Dwayne Roloson Joins the Islanders

TSN is reporting that goaltender Dwayne Roloson has signed a two-year deal with the New York Islanders for $5-million.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=283429

NJ Devils acquire C Ben Walter from Islanders

NEWARK, N.J. (AP)—The New Jersey Devils have acquired center Ben Walter and future considerations from the New York Islanders in exchange for the rights to center Tony Romano.

Devils president and general manager Lou Lamoriello announced the deal on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old Walter had 20 goals and 30 assists in 65 games for Bridgeport of the American Hockey League last season. He has played in 22 NHL games for the Islanders and Boston Bruins.

Romano, a Long Island native and New Jersey’s seventh choice in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, spent last season with Peterborough in the Ontario Hockey League.

Free Agency Tomorrow at Noon

There's a lot of good players available tomorrow at noon for the other half of Dominion Day, Free Agent Day!

Do you like it when GMs act like half-drunk frat boys looking for a hammered girl at last call? If you do--and who doesn't--then tomorrow is the day for you!

GM Garth Snow has already said that next season's Islanders squad is going to look a lot like this year's...so he doesn't want us to get all excited and start thinking that Charles Wang is going to open his pocket to land the Sedin twins or even Mike Komisarek. And if they are convinced that they are on this rebuilding track, they shouldn't do it anyway.

What our team needs is a reliable goaltender. A lot of people have been clamoring for Craig Anderson of Florida, but I like to look toward New Jersey and notice that Scott Clemmensen is also without a contract.

Claemmensen was on fire for the Devils while Martin Brodeur nursed his injuries. The guy backing up Clemmensen--former Islander Kevin Weekes--actually was his backup but when Brodeur came back, Clemmensen had to be sent down to Albany because Weekes was on a one-way contract. Talk about a sting.

So, Clemmensen has proven to be a pretty good goalie. And while both showed flashes of ability last season, he'd definitely be an upgrade over Yann Danis and Joey MacDonald. With Peter Mannino being let go, there's also only one AHL-ready goalie in Bridgeport, Nathan Lawson. So, yeah. Goaltending depth is a but tough right now in the entire Islanders family. That's why they drafted two goalies last week.

There's also lots of rumors out there about Mike Komisarek possibly coming back home to play for the Islanders.

Not sure that is a great fit since you already have defensive defensemen like Andy Sutton (oft injured), Brendan Witt, and Radek Martinek on the roster. Komisarek may want to get out of the fishbowl in Montreal so naturally, everyone thinks he will want to go home. TSN's microphones picked up Brian Burke saying as much to Montreal GM Bob Gainey at the Entry Draft.

The Islanders (if they are interested) may be in luck since Komisarek had an off-year last season. The picture I have of him in my mind is of him catching a punch with his face in the opening round vs. the Bruins. So his repuation as a tough abnd physical player may have taken a hit too.

Another thing that comes to mind is that if the Islanders do sign Komisarek (and pray they don't overpay for him even though they need size and toughness) that it totally means that the team has no confidence in Andy Sutton's ability to stay healthy. It also would scream that Brendan Witt is going to be given some time to play a bit better to make himself more attractive as a tradeable asset in February.

Greg Logan of Newsday suggest the Isles go after Colton Orr, who has been let go by the Rangers. Sounds good to me. The Islanders seriously need a cop to keep people off of the skill players. Plus, Orr has developed and can play a little bit. He played in key spots for the Rangers last season and would probably be a good and popular fit here.

Snow has already warned us not to get too excited. Of course, this is the guy who kept his puh-puhpuh poker face on for two months while intending to draft John Tavares. That's why this picture is posted here. I figured I'm the last blogger on God's gray Earth to post a photo of Tavares from the draft.

EJ Hradek: Chelios wants to play for Islanders

Just now EJ Hradek said on NHL Live that Chris Chelios--who will not be back with Detroit--has expressed interest in playing for the Islanders next season.

Hradek mentioned that Chelios noted that the Islanders are a young team and he is the kind of guy who can come in and add to the leadership corps while playing ten to fifteen minutes a game. Chelios' legendary work ethic would also be good as an example to the younger guys about what it takes to be a professional and a dedicated star at the NHL level.

First reaction--the knee jerk one--might be to say that the guy is like 1000 years old and it might not be the best idea to take time away from a young and developing defenseman. But the intagibles are there. Let's face it: Chris Chelios is a winner. He's won Stanley Cups and Norris Trophies. If Garth Snow thinks there's a spot for him at a reasonable price, I think it's a pretty good move to make.

Saying that, he will probably end up on the Rangers. They always get the old guys.

Pediction: Heatley ends up with the Rangers too. I know when you think about their cap situation it doesn't look good, but these things always sort themselves out for the Rangers.

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.

Hilarious Moronic Media Quote of the Year Award goes to...

...SI's hockey writer Michael Farber, who said the following on TSN about the Islanders and their first overall pick in June:

"...New York Islanders, who have decided to poll fans about what to do with the number one draft choice. There are great hockey scouts right there, and they know what they're doing. This is an insult - one, to your scouts. ... But if you are listening to your fans, it's an insult because you're pandering people who don't know what they're doing."

Reminds me of the story Eric Bischoff had to tell Harvey Schiller after Schiller complained about the violence on a WCW TV Broadcast. Bischoff had to say, "Uh, Dr. Schiller...you didn't believe that was real, did you?

So an esteemed (cough) member of the mainstream media (cough) thinks that this Islanders contest if to help them actually decide who the team will pick with the draft pick? C'mon. We've all seen lazy journalism in our days but this one is unreal. A lazy writer goes on TV without looking into the real issue (marketing) and thinks it's real? Did any Islander fan out there who entered the contest (like me) to go to Montreal REALLY BEVIEVE THAT the Islanders were so perplexed about what to do that they has to turn to the paying customers for advice? Puh-leeze.

This is tough for me because I grew up reading Farber in Sports Illustrated back when it mattered. The only people who care about SI any more are the people who work there and the media-types who still think it's a call to the big leagues to get a job there. It's sad, but it's true.

I mean, hey, Michael--the Islanders have scouts! Lot of them! The assistant GM is a former scout who...get this...still does some scouting! Are we really thinking that they're going to discount all that travel and hard work just to chuck it all and go with the guy the fans pick?

It may be hard to see from Up There On High but this is why people hate the media, Mike.

In other great (but not surprising) news, would you believe that Kate Murray skipped another Lighthouse meeting on May 11? Would you? OK, that one was easy. But would you be surprised to learn that Ms. Murray has a father (not the surprise) who has a job paying $40 dollars an hour as a "part-time clerical aide"? And that he will be getting an annual public pension of $49,188 when he retires? And that the man is 83 years old?

According to Newsday's Eden Laikin, this is apparently all true. Maybe we should have a contest to select which of Kate Murray's relatives should get a new cushy job that they'll be way overpaid for! I'm thinking there have to be other Murrays out on the Island who can use a little money for nothing!

That's the real shame of government right there.

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.
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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)

An article from globeandmail.com: Tavares doesn't plan holdout

DAVID SHOALTS
Globe and Mail Columnist
April 20, 2009 at 10:55 AM EDT

John Tavares was thrilled when Brian Burke declared he would move heaven and earth to try to get him in a Toronto Maple Leafs uniform.

But if the New York Islanders use their first pick overall in the NHL entry draft on Tavares, as expected, Tavares will become an Islander. There will be no Eric Lindros-style holdout even though Tavares grew up in Oakville, Ont., worshipping Steve Thomas, Mats Sundin, Curtis Joseph and the Maple Leafs.

“It was a big surprise to me,” Tavares said of the declaration by Burke, the Leafs' president and general manager, that he will try to trade up in the draft to take Tavares.

“Obviously, that doesn't happen very often. It was also flattering to have an NHL general manager say he really wants me and is willing to do a lot to get me. It was exciting with everything else that was going on, too.”

But that, Tavares has said more than once, is as far as it goes. Even though the once-proud Islanders are now the Siberia of the NHL, neither Tavares nor his agents, Pat Brisson and J.P. Barry, will try any strong-arm tactics like telling the Islanders or the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have the No.2 pick, that he will not play for them.

“No, not at all,” Tavares said. “Wherever I'm selected, I'm going to go and play there.

“I've said it before, my goal is to play in the National Hockey League. It's not about where I play or who I am. I just want to be part of the franchise.”

The question, then, is whether Tavares is good enough as a player to be worth all the fuss. Is he the next Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin or even Steve Stamkos, good enough to lead a franchise as chronically inept as the Islanders back to the excellence they last enjoyed in the 1980s?

The answer, as it is with all 18-year-old hockey players, is maybe.

A scout who works for an NHL team that has no chance of drafting Tavares is not convinced he will be a franchise player. At this point, the scout said, he believes Tavares will be a very good player, one “who will score between 40 and 50 goals a year in the NHL,” but not a franchise player.

The problem is, teenage hockey players develop at different rates. Decisions are based not so much on how good the player is on draft day but on his potential.

“Is what you saw from Stamkos [in junior hockey] 50 per cent of what he has or is what you see from Tavares 30 per cent of what he has?” the scout said. “You have to make decisions based on that, which is what makes [the entry draft] such a crapshoot.”

Mark Hunter, a former NHL player who is now co-owner and general manager of the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights, is a believer. He landed Tavares in January in a huge trade with the Oshawa Generals that saw six players and 10 draft picks change hands in a bid to make the Knights a Memorial Cup contender.

“I don't have all the answers for that but I believe he is,” Hunter said.

“He's done it every year and at every level,” Hunter said. “I've seen him do it as a minor midget and I've seen him do it here. I think he's ready to play in the NHL right now, he's that good.”

The numbers, at first glance, back up Hunter. Tavares was good enough to play major-junior hockey at 15 and he started scoring immediately. He had 45 goals in his first season and in March became the leading goal-scorer in OHL history, finishing with 215.

Tavares has also shone on a bigger stage. He was the most valuable player at this year's world junior championship with eight goals and seven assists in six games as Canada won the gold medal.

But for all that, Tavares is not the kind of player who pulls fans out of their seats. He is not a dazzling skater and stick-handler like Malkin or Alexander Ovechkin. But he is a classic sniper like Brett Hull, a smart player with a quick, deadly accurate shot who always seems to be around a loose puck.

Right now, the only knock on Tavares is that his defensive skills need improvement. But that has been said about every would-be star.

“He is more scorer than playmaker, I'll give them that,” Hunter says of the scouts. “No one's ever taught them the defensive game from a young age because they are so good. John never had to learn because he had the puck all the time.

“But the good ones, like Stamkos, like John, figure it out.”

So far in the OHL playoffs, though, Tavares is having nothing but trouble. He sustained a shoulder injury in mid-January in the annual prospects game, an exhibition, and it's been a problem off and on ever since, although Hunter says Tavares is healthy now. But with 16 points in 12 playoff games going into yesterday's Western Conference final game against the Windsor Spitfires, Tavares didn't even lead his team in scoring.


More on Tavares: Greg Logan reports the Islanders' bigwigs will be visiting London, Ontario tonight to see Tavares in person.

The First-Overall Pick...and what to do with it

We all think we know what is going to happen on June 26 when Garth Snow, Ryan Jankowski, and (hopefully) Charles Wang step to the podium in Montreal.

They pick John Tavares. That's what we all are hoping for.

Wasn't it interesting during the Ping Pong Derby that TSN's James Duthie asked Ken Morrow about Denis Potvin, and how drafting the Hall of Famer in 1973 started the ball rolling through the dynasty years? I mean, offhandedly, it makes sense. Build from the goal out and get that stalwart defender who will protect your crease for the next ten years.

Also interesting was Morrow's quick reply: there's only one Denis Potvin. Does this mean that the organ-eye-zation already knows that Tavares is their man? Probably not. Not yet, anyway.

I have to admit that I was full on board with Chris Botta's suggestion that Garth go up there and proclaim that Tavares was going to be the pick to send a message to the kid that he was important enough to be a cornerstone of the rebuilding process. I thought it would also send a message to the fanbase that the team was ready to kick the whole process into overdrive and man would it sure make the whole summer a bit more fun.

Instead, Ken Morrow kindly deflected any talk of who the team was going to pick. Duthie seemed to expect it, of course, as the Islanders pro scout captain gave the regular draft-speak of how lucky they were to be able to get an impact player, etc.

And now, I am thinking that they did exactly the right thing. Here's one reason why: Brian Burke.

Burke--a man who is never afraid to shoot his mouth off--proclaimed to the Toronto media that he was willing to do whatever it would take to land John Tavares. He was willing to trade anyone off his roster (except for Luke Schenn, the one guy anyone would want from the Laffs) and any amount of draft picks for the right to choose first overall.

Well, we have to thank Mr. Burke right there. For all of his bluster and for all of his proclamations, he did the Islanders a great service. Brian Burke, by talking out of his backside about an improbable trade--have you seen the Leafs roster lately?--just drove up the value of the Islanders first-overall selection in June.

Burke, a guy who played the shell game before and was able to land the Sedin twins while he was the GM of the Canucks, sort of lends credibility to the whole (I can make this happen) thing. At least, the Toronto media wants us to think that. They all think it's a birthright for the Leafs to be able to go and get any player they want at any time. This sense of entitlement has probably fed the beast and all of those (ahem) "rumors" that come out of the self-proclaimed Centre of the Hockey Universe.

Anyway, by rattling his sword, Burke has done exactly what he wanted to: get his name in the paper to make it seem like he is aggressively trying to improve his team before he leaves the country for the World Championships in Switzerland.

In doing so, he makes that pick just a bit more attractive, wouldn't you say? Snow can now sit back and listen to all the stories and fake trades and scuttlebutt that puts him and the Islanders front-and-center of all of the speculation. The Islanders fans get more and more excited to hear the name out there and the speculation leads to more and more people talking about the New York Islanders. That leads to more people playing attention to the rebuilding and Lighthouse projects and when people are talking about you in a positive sense, you get more relevant.

After all of the armchair speculating, once it comes time to actually cash in that first overall pick, you'll have more and more positive press. A further examination of the Islanders by a wider scope of media types will shine a light on what the team has been doing right with the young players who got a lot of very much needed experience while suffering together through the last season. Instead of Gord Miller going on TSN and saying off-handedly that Josh Bailey wasn't playing much and was a healthy scratch at times, maybe he'll do his job and actually notice that Bailey was injured and not sitting out earlier in the year and that he finished up pretty darn well for a young kid playing his first season as a pro. You know, spin the situation positively rather than just using knee-jerk, lazy clichés about what they think the Islanders organization must be like without actually looking into it.

Now, do I think the Islanders are going to actually trade the top pick? No. No way. Not a chance. Especially not to the Maple Leafs, who literally have no one on their roster and admit to having no players in the system that are top-end blue chippers. That's why Burke is chasing these college free agents like crazy: he needs to roll the dice on prospects somehow. His predecessor's draft record was as shaky as a meth addict who tries to quit cold turkey. Ferguson left the cupboard bare and even took the shelf paper out while trying to get this desperate franchise to the playoffs. Burke has very few toys to play with!

In the new NHL--and with the expected lowering of the salary cap, makes young impact players important to every team's success because the salary level for all of the rookies is affordably low. NHL teams can make a mistake here and there and do not suffer the after-effects for years like the teams do at the top of the NFL draft.

And again, it never hurts to listen to other GMs as they make their pitch. The Islanders are finally the belle of the ball--and Mike Milbury isn't there to screw it all up on us.

Isles Get 1st Pick

Islanders get the first pick in the NHL draft lottery.

Woohoo!

Isles lose to Flyers 3-2

Fan Appreciation Day #1 saw the Nassaumen drop the game to the visiting Flyers 3-2. Kyle Okposo was back and was his usual self. Billy and Jiggs talked during the game about how Okposo will be playing for Team USA at the World Championships in Switzerland.

Game #82 is tomorrow versus the Bruins. The draft lottery is Tuesday.

Tonight we have the NCAA Men's Hockey championship...or, as I like to call it, one more night with Masters Pop-up Ads and Baseball Highlights. Boston University and their coach "Jackie" Parker take on Miami of Ohio.

Also, Bridgeport hosts the Lowell Devils tonight. The Sound Tigers are tied for the top spot in the Eastern Conference with the Hershey Bears with 104 points. Against the Springfield Falcons last night, the Tigers won 4-3 on Jesse Joensuu’s 20th goal of the season.

Now we are half done...

The Islanders season-long journey toward securing the first-overall pick in the entry draft is complete. With last night's 6-1 shellacking (pasting?) in Pittsburgh, the Isles are now going to finish with the worst record in the National Hockey League this season.

The Islanders, with this last-place achievement, can only pick first or second this June. That means they're all but assured of getting a top player in the draft. Whether they'll pick John Tavares or Victor Hedman is unknown right now...but I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that I am hoping for #1 so that Garth Snow and Ryan Jankowski can say the name "John Tavares" in Montreal at the draft.

Let's face it: for all of the heartbreak and disappointment the Islanders have inflicted on the most loyal fans in sports, to get a guy who has the makings of a marquee scorer like Tavares will only add good vibes and a feeling of hope as the team works on the Lighthouse initiative. Plus, adding goals will validate the rebuilding program in the syes of the ticket-buying public. The past few months have been a revelation for the younger players like Bailey, Nielsen, and Comeau, etc. We need to keep that momentum going and get people excited.

