If the Islanders luck this season could be compared to that of a pop culture icon right now, I’d compare it to Will Smith in the movie “I am Legend.” Destined to walk eternity [or at least the next few seasons] with no hope of a savior. The only things Smith had during the movie to keep him in good spirits was his dog, who was loving and loyal. Once the dog died, the movie and Smith’s character were never the same, hence later fueling his death at the hands of mutants.

It feels weird comparing franchise goaltender Rick DiPietro to a loyal dog, but with him done for the rest of the season, the chord has been officially been pulled. Now, the mutants, or NHL pundits can have their field day ripping the team every chance they get.

This isn’t going to be fun to read, watch or listen to for the next few months if you’re a fan of this team.

“After extensive consultation we feel this decision is in the best interest for Rick and the team,” Islanders general manager Garth Snow said in a statement Tuesday. “This will allow Rick ample time to make a full recovery for next year.”

Next year. I heard that last year from this organization right? Well, lets be fair here. In both situations, the Islanders were forced to deal with an uncanny amount of injuries. Any team in the NHL that has had as many injuries as the Islanders this season would have problems drawing crowds and winning games. However, for all of that to happen to a team already in a bad situation like the Islanders just makes things that the more frustrating for the organization, it’s fans and it’s players.

“This has been one of the most frustrating situations I have ever had to deal with, but this is the right decision for me and the team,” DiPietro said in a statement. “I am confident this will allow me to make a complete recovery, be ready in plenty of time for next season and compete to my highest ability for many years to come.”

I surely hope so because if this deal makes the Islanders look silly, it may be only of the last long-term deals they end up signing… on Long Island. With four surgeries in the past seven months, the jury is out on how dependable DP can be in the future.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

Well, the Islanders made it interesting, but in the end, Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals pulled out a victory.

Quickly becoming the story over the past few weeks is the Islanders inability to produce offensively, which continued yesterday afternoon, as the Isles scored only once on 28 shots on goal.

“We’ve got to keep working hard,” Okposo told the Associated Press after the game. “We just have to get some breaks. We’re getting chances.”

Scoring a powerplay for the first time in nearly ten games, it’s obvious the Isles are missing Doug Weight. Not having Chris Campoli and Trent Hunter in the lineup either played a big factor in the why the team wasn’t on the ball offensively.

In the first period, it looked like the Islanders were going to get on the board early though, as Capitals goaltender Jose Theodore was sloshing all over the crease and was out of position. The Islanders couldn’t put one on the board and soon enough, Ovechkin lit the lamp.

Like I’ve said before, playing from behind is something the Isles cannot afford to do and as we’ve seen from the team before, making mistakes seems to be something that happens in intervals with this team.

Today was no different.

However, in spite of my less than encouraging tone lately, I’d be out of my mind to not talk about how hard this team worked on the ice against a team that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. Sure, Ovechkin had nine shots on goal, but the rest of the team had 29 and 16 of those came from Viktor Kozlov and Brooks Laich.

Alex Semin, Chris Clark, Nicklas Backstrom, Sergei Fedorov, Michel Nylander and Mike Green had a combined five shots on goal for the game. Stopping Ovechkin isn’t going to happen obviously, but the Islanders worked hard in their own end and limited everyone else’s opportunities. That’s all you can really ask for, especially from a team in the situation the Islanders are in right now.

Speaking of all you can ask for, Yann Danis bounced back after allowing a pair of flimsy goals against the Devils the other night and played one of his best games this season. Perhaps losing Wade Dubielewicz to the Blue Jackets wasn’t so bad after all? Giving up 12 goals over his past four games, Danis has given the Isles very similar numbers to what Joey MacDonald was producing before his injury.

As I’ve mentioned before though, the one thing the Isles do need to ask for more is offense.

In the end, the choice is simple, start scoring or finish with one of the worst records in franchise history.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Dubie Upset with move?- “(GM) Garth (Snow) called me and I thought he was joking around. But he wasn’t,” Dubielewicz told the Associated Press after learning about his sudden move to Columbus following the Islanders’ morning skate. “I have mixed emotions a little bit. Once I signed with the Islanders, my heart was set on being here.”

You can’t help but feel bad for the kid, especially considering what he’s done for the team over the few seasons. Sure, some would say that the Islanders never put any real faith in him when they signed Joey MacDonald to a two-year contract, with the second being of the one-way variety, but I believe the fans of this team never gave up on him.

