Weight signs 1-year extension with Islanders

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP)—The New York Islanders have signed veteran forward Doug Weight to a one-year contract extension Tuesday.

In his first season with the Islanders, the 39-year-old Weight has recorded nine goals and 26 assists despite missing 29 games because of injury.

The contract runs through the 2009-10 season. Weight originally signed with the Islanders as an unrestricted free agent last July. In 1,180 career games, Weight has 274 goals and 730 assists.

The two-time Olympian is one of four American-born players to have recorded at least 200 goals and 700 assists in their career.

Islanders Team Report--Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

General manager Garth Snow smiled and pointed to the gray hair atop his head.

Even though he has followed through with his plan to rebuild the Islanders nearly from scratch, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a frustrating, and at times, painful process en route to the NHL’s worst record this season entering Wednesday’s visit to Washington.

“We came up with a plan to build through the draft, and we’re sticking to it. This season has been painful, but we think we’ll be better for it,” Snow told the New York Post. “This is an important time for our organization to take the next step, and I take that very seriously.”

Several young players—such as forwards Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey and Frans Nielsen—have shown marked improvement since the beginning of the season. And barring a late surge, the Isles should add to that with one of the top two players in the June entry draft.

Though that may be true if players such as Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey develop like the Isles hope they do, but it also largely depends on what Snow does.

“Whenever (fans) come up to me, whether it’s on the concourse during games or at practice, they say, ‘Stick to the plan,’” Snow said. “The team we have next year will be very similar to the one we have now. I expect a lot of players to develop.”

FLYERS 4, ISLANDERS 3 (SO): Two cities in two nights. Two playoff-bound opponents. Two Islander goalies. And two shutouts? It looked that way for two periods Saturday night as goalie Yann Danis carried a 2-0 shutout into the third one night after Joey MacDonald had blanked the Red Wings Friday in Detroit. But the Flyers scored three goals in barely three minutes early in the final session before earning the extra point in the shootout to win a fight-filled game.

Notes, Quotes

• D Brendan Witt has no goals in 58 appearances this season, but coach Scott Gordon rewarded the rugged defenseman by choosing Witt to be the Islanders’ first shooter in the skills competition in a 4-3 shootout loss Saturday to the Flyers.

“Why not?” Gordon said, when asked why he chose Witt to participate. “The last time we practiced the shootout, our defensemen were pretty successful and I told Witter we would use him.”

• C Doug Weight got into a rare fight Saturday and also earned an instigating minor and a misconduct penalty for scrapping with Darrol Powe in the first period.

“Our team has come a long way the last couple of months and is really coming together,” Weight said. “It’s not like I would do that in a playoff race, but once in a while you have to do that…Our team has been sticking up for each other and really coming together and those things are good to see.”

Quote To Note: “One of the things our team has shown here is that they’re going to stick up for each other. A good sign of that is coming together and supporting themselves in all situations.”—Coach Scott Gordon, after the Isles drew four fighting majors in a 4-3 shootout loss Saturday to Philadelphia.

Islanders Team Report: Yahoo! Sports

Doug Weight had revitalized his career, and with it, his trade value.

But the veteran center—and the Islanders’ second-leading scorer this season—isn’t likely to be moved now at the March 4 trade deadline.

That’s because Weight became the latest Islander to succumb to an unfathomable team-wide injury bug this season. He will miss at least six weeks, and possibly the remainder of the season, after suffering a sprained MCL in his knee Feb. 11 against New Jersey.

“I’m pretty upset about it,” captain and longtime Weight teammate Bill Guerin told reporters Friday. “I feel bad for Dougie. He’s had a really good year for us, and it’s just disappointing for him. I’m disappointed for him. You never want to see guys go down like that. This year has been crazy.”

With an absurd 350 or so man-games lost to injuries this season, is it any surprise the Isles rank in 30th place in the 30-team NHL in points?

“We’ve seen a ton of guys go down with injuries,” Guerin said. “But it’s never a lost season. There are always things you can gain. Some guys can get experience and that’s what we’re doing here.”

Flyers 5, Islanders 1: The Islanders skated stride for stride with the Flyers for about 58 minutes of Saturday’s game at Wachovia Center. Unfortunately for the Isles, they were blown out because of two distinct scoring bursts by the home team at the beginning and near end of the game. The Flyers took a 2-0 lead with goals 44 seconds apart in the opening minutes and then scored three times in 67 seconds midway through the third period—including Simon Gagne’s penalty shot—for their seventh straight home win over the Isles since April 2007.

