious enthusiasm for the game and an affinity for the team.

Saying that, wouldn't it totally look like settling if Goring were hired?

As far as Trottier goes, let's wipe away the Rangers experience. Is this something he is ready for? Great player coming in as a savior almost always is a bad recipe. Who knows? He may be perfectly happy being in charge of player development and he may not even want to be a head coach again.

And finally, if Jack Capuano gets the job, I would suggest that many others turned it down. I am not saying that to slight Jack or the job he did in Bridgeport last season. Not at all. It's just that he does not have a lot of AHL or NHL experience behind the bench yet.

That brings us to the end of our handicapping session. Rookie camp is going on as the drama unfolds. Snow has stated publicly that he is going through due diligence when hiring the coach. If we take him at his word, he needs to reach out and talk to at least three or four of the candidates above. The coming weeks are very important for the franchise. No way around that.

Sillinger Update; Marcinko Signed; Guerin Jobbed on Tirico

Here's a link to a new article on Mike Sillinger and how he is doing. Long story; short: he is off his crutches.

The Isles have announced the signing of 2006 fourth round draft pick Tomas Marcinko to the entry-level three-year contract. Follow this link to the team's website for more on Marcinko. GM Garth Snow spilled the beans on this one last week at the "Stakeholders' Meeting".

If you tuned into ESPN Radio at 2 Eastern to hear captain Bill Guerin on the Mike Tirico Show, you didn't hear much. Billy's phone crapped out on twice so that meant we had to hear noted tool and smug Sportscenter anchor Scott Van Pelt put his gold cred to use talking about the NHL. I think I threw up about twice on the drive home.

And finally, before checking out the two game sevens tonight on Versus (yes, Versus), head over to the Connecticut Post to read Mike Fornabaio's season wrap-up regarding the Sound Tigers. It features thoughts by Bridgeport's team president, Howard Saffan.

Bill Guerin All Over ESPN

Bill Guerin is blitzing ESPN(BA) today. Thanks to Corey Witt for his schedule:

2:00 PM – LIVE Interview with Mike Tirico on ESPN Radio
3:35 PM - ESPN.com Chat
4:00 PM - Digital Media on ESPN.com (updated at 12:45 PM)
4:50 PM - Hotlist on ESPNews
7:50 PM – More ESPNews hits

Here I sit broken hearted...

I keep hearing this old song from the 1980s in my head...I think it is Loverboy..."It's o-ver! It's o-ver! It's oooooo-veeerrr!"

The Isles dropped a clunker to the last-place Lightning last night, 8-4. The good news is that our boys go right back at 'em tonight in Florida to meet the Panthers. The bad news is that with 71 points in 71 games, they're just about ready to call for mid-April tee times.

Another thing I just calculated: the Isles are fifth from the bottom in the entire NHL right now. It goes like this: Los Angeles (60); Tampa (68); Atlanta (68); St. Louis (69); and the Isles. How many ping pong balls does fifth-worst get in the entry draft lottery.

Ben Walter--up from the Bridge because Josef Vasicek came down with the flu--scored his first goal as an Islander on the power play. So right there, that is something positive. Of course, having a recent call-up playing on your power play isn't exactly standard operating procedure. Besides, Vincent Lecavalier had a hat trick for the hosts so that kind of negates any good will from Ben Walter. But good for him.

The other Islander goals were scored by Bill Guerin (a nasty wrister in the first); Ruslan Fedotenko (a breakaway kicked in by the Tampa goalie doing his best Darren Puppa imitation); and Mike Comrie.

Then, to add injury to insult, we have this headline in today's Newsday: "Nolan at odds with DiPietro after blowout loss."

Just what we need. The coach and the franchise are allegedly not getting along. These things tend to get overblown because they make good copy in what has turned out to be a completely unsatisfying season.

Nolan on Ricky, from Newsday: "We ask him over and over again not to play the puck as much," Nolan said of DiPietro. "He's one of the best puck-handlers in the league, but you just can't overhandle it. When you overhandle it, you get yourself in trouble a little bit."

Again, Islanders coach Ted Nolan: "The only thing you can do is keep going through it over and over again. You can't do that. You've got to let our defense handle it a little bit more. He just wants to play it. What can you do?"

DiPietro response, also from Newsday: "Whatever."

Indeed.