To that end, the Isles made some other signings of younger draft picks.

The team signed defenseman Mark Katic and left wing Justin DiBenedetto to three-year contracts. Both players are reporting to Bridgeport for the rest of the Sound Tigers' seasons.

Katic is interesting to me as he is another puck-moving defenseman and was a major part of the book "Future Greats and Heartbreaks: A Year Undercover in the Secret World of NHL Scouts" by Gare Joyce. It's a book I recommend highly.

DiBenedetto was a sixth-rounder last year who "suffered" by being Steve Stamkos' linemate during Stamkos' last year in junior with the Sarnia Sting. Too many people thought DiBenedetto was riding shotgun and getting inflated stats because of playing with last year's first-overall pick. This season, again with the Sting, DiBenedetto proved his detractors wrong with 45 goals and 48 assists in 62 games.

The Isles are going to need guys who were tagged as reaches like DiBenedetto in their draft years for the turnaround to be complete. DiBenedetto reportedly loves nothing more than proving his detractors wrong--which is a great attitude to have as a late-round pick.

According to Point Blank, the Isles also signed a youngster named Ryan Duncan from the University of North Dakota. Duncan is listed at 5-6 and 150 lbs--so he's tiny--but he has produced at UND and will play with the Sound Tigers on a PTO contract. He had 39 points and apparently is tough enough to have not missed a game in four years.

Worst Loss in History

Enough will be said about the game last night in Carolina. 9-0 is a serious whoopin', but it's just another page in the textbook of a season that it has been for the young Islanders.

I bailed when it was 4-0. Blake Comeau fractured his wrist in the first period and missed the rest of the game. They say he will be evaluated today but I think we can safely check off another man down and yet another 3 man games lost to injury. That brings the total of man games lost by the Islanders this season to...let me look it up to double check...yes, that's right...seven million. Seven million man games lost to injury in one season. A new NHL record!

Cam Ward made twelve (count them) saves to get a shut out but trust me, he didn't have to do anything more strenuous than I did sitting in my big leather chair. No, wait. I take that back. I got up to go to the bathroom and then I went to the kitchen to get some Advil and a Vitamin Water. Then I got back in the chair.

So, yeah, nine-zip. The guys were flat and Carolina is a very good team peaking at the right time. Seriously, they could easily end up in the Conference Finals and have to be reckoned with. Now if only their TV color guy wasn't named "Tripp" and their crest didn't look like a logo for washing powder, they'd be perfect.

Anyway, on to good news. It looks like Scott Gordon will be on the coaching staff of the US team at the World Championships. Great for him, as we discussed earlier this week, to get some more exposure internationally. And according to Newsday, USA Hockey and Brian Burke are aware of Kyle Okposo and the strides he has made this year as a player and a leader. Hopefully he heals up in time to join his coach in Switzerland.

The World Championships will be on the NBC Universal Sports channel and whenever we can nail down a firm schedule, we will post it here.

Mark Streit was back in the lineup, too. The Swiss are leaning on him to play in the World Championships but as he told Greg Logan, he's not too excited about the prospects...even though the games are in his hometown.

And again, Doug Weight resigned for next year. His family loves Long Island and he seems to enjoy the spark he gets from being around the young guys. He'll be the captain next year and I don't know that the organization could have chosen a better Yoda to lead the kids into the future.

Love this quote, from Newsday:

"I'm old school maybe to a fault, but I believe in having a team that does everything together, a team that will do anything for each other and just wants to succeed for each other," said Weight, who has demonstrated vividly since his return to the lineup just how feisty a 38-year-old guy can be. "I think we're building that here, and we're getting past the cliché of the 'young team' and a 'youth movement.'

And this one made me laugh, knowingly, as my own beard gets a little grayer:

"These are really good people, good guys that I really enjoy even in my old age. You know, I've got the wrong music playing in my car and I can't stay out as late as they can, but it's fun. You've got a guy like Kyle [Okposo], the way he's played, and we're going to get a key draft pick. We'll see about the health of Ricky [DiPietro], and hopefully, we can turn things around that way. We've had some good play."

We're back for game #79 (ugh, that number again) on Thursday in Pittsburgh to take on the Genos.

NHL Entry Draft Ping Pong Derby to be live on Versus: NHL.com

The National Hockey League Draft Drawing, to determine the order of selection for the first 14 picks of the first round of the 2009 Entry Draft, will take place on Tuesday, April 14th. The result of the Draft Drawing, will be announced at 8:00 p.m., ET on TSN (Canada) and Versus (U.S.) as part of a 30-minute live Draft special from TSN’s studios in Toronto. The Draft special will also be streamed live on NHL.com.

Clubs that did not qualify for this season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs, or Clubs that acquired the first-round picks of those non-playoff Clubs, will participate in the Draft Drawing.

Weight signs 1-year extension with Islanders

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

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

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

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

An NYIFORLIFE.com exclusive editorial: What's the deal with Ron Wilson

There's going to be a press conference today to introduce Ron Wilson as the coach of the 2010 USA hockey team and all I can think is that this is truly an uninspired choice.

First off, we have to recognize that Leafs' GM Brian Burke is the GM of the American Olympic team and that the Leafs' head coach is Ron Wilson. Plus, they're like best buddies. This would be like me hiring my friend Victor to run the Olympic team just because he's had my back for the last twenty or so years.

Wilson is always remembered for coaching the US to a stunning victory in 1996 when everybody expected Canada to win the inaugural World Cup of Hockey. No one can deny the importance of this tournament victory as the second-most important in the annals of American hockey.

Wilson also had the reins in 1998 when Team USA made us all feel like ugly Americans with their behavior on and off the ice in Nagano. I will always remember that Olympics as the one where I was all excited for the games and my Dad went out and bought me the US sweater but now it sits in the back of my closet and is never worn because I was so disgusted with the reports of the team coming out of Japan. I still blame Roenick for this.

Were there better choices for the job? Well, there surely are other candidates. The first two that jump to mind are John Tortorella and old friend Peter Laviolette. Johnny Torts is legendarily cantankerous so he might rub some of the players the wrong way.

Of course, Herb Brooks also had some sandpaper in him, and he turned out to be a legend.

Laviolette does well with younger players and in case you haven't noticed, this 2010 Team USA is going to be very young. The core of the 1996 team is out to pasture and into an easy chair now and the nucleus of the team is going to skew closer to High School Musical than it to Led Zep.

Laviolette has Olympic experience as a player and oh by the way has a big fat Stanley Cup championship ring on his hand. Wilson lost with another disappointing and AARP-sponsored World Cup team in 2004.

The question remains: if you're going into a tournament with a very young roster, doesn't it make sense to employ a coach who is used to working with younger players and getting them to play to the best of their abilities?

You know where I am going with this.

Can we get Scott Gordon on the team? Wilson is going to have a couple of assistant coaches. Johnny Torts is a decent idea, I suppose, and he has the Rangers profile. Laviolette has been coaching the USA entries in the World Championships so he'll get the nod as a company man. But if we are to truly go forward, USA Hockey has to be more active in developing the next round of coaches in the same manner that it tries to develop the next round of players. Saying that, they're going to have to wake up and see that Scott Gordon's Islanders are playing at a .500 clip since Christmas without the benefit of having well-known talent and two goalies who probably had "AHL" next to their names on many league-wide roster lists.

No matter how you look at it, Gordon has really done a heck of a job with the Islanders over the last half of the season. He's done it with kids and call-ups and AHL vets making their NHL debuts. He really can get the kids ready to play and he must know how to push their buttons to give them all the confidence to go out there and play their hearts out.

Now I am not saying that Scott Gordon is Scotty Bowman-in-training here...but we do have to face facts. Would USA Hockey get hammered by those who think they know if Scott Gordon was appointed to Team USA as an assistant coach? Probably. The knee-jerk reaction from talking heads without an understanding would look at the Islanders' record and their last place standing and wonder what the heck USA Hockey is smoking by letting this guy have an Olympic job. But those who understand and love the game and have followed the Islanders have seen nothing but improvement and growth over the past few months. If you truly wanted to develop a coach the way you would develop players, you'd need to give guys like Gordon some exposure at the the highest levels--and not just hire your best buddy retread.

Of course, I want to win games and develop talent; not just hire my friends.

Islanders beat Lightning 3-1

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP)—Yann Danis is taking advantage of his starts in goal for New York Islanders as they play out another lost season.

Danis made 29 saves, and the Islanders snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.

“You go through stretches where the puck doesn’t hit you,” Danis said. “It happens to all goalies, so I just have to battle through it.”

Coach Scott Gordon was pleased with Danis’ play.

“It definitely was a bounce back game for him,” Gordon said. “He felt pretty good.”

Richard Park, Radek Martinek and Josh Bailey scored for the Islanders, who took three of four meetings this season against Tampa Bay. Jesse Joensuu and Bruno Gervais each had a pair of assists.

Matt Pettinger had the only goal for the Lightning, losers of six straight (0-4-2).

Mike McKenna made 18 saves for Tampa Bay.

The Islanders scored 23 seconds after the opening faceoff. From the left side, Park spun around and sent a quick wrist shot past McKenna for his 14th goal of the season.

“I went down in a butterfly,” McKenna said. “It was just a technical error on my part.”

Tampa Bay came out firing pucks at Danis to start the second period, but he turned everything aside. Later in the period, the Islanders capitalized on a power play to take a 2-0 lead.

Off a faceoff, Martinek wound up with the puck at the right point. He moved to the top of the right circle and blasted a shot over McKenna’s glove-side shoulder at 14:52.

Pettinger got the Lightning on the board with a power-play goal at 16:36.

The Islanders gave themselves a bit of breathing room with another power-play goal, this time with Bailey connecting off a beautiful feed from Blake Comeau at 9:14 of the final period.

“It was a play we worked on a lot,” Bailey said. “It was a nice goal to get.”

The Lightning have not given up, even with their record and all the bodies missing because of injuries.

“For me personally, it’s the last year of my contract, so it’s make or break time for me,” McKenna said. “We at least show heart and courage out there. We play hard.”

Notes

The Islanders recalled five players from Bridgeport on an emergency basis: forwards Mitch Fritz, Mike Iggulden, Jesse Joensuu and Joel Rechlicz, and defenseman Jamie Fraser. Fraser made his NHL debut. … Tampa Bay recalled defenseman Vladimir Mihalik from Norfolk.

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 in Washington to take on the Ovies tonight

Quick hits from around the hockey world:

Kate Murray has issued a press release (with a petition!) stating that she is trying to secure federal stimulus dollars to renovate the Coliseum.

I may not live on the Island but I can tell you this: it sure doesn't seem like she wants to do anything but stall on the Lighthouse Project. Some speculate she is afraid of the massive renovations and building that is key to the plan but as an outside, I don't see why. In her press release, Murray likes to mention that the stimulus dollars will create all sorts of jobs while the Coliseum gets renovated but does she not understand that the Lighthouse Project will bring not only those temporary construction jobs but also hundreds of other full-time jobs to the area once the project has been completed.

Oh, and she also tries to condescend to both the Veterans and the Islanders fans in the press release, but she lists the Islanders last Stanley Cup victory as having been in 1984 so right there, you know she is full of it because she can't even get that fact straight.

"Let's see...how can I suck up to the hockey fans in this thing...I know! I'll say that I am 'urging the county to score the Coliseum's biggest victory since the Islanders 1984 Stanley Cup Championship'!"

You just wonder how much effort and fact-checking comes out of that office when she can't even get the year the Islanders last won a championship straight.

The press release is out there if you want to read it. I don't want to have it printed here. I've consciously tried to not write much about The Lighthouse Project because I prefer the mature adult tact of sticking my head in the sand. Of course, when you do that, you expose your ass to everyone else but whatcha gonna do?

Also, who really uses a petition these days? With your help, maybe Kate Murray can become home room monitor!

Mark Streit has not traveled with the team to DC tonight for the game against the Capitals. He has a groin strain and is listed as day-to-day. Greg Logan, in Newsday, speculates that Joe Callahan and Andrew MacDonald are the likely choices to be in the lineup tonight.

Don't know if you've followed this but the Sound Tigers have now qualified for the playoffs and will be playing their first two games at the Coliseum instead of in Bridgeport.

That's good news for Islanders fans in the area but not so great if you're a Sound Tiger season ticket holder. The team will reportedly have busses leaving Bridgeport for the games on Long Island so at least they're trying to get something done for the locals.

The big reason for all of this seems to be that Sesame Street live was booked by the arena during the time period that was supposed to be saved for the rink's primary tenant's first round playoff series. Screw you, Storm--Elmo's in town!

The lesson today, kiddies: bureaucratic horsepies can ruin stuff you love.

Weekend Musings

First off, I want to say this about the NCAA hockey tournament...and it isn't going to surprise anyone.

I freaking hate ESPN.

Why, this time? Well, over the weekend, I tried to take in a little college hockey championship action and not only was one game delayed because of college lacrosse, but between periods of the hockey games we had to suffer through NCAA basketball highlights.

"Suffer" may be a strong word for basketball, but it sure is appropriate for Lowell Galindo, the alleged host between periods who spoke like a know-it-all and yet exhibited no understanding of hockey at all. All to often studio color guy (and Northeast hockey broadcasting mainstay) Bob Norton was sitting there doing nothing while Galindo shouted over basketball highlights.

Let me ask you this: do you think for a minute that ESPN would show hockey highlights during one of their basketball studio shows? If you say yes, please go drive into a bridge abutment right now.

Doesn't ESPN understand that if we wanted to see college basketball highlights or analysis that we'd already be watching CBS? Man, if they don't want to broadcast hockey in any form than don't bother doing it at all. To leave a guy like Norton sitting there staring blindly into the camera with nothing to say while another ESPN shouter shows us slam dunks and greasy-haired coaches is worthless.

So, now, back to reality.

A few people have emailed me wondering why there seem to be few posts on the weekends. Well, that's an easy question with a two-part answer. First off, I am lazy. Secondly, I'm pretty busy on the weekends so having time to watch the games is often the best I can do. Plus, during the week, I am chained to a keyboard for eight hours a day so I really don't feel like going on the computer at home.

Saying that, I have a few quick shots regarding this weekend's games and a ping pong update.

Friday night we got a snapshot of the "o" word working when it's going right. The Isles were able to pressure the defending champions into making turnovers and then the Wings were forced to chase the Isles back into the offensive zone.

And, of course, you have Joey MacDonald standing on his head and making one of the great saves of the season off the stick of Mikael Samuelsson.

A couple of emerging youngsters scored for the Isles; Josh Bailey (6) and Frans Nielsen (7). Nielsen may be a little overlooked due to the development of Okposo and the play of Bailey of late, but he's really been picking up the offense for the team. I was worried that he might have lost some guile after the beheading at the hands of Mike Mottau earlier this season but since he has been back, Frans has shown flashes of a real offensive flair. With the Isles playing the kids in all situations this season, players like Frans Nielsen and Josh Bailey have found some success on the power play and even killing penalties when called upon.

Joey Mac had a stellar game against one of his former teams...and by the way...when was the last time the 30th team in the league shut out the best team in the league--a team they trailed by over 50 points in the standings? Remarkable.

On Saturday, the Isles and Flyers squared off in an Old Time Hockey game on Long Island that saw the Flyers win in the shootout, 4-3.

It's easy to say that these kind of tough games are the ones young teams need to build on, but we did learn a bit about our boys during this one. First off, don't mess with Doug Weight. The assistant captain didn't like the hit the Flyers' Darroll Powe laid on Tin Jackman so he took matters into his own hands and grabbed Powe before a few punches were thrown and Weight shoved the Flyer center to the ice.

Other fights included a game Nate Thompson who took on noted Philadelphia irritant Daniel Carcillo early in the middle period. Next up only a second later was Joel Rechlicz and Riley Cote; who had an enormously entertaining scrap with The Wrecker clearly getting the decision over the squashed Flyers enforcer. Cote skated to his apartment; er, I mean penalty box, and seriously looked like he'd just gone ten rounds with The Ugly Stick.

Three minutes after that, NHL Middleweight Champion Arron Asham dropped Tim Jackman.

Oh, yeah. Goals were scored too--including a play-of-the-night highlight from Jeff Tambellini. Kyle Okposo had a centering pass deflected so Tambellini turned and whacked the puck in one motion past Flyers goalie Martin Biron.

Mark Streit and Radek Martinek had the other goals for the Isles.

Finally, here are your Ping Pong Standings as we head into tonight's slate of games.

Tampa: 65 points in 76 games.
Colorado: 64 points in 76 games.
Islanders: 59 points in 75 games.

Islanders Team Report--Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Notes, Quotes

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

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

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

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

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

Minnesota downs the Isles 6-2

Not a lot of great things to talk about from last night's game so I'll be brief.

Joel Rechlicz might not be as tall as Mitch Fritz, but he can skate better. A lot better. I also admire The Wrecker for sitting there and becoming a fist magnet for the Wild's 6-8 John Scott. Rechlicz goes 6-4 but was outweighed by about 40 lbs in his first period tussle with Scott.

The fact that he could stay on his skates after getting popped like he did has to count for something. I hope he got free beers after the game.