“There were a couple of swings of momentum, but it was definitely closer than a 5-1 hockey game,” defenseman Chris Campoli said after the Isles fell to 0-4-1 over their last five games entering Monday’s home matinee against Pittsburgh.

Notes, Quotes

• LW Blake Comeau recently has re-established himself as an important component of the Islanders’ rebuilding plan, returning from an AHL banishment to produce on a line with fellow young guns Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey.

“Being sent to Bridgeport put things in perspective,” Comeau, who scored eight goals in 51 games as a rookie last season, told the New York Post. “I really thought I had done what I needed to do to stay up here, so it was hard to start the year down there…It was hard to deal with, and you kind of wonder what’s going to happen to you. I definitely remember it, and I don’t want to go back. I just want to keep pushing forward.”

• LW Jon Sim, a veteran forward who has one year remaining on his contract at $1 million, returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch in the previous seven games, replacing injured center Doug Weight.

“I’ve been ready to play. This is the route we’re going as an organization. I just want get in there,” the 31-year-old Sim said. “The year’s not over. Hopefully I can salvage it.”

Quote To Note: “I just don’t think we were ready to play. We weren’t very sharp at the beginning of the game and it took us a few shifts to get our legs under us. … But one thing our guys haven’t done is lay down and quit.”—Coach Scott Gordon after the Islanders lost their fifth straight game, 5-1 to Philadelphia on Saturday.

Islanders lose C Weight for six weeks with MCL sprain

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK (TICKER) —A bad season for the New York Islanders got worse Thursday as the team announced center Doug Weight will miss six weeks with a sprained MCL in his knee.

The 17-year veteran suffered the injury in a collision with New Jersey’s Brian Gionta during the second period of a 4-2 loss to the Devils on Wednesday.

A native of Detroit, Weight has collected nine goals and 26 assists in 44 games this season with the Islanders, with whom he signed as a free agent on July 2. He ranks second on the team with 35 points.

New York has lost four straight (0-3-1) and sits in last place in the NHL with 38 points (16-32-6).

Selected by the New York Rangers in the second round of the 1990 draft, Weight has amassed 274 tallies and 1,004 points in 1,175 career contests with the Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks and Islanders.

BILL'S TAKE: I am sad to see that Doug is going to miss pretty much the rest of the season. He's played well when he was healthy. This also sort of takes away the Islanders' biggest bargaining chip for the trade deadline. I don't think Brendan Witt, warrior that he is, will be clamored after since he has been only semi-effective this year and he is in his mid-30s.

Devils 4 Islanders 2; Weight out again

Outside of mentioning the staggering amount of man games lost to injury, you can sum up the Islanders 2008-09 season with this one statistic: the Isles are 1-11-2 against the other teams in the Atlantic Division.

The latest loss to a division foe came last night at The Rock as our boys fell to the Devils 4-2. The Isles also lost Doug Weight in the second period he and Brian Gionta ran into each other.

The Islanders' goals came from suddenly on-fire Radek Martinek (his second; to open the scoring in the first) and Kyle Okposo, who got his eleventh on the power-play at 6:15 of the second period. It was another of Kyle's patented "turn and burn"-type goals where he spun past Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador and then turned inside toward the net and scored on his own rebound. Somewhere Steve Thomas is smiling.

Mike Emrick had a point last night: the Isles really are onto something with Okposo. There's proof right there that the rebuilding program is working. We just may have us a budding star in number 21. He shows more to us every game. The guy always plays hard, is not afraid to show that speed burst, and has the confidence to put all sorts of moves out of his bag. You always notice him out there.

Now we just need a couple more like him.

Zach Parise had two goals, including the winner, and added two assists for the Devils. Somewhere Robert Nilsson is shrugging his shoulders and somewhere else Pierre McGuire is shaking his head.

Also on Wednesday, the Islanders issued a public response regarding speculation from the New York Daily News (that we posted here) about a possible move to Queens. Isles spokesman Seth Sylvan said, "We are very flattered with the interest expressed in the Islanders by various Queens elected officials and business leaders, however, our current focus is to work diligently with the Town of Hempstead to obtain approvals for the Lighthouse Project."

