The Isles game was far from perfect tonight, but it got the job done.

In the first period, the Isles defense was being taken advantage of by the Devils like they were a fat kid at a candy store. Throughout the period, New Jersey was extremely strong on the puck and Zach Parise, Arron Asham and a few other forwards were getting past the defense and forcing turnovers at will. Considering that, after that first period, things didn’t look too good.

However, the Isles decided to start skating in the second and after Josef Vasicek lit the lamp, the team looked reenergized.

As a matter of fact, the line of Satan, Vasicek and Sean Bergenheim got stronger as the game went on. With guys like Mike Comrie, Ruslan Fedotenko and Bill Guerin scoring a point a game thus far, the Isles seem to have a few guys they can count on offensively, but the contributions of the second line could be the thing that puts this team over the top. Eventually, as that second line gets stronger, I think Guerin will go back to playing with Comrie and Fedotenko; he’s already playing with them on the power play again.

Once that happens, this team will really start to show what they can do.

Nevertheless, despite the stellar play of the second line last night, Guerin’s game winning tally was obviously the most important part of the game for me. Not because it induced an Islander win that made up for several of the mistakes of the team, but because it proved something, or at least I think it started to.

Bill Guerin is not Alexei Yashin and Mike Comrie is not Jason Blake.

Guerin can and will score in the clutch and can be dependable and a go to guy when the team needs him to be. From what I’ve seen of him so far, it looks like he wants to be here and is focused on winning…now.

Comrie doesn’t need the puck on his stick all game in order to be successful and is focused on making a name for himself this season…with the Islanders.

The way Guerin and Comrie jumped into each others arms after the game must have looked exactly the way Garth Snow and Charles Wang expected it would when the signed them over the summer. Two good players, looking to take their careers to new levels. One a leadership position. The other, one of consist production.

Through eight games, both of them have played a huge part in the team’s success and the way it looks, they’re just getting started.

Aside from the play of Guerin and Comrie, you really couldn’t ask for more out of this team. Sure, there are obvious problems, like Sillinger’s lack of scoring and the inconsistent defense, but to be 5-3 despite that is something to be happy about.

Posted under Post Game Rants

Bring it on David Puddy.

Big game against Brent Sutter and the Devils today that could get pretty feisty and may even prove to be a solid test for both teams. I mean, let’s face it, this isn’t the same Devils team that was so dominant a few years ago. Crap it’s not even the team that had over 100 points last season anymore. Gone are players like Scott Gomez and Bryan Rafalski, who helped keep the team afloat and on top over the past five years, replaced by the likes of Dainius Zubrus and Karel Rachunek.

On paper, aside from Martin Brodeur being a better goaltender than Rick DiPietro and having gritty defensive players like John Madden and Jay Pandolfo, I think it’s almost obvious that the Islanders have a better defensive core and forwards than New Jersey. Nevertheless, players like Zach Parise and Brian Gionta cannot be given room on the ice to do their thing. If things get out of hand Radek Martinek and Brendan Witt may be in for a long night.

So far this season, Parise is averaging a point a game and despite having only one goal, he’s continuing to grow as a player and works his tail off. The way this kid plays, the goals are sure to come. Gionta too may be primed for a big game, considering the fact that he only has a goal to his credit this season as well.

However, considering how well the Isles played against the Capitals the other night, with three of the four lines looking like they’re clicking, the Devils may be the ones with their hands full. Johnny Oduya, Paul Martin and Sheldon Brookbank are all decent defenders in their own regard, but they’re no one special that any team in the NHL can’t impose their will upon.

Despite playing well so far this season, players like Mike Comrie and Ruslan Fedotenko will also be asked to put some points on the board, while Mike Sillinger still looks for his first goal of the season. With only eight shots on net through the first seven games of the season, will tonight be his night?

I’m sure I can speak for most Islander fans when I say it would be nice for Silly to break out of his slump the same way Guerin did the other night.