When word passed that he had been brought aboard, it gave Islanders fans a reason to smile.

Those moments alone have been few are far between this season.

This time it was the Columbus Blue Jackets that were taking a crap in the Isles’ cereal. Playing far more than the role of spoiler this season, the BJ’s did what they had to do to give themselves a chance to make the playoffs and for that you can’t blame them, but for what they did to the Islanders fans in general, don’t expect many cheers the next time they play at the coliseum.

Guerin’s quote the other night- “It’s disheartening to see where we are right now,” Guerin told New York Post. “What could have been, who knows? But you never come to grips with losing, I don’t care what the situation is. Never. It’s miserable. But I feel like we’ve held up our end of the bargain. We’ve produced on our end, and it’s disappointing to be where we’re at. I think we’ve both done our parts.”

Sounds pretty miserable if you ask me.

I like the fact that he hasn’t gotten used to losing, but as far as keeping up his part of the bargain- I’m not too sure of that one. Sure, he’s on pace for a 26-goal season, three more than he was this season, but take into consideration that he only has three goals in his last 18 games, in which the the team has gone 3-15 in and it’s easy to see that Guerin’s play hasn’t helped the Islanders fortunes.

Is he to blame? Absolutely not. Only an idiot could blame one player for the crap storm this team has had to deal with this season, but as captain Guerin has got to step it up and get these youngsters going.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009, Random Rant

Sometimes talking or writing about a game is pointless. Sometimes one quote sums it all up so perfectly that you feel you can stop after hearing it.

“We didn’t play for two periods, and that pretty much says it all,” Islanders coach Scott Gordon told the Associated Press after the Isles 3-1 loss to the Devils. “Not many teams can afford to play like we did for two periods like we did. We’re in that category.”

Well, it appears that Gordon is beginning to understand that this team cannot get by the way they are right now. They are missing a true sniper and a real goaltender and without them, every game will end the same way: with the Islanders working hard, but in the end not having the necessary tools to induce wins.

Simply put, Bill Guerin and Trent Hunter have to start producing more. When they were playing well, the team was at least hovering around .500 and the team was looking games 5-4, rather than 3-1. Now, when the defense starts to pick up their play and support the goaltender playing in front of them, the offense can’t produce. With Doug Weight and Mike Sillinger out, the Islanders are missing two very important catalysts and in order for them to be at least competitive, Guerin and Hunter have to start scoring.

You can only expect so much out of the rookies and Richard Park.

On another note, Yann Danis played well last night. However, for all the solid saves he made, he gave up two pretty bad goals. With the team’s confidence being what it is, all it takes is one bad bounce to break their hearts and deflate them. That’s exactly what happened last night.

Plus,when you make mistakes and commit turnovers with the man-advantage, you set yourself up to fail. Like I said before, when your team isn’t that good in the first place, you can’t make mistakes. I’m sure the Dave Clarkson goal was another mistake the Islanders regretted when they watched the video after the game as well.

Lastly, I think it’s safe to say Radek Martinek had his best game of the season thus far. Less pensive, more snarl and his stick was all over the ice. However, it wasn’t enough, as he was on the ice for the second New Jersey goal. His defensive partner, Brendan Witt, hasn’t been the force he was the past two seasons and couldn’t clear the crease, allowing the goal to be scored.

Just another sour note on a sour season.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

The Columbus Blue Jackets have single-handedly taken the fun out of Saturday night’s game with the New Jersey Devils.

Why you ask? They claimed Wade Dubielewicz off waivers in a depth move, while the Islanders, dealing with injuries to both Joey MacDonald and Rick DiPietro are forced to keep Yann Danis and Peter Mannino in between the pipes. Don’t be surprised either if Columbus assigned him to their AHL team either after a week or so.

All in all, just a low-class move by the Jackets, who already have two stud goaltenders in the injured Pascual LeClaire and white-hot rookie Steve Mason. They even have a competent third-stringer in Fredrik Norrena. They also have another goalie in Dan LaCosta who isn’t too bad either, going 12-11 with a stead .912 save percentage in the AHL. So why sign Dubielewicz? I wish I could get inside the Blue Jackets heads on this one. I know goaltending is extremely important in today’s game and depth is always important, but this is like kicking a cancer patient. The signing of Dubielewicz would have been a blast to watch over the second half of the season.