Fair enough.

Don't forget that tonight at 7:30 on the NHL Network is the episode of "Voices" featuring Howie Rose. How did we live without the NHL Network, people? Really? How did we do it?

On Saturday the NHLN is replaying all three games of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey beginning at noon. Just an alert to the Guerin and Weight households. And then on the 21st, it's CBC's Hockey Day In Canada from Campbelltown, New Brunswick.

A Hockey Time Out

We've had a bit of a Hockey Time Out over the past week or so. I've not watched anything live since the Gold Medal game of the WJC and the Winter Classic. Part of the cause was the realization that the season is pretty much done for the Islanders and wow, isn't that depressing: being out of the playoff picture by Christmas. The other reason was to give my wife a break. (Thank you! - Mrs. NYIFORLIFE)

I did get to see what may be the only KHL All-Star Game on Universal Sports. Now, I think we all can agree that anything "Jagr" and anything "Yashin" produces stomach acid in all of us but when the two teams are playing on an outdoor rink in Red Square, well, that makes things a bit different. Team Jagr beat Team Yashin 7-6 in a weird game. It was so cold (how cold was it?) that the ice was really choppy and when you're on a bigger ice surface and it's choppy, you have real difficulty skating big wide circles. Seriously, I think I check the walls in my apartment harder when I wake up early in the morning than any of these guys did. Granted, it was an All-Star game but overall, because of the ice, it was not exactly a thing of beauty.

Announced attendance was 3000 hearty souls who braved the weather. Man, it looked cold. Some of the guys took to stuffing towels around their necks to fend off the frostbite.

In Islanders news, Trevor Smith scored his first NHL goal Thursday in Calgary and then got sent back to the Bridge for his effort. Frans Nielsen and Nate Thompson are scheduled to return to the lineup tonight versus the Rangers so somebody had to go. Nielsen missed the last 13 games with multiple leg injuries sustained when Mike Mottau cleaned his clock earlier this season. Thompson was out with a fractured ankle since mid-December.

Doug Weight also apparently felt sorry for all of his injured teammates so now he is on the injured list for the next 2-4 weeks with a lower leg injury. Classy move in Phoenix, by the way, when the Coyotes stopped the game to acknowledge Weight having passed the 1000 career point mark. I was also glad to hear that Doug had about thirty family members in attendance for the game.

Still, the Isles went 0-4 on the West Coast trip. Our boys are now rocking (?) a 12-26-4 record--good (?) for 28 points and thirtieth place in the NHL. But don't look now: Ottawa is next-in-line with 32 points and might I just say that the Ottawa Senators being that bad is just reprehensible. Boo to Craig Hartsburg and boo to Bryan Murray. Boo to owner Eugene Melnyk, too, for jumping around like a four-year-old at the gold medal ceremony of the WJC.

(In the interest of our bilingual readership that supports the Senators, please allow me a second to translate: Boux to Craig Hartsburg and boux to Bryan Murray.)

So, tonight, the Isles are hosting the Rangers. The game is at 7PM and for me, that means I don't get Billy and Howie on the Center Ice package, I get Sam and the turncoat, Joe Micheletti on my regular old cable.

Isles lose in Phoenix; Weight gets 1000; Bailey gets #1

I hope everyone had a safe and fun New Year.

I of course, fell asleep before midnight but made it to after 11PM this year. Something of a personal best. I'm quite proud of it.

I had some help though. The US played Canada in the World Juniors on New Year's Eve and yes, it was a heck of a game. I'm sure you've all read and heard about it on other blogs...or watched it for yourselves. All I can say about the was that the Americans were outclassed by the Canadians; who started out nervous and watched as the Americans posted a very-early three-goal lead. I immediately got the same sinking feeling that I got in that infamous Giants-Niners playoff game where the G-Men went out to this ridiculous 30 point lead and I knew that they had scored too many points too fast.

Once the Canadians calmed down and let the butterflies float away, they came back and reigned all over the US squad. John Tavares had a hat trick and it ended up being a 7-4 final.

The Americans were obviously shocked at that stunner because they bombed out yesterday versus Slovakia and are now out of the medal round of the tournament.