Interesting chat between Billy and Howie about the fight and whether it falls under the new NHL rule of being "staged" or not. Billy said he didn't think it was staged but I saw it more like Howie did: since it came merely seconds after a face-off and the guys had a chance to talk about it while waiting for the puck to drop, it certainly looked like an agreed-upon fight to me.

People are also going to be talking about Blake Comeau and Kyle Okposo spitting nickels at the Wild bench but I look at it as a positive. Sure, they're young guys and they will learn but the kids all stick together and have each others' backs.

Anyway, that sort of stuff is all a part of growing up. Plus, it shows that the kids still care.

Bruno Gervais scored again for the Isles. Playing with Streit has really upped his confidence. The guy had as many goals as I have for like 100 games and now he was 3 in his last 11.

Latest look at the Ping Pong Leaderboard: Isles 56 points in 72 games; Tampa and Colorado 64 points in 73. Chris Botta mentioned that in the thirteen years that the league has used this ping pong-ery to decide the draft that the team with the worst record has only secured the top overall selection 6 times. So, less than 50% of the time the worst team gets the first pick.

What does that mean? Well, it means there's a higher probability that we are gonna get hosed again.

The next lesson comes Friday as the Isles travel to Detroit to face the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.

Weekend Recap: Two Losses and a Ping Pong Update

Friday night was one of the better games I have seen in a while. The Isles and Hurricanes played 60 minutes of break-neck, fire-pants hockey that was simply intriguing to watch.

Most impressive was how the kids reacted to being down 2-0 after the first period. Goalie Peter Mannino was--how do we put this charitably?--a bit off his game; especially on that first goal where he misplayed a dump in and the puck and it went through the crease and right to Matt Cullen 44 seconds into the game.

The kids came back in the second to overtake the Hurricanes and had a 4-2 lead on goals by Frans Nielsen, Richard Park, Bruno Gervais and Kyle Okposo.

Then the Canes came back and potted three unanswered goals as our boys failed to hold the lead.

On Saturday night, the Isles were in Ottawa to play the Senators, who had dropped every meeting this season to the Isles--truly surprising since the Islanders had been beaten up like jobbers over the previous ten years or so when facing the Sens.

The good news was that Josh Bailey scored two goals for the Islanders. Bailey has been going to the net much more of late--as Billy Jaffe has mentioned many times--and his production has certainly picked up in the last few weeks. The goals give him 5 for the season in 58 games. The stats aren't the key to Bailey's rookie season--it's the experience. But hitting the score sheet is good for anyone's confidence.

Also, in our daily drum-beat for Mark Streit, that the defenseman not only leads the team in scoring with 53 points but that he is a +8 on a team that has scored 52 less goals than the opposition. And it isn't like Streit isn't playing only on the power play. He's out there in every situation and logging serious minutes.

The Lightning lost in the shootout Saturday night so they gained a point in the Ping Pong Ball Derby. Current standings:

Phoenix: 67 points
Atlanta: 66 points
Colorado: 64 points
Tampa: 62 points
Islanders: 56 points

The Islanders and Tampa Bay have now played the same amount of games, 72. Colorado, Atlanta, and Phoenix have all played 73 games. Tampa next hosts the Columbus Blue Jackets tomorrow night and the Isles are off until Minnesota invades on Wednesday.

As I type this, I have already been asked my three co-workers about what I thought of Alex Ovechkin's hot stick celebration in Tampa after he got his fiftieth goal of the season.

For me, I love the energy and excitement Alex brings to the rink. He just throws convention in the face of the old "Russian Hockey Robot" stereotype that we've long bought in to. So, right there, you have to think that I thought it was hilarious; which I did. Myself, I'd have been much more comfortable with it if he had done that hot stick thing in his own rink and not on the road.

Don Cherry made a point this weekend on Coaches Corner that the Lightning have been through a terrible season and don't need to be embarrassed any further this year. I agree with that sentiment but I also believe that for a guy like Alex, he never thought about the Lightning and their circus ride of a season. He'd have done that no matter where he scored the 50th goal--it just happened to be in Tampa.

People seem to make Don Cherry out to be a bad guy all the time and yet, I think he is hilarious. Seriously, there are very few people shining a light on the second-tier players throughout the league and he does more for hockey as a whole than all of his detractors combined. He's a patriot who loves his country. How can you argue with that?

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.

Tim Jackman has been signed to a one-year contract extension through the 2009-10 season.

The Isles have rewarded the committed Tim Jackman with a one-year extension.

We're thrilled for Tim, who is the kind of guy the younger Islanders can look up to for professionalism and dedication to the game. He's been called a leader while he was in Bridgeport and with all of the call-ups and kids involved with the big club, it's believed that Jackman's natural leadership will be key as the Isles move forward in 2009.

It's been talked about and written elsewhere how Jackman rededicated himself to his career by hiring a trainer and improving his skating--and all that hard work has paid off.

Quick Hits on a Monday

What we learned this weekend:

Boston is really good.

The Bruins jumped out to a quick two-goal lead and then played the left-wing lock for the rest of the afternoon. The Isles couldn't string two passes together and had trouble gaining the zone against the much bigger Bruins and their trap.

I think we have a winner: Yann Danis over Joey MacDonald. I can't believe I am going to say this but Danis has better rebound control.

Peter Mannino made 40 saves for his first NHL win and the good news is that his family arrived in Chicago in time to see him do it.

Mark Streit scored two goals--after that sick end-to-ender Saturday in Boston--and added an assist while playing over 27 minutes.

Blake Comeau had two assists as he proves to be a legitimate top-six option with his hard work.

Richard Park returned from the injured list and had a goal and an assist in Chicago.

Bruno Gervais proved that he can be a bit of a playmaker by pushing it into the offensive zone. He assisted on one of Streit's goals by taking it to the defense and dishing to his partner. Good stuff.


What we already knew:

Most of that stuff...except the Bruins parts. I mean, you see a team leading the league like that so of course you know they're good but because I am on orange alert every time I heard Jack Edwards' voice, I have not seen a lot of Bruins games this year. Luckily on Saturday people were talking around me a lot while I was watching the game so he didn't pish me off too much. But, yeah, them Bruins are good and they're big and Thomas might be able to do some real damage in the playoffs. They have to be the one team in the East that you can say, as an impartial observer, looks like they can make it to the finals. Sure, everyone is hoping the Caps do well so Ovie can get on center stage but with Theodore in net, you are going to have question marks. He can look really, really good or piss poor in a heartbeat.

Taking a look at The Ping Pong Ball Standings:

Colorado 70 games; 63 points
Atlanta 69 games; 62 points.
Phoenix 69 games; 62 points.
Tampa Bay 69 games; 60 points.
NY Islanders 70 games; 56 points.

As we know, the Islanders are off until Friday, when they go to Carolina (whoo!) to face the Hurricanes.

Colorado plays twice before Friday--at the Wild and hosting the Oil.

Atlanta plays the Caps tonight, at the Crosbies tomorrow, and host Detroit on Friday.

Phoenix and their 62 points host San Jose and Anaheim this week.

The Bolts (60) host Toronto and the Ovies on Thursday.

...and our Islanders (56) play in Carolina Friday and then in Ottawa on Saturday.

And last but not least, check out this link to a hockey guide from 1898!

http://www.library.unh.edu/special/index.php/hockey/spalding-guide

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.

Bruins 2 Isles 1

Isles dropped a sleeper 2-1. Mark Streit scored for the Isles.

End of First period...

Bruins are up 2-0 on goals by Kessel and Savard. Bruins scored two goals in the first 4:30 then they played the lock for the rest of the period.

Richard Park has returned for the Isles. Yann Danis is in net.

Isles 3, Canadiens 2 in OT; how do you say "boo" in French?

First off, thanks for the emails about the draft order post from the other day. You can cool out for now, dear readers, because Tampa Bay and Atlanta both won last night.

In the darkness, there is always a shining light. Right now, that shining light is Kyle Okposo.

Isn't it just fantastic to see the kid improve his game right before our eyes? Seriously, Okposo had another Monster (TM, Pierre McGuire) effort last night before a pretty testy crowd in Montreal. Okposo scored the GWG just 32 seconds into the overtime session to give the Islanders a rare road win in a building full of stunned and forlorn Canadiens fans who are watching the great centennial season become a greater disappointment than the solo career of Chris Cornell.

The Bell Centre had been teasing going NWO on the Canadiens throughout the game. There were times where party boy Carey Price was hearing it. At other times--such as the full two minute 5-on-3 that Okposo killed pretty much on his own--that the derision and impatience was palpable at home on my recliner.

In the OT, after Okposo's winner--a goal that barely crossed the goal line and in real-time seemed to be going in slow motion--the crowd really took it out on the team.

Some of you may not know that I am something of an impressionist. I'll do my best to do my impression of 20,000 pissed off French Canadians right here for you now.

I think it would go...a little something...like this:

Boux! Booooux!

Thank you very much. You're too kind.

Anyway, back to tacks.

Once Bridgeport announced their clear day roster, it's becoming clear now that Kyle Okposo will probably spend his spring playing for Team USA at the World Championships. You'd figure after the second half that he's had that being named to the team is just a formality. It's a great opportunity for the precocious Islanders forward, who will get some playoff-type schooling while playing with some of the country's other top players.

With no NHL playoffs to worry about, the Isles young players will still have chances to play in situations that will allow them to expand upon their careers with some tournament experience. Blake Comeau, Jack Hillen, Jesse Joensuu, and others will get a chance to lead the Bridgeport Sound Tigers toward the Calder Cup. Okposo has the World Championships. They may not be in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but the young core will have a chance to play in some very important games where results matter. Any experience is good experience at this stage of the game.

Isles are back tomorrow afternoon in Boston. Yep, that means Jack Edwards and Andy Brickley for me. Wish me well.

Um, this is no way to tank

While we all like to see our team win and improve, you have to turn an eye toward the standings in hopes of having the best chance at the first overall pick.

We used to like torturing ourselves by giving you an update on the bottom-feeder standings earlier in the year but now it's getting scary.



Take a look at the league-wide standings. Our laundry is at the bottom of the list, of course, but notice how much closer the rest of the tankers are getting to the Islanders.

Last night's opponent--and winners in OT, the Leafs--are sort of gaining on the Isles. Toronto and the LA kings are tied with 67 points--15 away from the Isles. That seems like a safe, comfortable cushion between thirtieth and twenty-fourth place.

But check out the Lightning, Thrashers, and Avalanche. Only six points between Colorado and the Islanders. That's only a modest three-game winning streak. The Lightning are horrendous and have lost three games in a row. They're not getting any better and probably have quit on the season a long time ago. The Isles are playing with spunk and energy and are giving balls-out effort every night; whereas the spend Lightning can't even crack a fart.

Think about this: how shameful is it for the Lightning to be this bad? They have Vincent Lecavalier! Martin St-Louis! Even that Stamkos kid! There's real, bona fide NHL skill there already and they're already fishing with the Ti-D-Bowl Man.

At this point, who would you rather be a fan of: the Islanders? Tampa? Atlanta? Colorado? Even Ottawa and Toronto? If you are looking at the silver lining and not going for the easy put down, mainstream media, you're looking at the Islanders and the second half they've had and you have to think that there really is a plan in place and dammit if the future doesn't look pretty decent.

Of course, being able to secure a talented scorer like John Tavares would help immensely in the rebuild.

So, you know, play hard and all but don't go all crazy about it.

And by the way, noted hockey expert and humble humanitarian-type Mike Francesa can say anything he wants about Tavares and rumors he doesn't want to play for the Islanders because he doesn't know jack. That rumor was put to rest in an interview with ESPN's (and HNIC Hot Stove-r) Pierre LeBrun the other day. Here's Tavares quote:

"It's not true at all," Tavares said. "Wherever I'm selected, 100 percent I'm going to be going there. If it is the New York Islanders, of course I'm going to go. I think they've got a lot of good prospects and there's some good things happening there. Obviously, they're looking to get a new arena, which is always exciting. And it's a team with great tradition and history."

********

The game itself at the ACC was another showcase for the kids. Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau scored for the Isles. Joey MacDonald has another decent game in net in his attempt to fend off Yann Danis for the pleasure of carrying Ricky's golf bag next season.

But the big news is that Bruno Gervais...wait for it...had a fight.

Gervais is a guy who'd probably not even call himself a physical player, fought Lee Stempniak last night. Bruno Gervais. Not enforcer Joel Rechlicz.

Look, I am not big fan of hockey fights but I do like it when guys stick up for themselves, which Bruno clearly did. After checking Stempniak into the boards, the Leafs player got up and looked pretty pissed about it. Bruno held his hands palms up in a "what was I supposed to do, he turned" kind of way and then the two went at it. Nothing to write home about, really, but good to see Bruno can go if he has to.

Kyle Okposo was clearly the best player on the ice last night. Hopefully his performance in the self-proclaimed "center of the hockey universe" opened some eyes league-wide because Okposo absolutely needs to be on the American Olympic team in 2010.

The sad thing is that Islanders fans know how much he's improved and how great he looks on the ice for almost every shift but around the league, I don't know that there is a huge buzz for Kyle yet. Maybe if he hits 20 goals--he now has 15--that'll open some eyes around the NHL.

Mike Iggulden had another assist and now has points (no goals yet) in each of his first three games he's played this season.

Scary bit in the third when Sean Bergenheim left the game and did not return. I don't recall any updates during the game so I guess it is safe to assume that he'll be "evaluated" today.

Isles are back in Canada tomorrow night to play Team Turmoil, the Montreal Canadiens.

Isles 3 Phoenix 2

The Doaner scored one late for the Coyotes. Yann Danis had something like 40 saves for the win.

Isles will now begin a six-game road swing. It all begins Tuesday in Toronto.

End of First Period, Phoenix is up 1-0

Mrs. NYIFORLIFE.com, on seeing Jesse Joensuu being interviewed during the game:

"These kids are so young that the team dinner's going to be at Chuck E. Cheese."

NHL LIVE - Bill Guerin to Pittsburgh

For a CONDITIONAL DRAFT PICK. WTF?

Guerin to Pittsburgh

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

Guerin deal dead...

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

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

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

This year's item: Bill Guerin.

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

Problem is, the fans aren't laughing.

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

Shame on the organization.

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

Let's examine that charge for a minute.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And that, in a word, sucks.

Isles Defeat Colorado, 4-2

Jesse Joensuu was a surprise call-up for last night's game against the Avalanche and he responded by scoring his first NHL goal as the Isles beat Colorado 4-2 in front of some very hearty souls who braved a foot of snow to see the Isles live and in living color, baby!

(Superfluous Dusty Rhodes imitation out of the way. We soldier on.)

Jon Sim (!) added three assists last night and I know what you're thinking: WTF? I am too. Sim has been piling up the points of late with some increased ice time.

His first assist came on a pass to Dean McAmmond at 13:15 of the first period. McAmmond fired a wrist shot that squeezed through Colorado goaltender Andrew Raycroft to put our boys up 1-0.

Former Islander Ryan Smyth tied it at one just 33 seconds into the second period with a power-play goal. Smyth ended up scoring both Colorado goals last night and was booed every time he touched the puck.

I understand the resentment toward Smyth but booing the guy at this point is counterproductive to what the young Islanders are trying to achieve. Sure, if Smyth has signed on to become the leader of the Islanders perhaps GM Garth Snow would be looking to add pieces to a playoff team and we wouldn't have this strip-and-rebuild that we've seen all season. If the Isles had hung onto to Smyth and added players around him, the team would probably still be at that seventh or eighth playoff position and getting bounced in the first round all the time. If you're in the middle class on the NHL, you're no closer to winning the cup that you are if you're missing the playoffs year after year. You get middle round draft picks and middle area free agents and the teams just tread water until the bottom falls out.

Don't believe me? See Ottawa. Their window of opportunity slammed on them when they lost the Stanley Cup finals. Now they're on the outside of the playoff picture just floating around and picking up guys like Mike Comrie to try and make a late push. They've got four guys with contracts that make them untradeable and now they will suffer for that for the next few years unless they can find some charity to take Spezza off their hands. And that ain't likely.

Anwyay, the Islanders goals were scored by The Deaner; Joensuu, Bruno Gervais (on a great play in front of the net--join the play, Bruno!) and the prodigal son who never left, Jeff Tambellini.

Yann Danis was strong in net again for the Islanders and has really made a case to be brought back as Rick DiPietro's backup next season. Joey MacDonald was strong during the early part of the year but Danis has stepped in and given the Isles a chance to win most nights he is between the pipes.

Guerin News from Darren Dreger of TSN

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

The waiting game continues for Bill Guerin and Derek Morris.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Islanders Saturday

Busy day with a lot to do so this'll be short.

Incredible interview with Islanders owner Charles Wang from Newsday can be found here.

Brendan Witt got five games for his hit on Hagman Thursday night.

I've been really bad this year covering the Sound Tigers but you can read about their game last night in Philadelphia at the Connecticut Post. We had an interview with Tigers' beat writer Mike Fornabaio last May if you'd like to did through the archives...which are found at the left of these posts.

Sabres tonight and the national Versus game against Ryan Smyth and the Avalanche on Monday.

TSN on Guerin

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

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

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

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

Toronto Shootout

Last night, the Isles lost 5-4 in the shootout. But that isn't the big story.

Radek Martinek got knocked silly with just over three minutes in regulation. He left the game and probably will be evaluated today.

