World Championships on Universal Sports

We promised the programming schedule as soon as we got it, so here it is. All games are on the Universal Sports channel (249 in the Hartford area on Comcast; 'check your local listings' as they say for the channel number in your area.)

You can also watch the games online at universalsports.com.

Sean Bergenheim is out for Finland and the Isles have ruled Frans Nielsen unfit to play from Denmark.


WEDNESDAY, MAY 6
4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S QUARTERFINAL 1 (same day)

6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S QUARTERFINAL 2 (same day)


THURSDAY, MAY 7
4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S QUARTERFINAL 3 (same day)

6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S QUARTERFINAL 4 (same day)


FRIDAY, MAY 8
4 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S SEMI FINAL 1 (same day)

6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S SEMI FINAL 2 (same day)


SUNDAY, MAY 10
11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S BRONZE MEDAL (same day)

2: 30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS – MEN’S GOLD MEDAL (live)

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.

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.

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.

Nielsen agrees to 4-year deal with Islanders

NEW YORK (AP)—Danish center Frans Nielsen agreed to a four-year, $2.1 million contract with the New York Islanders on Saturday.

“We’re excited to have Frans locked up for the next four years,” Islanders general manager Garth Snow said.

Nielsen, the first Danish citizen to play in the NHL during the 2006-07 season, split last season between the Islanders and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League.

In 16 games with the Islanders, he had two goals and one assist. Nielsen was Bridgeport’s fourth leading scorer with 10 goals with 28 assists.

He has three goals and two assists in 31 career NHL games. He was originally drafted by the Islanders in the third round (87th overall) of the 2002 draft.

Bergenheim, Gervais amongst six receiving qualifying offers

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK (TICKER) —Left wing Sean Bergenheim and defenseman Bruno Gervais were among six players who were extended qualifying offers by the New York Islanders on Wednesday.

Also receiving qualifying offers were centers Jeremy Colliton, Ben Walter and Frans Nielsen and left wing Jeff Tambellini. All six players become restricted free agents if not signed by July 1.

Bergenheim appeared in 78 games with the Islanders last season, registering 10 goals and 22 points.

Gervais saw action in 60 games for the Isles last season, collecting 13 assists.

NYIFORLIFE.com REACTION: Bergie and Gervais are obvious favorites of management. Colliton, Nielsen, and Tambellini all should have expanded roles with the team in 2008-09.

Walter is interesting. Clearly, he is a depth guy that will be counted on to carry the flag in Bridgeport, but he proved he is not out of place in the NHL. Since he has been qualified, it means that if the Isles want to send Walter (or any of the others who were qualified) to Bridgeport that they are going to have to leave him exposed to waivers. He could be claimed by anyone in the NHL.

More interesting are the guys who were let go. The Isles let go of three defensemen: Aaron Johnson, Drew Fata and Matthew Spiller. Also allowed to become a free agent was Bridgeport fan favorite Steve Regier.

Islanders recall three from AHL; Sillinger out three weeks with hip injury

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK (TICKER) -- The New York Islanders on Monday recalled left wing Jeff Tambellini, center Frans Nielsen and left wing Kip Brennan.

Tambellini, who leads the AHL in goals with 29, has played in eight games this season with the Islanders but has yet to score. In 56 career games, the 23-year-old has recorded three goals and 10 assists.

Nielsen, 23, will be making his season debut with the team, having played in 15 games with the Islanders last season, tallying a goal and an assist.

Brennan will be seeing his first NHL action since the 2005-06 season with the Anaheim Ducks. He has totaled one goal and an assist in 58 career games.