Earlier in the day, the Isles played Florida on the Island. Still great to hear Jiggs McDonald in there subbing for Howie Rose. Trevor Smith made his NHL debut as a call-up and played very well. By that I mean you noticed him out there. He was also named third star of the game by the partial Islanders off-ice officials.

Smith's story is an interesting one: undrafted, he was signed by the Islanders as a free agent out of college. He struggled early last year with the Sound Tigers and admits to having been a bit intimidated by playing professional hockey. He was actually sent back to the ECHL to get his game in shape and once he returned, he went on a tear for Bridgeport and scored like crazy as the Sound Tigers pushed through the regular season.

Before his call-up, Smith had 18 goals and 29 points in 33 AHL games. He has shown a real nose for the net and an ability to push hard toward the goal. With the youth movement in full swing, there is porobably going to be a place for Smith going forward if he keeps playing like this.

Also, let's face it--in the American League there is a ton more time for practice and Jack Capuano has had the luck to be able to teach Scott Gordon's system to the Soung Tigers than Gordon has had with the big club.

The bad news: Smith's spot opened up because Mike Sillinger was placed on the IR with a hip issue. Our best goes out to Mike. We've been a fan of his for a long time.

OK, so on New Year's, Mike Comrie scored 2 goals and had an assist. Are we all wondering if Hilary Duff is in town?

Seriously, Mike's been on a bit of a tear since returning from his own hip injury. He doesn't even look like the same guy who tried gutting out a few games early in the year. This, of course, makes him a more attractive, tradeable asset come March, if he keeps this up. Don't think that Garth Snow isn't thinking of these guys as chess pieces. He has to. With a one-year deal that he signed over the summer, he makes for an intriguing rental possibility.

And, of course, if he stays on the Island, that is fine with us too.

Last night was one for the books. Sure, the Isles lost 5-4 and DiPietro looked garden gate rusty, but classy Doug Weight added two points to get over the hump and now stands at 1001 points in his career. Fitting that both points we assists, eh? The first one came on a pass that bounced at least twice cross-ice and landed on the stick of Richard Park, who knocked it home with 3:06 left in the game to make it 5-3. Park immediately rushed to grab the puck as Weight's teammates congratulated the admired star; who had thirty members of his family at the game.

Bailey beat Phoenix's Mikael Tellqvist on a one-timer from between the hashes earlier in the third period to get the Islanders within two at 4-2. Sean Bergenheim also scored his second in two games for our boys, who have now lost three of four and face the Sharks in San Jose tonight. Gulp.

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.

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.

Islanders Team Report from Yahoo! Sports

Scott Gordon asks the Islanders to forecheck so aggressively during games that he often backs off on his team in practice.

That all changed Friday, when Gordon punished his players with a super-hard skate following numerous breakdowns and lazy plays in a season-worst 9-2 loss Thursday at Pittsburgh.

“You say, ‘I don’t want to kill them in practice and not get it in the game,’” Gordon told Newsday. “Well, now I’m at the point where it doesn’t really matter. This needs to be addressed, and it probably should have been addressed three games ago.”

The losing continued Saturday night in Columbus, the Isles’ sixth straight defeat and their eighth in nine games entering Tuesday’s return home against Washington. The Isles (10-18-2) have given up an NHL-worst 110 goals.

“It’s been an ongoing situation where we have not backchecked with awareness and purpose,” Gordon said. “We have to play with more desperation and more purpose all the time. When you’re not doing that, you become easier to play against. That’s not what we want our team identity to be.”

Blue Jackets 3, Islanders 1: Well, at least it wasn’t 9-2. Since that was the bloated score of the Isles’ previous game Thursday in Pittsburgh, perhaps this represented progress back into respectability. But perhaps not, as the Isles meekly completed an 0-4 road trip and fell to a mind-boggling 2-7-1 in their history against Columbus. Goalie Joey MacDonald and the Isles’ defensive efforts clearly were sharper than they’d been in the Penguins debacle two nights earlier, but their offensive woes continued with just one shorthanded goal on 25 shots against Jackets rookie Steve Mason. During their six-game losing streak, the Isles have scored fewer than three goals five times.

Notes, Quotes

• C Mike Sillinger, at 37 and five NHL games removed from February hip surgery, probably wasn’t the best candidate to survive coach Scott Gordon’s punishing “bag skate” on Friday. And he didn’t. Sillinger strained his groin and sat out Saturday’s game against Columbus.

