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.

35 games to go; Sillinger officially ruled out for the season

This just in: the Isles are 13-29-5 in 47 games this season. That's "good" for 31 points. Our boys currently have the lead as the league doormats by a comfortable 8 point cushion over the Thrashers and Senators in the race to get the most ping pong balls in the draft lottery.

One thing worth mentioning: in the lottery, a team can only move back one spot in the draft order from where they finish. So, if the Islanders end up in the absolute cellar and are in 30th place, that the WORST the team will have would be the second overall pick in this June's Entry Draft.

Here are Red Line Reports' Current Top Five draft-eligible prospects from USA TODAY:

1. John Tavares C 6-0/198 L 20 SEP 90 London

2. Victor Hedman D 6-6/218 R 18 DEC 90 MoDo

3. Jared Cowen D 6-5/218 R 25 JAN 91 Spokane

4. Evander Kane C 6-1/180 L 01 AUG 91 Vancouver

5. Matt Duchene C 5-11/196 L 16 JAN 91 Brampton


Some interesting notes: We've all heard about Tavares and Hedman and other writers are talking up Duchene but let's not forget the impression Evander Kane made at the World Juniors. Will the Islanders do that trading down thing they mastered last year at the Entry Draft? Who knows. If they get the first overall pick it is going to be hard to sell the fanbase on trading down to get more picks and not select John Tavares.

The other thing to consider is that while Josh Bailey has had trouble scoring goals, he hasn't really had too many plays where his NHL experience (or lack thereof) has shown with glaring errors. He's proven that he can at least hang at this level and the league as a whole is incredibly young these days. Youth, speed, and skill is winning out over the old war-horse mentality that was squeezing the life out of the game before the lockout. Should the Islanders be in a position to select a guy like Tavares, Cowen, Kane, or Duchene, the pressure is going to be on the club to play him right away.

That sort of thing goes two ways and it all depends on which theory you subscribe to. The Bruins stapled Joe Thornton to the end of Pat Burns' bench for his rookie season when he was 18 and he was atrocious and had people questioning whether or not he was going to be a real top drawer player in the NHL. Of course, he was and is and the Bruins traded him away. Seems like we may have heard similar stories on the Island as well.

Would Bailey have been better off playing another year of junior? Who knows? Personally, I would have liked to see him get Christmas off to play for Canada in the WJC but it didn't happen. I think that the Islanders brass maybe didn't want Josh hanging around an old negative curmudgeon like Pat Quinn--but that is pure speculation on my part.

Of course, the trade deadline is coming and everyone is speculating on which current Islanders will be moved. Bill Guerin has a no-trade clause in his contract that he'd have to waive to be moved but you have to think that if a team like Boston came knocking that Guerin may be more receptive to play in his hometown for a team that looks like they're primed for a long spring.

Mike Comrie also is working under a one-year contract. He is a veteran but he is also only 28 years old. Going into the future, the Islanders are going to need Obi Wans to lead the way for the younger guys. Do they see Comrie as that kind of guy? Not sure. His reputation coming to the Islanders was not stellar but I think we all agree that from what we've seen and heard, Comrie may have been mis-characterized or even, perhaps, has matured. The guy is feisty and has a serious competitive streak. That right there makes him a popular rental choice as some secondary scoring for a contender.

Doug Weight has been the subject of trade rumors from the minute he signed on with the Islanders. He has also stated that he wants to stay with the Islanders and likes the area. There's no doubting his productivity while healthy but his recent injuries might scare off some teams who are fixated on his birth certificate.

My best guess is that if the Isles can include Jon Sim and/or Thomas Pock in any deals then they are going to swing those trades faster than Usain Bolt in a wind tunnel. Let's face it: the team has to clear roster space to bring up Trevor Smith and Andy MacDonald from Bridgeport. Reports are that MacDonald, who represented the Sound Tigers in the AHL All-Star Game, is ready to make the next step...and seeing Jon Sim on the power play is simply driving the fanbase crazy.

In other news, the team said Tuesday that center Mike Sillinger had hip surgery for the second time in a year and will miss the remainder of the season.

Sillinger had a microfracture procedure on his hip that forced him to sit out the final 29 games of last season and the first 24 of this one before he was able to play in seven games this season, scoring two goals. On Monday, the Islanders assistant captain had what was reported as "hip resurfacing surgery" and his career is believed to be in jeopardy.

His last appearance in a game was 12/29 versus the Rangers when he scored a goal.

The Isles are back in action tomorrow night 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.

Sillinger News and European Expansion

First off, according to Newsday, Mike Sillinger is probably not going to be ready for camp next Friday.

