This is a game the Islanders have to win. No beating around the bush. It is a must win. It doesn’t matter how it gets done. It just has to.

Rick DiPietro has to shake the cobwebs and get his act together right now. The powerplay has to produce, now. Players like Miroslav Satan, Ruslan Fedotenko, Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie and Trent Hunter have to step up and play big time minutes and prove that they’re worth the money they signed for.

The defense as well, as depleted as they have been, cannot make any more excuses and need to play as hard as they’ve ever played. Radek Martinek, Brendan Witt and Freddy Meyer have to do whatever they have to do to stop Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, while Bryan Berard has to make himself a force on the powerplay. Anything less will simply not be good enough. I’m not just talking about tonight’s game either. This team will have to play top-notch hockey against every team they come across for the rest of the season. Otherwise, this season is over. Kaput. Fin. Ok, you get the idea.

This team may have not been built to win a Stanley Cup this season, but they have shown at times that they are good enough to make the playoffs. The only question is, which team is going to show up, the one that has an offense as dangerous as the Philadelphia Phantoms, or the one that plays in your face defense and grinds in both ends of the ice. The fact that the team itself doesn’t seem to know how to press its own buttons at this point in the season is also scary. They can’t seem to turn up the intensity when they need to and there’s no telling if they’ll be able to do it again.

Your guess is as good as mine guys. All I can keep thinking is what could have been with this team. What would have happened if Jon Sim, Andy Sutton, Mike Sillinger and Chris Campoli would have stayed healthy this season? What if Chris Simon didn’t wig out a second time and take valuable minutes away from youngsters like Jeff Tambellini and Blake Comeau? What if Satan put together a decent season and didn’t stink up the joint like he has most of this season?

Much like the timeless question of “How many licks it takes to get the center of a tootsie-pop?” I’m afraid that the world may never know what could have happened to this team if they wouldn’t have under-performed and got decimated by the injury bug.

Posted under Pregame Musings

Rather than discuss the Islanders next game, which is on Tuesday, against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a team that has even more problems than they do right now, I’m going to talk about what this team can realistically do if they don’t want to waste this season.

1- Get more traffic in front of the net.

There’s a reason why the Islanders have only two 20-goal scorers on their team this season. Players like Trent Hunter, Josef Vasicek, Blake Comeau, Ruslan Fedotenko and even Bill Guerin need to get in front of the net more and score, ugly, garbage goals that will only come from getting in front of the goalie. With those guys in front of the net, shots by Bryan Berard and Freddy Meyer from the point will be much more effective as well. With a few more players in front of the net, players like Jeff Tambellini, Miroslav Satan and Mike Comrie will have more room to skate and create as well.

2- Convert on the powerplay.

Utilizing the big bodies they have and putting them in front of the net, the Isles should be able to convert more with the man advantage. However, they have to get more shots on net as well. Despite pounding the net with shots at times this season, the Isles offense has still remained flaccid. However, most of the time, it feels like they’re not taking high percentage shots and they’re not shooting with screens in front of the goalie. Sean Bergenheim’s goal against the Rangers was a perfect example of how the Isles need to pick their shots. Even though it wasn’t on the powerplay, it was still a goal the Isles need to emulate more. Satan got the puck to Bergenheim on the rush and got in front of Lundqvist, allowing Bergie to get off a good shot. That’s exactly what this team has to do on a consistent basis to start winning games.

3- Play with more passion.

Aside from guys like Hunter, Bergenheim, Richard Park and Andy Hilbert, how many guys do the Islanders have that skate hard every shift? On Saturday, it seemed like after the third goal, this team just gave up. If the aforementioned players were the stars of the team, that wouldn’t be a problem. To make matters worse, the Isles three most talented goal scorers, Guerin, Comrie and Satan are all extremely streaky and can go from playing great to mediocre in the blink of an eye. If this team is going to have any chance at making the playoffs, all three of them are going to have to play at a point a game clip the rest of the season.

4- Get solid goaltending.

Rick DiPietro has to prove why he was an All-Star this season all over again. If this team can’t get any scoring, he’s going to have to be perfect for this team to make the playoffs. Considering how solid he was through the first half of the season, some might even say that the Isles were overachievers. If DP is solid the rest off the way and can run the table, they can continue to piss off hockey analysts all over the country. Anyone that understands the attitude of DP knows that that’s exactly what he’d like to do. The only question is, can he?

