First, let me say that spending some time on the NY Hockey Report last night was a blast. Gary by himself is a mountain of hockey knowledge, but with Derek there as well, it was something I won’t forget anytime soon. That was one of the first times in my life where I was surrounded by fellow hockey nuts in an environment catered solely to us. For those who missed last night’s show, you missed an entertaining one to say the least.

I hope Gary and Derek are ok after that comment I made about Travis Zajac. In any case, it felt good to be appreciated on the air for my sense of humor and for my amount of hockey knowledge. Gary made a comment during the show asking me if I read a hockey encyclopedia before going on after I mentioned Craig Janney. Brother, I am a hockey encyclopedia, ha-ha. I can’t tell you how much useless knowledge is crammed into my brain when it comes to hockey.

Simply put, Hockey is one of the biggest joys of my life, aside from having a career I love and a beautiful girlfriend that appreciates me. Nothing makes me happier than getting the opportunity to showcase my ability. For that, I owe you guys a firm hand shake and smile for giving me that chance.

Thank you.

OK, MOVING FORWARD TO TONIGHT’S GAME…

The Flyers are in town and the Islanders will have to put their last loss against the Penguins behind them and come out firing on all cylinders. Guys like Trent Hunter, Viktor Kozlov and Miroslav Satan need to start scoring consistently if the Isles are going to make due with Yashin. While some people think the Isles are destined to deflate as the season goes on without Yash, I think that they will get a solid team effort on both sides of the ice and will play well without him.

The Flyers are a team that has gotten some inconsistent goaltending this season and has shown a penchant for not being able to score when the chips are down. It’s so bad that Peter Forsberg and Petr Nedved have only EIGHT GOALS combined this season. However, with big names like this, the Isles need to understand that they can break out at any time and need to stay focused, play a smart game and get some offense.

As I’ve mentioned before, while Yashin is without a doubt the most important offensive player on the team, he’s not the only player that can produce offensively. The Isles have four lines full of solid two-way players that have speed, grit and energy. That’s what wins hockey games. If they come out with some “spunk and jump” tonight, there’s no reason why they can’t dominate the Flyers.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Pregame Musings

Considering that I gave you guys some pre-game analysis yesterday, I think today would be the perfect occasion to share my memories of another Islander great with you all. 

While I was too young to remember Brent Sutter and Denis Potvin as Islander captains, I do remember Patrick Flatley’s tenure quite vividly. While not the physical type of player future Islander captains would be [Bryan McCabe and Michael Peca immediately come to mind], Flats was the type of player [when healthy] that every team in the NHL would want on their team because he worked harder than everyone else and led by example. 

I can’t tell you how many times during the 93 and 94 seasons that I saw Flatley fight off of checks in the corners and manage to get the puck free to players and turn a useless dump in into a scoring opportunity. Sometimes it was amazing how “The Chairman of the Boards” could squeeze his way through two or three opposing players and use his feet to kick the puck to a teammate or how well he saw the ice and could make such accurate blind passes in the corners. 

It was this type of hustle and grit that made up for the fact that Flatley never blossomed into the scoring machine that the Islanders thought he and Pat Lafontaine would become. However, when the Islanders decided to change the entire makeup of their team, trading away fan favorites like Brent Sutter, Randy Wood and Lafontaine in a matter of weeks, they kept Flatley and made him the new captain. In keeping Flatley on the team, the Islanders showed their fans that they still cared about the legacy the team had and felt Flats was one of the players the new team could look to for leadership. 

And what a solid leader he was, as the Islanders managed to make the playoffs during both seasons Flatley managed to play more than 60 games in, proving just how valuable he was to the team. As a matter of fact, I think Flatley’s presence on the ice alone played a huge part in the eventual development of players like Marty McInnis, Todd Bertuzzi, Travis Green and Zigmund Palffy because he got accustomed to the NHL playing alongside the Islander greats that no one will ever forget and showed those players what it took to be consistent. That alone makes up for the fact that he never scored more than 20 goals in any season during his career with the Isles. 

The only dark spot in Flatley’s career I believe was that one year he played for the Rangers and wasn’t used the way a player with his ability could have been used. Nevertheless, he did manage to score 10 goals and a dozen helpers playing on a fourth line. The only positive was that Flats got the opportunity to play in the playoffs again. 