Regardless of that though, if the Islanders continue to forecheck and get in the opposition’s face, they’ll get plenty of penalties called. That’s where their game has started so far this season. The way the powerplay has looked, you have to love their chances not only against the Devils, but anyone. When this team is playing a blue-collar game and skating in both ends, they look like a playoff team. However, as we’ve seen at times this season, if this team doesn’t skate, they don’t look bad, they look horrible.

At this point in the season though, it’s way too early to say which Islander team is going to come to the rink tonight. Regardless, the way both of these teams have so up and down so far this season, this should be an interesting game to watch.

Posted under Pregame Musings

So far this season, it seems that when the Isles are hot with the man advantage, they come up victorious. Powered by three powerplay goals and three by their new captain Bill Guerin, the Isles skated to a 6-2 win over the Capitals.

Before the game started, I got an e-mail from the Japers’ Blog’s Ken Berard, who is actually the cousin of Bryan Berard and runs a great Capitals blog, who told me he picked the Capitals to win 4-2.

I think I’ll just steal a line from The Simpson’s and say “HaHa.”

In the first period, the line of Sean Bergenheim, Josef Vasicek and Miro Satan was easily the best for the Islanders. Not only did they draw a penalty on Donald Brashear, Bergenheim took hold of a failed shot by Satan after Andy Sutton pinched and kept the Isles in the offensive zone and turned it into a goal.

However, despite the lead, Brendan Witt got hit in the mug with a Shaone Morrisonn slap shot and Rick DiPietro was forced to make way too many saves early on. Most of the period, the Isles were stuck in their own zone, but thankfully DP was up to the task and made 13 saves.

The second period was another story.

Note to Olaf Kolzig: close your legs.

Kolzig looked like Paris Hilton on a five on three opportunity, as Guerin slammed home a slapshot through his glory hole, giving the Isles a 2-0 lead. On top of that, the Isles managed to kill off a few penalties and started taking more shots. They were far from perfect in their own end, but DP was solid in the second and continued to keep his team in the game. Add in a nice stick check by Bryan Berard late in the second on Alex Ovechkin and the Isles were still up 2-0 after 60 minutes.

The Isles kept it going in the third period, but after a horrible call that robbed Ruslan Fedotenko of a goal, they’d have to make sure they played smart. From the replays I saw, it was obvious that Fedotenko didn’t intentionally hit that puck with his glove. As a matter of fact, it looked more like the puck hit his shoulder than anything else.

However, Ovechkin tallied on a two on one and all of a sudden, it was a new hockey game.

A few minutes later, Fleischmann scored and I couldn’t help but think of the goal Fedotenko scored that was rebuked.

Nonetheless, from that point on, the game’s tempo sped up considerably and it was obvious the Capitals were buzzing.

That was before Bryan Berard took his gizzillonth shot of the game and put the Isles ahead however. Thanks to Trent Hunter parking his big rump in front of the net, Kolzig was screened and never really got a decent look at the slapper. I said a few days ago that Berard needs to start shooting more; he did that tonight.

Another guy that needed to shoot more before tonight, Guerin, added another goal that beat Kolzig on his right side, again on the powerplay, and gave the Isles their two-goal lead back at 4-2.

Then I started looking for some hats in my house.

Roofing a wrist shot over Kolzig’s shoulder for his third goal of the game, I think it’s fair to say that Ollie the goalie had more holes in him than a hunk of Swiss cheese.

Anyone that wanted the Isles to step up offensively has to be happy with the way they played with the man advantage. Additionally, guys like Bergenheim, Hunter and Chris Campoli played their hearts off and people finished plays and showed resiliency when it looked like the Capitals had the edge.

Good game.

Post game Notes-

Before the game started, I was extremely skeptical seeing Aaron Johnson playing right wing on the fourth line. I understand that Ted Nolan wants to bring Shawn Bates along slow after his abdominal injury and doesn’t want to play both Simon and Bootland, but why can’t they bring up someone else, maybe like a Ben Walter or Blake Comeau to play wing [in Comeau’s case] or center the fourth line [in Walter’s case] in between Park and Simon?