The oft-injured Martinek is one of my favorites. He's a steady influence back on the blue line but he is out of the lineup (it seems) all the time with one malady or another. With the trade deadline approaching, there has been speculation that a contender would want to add a guy like Radek for the playoff run. Now is not the time to play favorites; I understand that.

But again, Radek Martinek is not the big story here.

Brendan Witt threw an elbow at the head of Toronto's Niklas Hagman and received a game-misconduct 2:21 in the third.

Witt, according to Newsday, said the hit was accidental and apologized to Hagman. He'll be at the league offices today and with Colin Campbell running the show, is likely will be suspended. He deserves it.

But that is not the big story either.

The big story, to me anyway, was that Mark Streit played 31:31 and added a goal and an assist for his night's work. No matter how many times we say it, Streit has been a revelation this season for the Islanders...and has arguably the brightest of spots in a season with so very few of them. I find myself still wondering how the heck Montreal thought this guy was not defensively aware enough to garner regular minutes on defense for the Canadiens last year.

This should not come as a surprise, but Mark Streit is also pretty much a lock for the 2008-09 NYIFORLIFE.COM Islander of the Year. More to come on that score after the season ends.

The Isles found themselves down 1-0 very quickly on a goal by Ian White at 1:27 of the first. The way the boys were skating, it looked like it could have been the beginning of a very long night for the faithful, but we ended the first frame 1-0.

Carbon copy to open the second as former Ranger Dominic Moore took a sly drop pass from Jason Blake to make it 2-0 for the visitors 57 seconds into the middle period.

It was a slow start but the Isles were getting their collective feet underneath them and with an increased determination on the forecheck, they were able to bring the pace to the Leafs.

Islander fan and current Islander Dean MacAmmond scored his first as an Islander at 14:32 of the second on a pass from behind the net from captain Bill Guerin.

Sean Bergenheim, who seemed to have about ten breakaways while on the PK, slipped one past Vesa Toskala at 3:30 into the third period to knot it at two. Oh, yeah. Bergie missed on a penalty shot earlier in the game...so, you know, a measure of payback.

Toronto came right back to reclaim the lead on the same power play (Witt's elbowing major) on a goal by Pavel Kubina; which was followed a minute or so later by Nik Antropov.

Streit made it 4-3 at 11:29 of the third period on a slapshot--after faking a first slapshot to draw the defender to the ice. It was really, really sweet.

Then the suddenly hot Jonathan Sim tied the game up at 4 at 16:53 of the third period on a pass from Streit.

In the shootout, Blake and Jeff Tambellini traded scores before rookie Tim Stapleton capped the night with a wrist shot past Joey MacDonald to give the visitors the win. The Maple Leafs won all three games vs. their New York Area foes this week. Check the Canadian papers to see if they think the Leafs can make a last-ditch playoff push!

Islanders are back hosting the Sabres Saturday night at 7PM at the Coliseum.

Remember These Guys? Freaking Fisherman...

Former Islanders owners Greenwood and Walsh arrested on securities fraud charges
BY Thomas Zambito
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Wednesday, February 25th 2009

Two former members of the New York Islanders' infamous Gang of Four ownership group were arrested on securities fraud charges today for swindling top-flight universities out of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Paul Greenwood and Stephen Walsh were arrested today and are expected to appear in Manhattan Federal Court this afternoon.

The two were members of the much-maligned ownership group that led the Islanders during some bleak years in the early 1990s, following a string of Stanley Cup championships a decade before.

Walsh and Greenwood were suspended by the National Futures Association last week after they refused to cooperate with an audit. The move prevented them from placing any trades on accounts they controlled or soliciting investor funds.

Last week, the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University sued the duo's Greenwich, Ct.-based Westridge Capital Management, demanding the return of $114 million.

The feds say Greenwood bought horses with the stolen cash, and Walsh paid for a luxury apartment for his ex-wife as part of a divorce settlement.

Charities, universities, pension plans and others had investments of $668 million with WG Trading Investors run by Greenwood and Walsh.

Brent Sutter's Head Explodes; Trade Deadline Coming

Suffered through the Mike Emrick-less Devils broadcast on Saturday night. I love listening to Chico Resch and you pretty much have to or you'll notice that the guy doesn't breathe for like 2 hours straight during the games. It's like he is afraid to let the game breathe and he just yammers over any free second that he can. For whatever reason, when people like (oh, let's say) Moose Johnston does that during football, I hate it. But with Chico, who is like your favorite uncle, I totally enjoy it. Good on ya, Chico!

Now that Deuce Bigelow guy Cangialosi, well, he is tough to take and it is probably because he just isn't Doc. Emrick had the night off because he had the PBP duties yesterday for the NBC game. Maybe I just don't like him from listening to him do Red Bulls games. Enh.

Isles were paced by a TREEmendous game in net by Yann Danis--who made 40 saves for the Islanders' first shutout of the year. Goals were scored by Sim, Bergenheim, Guerin, and Okposo. Man, Kyle is going to be a good one if he keeps his head on straight.

Guerin's goal was indicative of where we're at right now: Brendan Witt is now parked in front of the net on the power play. As Greg Logan wrote over the weekend, during the wiping the Isles took against Carolina, Mike Comrie had to know what was coming when Scott Gordon sent the veterans over the boards on the power play and called Witt's name.

The captain's reaction to his goal the other night is indicative of why I'm hoping he is kept around for next year. Guerin simply beamed after scoring as if he was happy the Isles were playing such a good game. Now the cynic may say that he was happy thinking the warrior Witt had tipped in Guerin's shot for his first goal of the year, but remember, if someone is totally hating their situation and not enjoying themselves at all, they're not smiling for anything. It just shows you that the captain is still in the foxhole with the kids and he is doing what he can to help them become professional hockey players.

I mean, if the captain is not complaining and trying to undermine the coach and organization, the other guys are going to fall in line behind him. Guerin knows it is important to lead and give back just as others did for him when he was getting started in the NHL.

Saying that, I'm going to sing the familiar refrain that if he wants to be back, Garth Snow and Scott Gordon need to let Bill Guerin understand how highly they think of him and how much he's respected in the organization. Unselfish guys like Guerin and Doug Weight do not come along very often and in an extreme case of rebuilding, you need good soldiers who "get it" to lead the next generation the right way.

My guess is that Garth will have (or has already) had this talk with Guerin, Witt, and Weight. He probably just asks them what they want and lets them know that if they're willing to help the Isles with this bridge that the organization wants them to aid in the development of the kids.

And who knows, a guy like Guerin may see the development of a kid like Kyle Okposo and find that exciting and decide to stick around and help in any ay he can.

Oh, yeah--and Brent Sutter looked like he was gonna have steam come out of his ears on Saturday. Plus, he is looking more and more like Dobby the House Elf from the Harry Potter movies every day.

AND the Rangers have fired Tom Renney, according to the Daily News.

Lighthouse Moves Forward; from Newsday

Islanders' Lighthouse project gets some good news
BY ANTHONY RIEBER

anthony.rieber@newsday.com,
ken.davidoff@newsday.com

11:25 PM EST, February 20, 2009

Islanders owner Charles Wang's Lighthouse Project took a small step forward on Friday when Hempstead supervisor Kate Murray called on the town board to approve a key environmental report at its next meeting on Tuesday.

"I firmly believe it will be approved," Murray said in a telephone interview.

She was referring to the environmental report, not the overall project, which she has not taken a position on.

If the board approves the report, Lighthouse developers will next have to answer concerns about how the $3-billion project that includes a refurbished Nassau Coliseum will impact the local environment.

Murray trumpeted the town's speed in producing the report -- which many Islanders fans and Lighthouse supporters will likely see as an excellent example of chutzpah since the town has been accused of dragging its feet on approving the Lighthouse project.

The town has put the onus on the developers, saying a new arena could have been built already had the scope of the surrounding project not been so ambitious.

"I'm very proud of the speed with which town officials have processed with this environmental review," Murray said.

"We got it done in less than nine months. It's just unprecedented in a development of this size."

Murray said the town has worked "very much hand and glove throughout the last nine months" with Lighthouse developers to expedite the environmental report and the developers' response.

Coincidentally, it will be "Town of Hempstead Night" on Saturday when the Islanders host the Devils. Supporters of the Lighthouse Project are planning a demonstration during the ceremonial puck drop.

Murray said she will be unable to attend as she has "three Fire Department dinners and other events" on her schedule.

Lighthouse Project officials did not return a call and e-mail seeking comment.

Islanders Team Report: Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

Even the Islanders’ most durable player was not immune to the runaway injury bug that has made its way through the entire locker room this season.

With the Isles’ whopping total of man-games lost to injuries this season approaching 400, veteran forward Richard Park became the latest regular to land on the disabled list.

Park, who had appeared in 221 consecutive games since joining the team in 2006-07, is expected to miss at least four weeks with broken ribs suffered Wednesday against the Rangers. That leaves captain Bill Guerin as the lone Islander to have appeared in all 58 games this season.

“Obviously, Parkie’s a very versatile guy for us and a very hard guy to replace,” coach Scott Gordon said.

Gordon long ago became accustomed to operating without a ridiculous amount of lineup regulars. Entering Saturday’s game against New Jersey, 14 Islanders had missed at least 10 games because of injuries.

Hurricanes 6, Islanders 2: Despite owning the worst record in the NHL, the Islanders haven’t put forth many performances that could be categorized as clunkers. This one definitely was one of them.

Following up a physical effort in a loss Wednesday against the rival Rangers, the Isles were dominated in all aspects by playoff-hungry Carolina on Thursday at Nassau Coliseum. Numerous defensive breakdowns led to six goals on 30 shots against goalie Joey MacDonald as the Isles fell to 1-6-1 in their last eight games.

“It’s a situation where we haven’t had one of those in awhile,” coach Scott Gordon said. “We’re not the only team to have a bad night. Given where we are in the standings, one would expect it happens quite often, but it hasn’t.”

Notes, Quotes

• C Dean McAmmond was acquired from Ottawa along with a first-round draft pick this year for C Mike Comrie and D Chris Campoli. The draft pick originally belonged to San Jose; the Senators got it in a deal with Tampa Bay.

• RW Tim Jackman earned 17 minutes in penalties—a minor for instigating, a five-minute major for fighting and a 10-minute misconduct—for fighting Carolina defenseman Tim Conboy, who ran over Isles goalie Joey MacDonald in the third period of the Hurricanes’ 6-2 win Thursday.

“It was just frustration, and sticking up for your teammate, your goalie,” Jackman said. “(Conboy) went to the net hard, and stuff like that happens out there.’”

• RW Trent Hunter returned to the lineup after missing four games with a strained hip flexor suffered Feb. 10 against Los Angeles, replacing injured forward Richard Park. Hunter had an even rating and no points over 15:34 of ice time..

Quote To Note: “Obviously, I think the result speaks for itself. I don’t really accept that we haven’t had a bad one in a while … It’s unacceptable to perform like that.”—Islanders defenseman Mark Streit following a 6-2 loss Thursday against Carolina.

Isles trade Comrie and Campoli; Get San Jose's first-rounder

Islanders Point Blank is reporting that Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli have been sent to Ottawa. The Isles also acquire veteran forward Dean McAmmond.

TSN reports that the first-rounder was acquired by the Senators last August. This figures to be a late-first round pick since the Sharks are kicking ass out West.

BILL'S TAKE: I agree with Chris Botta in the fact that I am surprised Garth Snow was able to get a first-rounder for Campoli and an expiring contract. Campoli goes home to Ontario and gets out of the dog house he was in with Scott Gordon. Does this move mean a playoff push for the Senators? Probably not. They'll probably tease their fans with a late run but I expect they'll be on the outside come April.

Wade Redden vs. Mark Streit

Redden signed with the Rangers for six-years and $39 million bucks last summer.

Mark Streit singed with the Islanders for five-years and $20 million dollars on the same day as Redden, July 1.

At the time, I was scratching my head and wondering why the hell someone would pay Redden that kind of money. I talked it over with my buddy, a Senators fan, and we just laughed at it. Typical Ranger signing. They go for the name and not for the, um, game.

I had a chance to see Wade Redden quite a lot last season and for whatever reason, he stunk it up out there for Ottawa. Here was a guy who was going from Canadian Olympic team consideration to playing like a guy with no experience whatsoever. There was no confidence in his offensive game and it showed.

Of course, even though everyone else had to see the same thing, the papers were all happy that they signed him. Mark Streit's signing was either under the radar (America) or laughed at (in Canada) as another one of those silly Islander moves.

Today, right now, you think the Rangers would like a do-over?

Redden is booed in his home rink more often that the out of town scoreboard. He looks confused on the ice and squeezes his stick too hard. Actually, that's it: the guy is trying to hard. He seems to have forgotten how to let the game come to him rather than jumping in and making mistakes trying to justify his contract.

Mark Streit, on the other hand, is on the Island, enjoying himself, and telling the Daily News' Peter Botte that he "couldn't be happier with (his) decision (to sign with the Isles)" and that he thinks the "team is going to be very good before my contract is over."

Montreal's powerplay is in the dumper. They're telling the captain, Alex Kovalev, to stay home for two games while embarrassing party pictures of their young players are hitting the internet. Now they are alleged to have players with "gangster ties".

You think Mark is happy to be out of there?

The point of all of this is that the Mark Streit signing is proof that Snow and Jankowski and Gordon have a clue at what they're doing. They could have pinpointed a big "name" player to sign but the under-the-radar signing of a solid two-way force like Mark Streit is a testament that the Islanders pro scouts are doing a heck of a job.

Shootout: Nova Scotia vs. Nova Scotia

Sidney, it seems, can be stopped. So can Malkin. All you need is a little "Joe-mentum"!

(I apologize for that last joke. It was for my wife and webmistress of nyiforlife.com, who will think it is hilarious.)

President's Day seems like a great day for hockey. Don't all of them? Every day is a great day for hockey. Badger Bob said it first and I've now said it second.

In case you missed it, the Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Crosbies 3-2 in the shootout yesterday. Joey MacDonald was back between the pipes for shaky angle guy Yann Danis and McDonald put together a heck of a performance holding the fort for his first win of 2009.

The kids were back in focus in a big way yesterday. Coach Scott Gordon sent Frans Nielsen; the Witness-Protected Jeff Tambellini, and Kyle Okposo out for the shootout. Frans scored and so did Tambellini--with a wrister we sure as hell would like to see more of--and Kyle did not. One of these days he is going to get one with that backhand drag he always tries. Looks great, Kyle, but we're gonna need to pot one to make us love it.

The Isles were paced by a speedy Sean Bergenheim, who played the game like he had something to prove to Scott Gordon, and Frans Nielsen. Bruno Gervais also chipped in with some strong defensive play that Howie Rose called Bruno's best game of the season.

Bergenheim has been quoted as saying that he thinks he deserves more ice time and more chances on the power play. Critics would point to the lapses of his defensive game and the uninterested shifts he plays now and again. And while he always seems to have a power stride to the net, Bergenheim has shown to have hands of stone. He generally plays stubborn, which is good, but his finishing doesn't seem to be there.

Gervais is another case. Bruno is supposed to--according to his junior scoring, etc--have a offensive flair but perhaps his over-compensating for his defensive responsibilities has taken the offense right out of his game. He shows flashes but needs more confidence like we saw yesterday.

Okposo continues to impress. In overtime, Okposo has left in a one-on-one situation with Sid the Kid and our kid forced Crosby wide of Joey Mac before taking the puck away from him and starting a last-second dash toward Marc Andre Fleury. A thing of beauty, that was. Billy and Howie even had it as the play of the game.

Tomorrow the Islanders are taking the train to MSG to play the sliding Rangers. If you think that guy outside the Garden looks like the Rangers' coach, that just may be Tom Renney out front with a Will Work For Food sign.

Islanders Team Report: Yahoo! Sports

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Notes, Quotes

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

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

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

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

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

Islanders lose C Weight for six weeks with MCL sprain

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

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

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

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

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

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

Devils 4 Islanders 2; Weight out again

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

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

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

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

Now we just need a couple more like him.

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

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

Fair enough.

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

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

Kings beat the Isles in the shootout

If you didn't know the youth movement was going on, you sure as heck did last night when Scott Gordon sent Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey out for the shootout.

Bummer neither scored, but it wasn't for a lack of effort. These kids simply play their hearts out.

We've been saying it for a long time around these parts that the Isles may lose a lot of games but that the effort is always there. That's a testament to the coaching staff and the veteran leadership on the team. Billy Guerin may never get as much credit as he deserves for the job he has done as the captain of the Islanders this year. It's hard to throw a lot of positive superlatives around when the team is playing for a pick and not for The Cup, but Guerin, Weight, Park, and Witt (amongst others) have been good keeping the spirits up around the room and passing down what they've learned to the Islanders future core.

The vets could be bitching and complaining about the kids and their lack of experience but outwardly, you see no signs of that. I don't know about you, but as a guy who loves this team, it is refreshing to see the older guys who man up and take on the responsibility to mentor the players who are ultimately going to move the game forward.

Yann Danis had another strong game in net in his attempt to prove he is an NHL goaltender. After watching him this season, I wonder if he is the kind of player who is sort of the heavily-padded version of Jeff Tambellini --someone who is really good at the American League level and at the lower-end of the NHL level as far as ability goes. If only there was a league in between the AHL and the NHL, then both guys would be stars.