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2008

Another loss, is it time to throw in the towel? Seven points out of a playoff spot with 12 games left to go, time to panic? I would think so my friends, I would think so.

Something is wrong with Rick DiPietro. The passion he had earlier in the season that was a driving force in keeping this team in the playoff picture is gone, to only be replaced with the immature and inconsistent goaltender that used to hang out on Long Islander last season and the year before that.

Ted Nolan was criticized the other day for playing Dubie and now I think I know why. He sees DP is not where he should be mentally; he sees the loss of testicular fortitude and desperately wanted to try and give the team a boost by playing his always-energetic backup goaltender. Did it work? Not exactly. You know why? This team doesn’t score enough. End of story.

To make matters even worse, the usually-solid penalty killing unit the Isles have washed out worse than Kevin Maas last night and gave up enough powerplay goals for three games. Sloppy in their own end and committing lazy penalties every chance they got, the Isles looked outmatched in every facet of the game last night. I’m sick of saying things like, “If this team doesn’t start winning now, the season is over.” If you think about it, this season has been over for quite some time, the Islanders were just doing what they had to do to delay the process. Barring any crazy eight or nine game winning streak and horrible play by Buffalo and the Flyers, the Islanders will be playing golf in a few weeks.

Dumb Questions- After the game, some Philadelphia reporter, who probably doesn’t know squat about the Islanders asked Nolan if he though Bergenheim’s energy is a bad thing at times. If he had known what he was talking about, he’d understand that even though Bergie can’t finish, he’s one of the only guys we have out there giving a consistent effort every night. If he had another five or six goals under his belt, that same reporter would consider him a “secondary scoring threat” or a “promising young star.” He hasn’t seen how many goal posts and great opportunities this kid has had this season. He probably doesn’t even know that Bergenheim has 120 shots this year and has made himself a growing part of the Islanders offense. If he works hard this offseason and learns to capitalize more on his opportunities, I definitely feel that he can be a 25-30 goal scorer in this league. With all the chances he’s had this season, he should have twice as many goals as he does now.

Posted under Post Game Rants

“One Eyebrow or Two?”

That’s what Islanders GM Garth Snow had to say on the radio the other day when asked if Ted Nolan’s decision to play Wade Dubielewicz instead of Rick DiPietro on Thursday against the Rangers.

This is Snow’s second season as Islanders GM and let me say that I think he has a [Ric] flair for the dramatics. Last season, he made a huge move at the deadline and this year, he’s gotten into verbal fisticuffs with a few people in the college hockey scene and now it seems he’s starting to argue with his coach. Right now, this is probably the last thing this team needs to deal with. Instead, they should be focusing on getting some goals.

If I was Garth Snow, rather than argue with one of the only great things I have on my team [Nolan, obviously], I’d call up Kyle Okposo and give him a cup of coffee. If not to get the offense started, then to give the fans a little more excitement.

Just for the record, I’d just like to say while Snow wants to keep DP in net and Nolan wants to desperately inject some passion into his quickly flat lining team, in the end, it doesn’t matter who’s in net for this team. The way the offense and defense are right now, Patrick Roy, in his prime no less, would request a trade. The defense makes too many mistakes in crunch time and the offense simply doesn’t finish. After watching the Rangers game finally from Thursday, it’s apparent. This team needs a game breaker. Someone who opposing teams don’t want to play against, no a bunch of second and third liners with heart. Those guys are needed, but not in the excess the Islanders have them in.

If I was Ted Nolan, I would be taking a long look at guys like Sean Bergenheim and Jeff Tambellini. Try them on the first line even. They can skate, are dynamic in the offensive end and will make the opposition pay for their mistakes. They just need more polish and need to play with skilled players. Right now, Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie are the closest thing the Islanders have to that and the youngsters need an opportunity to truly strut their stuff.

Much like last year, this team is going to have to make a plethora of decisions when it comes to who is staying and who is going. Instead of making those decisions tough ones, let the youngsters develop and build from within. Veterans the likes of Brendan Witt and Mike Sillinger and anyone else that is good in the locker room are a must and signing a few character guys would be cool, but make sure the spotlight is where it should be, the young guys.