I know Johnson played some forward last year, but it just doesn’t make sense to me.

Those thoughts became even more prevalent when Johnson committed a holding penalty in the third.

However, I like the fact that Nolan continues to sit Bergeron. Even though the team needs his offense right now, Gervais and Campoli are playing too well and Bergeron has lacked polish.

Until he finds it, he’s going to continue to ride the bench.

Posted under Post Game Rants

Over the past four games, the Islanders offense has been as anemic as one of those kids from Somalia that Sally Struthers is always trying to help. Politically corrected-ness aside, I’m really not trying to be funny here.

Right now, the Islanders offense is in desperate need of either some line shaking up or a pep talk.

While the possible return of Shawn Bates into the lineup isn’t going to solve the problem, if Bates is healthy, things have the possibility of changing for the better.

Before you guys jump down my throat, just listen:

After the rules were changed in the NHL a few years ago to allow less holding and grabbing, I thought a player like Bates could take their career to the next level [as much as I ripped him on this site last season for not being able to finish, he was a different player two seasons ago]. While Jason Blake found a way to since then, Bates has either been inconsistent or injured, a double whammy for any player trying to make a name for himself.

Two years ago, there was a time when Bates was one of the Isles’ best players. He played the point on the powerplay at times and was killing penalties in addition to getting plenty of even strength time. Last year under Ted Nolan, I thought this was the time when he finally was going to take his game to the next level. Instead, he reveled in mediocrity, scoring only three goals in 48 games.

However, considering how bad the offense has been through the last four games of the season, I think throwing Bates on the fourth line in-between Chris Simon and Richard Park will give the Isles four strong lines. Last season, the Isles were at their best when they could roll four lines and stay out of the box. If Bates is completely healthy and can turn back the clock, he can score 15 goals and add 20 helpers.

I don’t know how you guys feel, but I think that would be great offense from a fourth line center. Also, you have to love the way the Isles penalty-killing has looked so far this season and adding Bates makes them even better. Again, however, this is all speculative at this point because we have no idea which Bates is going to come back.

If it’s the Bates from last season, the Isles need to start giving Tambellini a long look and may even have to look for a trade to get some more depth on the forward lines. I hate to say it, but losing Jon Sim for the season could be a huge loss for this team unless someone decides to step up.

Hopefully for Islander fans, it’s Bates or someone else.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007

This should be on NYSportsday.com in the next few days.

Enjoy.

Through their first half dozen games this season, the Islanders have skated their way to a mediocre 3-3 record. Regardless of their average record however, the Isles have the promise and potential that can lead them to their second playoff appearance in as many years.

 

Powered by the rejuvenated game of free agent pick up Mike Comrie and goaltender Rick DiPietro, the Isles won two out of their first three games this season.

 

“This team is really focused on winning,” said Islanders forward Ruslan Fedotenko, who has seven points and is tied for the team lead in scoring with Comrie. “We have some good people in the locker room and we have a great goalie, but we know things aren’t going to be easy. We know we have something to prove, but we’re ready to do whatever we to in order to win. Overall, I’m really happy with what I’m seeing here.”

 

But after defeating the Rangers at home, the Islanders lost two games in a row, with one being an 8-1 drubbing against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Making matters worse was the poor defensive effort the Isles put forth during the game, leaving Islanders backup goaltender Wade Dubielewicz a dead duck in front of the net all game long.

 

Regardless of the Islanders woes on defense however, the team has plenty of room to grow as the season goes on.

 

So far this season, Mike Sillinger, Miroslav Satan Bryan Berard and Bill Guerin, all vital cogs in the team’s offensive scheme, have a combined one goal on 42 shots. In spite of that, the team has a 3-3 record, thanks in part to the play of Comrie, Fedotenko and Chris Campoli, who have scored nine of the team’s 14 goals this season.