2007-2008 NHL Individual Statistics - New York Islanders

From The Sports Network and Newsday.com

POS	NO	Player	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	PP	SH	GW	GT	S	PCTG
C	89	Mike Comrie	65	20	27	47	-18	79	4	0	3	0	170	11.8
RW	13	Bill Guerin	64	19	17	36	-11	54	6	0	4	0	189	10.1
RW	7	Trent Hunter	65	9	27	36	-8	35	2	0	1	1	179	5.0
RW	81	Miroslav Satan	63	14	21	35	-7	30	4	0	4	0	142	9.9
LW	26	Ruslan Fedotenko	61	15	16	31	-6	40	8	0	2	1	108	13.9
C	63	Josef Vasicek	65	14	17	31	4	30	0	2	2	1	100	14.0
C	18	Mike Sillinger	52	14	12	26	-10	28	3	2	2	0	94	14.9
RW	10	Richard Park	65	9	14	23	-5	16	1	2	2	0	102	8.8
D	14	Chris Campoli	46	4	14	18	-1	16	2	1	0	0	68	5.9
LW	20	Sean Bergenheim	61	7	10	17	2	48	0	0	1	0	105	6.7
C	11	Andy Hilbert	65	8	8	16	5	18	0	0	0	0	117	6.8
D	4	Bryan Berard	37	5	10	15	-11	40	4	0	2	0	58	8.6
D	8	Bruno Gervais	58	0	13	13	-5	32	0	0	0	0	55	0.0
D	24	Radek Martinek	52	0	12	12	-4	34	0	0	0	0	57	0.0
D	44	Freddy Meyer	40	2	7	9	1	16	0	0	2	0	33	6.1
LW	57	Blake Comeau	34	4	4	8	3	18	0	0	1	0	39	10.3
D	25	Andy Sutton	58	1	7	8	-6	86	0	0	1	0	57	1.8
D	32	Brendan Witt	53	2	4	6	-3	49	0	0	0	0	53	3.8
G	39	Rick DiPietro	58	0	5	5	0	16	0	0	0	0	4	0.0
RW	28	Tim Jackman	31	1	3	4	-2	46	0	0	0	0	28	3.6
LW	15	Jeff Tambellini	18	1	1	2	-4	4	0	0	0	0	24	4.2
C	51	Frans Nielsen	12	1	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	13	7.7
D	2	Aaron Johnson	18	0	2	2	4	14	0	0	0	0	10	0.0
LW	16	Jon Sim	2	0	1	1	-1	2	0	0	0	0	8	0.0
D	3	Rob Davison	17	0	1	1	-4	23	0	0	0	0	14	0.0
D	49	Drew Fata	2	0	1	1	1	4	0	0	0	0	1	0.0
C	17	Shawn Bates	2	0	0	0	-2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0
G	34	Wade Dubielewicz	10	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0
C	29	Ben Walter	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0.0
C	72	Jeremy Colliton	1	0	0	0	-1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.0

Not Good

Lookit Eli over there. He can't believe it either. The Isles played a great first period and yet let the game slip back to the visiting Flyers by playing cautious, trying-to-be-too-cute hockey. Also, it bears mentioning that DiPietro didn't have his strongest game of the season either last night...but once the team stops playing with discipline and gets away from the direct style we've grown happy to see, the Islanders can find themselves in trouble.

The Islanders had a great first period and went into the break up 3-1 on goals by Richard Park, Josef Vasicek (it had been a while) and Bill Guerin.

By the end of the game, they'd squandered that two goal cushion and dropped the game 5-3. The Isles have lost three straight home games for the first time this season, and dropped their third consecutive to the freaking goon-laden Flyers.

We have a neighbor who has been known to reply, "Not good" if you ask him how he is doing. Well, if he were to ask any Islander fan how they were doing this morning--and I am typing this at like 5:30 in the morning, we'd all tell him that we were "Not good" as well.

Going into the third, the Isles were nursing a one goal lead. Then those tricky boards at the Coliseum hiccuped on Ricky. He tried to play the puck around the boards but the biscuit kicked funny off of off the skate of Scottie Upshall and landed with Hartnell, who deposited the puck into the empty net. Hartnell had a hat trick.

Monday is a big game with the visiting Hurricanes. General Colin Powell will be in the Coliseum to drop the ceremonial first puck. That should be very, very cool. We all need to forget the game from last night and move forward.

So, having said that, I will leave you all with this: LET'S GO G-MEN!!!