Regardless, one year with the Broadway Blue shirts could never tarnish a solid career with the Isles. Not to mention the entertainment value of the “Heals and Flats” show, Flats will always be remembered as one of the most underrated team captains in Islanders history.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Isles Memories

Yesterday was a good day. 

Not because it was Sunday, a day usually dedicated to my relaxation, or even because the Jets managed to win, but because upon visiting NHL.com like I usually do every morning, I saw something I don’t think I’ve seen many times in my life; the Islanders in first place in the Atlantic Division. 
However, what separated this instance from the other times I was fortunate enough to see the Isles in first place was that before, I knew it wouldn’t last long. This time, I think the Islanders are capable of playing even better than their playing right now. Considering the fact that there are a few players on the Islanders that aren’t playing their best hockey at the present time and the entire team has been inconsistent at times, I definitely think this team can stay in first place if they continue doing what they’ve been doing. 

Two weeks ago, I wrote an article for the Kingsman, one of the two college newspapers in Brooklyn College, where I compared all three local teams. It was there where I said that while the Islanders don’t have the offensive attack of the Rangers or the consistent goaltending of the Devils, they have the grit and depth that the other two teams lack. However, the Islanders have had problems with consistency of the past few years and that has kept them from achieving the success many fans have hoped for. 

In spite of the consistency problems, Ted Nolan, over the past few weeks has had this team playing their hearts out every night and has reinvigorated a team that many didn’t expect to make the playoffs. Before the season started, many counted out the Isles due to the emergence of Garth Snow as general manager and the fifteen-year contract that was given to Rick DiPietro. Do you guys hear anyone talking now? I didn’t think so. 

TOMORROW’s GAME… 

The Islanders are a team that has momentum on their side. Aside from the great play of Yashin & Blake, it seems that every night someone else is coming through for them. Tomorrow night, against the Penguins, they’ll need for that trend to continue. I’m figuring now that Miro and Trent have broken out of their slumps that Andy Hilbert will finally get going. 

Everyone else that hasn’t been scoring that much this season at least has a goal and have been hustling consistently [Shawn Bates and Arron Asham come to mind]; I know Andy has a ton of shots on goal his past few games and I admire the guys ability, but enough is enough, this is New York and we want results! You had a decent season last year playing for two horrible teams, it’s time to prove to the rest of the NHL that you’re the real deal Andy, don’t let us down. With Sidney Crosby most likely to be back in the lineup after missing a few with a groin problem, the Isles are going to have to be on top of their collective games. I expect to see a lot of hitting tomorrow as well for the simple fact that the Pens seemed pretty pissed [Noah Welch and Chris Thorburn especially] towards the end of the game a few days back and with Crosby back in the lineup, they’re going to be out for blood. 
Either way, this game looks to be an interesting one. 

Let’s go Islanders.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Pregame Musings

This was definitely a game that Ted Nolan needed to sniff some smelling salts for.

Being the third game in four nights for the Isles, they weren’t expected to come out with a lot of jump and at first, they didn’t. But, like most games the team has played over the past 3 weeks, they found a way to put things together and pulled out an impressive 4-1 win.

I only hope Yashin is ok after the knee to knee collision, he’s too hot now to get injured on us. We need him for than ever right now.

Over the course of the game, I found myself smiling numerous times. However, it wasn’t at the two beautiful goals Blake scored, the hard working goal Park scored, or even the empty net goal I hope gets Hunter going to get me to crack a smile, it was the play of Rick Dipietro.
 
After a few of those saves, I felt like throwing in my WWE soundtrack and playing Shelton Benjamin’s theme song, “Ain’t No Stopping Me Now.” [If you don’t watch wrestling and have no idea what I’m talking about, then just continue reading and think of other ways to not have a life.]

Not obsessed with playing the puck anymore, DP looked amazing, stopping everything in his way except for a lone Ovechin goal, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. They scored the goals they had to against a very solid goaltender in Olaf Kolzig, took the body when they had to and made sure they didn’t waste a great game in net. That’s what good teams do and ever since they took that shellacking in Tampa Bay a few weeks back, they’ve looked like a totally different team.