Let me ask you guys a question: when was the last time the Islanders drafted a player and he went straight to the NHL? How many flubs and flops has this team had over the past decade, or rather, how many players were given up on prematurely? For this team to truly escape the chains of mediocrity, they’re going to have to change the way they do business. This season may already be in the books for the most part, but that doesn’t mean that things can’t start changing now.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2008

Sorry guys, but I didn’t have time to catch the game last night, I was swamped at work. I’m going to watch it tonight and give some analysis tomorrow. However, I do have something special for you guys that I did a few days ago…

Chatting over the phone with Minnesota hockey writer Ross Bernstein, who has written several books on hockey in Minnesota and followed Okposo while he was at the U, The Drive for Five finds out what to expect from KO in the future and what makes him such a special player.

The Drive for Five: What really stands out about Kyle Okposo?

Ross Bernstein: He’s like a pond hockey kid in the fact that he’s really polished, but still raw. He’s not scared to try a lot of stuff on the ice either. During his time in Minnesota, he scored a ton of filthy-looking highlight reel goals. He’s also not scared to mix it up when he has to and he plays with a chip on his shoulder every night.

TDFF: Why do you think he left the Gophers to join the Sound Tigers?

Bernstein: I think they put some pressure on him to sign. Originally, I thought that after the whole Chris Simon ordeal earlier in the season that they’d call him up because they were really struggling and needed a lift. But then they sent him to Bridgeport and I still don’t understand why.

TDFF: Why don’t you understand it?

Bernstein: Putting him the AHL is going to be tough for him. The American College Hockey scene is very different from the AHL. American college kids play the sport differently and the AHL is filled with young Canadian players that don’t have a career to fall back on like many of the Americans do. They play the game much tougher and will do whatever it takes to stay on the ice. Some of them will even become fighters just to stay in the lineup. It’s kind of like putting a bull’s eye on his back. In Minnesota, he would have been wearing a facemask and it would have been a much safer place for him to develop.

TDFF: If you could, is there any player at the NHL level that you could compare Okposo to?

Bernstein: It may sound a bit cliché because he’s African-American, but I really see a lot of Jarome Iginla in him. He’s big, strong, has a great shot, can be a playmaker if he has to and isn’t afraid to get into anyone’s face. He plays with a lot of heart, works really hard out there and is a natural leader.

TDFF: What else can we expect from him?

Bernstein: He has the whole package. He’s charismatic, intelligent and looks like an Adonis. When you think about how talented he is and that he’s a young African-American and this is hockey, it’s easy to see that the marketing campaigns and sponsorships can be tremendous. He could also really help the Islanders. They’ve been dying for a star for quite some time and it’s definitely a role he can fill if they give him an opportunity.

Posted under Scouting Report

Round two begins.

If the Islanders ever needed a win this season, it would be tonight. Hopefully, they learn from the mistakes they made on defense and play tighter against the Jaromir Jagr, Sean Avery and Brandon Dubinsky line. Even though they weren’t a huge factor in the outcome of the game, they had way too much room on the ice and the Isles were lucky it didn’t come back and hurt them.

While that may be a huge concern tonight, it’s not the only one. There’s a question as to who gets the start in net today, Wade Dubielewicz or Rick DiPietro. I for one think DP should sit for as long as Dubielewicz is playing well. Competition for playing isn’t something DP has ever had to deal with in his playing career and it will probably do him some good. He hasn’t had the same luster and polish to his game that he had in the fist half and it’s hurt the team on a few occasions. As far as big games go, I understand that when you sign a goalie to a ridiculous contract like the one DP signed last season that you expect him to play in games like these, but you have to ride the hot hand.

I also think that the Isles defense, over the last five starts Dubie has had, has been much better than they usually are. I think they know that they have to skate harder and they’re not going to have DP playing the puck all the time, so they’re naturally more physical and hustle a little more. That’s what this team needs right now, an injection of hustle, grit and passion.

Send Bergie Up!- Speaking of quality attributes in a hockey player, Sean Bergenheim, despite his lack of finish this season, has grown immensely as a player over the past few weeks. He’s skating with more of a purpose out there and isn’t the uncontrollable firecracker he was his first two seasons with the team. I personally think that he could have twice as many assists if he played with people that could finish more as well. He brings energy to whatever line he’s on and takes the body, something the Islanders don’t have too much of aside from Trent Hunter. What I’m trying to say here is that Bergie should get a shot on the first line and with the team struggling on offense, it should happen SOON. Andy Hilbert can go and play with Miroslav Satan and Richard Park and it won’t hurt the Isles at all; as a matter of fact, it can only help them at this point..