 

Confident that the team will start to pick up their play in the offensive zone, Sillinger knows that he and his teammates need to get desperate; then and only then will the offense be as consistent as it should be.

 

“Right now, we just seem a little hesitant,” Sillinger told Newsday this week. “You’ve got to find those rebounds, really go to the net and be hungry. It just seems to be the common denominator, not only with our line but with every line. We’re not scoring five-on-five … It’s like a snowball effect. I remember last year, once our line got one goal, it seemed like we scored game in and game out. What happens is contagious.”

 

With DiPietro in net, the Islanders can also afford to take their time to gel offensively. Going 3-2 with a 2.21 GAA and a .915 save percentage through his first five games, DiPietro has kept his team in every game he’s played this season and isn’t showing any signs of letting up.

 

“It’s an old saying that your best players have to be your best players,” coach Ted Nolan told the Associated Press after DiPietro made 30 saves against the Sabres last week.

 

If DiPietro continues to play as well as he has this season and the Isles offense starts scoring the garbage goals they were known for last season, it may be a very interesting season on Long Island.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007

Rather than continue discussing the play of another Islander today, I feel it would be better to talk about what the Isles need to do in their rematch with the Washington Capitals in a few days.

Having problems scoring goals as of late, the Isles need to get some garbage goals and raise their confidence in the offensive zone. In particular, guys like Bill Guerin, Mike Sillinger and Miroslav Satan need to start lighting the lamp. All scoring over 25 goals last season, these three players will be vital cogs in the Isles attack over the course of the season and its imperative they get started soon.

Add in the fact that all three players are on different lines and it’s easy to see how important their success is in determining how good the team’s offense is this season.

Additionally, once Guerin, Sillinger and Satan get going, players like Sean Bergenheim, Andy Hilbert and Josef Vasicek will feed off of it and they’ll start taking advantage of the open space created on the ice. Vasicek played a more than solid game the other night and already has two goals. It’s about time Satan gets going as well. Bergenheim looked solid against the Flyers and if Satan can start shooting more (he only has 11 shots on goal in six games so far this season) the rest of that line will be able to contribute on a consistent basis.

Away from the forwards, Bryan Berard needs to show Ted Nolan that he is more than just a good powerplay quarterback. Making a few solid plays on defense the past few nights, I’d really like to see Berard continue to get about 15 -20 minutes a game. However, just like Satan, he needs to start shooting more. With only two shots on net through his first three games, Berard not only has to start shooting more, he needs to hit the net more as well. While everyone in the NHL knows about Marc-Andre Bergeron’s shot, Berard has a solid shot as well and in order for both the Isles and Berard to be successful, they have to let both of them shoot on the powerplay.

With guys like Ruslan Fedotenko, Chris Simon and Trent Hunter all capable of creating screens in front of the net and scoring garbage goals, the Isles would be crazy to not take advantage of the two offensive defensemen they have on the powerplay taking shots from the point.

If Bergeron has learned to play defense since he was benched the other night, the Isles can play with the talented Capitals. Rick DiPietro has been solid so far this season, but the Isles have to protect him on defense. However, they have to score a few goals and get some confidence back first.

The inspired play of Guerin, Satan and Sillinger can make that happen.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007

While the play of the team has been topsy-turvy and inconsistent over the first six games, I do think a few players have shown serious improvement in their games this season. With the team off for a few days, I’ll be spending them talking about who I think is on the rise and what has contributed to their improved play.

Over the first half-dozen games this season, I have seen a change in one Chris Campoli. In his first season on the Island, Campoli was a one-dimensional player, who despite having solid offensive ability, was a bit of a liability on defense. Anyone that remembers his first game in Toronto two seasons ago can attest to that.

However, there were times during that season when many Islander fans thought that Campoli might have the goods to be a permanent fixture on the team’s blue line. Then add in a new coach in Ted Nolan, that’s known for getting the most out of his players, and it’s easy to see why many believed Campoli was ready for an even better season last year.

