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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Opening Night at the Rock: Devils 2 Isles 1

What I liked:

--The pace of the game. The Isles may lose 50 games like a lot of the so-called experts are thinking but they are not going to be boring. The constant pressure and pushing of the tempo by Scott Gordon's Islanders is going to be fun to watch.

--Jack Hillen. Is it me or is Hillen one of those guys you just seem to notice when he is on the ice? Reminds me of something my Dad told me once: some guys are players and some guys are playing. The players affect the flow of the players are along for the ride, reacting. Seems to me, from what we have seen in three games, Hillen is perfectly adept at affecting and making other guys react.

--Joey MacDonald. He was superb as a surprise starter in net. Good idea to hold DiPietro off for the home opener, too.

--Richard Park. Sure, he hit two posts but the fact is that he got himself into a position to make plays. Won 9 of 12 faceffs too.

--Bruno Gervais asserting himself offensively.

What I didn't like:

--One goal. Yeah, it's Brodeur but one goal is not going to make anyone feel any better about the expected scoring woes.

--The Power play. Sure looked unorganized at times...but Mark Streit looked confident running the show. The PP is always the last part of a team's game to get together so of course there is still time.

Overall, a loss is a loss but at the very least, our boys were competing hard. Tonight the Blues invade the Coliseum. Man, it is good to have hockey back.

Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, and Thomas Pock were the "healthy" scratches.

Let me leave you with this picture of a-hole Joe Elliott placing The Cup upside down on the stage Thursday night in Detroit. You can't tell me that this wasn't on purpose. The base of The Cup is black and looks like THE BASE OF THE CUP for crissakes. Def Leppard blows and Elliott must've huffed too much hairspray sharing tour buses with Bon Jovi in the eighties.

(Picture from Yahoo's Puck Daddy hockey blog)

2008 NYIFORLIFE.com Islander of the Year: Richard Park

It wasn't the greatest season in the great history of the New York Islanders, but in what became a transition season by default, we think that one Islander went above and beyond this season while representing the team, organization, and fans.

That man is Richard Park, your 2008 NYIFORLIFE.com's Islander of the Year.

Not only did Richard play in all 82 games this past season, but his role arguably grew as the year went on. He started out on a high-energy checking line and ended up playing what was probably his most important role on the team--leader--when coach Nolan decided to play Richard with prized rookies Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau. Park played out of position (center; he normally plays on the wing) and was asked to show not only Okposo and Comeau the ropes as a professional in the National Hockey League, but the rest of the Sound Tigers players who played for the Islanders as injuries ravaged the team as well.

What Richard Park brings each night to the team can not be quantified in just goals and points; although he set career highs for himself this season with 12 goals and 32 points. Park brings the grit, character, and heart that is not only the Islanders' marketing slogan. It's the way the man plays the game.

Park's season can be described and analyzed if you just think about the last game of the season. Once the Isles got to the shootout against the Rangers, who did Ted Nolan send out there? Well, Nolan sent the kids out to face Rangers' goalie Henrik Lundqvist. First was Okposo. He was followed by Comeau and Bergenheim; a tip of the cap to the Islanders fans and a showcase for the young guys. Then, who took the final shot? Richard Park. He beat Lunqvist and the Islanders finished off the Rangers in the shootout to close out the schedule.

I'm not in the minority when I say that I believe Ted Nolan sends the right message to his players with little moves that may not seem significant at the time they occur--but speak volumes to the guys in the room. When injuries ravaged the team and assistant captains Brendan Witt and Mike Sillinger were going to miss significant stretches, Nolan and the organization chose Park and Trent Hunter to wear the A on each man's sweater. Captain Billy Guerin, a guy who also distinguished himself in a leadership role this season, was not in the boat alone after the injuries. There were solid guys in the room that could step into the leadership breech and take charge. The fact that the team had two guys like Park and Hunter (as well as Mike Comrie, who also wore an A at times) to lean on during the last month of the season speaks volumes to the kind of players Charles Wang, Ted Nolan, and Garth Snow want out there leading the brigade. All are hard workers, professionals, and players who put team pride ahead of selfish goals.

The team is going to have a much different makeup next season and hopefully there will be players who can score some more goals added to the lineup. But going forward, the leadership core is secure with players like Brendan Witt, Mike Sillinger, Mike Comrie, Radek Martinek, Bill Guerin, and Rick DiPietro leading the way. The Isles also have made strides by giving solid character guys like Trent Hunter and Richard Park long-term contracts to underscore their commitment.