Isles Downed by Oilers; Canucks Tonight

Anyone else notice that Rick hasn't won since he hurt his knee the other night?

This Western swing has not treated our boys kindly. OT loss in Colorado--on a shot that DiPietro should've made--and a gak 4-0 blanking last night in Edmonton. The Isles should be treating games against teams like the Oilers--teams with losing records--as important games where they should not settle for less than two points. But here we are.

DiPietro is probably fired up to play against Roberto Luongo tonight, as he should. Luongo was essentially sent to Florida just so Milbury could shock the hockey world and pick Ricky first overall back in the day. Luongo hasn't really had a ton of playoff heat but he has done one thing Rick has yet to do--get out of the first round of the playoffs.

Now, saying that, does that mean Luongo is better than Rick DiPietro? Right now, I would not make that trade. Luongo has a little more experience than Rick does and yes, he was really good in the NHL Rock the Rink game for the PS1, but then again, so was Taylor Pyatt. To me, Luongo does not have the intangibles of a player like Rick DiPietro and he does not bring what Ricky can when he is in good form.

Was Milbury fleeced by the Panthers? Well, yeah. Kinda. But you have to recall that at the time, the Islander organization is not what it is now. Guys with talent and huge upsides had to take on bigger, more substantive roles than they were ready for. That's why players like Todd Bertuzzi and Eric Brewer blossomed when they left the Island. The teams that traded for them had time to let them grow and had infrastructure in place within the organization that allowed for the guys to mature at a reasonable pace. The Isles needed them to wake up, jump out of bed, and start vacuuming the house. Vancouver and Edmonton were able to allow for Bertuzzi and Brewer to have some coffee first and ease into it. Of course, both have regressed professionally but that's a column for a different day.

Let me ask a different question: what the heck happened to Ruslan Fedotenko? He and Josef Vasicek have been in-freaking-visible of late. These guys are counted on to chip in with the Scoring by Committee Plan as devised by Ted Nolan and Garth Snow. Instead, both guys are getting about the same ice time as I would if I were on the team.

Miro Satan is missing in action as well. This leaves the bulk of the scoring square on the shoulders of Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie. Both of them, by the way, have been known as streaky players. I guess Ted Nolan is really happy they're both on a bit of a hot streak...last night notwithstanding.

What does this mean going forward? Well, obviously, it means that the Islanders as constituted need to pick up the scoring. This is not new to any of us who follow the team, is it? in fact, if the first half of the season had a theme to it, that's what it would be: we need to score more.

And I'm not sure how the heck they are going to do it.

Where's the jokes?

First off, I want to say that I didn't see or listen to the game last night. We got snow up the ying-yang here in CT and I took the opportunity to get reacquainted with an old friend, The Sandman, so I hit the bed early last night.

The boys won 3-2 over the Coyotes and Bill Guerin had two rebound goals. The Tank returned after a couple of games off with an injured shoulder and he picked up an assist. Coach Nolan apparently had a chat with Mike Comrie before the game and Comrie responded with a couple of assists. Jeff Tambellini was the guy who took the brunt of Nolan's displeasure and was assigned back to Bridgeport. Seriously now, that guy has got to decide whether he is an excellent AHL player or is going to be a good NHL player pretty darn soon.

To me, the big news from yesterday wasn't that baseball players are juiced up like the Kool-Aid Man; it was that the Flyers signed their young captain Mike Richards to a twelve-year contract.

So, you know, I checked the Canadian papers this morning. Where are the jokes? The press had a lot of fun when the Isles signed Ricky to the fifteen-year deal so surely they must be having hart attacks running to their keyboards to rip the Flyers for making along-term investment too.

Um, not quite.

No one is making fun of the Flyers as far as the articles I've read--and that shouldn't be too shocking. In fact, I would have been less surprised to read that the Philadelphia chapter of MADD had named Eagles Coach Andy Reid their Father Of The Year. Now, that kind of long-term commitment is a sound business deal. When the Islanders did it, it was fodder. Go figure.

Bad News Friday

Look at Eli over there. The man is truly confused. Is he worried about the Islanders' scoring woes? His own play and the way the guy gets ripped for every little thing? Or is he taking the news about Evel Knievel's passing particularly hard?

Nope, I bet it is none of those reasons. I think Eli is as perplexed as we all were to read that Ryan Hollweg allegedly threatened to rip the stitches out of Radek Martinek's face during the game on Thursday against the Rangers.