However, Campoli wasted time in training camp and thought his spot on the team was safe. Then after an injury in pre-season, Campo lost his spot on defense to Bruno Gervais and didn’t look like he was getting it back. Nevertheless, when he finally got a chance to crack the lineup, Campoli showed the rest of the NHL that he has no problem taking the body and was sound in his own zone.

Despite his solid play on defense, he wasn’t shooting nearly as much as he was before and couldn’t duplicate the offensive numbers he had during his rookie year.

That all changed in the playoffs though.

Playing key minutes against Buffalo, Campoli scored two points in five games, proving he could be a complete player and earned a one-way contract this offseason as a result. That I think has contributed to his maturity and better overall game this season. It’s almost as if the gritty Campoli of last season and the gifted-offensive player the Isles drafted in 2004 were two separate players that needed the comfort of a long-term contract and the pressure of the NHL playoffs to become one.

While he isn’t as potent an offensive force as Bryan Berard and Marc-Andre Bergeron and pales in comparison to Brendan Witt in the physical department, Campoli may be the best two-way defender the Isles have on the blue line.  Not bad for a guy that had problems cracking the lineup last season.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007

Not the result that many people were looking for, but overall, not a bad game. The fact that the Isles could play two sloppy periods and still be in the game at the end is a good sign, too.

Aside from the fact that this team needs to start scoring more goals, the defensemen started to play with a little more urgency, especially in the third period and Bryan Berard especially didn’t look all that bad in his own zone.

Rick DiPietro didn’t play a horrible game either, but it just looked the team in front of him was playing very flat on the ice. Most of the forward lines looked out of synch for the first 40 minutes and when the third period started, it was too little, too late.

Like I said, for the most part the defense played okay last night, but I really don’t like the way the Islanders have protected DP in front of the crease so far this season. Radek Martinek missed a guy the other night against Washington and the entire D-Core left Wade Dubielewicz out to dry against Toronto. If they’re going to continue to only score a goal or two a game, then they have to play much tighter on defense and not allow any rebounds that the opposition can take advantage of.

Maybe after being a healthy scratch last night Marc-Andre Bergeron will start getting his act together on defense and help the cause.

Also what kind of pissed me off last night was that the Isles ran a “Double Goon” line, having Bootland play with Richard Park and Chris Simon. Why not just dress seven defensemen if you’re going to play Bootland for five minutes? At least then give both Gervais and Bergeron a chance to play against the Flyers. Gervais is someone that will hopefully be on this team for the next few years and while I’m happy that Bergeron got the scratch last night, dressing Bootland for Bergeron is not the answer.

This team needs offense and for as much of a liability in the defensive end as Bergeron has been this season, he’s been consistently scoring. Talk to him, make him work harder in practice, I don’t know, put an egg in his jock strap, but benching him for someone that can’t possibly help the team the same way he can, to me, isn’t a great answer.

Bootland, despite his gritty play, is an offseason pickup that’s going to be in Bridgeport once Bates comes back or we pick up some one to take Sim’s spot or contribute more consistently on the third or fourth line.

There were a few positives from last night however. Josef Vasicek and Miroslav Satan played their best games of the season and if they can stay consistent, there may be the makings of a good line there. Sean Bergenheim can definitely be the spark that line needs if he gets a dozen minutes a night to play, I have no doubt in my mind that he can score a dozen goals and add 15 or so helpers.

So with the loss in hand, the Isles are now tied for the Atlantic Division lead with the Flyers. Nice place to be after six games if you ask me, but the Isles still need to get their act together and start scoring some more.

Posted under Post Game Rants

Chris Simon is back.

Good thing because it seems that Philly likes the rough stuff.

Obviously not as much now, considering both Steve Downie and Jesse Boulerice are going to be out for quite some time. Nevertheless, I’m sure the Islanders are happy that Simon is back, especially after finding out a few days ago that Jon Sim is going to be out for the season.