Congratulations to Richard Park, NYIFORLIFE.com's 2008 Islander of the Year.

Not Good

Lookit Eli over there. He can't believe it either. The Isles played a great first period and yet let the game slip back to the visiting Flyers by playing cautious, trying-to-be-too-cute hockey. Also, it bears mentioning that DiPietro didn't have his strongest game of the season either last night...but once the team stops playing with discipline and gets away from the direct style we've grown happy to see, the Islanders can find themselves in trouble.

The Islanders had a great first period and went into the break up 3-1 on goals by Richard Park, Josef Vasicek (it had been a while) and Bill Guerin.

By the end of the game, they'd squandered that two goal cushion and dropped the game 5-3. The Isles have lost three straight home games for the first time this season, and dropped their third consecutive to the freaking goon-laden Flyers.

We have a neighbor who has been known to reply, "Not good" if you ask him how he is doing. Well, if he were to ask any Islander fan how they were doing this morning--and I am typing this at like 5:30 in the morning, we'd all tell him that we were "Not good" as well.

Going into the third, the Isles were nursing a one goal lead. Then those tricky boards at the Coliseum hiccuped on Ricky. He tried to play the puck around the boards but the biscuit kicked funny off of off the skate of Scottie Upshall and landed with Hartnell, who deposited the puck into the empty net. Hartnell had a hat trick.

Monday is a big game with the visiting Hurricanes. General Colin Powell will be in the Coliseum to drop the ceremonial first puck. That should be very, very cool. We all need to forget the game from last night and move forward.

So, having said that, I will leave you all with this: LET'S GO G-MEN!!!

Canadiens 3 Islanders 1

Long road trip. Severe traveling throughout Western Canada and the states. Bonding. Team building. Snow in Long Island keeps you in Ottawa. Finally, after being on the road for ten days, you return home. Ah, the friendly confines. Family. There's a game to play. What do you do?

Well, if you're on the Islanders, you promptly lay an egg.

Last night was not a fun game to watch by any stretch. The Islanders played tired and managed one shot on goal in the first period. In fact, the Canadiens looked to be fresh and played with a bit of a spark as they lined up and dared our boys to try and cross center ice. And for the first period, it looked like they didn't want to do it. They only had, as a team, one more shot on net than I did and I wasn't anywhere near the Coliseum last night.

DiPietro was not the DiPietro we all admire. I dare say that both of the goals scored by Tomas Plekanec (one at even strength and one shorthanded) were ones Rick would like to have had back. In the rearview mirror, this may have been a good game to get Dubie some work in net. Rick played a lot of hockey on the road trip and the team traveled over 6000 miles in ten days. I dare say that Wade may have been a better choice; especially with the Isles in New Jersey to play the Devils tonight.

One thing that the Versus crew missed--or I missed them mentioning it--was that the Isles were obviously taking very short shifts trying to conserve their energy. As a result, there were very few sustained rushes and not too much pressure on Habs goalie Cristobal Huet.

Richard Park had the Islanders only goal in the third period to cut the deficit to one and Alex Kovalev added an empty netter to seal the two points for the Habs.

The boys are back on the ice tonight against the Devils. Let's hope for a better effort tonight.

Richard Park earns everything he gets!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

End of first period: Islanders 1 Devils 0

Gotta love the Center Ice package. We get the Devils announcers and not the regular Islanders crew. You know, for the biggest game all season you want to habe the announcers of the team that is already in the playoffs.

First impressions: I forgot how much Steve "Decidedly Not Doc" Cangialosi looks like Deuce Bigelow. He used to give me piles whenever I would watch Metrostars games. Now he is stinking up the hockey game.

Chico Resch is the man. He always has reminded me of that favorite uncle of yours that is a bit absent minded but always well meaning. He is always pleasant and excited. But that toupee...

Chico did have a great line when Tom Poti whiffed on a bouncing puck. He said something approxomating "Poti thought that he had half a net (to shoot at) but he had none of the puck." It was funnier that it reads, I swear.

I wonder if the people in Toronto are up-in-arms with Scott Clemmensen in net and not Marty Brodeur. Remember: just because Marty is sitting it out that it doesn't mean that the Devils aren't going to win. I have to admit to a perverse thrill knowing that the Toronto media is now devising their own conspiracy theories as I type this.

The Isles came out with great jump. That had to be expected with their backs against the wall. The Islanders goal was scored by Barnacle Boy himself, Richard Park. Another great effort by Park.

See you after the second...