What? Ryan Hollweg? White Hat to Chris Simon's Black Hat? Yep, he apparently said that to Martinek the first period scrum after Colton Orr tried to mug Mike Comrie and Radek came to his aid. Classy organization Dolan has going on over there, eh?

And since we are all friends, you can admit it. You didn't think Evel would ever die either. The guy had more replacement parts that a second-hand Terminator and used to drink like he was gonna win something for it, but we all kinda thought the guy was indestructible.

The TV peeps seemed to enjoy playing that slo-mo tape of Evel's crash in Vegas at Caesar's Palace in '68 at well. Fairly gratuitous stuff at this point. Still, it is some shocking footage.

Evel had apparently made nice with Kanye West for some reason just a few days ago. Hopefully the ego allowed him to make nice with Robbie, his son and heir to the throne for best drinker and daredevil.

So, that being said, Eli needs the Islanders' scoring to pick it up so he can get that look off his face there that we all have. Andy Hilbert has missed more open nets this year than you can shake a stick at (literally) and while you have to admire the fact that Nolan rolls him out there because the guy is making a great effort, something has to change. You can't blame Hilbert for the whole team shutting it off because he isn't playing with Bill Guerin or Mike Comrie or any of the other guys who aren't putting the puck in the net. DiPietro is going to keep our boys in most of the games anyway as he continues to ascend in the league, but goals are goals. We need them.

It's easy to also look at the guys who left the team in the off-season but if you check the stats, they aren't lighting up their new teams either. Kozlov has found his level back in DC and the Caps, by the way, are the worst team in the league. Jason Blake zoo pass to TO is not working out the way he'd like. Blakie only has 2 goals this season and the Leafs organization is under seige for poor play, poor management, weird guaranteed contracts, and disturbing pictures of a certain Leafs rookie.

The salary cap has made the NHL a no-trade league for now so the Islanders are going to have to look within for the goals and PP help. According to Newsday, Nolan is considering using Miro on the half-wall a little more on the top PP unit with Mike Comrie and The Tank--who always busts a good effort for his team. The Captain is going to slide down to the second unit with Mike Sillinger and Dancin' Stan's little boy Trent.

Tonight against the Thrashers may be a place to sit DiPietro as well. The guy has played 18 games in a row. Dubie started that debacle in TO that ended badly (we shan't rehash here) but also looked way solid in relief of Super Rick in the Al Arbour game in early November.

The Thrash have improved quite a bit since GM Don Waddell took over the bench after firing noted hard-ass Bob Hartley. Should be a good one tonight on the Isle.

Rangers tonight

I really don't have much to say here today. Tonight is the Rangers at MSG and I know that we are looking forward to hearing (Turncoat) Joe and Sam do the game because Center Ice will block out Billy and Howie...and we'll still have to deal with The Maven (who is okay) and that dirty stinking rotten Al Trautwig. Oh, Al. I keed. You don't stink. Not out loud, anyway!

Speaking of Rangers, did you get a load of Ranger Apologist (TM) Larry Brooks in yesterday's Post? Wow. I'd hate to be his wife and pick out the wrong dress for dancing. Somebody crack a window in the press box because ol' Larry really, really hates the RBK uniforms. I mean, he takes these things so personally. And I am starting to believe that any time he feeds the readers a blind item that it has come right from Sean Avery. The way he sticks up for Avery in print makes me wonder if Brooks got to hide in the closet JJ Dillon-style when Avery was with that chick from 24. Somebody needs to sit Larry down and lecture him about the dangers of having a big-boy crush on the Rangers' super-pest.

Regarding Avery--and I guess that I just did--I didn't ever comment on what he may or may have not said to Jason Blake regarding cancer a few weeks ago because I just couldn't wrap my head around the reason anyone would do that kind of thing. Sure, Blake is pesty in his own right and didn't have a lot of fans in his own locker room or around the league but to use something like that is way beyond immature, even in the so-called heat of battle.

Lastly, I hope everyone got to read Greg Logan's inspiring column about Bill Guerin over the weekend. For every guy like Avery that exudes nothing but ignorance, there really are guys out there like Bill Guerin who are nothing but class. It's time to say that the Islanders got lucky when Ryan Smyth turned them down to go play in Colorado. We got a guy who gets "it" at a time where the media is filled with stories about guys who don't get "it".

