Gordon to the Olympics and Other Notes

Newsday and Point Blank were amongst the first to report that Islanders coach Scott Gordon has been named an assistant coach for the 2010 USA Olympic hockey team under Toronto's Ron Wilson.

Kyle Okposo--to no one's surprise--has been asked to the US Olympic training camp in Chicago this July. Okposo did very well for the US team in the World Championships after the Islanders season ended.

Here is the entire list of invitees to the American camp:

Goalies: Ryan Miller, Jonathan Quick, Tim Thomas.

Defensemen: Tom Gilbert, Tim Gleason, Ron Hainsey, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, Mike Komisarek, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, Brian Rafalski, Rob Scuderi, Ryan Suter, Whitney Ryan.

Forwards: David Backes, David Booth, Dustin Brown, Dustin Byfuglien, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, Phil Kessel, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Malone, Mike Modano, Kyle Okposo, T.J. Oshie, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny.

Strange to note--as they did on NHL Live--that only 5 of these players have previous Olympic experience: Langenbrunner, Modano, Gomez, Drury, andRafalski.

Also worth mentioning is that while these players have been invited to camp, none are guaranteed to make the team. So a guy like, oh, let's say Rick DiPietro, could still make the team if he comes back and is okay and gets some major wins and playing time under his belt.

Islanders Team Report--Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

All eyes will be on the Islanders at the June 26 entry draft because they control the first overall selection.

But whether they grab center John Tavares or defenseman Victor Hedman as their key building block for the future, coach Scott Gordon knows the key to the future is the health of goaltender Rick DiPietro(notes).

“To me, the most important thing is going to be Ricky,” Gordon told Newsday. “No matter who we draft, it’s going to come down to what we do in net. No matter how good you are, you’re going to break down. You can’t underestimate the value of the guy in net.

“You saw Ricky’s value the previous year when he played so well the first half of the season. When he got hurt, they went from being a playoff contender to struggling. You have to have a guy who is able to run with the ball. No matter who we draft, it gets overshadowed by who’s in net.”

The last-place Islanders lost an NHL-high 582 man-games to injury last season, and none were more significant than DiPietro, who was limited to five appearances because of two surgeries on his left knee.

“It sounds like everything is going well with Ricky,” Gordon said. “I spoke with (Isles trainer) Garrett Timms, and he’s very encouraged. That’s music to my ears.

“We’ll have to see how everything goes through training camp. The first step is to get him healthy and see where he’s at.”

The Islanders will seek an experienced NHL backup via free agency this summer after going through most of last season with unproven Joey MacDonald(notes) and Yann Danis(notes), who are both slated to become unrestricted free agents, between the pipes.

Season Highlight: It’s hard to pinpoint many bright spots from a dead-last campaign. But in a season defined by growing pains for a slew of young players, resurgent veteran Doug Weight(notes) recorded his 1,000th NHL point in January and wound up third on the team in scoring (38 points) despite missing 29 games because of injury. The 38-year-old center also was rewarded with a one-year contract extension in early April.

Turning Point: The first red flag flew atop Nassau Coliseum as soon as goalie Rick DiPietro was unable to play in the season opener. The team’s franchise goalie underwent two surgeries on his left knee and ended up appearing in just five games because of complications, pretty much torpedoing any chance the Isles had of remaining competitive this season.

Notes, Quotes

• Coaching legend Al Arbour’s plaque at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto will not be altered to add the extra game and regular-season win the NHL acknowledged he earned when he came back to coach the Isles for one night in 2007, according to a report in Newsday. Referring to similar comebacks by Scotty Bowman and players Gordie Howe, Mario Lemieux and Guy Lafleur after their inductions, a Hall of Fame spokeswoman said it is policy not to change any existing plaques.

“While we respect the Hockey Hall of Fame’s position regarding its policy on induction statistics, Al Arbour’s 740 wins and 1,500 games coached (both totals with the Islanders) are milestones that will forever be recorded by the New York Islanders and NHL record books,” Islanders president Chris Dey said in a statement.

• John Tonelli, an integral member of the Islanders’ four-time Stanley Cup champions in the 1980s, faced charges of driving while intoxicated in Westchester County, N.Y., after state police say he crashed his car along Interstate 684 and abandoned his Lexus at a highway ramp in Harrison, N.Y. Tonelli, who scored 325 goals with five NHL teams, assisted Bob Nystrom’s game-winning overtime goal in Game 6 of the 1980 Stanley Cup finals against Philadelphia, giving the Islanders their first Stanley Cup title.

Quote To Note: “Hopefully we’ll score more goals. I don’t expect we’ll be a dynamic offensive team, but we’ll be going toward that. Kyle (Okposo) was our leading goal scorer last year (with 18 goals). I’d like to see everybody improve like Kyle did in the second half to the point where there was less thinking and more action. That’s part of the development process. And we did it with a ton of injuries. Now, it’s a question of everybody having better health.”—Isles coach Scott Gordon on the Isles failing to have a 20-goal scorer for the first time in their history last season.

Roster Report

Most Valuable Player: D Mark Streit’s(notes) signing for $20.5 million last summer drew some snickers around the NHL, but the Swiss-born former Canadien proved to be a bargain and far more than the power-play specialist he was branded as in Montreal. Streit led the Isles with more than 25 minutes per game and finished seventh among all NHL defensemen in scoring with 56 points despite missing eight games with injuries.

Most Disappointing Player: LW Jeff Tambellini(notes) wasn’t a disappointment to those who didn’t think he could put up big numbers at the NHL level. But the Islanders have to wonder if it’s ever going to happen at this level for the former first-round pick and AHL scoring whiz after Tambellini had just seven goals and 15 points in 65 games.

Free Agent Focus: GM Garth Snow actually went 2-for-2 with the free agent signings of D Mark Streit and C Doug Weight last summer. And with immediate holes all over, it makes sense that the Isles will look to supplement their young roster again with a few more veteran bargains.

After career minor-leaguers Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis were forced into 49 and 31 appearances, respectively, the Isles also might seek to find a proven NHL backup as insurance in case starter Rick DiPietro continues to be plagued by injuries.

With Weight re-signed to a one-year extension in April, forwards Dean McAmmond(notes), Mike Sillinger(notes) and Andy Hilbert(notes), defenseman Thomas Pock(notes) and the two backup goalies are the only significant regulars slated to be unrestricted free agents.

Player News:

• RW Kyle Okposo(notes) improved his chances of making the 2010 U.S. Olympic team with a strong showing for semifinalist Team USA at the recent World Championships in Switzerland, according to Islanders coach Scott Gordon, who served an assistant to head coach Ron Wilson. “With the exception of a couple of players, I wouldn’t take anybody on (Team USA) over him, and when he gets older, there might not be anybody I’d take over him,” Gordon told Newsday about the 21-year-old Okposo, who scored 18 goals as a rookie last season.

• C Mike Sillinger underwent season-ending hip surgery for the second straight year. Yet, despite appearing in only seven games for the Isles, the 37-year-old center is planning to attempt a comeback next season. It almost certainly will not be with the rebuilding Isles for the unrestricted free agent, who has played for a record 12 NHL teams in a 16-year career.

• LW Jon Sim(notes) didn’t sulk when he was banished to AHL Bridgeport after the trade deadline, posting 13 goals and 23 points in 18 games with the Sound Tigers. With one season remaining on the three-year, $3 million contract he signed with the Isles before the 2007-08 season, the 31-year-old Sim will attend training camp in September barring a trade or a buyout.

