Last night, the Islanders played their best game defensively of the season. Usually, the Rangers pepper the net with shots, averaging over 32 shots a game. Last night, the Islanders limited their mistakes [aside from a sloppy shorthanded goal] and held the Rangers to only 19 shots.

However, what I really liked about the game was how certain players stepped up and did things they aren’t known for in order to keep the Isles in the game. For instance, I think Chris Simon played his best game of the season and was really strong in the slot and was using his wrist shot. Known more as a grinder who gets garbage goals, Simon was looking good out there taking shots from in between the circles [I would have liked to see him hit the net a few more times though]. Additionally, Bryan Berard played a great game in his own end and absolutely flattened Chris Drury with an insane-looking open ice hit. Also, Chris Campoli continued to throw his body around as well and even got a little rough with the Rangers young stud defenseman Marc Staal.

In spite of the solid performances by Berard, Simon and Campoli last night, I think Brendan Witt and Radek Martinek played the biggest part in the team’s success. Does anyone know where Jaromir Jagr was last night? Was he even a factor? Where was Sean Avery, besides the penalty box? What about Scott Gomez, Chris Drury and Petr Prucha? While the Islanders entire defensive core should be congratulated on a job well done, the play of both Martinek and Witt was amazing tonight. Keep it up guys.

Speaking of Avery though, something has to be done about this guy. He’s such a lunatic on the ice. First he throws himself on Berard after he gets taken down in front of the net and then he takes down Ruslan Fedotenko from behind. If that wasn’t enough, the guy caught Andy Sutton in the face with an accidental high stick.

Spending eight minutes in the penalty box, Avery is either a great agitator or a complete idiot. In all honesty, I think it’s a little bit of both. While I would love to have a player like him on a team I was putting together, he’s got to calm down from time to time. His lackadaisical play hurt his team the last time these two teams played and last night, he didn’t help them that much by spending all that time in the box.

Chris Neil smoked Avery a couple of weeks ago and Ranger fans cried that it was a dirty hit. If Avery keeps this kind of play up, I can guarantee that it’s only a matter of time until someone tries to plant him again. Being a pest is one thing, but making yourself a target by being a clown on the ice is another.

But enough about Avery… what about Josef Vasicek again tonight? Did he not roof that wrist shot past Lundqvist or what? Why has this guy waited his entire career to finally step up and play this way? I think I might know the answer. For most of his career, he was considered a role player, or a depth guy that gave you good minutes from a third or fourth line slot. This season, the Islanders expected him to score 40-60 points [if you don’t believe me, look through the old video on Islanders TV and listen to what Garth Snow said when the team signed him this offseason] and so far, he looks like he’s got what it taken to do exactly that. When Snow first said that, I really thought he was out of his mind, but from what everyone has seen so far, the Islanders have struck gold with the big center.

Now, the Isles will have a day to cool off before playing another quality team in the Montreal Canadiens. Still with games in hand on the competition, this game will be another crucial one to look at when the season is winding down and the Isles are hunting for a playoff spot.

Stay Tuned.

Posted under Post Game Rants

Lately, the Islanders success has depended on the play of their defense and goaltender Rick DiPietro. Playing against a hot team like the Rangers today, who have won nine out of their last 10 games, chances are it’ll probably have to stay that way for another night. And it’s not because the Rangers are playing amazing on offense either. At this point in the season, you’d expect that Jaromir Jagr would have about 25-30 points and Scott Gomez would have about 20.

However, you know who’s leading the Rangers in goals this season? Michal Rozsival. Yep, it’s true. Ranger fans all over the area should start a church devoted to Henrik Lundqvist. The guy has been that good this season and isn’t showing any signs of slowing down. If Lundy is in the net, I think tomorrow will be a tight-checking game where both team’s look to capitalize on the others mistakes. That’s how the last few games have panned out in Islander Country anyway. If Valiquette is the net, the Isles may be able to pepper the seldom-used goalie with shots and score a few. However, considering how close the Isles are in the standings with a few games in hand, you’d expect the Rangers to bring out their best.

Over the past three games, the Islanders play on defense has gotten much tighter and I really see them being led on the ice by Radek Martinek and Brendan Witt. Those guys are just so important in terms of stifling the offensive attack of the opposition. At the same time though, they are so underappreciated by the rest of the NHL that no one besides fans on Long Island see Witt blocking shots and Martinek fighting for loose pucks in the corner and making that first pass out of the zone.