“I guess it’s a mini-training camp for me, and the tightness with my hips is going to go to other areas,” Sillinger said. “It’s just a minor tweak, but I’ve got to be able to skate. It doesn’t help whenever you have one hip compensating.”

• C Doug Weight has been a rare and surprising bright spot this season, leading the Isles with 27 points and moving within four of reaching 1,000 for his NHL career.

“To play as long as I have and to be successful and to be coming up on that mark, I’m very proud of it and very excited about it,” Weight told Newsday. “It sounds like I’m answering in the politically correct way, but I want to mix it in with some wins. It’s more enjoyable around your team.”

Quote To Note: “It’s tough, but we have got to try to keep it positive and try to do the things that we know that work for us. We can’t be too negative. We have to keep on going. We can’t quit here.”—Winger Sean Bergenheim, after the Isles lost their sixth straight game Saturday, 3-1 at Columbus.

Player Notes:

• G Joey MacDonald returned to goal after getting yanked after one period in a 9-2 loss Thursday in Pittsburgh. MacDonald stopped 32 of 35 shots in a 3-1 loss to Columbus.
• RW Richard Park notched his second shorthanded goal of the season, and the seventh for the Isles, second-most in the NHL.

• LW Jon Sim returned to the lineup, replacing injured C Mike Sillinger, after being a healthy scratch for the first time this season Thursday in Pittsburgh.

Medical Watch:

• G Rick DiPietro, who underwent arthroscopic surgery Oct. 31 on his left knee, has resumed skating in full equipment and hopes to return by late December.

—C Mike Comrie, who underwent offseason surgery on his right hip, has resumed skating but missed his 16th straight game since Nov. 11 with inflammation.

• D Bruno Gervais was placed on injured reserve and missed his ninth straight game with an undisclosed leg injury.

• D Radek Martinek, who’s been limited to 10 appearances this season, went back on the injured list with a shoulder injury suffered Nov. 29. He is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks.

• C Frans Nielsen will miss 8-to-12 weeks after suffering multiple leg injuries, believed to include a high-ankle sprain, Nov. 21 in New Jersey.

• RW Kyle Okposo missed his 12th straight game since suffering a right wrist injury Nov. 17 and is expected to be out until mid-January.

• C Mike Sillinger, who missed the first 24 games due to February hip surgery, lasted five games before exiting the lineup again with a strained groin. He is day-to-day.

End of One: Islanders 2, Penguins 0

Just thought I'd jump in with a quick update.

Isles are up by two on goals from Weight and Hunter. Bailey has 2 assists and almost scored his first professional goal.

Yeah, um, I am betting he will still be around after magic game #9 on Saturday.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

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.

Rangers. The Freaking Rangers.

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.

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 Team Report

Courtesy: Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

Islanders general manager Garth Snow took his time talking to men of various experience levels while searching for Ted Nolan’s replacement as head coach.

He found him in AHL Providence coach Scott Gordon, who was introduced as the Islanders’ head coach on Aug. 13.

Gordon, the AHL’s Coach of the Year, is accustomed to dealing with young players, which will be critical given the Isles’ commitment to a youth movement. Nolan reportedly was not, which led to his dismissal.

“I could tell right away when he walked through my office door that there was chemistry and that we were speaking the same language,” said Snow of Gordon.

While many big-name coaches with NHL experience were discussed before the club decided to give Gordon his first taste of coaching in the NHL, Gordon is optimistic that his experience in the AHL has prepared him to deal with a young, struggling Islanders team.

“It didn’t just take coaching Xs and Os, it took the players buying into the system that we play and being accountable to each other. That’s kind of the last step in my development as a coach in refining the team chemistry part of it—how to get the guys to want to play for each other. I’ve been able to find what works and doesn’t work and been able to do it on a small stage and not have to have the growing pains, hopefully, at the NHL level.”

Of course, hope springs eternal in August.

Notes, Quotes

• The Islanders announced their 2008 preseason schedule, including one home game at Nassau Coliseum, Oct. 1 against New Jersey. With training camp to be held in Moncton, New Brunswick, for the second straight year, the Isles will play host to Boston at Moncton Coliseum on Sept. 23. They also will play Philadelphia in London, Ontario, on Sept. 25 and Florida in Sumerside on Prince Edward Island on Sept. 27. The Isles also play in New Jersey, Boston and Florida in early October.