Here's the link if you missed it. Thanks, Greg.
http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-spguerin185466383nov18,0,4348558.story

Guerin Out Tonight; Isles on NHL Network

Bill Guerin reportedly did not make the trip with the rest of the guys to Philadelphia for tonight's game. He still has some bleeding in his eye but might be able to play on Thursday.

We know hockey players are tough and always play through injuries that would leave you and I weeping like widows but when you're talking about an eye, you've got to be careful. It's best to sit one out if you have to.

Greg Logan is also reporting that Sean Bergenheim will play tonight. He's been out for a week or two with an array of injuries.

The Isles have quite a few games coming up on the NHL Network. Here is the schedule for the next wee while so you can set the DVR:

Monday, November 19, 2007
5:00 PM Classic Series: 1993 Penguins vs Islanders

Tuesday, November 20, 2007
3:00 PM Vintage Games: Edmonton vs NY Islanders, Game 2 - April 17, 1981

Wednesday, November 21, 2007
3:00 AM Vintage Games: Edmonton vs NY Islanders, Game 2 - April 17, 1981
12:00 PM Vintage Games: Edmonton vs NY Islanders, Game 2 - April 17, 1981
3:00 PM Vintage Games: Edmonton vs NY Islanders, Game 4 - April 20, 1981

Thursday, November 22, 2007
3:00 PM Vintage Games: Edmonton vs NY Islanders, Game 6 - April 24, 1981
5:00 PM Classic Series: 1993 Canadiens vs Islanders

Friday, November 23, 2007
3:00 AM Vintage Games: Edmonton vs NY Islanders, Game 4 - April 20, 1981

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.

The Captain

What a weekend for the Islanders and captain Billy Guerin. He had no goals for what seemed like forever and now he has scored 4 in the last two games.

Guerin, who followed up his hat trick Thursday against the Capitals then topped himself with Saturday night's winner against the Devils. The power-play goal on (former Islander) Kevin Weekes with 3.7 seconds left in overtime.

First off, the Capitals. I think the only way to sum up that one was fairly ugly. Not bowling shoe-ugly, but certainly not one I am going to transfer to DVD. Of course, I never feel good complaining about a win in any way. Giants football taught me that. Besides, hanging 5 on the Capitals after years of having trouble beating them is nothing to sneeze at either.

The Devils game started scary bad as Zach Parise scored less than a minute into the game. Definitely took the wind out of the place with all of the Fire-fighting professionals in the house. (Does everyone still think about Pierre McGuire ripping the Isles for not drafting Parise back in the day like I do whenever you hear his name?)

After a shaky first, the second line stayed hot vs. New Jersey as Vasicek tied the game after getting to the rebound of a Miro Satan shot at the right of the crease and went around a sprawling Weekes in the second period to bring the score to 1-1.

Two minutes later--the next time the Vasicek line was on the ice--Satan finally netted his first goal of the season at 5:35. Mike Comrie decided to dance and poked one past the Devils goalie to give the Isles a 3-1 lead. It was short-lived.

In OT, the Devils began the extra time with 42 seconds of carry-over power play time and Rick DiPietro had to settle in to get bombarded. Karel Rachunek made like Ronaldinho and rang a shot off the crossbar and then Ricky turned aside a breakaway by Sergei Brylin; setting up Guerin to save the day for the Islanders.

The Isles now have the entire week to rest up until they meet the Hurricanes on Saturday. That's actually good news for Islanders defenseman Bryan Berard suffered a groin injury early in the game Saturday night. Aaron Johnson, who had been skating on the fourth line as a forward, got some time on defense with Andy Sutton and even was rewarded with some time on the PP by the coaching staff. Johnson showed quite a bit of the talent that Ted Nolan had been bragging about while Johnson patiently waited his turn after being a healthy scratch during the first few games of the season.

Isles win; Sim Injured; Meyer on Waivers

How is that online petition coming?

After watching the Islanders' victory over the Sabres last night, one thing becomes very, very clear: this is going to be a team that no one wants to play. Up and down the bench, Ted Nolan's boys have what Peter Laviolette calls "jam". They're as aggressive without the puck as they seem to be with the puck. The up-tempo style is fun as heck to watch.