Simply put, the Islanders success the rest of the season may actually depend on how good those two play against the best forwards in the league. They make life so much easier for DP and everyone knows how important he is to the team. Tomorrow against the Rangers, I see Martinek and Witt playing a huge role.

At the same time however, I think Mike Comrie’s line and Mike Sillinger’s line are due for a big game and as we’ve seen in the past, especially last season, the Islanders usually play their best hockey against the Rangers. So with that being considered, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a few goals being scored. However, I will stick to my guns and say that it’ll be a close one.

With that being said, I think the grinders will play a big role in the game as well. I’d really love to see someone like Andy Hilbert, Sean Bergenheim or Richard Park light the lamp and the way their lines have played on defense the past few games, you’d think they’d get plenty of ice time in the game. I see all three of those players scoring a dozen goals this season and there’s not a better place to start putting notches on the belt than against the Rangers. Is there?

Posted under Pregame Musings

When the Islanders drafted Chris Campoli in the seventh round of the 2004 draft, they envisioned that one day the 20-year old would be able to quarterback the powerplay and play important minutes on both ends of the ice. After 14 games of his third season with the Isles, Campoli is finally starting to show that he can be a complete NHL defenseman.

Scoring 11 points while establishing himself as a physical presence, Campoli has successfully rebounded after an injury-plagued 2007 that limited him to only 51 games and 14 points.

“My role has changed this year,” said Campoli. “I’m playing more and with more confidence. “All that matters is that we keep winning and I do what I can to contribute.”

Scoring 34 points in an impressive rookie season, Campoli came into training camp last season assured of a spot on the Islanders blue line. New Islanders head coach Ted Nolan however, thought that the youngster could use more seasoning in the AHL with the team’s affiliate in Bridgeport. Despite the view of his coach however, Campoli looked as if he was going to make the team out of camp as the seventh defenseman. However, after a groin injury a week before opening night, Campoli was forced to rehab and earn his stripes again.

Finally getting back in the lineup before the All-Star break, it took Campoli nearly 50 games to look like a steady NHL defenseman again. Scoring four points and playing excellent defense in the playoff series with the Buffalo Sabres, Campoli earned himself a three-year, $1.9 million dollar contract and hasn’t looked back since.

However, despite his reinvigorated play, the 23-year-old doesn’t see anything different with his game.

“It’s just me playing my game and recognizing the opportunities to jump into the play,” said Campoli. “I don’t think I’m jumping into the play anymore often than I did last year or the year before. When opportunities come I just want to take advantage of them.”

With more playing time, Campoli has become an influential part of the Islanders defense. Additionally, with injuries to Bryan Berard and the streaky play of Marc-Andre Bergeron, the young defenseman’s role may get even bigger before the season is through. Regardless of that though, Campoli is just happy to be on a winning team and is focused on getting the team past the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

“All that matters is that we keep winning and I do what I can to contribute.”

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007

The past few games, the Islanders have had a strong of bad luck. They give up a shorthanded goal scored against them and don’t get the bounces that they’ve gotten most of the season. That however stopped last night, as Josef Vasicek continues to play exceptional hockey, scoring a bizarre shorthanded goal of his own, giving the Islanders a 1-0 win against the Devils.

Everyone knows that Martin Brodeur is eventually going to get his 500^th win; they’re just wondering how at this point. The guy has played extremely solid this year and simply put, I think the Devils just don’t have as much talent on defense as they’ve had in the past couple of years and it’s finally starting to catch up with them. They still have plenty of guys on offense that COULD get the job done, but the way Brent Sutter shuffles lines, you’d have to think that they’re having trouble finding chemistry.

Nonetheless, the Islanders played well in both ends tonight and Rick DiPietro stepped up again and made plenty of quality saves. With Marc-Andre Bergeron out of the lineup, the Islanders looked much tighter on defense and Bryan Berard made a quality defensive play in the second period that stopped a New Jersey breakout.

However, it was Vasicek who stopped the Devils for good. Taking the puck away from a New Jersey defender, Joltin’ Joe gave the Islanders the lead after he made about one thousand moves before he finally flicked a wrist shot that deflected off of Brodeur and went in the net. I don’t know how you guys feel about this guy, but I think he’s been amazing so far this season. Bouncing back from an injury-plagued season last year where he only netted six goals combined with Carolina and Nashville, Vasicek is making Garth Snow look like a genius.