Tavares on the cover of THN's Draft Issue

The headline really says it all. I just got the digital edition of The Hockey News' Draft Issue and wouldn't you know, John Tavares is the cover boy. With all of the speculation going around regarding Matt Duchene and Victor Hedman, I am betting the overwhelming majority of fans are still pinning their hopes on the explosive Tavares.

One thing that tends the bug the heck out of me--actually, there are a lot--is when you get a highly-touted and skilled young player who has been on the radar for a while that eventually people and scouts tun on them and start making a big deal about what they CAN'T do versus what the CAN do. So now there are whispers (probably coming out from the Canadian media) regarding Tavares and all of his "shortcomings" of being perhaps one-dimensional while the other guys, Duchene and Hedman are being built up for what the best parts of their own games are.

I call shenanigans--or at least, over-familiarity. Tavares has been talked up since he was a kid who challenged the rules to get himself into juniors as an underager to play with older, more skilled players. We've sort of been tracking the kid for years as the next great Canadian player to come out and now, that familiarity has become breed some discontent. Lots of kids come out of juniors and it takes them time to learn the defensive game. And so what if he isn't a "creator" of offense. Either is Eric Staal and the last time I checked, he was scoring goals and his Hurricanes had the best team in the leage during the regular season on the ropes and down 3-1.
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Not going to get into the Lighthouse crap. I am sick of reading it and I am sick of worrying about it. You know where to go for updates and stuff. I will say that Kate Murray appears to be a leetle bit crooked when the company doing the feasibility studies are delaying their reports AND they also have contributed to her election campaigns in the past. Oh, yeah. And they're from out of county. Again, it doesn't take a truffle pig to smell shenanigans.
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Check out the latest issue of Islanders Illustrated if you can. It's a beautiful Year in Pictures Review and I want to thank Linzi for ordering the magazine for me this past season.

The Isles also are having a contest to fly 8 fans to Montreal for the draft for a meet-and-greet with whomever the Isles pick in the first round. Two winners are being named each week. Seems like a good deal if you win and Montreal is always nice any time of the year.
******

I hope you've had a chance to follow the IIHF World Championships this spring in Switzerland. Kyle Okposo has played pretty well for the US, scoring two goals and he was also named the Player of the Game in a 3-2 loss to Russia after tying the game at 2 in the second period of the semifinal matchup.

The US goes for bronze tomorrow at 10AM Eastern on Universal Sports. They'll be playing Sweden while later in the day, Canada and Russia will face-off in a rematch from last's years final that Russia won. I know I'll be asking my mother to watch the games with me...she'll probably say no, but I will ask!

You can find more pictures of Okposo at the WC on the Islanders Facebook page. That's where this one came from.

Lots of interesting news in Islanders country of late....

Today at 2PM on Universal Sports, Mark Streit and the Swiss team he captains take on Kyle Okposo's Team USA at the World Championships. I won't be seeing the game live due to a prior commitment (okay, "Wolverine") but we'll have a report up here as soon as we get around to it.

The US has already moved on but Switzerland has to win to stay alive in the tournament. For more on the game and the IIHF World Championships, go to http://www.iihf.com

There also seems to be a lot of chatter about Charles Wang telling Newsday "...if I had the chance, I wouldn't do it again" regarding buying the Islanders.

Um, give us a break. The man has lost tons of money trying to keep the team going and has also been spending money trying to revitalize the Coliseum area. Damn right he wouldn't if he knew that it was going to be this tough working with the town of Hempstead. I don't blame him for voicing his frustrations because we as Islanders fans are frustrated too. We were told the rink would get done years and years ago. No one could have predicted this nightmare.

And if Tom Petty said the waiting was the hardest part, then he was 1004% correct.

The only problem with the quote is that it totally undermines the job Garth Snow and Scott Gordon are doing. You don't think players, agents, and other front office types are going to use that against them when Garth and Jankowski are trying to talk to draftees and free agents, do you? Where is the emoticon for 'shaking my head'?

Mr. Wang, this quote also gives ammunition to the people who are fighting the Lighthouse. We understand and totally sympathize with you and your frustration. We get it about the money, too. But still....

And all this comes on the heels that the Islanders are having some real excitement with their season tickets and renewals since they've won the draft lottery.

See, as an Islander fan, you get the good and then you wait for a knee to the balls.

Dammit, this post should have been longer, but I'm pissed off again.

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)

Newsday: Okposo to play for Team USA at the Worlds

Newsday is reporting that Kyle Okposo has indeed been named to the American team for the World Championships that begin on April 25 in Bern, Switzerland. As previously reported, Islanders coach Scott Gordon is an assistant on Team USA as well.

Okposo and Jack Hillen will be playing in at least the first 2 AHL playoff games for the Sound Tigers. It's assumed that after game two, Okposo will report to the American team.

Mark Streit has also decided to play for his native team as they host the tournament. Interestingly, the Worlds are being held in Streit's home town of Bern.

Greg Logan also reports that Sean Bergenheim will be playing for Finland.

Lots of speculation about the health (or lack thereof) of goaltender Rick DiPietro. Seems that DP was seen on crutches leaving the rehabilitation center that injured Islanders frequent.

Not surprisingly, GM Garth Snow had no comment other than to say Ricky was on schedule.

Okposo and Hillen Assigned to Sound Tigers

Okposo and Hillen set to play this weekend as Sound Tigers open Calder Cup Playoffs at Nassau Coliseum

Uniondale, NY – The New York Islanders have announced today that forward Kyle Okposo and defenseman Jack Hillen have been reassigned to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League.

Okposo and Hillen are scheduled to dress for the Sound Tigers this weekend when they open up their East Division semifinal series at the Nassau Coliseum versus the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

Game One is this Friday night, April 17th at 7:30 p.m. with Game Two scheduled for Saturday, April 18th at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are currently on sale for both games at www.soundtigers.com.

Okposo played in 65 games for the Islanders this season and scored 18 goals with 21 assists for 39 points. He led all Islander rookies in points and goals scored while finishing second overall in team scoring. Okposo suited up in 35 games for the Sound Tigers in the 2007-08 season when he made his professional hockey debut and scored nine goals with 19 assists for 28 points. He was drafted in the first round, seventh overall, by the Islanders in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft.

Hillen played in 40 games for the Islanders this season scoring one goal with five assists for six points. He also played in 33 games for the Sound Tigers, scoring three goals and 13 assists for 16 points. Hillen mark of 0.52 points per game led all Sound Tigers defensemen. The Islanders signed him as an undrafted free agent on April 1, 2008.

Streit and Okposo out tonight, Isles Recall Five from Sound Tigers

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK (TICKER) —The New York Islanders added five players Saturday, recalling defenseman Jamie Fraser, left wings Mitch Fritz and Jesse Joensuu, center Mike Iggulden and right wing Joel Rechlicz from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.

Signed as a free agent in December 2006, the 23-year-old Fraser is expected to make his NHL debut Saturday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The 6-1, 200-pound native of Sarnia, Ontario has recorded seven goals and 13 assists in 63 games with Bridgeport this season.

Fritz, 28, got his first taste of the NHL earlier this season, registering 33 penalty minutes in 16 games. The 6-8, 258-pounder from Osoyoos, British Columbia, who was signed as a free agent on July 3, also has notched two assists and 58 penalty minutes in 36 contests with the Sound Tigers.

A second-round pick in 2006, the 21-year-old Joensuu scored one goal in four games with New York this campaign, his first in the league. The 6-4, 207-pound Finn also has amassed 19 tallies, 36 points and a team-leading plus-21 rating in 68 contests with Bridgeport.