Greg Logan reports that Sillinger suffered a bit of a setback in his rehabilitation from his microfracture surgery on his right hip this July. Sillinger complains of being tight and not having a full range of motion yet and does not know if he'll be ready for the season opener on October 10th.

Quite a blow for the classy Sillinger. Hopefully Mike can make a full recovery and he'll be back on the ice sooner than later. Logan mentions that Rob Blake came back from similar surgery last year while playing for the Kings and both guys are in similar situations age-wise and have a similar amount of experience. Actually, with all of the Stanley Cup and international games Blake has played, he probably has more miles than Sillinger does.

A guy like Mike Sillinger just seems to be the kind of player that is super-important when you're fielding a team of young and impressionable kids. You're not going to surprise Sillinger with anything because he has been through all sorts of situations in his career. He is, by all accounts, a consummate professional and has always struck this outsider as the kind of leader that would be good for the organization after his playing career is over; if he is interested in that sort of role. He's got a wealth of experience playing on rebuilding teams, championship-caliber teams, expansion teams, teams with expectations, and teams that surprised the league.

Here's hoping that Sillinger can come back and help lead our boys back to where they need to be.


NHL European Expansion

In other news, there seems to be a little chatter around the media about NHL European expansion. Bill Daly had some interesting speculation in the Globe and Mail about a possible European Division being added to the league in the next ten years. He trotted out that grand ol' nugget that a major percentage of NHL.com's traffic comes from Europe and that those cities and countries that are hockey hotbeds may end up being part of an expanded NHL.

Pierre McGuire also checked in, reminding us all that almost 30% of the NHL's players are not North American. Seems to be a valid point there. He probably made his point real loud, too!

One thing that gets me when they talk about European expansion--and let's not forget that this was talked about as far back as the late '80s for you older hockey fans--is that no one seems to consider that the league itself would have to find markets in Europe that are able to sustain an NHL outfit.

What do I mean by "sustain"? Well, they're going to have to afford it! We see this now with the new Russian KHL: some teams have the bucks and others don't. How can we bank on these European economies? I mean, right now the Russian economy looks from the outside like it is totally booming but let's not forget that there is a wide-wide-wide disparity between the rich and the not-so-rich in that country. Those who have the money have a ton of it (manufacturing and/or oil production) and the working class is still lacking a lot of necessities.

It all comes down to this: the Russian companies and the state-run industries may have the cash to play this very expensive game, but does the average Alexei Six Pack have the money to go to watch the players play? There's no real TV money to prop up the league and if you can't get people into your building, it becomes a money-losing proposition real quick.

Also, what happens when these companies stop making money hand-over-fist? The first guys they're going to look to get rid of to save money are going to be the big ticket players.

I guess what I am saying is that talking expansion into Europe is all well and good but man, something like this has to vetted a little more thoroughly than giving $700 bucks to a private investigator to take a look into the background of John Spano. Let's all take a deep breath and push away from the table before we get too excited, you know? Couldn't we just move the Thrashers to Winnipeg and call them the Jets instead?

Sillinger Update; Marcinko Signed; Guerin Jobbed on Tirico

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

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

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

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

Another man down?

The Islanders lost to the reigning Stanley Cup champions last night--a night in which the Ducks welcomed Teemu Selanne back to the lineup. The Islanders and losing at home are becoming almost a tradition of late and the team has been completely horrible in their last ten, going 3-6-1 and sliding right out of the NHL playoff picture.

The Isles have 54 points and are in tenth place overall in the east. Boston has a game in hand on the Isles and are currently in the eighth and final playoff spot with 59 points. Those freaking Rangers are in seventh with 60 points in 55 games. You look at the names on their roster and they should be so much better...but they are still in the playoff picture.

The NHL season is winding down. Last year at this time, it wasn't looking too good either. But at least the team was scoring goals once in a while. Last season, the playoff drive stalled and it took a magical stretch where they won their last four games and qualified for the playoffs in the final game of the year, with an overtime victory at New Jersey. You just have to think that the scenario is not going to play itself out the same way this season. The time is now. We need points and we need goals.

Last night, without injured warrior Mike Sillinger, the Islanders were ready with changes to the lineup in the hopes that something would get turned around. Jeff Tambellini had been playing spectacular hockey in the AHL and had been knocking on the door for over a month now. On Monday, Tambellini was recalled and he brought two of his Bridgeport Sound Tigers teammates with him: Tambellini's linemate Frans Nielsen and tough guy Kip Brennan. All three would be dressed to play the Ducks.