Greg Logan from Newsday wrote the other day that Mike Comrie and Vasicek have the same agent and after Comrie signed with the Isles, the agent pushed for big Joe to join him. Either way it happened, by Snow’s smarts, or by an agent’s laziness, you can’t complain about the way he’s played this season for the Islanders.

The only question is, can he keep it up all season long? The way he’s played in the past tells you that he’ll get injured down the stretch and not be as effective, but let’s forget about that. Right now, both he and Miroslav Satan are on top of their games and helping the Islanders swim in the harsh waters of the Atlantic division. Let’s hope it stays that way.

Posted under Post Game Rants

While most of the area is gearing up for the most wonderful time of the year, the New York Islanders are embarking on perhaps the most grueling part of their schedule. Gone forever are the four games in three weeks that allowed them into mosey into the season, rather than be immersed in it. Now my friends, the season really starts.

I don’t know, maybe it’s just me, but it’s felt like the Islanders haven’t had a back to back game yet this season. After a decent game against the Flyers, where they were missing that one thing to get them over the top, they square off against the Devils at the rock. For some crazy reason, Martin Brodeur still doesn’t have his 500^th win yet, and I’m sure the Islanders will be trying to keep it that way. I know a lot of Islander and Rangers fans aren’t big fans of Brodeur and some even consider him cocky, but take it from someone who has interviewed him, the guy is a class act. When you’re as good as he is, you can afford to be a little cocky.

When I look at DP and the way he presents himself, I see Martin Brodeur, A LOT. However, I think they’re two totally different goalies in two types of situations. I think for a long time, people didn’t know how good Brodeur was because of the players on defense that played their hearts out for him every night. With DP, I think people know he’s good to a fault, but don’t have much respect for him because he plays on a small market team with no superstars on defense or offense. If he manages to win more games than he did last season, I think that motif will really start to change.

However, with that being said, the Islanders will have to pepper the net with shots tonight and force Brodeur to play on his heals, something he’s been doing much more lately since the Devils seem to prefer to acquire top six defensemen from waivers than by drafting or trading for them. If they can keep the puck away from the talented forwards on the Devils and keep the quality shots away from DP, you can chalk up two points to the Islanders.

For some reason against the Penguins and Flyers, the Isles just came up short. They worked hard in both ends, but had moments of softness that took away from their overall game. With a few games in hand on the competition, the Islanders, if they play smart, can start to build a cushion on the other teams in the division. Winning tonight against the Devils would be a great way to start to do that.

Posted under Pregame Musings

After a disappointing loss to the Flyers on Monday, the Isles now have another solid Eastern Conference team to deal with in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Loaded with offensive depth, the Pens are going to be a solid team for years to come. Nevertheless, they do have a few weaknesses. Marc-Andre Fleury may have won 40 games last season, but is still a ways away from being an elite goaltender in the NHL. If the Islanders pepper the net with shots, they should be able to get a few past Fleury.

Considering how offensive-minded the team is, they make plenty of mistakes in transition and if the Isles continue to work hard in both ends of the ice, they should be more than capable of holding their own. However, if the Islanders make mistakes in their own end and don’t work hard on the boards, similarly to the way they played against Philly, the Isles are doomed to suffer a miserable fate.

The game against Philly proved in my mind that the Islanders can hold their own with any team in the NHL, as long as they stick to their game plan that is. Even without Bill Guerin in the lineup, the Isles were strong on the puck most of the time, and stayed in the game throughout. Not many teams would have been able to play against a team like the Flyers without their captain, and a talented offensive defenseman like Bryan Berard in the lineup, but the Isles did. Like I’ve said a few times already, I don’t think this team has the kind of team that can win a cup obviously, but I do think they can make the playoffs playing this way.

Once they get in the playoffs, everything is different though. With a solid goalie like DP, they could surprise a few people, but then again, I’m absolutely out of mind for talking about the playoffs after 14 games.