Iggulden, 26, collected a goal and four assists in nine games with the Islanders earlier this season after being signed as a free agent on July 3. The 6-3, 215-pound native of St. Catharines, Ontario currently leads the Sound Tigers with 60 points - including 23 goals - in 69 contests.

The 21-year-old Rechlicz has appeared in 12 games with New York this campaign, registering one assist and 44 penalty minutes. Signed as a free agent on May 6, the 6-4, 220-pounder from Brookfield, Wisconsin also has notched 12 penalty minutes in four games with Bridgeport as well as one assist and 110 penalty minutes in 45 contests with Utah of the ECHL.

Quick Links on a Sick Day...

Isles lost to the Canadiens last night 5-1: Newsday

Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit shut down and could be out for the season: Logan

Mrs. NYIFORLIFE.com has a Connecticut Spring Sports Calendar: Linzi

Bridgeport goalie Nathan Lawson named to AHL all-rookie team: CT Post

Newsday rips Murray: Newsday editorial

Sound Tigers late season / playoff coverage from the Connecticut Post: Fornabaio

NBC's 2009 Stanley Cup finals television schedule and analysis: Puck Daddy

Many sources are also reporting that the Isles have secured no worse than the third-overall pick in the Entry Draft with the loss last night to Montreal.

Current Ping Pong Standings:

Isles: 59 points in 77 games.
Colorado: 64 points in 77 games. (Ryan Smyth has been shut down for the balance of the season as well.)
Tampa: 65 points in 77 games.
Atlanta: 72 points in 77 games.
Kings: 73 points in 77 games.

Islanders Team Report from Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

The relatively small amount of fans and media who ardently follow the Islanders might be eyeing the first pick in the June entry draft, but the John Tavares sweepstakes continue to be a taboo topic among the existing players in the locker room.

“We know a lot of people talk about that, but we don’t,” emerging star Kyle Okposo told the New York Post. “Never. We’re trying to win games and play the best we can. That stuff comes with how the results go at end of the year.

“For sure it’s important to us, but you never know how a player’s gonna turn out. I know there’s a lot of good players in this draft, but we’re not thinking about it.”

With the worst record in the NHL through Saturday’s 5-2 loss in Ottawa, the Islanders would pick no worse than second in the draft because teams can’t drop more than one spot via the lottery. An unexpected hot streak earlier this month had threatened to lift them out of the NHL basement, but they have dropped three of four games entering Wednesday’s game against Minnesota.

“I told them earlier that we weren’t going to worry about our record, and that’s still true,” coach Scott Gordon said. “It says a lot about the approach we’ve had. At this time of year, you can have the mindset that, ‘I can’t wait ‘til the season’s over.’ That’s not the case here. It’s almost like our record doesn’t exist.”

Senators 5, Islanders 2: The Islanders netted four second-period goals Friday in Carolina and allowed four in the middle session one night later in Ottawa. Both extremes somehow resulted in the latest two losses for the Isles, who have dropped three of four games overall following a surprising 5-1-1 stretch that briefly threatened to get the NHL’s 30th-ranked team out of the league cellar.

Notes, Quotes

• D Bruno Gervais’ overall play recently has been “leaps and bounds ahead of where he started this year,” according to coach Scott Gordon. Gervais has been playing on the top defensive pairing with All-Star D Mark Streit, and he even has scored two goals in his last 10 games after being held scoreless for 160 appearances since 2006.

“One thing I’ve been noticing is that players are a lot more relaxed now, and I think skill comes out when guys are relaxed,” Gervais told Newsday. “I used to feel every loss was the end of the world…You bring your best effort to the rink, but people around you don’t deserve to pay for your performance. You want to win; you’re intense, but I have a rule. When it turns midnight, it’s a new day.”

• C Doug Weight is skating and trying to make it back to the lineup from a knee injury before the season is over. The veteran pivot and pending unrestricted free agent also has expressed interest in returning next season after the Islanders took a chance on him last summer.

“Let’s put it this way: there’s nothing that’s making me run from Long Island,” Weight said recently. “I love it here and I love this organization and the guys on the team. There’s nothing I’d like more than to get something done for next season.”

Quote To Note: “If you have a good night, it makes it a lot sweeter if it’s a ‘W.’”—Center Josh Bailey, after the first two-goal game of his career was wasted in a 5-2 loss Saturday in Ottawa.

Islanders Team Report from Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

A recent hot streak might make the question moot, but top junior prospect John Tavares has no plans to channel his inner Eric Lindros and force a trade if the Islanders wind up with the No. 1 overall pick in the June entry draft.

“I know they won four Stanley Cups in a row. They had great players there. Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier played there. They’ve got a great history, obviously,” Tavares told Newsday. “They’re looking to get a new arena—I’ve heard that, too.

“I haven’t heard too many bad things about Long Island.”

The Isles remain in 30th place in the 30-team NHL, a scenario in which they would pick no worse than second in the draft this summer. But with a 4-2 win Sunday in Chicago, they improved to 6-2-2 in their last 10 games and moved four points behind 29th-place Tampa Bay entering Monday’s league action.

“Assuming John goes first in the draft, I think he will go where he is chosen,” Tavares’ agent, Pat Brisson, told ESPN. “Let’s say it’s (the Islanders). I know (owner) Charles Wang is trying to get a new building. … Look at Mario (Lemieux) when he went to Pittsburgh. There wasn’t anything there. And it wasn’t too nice when Sidney (Crosby) went there, either. If you start picking where you want to go, you may not make the right decision.

“There are always better franchises, better organizations. But I don’t see John avoiding anywhere. … John respects the process and the league.”

Islanders 4, Blackhawks 2: How’s this for March Madness? Peter Mannino had appeared in just one previous NHL game in his career, allowing three goals in just 13 minutes of mop-up duty earlier this season for a whopping 13.81 goals-against average. But Mannino made the most of his first league start Sunday, making 40 saves as the improving Islanders rebounded from a tight loss one day earlier in Boston. Mannino became the fourth goalie to start a game this season for the Isles, who remain without injured starter Rick DiPietro and backup Joey MacDonald.

“I felt good right away,” said Mannino, who lowered that GAA to 4.11. “Chicago is an unbelievable offensive team. I wanted to get out the nerves as much as possible and stay focused. When you get a lot of shots, it helps, especially if you’re not letting them in right away.”

Notes, Quotes

• D Mark Streit has lived up to, if not exceeded, expectations after signing a five-year, $20.5 million contract with the Islanders last summer. The former Canadiens power-play specialist not only is averaging 25 minutes per game, he became the first Isles defenseman since Vladimir Malakhov in 1993-94 to record a 50-point season with two goals and an assist in a 4-2 win Sunday over Chicago.

Still, Streit (52 points) has a long way to go to catch Denis Potvin’s team record for a defenseman of 13 50-point seasons.

• The season-high three power-play goals scored by the Islanders on Sunday in Chicago—two by Streit and one by C Frans Nielsen—marked the first time they’d netted that many with the man advantage since they also scored three on Feb. 14, 2008 in Toronto.

Quote To Note: “I couldn’t ask for anything better. That’s the dream come true, to get a start in the NHL and to get a win on the first one. … It’s picture perfect.”—G Peter Mannino, who made 40 saves in his first NHL start, a 4-2 win Sunday in Chicago.

Roster Report

Goaltenders: Yann Danis, Peter Mannino
Defensemen: Mark Streit, Brendan Witt, Radek Martinek, Bruno Gervais, Jack Hillen, Thomas Pock
First Line: Jeff Tambellini, Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo
Second Line: Blake Comeau, Josh Bailey, Mike Iggulden
Third Line: Andy Hilbert, Nate Thompson, Tim Jackman
Fourth Line: Richard Park, Dean McAmmond, Joel Rechlicz

Player Notes:

• G Peter Mannino made 40 saves for his first NHL win in his first NHL start in a 4-2 victory Sunday in Chicago.
• LW Blake Comeau had two assists and has 10 points in his last seven appearances.
• RW Kyle Okposo extended his point-scoring streak to six straight games (4-3-7) with assists on each of Mark Streit’s goals.