Case in point: the first Kings goal last night. The sweeping shot by LA's Wayne Simmonds is just a save an NHL goalie has to make. But, the minor league guys are all battlers; as Don Cherry will tell you, and Danis kept the team in the game with a few nice saves in the second and third periods as the team raised their collective intensity.

After the quick score by Simmonds, the Isles tied the game on a goal from Doug Weight. Billy Guerin found himself all alone in front of Kings' goalie Jonathan Quick and made a cheeky back pass to a streaking Weight for the tying goal at 4:53.

Hard-charging Tim Jackman put the Isles ahead 2-1 in the second but the Kings Anze Kopitar counterpunched to tie it back up just over a minute later at 5:27.

The Isles regained the lead later in the period off the stick of Andy Hilbert. Alexander Frolov tied it for the Kings at 6:42 on a rebound as the Kings upped the pressure on the Islanders.

The boys are back at it tonight at The Rock against the Devils.

Another Man Down: Thompson out 4-6 weeks

Greg Logan reports that Nate Thompson is going to miss the next 4-6 weeks with a shoulder injury sustained on the Dad's Trip through Florida.

My wife Linzi took a picture featured on the Yahoo Puck Daddy Blog. Too bad it had to be something involving Larry Brooks' main squeeze.

Howie Rose will be featured on the NHL Network's "Voices" show this week. I love this show. It's a behind-the-scenes look at hockey broadcasters as they plan out and describe their game day rituals. With Howie and Billy, you know it is going to be entertaining...but if he does that "Matteau!" stuff, I am gonna puke!

Lighthouse Alternative?

Could Isles net the Point?
Plan pushes Iron Triangle home
BY Nicholas Hirshon New York Daily News

Tuesday, February 10th 2009, 10:45 AM

SKATING SOON at a rink near you - the Iron Triangle Islanders?

The Queens Chamber of Commerce is making a long-shot bid to lure the four-time Stanley Cup champions from Nassau County as part of redevelopment plans for Willets Point, a maze of auto body shops near Citi Field.

The Islanders - who are reportedly mulling a move in case plans fall through to revamp their arena, the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, L.I. - declined to comment on the Willets Point proposal.

Queens Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President Jack Friedman noted the Isles' Coliseum lease expires in 2015, near the anticipated opening of a Willets Point convention center.

"Queens makes sense [for the Islanders] from so many levels because of the airports and its central location," Friedman said, also noting the area's proximity to highways and subways.

But Yale University Prof. Charles Euchner, an expert on sports team relocations, mocked Willets Point as a "half-baked" option because it would require too many infrastructure changes.

The Islanders stoked speculation about a move last month by scheduling a preseason game for September in Kansas City, which opened a state-of-the-art arena in 2007 and has been trying ever since to land a National Hockey League franchise.

The Isles are also moving their training camp in Canada from New Brunswick to Saskatoon, a puck-wild city that gunned for the St. Louis Blues in 1983.

Meanwhile, Islanders owner Charles Wang has reportedly grown impatient with Nassau officials for taking years to okay his project to renovate the Coliseum and redevelop the nearby area with shops and restaurants.

A spokesman for the Town of Hempstead board, which must approve Wang's plans, said its members are "anxious to do everything we can to keep" the Islanders in Uniondale.

But Friedman isn't alone in asking Wang, a Queens College grad, to consider a change.

Asked about hosting the Isles, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall said she would be "very receptive" while the city announced it's "open" to letting the team play in a Queens park.

City Councilman John Liu (D-Flushing) said the Isles should relocate to Queens to escape the Coliseum mess while staying near fans in Nassau and Suffolk - a scenario that neither Kansas City nor Saskatoon can offer.

"A hockey team like the Islanders enjoys a strong fan base," Liu said of the local following the team has built over four decades. "Their enterprise is not like a warehouse you could plunk in the middle of anywhere."

Even Mets third baseman David Wright was willing to share the borough's sports scene.

"I'd recommend it," Wright said of an Isles move. "I would endorse playing in Queens."

Islanders Team Report from Yahoo Sports

With the fewest points in the NHL, the Islanders already will be playing for future jobs over their final 30 games.

But an official competition is shaping up for the right to back up starting goalie Rick DiPietro next season—a job that often entails a heavy workload because of the former All-Star’s frequent trips to the injured list, including his ongoing knee issues.

Joey MacDonald opened this season as DiPietro’s understudy and seemingly earned a new contract for 2009-10 with solid nightly play in starting 36 of 42 games before the All-Star break. But third-stringer Yann Danis has allowed three or fewer goals in seven of his last eight starts entering Tuesday’s home game against Los Angeles, and he appears to have gained the trust of head coach Scott Gordon.

“One thing about Yann, I think he’s taken it a step further than what Joey did,” Gordon said. “Not that Joey didn’t play well, but certainly, Yann, from a level of consistency, has been able to play like a guy that’s a true No. 1. That’s reflective of his numbers…to consistently give up less than three goals is what you expect a No. 1 guy to do, and that’s the type of performance he’s been able to give us.

“It goes hand in hand with his success. When you have that kind of goaltending, it certainly makes it easier for your team to know that, when you have those off moments, it’s going to stay tight.”

Lightning 1, Islanders 0: Yann Danis had won his previous four starts and certainly appeared in line for another, keeping the Islanders in a 0-0 tie with several acrobatic saves until late in the third period Saturday night in Tampa. Still, opposing goalie Mike McKenna ended up with his first shutout in just his third NHL start, as veteran Gary Roberts’ redirection goal with 6:26 remaining sent the last-overall Isles (16-31-5) to their second straight one-goal loss.

“It’s never fun to lose like that in the third,” said Danis, who made 27 saves. “We played a good game. We battled hard. There’s definitely some positives out of it.”

Notes, Quotes

• D Chris Campoli has been installed as the Isles’ power-play quarterback with All-Star D Mark Streit, the Isles’ leading scorer this season, sidelined the last two games with a shoulder injury.

“It was different. I’m in (Streit’s) position, and we’ve all seen he does such a great job every night,” Campoli told Newsday. “It’s definitely big shoes to fill, and I just tried to go out there and keep it simple.”

• LW Sean Bergenheim was activated off the injured list after missing the previous eight games with a strained muscle in his side suffered Jan. 13, replacing center Nate Thompson (shoulder) in the lineup.

Quote To Note: “Yann’s really stepped up. He’s given us a chance every time he’s played. It’s great to see a kid like that come in and play really well for us when he gets a chance.”—Defenseman Brendan Witt, on goalie Yann Danis, following a hard-luck 1-0 loss Saturday at Tampa Bay.

Player Notes:

• G Yann Danis lowered his goals-against average over his past five starts to 1.61, but he didn’t win for the first time in that stretch in a 1-0 loss Saturday in Tampa Bay.

• RW Trent Hunter’s four-game point streak (3-1-4) was halted.

• D Chris Campoli logged a team-high 24:19 of ice-time, including 5:40 of power-play time with No. 1 defenseman Mark Streit sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Medical Watch:

• G Rick DiPietro, who appeared in just five games due to multiple injuries, has been shut down for the remainder of the season with swelling in his surgically repaired left knee.

• D Mark Streit sat out his second straight game Saturday against Tampa Bay with a shoulder injury and remains day-to-day.

• D Thomas Pock also has missed the last two games with a hand injury suffered Feb. 3 against Tampa Bay.

• 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 straight 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 expected to miss 8-to-10 weeks.

• C Nate Thompson was placed on the injured list after suffering a shoulder injury Feb. 5 against Florida.

Zednik's sick goal from last night

Islanders place D Pock on injured reserve

UNIONDALE, NEW YORK (TICKER) —The New York Islanders on Thursday placed defenseman Thomas Pock on injured reserve with a hand injury.

The move is retroactive to Tuesday, and Pock is expected to be out four weeks.

Pock has appeared in 41 games this season, recording one goal and two assists.

Also on Thursday, the Islanders recalled defensemen Joe Callahan and Jack Hillen from Bridgeport of the American Hockey League.

New York Islanders 10 Greatests Games DVD

Here is the listing for the New York Islanders 10 Greatest Games DVD that comes out on March 3:

Game 6 Stanley Cup Final vs. Flyers 5/24/80
Game 5 Stanley Cup Final vs. North Stars 5/21/81
Game 5 comeback vs. Penguins 4/43/82
Game 4 Stanley Cup Final vs. Canucks 5/16/82
Game 4 Stanley Cup Final vs. Oilers 5/17/83
Ken Morrow OT winner vs. Rangers 4/10/84
Easter Epic vs. Capitals 4/18/87
David Volek OT winner vs. Penguins 5/14/93
Shawn Bates Penalty shot vs. Leafs 4/24/02
Al Arbour's 1500th game vs. Penguins 11/3/07

Visit Amazon.com for more information on this exciting Islanders collection.

Four in a row!

Don't look now, be we got us a little streak here.

Yann Danis again took a shutout into the third period but the Islanders shut the door on the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 last night.

All it took was a little over three minutes of playing time in the second period for the Isles to score their three goals.

Trent Hunter scored his 13th at 6:27 on a tip-in from Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo. Since coming back from the lacerated finger, Hunter has been fantastic. For that matter, Nielsen has been playing very well since he came back from that hit to the head from Mike Mottau. I was worried about the young guy's fearlessness evaporating after the hit because before it happened, Nielsen was playing like he was seeing the ice very well and he was really becoming a playmaking catalyst out there. Since he's been back, it's like he picked up his bike and started riding again.

Just over two minutes later, the Isles struck out to a two-goal lead when The Streiter tipped in a pass from Doug Weight at 8:29. I don't mean to talk like Yoda but a bargain, Streit is. He's been everything and more for the Isles this year. Great job by the Islanders pro scouts.

I've often thought that Radek Martinek scores, good things happen. That's not only because I admired Radek's steady influence on the blue line, but because he doesn't score all that often. But last night, Martinek ripped a slapper for his first of the year at 9:52. Park and Witt with the assists.

The team also continues to get strong contributions from guys like Tim Jackman, who fought Vincent Lecavalier and took the Lightning's best player off the ice with him for five minutes. It seems like such a little thing, but stopped a guy like Lecavalier is difficult enough. And really, Vincent should be smarter than to allow himself to be goaded into a fight when his team is struggling for offense. Great move by Jackman, who has really developed into a player that coach Scott Gordon can put into most any situation because he knows Jackman will give maximum effort.

The player of the night was definitely Yann Danis. The guy often scares the heck out of me with his rebound control but over the past few games, he has been much improved. Danis has done exactly what Joey MacDonald has done this season as he has been able to keep the Islanders in most games. MacDonald served as Danis' back-up last night so you have to figure that Joey will be back between the pipes Thursday in Florida when the Isles visit the Panthers.

Jonathan Sim and Jeff Tambellini were the healthy scratches for the Islanders. Maybe it's time for Jeff to get off the pot. He's been given plenty of chances and with the kids starting to come together, perhaps the best thing to do would be to ship Tambellini out west and get a pick for the guy as he tries to get himself on track.

Larry Brooks defends the Islanders....kinda

What a weekend.

Not only was I shocked and amazed at the Islanders THREE GAME WINNING STREAK, but then I read in the Post that Larry Brooks--yes, Larry Brooks--took time out of his busy day spooning with Sean Avery to write an almost pro-Islander column that ran on Sunday.

Basically, as a public service, I will sum up what LB wrote about our boys: The Islanders should be allowed to partake in the revenue sharing program the NHL has even though the metro-area TV market has over 2.5 million homes in it; the cut-off point for revenue sharing according to the CBA.

We all understand that ownership is getting whacked pretty hard and loses money every year. We also know that MSG pays the Isles TWENTY MILLION DOLLARS a year to broadcast the games. Mr. Wang has reportedly lost some 20 million bucks a year on the franchise...but I've always wondered if that was after the MSG money or not? Does that mean the Isles are operating at a 40 million dollar loss in an average year and that is halved by the broadcast money?

Whatever the math is, the Isles need that Lighthouse project to go through. And just think, most NHL players' impression of Long Island is the Marriott and the rink. Kids like Josh Bailey (this weekend) and Kyle Okposo have stated that once they drove around and saw what was around them, that both loved the Island.

I can sort of understand where the players are coming from. As someone who is an Islander fan from out of state, I really only knew the same stuff. After visiting and spending some time with friends who had grown up on Long Island, I began to see the area with much different eyes--sort of what Doug Weight said in his "A Day in the Life" special on the NHL Network. You develop that area around the rink and visiting players will see the area more for what it really is rather than a huge parking lot in the middle of nowhere. That's how you get guys interested in playing on beautiful Long Island!

Which brings us back to Larry Brooks. Normally whenever he writes something quasi-positive about the Islanders, it comes as a backhanded compliment. This article was no different. He takes the "Woe are the Islanders" tact that comes off as (surprise) condescending. I prefer Larry sticks to his big boy Rangers crush; his general discontent with Garry Bettman, and his herald-blowing for Paul Kelly and the NHLPA. He can tell us all about how the NHL tried to shut out Dollar Bill Wirtz from taking a handout because his Chicago television market had more than 2.5 million homes and he can write that he thinks the Isles should be eligible for the revenue sharing but in the end, you have to consider the source--and the strings that are attached.

Should the Islanders be eligible for the revenue sharing? Probably. In the article, Brooks quotes NHLPA boss Paul Kelly (how'd LB get THAT interview?) as saying the following:

"I believe the television-market clause discriminates unfairly against teams like the Islanders and Ducks," Kelly told Slap Shots last weekend in Montreal. "The union would certainly support eliminating that clause. It doesn't make sense if we're committed to helping clubs in distress."

To me, right there, Kelly makes perfect sense. The Devils should be allowed as well since they're in a unique situation with the Isles and Rangers in the area of competition covered by Metro Ice. The bigger question that needs to be answered is whether or not Brooks really cares about the "other" local teams in the Metro area or if he is just flexing his self-aggrandizing muscles before going back to bed with the Players' Association.

Cause, you know, we know the man is not above patting himself on the back.

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.

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.

Islanders All-Star Streit paves way for ‘homecoming’

By Bill Bernardi
PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

Mark Streit feels like he’s headed home this weekend.

Where’s the native of Switzerland who plays on Long Island going? Well, Montreal of course.

The lone All-Star representative of the New York Islanders, the 31-year-old Streit will see many of his former mates with the Montreal Canadiens during the upcoming NHL All-Star Weekend.

“I’m just really honored and thrilled to play there,” said Streit, who will be joined by fellow defensemen and current Canadiens Andrei Markov and Mike Komisarek, as well as All-Star captain Alexei Kovalev and goaltender Carey Price.

“It will be nice to see those guys. It’s going to be sweet to go back and have fun with them.”

And what about hockey-crazed Montreal itself?

“It doesn’t get any better than this. I knew it was going to be crazy, but I didn’t expect it to be that crazy,” Streit said. “There were, I don’t know, how many people when we got off the plane asking for autographs?

“It’s a celebration of hockey - all over they will see the fans are so crazy for hockey, how much they are into hockey. I think it will be great for hockey and it will be a really great game, there’s so much atmosphere at the Bell Centre.”

While he’s there, perhaps the two-time Olympian could share a secret or two to jump-start the Canadiens’ lackluster power play.

With Streit at the helm, Montreal was the proud owner of the top-ranked power play for the last two seasons. This season, with Streit toiling on Long Island after signing a five-year contract in the summer, the Canadiens have converted 16.1 percent of their power plays - 24th-best in the league.

For his part, Streit’s 22 power-play points place him in a tie for seventh-place in the league - four behind All-Star Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks.

Considering Streit’s a contestant in the hardest shot competition, it’s no wonder why opposing foes are a bit leery of venturing too close to him.

With eight goals and 27 assists for a team-leading 35 points, Streit has been the lone bright spot for the cellar-dwelling Islanders (13-29-5, 31 points).

And for his efforts, Streit can enjoy his trip “home”.

Isles get first win of 2009!

Yann Danis got his first win in three years.

Kurtis MacLean got his first career goal as a 28-year old rookie.

Kyle Okposo scored again tonight, his seventh. Seriously, the kid makes progress every night.

It was a bit of a crazy one, but the Isles held on to defeat the Anaheim Ducks tonight, 2-1. Goals were scored in the first by Okposo and MacLean. As Billy and Howie said, MacLean's first NHL goal couldn't have been drawn up any better: he ripped a slapshot coming down the right wing that froze the Anaheim goalie Mike Bossy-style. Actually, it was probably more Cam Neely-style, but you know what I mean.

Pretty good effort tonight from Danis, who controlled his rebounds much better tonight. Danis also received a bit of a vote of confidence when the Isles did not pick up Dany Sabourin off waivers from Edmonton today. What this means is that Gordon must have seen something he liked in so far in Danis, even though he never complmented Danis publicly.

Peter Mannino backed up Danis again tonight but Greg Logan reports that Joey MacDonald is progressing ahead of schedule after originally being projected to be sidelined for an entire month with a strained groin.

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.

Oh, Jeez...It's 3-0 Devils

A few minutes into the second, the Devils are up 3-zip. Ugh.

Blue Jackets claim G Dubielewicz off waivers - - WTF?

COLUMBUS, OHIO (TICKER) —The plight of the New York Islanders continues.

