This is starting to get tiring. Three games in a row this team has failed to generate consistent offense.

Sure, they started out pretty strong, but after the botched offside call, they were done for. Even Tim Jackman’s fight at the end of the game was pretty pathetic.

Is there another line on this team besides the one with Matt Moulson, John Tavares and Kyle Okposo that can get some shots on the net? Those guys are working their arses off and if they could get one more line with some chemistry, things might change a tad.

Maybe they’ll score two goals a game.

Josh Bailey has got to shoot more. Six shots on goal in six games is pathetic. Same thing goes for Sean Bergenheim, who has been a non-factor as well. I’d like to see Blake Comeau grow a pair too and start getting a little more aggressive in front of the net and shooting more.

Here’s the million dollar question: how are you supposed to have a youth movement when the kids aren’t ready to even be supporting characters?

Doug Weight needs to aim a bit lower too.

Jon Sim needs to play the way he did before the team sent him to Bridgeport… or else threaten him with it. All jokes aside, he hasn’t been all that bad, I’m just pissy right now.

Without guys like Trent Hunter and Frans Nielsen in the lineup, I think this team is missing two big catalysts.

On top of that, this team needs to play more physical. I don’t care what the hit stat says, this team needs someone to go out there and just take the body every time they get on the ice.

Joel Rechlicz had virtually no ice time on Saturday on top of everything else as well, so this team was flat on the boards, in front of the night and with their fists.

Marty Biron was decent, but the defense was far from spectacular and let the Sharks skate wherever they wanted.

Overall, it just wasn’t a fun game to watch.

Posted under 2009-10

Before I get into this edition of the blog, let me just apologize for my lack of updates. Over the past week or so, I’ve gotten up to two dozen e-mails from angry fans to even my own father asking me to update this site. The reason why I haven’t, you ask? I’m swamped. A college professor, Sports Editor of a Local Newspaper and a graduate student, I barely have time to watch games on DVR these days. Yes, The Drive for Five is still one of my passions, but I need sleep my friends. However, I pinky promise to update this site twice a week during the season.

Sorry for the delay.

OK, here we go.

These kids are a lot better than I thought that they would be and once guys like Doug Weight get back in the swing of things, Trent Hunter and Frans Nielsen come back healthy and the defense tightens up a bit more, this team is going to be a blast to watch.

Guys like John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Sean Bergenheim, Ron Schremp and Matt Moulson put a smile on my face every time they touch the puck. Sure, they may still lack the polish this team needs to make the playoffs, but they’re hungry. Tavares’ goal the other night against Boston [where I'll be from the 28th to the 30th on a mini-vacation, going whale watching and to a Bruins/Oilers game] was just a small taste of what this kid is capable of and I’d love to see him continue to shoot more. It seems to me right now most of the youngsters are trying way too hard to make the pretty play, rather than the one that works.

If they are going to get through the season, they’ll need to collect as many garbage goals now. It seems Moulson has the idea as the puck seems to be following him on a nightly basis. Now if the rest of the youngsters could follow suit, this team could be the ball breakers of the league.

With the goaltending the Isles have, they don’t need a ton of offense, but they do need a few 20-goal scorers and the defense to play tight. So far, the defense has been eh. Late in games, they look a bit suspect and I’d like to see guys like Bruno Gervais and Andy Sutton be a little more proactive with the puck and a little bit more physical. This team doesn’t have an enforcer and because of that, they need every guy to play like their testicles are on fire. Otherwise, the bigger teams in the league, like the LA Kings, are going to skate all over them late in games. That didn’t happen on Monday luckily, but that doesn’t mean that it can’t.

It’s still early, but I still feel this team could have used another goal scorer from the free agent market, just to make themselves a little more competitive. The goal scoring hasn’t been great thus far and we’ll see how far off I am on that one by the All-Star break. Butch Goring sees Tavares as a 40-goal scorer, but I think him and Okposo will have around 25-30. At any rate however, it’s still not enough for this team to make the playoffs, making it pretty obvious this team has to continue to grow leaps and bounds before they’re ready for the prime time.

Nevertheless, it’ll be a fun process to watch. And watch we will.

Posted under 2009-10

It feels good that this team, which was picked to come in last place this season by many media outlets, held the ice for 65 minutes with the reigning NHL champs.

John Tavares looked solid enough as well, and even though it’s obvious he still has some work to do, there’s no reason why he can’t score 25-30 goals this season. All the haters out there will see during the season how sick this kid’s hands really are. Things will get tougher for him as the season wears on and his body gets used to the beating he’ll be taking, but I got a great feeling about this kid.

The same thing goes for Sean Bergenheim and Kyle Okposo, who should be in the 25 goal area as well.

For a team that didn’t have one 20-goal scorer last season, I expect to see at least three this season. Trent Hunter and Mark Streit looked great during the home opener as well and I expect those two to lead this team on the ice just as much as Doug Weight will when he gets into the lineup.

For the time being though, I loved what I saw from Tavares and Matt Moulson. That kid has excellent instincts and if he stays in the lineup, could be a threat. He’s got a few solid seasons of AHL hockey under his belt and right now, he looks like someone who can pot a few, especially if he gets special teams time.