Continuing to focus on the current developments of the team, Andy Sutton and Marc-Andre Bergeron’s play in their own end has gotten noticeably better. Ted Nolan said something on the pre-game show the other night that the competition on defense has brought out the best of Bergeron. You have to wonder what’s going to happen once Berard comes back. For my money, I’d start a seven man rotation and depending on what team I was playing, I’d shift around Berard, Sutton, Bergeron and Bruno Gervais. Chris Campoli, Brendan Witt and Radek Martinek do too much on both ends of the ice to be taken out of the lineup, while Sutton, MAB and Bruno are much more one-dimensional.

Anyway, we’ll see how the team comes out against the Penguins. I’m expecting a lot of goals. We’ll see though.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2007, Pregame Musings

Considering all the days off the Islanders have had this year, I think I can honestly say that I have almost exhausted myself talking about the same things. To counteract this, I’m reviving an old segment called Isles Memories. Today, I’ll be talking about one Tommy Salo.

While some people may not agree with what I have to say, I think Tommy Salo was one of the most talented goalies the team ever had. The only problem was, he had no support. During his time on the Island, players like Bryan Berard, Scott Lachance, Kenny Jonsson and Bryan McCabe were still developing, Dennis Vaske and Rich Pilon constantly getting hurt and whoever else they had there just wasn’t good enough to play in the NHL. I know a lot of Islander fans don’t want to admit how bad the team was during those years, but it’s true. They were horrible. From 95-99, the guy had 14 shutouts and was only 26 games under .500 on some horrible teams. If that’s not saying how good the guy was, then I don’t know what else will.

Wait, I do.

Take a look at his GAA during the three full seasons he was on the Island. 2.82, 2.64 and 2.62. What’s Rick DiPietro’s GAA right now? 2.49. Not much of a difference if you ask me. But what does this all mean you ask? I believe that the Islanders could have been a much better team if they would have put better pieces around Salo. They definitely wouldn’t have been Stanley Cup teams, but they would have made the playoffs. Simply put, the guy isn’t nearly as bad as many Islander fans think he is. The dude has stamps with his picture on them in Sweden, if that means anything [ok, now I’m making myself laugh here].

The reason why I think Islander fans don’t have much much respect for Salo is because of the beat down he took at the hands of Dan Cloutier. However, I don’t think anyone had the hindsight to see what a raving lunatic the kid was that early on and Salo was probably the first in many goalies that got smacked around by Cloutier. I watch that fight every so often on YouTube and I still can’t believe someone got beat up that bad. But I digress; despite Salo’s inability to throw a haymaker, he wasn’t a bad goalie. His success on the international level and the few solid years he had with Edmonton proved that.

Again, it’s just a sad case of the Islanders giving up on someone way too soon, again.

Posted under Isles Memories

The Islanders were the better team by far last night. They out shot Philadelphia and had plenty of opportunities with the man advantage. However, Martin Biron continued his stellar play this season and was the difference in a closely fight 3-2 loss. Rick DiPietro only faced 17 shots, but the Flyers made the most of their opportunities.

On the boards, the Flyers were the better team and fought harder for the puck and generated better scoring opportunities, despite shooting much less. However, aside from the sloppy defense that led to the short-handed goal by Mike Richards, I think the Islanders defense wasn’t that bad. The first goal that Scottie Upshall scored should have been stopped by DP and after that, the Islanders were forced to play catch up in a game that they should have been on the offensive.

Again, like I said the other day, this game was a going to prove to be a good test for the Isles. Playing without Bill Guerin against a first place team, the Isles held their own and got good games again from Miroslav Satan [what has he been on lately, he reminds me of how he looked with the Sabres in ‘99], Mike Sillinger [who had the C on] and Richard Park.

Speaking of Park, has he been playing phenomenal lately or what? Having points in their last five games playing on the third line wouldn’t be too shabby for anybody, but we’re a grinder like Park right now. Always working hard on both ends of the ice, Park is the kind of playing that doesn’t have to score to be effective. Nonetheless, it’s really great to see someone get some points that really deserve it. If effort on the ice equaled points, Park would be with the league leaders every year.

However, with Guerin out, Park and company will have to continue their solid play against the Penguins on Thursday. Like the Flyers, Pittsburgh is another team that the Isles can’t afford to make many mistakes against. One mistake against the Flyers cost them. One against Sydney Crosby and company will force the Isles to suffer the same fate they did yesterday.

Last year in Islander Country-

Another day without a game, so I vented about how Satan should have been playing on the first line with Alexei Yashin and Jason Blake, rather than being paired with Mike York.