Two days after the Islanders signed Wade Dubielewicz due to injuries to Rick DiPietro and Joey MacDonald, the goaltender was claimed off waivers by the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

With DiPietro and MacDonald sidelined, New York was forced to use third-stringer Yann Danis in Thursday’s 2-1 loss to the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins. It was the sixth consecutive setback for the struggling Islanders and 18th in 20 games.

Seeking a more experienced option in net, New York turned to Dubielewicz, who had spent his entire professional career in the Islanders’ organization before signing with Ak Bars Kazan of Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League last summer.

In order for the 29-year-old native of Invermere, British Columbia to return to New York, he needed to clear NHL waivers on which he was placed Friday. But with Pascal Leclaire currently on injured reserve, leaving their goaltending duties to rookies Steve Mason and Dan LaCosta, the Blue Jackets pulled the rug from under the Islanders and claimed Dubielewicz, who posted an 11-8-3 mark with a 2.77 GAA in 21 games with Ak Bars Kazan.

Signed by New York as an undrafted free agent in May 2003, the product of the University of Denver owns a 16-13-2 record with a 2.55 GAA and .920 save percentage in 37 career games with the Islanders. Last season, he went 9-9-1 with a 2.70 GAA in 20 contests.

To make room for Dubielewicz, Columbus assigned LaCosta to Syracuse of the American Hockey League.

The 22-year-old LaCosta has appeared in one game for the Blue Jackets this season, allowing two goals on 19 shots in 35 minutes of relief action in a 6-3 loss to the Nashville Predators on October 18. A third-round pick in 2004, the 6-1, 186-pound native of Labrador City, Newfoundland has posted a 12-11-2 record with one shutout and a 2.72 GAA in 28 contests with Syracuse.

LaCosta made his NHL debut last campaign, turning aside all five shots he faced in 13 minutes of relief duty on March 25 in a 3-0 loss - also to Nashville.

To back up Danis against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, the Islanders recalled Peter Mannino from Bridgeport of the AHL.

Mannino, 24, made his NHL debut on November 28, allowing three goals on eight shots in 13 minutes of action in a 7-2 loss to Boston. In 21 games with the Sound Tigers, the 6-foot, 195-pound native of Farmington Hills, Michigan has gone 9-9-2 with one shutout and a 3.09 goals-against average.

Islanders Team Report from Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

Never has the scheduling of a meaningless preseason game sparked so much speculation or consternation.

The Islanders are playing dumb on the intent of the news, but they acknowledged Thursday that they are planning to face the Los Angeles Kings in a September exhibition game in Kansas City, a city known to be actively seeking an NHL franchise.

And with talks with local politicians at a standstill over a longstanding proposal to renovate aging Nassau Coliseum and develop its surrounding land, there once again are plenty of folks on Long Island concerned about the long-term viability of the Islanders, who are an NHL-worst 12-28-4 entering Saturday’s game against New Jersey.

“I’m not worried about (the perception). It’s a preseason game,” general manager Garth Snow said before Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Boston. “The last few years, and even before I became GM, we always played preseason games in different markets.

“This is just another opportunity for us to bring this organization and our team to a different market.”

Isles owner Charles Wang has insisted since purchasing the Isles in 2000 that he remains committed to not relocating the team.

Bruins 2, Islanders 1: The NHL’s worst team gave the Eastern Conference’s best all it could handle. It still wasn’t enough, largely because Boston—with All-Star Tim Thomas—doesn’t have a the Islanders’ worries in goal with Rick DiPietro and backup Joey MacDonald both out of the lineup.

Third-string netminder Yann Danis played well, but was out of position on Marc Savard’s game-opening goal in the second period. And Thomas made 40 saves as the Bruins sent the Isles to their sixth straight loss and a 2-16-2 mark in their last 20 games.

“I felt a lot better as the game went on,” Danis said. “I would like to have the first one back, but I’m not going to dwell on that.”

Notes, Quotes

• G Wade Dubielewicz, a former Islanders backup who recently was bought out of his contract in Russia, has agreed to a one-year deal reportedly worth a pro-rated portion of $500,000 for the remainder of the season. Current backup Joey MacDonald is sidelined with a groin injury, but Dubielewicz’s return is the surest sign yet that injury-plagued starter Rick DiPietro likely will be shut down for the season due to persistent swelling in his surgically repaired knee.

G Peter Mannino was recalled Thursday from AHL Bridgeport to back up Yann Danis until newly signed Wade Dubielewicz arrives.

“We should have an update (on DiPietro) hopefully within a couple days,” GM Garth Snow said Thursday. “It’s tough. We anticipated having Rick healthy and running on all cylinders from Day One. There’s been a couple setbacks. We’ve had injuries throughout the lineup.”

• RW Kyle Okposo took a puck in the side of the face off the stick of teammate Radek Martinek early in Thursday’s game against Boston. Okposo left the game and underwent X-rays but later returned wearing a facial visor.

Quote To Note: “We just played two teams in first place. We’ve started to put together more consistent 60-minute efforts. Obviously, it’s only two games, but it’s a very encouraging sign.”—Coach Scott Gordon, after the Isles lost 2-1 in back-to-back games against the Rangers and Boston.

A Familiar Refrain

Isles lost again to the Rangers.

Team MVP Joey McDonald hurt his groin (doesn't matter which one) and now they are down to one goalie because they are going to shut DiPietro down for the year--which I have been begging them to do for the past couple of months.

I understand he is a competitor and that he is going to be aching to get out there and help the guys but shutting him down for next year is the right thing to do if the team is serious about playing the kids, getting them experience, and trying to tank so they get the first overall pick.

Ricky would come back, get hurt, come back, get hurt, and then come back again...only to get hurt. Sit him down, let the knee/hip/other knee/other hip heal, and have him sign autographs at the team store for the rest of the regular season. Then, next year, assuming he is all cleared to play, he'll be a freaking animal and so excited to play that we may steal a game or two for the Isles in the early-going.

Now comes word in Newsday that the Isles are reaching out to prodigal son Wade Dubielewicz, who was bought out of his (probably) sketchy Russian KHL contract with Kazan Ak-Bars this year. Dubie was 11-8-3 for those Ice Bears at the time of his buyout; losing the job to 20-year-old Stanislav Galimov.

(And no, I didn't just get that off the top of my head. Thanks, hockeydb.com.)

Just want to mention that the Isles lead the league in man-games lost and it is something over 260. That is just ridiculous.

A Hockey Time Out

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Streak at 14 losses on the road; Jeff scores his second; Trevor Smith gets his first NHL goal

Islanders Team Report from Yahoo! Sports
Inside Shots

It would be comical, if only it weren’t so ominous for the Islanders.

Rick DiPietro now is experiencing swelling in one of his surgically repaired knees, so the oft-injured goaltender missed his third straight game as the dead-last Isles concluded a terrible 0-4-0 western road trip with a 5-2 loss Thursday night in Calgary.

Without another game until Tuesday at home against the rival Rangers, DiPietro will get the weekend to rest further and will be reevaluated by the team’s medical staff once the Isles return to Long Island.

He has appeared in just five games this season, following summertime hip surgery and operations on each knee, including an arthroscopic procedure Oct. 31 to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. DiPietro also missed a handful of games in recent weeks due to a groin injury.

“From a medical standpoint, he’s cleared to play. With the (knee) surgery that he’s had, he’s expected to have some swelling. That’s been normal,” coach Scott Gordon said of DiPietro, who is in just the third year of a record 15-year contract. “We’ve been very cautious about how he’s going to respond.

DiPietro practiced Wednesday and appeared on target to play one night later against the Flames, but Yann Danis was summoned to fly across the continent from AHL Bridgeport to serve as Joey MacDonald’s backup once DiPietro was deemed unavailable.

“We just feel that it’s in his best interests to give (DiPietro) the night off and make sure that everything is going the way it’s supposed to go. If anything, just err on the side of caution,” Gordon said. “He could have played all (four) games (on the road trip). That’s why he’s been here.

“But it hasn’t made the progress that was to be expected, so, rather than just throw him in there, knowing that he’s medically cleared to play, we just figured we’ll hold off and get him back to New York and reevaluate and go from there.”

Flames 5, Islanders 2: It wasn’t exactly a road trip to ring in 2009 with a bang, as the Islanders continued free-falling towards a crack at the No.1 overall draft pick in June with their four straight loss out west Thursday night in Calgary.

The Isles clawed back from an early 2-0 hole to tie the score, including rookie Trevor Smith’s first NHL goal, but Calgary’s Daymond Langkow scored just 55 seconds later and the Flames beat Joey MacDonald twice more in the third as the Isles fell to 3-16-2 in their past 21 games.

Notes, Quotes

• D Mark Streit gets to go back to Montreal in style, as a first-time All-Star. Streit, who left the Canadiens to ink a five-year, $20.5-million deal as a free agent last summer, was named the Islanders’ lone representative for the Jan. 25 All-Star Game in Montreal.

“It’s ironic that I’m going to go back where I played three years and made my first steps in the NHL,” Streit said. “I have a lot of great memories, it was a great experience playing for the Habs. But going back there and playing at the Bell Centre, it couldn’t get any better than that.”

• D Radek Martinek, who’s been limited to 11 appearances this season due to multiple shoulder problems, returned to the lineup Thursday for the first time since Nov. 29. But Martinek’s return coincided with an injury to another regular defenseman, as D Freddy Meyer sat out the game with a groin injury.

Quote To Note: “We’re at the point where there’s going to be a bigger responsibility on our young guys. There’s a lot of opportunity for these guys and it’s good to see them try to make the most of it.”—Coach Scott Gordon, after the already-out-of-it Islanders opened the second half of the season by completing an 0-4-0 road trip with a 5-2 loss Thursday in Calgary.

Player Notes:

• LW Trevor Smith, appearing in his fifth game since a recall from AHL Bridgeport, notched his first NHL goal in a 5-2 loss Thursday in Calgary.

• LW Jeff Tambellini, who was sent to the minors after not scoring in any of his first 23 games, has two goals in his past seven appearances.

• D Mark Streit, who was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career earlier in the day, recorded an assist and leads all NHL defensemen in points with 33.

Medical Watch:

• G Rick DiPietro, who has appeared in just two of the Islanders’ last 34 games due to multiple injuries, missed his third straight game Thursday with swelling in his surgically repaired knee.

• C Doug Weight sat out his second straight game and remains day-to-day with an undisclosed injury to his lower right leg.

• D Freddy Meyer is day-to-day with a groin strain suffered Jan. 5 in Edmonton.

• C Mike Sillinger, who has appeared in just seven games since undergoing season-ending hip surgery last February, is out indefinitely after suffering another hip injury Dec. 29 against the Rangers.

• LW Andy Hilbert suffered a hairline fracture in his left foot Dec. 26 against Toronto and is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks.

• D Andy Sutton suffered a broken right foot on a blocked shot Dec. 19 in Minnesota. He is expected to miss at least 6-to-8 weeks.

• C Frans Nielsen has been practicing with the team but hasn’t played since suffering multiple leg injuries Nov. 21 in New Jersey.

• C Nate Thompson missed his 12th straight game since suffering a fractured ankle Dec. 13.

What's the deal with the lack of updates?

Well, the deal is that I have been too freaking busy to type...but here goes:

THE WINTER CLASSIC: I loved it. Loved it. Two admitted rivals playing outdoors and Bob Costas getting frostbite on his self-importance. Good times.

Wrigley Field was just an outstanding place to have the game. The whole presentation was great; Costas aside. I half-expected him to pull a LB move and whine about the "shrine of basebore" that is Wrigley Field was hosting a hockey game. Thankfully, he did not.

He also didn't pull out his Ogie Oglethorpe story from last year. I figured it was his only hockey story.

Being the resident hockey guy in the office has it's privileges. For one, no one is asking me to join any fantasy sports leagues. But the down side is that whenever anything happens in the game, I get asked about it 150 times a day. And since the mainstream media only plays the stupid stuff, well, you can guess what I hear.

Anyway, the next day at work, a couple people thought they had a great idea and they said that the league should play the All-Star Game outdoors every year on New Year's Day.

Um, no. What makes the Winter Classic so special and unique is that it is a real game. It's a real game that counts in the standings. The ASG is simply a place for the sponsors of the league to kick back and hobnob with NHL power brokers. The players and the game are almost an afterthought. The game becomes a high-priced game of shinny and the science of skating big circles is examined for three hours and we all get tired of it after the first period anyway. They can say it is about the fans all they want, but it ain't. It's about the sponsors.

So let's keep the Winter Classic what it is: a classic. It means something. Don't mess with it.

THE ISLANDERS KEEP LOSING: Is it me or does Scott Gordon look like he is about to explode on the bench some times? After the Isles let the Oilers kick back two goals to lose 3-2 the other night, I thought our coach was going to spontaneously combust right at the Rexall Centre.

This losing leads to trade talk. Big props to Doug Weight for sounding like a guy who wants to stay and help the kids. Same for Billy Guerin. The team can play all the kids they want but unless they have professionals who have had solid careers to guide them, the team is going to be a mess. Players and fans throughout the league trust Guerin and Weight and you can see how guys like Okposo and Josh Bailey look up to them when their getting real life lessons on the bench and during timeouts. Hopefully, the Isles can keep guys like that around to help usher in the next generation.

I want them to keep guys like Trent Hunter and Richard Park too. And Mark Streit. If Streit doesn't go to the All-Star Game, I'll eat my hat without condiments. It will be really sweet for him to return to Montreal as an All-Stat when the Canadiens didn't respect his all-around abilities.

Newsday makes a compelling argument that Weight should represent the Isles too. I like the argument and I am wondering if Bettman can make a Commissioner's Pick and add Weight to the Eastern Conference All-Stars. At least with two Islanders the skills competition will be more fun to watch.

And all this ragging on the ASG today is strange because even though I always say I won't watch it, I always do.

CANADA WINS GOLD: Sweden tried trash-talking, but it didn't work. The Canadians breezed by the Swedes in the World Junior Championships to win the gold medal for the fifth-straight time.

John Tavares was the most outstanding player in the tournament and trust me, he put to rest the race between he and Victor Hedman over who is going to be the first overall choice in this year's entry draft. The knock on Tavares is that he isn't a great skater but so what? You can teach skating. You can take power skating classes from ads you see in the back of The Hockey News from Laura Stamm and get better at it. What you can't teach is a nose for the net. You can't teach skill and you can't teach strength on the puck and body control.

The tournament itself is just hyper-exciting. John Buccigross mentions it on ESPN.com. At the same time that Canada and Russia were playing, the NFL playoffs were on TV and by sheer emotion, you'd have to pick the hockey over the football. Seeing the passion and (yes, Don Cherry and Pierre McGuire) heart of the fans in Ottawa as they passed the world's largest Canadian flag across ScotiaBank Place was inspiring. Canada is a country that truly loves their hockey. They cared more than the guy with three beers whining about his fantasy league did sitting in San Diego.

And, um, by the way. About that Tavares kid? The Islanders are currently leading the race to having the most ping pong balls in April. Just sayin'.

RUUTUU BITES MAN: One of my favorite headlines growing up was TREE BITES MAN. It was in the local paper when Tree Rollins, then of the Atlanta Hawks, tried to take a bite out of crime and allegedly chomped down on Celtics' super-pest Danny Ainge in a playoff game when I was like eleven. The Celtics probably pasted Atlanta that year and I don't remember who won but I do remember TREE BITES MAN.

Now the evidence (as seen on NHLN's On The Fly) pretty much clearly shows Ottawa's Jarko Ruutu biting the gloved thumb of Sabres tough guy Andrew Peters last night in Buffalo, the league has to hold a hearing to decide how to proceed with a suspension and/or fine.

Here's your pull quote from Jarko: "Nothing happened there," Ruutu said to TSN. "His fingers were by my mouth but I didn't bite him."

Video evidence shows differently. Already the guys in Buffalo who sell the bootleg t-shirts in the parking lot are printing new ones with the phrase: Ruutuu Bites on them. You just know they are.


Isles are in Calgary tomorrow night.

Islanders Team Report from Yahoo! Sports

Inside Shots

After the Islanders’ current western swing takes them through Edmonton on Monday, they will have played 41 games this season.

They most certainly will view the second half more as a young squad having half of the season remaining to build for the future, rather than a lottery-bound team knowing another lost year is at least half over.

Despite only two wins in their past 19 games (2-15-2), the Isles’ youth movement finally has shown some individual results in recent weeks. Lost amid the hoopla of veteran center Doug Weight recording the 1,000th NHL point late Friday night in Phoenix, rookie center Josh Bailey finally buried his first career goal earlier in the game, his 25th with the Isles.

“It was a long time coming. He probably should have had it earlier, but you know what? He deserved it (Friday) because I thought he had several opportunities,” coach Scott Gordon said of Bailey, the ninth overall pick in the 2008 entry draft. “One of the things we’ve talked to him about getting better at is his skating, moving without the puck.

“He’s been pretty good skating with the puck, but it’s moving and improving his position. I think that’s why he had more chances than he’s had in some time. He had some great chances in the slot area. You know he’s going to make plays, but it’s what he does after the play to get himself into scoring position.”

Sharks 5, Islanders 3: There were few surprises in a game pitting two teams at opposite ends of the NHL standings, at least until the closing minutes. Just when the dead-last Islanders appeared they’d be fully devoured by the league-leading Sharks, Scott Gordon’s team scored twice in the final 3:10 of the third period before eventually dropping their 12th consecutive road game (0-11-1) since Nov. 24.