Medical Watch:

• LW Sean Bergenheim missed his third straight game since suffering a strained groin March 10 in Toronto. He is expected to be out until late March.
• G Rick DiPietro, who appeared in just five games because of multiple injuries, has been shut down for the remainder of the season with swelling in his surgically repaired left knee.
• RW Trent Hunter suffered a fractured left ankle in the first period of Saturday’s game against New Jersey and will miss the remainder of the season.
• G Joey MacDonald remains day-to-day with a knee injury suffered March 10 in Toronto.
• RW Kurtis McLean suffered an undisclosed leg injury March 12 and is out indefinitely.
• D Freddy Meyer remains out indefinitely with a groin strain suffered Jan. 5 in Edmonton.
• C Mike Sillinger underwent season-ending hip surgery for the second consecutive season on Jan. 26.
• D Andy Sutton suffered a broken right foot on a blocked shot Dec. 19 in Minnesota and underwent surgery. He is not expected back until late March.
• C Doug Weight will be out until late March, and possibly for the rest of the season, with a knee injury suffered Feb. 11 vs. New Jersey.

Islanders Team Report: Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

The Islanders weren’t slated to visit Ottawa for another week, but Scott Gordon ensured that a couple of Senators are likely to have next weekend’s game circled on their day-planners.

Unproductive forward Mike Comrie and unhappy defenseman Chris Campoli were dealt to the Sens shortly before the trade deadline. And they clearly were among those being referenced when Gordon was asked in recent days to explain the 30th-place Islanders’ recent 5-1-2 surge before losing Saturday in Boston.

“You know, we had a couple bad apples, too, that we got rid of,” Gordon told Newsday. “As a result of that, the chemistry in the locker room is what you would expect from a team that pulls together. They are pulling for each other, and they’re working with a purpose.”

Isles captain Bill Guerin was the other regular player moved before the deadline for draft picks, but the improved Isles since have threatened to move out of the NHL cellar.

“We’re not an easy two points anymore,” Gordon said. “We were at the beginning of the year, but now our guys are playing at a pace that it really hasn’t mattered who the opposition has been.”

Bruins 2, Islanders 1: Not much separated the teams with the best and worst records in the Eastern Conference on Saturday. A span of 65 seconds, to be exact. East-leading Boston scored twice within barely a minute early in the first period, and that was enough to send the Isles to only their second regulation loss in nine games (5-2-2).

“It probably wasn’t a highlight game for either team,” Isles coach Scott Gordon said. “It was slow-paced, but both teams played hard defensively and didn’t give up a lot. And, obviously, the start of the game hurts.”

Notes, Quotes

• C Richard Park, who suffered broken ribs Feb. 18, missed barely three weeks before returning Saturday in Boston. He originally was expected to be out up to six weeks.

• LW Jon Sim, who has one year at $1 million remaining on his contract, hasn’t sulked since a demotion to AHL Bridgeport, scoring six goals in his first five minor-league appearances, including at least one in each game.

Quote To Note: “To come here and play (Boston), who is one of the best teams in the league, is obviously a good measuring stick.” Coach Scott Gordon, before the Islanders dropped a tight 2-1 decision Saturday in Boston.

Player Notes:

• D Mark Streit, the Islanders’ leading scorer with 49 points, tied his career high with his 13th goal of the season in a 2-1 loss Saturday in Boston.

• RW Kyle Okposo registered an assist to extend his point-scoring streak to five games.

• C Richard Park recorded the other assist in his first appearance since Feb. 18 due to a rib injury.

End of Two, Islanders lead 3-1

Islanders goals scored by Jeff Tambellini, Josh Bailey (#3), and Kyle Okposo.

I don't want to use the 'O' word, but the system is really working well these last few games. The kids come up from Bridgeport where they've been doing it all year and no one misses a beat. Tambellini's been heading to the net which is just incredibly nice to see.

With Hunter out for the year, Kurtis MacLean was called up from the Bridge.

Billy Guerin has three points so far today for the Penguins.

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.

Islanders Beat Thrashers 5-4

In the nine games previous to the All-Star break, the Islanders scored just 17 goals.

In the first period last night, the Islanders scored four.

Let me say that again: four goals. One period. Four.

Then they had to hold on at the end to beat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-4.

Good news, though: the mighty Thrash had beaten our boys three times in a row and even with that win, the Islanders are still "leading" the Entry Draft ping pong ball derby.

The veteran-to-young guys hand-off is in full bloom and last night, at least, the kids looked like they belonged. We had to wait for Drastic Measures, I suppose, but seeing Scott Gordon go with lines of Comrie-Weight-Guerin and Comeau-Bailey-Okposo was kind of exciting. It was like a showcase for all six guys: here's what we have for you to scout and here's what we have coming up.

The third period was pretty interesting as the Thrashers made it a game.

Mrs. NYIFORLIFE reports that the Thrashers' announce team of Daren Elliot and JP (What? No soccer?) Dellacamera were claiming that the Islanders were rattled (they were) and that they were ripe for the picking (kinda) but our boys hung on after Danis let in three third-period goals (Bogosian; Peverley, and Reasoner) before Kyle Okposo broke up the party at 12:39 with his second goal of the game. New linemates Josh Bailey and Blake Comeau had the assists.

Of course, Ilya Kovalchuk scored in the last minute to make it interesting, but the Isles were able to escape the last 58 seconds and leave Atlanta with two points.

Interesting first period, though. We all know that a 2-0 lead is the scariest lead to have in hockey, but 4-0 with these Islanders is kind of scary too. Foreboding, even. When you score too much too fast and the other guy has plenty of time to get back in it, you have to be careful to keep your foot on the accelerator.

The Isles have had this maddening great period / crappy period thing going on all season. You get four in the first (Hunter :55; Okposo 7:29, Jackman 10:25, and Weight at 13:17) and then nothing happens in the second. Then the third starts and you're holding on for dear life.

It's just been a strange, strange season.

Capitals 2 Islanders 1 -- OT

Well, the good news is that the Isles got a point against the Capitals. Ovechkin had 2 goals and Kyle Okposo scored on the power play for the Isles.

WHAT I LIKED: Okposo. You see today that he's just scored his sixth goal and that doesn't sound great or anything but over the year, Kyle has seriously improved. He's made the proverbial leaps and bounds. He's aggressive and always going to the net. He's confident on the puck and we also get to see that burst of speed that we all had heard about. He clearly missed playing the point on the power play with Doug Weight but he is making pretty good decisions with the puck on his stick from the point. There are hiccups as he learns but overall, seeing the improvement since he's returned from injury bodes well for the future of the team.

Nate Thompson and Tim Jackman: these two guys know how to play within themselves; Billy Jaffe talked about it during today's game. They keep everything simple, play to their strengths, and give the team good energy from the fourth line.

Yann Danis: he made some excellent stops today and really reigned in those rebounds. Probably played his strongest game as an Islander.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: the cheap slashing call on Brendan Witt in overtime. It was totally ticky-tack and a hard call to make in overtime. It really shouldn't have been called. And yes, with Witt off the ice, that allowed Ovechkin a lot more room without 32 riding him all over the ice.

The Isles are back to entertain the Ducks on Wednesday and then they're off until the following Thursday in Atlanta.