DP, for one, is playing the puck much less and has given D-men like Sean Hill, Brendan Witt and Alexei Zhitnik an opportunity to make the first pass more often. That alone has been a huge factor in the Islanders success. The Isles need those three guys back there working hard and being a part in every game they play; they play more minutes than anybody else on the team for a reason. Their invigorated play as of late is going almost completely unnoticed, but truth be told, they have been great over the past five games and it goes hand in hand with the matured play of DP.

POOR ANDY…

What does this poor kid have to do to score a goal? If the man upstairs let Mick Vukota score a hat trick on more than one occasion during his career, he has to let Andy get at least one before the All-Star break. The past few games, he’s been peppering the nets with shot and hitting goal posts, which has been good, but damn, it’s like he’s jinxed or something.

FAVORITE MOMENT LAST NIGHT…

Had to be when Kolzig slammed his stick down on the ice after one of the goals. He looked so frustrated. But then again, that’s what happens when your defense consists of NHL rejects like Jamie Heward and Bryan Muir, geesh.

NEXT GAME…

Tuesday, against the Pens….again. This time they’ll probably have Crosby back in the lineup, so the Islanders can silence the retards on the internet that don’t give this team any credit, making excuses every time they do something right and take these “Happy Feet” impersonators on a march that they’ll never forget.

Let’s Go Isles.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Post Game Rants

I don’t know about you guys, but to get two games like that in a row was great! The fact that Miro got going and guys like Trent Hunter and Richard Park played so well made it even better and really showed me that this team wants to win. Again, like most Islanders wins this season, Alexei Yashin and Rick Dipietro played phenomenally and powered the Islander attack. However, they were helped by a great performance from the supporting cast once again, mainly Richard Park, Miroslav Satan and Brendan Witt.

RICHARD PARK…

One of the most unnoticed pick ups in the NHL over the summer, Richard Park has been amazing all season for the Isles, doing everything from killing penalties to forming a great fourth line with Arron Asham and Shawn Bates. Tonight, aside from blocking a few shots with no stick, was flying all over the ice and easily played his best game since joining the team.

MIROSLAV SATAN…

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that his wife was at the game, or maybe a little bit more that he was being pestered by Noah Welch all game, but Miro was on fire! The goal and the assist was one thing, but seeing Miro come back and nail Welch after he manhandled him through the entire second period was great. The problem with players in slumps is they lose their passion for the game and focus on producing, instead of playing their game. Tonight we saw Miro exhibit the passion that I think was missing from his game the past few weeks.

BRENDAN WITT…

Easily the best game of the year for Witt. The hit on Malkin in the third period was enough to satisfy his most ardent critics, but a few blocked shots and other great hits put him over the top. I love the fact that whenever a smaller player or a scorer gets hit, Witt is right there. When Satan got punched by Welch, Witt was right there and had his back the whole way. That’s what great teammates do and those are the types of players every team needs when they want to win.

BACK TO THE GAME…

Maybe Evgeni Malkin doesn’t know it, but last time I checked it was ILLEGAL TO THROW THE PUCK INTO THE NET WITH YOUR HANDS! Considering the fact that the Phillies are in desperate need of pitching, I think Malkin would fit right in. 

The same thing goes for Noah Welch. Dude, WEARING A VISOR MEANS YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO FIGHT! The overall clumsiness and lack of poise of the Penguins exhibited tonight was so apparent that I don’t even think Sydney Cosby could have fixed.

 Simply put, tonight, the Islanders showed the rest of the NHL that they are in fact the real deal. Critics will say that they beat a team without their best player, but that’s only half the story. One player doesn’t make a team. It takes 20 players working their asses off every night to create a winning team; the Islanders are starting to make that known to the rest of the league. 

TOMORROW AGAINST THE CAPS…

 After Bob Bourne gets inducted in the Isles Hall of Fame, the Isles will take on the hated Washington Capitals. Hopefully, playing three games in four nights won’t be a factor. Let’s see what happens.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Post Game Rants

Just one day after stuffing their faces full of turkey and stuffing and only two days after playing their best game of the season, the Islanders will have to put it all back together against the likes of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Consisting of experienced veterans like Mark Recchi, John LeClair and Sergei Gonchar and blue-chip youngsters like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Whitney, the Pens are a team that shouldn’t be taken lightly. In order to come out with two points, the Islanders will have to have to play similar to the way they played against the Hurricanes, which means staying out of the penalty box, taking the body and playing smart in addition to getting a few goals.
 