Mike Comrie potted another two goals and Chris Campoli added another with a laser knuckleball (I know, that doesn't sound right but if you saw it you know what I mean) in the first. DiPietro was solid in the cage and made a couple of his patented long passes out of the zone--one of which was tapped by The Tank to the captain who made another pass to Comrie to set up a tasty backhander past Ryan Miller that broke a 1-1 tie early in the third.

Not all the news last night was great. Jon Sim left the game with a knee injury. Sim, an impressively relentless forechecker, bounced around like a pinball out there last night but ended up missing a check and crashing into the boards. He's to be evaluated today but the FSN crew speculated that Nolan may have to dip into the Soundtigers roster for a replacement player to suit up on Monday afternoon due to the expected swelling around Sim's knee. Jeff Tambellini sort of springs to mind, doesn't he?

Also--and we noticed that he was not announced to the crowd before the game so something had to be up, Freddy Meyer was placed on waivers by GM Garth Snow on waivers for the purpose of assigning him to Bridgeport. According to the FSN crew, Meyer has until noon today (Sunday) to clear waivers and report to The Bridge if he's not claimed by another NHL team looking for defensive depth.

Meyer's assignment/departure will put the Islander roster to one below the 23-man maximum, opening the way for Snow to finally sign free-agent defenseman Bryan Berard, who has actually had to pay his own expenses to practice with the Islanders since training camp ended. It's been a poorly kept secret that Ted Nolan has planned to have Berard QB the power play for the Isles.

Islanders 6 Buffalo 4

I'm writing this post while eating some apple pie that my wife made. As usual, honey, it rocks.

BIG win last night in the opener. Mike Comrie is still playing like a man possessed. The guy took the opportunity to be a front-line center with the Islanders and he feels like he has something to prove. Great signing by Garth.

That whole rebuilt first line is looking great, eh? Comrie had two goals and the winner was simply spectacular. The Tank had a PP goal and two assists and captain Bill Guerin has 3 helpers. As Greg Logan of Newsday put it, it was a "spectacular debut". We really need for Hilary Duff to keep dating Comrie because he's been unbelievable so far in training camp for the team. A telethon or a online petition, whatever. Someone needs to make sure this happens.

Most gratifying to me was that in the third period, the Islanders outshot the Sabres 11-5. Last season it seemed like our boys were holing on tight when entering the last period with a lead. Trent Hunter added his first of the season in the third as well and the Islanders outshot Buffalo 34-26 overall.

The Isles' effort last night has to be mentioned. They were down at many points last night and even when they took the lead late in the first (after Chris Campoli scored on the PP) and the Sabres answered right back, the boys never out their heads down. That, my friends, is what strong leadership will do for a team.

Great article worth noting by the New York Times' Dave Caldwell about Billy Guerin. You can access it here: Guerin

Big ups to Radek Martinek, too. Radek got a new three-year deal yesterday before the season started. We are big Martinek fans over here. He's a lot like Kenny Jonsson in that he does all of the little things that make him such an important player for the team. Things that may go unnoticed at times.

Tonight we see the same Sabres team that raided their Conference Championship banner last night before the Isles hung 6 on them. I can't wait.

Training Camp is open in Moncton!

Were you like me, scouring the stores to see if Hallmark makes a "Training Camp is Open!" card for your friends and family?

Some great news: Eric Cairns has returned to the Islanders. From Chris Botta's Point Blank blog, it seems that Cairns called Garth Snow, said he was retired, and wanted to get involved in the alumni-side of things. In fact, he is in Moncton with the team, ready to do what is needed. Great to have the big guy back. It's great to see how much Mr. Wang and the management team have embraced the alumni. Without them, the fans and the team have no history. Remember how the Gang of Four and Don Maloney wanted the Cup years buried? Embarrassing.

The Islanders also acquired center Ben Walter (the son of Canadiens and Capitals captain Ryan Walter) and a conditional second-round pick in the 2009 draft from the Boston Bruins on Sept. 11 for former first-round selection Petteri Nokelainen.

At first glance, this looks like a steal for the Isles, doesn't it? We're getting a guy with classic NHL pedigree and an ability to put up fine numbers in the AHL (24 goals and 43 points in 73 games for Providence last year) for a guy who has been injured and inactive a lot for the Sound Tigers since he has been drafted in 2004.