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.

Richard Park plays every shift like his pants are on fire

And that's why we like him so much.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rangers 4; Islanders 2

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

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

(Sound of Bill scratching his head.)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday Night: Panthers 2 Islanders Zee-ro

There are two universal truths in hockey....

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

Two. Two universal truths.

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

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

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

What I liked:

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

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

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

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

What I didn't like:

The power play. Lack of chances.

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

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

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

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

Goodbye, August!

August is simply the worst month to be a hockey fan.

In June you have the finals (whether you have a horse in the race or not) and the entry draft.

In July you have free agency and the yearly shenanigans of some new crazy ownership group trying to make a splash.

Then, in August, you get nothing. It's quiet. Sure, this year we had the Mats Sundin saga (seriously, Mats. Get off the pot) and the continued misadventures of the Tampa Bay Lightning (good luck with Meszaros over Boyle) and whatever is played on the NHL Network.

But mostly, you get nothing. It's like we've all been banished to watching clip after clip from the upcoming Best of Hillbilly Jim and Uncle Elmer DVD. I don't know about you, but I can't takes no more!

So here we are. Mark Parrish is still a free agent and even though Chris Botta thinks it would be a mistake to bring him back, I am still holding out hope. Sure, he only scores goals in bunches but last time I checked, you win hockey games by scoring goals. Would Parrish be taking time away from the young guys coach Scott Gordon is trying to develop? Maybe...but it wouldn't be much. I still think you can add Parrish and maybe one of the remaining free agent defensemen out there with some experience like a Bret Hedican or even Marek Malik. As the Isles have proven over the last couple of seasons, you really can't enough defensemen.

No truth to the rumor that our armed forces are now treating prisoners to DVD's of Hillbilly Jim and Uncle Elmer as torture, either. Not that it wouldn't work; we just can't confirm it.

For those who asked me about the hockey cards, I have actually bought six more packs since last report and no Islanders. Not even the guys who aren't on the team anymore. I did pick up the Kyle Okposo rookie from a popular auction site that we won't name but as of this writing, said Okposo has not arrived at it's new home.

Special thanks to those who wrote in wondering where I was over the past few weeks. Well, I was around but I just wasn't moved to write anything because, as we said, nothing was happening. I've tried watching Islanders Illustrated but I'm not exactly the biggest fan of watching TV on the computer so that has been hard. Overall, a decent show though. Slight thumbs up because of my TV-on-the-computer bias.

Also, to everyone who wrote to me about the Comcast travails, I feel your pain. Shocking how much people like to vent about cable companies. And yes, I know Cablevision blows too, even though I don't get their (ahem) service.

Long story short--for those who wanted to know about resolution--is that we got everything squared away....sort of. Chalk it up to a huge nightmare. Also, a warning to anyone who is a Comcast customer that wants to order WWE 24/7--Comcast still does not offer the full programming slate that the WWE makes available. They've not showed any NWA TBS shows in August and did not show either the Stampede episode from 1986 a lot of people are talking about or the Terry Funk Film Session that I desperately wanted to see in July.

September is Ric Flair month. I hope to hell that everything is offered as it is supposed to be...but I am not holding my breath. Suffice to say, Comcast still sucks.

And yes, if I flip on the channel and the full programming as listed on the WWE website (and other carriers' websites) then I will post the good news here. Don't hold your breath.

Heading into Free Agency

So, here we are on June 25, just a few days before the doors open for the free agency season.

We have a very popular coach serving out the final year of his contract. So right there, any player who thinks that he will sign with the Islanders to play for Ted Nolan has to wonder what the heck is going to happen to Nolan after this season.

Well, the truth is that Nolan might not last the season on the Island. You heard it here first.

They are so going with the kids and there is some question as to whether or not Nolan is the kind of coach who can nurture young players and help them mature. He has been reluctant to play guys like Jeff Tambellini who light up the AHL and yet has trouble in the NHL. Lots of people think that he has been asked to play a different game in the NHL vs. the one he has had success with in the AHL. The question becomes is Tambellini just one of those guys who is too good for the AHL and not quite good enough for the National League or has the coach not put him in a position to succeed at the NHL level. With Blake Comeau and Kyle Okposo, he put them in situations that fit their skills so you wonder if it is the player or the coach? This season, we are so going to find out.

The scary thing is that should Ted Nolan be fired, who the heck would be the next coach? The organization is not only bereft of playing prospects but also bereft of coaching prospects. That is not a knock on Bridgeport coach Jack Capuano either. I'm guessing that after one year of coaching in the American League that Capuano would admit that he needs more seasoning.

So right now, the year after the Islanders signed The Leftover Line, the team is in a worse position to sign free agents than in any time over the past six or eight years. No agent worth his 5% is going to suggest to his player that he sign with the Islanders because the situation does not look stable.

Doesn't all of this just make you feel great?

NYIFORLIFE.com chat with Sound Tigers' beat writer Mike Fornabaio

Michael Fornabaio has been with the Connecticut Post since 1997 and has covered the Sound Tigers for their entire seven-year existence. We recently had a chance to ask Mike a few questions about the Sound Tigers, the Islanders prospects, and what a beat writer's daily ritual is like.

We here at nyiforlife.com want to thank Mike for taking some time to help us out. At the end of this post will be some links to Mike's work at the Connecticut Post.
--Bill


NYIFORLIFE.com--I think some people must think that covering a pro team is mostly watching games and writing about what happened. Can you give us an idea of what your average day is like covering a Sound Tigers home game?

Mike Fornabaio--Well, I watch the game for two and a half hours, and the other five and a half, I spend on the blog.

No, home games, it kind of depends. If I need to get something, or if something's likely to be going down, I'll make a point to be at the morning skate, 10 a.m. If not, or if I've arrived home from Hershey at 4 a.m., I might not. Then home, usually, and if there's something then to be written up, maybe get it done then, or maybe a little later. Call a few people to (I hope) make sure the world isn't ending behind my back.

Either way, off to the barn to be there two, two-and-a-half hours before the puck drops. Checking in with lots of people -- front office, hockey ops, maybe the other team there if they haven't skated in the morning, the broadcasters, other writers. Just see what's what, maybe chase some whispers. Get set up, check around the Internet for important news and/or for blog-ticker stuff. And if I have to send an early something, send it. And then get down to it: Barring something crazy going on, I want to be in place by the start of warmup, to count heads, to get lineups, to make sure Dennis Bonvie and Chris Thompson don't start jabbing at each other. That's about 40 minutes before the puck drops.

So, yeah, then there's a game. Then there's a 10-minute cooling-off period. Then we go and talk about it for 10-30 minutes, depending on time constraints. For a 7 p.m. start, given no overtime (and given our new, thankfully later deadlines), I'll probably have around 45 minutes to decipher my notes and churn out a game story. Then it'll take me 10 minutes to try to get it to the office before I cave in and e-mail it (The phone lines are quirky at AHY.) Then get down to the postmortem for the blog, which became the norm very quickly two years ago. I've tried to cut back on the endless posts -- I was spending half my life deconstructing three-on-three rushes there for a while -- but still, depending on what else is going on in the world, that can take a while.

Update the stat files I keep, and I'm usually home by about 11:45, or if it's late in the season and we're waiting on scores, 12:30.

NYIFORLIFE.com--Lots of Islanders fans wonder where all the goals went when Jeff Tambellini played for the Isles versus when he played in the American League. What do you think Jeff needs to do to make himself successful at the NHL level?