TRENT…

Despite not scoring as much as many would like, Trent Hunter has been playing some solid hockey as of late, hitting anything that moves and has exemplified what it means to play smart hockey. If it weren’t for a few goal posts and cross bars, Trent could easily have five or six goals. Nevertheless, Hunter is bound to get going offensively sooner or later and as long as he’s taking the body and playing hard, I don’t mind if he doesn’t score 20 goals this season.

Speaking of players getting going offensively, maybe two empty net goals over the past three games will give Miroslav Satan the confidence he needs to be the sniper the Islanders need be successful. Don’t get me wrong, Miro hasn’t been horrible for us, but he should be all means have at least 8 goals and about 18 points for us by now. There is no reason, with Jason Blake and Alexei Yashin getting most of the attention from opposing defenses, that Miro can’t score 30 goals and add another 35 assists; he just needs to get his confidence back somehow.

BACK TO THE PENS…

If the Islanders we saw on Wednesday night were the real deal, the Penguins don’t stand a chance. During that game, my dad made a comment about how the Isles looked like they were playing playoff hockey.

You’re damn right.

The Isles played the way every hardcore fan knows they are capable of. They played great defense, got good goaltending and scored when they had to and rolled four lines with jump. There’s no reason why they can’t play that way every night, especially with how incredible Yashin, Blake and the goaltending have been. All they need is for the supporting cast to keep their heads up and keep the tempo at the level it’s been the past few games.

However, that’s the weird thing about hockey. One night a team can be phenomenal, going as far to look like a playoff team and the next they can look like the Charlestown Chiefs. Regardless of which team shows up tonight, the game should nevertheless be interesting.

Let’s Go Islanders.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Pregame Musings

That game was something to be thankful for.

Hopefully, just maybe, looking back a few months from now, we can say that this was when the Islanders season really began.

Pure domination, that’s the best way to put it. Every line had their thing going. Asham, Park and Bates were flying all over the ice and the defense was joining the play and not having any problems getting back and stifling the Hurricanes offense.

While the offense of the Hurricanes was held in check last night, the Isles were all over the puck and again, Alexei Yashin and Jason Blake were on fire. Billy Jaffe made a great point by saying that they are both being unselfish with the puck and it’s paying well for them. Also, despite taking a few penalties [one of them was a complete joke as York was getting his stick held by a Hurricane and the back referee made the call for hooking when it was obvious he was getting his stick held], York played a solid game and provided some energy with Kozlov and Hunter.

We were so dominant last night that even Andy Hilbert managed to stick out, managing a season-high six shots on goal.

Simply put, when someone who has no points plays his best game of the year, you have to win. Luckily for the Isles, DP stayed on top of his game despite facing a minimum amount of shots and the rest of the team stuck together and played their best game of the season. Maybe now, the rest of the league will start to take the Isles a little bit more seriously.

BRUNO!

Maybe it was just me, but I’m starting to become a fan of Bruno Gervais. He plays such a solid game on both ends of the ice and it goes almost completely unnoticed. A few times he joined the rush last night and you could see that this kid has some speed. With Campoli in Bridgeport now, it looks like Bruno is here to stay. Originally wanting to see Campoli back in the lineup, I was hesitant of Bruno’s ability, but over the past few games, he’s made me a believer.

POOR MIRO!

I would have never thought that Satan would get himself into a slump like this, even though he’s a streaky scorer. Nevertheless, it’s great that he’s finding ways to score and he really played a great game last night, if anyone deserved that open-netter, it was Miro. If he continues to play this way, I have no doubt that the goals will come.

NEXT GAME…
 
Malkin and the Penguins come to the coliseum on Friday. Crosby missed the last game due to a groin injury, so he’s not likely to be 100% if he plays. This might be exactly what the Islanders need, considering a win against the Pens will put the Isles in sole possession of the last playoff spot in the conference. I know it may be a bit too early to think about the playoffs, but these games against division rivals will end up meaning a lot by the end of the season.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Post Game Rants

After a tough loss against the Maple Leafs, the Islanders now get a chance to redeem themselves against a tough Carolina Hurricanes team that features the likes of Rod Brind’amour, Eric Staal and Ray Whitney. Like I said yesterday, I expect a high scoring affair because the Hurricanes potent offense will force the Islanders to skate on defense and work equally as hard on offense.