Having Simon back may not seem like a big thing to the casual fan, but I’m sure hardcore fans and the media know how valuable he is to the team. The guy can play on any line and contribute offensively and can play on the powerplay. Plus, he causes havoc in front of the net and is one of the best enforcers in the game today.

Before the suspension last year, Simon was starting to heat up and the Isles were rallying around him. The way all the lines except the first look right now, I think Simon could jump right in and give one some stability.

Let’s be honest here, Mike Sillinger and Trent Hunter have played well this season, but they need someone else to play with them. The Josef Vasicek and Miroslav Satan experiment needs someone else added into the mix too because while Andy Hilbert works hard on the ice, they need someone who is more of a finisher and can give these two guys space. The fourth line, that for the most part this season, has consisted of Richard Park and Sean Bergenheim, is also in desperate need of either a sparkplug or a physical presence.

Chris Simon can fill any of those roles on those lines if you ask me.

Also, if Shawn Bates is healthy, I say throw him in the center spot on the fourth line and throw Simon on the left wing with Vasicek and Satan and reunite the Hilbert, Sillinger and Hunter line. While I love Jeff Tambellini’s game, it just feels like he’s not fitting in right now.

Again, if Bates is healthy, he’ll be a more than adequate fourth liner and will combine with Bergenheim and Park and provide the Isles with a talented and quick fourth line that can play both ends well. As much as I’ve gotten on him the past year, there was a period in time two years ago when I actually thought he was one of the best players on the team. If he’s completely healthy, he’ll provide offense and be able to kill penalties. It’s hard to fight with that kind of versatility.

With the injuries on the team hurting the team’s depth at forward, both Simon and Bates will be asked to step it up.

For Simon, who’s making his season debut tonight, I hope it’s sooner than later.

Anyway, we’ll see how things go tonight.

Breaking news

According to the Ottawa Sun, Randy Robitaille is close to signing a deal with the Senators, but the Isles have shown interest as well.

Stay tuned on that one.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007

Some people in Islander-land will call this game a Ranger hangover. I just call it way too many penalties.

I should just end the post right here, but the entire game wasn’t completely negative… or was it?

After the first period, things didn’t look bad, but the penalties ruined what otherwise could have been a decent period. Things like that destroyed any flow the Isles could have got going their way in the early stages.

While the team has been pretty solid with the man advantage this season and Fedotenko got them on the board in the first, the team is at it’s best when they’re at even strength, grinding and fighting for lose pucks in the opponents end and blocking shots and finishing checks on defense. Committing so many penalties early really robbed them of the opportunity to do that.

Helping that come to fruition was another mediocre game by Marc-Andre Bergeron in his own end. As a result, Wade Dubielewicz faced entirely too many shots. The defense hung him out to dry a few times as well by letting the Leafs set up camp in front of the net all game long. Take Tomas Kaberle’s goal, where Chris Campoli and Bruno Gervais failed to pick him up after a nice pass from former Islander Jason Blake. Bergeron coughing up the puck on the powerplay in the second period that helped lead to a shorthanded goal didn’t help matters either.

Also with all those penalties, the Isles stopped taking shots at Leafs goalie Andrew Raycroft. Then the frustration began to set in and the youngsters, especially Jeff Tambellini, started to try too hard to get something done and commited even more penalties.

Speaking of trying too hard, I think that’s what’s happening with Bill Guerin and Miro Satan. They’ve had a few golden opportunities to put a few pucks in the net so far this season and haven’t been able to cash in. I can’t begin to say how imperative it is for these two guys to get going offensively. The team is already running thin offensively after the first line and they need both Guerin and Satan to be able to contribute consistently.

Without them, guys like Sean Bergenheim, Andy Hilbert and Tambellini need to have career years and so far that doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

Regardless of that however, the Isles had plenty of chances of their own on the powerplay and they couldn’t get it going.

It’s only one game, but it’s proof that this team has to play their game and stay within their system or things aren’t going to go well.

Posted under Post Game Rants