Mike Fornabaio--Every time Nigel Dawes had a couple of visible shifts for the Rangers recently, I'd think back to early in the year, when he couldn't crack the lineup and was putting up sick numbers in Hartford. I joked to someone in January that the Islanders and Rangers should be done with it and trade Dawes for Tambellini, so maybe they'd both get a shot.

Like for Dawes, I wonder if it's just a matter of time for Tambellini. He came back down in December and was doing all the work-the-boards, go-to-the-net things they wanted him to do, and it paid off here. I haven't seen enough of the Islanders' games to get a great read on what changes up there, but he has too much going for him to think the right fit won't happen eventually.

NYIFORLIFE.com--Jack Capuano. Your impressions on the job he did this past season. I'm thinking it is tough not knowing who will be on your team with all of the injuries and callups this past year.

Mike Fornabaio--Well, his primary job is development, and the Islanders appear to be happy about that. It seems as if the guys who go up fit in pretty well. He's quick to credit assistants Pat Bingham and Bernie Cassell for their work, too. As far as wins and losses, given the inexperience on the blue line, and given the lack of scoring at times from guys not named Tambellini, and given the carousel of call-ups down the stretch, they did all right.

And of course most importantly, the whole staff is great with the media.

NYIFORLIFE.com--Who aside from Okposo and Comeau do you think is ready to compete for a NHL job from the Sound Tigers?

Mike Fornabaio--Depends on what kind of jobs are open. There are some in the organization who would be thrilled to go with a very young lineup. There are others who shudder at the thought. But probably everyone who went up this year could at least compete for a job, given the right role. It seems to be universally felt that Dustin Kohn and Trevor Smith, if they continue to develop the way they have, will inject themselves into that conversation by the end of next season.

Thanks again, Mike. We appreciate it.

Mike's Soundin' Off Blog is great for all of your AHL and Sound Tigers news.
Mike's Archives at the Connecticut Post.

Okposo goes 1 and 1 as the Islanders stop six-game skid

Well, now the hype machine can stop and get a fresh for a little bit. Islanders top prospect Kyle Okposo scored his first NHL goal last night as the Isles beat the Devils in Newark, 3-1.

The Islanders riddle has been difficult for the Devils this year. The win puts the Isles' record at 6-1 on the season. The Devils are in a dead-even tie with the Penguins for second in the Eastern Conference; one point behind the leaders, Montreal. If the Devils even split the season series with the Isles, you'd think that they'd be running away with the Eastern Conference crown.

The Isles were paced by Wade Dubielewicz, who made 34 saves, to raise his record to 3-0 against New Jersey. Dubielewicz made many acrobatic stops in the final period when his net was under siege.

The Islanders goals were scored by Blake Comeau (who has certainly seen his stock rise this season with the team), Okposo, and Trent Hunter, who added a late empty-netter to seal the game.

Clearly, the story of the game was Okposo. At a time when the team and it's fans could use some good news, Okposo has been a bright spot in his first two NHL games. He hasn't looked out of place, has cycled well, and has received praise from his coaches and teammates. He doesn't seem afraid to use his body to improve his positioning and always is ready to head to the net. These are all great attributes in a young player.

50% Off Tickets for Kyle Okposo's NHL Debut

Special offer from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers: Get 50% off your tickets for tomorrow's game by mentioning Bridgeport Sound Tigers at the box office.

Kyle Okposo to make NHL Debut on Tuesday

Islanders top prospect Kyle Okposo will join the team for practice at Iceworks on Monday and is expected to make his NHL debut during the game on Tuesday at the Coliseum against Toronto.

Kyle Okposo's Bridgeport Sound Tigers 2007-08 Individual Statistics
GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	PP	SH	S	S%
29	8	16	24	3	10	3	0	66	0.121

Tambellini Recalled; Okposo Debuts; Isles win the Shootout

Well, I think some good news is coming from The Bridge...while we are getting a distress signal from the Islander blueline.

Tonight in Ottawa, Jeff Tambellini will join the team due to injuries to Miro Satan. Bad news on the defensive front. Brendan Witt will miss the game tonight with a sprained ankle suffered in Calgary. Luckily the Isles have some NHL-caliber players riding the pine on the blueline (I am thinking of Berard, Bergeron, and Meyer--all of whom spent time in and out of the lineup) so that our boys will have enough bodies going forward (no pun) so that the experience will be there in front of All-Star Rick DiPietro. Of course, none of those guys I mentioned is Brendan Witt so we hope he is a quick healer.

And by the way, it bears mentioning that this ankle must be a heap of trouble because Brendan Witt is a freaking warrior out there. I think that term gets overused a lot these days--especially with our men and women at 'real' war--but that is the only way you can properly characterize the kind of player that Brendan Witt is for the Islanders. How many times have we seen him block a shot or take a hit and think the guy is not even going to get up, let alone stay in the game? He's like John Wayne and Stone Cold rolled into one dude.

There's a very important MRI coming up for Brendan Witt and the Islanders. Let's hope that a sprain ends up being just a sprain.

Kyle Okposo is off and running. Last night in his home debut, Okposo had a goal and two assists in the Sound Tigers' 4-2 win over Springfield at the Arena at Harbor Yard. 5 points in two games. The Sound Tigers lost his debut game in Bingo on Friday but Kyle had two assists.

In his first game, Okposo was playing with AHL All-Star Jeff Tambellini. Tonight, as we said, Jeff meets the team in Ottawa.

Tambellini is scoring at a freakish pace in the American League. The guy has well over 4o points in like 34 games. The time is now for Jeff Tambellini. It's obvious that the AHL is not the league for him because he is too good. Tambellini has to prove to the coaching staff that he belongs with the Islanders and playing in the National Hockey League.

With all young players, it's tempting to want to throw them into the mix and see what you get. You also have to wonder about the other times he's had a chance to prove himself if whether or not he is just not getting a chance or if Tambellini is not taking advantage of his opportunities. Is it that the coaches aren't giving him a fair shake or is he doing something--or, more importantly, NOT doing something that he needs to do to succeed and get a regular shift for the team. With Miro out and the team still not lighting up the scoreboard, Tambellini has to seize this chance to make an impression. The Islanders still need a spark. He delivers that spark in the AHL all the time. Now he needs to decide to do it in the NHL.

Alexander The Great; Isles in Calgary tonight

By 7:00 this morning, three people had asked me if I heard about the Ovechkin contract. Everyone of them also asked me if he was worth it.

Let's see: 13 years and $124 million. That's kind of money is hard to wrap your head around. That is a shade higher than $9.5 million bucks a year.

We know that Sidney Crosby signed with the Penguins at the boutique price of $8.7 million a year just so his contract would be the same as his sweater number. I don't think anyone would argue that Crosby is a better player than Ovechkin is either. In fact, I guess if you're looking at it, Ovie would come in third behind Sidney and Vincent Lecavalier as far as who the best player in the NHL is right now. Of course, further examination of the toys each man is playing with makes the Lecavalier ranking perhaps a bit high because when he looks on his wing, he sees guys like Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis. When Ovechkin looks on his wing, what does he see? Nothing like Lecavalier has, for sure. Also, when Crosby looks over and sees a guy like Colby Armstrong, he shrugs and knows that he also gets to play with Evgeni Malkin. Ovechkin simply does not have that luxury. I guess that makes him #2.

Ovechkin is probably the most marketable Russian player since Sergei Federov--and he is leaps and bounds more comfortable under the bright lights than Federov ever seemed to be. Ovechkin is a kid who freaking loves the game and his enthusiasm for playing reminds me of Brett Favre's. He's a likeable kid with sick skill and that is what the Capitals are banking on--he'll be as great as he is for thirteen more seasons--at least.