Taking Bergenheim off of that line won’t kill its production either because Hilbert and Park will still create space for Satan for hustling in the corners. Bergenheim’s role with Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie would give that line the energy and spunk it desperately needs right now.

Just my crazy thoughts on what looks to be another crazy game tonight.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2008, Pregame Musings

50 plus shots the other night against Florida= no goals. 18 shots against the Rangers= three goals. Either the Islanders were that good on offense or Henrik Lundqvist was that bad. In the end, I think it was a combination of both. Aside from a few sloppy plays on defense, the Isles did a decent enough job limiting quality opportunities from Jagr and company as well, putting them in a situation to squeak out with a 4-3 win via the shootout.

Wade Dubielewicz may not be the most talented goaltender in the NHL, but I think it’s fair to say that he may have the biggest heart. For a guy that plays once a month, he sure does show up when this team needs him, doesn’t he? Aside from the one goal in the shoot out, Dubie did everything he did to keep this team in the game and made more than his fair share of solid saves.

If the Isles could learn how to play defense while on the powerplay, Dubie would have gotten them the two points the easy way. Nonetheless, the important thing is that he was sharp and didn’t buckle under the pressure of playing a must-win game in MSG.

It also helped that the Isles got a few goals as well. It’s funny how I called out Trent Hunter, Andy Hilbert and Sean Bergenheim to start producing yesterday and two of them got on the scoresheet. As Meat Loaf would say, “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad.” Like I said yesterday as well, these guys do so many different things on the ice and while they’re not the kind of players that can carry the load offensively, they have to start chipping in more. I think Blake Comeau and Jeff Tambellini fit into the situation as well. If the Isles had four lines of players that could score 15-20 goals a season and play well on defense, they wouldn’t be in the situation they’re in right now. Right now isn’t the time for wishful thinking though. The chances of the Isles being able to roll four lines with that kind of offensive balance is as slim as being able to hear the National Anthem at MSG.

In all seriousness though, this team needs to do whatever it takes on the ice to ensure a playoff birth. If only they could get guys like Miroslav Satan and Bill Guerin hot down the stretch, then maybe things would be a little easier. For the time being though, they’ll have to continue to play gritty and hope they can outlast the opposition. Time’s running out.

Posted under Post Game Rants

With three loses in their last four games, the Islanders have put them in a hole similar to last season. They’ll have to run the gauntlet and defy the odds again. However, they don’t have players like Ryan Smyth, Alexei Yashin, Jason Blake and Viktor Kozlov to carry the load offensively. With character guys like Andy Sutton and Mike Sillinger also out and youngsters Bruno Gervais and Chris Campoli on the sidelines as well, the Isles will have to get a blue collar performance from the rest of the team if they have any chance.

If their 53 shot performance on Sunday is any indication of how badly they want to get into the playoffs, then I’m not satisfied. Right now, the Islanders are like a fat man that finds the love of his life, but doesn’t want to settle down for fear of the woman cramping his style. The Islanders effort is good intentioned and at times it’s darn solid, but it just feels like they can’t put everything into this. If they did, they would have won on Sunday and wouldn’t be on the outside of the playoff picture, looking in.

This season has been so perplexing that I can’t even find the words to describe how flaccid the offense is. You have proven goal scorers like Miroslav Satan and Bill Guerin struggling for consistency, you have guys like Josef Vasicek, Mike Comrie and Ruslan Fedotenko getting more ice time than ever before and not taking full advantage of it and you have players like Andy Hilbert, Trent Hunter and Sean Bergenheim that can’t finish, despite having plenty of golden opportunities.

Seriously, despite the fact that these guys contribute in plenty of other areas on the ice, they should all have 15 to 20 goals at this point in the season considering all the chances they’ve had. Combined this season, they have 333 shots, for a measly 24 goals. For those that can’t take stats like shooting percentage very seriously, this is still a scary number. For those that do, you’re probably crying as I speak. While these guys don’t technically control the Islanders destiny, they could make things a lot easier if they started chipping in more offensively.

I’ve said it before, I think Hunter is the next captain on this team and Bergenheim can be a 20-30 goal scorer in this league if he finishes more. Hilbert has been a consistent goal scorer at every level he’s played at, except the NHL. If he doesn’t step up his game soon, he may get another chance for a 20-goal season…in the AHL.