[Edit- It has come to my understanding that Norrena went to Russia, leaving LaCosta as the team's backup, hence the reason why the BJ's wanted to go and get a veteran backup, problem solved]

Now, the Islanders fans will be the one to pay the price, making the last 40 or so games as fun as listening to the extended version “In a gadda da vida,” with a migraine.

Snow staying mum on possible move to KC- After lighting up hockey message boards and websites over the past few days after announcing a preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings next season, the Islanders and their general manager Garth Snow aren’t giving away any more details.

“I’m not worried about (the perception). It’s a preseason game,” general manager Garth Snow told the Associated Press before Thursday’s 2-1 loss to Boston. “The last few years, and even before I became GM, we always played preseason games in different markets. This is just another opportunity for us to bring this organization and our team to a different market.”

Yes, everything Snow just said here is true, but Kansas City is extremely desperate for a hockey team. From the quotes I had on the site yesterday, it’s obvious that they would take this team and be thrilled. The way the economy is right now, many people are wondering if the Tri-State area can support three teams. Simply put, this is the time for every single Islander fan to either put their heart and soul back into supporting this team or go to Modell’s and buy a Rangers or Devils jersey. It’s that easy my friends.

You alone have the power to decide if this team stays on Long Island. Go to games, start a blog, anything to support them. If not, they may not be around in a few seasons and in the end, you’ll have no one to blame but yourself.

Posted under 2008-2009, Pregame Musings

I didn’t get a chance to watch the game live last night, as I was covering the Brooklyn Aces game, but I got home a lot faster than I thought I would, thanks to my dad, who picked me up in his Cadillac, which looks more like something Adam West would drive as Batman than something seen on the roads of Brooklyn.

Aside from getting some quality time with my Pops, a rarity nowadays in my extremely hectic life, but we got a chance to talk about the team before I watched the game for myself.

Much like the game against the Rangers, the Islanders youngsters worked hard, but they couldn’t produce. They had a ton of chances, but Tim Thomas on extremely solid. Yann Danis played well and the defense was solid, but the offense isn’t producing. Again, they made it interesting as Bill Guerin got a shot to deflect off a skate in front of the net, but it wasn’t enough.

Aside from working hard every night, I don’t know what else this team can do.

With that being said, it’s kind of weird that they picked up Wade Dubielewicz again, especially considering that Danis has been solid. Nevertheless, it should be a ton of fun to see “Yoda” back in net.

The last time I was on “Hockey Night on Long Island” I told the guys there that I love writing about this team every day because something interesting is always going on.

It looks like that trend is going to continue the rest of the season.

Isles Moving?- “I’m excited, I think it’s great,” said Paul McGannon, president of NHL21, a local organization trying to help bring an NHL team to Kansas City. “New York has three teams. If they don’t want to build a new rink in Long Island, we’ll take their team. The New York Islanders have won four Stanley Cups (1980-1984). If we got the Islanders … the last time I felt that good is when the Royals
beat the Yankees in 1980 to go to the World Series.”

“Sooner or later, Kansas City is going to be tired of being the bridesmaid,” McGannon said. “We have a building, we’re ready to go, we have a hockey community ready to go … we’ll glady welcome their
team. “I think it’s a big deal, that we’re having two teams on the coast meet in Kansas City for a game, and we better sell it out. I love the regional appeal of the Blues and the Blackhawks, but we better send a message and sell the game out.”

As someone that’s spent time in Kansas City before, I can tell you that despite the fact that they have a building, this is not a hockey town. I’ve walked around Kansas City at night and it’s like walking around in Borough Park after 10 p.m.; it’s a ghost town. They have loyal baseball fans, but these guys are not hockey fans. The nightlife scene in Kansas City is similar to the feel Prospect Park or Park Slope or even the Greenwich Village Villiage. While that may be solid for their population, I really don’t think hockey can survive there.

So because of those feelings, I have a few words for McGannon:

Keep looking buddy, you’re not taking this team.

This should be a wake up call to the miscreants in Long Island politics to get their act together and get the Islanders a new building. The team has been mismanaged for too long and they have an owner that’s willing to invest and build. Cut out the nonsense.

Get the Lighthouse going.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

After winning just 12 games this season, it appears the Islanders are pulling the plug on the season.

Last night against the Rangers, every Islanders youngster got a hearty helping of minutes and despite the fact that they lost, the effort was there. The difference was of course was Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who was uber solid after a first period where he looked to be having problems with his rebound control and overall confidence.