Quote To Note: “Communication is key, along with the ability to provide structure to the team, to be able to discipline players and to hold players accountable. I’ll look for a coach who has integrity, an inspirational, motivational, knowledgeable coach. Those are the ingredients I feel a great coach has. I look forward to the process of finding our next head coach.”—GM Garth Snow, on the Islanders’ coaching search.

Roster Report

Draft Picks Of Note:

Corey Trivino, 6-1, 170, OPJHL Stouffville, 36th overall: The speedy center scored 69 points in 39 games in the Ontario Provincial junior A league, plus four goals for champion Team Canada at the World under-18 Junior tournament in January.

Aaron Ness, D, 5-9-1/2, 157, Roseau HS (Minn.), 40th overall: The undersized defenseman was Mr. Hockey in Minnesota in 2008, with 72 points from the blue line in 31 games for his high school team. Interestingly, Ness will attend the University of Minnesota and coach Don Lucia, who took issue with the Isles and with Snow for signing 2006 first-round pick Kyle Okposo away from the Golden Gophers in the middle of the college hockey season last winter.

David Toews, 5-10, 175, Shattuck-St. Mary’s HS (Minn.), 64th overall: The younger brother of Chicago rising star Jonathan Toews had 100 points in 51 games (44-56) for Minnesota’s top high school program. The younger Toews is headed to the University of North Dakota.

Kirill Petrov, 6-3, 198, RSL AK Kazan: 73rd overall: The Isles took a chance on Petrov, the No. 2-ranked European skater (behind No. 6 overall selection Nikita Filatov) by NHL Central Scouting. Petrov plummeted in the draft because he is under contract for the next two seasons in Russia. The right wing was named the top forward at under-18 worlds last winter with five goals in six games.

Free Agent Focus: After signing center Doug Weight, power-play quarterback Mark Streit and third-string goalie Yann Danis, the Isles boast 24 one-way contracts for 23 roster spots for 2007-08. When asked by Newsday if that means he’s likely done shopping on the free-agent market, GM Garth Snow replied, “I would say so, but I’ll still poke around and make calls.”

Player Notes:

• C Frans Nielsen, a Denmark product who has appeared in 31 games for the Islanders the past two seasons, received a four-year contract worth $2.1 million.

• D Bruno Gervais became the last returning Islander to land a new contract, signing a three-year deal worth $2.225 million on July 25.

Newsday: We Are Down To Three

Greg Logan has a source that says Garth Snow has narrowed the field down to three candidates to be the new Islanders coach: Bob Hartley; Scott Gordon; and Paul Maurice. This means that Bob Crawford is free to work for the CBC on Hockey Night in Canada and that John Tortorella gets to collect some of that Tampa Bay funny money for another season.

In the New York Post, new Isles center Doug Weight is interviewed in a very small article. He says the right things and generally seems to approve of Garth Snow's snail's pace at getting a coach: "I can see that he knows exactly what he wants, and to be honest with you, that's the most important thing."

And yes, for those who have asked, I did see some of the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics. Those drummers were sick. I also am watching the US soccer games as well. As I type this, our boys are down 1-0 to the heavily-favored Dutch.

Islanders Team Report

Courtesy: Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

Islanders general manager Garth Snow is taking his time and talking to men of various experience levels in searching for Ted Nolan’s replacement as head coach.

Since Nolan was axed on July 14, ostensibly for not being on board with the franchise’s stated youth movement, Snow reportedly has interviewed at least five candidates. Those range from Bob Hartley and John Tortorella, who won Stanley Cup titles with Colorado and Tampa Bay, respectively, to veteran NHL coach Paul Maurice.

Former Bruins coach Mike Sullivan, who was an assistant to Tortorella last season with the Lightning, and AHL Providence coach Scott Gordon also were on Long Island in late July to meet with Snow.

According to Newsday, former St. Louis and Colorado coach Joel Quenneville also declined an invitation by Snow to interview for the vacancy.