Much like their last game against Toronto, the Isles can not afford to give up a few quick goals and play catch up the rest of the game; rather, they have to establish themselves in the offensive zone and play physically in the neutral zone, in effect forcing the Hurricanes to work for every inch of ice they skate on. The amount of grit players like Trent Hunter, Richard Park, Chris Simon and Arron Asham bring to the ice tonight will be a key ingredient in a victory. As well, Alexei Yashin and Jason Blake will have to continue their hot play as of late and will most likely find themselves matched up against Brind’amour, who is not only the team’s best defensive forward, but is also leading the team in scoring.

This is a great opportunity for the Islanders to reassert themselves after a sloppy game in Toronto, but they will have to play a smart game and not commit unnecessary penalties; that means you Alexei Zhitnik! The season is way too short to take penalties for doing things like slamming your stick against the back of the net because you don’t agree with a referee’s call. I can put up with a hooking penalty that is caused by not skating once in a while, but to do both, especially when your team is trying to claw its way back into a game against a conference rival is unbearable.

The Isles have the depth on defense and on the forward lines that many teams would die for; I mean c’mon, Miroslav Satan isn’t even a top line winger on this team, while anywhere else he’d be without a doubt. It’s time for the Islanders to stop showing flashes of brilliance and start playing consistent hockey. A win against the Hurricanes would keep them on the right track, because truth be told, they’ve been playing solid hockey as of late.

BY THE WAY…

For those of you who don’t know, Wednesday is considered the “hump” day of the week because it marks the middle of the week and tells us writers that we’ve gotten through the rough days and the weekend is almost here. To help add some more content on the site, every Wednesday I’m going to talk about players that are over the hump [meaning playing well] and players that are under it, in an effort to bring out the best and worst of the team for you, my readers.

OVER THE HUMP…

This one is obvious. Playing their hearts out the past four games, Jason Blake, Alexei Yashin and Rick DiPietro have been on top of their games and have kept the Islanders over the .500 mark for the majority of the season.

After suffering a groin injury early in the season, DiPietro has bounced back and played marvelous hockey during his past five games. Alexei Yashin has been hot since the first game of the season and has played extremely well on defense, in addition to bring out the best in Jason Blake. Despite putting up solid numbers the past two seasons, Jason Blake has finally began to get some exposure outside of the Long Island area and in spite of that has still produced a point a game, proving to everyone that he’s the real deal.
 
UNDER THE HUMP…

Through a quarter of the 2006-07 season, Andy Hilbert has failed to score a point. Need I say more? Unlike most of the Islanders, who have found at least one other line mate to consistently play with, Hilbert has been played with everyone from Yashin to Shawn Bates and still has yet to register a point. It’s so bad at this point that the only goal he’s scored this season has come during a shootout.

BACK TO THE GAME…

Take the body, play smart and stay out of the penalty box. I know I sound like a broken record, but if the Islanders can do that, they can play with any team in the league, even the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Let’s see what they do tonight.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Pregame Musings

It’s not that the Isles played horrible last night, they just didn’t play the disciplined, motivated and gritty game everyone was expecting them to. The fact that Alexei Zhitnik got a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct says it all.

They were frustrated; mainly because DP played well enough for them to win despite giving up one goal because he was out of position and they couldn’t put it together. He made the saves the Isles needed to stay in the game and they just couldn’t get anything past Raycroft. It happens sometimes. This time the Islanders came out on the losing end.
However, there were a few positives in that game too.

One positive I can take from that game was that the relationship between Blake and Yashin seems to be getting stronger every game. It seems sometimes that they can find each other with a pass, regardless of where they are on the ice. Sillinger looked good with them last night and I like the fact that he can play center as well as he can. This gives Yashin more of a chance to think offensively, rather than having to focus on face-offs.

Aside from the play of that line, Simon’s goal makes you think that he can still score when he has to. He’s been physical this year, but hasn’t gotten in many fights this season, telling me that he’s trying to be more productive on the ice, which is always a good think. I loved Eric Godard when he was here, but I don’t think he would have been able to score that goal last night and don’t think he would have fit in with this team.