So with that being said, it’s obvious that as of right now, these kids lack the polish needed to win hockey games. Most of them are still growing into their bodies or getting accustomed to the NHL game. So what can we expect the rest of the season.

A lot of losses, that’s for sure, but a lot of entertainment as well.

While veterans the likes of Mark Streit, Bill Guerin, Trent Hunter and Richard Park are obviously going to continue to get minutes in key situations, don’t be shocked to see guys like Sean Bergenheim and Josh Bailey get much more time on the powerplay. Also, with his speed and desire on the ice, Kyle Okposo would make one hell of a penalty killer, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him tried out there as well.

The way Islanders head coach Scott Gordon is talking right now, it feels like all these wild experiments will begin to take shape over the next few games.

“We used the first half of the year to allow our older players to run with it. Now we’re at the point, whether it’s our next game or a couple games after that, (where) there’s certainly going to be a bigger responsibility on our younger guys,” Gordon told the Associated Press a few days ago. “Not necessarily lineup changes, but bigger responsibilities. It’s something that I’m going to be cognizant of to make sure that (all our young guys are) moving in the direction to have a bigger impact and to have it carry over into next year.”

Exactly.

Trying all of these guys in different roles now will make next season a bit more predictable for them and help the organization truly assess where they truly belong to be. Some of these guys are going to be expected to be big parts of the team next season and if they don’t start to show some promise now, they may not be around to find out.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

How do you go from out-shooting a team 19-7 in the first period to only registering 14 the rest of the game?

I seriously don’t know anymore.

Just when it looks like this team has control of a game and may squeak by a good team, things fall apart faster than a soggy piece of pound cake.

The better team in the first period, the Islanders bounced back after a shoddy start and were taking the body [thanks Tim Jackman] and taking shots. Regardless of the amount of talent on your team in this league, if you can skate hard in both ends and take shots on net, you’ll be succesful. That’s exactly what the Islanders did and that’s why they went into the second period with a 1-0 lead.

The second period was the period when the pound cake hit the milk though, as they fell apart and gave the Rangers too many opportunities. Even though they’ve had problems scoring this season, with guys like Scott Gomez, Marcus Naslund and Chris Drury in the lineup, you can not afford to make mistakes.

The team had some more giddy up in the third, as the defense, especially Brendan Witt, were taking the body and blocking shots and supporting Yann Danis, who replaced Joey MacDonald in the first after he suffered an apparent groin injury. However, the offense couldn’t set up a cycle and get quality shots in on Lundqvist, who’s rebound control was also much better after a sloppy third, paving the way for another Islanders loss.

Nielsen and Thompson back in the lineup- Both provide spunk and heart, something this team has been in a serious lack of at times this season. However, while they didn’t look out of place, it’s obvious that they still need a few games to get their bearings back.

MacDonald’s injury- Just when things look like they can’t get much worse for this team, Joey MacDonald goes and strains his groin. Not good. Luckily, Danis was solid last night and kept hem in the game. Unfortunately for him though, the team’s offense couldn’t help him out.

In spite of Danis’ play last night, if MacDonald is going to be out for any prolonged amount of time, could the Islanders possibly bring back cult hero Wade Dubielewicz [yes, I remember how to spell his name by heart. Yes, I rock.]? John Grahame is available as well. All in all, it’s a furry situation that should pan itself out over the next couple of days.

In other news, the Islanders traded defenseman Brett Skinner to the Atlanta Thrashers for Junior Lessard. In 27 career games in the NHL, Lessard has three goals and an assist.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Doug Weight- You hear that? No? Well, either I’m going crazy or I hear Father Time turning back the clock on Weight, who is having his best season in over three years. However, it appears that injuries have begun to take it’s toll on the future Hall of Famer, who will miss the next two to four weeks with a lower leg injury. Nevertheless, you can’t take away how effective he’s been when he’s been in the lineup.

Grade A

Richard Park- The more I see Park, the more he reminds me of Jason Blake. People continue to count him out every chance they get and in spite of that, he continues to get better. On pace for the best season of his career, Park is an example to the league and his teammates; work hard on every shift and you’ll get rewarded. It’s too bad the majority of the team hasn’t recognized that yet.