Notes, Quotes

• The Islanders announced their 2008 preseason schedule, including one home game at Nassau Coliseum, Oct. 1 against New Jersey. With training camp to be held in Moncton, New Brunswick, for the second straight year, the Isles will play host to Boston at Moncton Coliseum on Sept. 23. They also will play Philadelphia in London, Ontario, on Sept. 25 and Florida in Sumerside on Prince Edward Island on Sept. 27. The Isles also play in New Jersey, Boston and Florida in early October.

Quote To Note: “Communication is key, along with the ability to provide structure to the team, to be able to discipline players and to hold players accountable. I’ll look for a coach who has integrity, an inspirational, motivational, knowledgeable coach. Those are the ingredients I feel a great coach has. I look forward to the process of finding our next head coach.”—GM Garth Snow, on the Islanders’ coaching search.

Roster Report

Draft Picks Of Note:

Corey Trivino, 6-1, 170, OPJHL Stouffville, 36th overall: The speedy center scored 69 points in 39 games in the Ontario Provincial junior A league, plus four goals for champion Team Canada at the World under-18 Junior tournament in January.

Aaron Ness, D, 5-9-1/2, 157, Roseau HS (Minn.), 40th overall: The undersized defenseman was Mr. Hockey in Minnesota in 2008, with 72 points from the blue line in 31 games for his high school team. Interestingly, Ness will attend the University of Minnesota and coach Don Lucia, who took issue with the Isles and with Snow for signing 2006 first-round pick Kyle Okposo away from the Golden Gophers in the middle of the college hockey season last winter.

David Toews, 5-10, 175, Shattuck-St. Mary’s HS (Minn.), 64th overall: The younger brother of Chicago rising star Jonathan Toews had 100 points in 51 games (44-56) for Minnesota’s top high school program. The younger Toews is headed to the University of North Dakota.

Kirill Petrov, 6-3, 198, RSL AK Kazan: 73rd overall: The Isles took a chance on Petrov, the No. 2-ranked European skater (behind No. 6 overall selection Nikita Filatov) by NHL Central Scouting. Petrov plummeted in the draft because he is under contract for the next two seasons in Russia. The right wing was named the top forward at under-18 worlds last winter with five goals in six games.

Free Agent Focus: After signing center Doug Weight, power-play quarterback Mark Streit and third-string goalie Yann Danis, the Isles boast 24 one-way contracts for 23 roster spots for 2007-08. When asked by Newsday if that means he’s likely done shopping on the free-agent market, GM Garth Snow replied, “I would say so, but I’ll still poke around and make calls.”

Player Notes:

• C Frans Nielsen, a Denmark product who has appeared in 31 games for the Islanders the past two seasons, received a four-year contract worth $2.1 million.

• D Bruno Gervais became the last returning Islander to land a new contract, signing a three-year deal worth $2.225 million on July 25.

Weight... Don't Tell Me... Islanders sign veteran Doug Weight to 1-year deal

NEW YORK (AP)—The New York Islanders agreed to terms Wednesday with veteran forward Doug Weight on a one-year deal worth $1.75 million plus incentives.

The 37-year-old center, who had 10 goals and 15 assists in 67 games with the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks last season, is the second major free agent signing by the Islanders since bidding got under way on Tuesday. New York inked defenseman Mark Streit a day earlier to a five-year, $20.5 million deal.

Weight is a four-time All-Star who was a member of the Carolina Hurricanes’ team that captured the Stanley Cup in 2006. He has 265 NHL goals and 969 points in 1,131 career games over 16 seasons.

“Bringing Doug aboard was a priority for us,” Islanders general manager Garth Snow said in a statement. “He not only brings a wealth of NHL games and experience with him, but he’s the type of player we want our younger players to learn from.”

He had three goals and 13 assists in 23 playoff games during the championship run with Carolina, after being acquired by the Hurricanes at the trade deadline, and famously struggled to raise the Cup despite a painful separated injury that knocked him out of the last two games of the finals.

Weight, a native of Warren, Mich., was on the U.S. Olympic team in 1998 and 2002 and was a teammate with current Islanders captain Bill Guerin. He ranks eighth among active NHL players with 704 assists and 12th in points.

He is also fifth in assists among active U.S.-born players and eighth in points.

The Islanders also announced the signing Wednesday of goalie Yann Danis to a one-year, two-way contract. Danis, who starred at Brown University, is 81-67-18 in 176 career AHL games with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.