Other than that, the Islanders just need to be more consistent. DP is playing his best hockey right now and they need to win these types of games, because he’s not going to be on like that every night. Good teams find ways to win, regardless of who’s injured or not playing well.

Also, congrats to my favorite little sniper at Bridgeport, Robert Nilsson for winning playing of the week honors. Who knows, if Hilbert continues to stink up the joint, we may see him or Tambellini up here very shortly.

Now after a long road trip, the Islanders go home to play the Carolina Hurricanes and their insanely potent offense. I predict a high scoring game from both sides, not only because Carolina has a habit of putting up points, I also feel that the Islanders are due to break out offensively.

More on that tomorrow though.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Post Game Rants

The Penguins got Sidney Crosby back; the Isles were forced to play with Alexei Yashin for the first time this season, it happens. In any case, many don’t expect the Islanders to keep up their winning ways without Yashin, but at times last night this team showed they can play well without their captain.

Well, as Foghorn Leghorn used to do say every time he was down and out:
“I say, I say, fortunately, I number my feathers in case of such an emergency.”

Even without Alexei Yashin, the Islanders still have enough skilled players on offense to win hockey games. It’s hilarious to me sometimes how short the memory is of the media in this city. Ever since Yashin has been on the team, he’s never been a part of the team’s most dominant line, well until this year. Anyone remember the Peca-Parrish and Bates line a few years back; or what about Wiemer-Scatchard and Blake the year before the lockout? Last year, it was whoever was paired with Satan and York. What I’m trying to say here is that the Islanders have won without Yashin before and they will do it again. Last night’s game was just a case of Fleury playing a great game. Against any other goalie last night the Isles would have won 4-3.

For about five minutes before the second period came to a close, I felt the Islanders were playing a solid game and were putting on a passing clinic. It’s just a shame that they lost on such a fluke goal from a weasel-looking checking line forward like Chris Thorburn. During Saturday’s game, he was complaining about calls and wouldn’t stop talking. Finally, Trent Hunter nailed him and on his next shift Brendan Witt hit him as well. But that’s hockey, sometimes you get a few bounces your way and sometimes you don’t. With the Flyers coming into town tomorrow, the Isles need to put this loss behind them and get back on the gravy train.

Ok, now since its Wednesday, here’s another segment of THE HUMP!

OVER THE HUMP…

Arron Asham- A few goals in his past few games combined with his ever so solid physical play have thrust Ash into a position where he’s due for more playing time. With Yashin out, Asham will see some time on the powerplay and will be forced to shoot! The dude has an unbelievable shot but only has 28 shots on the season. That number will go up significantly over the next three weeks.

Jason Blake- Without Yashin in the lineup, Blake will be asked to continue his production and last night was a good starting point. What a beautiful pass to Kozlov for a goal last night. I think Ted Nolan made a very smart decision in putting Kozlov with Blake because his game is so much similar to Yashin’s. He’s big and strong and has a great shot, sounds a lot like number 79 eh? If Kozlov can regain the form he had with the Panthers, scoring 70 points a few years back, the Isles may be much better off than they thought.

UNDER THE HUMP…

Andy Hilbert is going to stay in this section until he scores a goal, plain and simple. I’m sick of being nice and saying, “Oh, well he had six shots on goal and played hard.” No, he needs to put a puck completely across the goal line and then I will get off his back. Like I’ve said before in previous posts, his play is much better and he’s noticeable on the ice, but he needs to get going already. He’s reminding me of Daniel Marois, who couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn when he was on the Isles.

Mike Sillinger- This was a tough one. The guy does so much on the ice, he kills penalties, takes face offs, provides leadership, but at the end of the day, he needs to take more shots. There is no reason why Sillinger can’t score 20 goals this year and the Isles need his offense even more than ever right now.

BACK TO TOMORROW’S GAME…

Like I said before, the Islanders need to forget about the Pens and need to concentrate on taking the Flyers out. They have to play a smart game and rely on people like Chris Simon, Trent Hunter, Arron Asham, Brendan Witt and Richard Park to use their grit, speed and physical presence to open up ice for Miro and Blake. If they can do that successfully, they’ll be able to pull out a win.

Let’s go Islanders.

Posted under Isles 2006-07, Post Game Rants