Ted Leonsis was quoted in every report saying that he is a gambler. Well, for an organization like the Washington Capitals, this is a gamble that you need to take to build credibility and relevance for your club. The $9.5 million a year is a huge chunk of change, don't get me wrong, and I wonder about the Caps' abilities to surround him with players to help Ovie succeed, but I make this deal too if I have to. If Ovechkin had been traded, the Caps cease to be even a pretender to anything in the NHL for years to come. And if he had been allowed to make it to the end of the year without a contract and had been a restricted free agent, don't you think that 28 or 29 teams are calling him ASAP to talk contract? Hell, I might have called him to see if he'd play for the Islanders!

But see, this isn't the same thing as it was when Leonsis paid Jaromir Jagr all that money. Well, in a way it is--the Caps needed credibility and Jagr needed money--but paying Jagr a lot of money to play disinterested, unmotivated hockey was a big mistake. Jagr does not--and never did have--the intangible "it" that Ovechkin does. Jagr is by all accounts a sullen, less gregarious person who prefers the corner of the room than the spotlight. Think about it--when he was with the Penguins, Mario was the big star. Ron Francis was a big star who probably ran the room simply by just being Ron Francis. That left Jagr off to the side away from the glare--and he was strikingly successful because he didn't have the pressure that Mario Lemieux ever had.

Alexander Ovechkin is 22 years old. Sign him to a six-year deal and he could leave you as a free agent at 28 and in his prime. This is why DiPietro and Mike Richards and Ovie are getting these real long deals. Now, the Caps have locked up Ovechkin until he is 34 and in the home stretch of his career. There's no risk of him going anywhere so you can sell him as the face of the franchise for years to come. He is the cornerstone--just like Rick DiPietro is for the Islanders and Mike Richards is for those freaking goony Flyers.

In other stuff, have you heard about this Okposo kid? He's in Bridgeport right now and the media is all over him as if he was vacationing in Mexico with a marginally talented reality show hairdo. I normally check in on the 'Tigers at connpost.com and today there are a few articles about Kyle Okposo and his professional debut tonight in Binghamton, NY. Lucky for him, too: the Soundtigers are having one of those wonderful three-games-in-three-days AHL stretches. I would guess that he is not going to play in that last one because conditioning is going to be an issue and the guy just got back from the WJC in the Czech Republic.

The family is kicking around whether or not to make the drive to the Bridge Saturday night to see his home debut. If we do make it, expect some live stuff in this space from the game. If not, we'll monitor the Sound Tigers and we'll have some impressions of his game on Monday morning.

And tonight, if there isn't enough going on, the Islanders are wrapping up the western swing with a game against the Flames in Calgary. Calgary has been playing really well of late, 6-2-2 in their last ten. Jarome Iginla is just plain sick, rocking with 60 points at the half-way point. Old hand Adrian Aucoin is back to form, projected for a 40 point season as a plus-player after escaping the negativity and injury bugaboo of Chicago. Aucoin is listed day-to-day (aren't we all?) so I'm not 100% sure he will be playing against the team he made his soup with in the early part of the decade.

The Isles stop over in Ottawa Sunday night to play the Senators before heading home to face Montreal Tuesday night at the Coliseum.

WJC: End of first period, Tied at 0

Line of the day, from Gord Miller: "We'd like to wish a speedy recovery to the thousands of Canadians who called in sick to work today"...the pace of the first period has been hectic and crazy. These kids are really, really busting it right now...too many scoring chances to count and both goalies have been outstanding...Steve Mason for Canada weathered a quick start by the US with both Kyle Okposo and Rhett Rakshani making quite an impression...my four year old niece is actually watching and she never sits still for anything!

More to come if I can. Great game so far.

Canada-USA Tomorrow on the NHL Network!

Americans low-key ahead of semifinal
The Canadian Press
1/3/2008 2:40:20 PM

PARDUBICE, Czech Republic - The U.S. junior hockey team toed the company line Thursday.

Friday's semifinal against Canada at the world junior hockey championship was just another opponent, another step in oft-uttered word "process" and no, the Americans weren't thinking of last year's semifinal loss to the Canadians in a shootout in this tournament.

"It's Canada, yeah, and its obviously a big rivalry for us, but we're not looking at it that way," said forward Blake Geoffrion. "It's another team, another opponent that we've got to beat."

The Americans were not about to make inflammatory statements in public and just to make sure, captain Brian Strait and his assistants were the only players made available after Thursday's practice to give neutral answers to the media.

"As a team, we've decided our leadership corps, our captains, will be the ones that address the media," head coach John Hynes said.

But the verbal sparring for Friday's game (TSN, 1:30 p.m. ET) apparently began weeks ago in the University of Wisconsin's dressing room between Canada's Kyle Turris and Geoffrion and U.S. defenceman Jamie McBain.

"The two guys on my team have been saying they're going to take us this year and kill us," Turris said. "There was a bit more arrogance to it. They're going to be in for a war because we're not going to give up."

Turris says Geoffrion, who is the grandson of Hockey Hall of Famer Boom-Boom Geoffrion, has been sending him taunting e-mails during the tournament.

"There was a lot of trash-talking and it's still going on," Turris said. "I'm sure we'll still be friends, but tomorrow, I'm not a big fan of those guys."

When asked about Turris earlier, Geoffrion just said: "Good guy, good player."

Sweden and Russia meet in Friday's earlier semifinal (TSN, 10 a.m. ET).

The semifinal winners advance to Saturday's championship game (TSN, 2 p.m. ET), while the losers play for bronze (TSN, 10 a.m. ET).

The U.S. has a good thing going at 4-0 and they want to protect it, so it's not surprising they've closed ranks.

They had a day off to rest Wednesday because they earned the bye to the semifinal, while the 4-1 Canadians needed to beat Finland 4-2 in a quarter-final.

Canadian head coach Craig Hartsburg made the controversial decision to stay with Steve Mason as his starting goaltender instead of activating Jonathan Bernier, despite Mason's nervous performance in the quarter-final.

"At this point of the tournament, we don't think it's time to be flip-flopping back and forth," Hartsburg said. "We feel Steve will get the job done for us. We trust him. He knows he didn't play his best game last night and he won."

The U.S. has six returning players from the team that lost in that semifinal shootout and settled for the bronze medal a year ago.

The Americans have 20 NHL draft picks in their lineup and six of them are first-rounders, compared to Canada which has 17 and seven respectively.

The U.S. boasts the top-scoring line of the tournament that includes twin towers James vanRiemsdyk and Colin Wilson, plus speedster Jordan Schroeder.

VanRiemsdyk, the No. 2 pick in the NHL draft this year by the Philadelphia Flyers, leads the tournament with four goals and six assists.

So Canada's checking line centred by Brandon Sutter, with Colton Gillies and Stefan Legein on the wings, will have its hands full.

"Ten points in four games is pretty impressive, so we're going to have to try and shut him down," Legein said. "He's a good player, but we're good at what we do too, so it should be a good matchup."

Stutter and company will join forces with the defensive pairing of Karl Alzner and Drew Doughty, or Thomas Hickey and Luke Schenn, to try and shut the Americans' top trio down.

"We don't want to lose to these guys so we're going to be on a mission," said captain Alzner.

Canada needs Turris and linemates Brad Marchand and Claude Giroux to bury some chances to keep the Americans' attention away from 17-year-olds John Tavares and Steve Stamkos, whose contributions have been key.

Geographic proximity, the fact that a few from both sides play in the same leagues and the similar playing styles of the North American countries will produce enough familiarity to breed contempt Friday.

"Tomorrow is a game where, it's kind of like looking in the mirror," Hartsburg said. "It's a team that plays the same systems we play.