San Jose held a whopping 46-21 shot advantage in carrying a 4-1 lead late in the third period. Unlikely goals by enforcer Tim Jackman (shorthanded) and defenseman Thomas Pock (first of the season) drew the Isles within one with 1:03 remaining, but Patrick Marleau sealed it with an empty-netter to keep San Jose undefeated (19-0-2) in regulation at home.

Isles goalie Joey MacDonald (career-high 42 saves) earlier had made several acrobatic stops in place of resting starter Rick DiPietro to keep the Isles close enough to attempt what turned out to be a futile comeback.

Notes, Quotes

• RW Kyle Okposo, a centerpiece of the Islanders’ current rebuilding program, got off to a slow start in his first full NHL season but had a career-high five-game point scoring streak before it was snapped Saturday at San Jose. He credits a conversation he had with coach Scott Gordon earlier this season, while the power forward was sidelined by a wrist injury.

“After that conversation, I came to the realization that I was lost and I wasn’t playing the way I used to,” Okposo told the New York Post. “I needed to get back to doing what I did to get me here. It lit something in me.”

• LW Trevor Smith, a former collegiate free agent signing, is another rookie getting a chance to prove he belongs in the NHL; he made his third appearance Saturday since making his league debut earlier in the week. Smith had a team-high 18 goals in 33 games for AHL Bridgeport this season while playing the same aggressive system in the minors that coach Scott Gordon employs with the Isles.

“I think I’ve got to prove I can play within the system,” Smith told Newsday. “I’ve had a couple of breakdowns in my positional play. I talked to coach Gordon about that. There’s a couple little things I’ve got to tweak. You’ve got to be faster in some different spots and play your position.”

Quote To Note: “It was good to get some live action. It’s nice I didn’t hurt anything.”—Goalie Rick DiPietro, who didn’t play Saturday as a precaution after returning to the lineup Friday in Phoenix, only his second appearance in 31 games because of knee and groin injuries.

Player Notes:

• RW Richard Park, who also scored twice Friday in Phoenix, made it six goals in his past 11 appearances with a goal and two assists in a 5-3 loss Saturday in San Jose.

• C Doug Weight, one night after becoming the 73rd NHL player to reach 1,000 career points, was held off the scoresheet but dropped the gloves with Christian Ehrhoff in a rare fight for the Isles veteran.

• D Mark Streit, who began the day tied for the NHL lead in points among defensemen (31), extended his current scoring streak to five straight games with an assist on RW Richard Park’s goal.

Medical Watch:

• C Mike Sillinger, who has appeared in just seven games since undergoing season-ending hip surgery last February, is out indefinitely again after suffering another hip injury Dec. 29 against the Rangers.

• LW Andy Hilbert suffered a hairline fracture in his left foot Dec. 26 against Toronto and is expected to miss 2-to-4 weeks.

• D Andy Sutton suffered a broken right foot on a blocked shot Dec. 19 in Minnesota. He is expected to miss at least 6-to-8 weeks.

• D Radek Martinek, who’s been limited to 10 appearances this season, has resumed practicing but has been sidelined since Nov. 29 with a shoulder injury.

• C Frans Nielsen also has been practicing with the team but hasn’t played since suffering multiple leg injuries Nov. 21 in New Jersey.

• C Nate Thompson missed his 10th straight game since suffering a fractured ankle Dec. 13.

Munson'd out in the middle of Nashville

Okay, when a guy named Vern Fiddler--no offense, anyone who is Googling him--but when a dude named Vern Fiddler scores to beat you, well it just ain't going good.

The Isles lost to the Pre-daters 1-0 on that goal by Fiddler. This now brings the winless streak to eight games (0-7-1). That's right; it's a one-point December. Merry Christmas, Scott Gordon.

Wait--there's more! Doug Weight missed the last half or so of the game with...anyone? Yes, that's right: a groin in-jo-ree gruh-gruh- groin in-jo-ree. Add in the fact that Andy Sutton broke his foot Friday in Minnesota and the Islanders injury list is now longer than Santa's Nice or Naughty Lists. No wonder they're not winning.

Blake Comeau--who spent Friday night in Minnesota eating nachos in the press box while Mitch Fritz spent it nailed to the bench, was back in the lineup last night. What does Gordon have against Comeau? Fritz continues to make as much of an impact as Vince the creepy Shamwow guy would in the Mojave desert and Comeau is scratched in his place. I don't get that one.

And what do we do about Tambellini? He has finished his "conditioning" stint with the Soundtigers. Is he up or does he get waived. I'm think the injury rash will make that decision for the Islanders and I also don't know that bringing him back to the Island is really what they want to do.

Well, I am done with the weekend mini-vent. I'm tired and I am going back to bed.

Isles in Minnesota; Okposo and Comrie may return

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Islanders Team Report from Yahoo! Sports

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

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

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

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

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

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

Notes, Quotes

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

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

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

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

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

Player Notes:

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

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

Medical Watch:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Streit going straight on the Island

Ryan Dixon
The Hockey News

The era of Mark Streit, swingman, is over. And the Swiss – get ready for it – defenseman couldn't be happier.

"I play 100 percent, full-time defenseman so I'm happy with that," said Streit, now 28 games into his New York Islanders career after joining them as a free agent last summer. "That's one of the big reasons I signed with the Islanders and obviously it was always my goal to play as a defenseman."

Last year, when Streit was among the top-scoring rearguards in the league with Montreal, people were quick to attach an asterisk beside his name because he wasn't exclusively a defenseman.

Streit always manned the point on the Canadiens' potent power play, but often took his regular shift as a forward on the third or fourth line.

"In Montreal I was kind of in and out; played on the power play as a defenseman, but other than that I was the joker a little bit - wherever they needed me, they put me," Streit said.

Streit parlayed a 62-point season and the fact he was a key member of the league's No. 1 power play last season into a five-year deal to play on Long Island for $4.1 million annually. Some thought it was a case of paying racehorse money to a one-trick pony who would find it much tougher to flourish now that he wasn't surrounded by such talented teammates.

That notion can be safely heaved out the window.

Through Tuesday night's action, Streit sat seventh in league scoring among defensemen, one spot ahead of Chicago's $57-million man Brian Campbell and further up the charts than the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom and Chris Pronger.

Make no mistake; Streit's production is still rooted in the power play. In fact, his 14 man-advantage points is tops among all blueliners and accounts for 70 percent of his 20 total points. Streit has six goals this year and none of them have come at even strength (five on the power play, one shorthanded).

Yes, Streit is minus-6, but he also plays for a team that gives up the third-most goals per game and has produced the fewest 5-on-5 markers of any NHL team this season with just 35.

Look beyond the numbers and you'll see a guy who's working game in and game out to shed the 'specialist' label. And he's getting plenty of opportunities to do it, thanks to the fact he plays roughly 25 minutes a game, almost five minutes more than any other Islander.

"He's established that he is a defenseman," said Islanders coach Scott Gordon. "I think coming into the year there was a little bit of uncertainty, not from knowing (if he could do it), but just from the perception of him playing defense mostly on the power play and being the odd guy in and out of the lineup as a defenseman.

"What he's done now is he's been able to perform as a defenseman full time and not just be an offensive guy, but be a guy who can kill penalties and he's played, at times, against other teams' top lines. I think he really has shown he's more than just a power play specialist."

Jon Sim on Waivers....WTF?

Yesterday the Isles place Jon Sim on waivers. The rest of the league has until noon today to pick him up. Am I alone wondering what the heck?

I mean, look, Jon Sim is not exactly an offensive force and unless they have a guy in Bridgeport who can be the agitator and play the sandpaper game. why waive the guy? He makes a bargain 1 million a season and always plays like his pants are on fire. Plus, he draws penalties. In case you haven't noticed, the Isles don't exactly score a lot at even-strength. A crazy amount of their goals have come on the man advantage.

I guess what it really means is that the Islanders are committed to getting younger and giving somebody from the Soundtigers a shot. Still, at the bargain price, I'd think Snow and Gordon would want to keep the guy around. But, as we learned with Thomas Pock, just because someone is exposed to waivers it doesn't mean that they are leaving the team.

So Chuck there is making a call to the AHL for reinforcements because tonight the Isles try to get well against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and other assorted Pittsburgh Penguins.

Newsday reports that Rick DiPietro is almost a go so it'll be interesting to see tonight if he is activated or not. My guess is that we get Yann Danis backing up Joey MacDonald.

28 games, 22 points

Another come from behind loss last night in Philadelphia.

The good news: Joe Beninati and Darryl Reaugh had the call on Versus. SO GLAD the Bruins had a game last night and Jack Edwards wasn't getting the national gig.

The bad news: Check this out from the Elias Sports Bureau: "It was the league-high fourth time this season that the Islanders suffered a regulation loss in a game in which they led by at least a two-goal margin. The only other NHL team with more than one such loss this season is Pittsburgh, with two."

Yikes.

The Isles were up 2-0 after goals by Andy Hilbert (9:23; power play) and ageless Doug Weight (now with 995 career points) at 10:24.

Old hand Arron Asham cut the lead to one just over a minute later and the Flyers added 2 in the second period to take the lead 3-2.

Blake Comeau got his first of the year at 2:17 of the third to tie it for the Islanders. At 11:08, Simon Gagne ripped a power play one-timer from the top of the left circle past Islanders goalie Yann Danis and the Isles are now 3-7 in their last ten games.

It seems like not all that long ago we were happy that the team was making some progress but now, with 22 points in 28 games, the Isles are right back in the thick of the Tanking for Tavares Express. Tampa is 1-6-3 in their last ten games and they have 20 points. Atlanta has 21 points but 2 games in hand on the Islanders. Then come our boys in 27th place.

Oh, and Mitch Fritz got waffled in a second period scrap with Riley Cote. That's Mitch from last night's game.

Breaking the rule

I always tell myself never to blog during a game because it just brings bad luck but I think I am safe right now.

It's 5-1 Atlanta--you know, the worst team in the league--and the Isles have just hit successive posts (Streit and Comeau) and then watched the freaking Thrashers score their fifth goal. Of course there was lots of room for a two on one after Comeau hit the post so it was easy for the Thrashers. Ugh.

Ever notice how the MSG+ cameras always switch to Scott Gordon after the Isles give up a goal or take a penalty and he looks like he just caught someone kicking his dog? Trust me, if you haven't been watching, Scott Gordon must have a mush team of Iditarod doggies that are getting a hoofing tonight.

Big news of late is that Jeff Tambellini has accepted a conditioning assignment to Bridgeport to try and get his game together. See, with a one-way contract, the player has to accept the assignment to the AHL because otherwise the team would have to hope to get the guy through waivers and I am pretty sure some other team may want a crack at solving the Tambellini Rubik's Cube. We sure haven't been able to do anything with it.

And that is how Blake Comeau has made it back to the NHL. Actually, to be honest, the kid has looked pretty good in his first NHL game of the season. He's been in good position and had a heck of a pass out of the corner on a Trent Hunter scoring attempt. Good for Blake.

The reality is that the Islanders Youth Experience (TM) has been derailed with the injuries to Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen. Okposo looked like he was getting his legs under him right before he went down with the arm and/or hand injury and Frans was getting seriously shifty before Mike Mottau decided to rattle his dentistry.

Monday night the Isles are going to Toronto to visit problem child Jason Blake and the rest of the Maple Leafs.

Islanders Team Report

Yahoo Sports

The No. 9 pick in the draft has gotten to Game No. 10.

And with that, the Islanders announced Saturday that first-round pick Josh Bailey will remain with the team “for the rest of the season” instead of being sent back to his junior team, the Windsor Spitfires. Bailey, 19, had five points in his first nine appearances, and the first year of his entry-level contract kicked in once he appeared in his 10th game Saturday night against Ottawa.

“Obviously, there were times I was sitting in my hotel room thinking it was almost a matter of time before I went back to junior,” Bailey said. “Once they told me I was staying … I told them I’m starting to get my confidence as a player.”

Bailey has shown enough glimpses to prove he belongs in the NHL, although it didn’t hurt his case that Isles centers Frans Nielsen, Mike Comrie and Mike Sillinger are on the injured list. Sillinger figures to return Thursday at Washington after completing a three-game conditioning assignment at AHL Bridgeport Saturday night. And Comrie resumed skating lightly Friday for the first time since shutting down his surgically repaired right hip on Nov. 11.

But Bailey has averaged more than 17 minutes per game in his last six appearances, quickly gaining coach Scott Gordon’s trust with his vision and passing ability, particularly on the power play.

“I think it really comes down to the maturity of the player, and Josh is a mature player and person,” Gordon said. “Like I said, he’s done everything right that we’ve asked him to do … Whoever he’s going to play with down the road is going to be a better player because he’s one of those players who can make something out of nothing. That’s an exciting thing to have because those players are hard to find.”

Islanders 4, Senators 2: Throughout their sixth game in nine nights, the Islanders had the energy level and willingness to forecheck relentlessly that coach Scott Gordon thought was missing one day earlier in a blowout loss in Boston. Led by two goals by low-scoring defenseman Freddy Meyer and a clampdown in the third period in a month filled mostly with meltdowns, the Isles skated to their third straight win over Ottawa, a team they had defeated only 12 times in 59 tries in their history entering this season.

“I thought our energy level was great tonight. Right from the get-go our guys, I think, made a statement they wanted to forecheck, which is obviously the key to our success,” Gordon said. “Like I said to the guys after the game, it’s one of those things where we just came off playing six games in nine days, and the game we had Friday (in Boston) should’ve been the game we had tonight. But for me, the guys came out and they showed it’s mind over matter.”

Notes, Quotes
• C Mike Comrie hasn’t provided much return since the Isles’ handed him a $4 million contract extension for this season at last year’s trade deadline. Comrie underwent season-ending hip surgery late last season and has missed the past 10 games with inflammation in his right hip. He had two goals and six assists in 14 appearances before he was assigned to the injured list on Nov. 11.

“I want to come back the way I started the season last year when I was fully healthy. I want to feel I can help make a difference in the game and that the team can rely on me,” said Comrie, who resumed light skating Saturday. “Before I was hurt this year … I felt like I wasn’t at the level I needed to be and that was the reason why.”

• G Yann Danis was recalled from a sharpening stint at AHL Bridgeport to serve as G Joey MacDonald’s backup after demoted G Peter Mannino allowed three goals on eight shots in barely 13 minutes Friday in Boston.

“It definitely helped,” Danis told Newsday about his three games at Bridgeport. “It was good to feel the puck a little bit and get back into some sort of rhythm. Played three in a row there….Things went really well last night. It was good to get back into it and get some confidence, too.”

Quote To Note: “Enormous. Obviously, Friday left a bad taste in our mouths and we wanted to play a good game and did that. It’s tiring because it’s six (games) in nine nights, but overall this was one of our best efforts of those six games.”—Winger Andy Hilbert after the Isles rebounded from a blowout loss to Boston on Friday with a complete 4-2 home win over Ottawa.

Roster Report
Goaltenders: Joey MacDonald, Yann Danis
Defensemen: Mark Streit, Radek Martinek, Brendan Witt, Andy Sutton, Freddy Meyer, Chris Campoli
First Line: Sean Bergenheim, Doug Weight, Bill Guerin
Second Line: Andy Hilbert, Josh Bailey, Trent Hunter
Third Line: Jeff Tambellini, Richard Park, Jon Sim
Fourth Line: Nate Thompson, Jeremy Colliton, Tim Jackman

Player Notes:
• D Freddy Meyer, who entered this game with 12 goals in 184 career NHL games, scored twice and added an assist in a 4-2 win Saturday over Ottawa.
• RW Trent Hunter became the first Islander to reach 10 goals this season with an empty-netter with 1:01 remaining.
• LW Jeff Tambellini, who hasn’t scored in 41 games dating back to last season, played just 7:35, including two shifts in the third period.

MEDICAL WATCH
• 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.
• G Rick DiPietro underwent arthoscopic surgery Oct. 31 on his left knee. He will be sidelined at least 4-to-6 weeks after suffering his latest in a string of injuries on Oct. 25. DiPietro also underwent hip and right-knee surgery during the offseason.
• D Bruno Gervais was placed on injured reserve and missed his third straight game with an undisclosed leg injury. He’ll be eligible to return for the Isles’ next game Thursday in Washington.
• RW Kyle Okposo has resumed practicing with the team but missed his sixth straight game since suffering a hand/wrist injury Nov. 17.
• C Mike Comrie, who underwent offseason surgery on his right hip, missed his 10th straight game since Nov. 11 with inflammation. The Islanders have issued no timeframe concerning his return, although he has resumed light skating on his own.
• C Mike Sillinger was set to complete a three-game conditioning assignment Saturday at AHL Bridgeport, and is expected to make his first appearance since February hip surgery Thursday against Washington.

End of One: Islanders 2, Penguins 0

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

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

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

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

An Islanders Thanksgiving

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Luck, thy name is "Islanders"

Ryan O' Byrne, ladies and gentlemen!

I know you've seen it so there isn't a lot more to say other than "thank you" to Ryan O'Byrne. Sometimes you get that feeling in your heart or between your ears that the Isles are never going to catch a break and then, all of a sudden, you get the own goal that leads to an Islanders' win in the shootout.