This move doesn't mean that the Isles felt "safe" giving up on Nokelainen...it just seems to be part of an overall move league-wide to get the team a little more North American. With Walter, the team knows what they're getting. He's proven himself to be a quality AHL player and now you know he will be given every chance to skate a regular shift for the big club. Getting the chance is all a player can ask for and Ted Nolan proved one thing in his first season with the team: everyone gets an opportunity if they earn it. Look at guys like Richard Park and Mike Dunham last year. They went from attending camp on tryouts to playing key roles for the Islanders' drive to the playoffs.

Speaking of Mike Dunham, Dunnie ended his 10-year playing career this past Monday to become the goaltending coach for the team.

Another solid move for the team. Dunham played well in stretches when the team needed him (at the beginning of the year) and then had difficulty shaking out the rust toward the end after playing caddy for Ricky for so long. Dunham has been around the guys and must have an excellent rapport with DiPietro and Dubie--he was one of the big cheerleaders on the bench for Dubielewicz as he played Cinderella in the last few games to get the Isles to the dance.

Last but not least, be sure to check out Botta's blog for the story on new Islander captain Bill Guerin's visit to the Islanders offices and introduced himself to all of the worker bees in the office. He also ended up arranging lunch for everyone working hard for the team. I've been in office jobs all my life and that little effort means so much when building on a positive foundation. We're not going to miss Ryan Smyth in the least. We've got a solid new captain who wants to lead and wants to be a part f what is happening on Long Island.

Here's the link.

http://nyipointblank.blogspot.com/2007/09/bill-guerin-buys-lunch.html


Also, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that the Isles official site is using the picture of Bryan Berard that was posted and edited here on this blog by my wife. Good job, Honey!

The New Guys

The Islanders had a press conference to introduce the four new guys: Mike Comrie; Ruslan Fedotenko; Jon Sim; and new captain Bill Guerin. All of the pictures can be seen at the team's official website.

The Isles apparently surprised Guerin by naming him captain. Again, I think it is a good move.

The most famous of the rumor sites is reporting that the team is on the verge of a "major" trade. Could this be with Phoenix? No idea. Generally my Spider-Sense lets me know when the Isles are up to something. Nothing so far.

Garth Snow

After losing co-captains Chris Drury (Ranger$) and Daniel Briere (Flyer$) to free agency, the Buffalo Sabres weren't going to let high-scoring Thomas Vanek get away after the Oilers game of dirty pool. Buffalo matched Edmonton's seven-year, $50-million contract offer that they could make to Vanek as a restricted free-agent.

Anyone else like me and appreciating the Islanders' Jedi Council a little more after that kind of news? I mean, we all were incredibly bummed when Ryan Smyth left for Colorado. Rightfully so. And the fact that the team was seemingly inactive in the free agency period afterward while other teams were gobbling up the talent was hard to take. But after the Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie signings, you have to feel good that the Isles didn't jump in and begin overpaying for players who simply aren't worth what they received. It would have been another Yashin nightmare.

I like the Guerin and Comrie signings a lot. The one thing that I always wondered about Mike Comrie was whether or not he had maturity issues because again, for a young guy, he sure has moved around a lot. My guess is that since Ted Nolan has been so good at getting players to work up to their capabilities that we are going to be very impressed with the contributions in this upcoming season from Comrie.

The Guerin signing makes a ton of sense as well. He played well last year and is another locker room leader. Remember--they guy was a big voice for the players during the lockout. He must be one of those players who guys respect if they allowed him (or, most likely) trusted him to be a player voice in the bargaining. The Islanders Jedi Council has a good track record of bringing in the right kind of guys to shore up the leadership core. The pro scouts have done Garth and Mr. Wang proud in the past.

There are two paths teams can take in the pursuit of free agents. The first is to be prepared to pay the right guy for the right reasons. That was obviously what the team wanted to do with Ryan Smyth. The second is do band-aid the team the way the Flyers always have. Doesn't it seem like they always throw money at big-name guys to appease the fans? (Just an observation.) St. Louis tossed $18 million at Paul Kariya and I'm sorry, but Paul Kariya's contributions are not worth $6 million a year. I'm so glad Garth Snow was prudent on that one.

The deal to acquire Ed Jovanoski from Phoenix is intriguing. I mean, I can see not wanting to move right after you built a new house. But let's face it: the Coyotes are going nowhere. From a pure competition standpoint, you would think that he would want to move. But once families get involved--see Michael Nylander and Chris Pronger--everything gets chucked out the window. Still, we'd love to see it happen.