In other news, anyone else feel weird seeing Dwayne Roloson in net? The guy is so simple, but technically sound that it’s easy to forget how solid he is. Feels good to have a legitimate goaltender in the net that doesn’t try and do too much and lets the game come to him. Reminded me of Glenn Healy back in the day. With a two year contract, we’ll be seeing him plenty over the next 163 games and the other night was a nice introduction to his style.

With Weight and Frans Neilson out of the lineup as well, the Isles have plenty of room to get better. If that wasn’t enough, having a healthy defense should make them competitive too. The whole key for them is to stay at .500 for as long as they can and stay healthy. If they can, they may sneak up on some teams. Despite the fact that expectations are low, this season looks to be a fun one for the Isles and may eventually go down as one that started the youth movement in the right direction.

Posted under 2009-10

I promise, my last video game review this season!

http://reviewfix.com/2009/09/2ks-final-hockey-hurrah-on-the-ps2-misses-the-net/

Posted under 2009-10

First thing first- Moulson: The kid looked good last night and has an impressive resume in the AHL. Could he make this team, or is he just a guy hanging around to add depth at Bridgeport? What do you guys think?

Phaneuf’s hit on Kyle Okposo:

Straight from the horse’s mouth: “I thought it was a clean hit,” Phaneuf told the AP. “I stepped up and used my shoulder. You don’t like to see guys get hurt, but that’s part of my job when the hits are there, to take them.”

My Thoughts: Looks to me that Phaneuf left the air on that hit and if Okposo misses time with this concussion, Phaneuf should get suspended. KO called his pops afterward and told him he was OK; let’s just hope this doesn’t turn out to be something serious.

Posted under 2009-10

Barring any free agent pick ups or surprising changes, this what I think the 2009-10 New York Islanders should look like.

Forwards
Tavares Weight Okposo
Bergenheim Bailey Hunter
Tambellini Nielsen Comeau
Jackman Park Joensuu/Rechlicz

Defense

Streit Gervais
Witt Martinek
Sutton Meyer/Hillen

Goaltenders

Biron
Roloson
DiPietro

Notes-

Eventually I’d like to see Tavares move to center full-time and work with Bergenheim and Okposo. As far as Nate Thompson not being on here, I just think that this team needs more offense on the fourth line. Jackman showed tons of moxie last year and Park has proven he can be a lot more than a fourth liner. Joensuu is a big and strong kid that will make this a great energy line. I’d even be willing to let both Park and Joensuu get some PP time too to give them a little more incentive out there. When the team plays against the tough teams, Rechlicz can spell Joensuu and take care of business.

Posted under Offseason 2009

Who’s left?

Miro Satan? Phil Kessel? Mike Peca? Kyle Calder? Robert Lang? Viktor Kozlov?

With the better players being picked up already, the Islanders don’t seem willing to take a chance on any of these players. Kessel would be a great addition, but he wants too much money and hasn’t proven himself in this league yet. If he had say, two 30-goal seasons under his belt, he’d be signed by a team right now.

Kozlov would just be a hired gun, the same thing goes for Lang. Neither one would want to be part of a rebuilding plan. Satan and Peca are in the last legs of their careers and Calder has lost the potential he once had. Maybe the Isles are better with a straight rebuild.

What do you guys think?

Posted under Offseason 2009

We knew it was all coming when Sillinger played in only seven games last season. Nevertheless the guy was uber solid when with the team and set a great example. A former first round pick, ending your career with 240 goals is pretty damn solid if you ask me. A shame he didn’t really develop until his last few seasons in the league too. At one time, I wished the entire Islanders team could consist of clones of Silly, Richard Park and Jason Blake. A tad under-sized sure, but feisty nonetheless.

Good luck in your future endeavors Silly.

Aside from that, there hasn’t been much Isles news, so my video game exploits have continued.

Check out my NHL 10 demo thoughts here. Goddamn this game is so much fun. Even if you don’t play games, click the link anyway. I’m sure the screenshot alone will scare the crap out of you. It’s hard to believe video games have come this far. I still remember loving NHLPA 93 despite how ugly it was and now sometimes it’s more fun to play this than actually watch the real thing.

http://reviewfix.com/2009/08/nhl-10-demo-rocks-like-a-hurricane/

Posted under Offseason 2009

Check out my NHL 09 Review here:

http://reviewfix.com/2009/08/the-best-hockey-game-ever/

Posted under Uncategorized

Newsday is currently reporting that former Islander Miroslav Satan is interested in coming back to the Island.

Aside from a solid first season with the team, the last two years of his contract were a jumbled inconsistent mess, where he showed the energy of an overweight puppy. Sure, he’s an asset and can still score 15-20 goals and can perform in the shootout. But are the Islanders in a situation to take a chance on this guy?

I say, if they really want to take a chance on someone, go with Mark Parrish; at least then the guy has more potential and can anchor a third line. He’s a bit more aggressive as well and has a soul. Plus, he’s only 31 and is in a desperate need of a change of scenery. Satan is like a Cylon and not the hot and sexy ones on the recently completed incarnation of Battlestar Galactica- I’m talking about the 1978 version here. He’s on the supreme downswing and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.

Unless they can get him dirt cheap, like just above NHL minimum and he gets powerplay time where he isn’t on the point [what a disaster that was a few years ago], then maybe it could work, but when you’re looking to add veteran character, this isn’t a guy I’d run to.

Posted under Offseason 2009