Grade A+

Bill Guerin- On pace for another 20-goal season, Guerin has been far from terrible, but he isn’t the 30-goal scorer the team thought they were getting when they overpaid for him two seasons ago. Has he had a positive impact on the youngsters on this team? Absolutely. However, he hasn’t shown them how to win, which could create a problem for them in the future.

Grade B-

Andy Hilbert- I never would have thought Hilbert would be on pace for for a 35-40 point season. I also would have never thought I’d be anxious for him to get back in the lineup. That’s how good he’s been this season. Just like Park, he’s been a pleasure to watch and has played hard-nosed and passionate two-way hockey.

Grade A-

Trent Hunter- Starting the season the way he did, I saw Hunter scoring 30 goals for the first time in his career. However, over the past dozen or so games, he’s been a different player and hasn’t been contributing as much offensively. Sure, he does so much else for this team, but in order to be the leader this team needs in the future, he has to continue to find the back of the net.

Grade- B

Tim Jackman- The epitome of what you for from a fourth liner, Jackman has broken his hump all season long. Sure, he has problems finishing and will never be he offensive player the Blue Jackets thought he was going to be when they drafted him, but he’ll never hurt you when he’s on the ice and will do whatever it takes to stay out there.

Grade C +

Mike Comrie- If I was only grading his play since he came back from injury, it would be a completely story entirely. Battling injuries through his first stint with the team this season, Comrie was ineffective, but a serious hip injury will do that to you. If he can continue to play the way he has been since being paired with Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau, who knows, he may land an extension or find a suitor for the playoff run.

Grade- C

Jon Sim- Despite being on pace for his usual dozen goals, Sim hasn’t been the agitator the team was looking for when they signed him. At this point, it looks like he may need a change of scenery. The only problem is no one else in the league wants him.

Grade- D+

Mike Sillinger- Two goals in seven games put him on pace for 22 if he was healthy. That’s exactly where he should be. However, it’s impossible to grade someone based on only seven games. All I know is that Sillinger is needed in the lineup and him not being there has played a big role in the team’s lack of success.

Posted under 2008-2009

Sean Bergenheim: Spunky and gritty, Bergenheim has tons of potential and perhaps has more polish than every other youngster int the lineup. However, like every other young player on the team, he lacks the consistency needed to truly be a factor. On pace for another dozen goal season, Bergenheim isn’t exactly a first round flop, but is looking more like a Mike Ricci-type player than Mike Bossy every day.

Grade C+

Blake Comeau- After coming into camp in terrible shape and being forced to earn his stripes again in Bridgeport, Comeau has been solid over the past half dozen games. Extremely solid in his first handful of games, Comeau’s play was sporadic before he turned it up again. Much like Bergenheim, his spunk and potential are one thing, but his lack of consistency and in Comeau’s case, conditioning, may keep him from being the 20-goal scorer he should be.

Grade- C-

Josh Bailey- Great passer. However, in spite of his playmaking ability, he still has a lot to learn in the defensive end. He also has to take advantage of his shot more and gain confidence. With Okposo, Bailey will be asked to lead this team offensively as soon as next season. He has to earn those bumps and bruises now.

Grade- C

Kyle Okposo- Much like Comeau, Okposo has been a different player over the past half dozen games. However, over the first 20 odd games he played, there was a tentativeness and unwillingness in his game that scared a lot of NHL scouts and fans. However, since being paired with Mike Comrie, KO has begun to show the organization that he has to tools to be a more than solid NHL player. Is he a superstar? The jury is still out on that one.

Grade C+

Jeff Tambellini- A disaster. Everyone expected him to score 15-20 goals this season and prove that he belongs in this league. That hasn’t happened, even though he has begun to shoot the puck with more confidence. As of right now, this season has been a failure for him, but much like Bergenheim last season, a few solid games can turn things very quickly.

Grade- F

Nate Thompson- A true grinder, Thompson is the kind of guy that is great to fill out the bottom of a depth chart. However, it would be great if he could score a bit more. Block shots are hits are things that don’t show in box scores and for Thompson to truly have a spot on this team, he’s got to hit the net a bit more. Otherwise, he’ll be on the path of a mid-season call up the rest of his career, rather than true NHLer.

Grade- D+

Frans Nielsen- Much like Bailey, I think Nielsen is a great passer. However, with his skill in the faceoff circle and defensive ability, I think “The Great Dane” has he ability to be a more than solid third line center. It’s just a matter of him staying healthy and getting playing time.

Grade B-

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009