Last night, in the first period, the lineup took another hit when Miroslav Satan crashed awkwardly into the end boards and aggravated his injured right knee. According to Newsday, Miro had been gutting it out since hurting the knee on January 8. Satan returned later in the game, but the Islanders could muster no offense and lost to the Ducks 3-0. It is the Islanders seventh straight loss on Long Island.

Satan will apparently be re-evaluated today before the team heads to Pittsburgh to take on the Penguins tomorrow night.

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.

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.

Live Blog Update on the WJC...and more!

Robin Figren has just scored for Sweden to tie up the game between the Tre Kronor and Russia. Figren has 5 goals in the tournament and has been getting talked up big by the TSN crew of Pierre Maguire and Gord Miller. Pierre even called him a steal for the Islanders in the third round. Seriously, he is one of those players who literally pop when you're watching them play. I like his hockey sense and wow id he good with the puck on his stick. The goal he just scored showed that he has excellent patience as he waited for the Russian goalie to go down before calmly taking a few extra strides before roofing it to tie the game.

Isles got out of the game last night with a point against the Panthers even though they lost in OT. Gotta admit that I missed the game. Demon flu still has got me by the shorties. Thank goodness for paid time-off and teenagers playing hockey in the middle of the day!

Bad news coming out of the game is that Ricky is facing a possible two-game suspension for using new goalie pads that had not been poked and prodded by the NHL suits. Sounds like a legit mistake as Rick figured the league had checked them before he even got them but of course, NHL Dean of Boys Colin Campbell will have to rule on it...but c'mon, we know it is gonna be two games. That's the rule.

Noon WJC update: The game is going to OT. Ten minutes of OT and then a shootout if necessary.

Mike Sillinger scored 3 points in his return from a bit of a lay-off. Silly got 5 full days off and that is a good move by Teddy to give some of the older dudes a rest when they can. Plus, you know, the hip flexor injury is kind of painful.

Speaking of injuries, former Islander Ryan Smyth has a broken ankle so he'll be missing the game tomorrow night when the Isles invade Colorado.

12:16: Pierre is in love with Figren's game. It's a full-on man crush.

12:19: Mikael Backlund scores in OT for Sweden. The Swedes are guaranteed their first WJC medal since 1996. Thanks Gord. Darryl Sutter has invented a new face for being excited. Picture the regular face any of the Sutters would make if you stole food off their dinner plate. Yep, that's the one. Backlund is Calgary property, by the way.

Darren Dreger of TSN is reporting that the NHL asked Rick DiPietro to change his pads during the first intermission of last night's 4-3 overtime loss to the Panthers at the Coliseum. DiPietro, as we know, played the first period in new white leg pads, then returned for the second period wearing his old orange and blue pads.

More to come if I feel like it!!

Bad News Friday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Shootout!

Just finished listening to the Islanders-Senators broadcast from the radio. I recommend doing just that once in a while. Not only do I get warm flashbacks to listening to games on an old AM radio when I was a kid and I was supposed to be asleep, but you get to use the imagination more while thinking about the play. Steve Mears and Chris King are just a lot of fun to listen to. I've said before that I was such a big John Weideman fan (sorry if I misspelled your name, John) that I thought Mears was going to have a tough time replacing him, but Steve has really come along. Around the middle of last year I smartened up and got used to the change. It doesn't hurt either PBP guy that they ride along with the hardest-working broadcaster in the NHL, The Kinger.

So, if you're like me, you can listen and picture the game in your head while you work, it's definitely worth trying to record the games either over the net (not that I am, um, endorsing such a process) or by tuning into Bloomberg 1130.

Hard to believe that last night was the first shootout for the team this year. Last year there were stretches where it sure seemed like the Isles were in shootouts every couple of games.

No surprise that Nolan tabbed Miro to shoot first. I am pretty sure he did that nearly every time last year. I also like the fact that Teddy chooses to shoot first and put the pressure on DiPietro rather than the shooters. DP has proven to be capable of handling the pressure and we
all know that he thrives under responsibility. Seriously, if there is anyone out there who questions either Rick's being picked first overall or that contract of his, they need to get a check-up from the neck up. Rick is The Man who the team will be relying on for a long, long time. His goal, as stated in Men's Health, is to lead the Islanders to the Stanley Cup. Not just to win a Cup in his career, but to win it as an Islander. 'Nuff said.

Mike Sillinger again was big on the face-offs last night and chipped in with a goal in regulation and the winner in the shootout. Can't say enough about Sillinger. I wish he was an Islander for life. Hopefully he won't be going anywhere for a while and will be with the team to finish out his career. The guy is just a pro's pro and worthy of admiration.