Posted under Post Game Rants

You really can’t ask for any more than 9-4 through 13 games, can you? Well, if you’re me, you can ask for something else. The way the team has played at home this season has been pretty stellar, aside from the shellacking they took against Carolina, when my good friend Eric Faynberg was covering the game there for me because I had a prior engagement. Figures a Rangers fan is there the night they played their worst hockey of the season. However, despite that loss against the Hurricanes, the team is riding an impressive winning streak. Nevertheless, the next few games are all against quality teams on the road.

I know it’s early in the season, but it’s definitely an important test nonetheless. If you don’t believe me, just take a look at the teams they’re playing this week. The Rangers, Penguins, Flyers, Devils and Sabres. That’s four good teams in seven days. That’s quite a difference from playing just a handful of games in three weeks, like they have lately. Now, the Isles will have to make sure they have their motors running sort to speak and will have to prove their hot start wasn’t a fluke.

Also, Bill Guerin and Radek Martinek got busted up in the last game and may not be 100% for Philly tonight. That’s not a good situation for the Isles to be in, considering that Shawn Bates, Sean Bergenheim and Bryan Berard are all out too, but are close to coming back. Luckily though, guys like Richard Park and Bruno Gervais have been stepping up their play as of late, making those injuries seem unimportant. The only question is, how long can this group of gritty guys keep it up?

We’ll see tonight against the Flyers.

For my money, I’d be willing to say that this team has the guts and character to win. They may have a bunch of underachievers, veterans past their prime and youngsters with potential, but when you mix all of it together, it equals a winning product. While I don’t believe that this team has what it takes to win a Stanley cup yet, I do think that if they keep this play up they can and will make the playoffs.

Lat year at this time, I was wondering how they were going to put it all together.

Speaking of last year…

Last year in Islander Country: http://www.thedriveforfive.com/?p=84

I vent about how I felt Sean Hill should have been traded [remember how bad he was in the beginning of the season last year?] and that Radek Martinek and Chris Campoli need playing time.

Posted under Pregame Musings

Over the past few years, the Islanders have always had lines gel that not many people had faith in. A few years ago, it was the Jason Wiemer, Dave Scatchard and Jason Blake line. Last season, it was the Mike Sillinger, Andy Hilbert and Trent Hunter line. This season however, it’s Josef Vasicek, Miroslav Satan and whoever the coaching staff decides to play with them.

Through the first few games of the season, Sean Bergenheim looked great there and now Richard Park has a four game point scoring streak since he started playing with them. Considered a bad signing by many Isles fans in the offseason, Vasicek hasn’t reminded any fans of another promising European they once had [Oleg Kvasha] and has done everything in his power to get the trust of the coaching staff. Scoring only six goals last season with Carolina and Nashville, Vasicek looks like he’s on his way to a career year with the Isles.

I don’t know if I can say the same thing about Satan, who has numerous 30-goal seasons under his belt, but he’s on his way to another one if he keeps this play up all season. Maybe it was just me, but Satan really stuck out on the ice and was definitely catching the attention of Devils defensemen. Even in his first year with the team, he didn’t do things like that.

Speaking of great play as of late, Chris Campoli has silently snuck under the radar and become a force at both ends of the ice for the Isles. Despite making a few suspect plays on defense this season, such as passing the puck through the passing lane in his own end, the guy has stepped up his physical play and is much more of an option on the powerplay than he was last year or even in his rookie season.

To me, the play of Satan, Vasicek and Campoli have been just as influential as the play of Mike Comrie, Bill Guerin and Ruslan Fedotenko this season. It’s because of that depth the Isles are 9-4.

However, despite my happiness with the team’s record so far this season, I do have several unanswered questions that I’m sure are on the minds of you guys as well.

When exactly are Shawn Bates and Bryan Berard coming back? Also, Bergenheim was suffering from upper body soreness last week, where has he been the past few games? Freddy Meyer was just picked up off of reentry waivers, how does he fit into the equation?

With Guerin and Radek Martinek both taking pucks off the noggin last night and the season really getting underway with three games this week against division rivals, the Isles can’t afford massive amounts of injuries.

Last Season in Islander Country: http://www.thedriveforfive.com/?p=82

I go in depth about the Islanders goaltending situation…

Posted under Post Game Rants