"Some of the European teams catch you by surprise with the stretching and the motion. This is a game we should be very familiar with."

Canada's shootout win over the U.S. in the 2007 semifinal was a game for the ages as the Americans led 1-0 until the final 10 minutes of the game, outshot and outplayed the Canadians, yet lost in a seven-round shootout.

Alzner and Marchand, Canada's lone returning players remember it vividly, but it's not so clear for Geoffrion, who was on the U.S. bench.

"I couldn't take it. I put my head down," Geoffrion said. "If we scored I knew, because of the cheers. If we didn't score, you could tell by the emotion on the bench. I watched the highlights afterwards."

Notes: The referees assigned to Friday's game are Jyri Ronn (Finland) and Christer Larking (Sweden) . . . Canadian Hockey League players on the U.S. roster are goaltender Jeremy Smith (Plymouth) and defencemen Jonathon Blum (Vancouver), Bobby Sanguinetti (Brampton) and Kevin Montgomery (London) . . . The U.S. won its lone world junior title in 2004 with a come-from-behind win over Canada in the final . . . Canada has not lost a semifinal game at the world junior championship since 2001 in Moscow.

DiPietro & Martinek Updates; Okposo signed!

Greg Logan is reporting that the results of Rick's MRI showed that there was "no significant structural damage" to his left knee. We'll see if he plays tomorrow night vs. the Devils.

Also, Shawn Bates' season is over after two games. Bates had hip surgery before Christmas and is out for the year. First I had heard of the surgery, too. The Isles take the line Bill Belichick does with the Pats and don't offer much regarding injuries.

Radek Martinek is also listed as day-to-day (but aren't we all) and is rocking a walking cast on his right leg. I guess this means more lessons from Professor Witt for young master Bruno Gervais.

The big news today is that Kyle Okposo signed his entry-level contract and will be with the Isles at the end of the World Junior Championships. Okposo has, from all accounts, been playing well for the US team, with a goal and two assists. American teammate (and Islander prospect) Rhett Rakshani scored in the US opener and is playing on a line with Okposo.

Robin Figren of Sweden has 3 goals and an assist for four points. Sweden faces tournament overlord Canada tomorrow at 1:30 eastern time. Check out his freakish goal below.

US, Canada open World Junior Hockey Championships with wins

December 26, 2007

LIBEREC, Czech Republic (AP) -- Kyle Okposo, the former Minnesota player set to sign with the New York Islanders, had a goal and an assist to help the United States open the World Junior Hockey Championships with a 5-1 victory over Kazakhstan on Wednesday.

Okposo, selected seventh overall in the NHL 2006 draft, left the Golden Gophers last week, and has begun negotiations with the Islanders on an entry-level contract.

Denver's Tyler Ruegsegger and New Hampshire's James vanRiemsdyk also each had a goal and assist, and Boston University's Colin Wilson and Minnesota's Mike Carman added goals. Jeremy Smith, who plays for Plymouth in the Ontario Hockey League, made 17 saves, allowing only Alexander Kurshuk's game-opening goal.

In the other Group B game, Russia beat Finland 7-4. In Group A play in Pardubice, John Tavares scored twice in three-time defending champion Canada's 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic, and Sweden beat Slovakia 4-3.

Matthew Halischuk also scored for Canada, Steve Stamkos had three assists, and Jonathan Bernier made 44 saves for the shutout.

Islanders expect to sign '06 pick Okposo

Islanders expect to sign '06 pick Okposo

Monday, Dec 24, 2007 1:49 pm EST

The New York Islanders expect to sign 2006 first-rounder Kyle Okposo — who has spurred a sniping match between GM Garth Snow and Univ. of Minnesota coach Don Lucia by bolting the Golden Gophers midway through his sophomore season — to an entry-level deal (capped at $850,000 per) soon after the holiday roster freeze is lifted on Friday.

Richard Park earns everything he gets!

Park's wrister with 1:17 left in OT gave our boys a 3-2 victory over the Capitals last night.

You have to enjoy this new tough-love "earn your playing time" deal that Ted Nolan is using on the guys. While it was strange to see guys like Andy Hilbert and Blake Comeau on the PP in the third period the other night in Pittsburgh, it's also a really good way to let the star players on the team know that they need to be held accountable as well.

Anyone read US Weekly? Did Lizzie McGuire break up with Mike Comrie? The Islanders need him to get his focus back and start doing all of those things that made the guy the star that he was for the first part of the season.

Miro's first period goal extended his latest streak to six games. He and Big Joe have been getting a rhythm of late while playing with a revolving door of wingers. The Isles really need Miro and Vasicek to keep it going as well. Guerin potted the Isles' second goal. He's playing better of late, I think.

I'm really looking forward to the WJC starting Wednesday. It will be great to see Kyle Okposo play so we can get sort of a free preview of coming attractions. The Isles have other junior players in the tournament and we'll get to spotlighting some of those guys once the games get started.

Also, in a last note, I just want to say that Dominik Hasek is a tool. I was transferring a copy of Classic Series to DVD for a buddy who is a Senators fan and they had the 1997 series between Buffalo and Ottawa where Dom may or may not have faked a knee injury to get out of playing. Of course they had some of the ancillary issues of the series as well, featuring Hasek pushing a reporter and then his lame statements about wanting to play, etc. It is really telling to me that in his press statement after the shoving incident that he named the owner by name, John Muckler by name, and when he should have said Ted Nolan's name, he just said "the coach". It wasn't that he just said "the coach" either, he said it fairly derisively.

Seriously, if you were to make a list of the hockey players you just can't root for under any circumstances, wouldn't Hasek be on that list? Hasek. Roenick. Darcy Tucker. Sean Avery. Oh, man. This could be longer than Santa's!

Simon gets 30; Okposo leaves school; Costas still short

Kyle Okposo, he of "the" famous YouTube goal, has reportedly left University of Minnesota and The Golden Gophers have even called a news conference for 5 p.m. ET to announce Okposo’s decision.

According to Greg Logan's kick-ass Newsday blog--the blog of record if you ask me (and I write this one)--the Islanders have offered no comment about the situation so far.

This allows for some fun speculation. Okposo was (is?) expected to be a major player for the US at the World Junior Championships after Christmas. (Thank you, Center Ice.) Will he jump straight to the Isles? Will he play for the US and then come to the Island? Let the speculations begin!

In other Islander news, of course, Colin Campbell passed out a 30 game hall pass to Chris Simon. It's about right, I think.

The thing that we need to take into consideration here is that something is wrong with the dude. After the initial knee-jerk reaction I had to can him for good, I'm thinking that the Isles are taking the high road in this mess and are trying to do right by Chris Simon the person. Do I think he is going to play again for the team? I doubt it. He's caused many more headaches and embarrassment to the organization than he really should have. But Mr. Wang and Garth Snow and Ted Nolan are being very brave and noble in their attempt to help the guy out. You just have to respect that.

Oh, yeah. And the boys are back against Buffalo tonight.

In sad news, NBC announced that perpetual midget and Bill James Lap Boy Bob Costas will be the master of ceremonies at Ralph Wilson Stadium on 1/1/08 when the Penguins play the Sabres in the Winter Classic in Buffalo.

Early reports we can find online are projecting a high-pressure system full of self-importance settling in over the greater Buffalo metro-area right before the opening faceoff. Skies will be smirky with a 90% chance of smugness. Highs of 4-foot-2.

Seriously, is it too late to get NBC to cancel the game? C'mon, Gary. I already get the Center Ice package (bless you, Center Ice) and I could always watch the CBC coverage instead? Gary? Little help?