Tonight we get the Rangers. Superpest Sean Avery is out with wrist surgery, so that lesion has to been excised. Tough-talker Ryan Hollweg still seems to have some weird retribution on his mind so he will be pinballing and taking liberties tonight as well. Seeing Rick play against GQ Man of The Year Henrik Lundqvist (Engblom's favorite goalie) is always an exciting matchup. Should be a good one. We'll have more tomorrow.

Mike Sillinger's 1000th NHL Game

In other Islander news, tomorrow night will be Mike Sillinger's 1000 NHL game when our boys play the Lightning. 1000 of anything is quite an achievement. To play 1000 games in the NHL is amazing. It's a milestone that not only means you're good enough, but tough enough, to play in the greatest league in the world. It's also got to be on of those touchstones that other guys in the room can look and marvel at.

Sillinger is already respected enough to be one of the Islanders; assistant captains but I am sure that playing 1000 games will put him in even higher esteems amongst his peers and teammates. Our best goes out to Mike and his family on this important career milestone.

Mike Sillinger!

2 huge points today in a game they needed to win in Philadelphia. Mad ups to Viktor Kozlov, who was using his big frame to create space today. Also, great hustle by Andy Hilbert. He scored the game-winner on a kamikaze run to the net on a feed from Marc Andre Bergeron.

We nned to mention that the Islanders' pro scouts have just done an excellent job this season. Think about the guys they brought in this year like Hilbert; Sean Hill; Kozlov; and even Tom Poti. I seem to recall a quote by Kenny Morrow when the Isles signed Tom Poti saying that he plays the perimeter game that the team had been missing in a long time. Man, I love watching him play. Nothing fazes the guy and he is always supremely confident on the puck. Poti also makes the correct play more times than most. What a solid, solid player.

With Bergeron, I've said it before: what the heck were the Oilers thinking? I know that sometimes when you see a player day-in and day-out that sometimes you can focus on what a guy doesn't do well versus what he does do. Bergeron can scare you on the defensive end sometimes but man, I love watching him on the power play. And he has really added that dimension that the Isles haven't had on the PP in years: The Big Shot of Death that everyone needs to be aware of. What an awesome pickup by Garth Snow.

Which brings us to Mike Sillinger. Sillinger has been everything Michael Peca was supposed to be for the Islanders. For instance--as if anyone needs any more evidence to prove his value--the FSNY cameras picked up a great shot of Sillinger; Blakey; and Ryan Smyth drawing plays on the dasher because none of them were happy with their communication on the power play. The leader that he is, Sillinger brought the other guys to him and they hashed the thing out. Rather than sit and complain, Sillinger gets the guys together to go over where they all need to be. A freaking genius. He wins faceoffs and plays in every situation. Sillinger also is respected by all of the guys in the room and adds to the leadership that surrounds and props up Alexei Yashin. The man is worth his weight in gold. Seriously.

Panthers 8 Islanders 5

Ugly-ass game tonight in South Florida.

Mike Sillinger had two goals and two assists. Ryan Smyth had his best game as an Islander with two goals and a helper. And miraculously, both players were minus-2! But check this out:

Sean Hill: -4
Miro Satan: -5 and benched for most of the second period. Minus five!
Brendan Witt: -3
Viktor Kozlov: -2 and he only played just over 5 minutes!

You know the feeling you get when you have the flu and you don't know whether you're going to shit yourself or throw up? Well, I have that feeling right now. And I bet Mike Dunham does too. Dunham--who I don't think you can say is still rusty after Ricky played all those games in a row--played a game that he'd like to forget real, real soon. He was so bad that you have to wonder whether or not Teddy Nolan calls the bullpen and starts Wade Dubielewicz on Tuesday in Tampa. Panic move? Maybe it is. But maybe we need to panic right now.

Every time the Islanders scored, the Panthers came right back to answer. It was just a terrible display out there tonight in a game the team really needed. And to see Olli Jokinen go 2 and 3 for an amazing plus-6 is sickening. I wonder what Oleg Kvasha was doing tonight? Mark Parrish?

The Rangers put up a touchdown on the Bruins and their constipated-looking coach, Dave Lewis. Lewis is probably out of answers right now. So the Bruins seem to be falling off.

Montreal picked up two points tonight by taking the shootout from the Leafs and Darcy Tucker; who choked on it when he could have given the Leafs the shootout win. Still, as nice as it is to see failure on Tucker's part, it is as sad to see the Islanders failing to rally behind Dunham. We need Ricky back as soon as is possible--general body soreness or not.

Scott Morrison on the CBC Satellite Hotstove said that the rumor is that Ricky's is pretty concussed and had a nasty gash on his neck from the collision with Steve Begin. Let's hope we see a healed DiPietro on Thursday night.