No telling how O'Byrne was taking his mistake after the game other than maybe he was as bummed out as we were to learn that "Monk" is ending after this upcoming eighth season. (Man, I hope we find out how and why Trudy was killed before it ends.)

Still, we gotta take some style points away from Billy and Howie for likening O'Byrne's mistake to that of Edmonton's Steve Smith in the 1986 playoffs. Smith is always known as the guy who derailed the Oiler dynasty for a year in Calgary by plunking in an own goal off of his teammate, Grant Fuhr--which is too bad because Smith was a pretty darn good defenseman. Still, there is a big difference between costing your team a Stanley Cup and causing your team to lose a Monday nighter in November.

Our boys were paced again by Joey MacDonald, who is really making a case for some gainful employment and dollar signs should he leave the Island after this year. MacDonald has been nothing but outstanding so far this season pinch-hitting for DiPietro; keeping the Isles in every game he plays. Plus, his record is now over .500! Great job back there, Joey. Eleven straight starts in a row and 23 saves.

Islanders goal scorers were Trent Hunter (his eighth; with some help by Carey Price); Richard Park (on the PP!); and the phantom goal-scorer was Islanders captain Billy Guerin. Assist to Doug Weight (now just ten away from 1000 career points) who pressure O'Byrne on the boards while the Canadiens had pulled Price for an extra attacker while a delayed penalty was going to be called on our boys.

Park and Guerin (who roofed it) scored in the shootout to finish off the improbable come-from-behind victory and Joey MacDonald stopped both guys he faced for his second career shootout win. Brendan Witt had a team-high four blocks on the blueline.

The Islanders currently sit tenth in the Eastern Conference with 20 points in 21 games. They're back home to entertain the Penguins on Wednesday and then bus it up to Boston for a nooner at the TD Banknorth Garden on Black Friday.

Speaking of Friday, all of you with the Center Ice package know that this means we may or may not have the Islanders telecast and if it is the Bruins, you know that also means the dreaded Jack Edwards. Now I've killed Edwards on this website and I know he has been killed on many other sites and forums but trust me, unless you've had to sit through him butchering the telecast a lot like I have, you have no idea how bad he is. Edwards exudes all of the charms of Eddie Haskell from "Leave it to Beaver" and clearly has way too much free time to make up weird euphemisms for simple plays in the game. Plus, if you add in his WWE audition tape for the Bruins melee with the Stars from earlier this year (look it up on you-know-where) he is EASILY out-pacing any local sports anchor in your town as the worst broadcaster in America. And yeah, Andy Brickley is not much better. If sucking were an Olympic sport, both of these guys would be unopposed Gold Medalists.

So, you've all been warned. it might be best to spend the day after Thanksgiving with the NESN pictures and with Steve Mears and Chris King on the internet. They do a good job. Plus, every time you hear a snippet of "Black Betty" you can do your best Chris King impression and "welcome back (your) partner, Steve Mears" like my wife Linzi does! Good times!

We got us a little streak going here

Yep, 6-3-1 in the last ten now for our boys...and yet, the only thing sticking in my head is that freaking hit on Frans Nielsen and how Colin Campbell deals out his justice from the comfort of the league office.

By now, you know that Mike Mottau only got two games for butt-ending Frans Nielsen in the face the other night in Jersey. Worse was the fact that Mottau was seen laughing about the hit in the penalty box with the arena attendant as they scraped Nielsen off the ice. Oh--and he tore his (ahem) "lower-body" up on the same play and is now out for 8-12 weeks.

The Islanders organization stood up and took the punishment when Thomas Pock was suspended for five games on a play that looked a lot less worse than the mess Mottau made of Nielsen. Pock was not and is not a dirty player but he took his punishment like a man. The Islanders made a point of stating that they do not condone the play and Pock has been out of the lineup since serving this suspension.

Was Mottau's play worse than Pock's? Well, it sure was made worse by the fact that Nielsen hurt is knee on the same play but let's be honest: getting the stick up in anyone's face is not cool at all.

We hear so much about how the players have to turn to themselves to respect their opponents on the ice because the league cannot police them properly. Well, one thing is for sure: Colin Campbell is spineless. If that were his son out there, I am betting Mottau would get more than a little two-game vacation.

Of course, all of this is magnified by two irrefutable factors: one, Mottau was seen laughing in the penalty box while serving his major. Not very respectful--and certainly not the same reaction Doug Weight had when he legally cleaned Brandon Sutter's clock a few weeks back. Weight was concerned for the kid and immediately went over to check on him. Mottau was, as Greg Logan mentions in Newsday, clearly beat by Nielsen on the play and he panicked, putting his hands up high. Last time I checked, getting beat is no excuse for butt-ending a kid across the chops.

That right there eliminates the conspiracy theory some have that the hit on Nielsen was some sort of payback. First off, it clearly wasn't because Nielsen had beaten Mottau. Also, since the Steve Moore case is still pending in the courts, no one this side of Don Cherry is going to order retribution on another player...and no coach is going to have a guy on his team seek revenge for what happened in a different game even if his kid is on that different team.

Colin Campbell, however, needs to wake up. He's been on some weird power kick against the Islanders for years. No one can talk me out of that opinion. An Islander is always going to be dealt with much more sternly than a player from another team. Pock getting five games for what he perpetrated and Mottau getting two for his headhunting is a clear indication of bias.

Isles 2, Vancouver 1 - SO

Isles make it 3 in a row! What a finish! Can I hear it for Joe-Mentum?

Isles 3 Senators 1

Well, what can we say after watching the best sixty minutes of hockey that the Islanders have put together so far this season?

What I liked: Josh Bailey. The kid looks to be a player. His assist on Kyle Okposo's goal did my heart some good. That is what we want to see out of the kids. Kyle had a bit of a tough go there for a while but he was always playing hard and trying to make something happen. It was great to see him get that power play goal.

As far as Bailey goes, all you can say is wow. He played a pretty darn effective thirteen minutes last night and has not looked out of place in either of the two games he's played. With Mike Comrie missing, playing Bailey to see what he could do at this level was a good move. I'm not sure he spends the entire year on Long island, but getting a chance to showcase himself for the coaches is never a bad thing.

Joey MacDonald: What the heck can you say about him? MacDonald came into camp as a question mark and now he is giving the Islanders the best chance to stay in games. Last night, MacDonald made 29 saves for the win and only gave up one goal against a powerful (yet struggling and discontented) Senators offense.

The Power Play: Yes, I said the power play. Our boys went 2-for-5 on the power play and had 12 shots. The whole team looked a hundred percent better than they did Tuesday afternoon.

Trent Hunter, Bill Guerin, and Doug Weight: Big games by the guys that are leading the kids. I have totally become a Doug Weight convert this season. I guess I just never saw enough of him while he was in the Western Conference to appreciate his smooth play with the puck. Plus, you gotta hand it to Weight and Guerin because when the cameras are on the bench, you can see them talking to and teaching their teammates. Nothing ever can go wrong when you are getting a little extra coaching up from a couple of guys who have been in the league for a very long time and have seen everything.

What I didn't like: Not much. The Isles still took too many penalties. I bet that drives Scott Gordon nuts.

Thomas Pock: That elbow on Ryan Shannon just can't happen. The Senators' announcers were right last night when they said it was as bad or worse than the elbow that got Jarko Ruutu suspended for two games. Expect disciplinary action on that one as Shannon was out on his feet after the collision.

Anyway, a good, solid effort last night. Overspeed is working in bursts. Last night, the guys played the press all night long and they got the win in an exciting game that was fun to watch. Hopefully they bring it to the Coliseum tomorrow night in the rematch.

Josh Bailey Debuts Today!

Point Blank is reporting that Islanders' first round pick Josh Bailey will make his NHL debut today vs. the Flyers.

About Saturday Night

Thanks to everyone who wrote in to us wondering WTF happened on Saturday night against the Penguins. I so totally wish I could help you but I can't. I mean, once that lead was 2 goals in the second period, weren't you making jokes to yourself about whether the team would blow it or not? Didn't you think that there was no way "it" could happen again? I mean, I'm not ashamed to say it but I was wandering around our apartment doing small chores like dishes and stuff because I didn't want to see what I thought was going to happen. Plus, I didn't want to give creed to the fact that I was thinking negatively about the outcome.

See how stupid we can get? We love the team that can't love us back!

Let me try to explain this a little better. I am a Giants fan. I have supreme confidence in Eli Manning and his ability to lead a late charge for a victory. Even before the guy turned the metaphorical corner last year, Eli had more than his share of late-game heroics. No matter what happens, Eli is going to do what Eli always does: lead the Giants down the field and score the winning touchdown/field goal/whatever. Then the defense will slam the door.

Now, in the NHL, we should feel secure that two points is eminently doable if you go into the third with a lead. I don't want the dead puck pre-lockout snore-a-torium to come back, but I do want that feeling that my guys are going to put this one in the bank. So far this year, every team the Isles have played--in the last week or ten days, anyway--is apparently having whatever Eli Manning has for breakfast because they've all come out and slapped candy out of the Islanders' hands. And it sucks.

Andy Sutton has a great game blocking a Ludwig-esque 8 shots and contributing a couple of assists. Joey MacDonald seemed up to the task of stopping the fire-power of the Penguins. But in the third period, when the Isles should have been socking it away, they gave it away instead. They stopped skating (stop me if you've read this before) and gave up a whopping 18 shots to Pittsburgh and took only one in the final frame--and that one wasn't even a quality scoring chance!

What I liked: Tim Jackman. Billy Jaffe thinks he "looks faster". OK, maybe he does, but Jackman was in great position to put home the rebound to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead half-way through the second. Jackman also played a physical game.

What I didn't like: Well, the blown lead. The power play only getting 2 chances at it while the Penguins got 4. The shootout and Dany Sabourin's hide the puck trick on Trent Hunter's shot. (Yes, it was inconclusive. I agree that it was. Still...)

I also didn't like hearing that Nate Thompson will miss 2-4 weeks with a groin strain. I mean, yeah, it's good that the team is being a little more forthcoming with injury statuses and whatnot but you get the feeling that an energy center and the franchise goalie are at opposite sides of the spectrum as far as that sort of announcement goes.

Isles are back at it tomorrow at 2 as the Flyers visit.

When a Two goal lead is not enough...

Today is one of those bummer days.

It's rainy and gloomy. I am overtired. There is a lot to do at work and I don't feel motivated. We'll get back to that later.

I'm still not sure what the heck happened in Atlanta last night. The Isles were cruising into the third with another lead and they choked it off in the end and lost to the Thrashers 4-3.

It was pure firepants hockey for most of the game. The pace was sick. Fast breaks were everywhere. And yet, the Thrashers were able to score three third-period goals to earn the win.

I mean, look, I am all for exciting hockey. Let's not forget that before the lockout that the NHL was (as Bill Clement calls it) a "forty-minute game" because whomever was leading going into the third was just going to sit back and trap and bore a submission out of the opposing team.

So far this year--hell, just this past week--the Islanders have let go of two three-goal leads and a two-goal lead when they should have been finishing off the other team. Clearly this team is either not used to winning, doesn't know how to win, or they get too tense and try not to screw it up...which inevitably happens.

Last night was not one of Joey MacDonald's better efforts. At times he's been left alone with some stretchy defensive help but last night you know he'd like to have the entire third period back. MacDonald did have 23 saves in the game.

The scoring started early with Jon Sim's third goal of the season. Thrashers defenseman Garnet Exelby was sent off for holding 31 seconds into the game. Sim's first shot was stopped by Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec but Sim corralled the rebound and fired a wrister past Pavelec's left shoulder at 2:23.

The Mighty Thrash were quick to strike on an Islanders' line change as Slava Kozlov tied the game at 1-1 after a pass from Tobias Engstrom.

In the second, the Isles came alive. Frans Nielsen scored at 9:40 on a pass through the crease by Mark Streit. All-Star Ballot Boy Trent Hunter added another goal 17 seconds later (while I was in the bathroom) on a one-timer over the left shoulder of Pavelec. Streit and Nielsen assisted on the play and all three players had two points on the night.

Then the wheels came off. Third period scoring began with Kozlov adding his second on a nice backhand 29 seconds after resuming play. After MacDonald took a delay of game penalty for playing the puck over the glass and into the crowd, Jason Williams tied the game and I threw up in my mouth.

This is where the Isles stopped skating. Seriously. You could see it coming.

Tobias Enstrom scored the game-winning goal at 11:29 of the third and that was it. The Isles had very little sustained pressure after Enstrom's goal.

Our boys return home for a Saturday night visit from the Pittsburgh Penguins and that #87 guy that you may have heard of. Game time is a 7 PM.

Don't forget to check out "A Day in the Life" with Doug Weight as it replays on the NHLN as well. I saw a little bit of it while waiting for the game to start last night (Atlanta's announce crew is horrible) and it looked to be a heck of a show. I always enjoy those behind the scenes profile things and I'll watch pretty much everything on the NHL Network.

Also worth checking out is the "Voices" show that takes you behind the scenes with some of the great broadcasters of the game we love. Not sure if there is going to be one for Howie Rose or not, but I wish there would be. After sitting through the Thrashers B-team broadcast last night (regular PBP guy JP Della Camera was on MLS playoff duty) you really appreciate what we have in Howie and Billy Jaffe even more.

OK, so to finish up, we get today's work story. It's still pretty early in the day but I have already been asked which super power I would want to have and why. Pretty standard, I know, but we have to remember what we are dealing with here. Everyone wants to be Wolverine so they can skint! blades out of their hands and heal really fast or be invisible, etc. I say that being able to blow green or red mist like The Great Muta would be very handy in situations where people are pestering you with work-related questions when you're trying to write about last night's hockey game. Imagine rendering people helpless just with mist! And you get to wear really cool red karate pants and paint your face!

So, yeah, The Great Muta was pretty cool. See you Saturday night.

Skates and Smarts: Brendan Witt

We never post videos, but this is really funny. - Mrs. NYIForLife.

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.

Islanders Unveil Third Jersey

The Islanders unveiled their new alternate uniform Monday night at an Islanders Business Club event prior to the start of their game against the New York Rangers. The new uniform, which is reminiscent of the ones the Islanders donned in the mid-1970s, is royal blue with white numbers and letters, outlined in orange.

The Islanders will take the ice in the new uniforms for the first time on Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens on "Throwback Night," sponsored by Modell's. The Islanders will wear the new uniform a total of 15 times this season.

(Left: Bill Guerin models the new Islanders uniform - click for a larger image.)

For the full story click here.

Rangers. The Freaking Rangers.

Well, the DP drama continues. Is he hurt? Is he not hurt? Coach says yes. Team calls up Yann Danis to carry MacD's bags tonight. Botta vs. Logan in one of the stranger faceoffs in our time.

Let's face it: weird shit follows this team around like a bad girlfriend.

The Logan vs. Botta debate is nothing I am going to touch. You know why? Because I know nothing about it. When Linzi and I started this website, I knew for a fact that I was not going to cover pissing contests. My only "deal" (for lack of a better word) with either of the websites is that I am super-glad each exists so that we can get some straight-shooting and news about the team we all love. If there is a professional beef or whatever, out official position is that we hold out hands up. While we are linked from Greg's site--and we love the feedback we've gotten from the traffic funneled our way--we rarely post or make comments there. I've done it maybe twice on the Botta site and that was to get some clarification regarding Mark Parrish's PTO contract with Bridgeport from a guy who would know a heck of a lot better than me.

So, tonight we have the Rangers. No Ricky. No Brendan Witt (for how long?) and no Freddy Meyer (for what, exactly?). Brett Skinner has been called up to the main roster according to multiple sources. He's been enjoying one heck of a start in the American League after what was termed a good camp with the Isles. So we will see him in action tonight.

Ricky was, as you all know, pulled after the first period Saturday night against the Whalercanes. He had a couple of giveaways where he was trying to force the play with the long passes and man, that one he handed to Iron Hands Chad LaRose was a stomach punch. Sing along with me, because we all know the words: Rick needs to trust his defensemen and not try to do too much. Scott Gordon told Point Blank the same thing we've been hearing for years. FOR YEARS.

Joey MacDonald came in and played admirably for the remainder of the game. The Isles put up a team-record 60 shots on Cam Ward (by the way, Ward is pretty good) and even a PENALTY SHOT with seven-tenths of a second on the clock wasn't enough to pull the Isles through to tie Carolina.

Seriously, though, Dougie, right in the breadbasket?

Oh, and Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen, and Jeff Tambellini haven't scored yet this year. Bergenheim has 2 and he plays like hi pants are on fire every shift he is out there. Nate Thompson took one for the team in a fight with Tim Gleason. The size difference was almost as funny as when Lou the sandwich girl told Chuck that their vast height differences intrigued her last season on "Chuck". Different kind of dance partners, I know, but Nate gave it a shot and it did fire the team up for a while.

Last, I know you all saw the hit on Brandon Sutter from the previously mentioned Doug Weight. Legal hit; Welcome to the NHL. The Carolina players knew it too because no one stepped in to start a fracas or anything with Weight as Doug looked over to see if the kid was okay. Doug is a classy dude and known throughout the league as a good guy and not a cheap guy. Big thumbs up to Chris Campoli, too, who was right there playing Sundance in case someone was going to come after his teammate, bad shoulder and all.

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?