A few goals from these guys tonight against a surging Rangers club might be just what the doctor ordered.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2008

53 shots and not a single goal. As a writer, I find it a daunting task to sum up last afternoon’s game any better than that. Simply put, this team should be ashamed of themselves. On a day that was supposed to be a tribute to 17 players that changed hockey history, the Isles go out there and completely stink up the place. Now I’m sure that the most of you are saying, “They outplayed the Panthers that entire game Pat, take it easy.” Well to those people I say, “I’m sick of it.”

I’m sick and tired and seeing whatever goalie is in net for this team forced to play an almost perfect game for this team for them to come out on top every night. Then when your goaltender gets cold and the team starts to go down the tubes, we blame the goaltender. That’s what I did yesterday. I said DP has to wake up and play better in net. Do I still agree with that statement? Of course I do, but at this point in the season, I wonder if any goalie could play as good as this team needs them to play in order to win the necessary games to make the playoffs.

Look at the way Wade Dubielewicz played yesterday. The guy hasn’t played since January 31 and he still made all the saves to get his team the win. Nonetheless, this team didn’t support him adequately in the offensive zone. Where were Ruslan Fedotenko, Mike Comrie and Bill Guerin on the scoresheet yesterday? Weren’t these guys going to be the guys that were going to bolster the offense? Wasn’t Fedotenko and Comrie supposed to have career years and prove once and for all that they were first line players? I know Guerin is supposed to be the glue that is keeping this team together in the locker room, but what about on the ice? 20 goals isn’t enough for me bub, you scored 36 last season and you signed 36-goal money, start putting the puck in the net. Aside from a hot streak before the All-Star break, Guerin hasn’t put it together this season and hasn’t done what he was expected to do.

Don’t even get me started on Miroslav Satan either. The last year on a three-year contract, Satan needs to go find a home this offseason, outside Long Island. Aside from a solid 35-goal season during his first year with the Isles, he’s been consistently inconsistent and makes me wonder why Buffalo got so much better after they got rid of him.

I think Billy Jaffe said it best yesterday when he said this team is missing a pure goal scorer, a person who can put this team on his back and carry them offensively. Without that, they’re just a bunch of makeshift second liners and grinders. As much as I love the consistent effort of guys like Trent Hunter, Richard Park and Sean Bergenheim give every night, it’s not enough.

With the trading deadline gone and no other options left, this team needs to put it together and fast.

Posted under Post Game Rants

It’s not that the Flyers played a phenomenal game, it’s that the Islanders offense still can’t bury opportunities when they get them. Giving up a shorthanded goal in the third while already down a goal didn’t help matters either. Rick DiPietro was perhaps as sharp as he could have been, considering the first goal was due to the fact that Brendan Witt kicked his stick away from him and took him out of position. The second goal though was another reason why I think DP is playing hurt. I know what Greg Logan reported in his blog the other day, about one of DP’s family members passing on, but his play hasn’t been the same since the All-Star break or so.

Unless this situation has been going on for quite some time, DP really has no excuses. Then you have the fans that think that a professional athlete can’t let their personal life get in the way of their job. I stand somewhere in the middle of that. I think they should do their best to perform on the ice and keep distractions to a minimum. I know as well that it is impossible to not think about those things when they happen and sometimes being at work can only make it worse.

Adding in the fact that Rico has long wanted to be in this situation, to be the Martin Brodeur and Tim Cheveldae of the Islanders, and you guys know what I’m going to say, he has to step it up. He has to continue to prove himself every time he steps on the ice. This team isn’t good enough for him to take a night off or let a bad goal affect him the rest of the night.

Just to clarify things for you guys, anyone that hasn’t come across these stats should be aware of them. I usually don’t like to let stats tell the entire story, but here, they stand out.

In the Islanders 26 wins that DP has been on the ice for, he has a remarkable 1.94 GAA and a .931 save percentage. If that doesn’t prove how valuable to this team, then I don’t know what else does. In contrast, when the Isles lose, DP has a 3.34 GAA [shades of Kevin Weekes Islander days, eh] and a save percentage of .883. There isn’t a team in the NHL that could win with a goalie playing like that. In addition, since the All-Star break, DP’s GAA is 3.06, with a .887 save percentage. Those numbers to me, are glaring ones. Sure, playing in front of a team that has a depleted defense core and isn’t scoring on the powerplay can’t help matters, but the Isles need DP to regain his form very quickly or else this ship is going to hit an iceberg.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2008, Post Game Rants