New York Islanders goalie Nathan Lawson had quite an NHL debut. Not only did he experience 60 minutes of regulation action, he also got through his first overtime and shootout, too. Although the struggling Islanders managed one point, they couldn't secure the second in a 4-3 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday night.

Posted under NHL

Anyone that watches or listens to Howard Stern remembers a few years ago when former professional wrestler The Iron Shiek came on the show and bugged out, saying that he would make Paul Blair, a member of the Killer Bees, a pretty successful tag team during the 80s, “humble” for thinking he was a big shot and of course, for tampering with his cocaine.

While there was no line sniffing or camel clutches last night in Carolina, the Islanders played a solid game for 60 minutes that should have been won had it not been for a few costly turnovers, effectively humbling a Carolina team that might be heading to the playoffs.

Nevertheless, the Islanders still see the game as a step in the right direction.

“I think it shows we have a lot of potential and we can score goals,” Tim Jackman, who had two assists in his first game since signing a new contract, told the Associated Press after the game. “When we’re doing the right things, good things happen.”

Even the Carolina players thought that the Islanders came out hard and of course, being the better team that they are, they banded together and made sure they held on to their playoff spot.

“Yeah, we sat back on our heels,” LaRose told the AP after the game. “Even in the first period, they got a lot of scoring chances. We were a little upset with ourselves after the second period. We did not play well in the second, and it showed. You know, we just didn’t want to come in here with any regrets after the game.”

When I think of where this game began to take a turn for the worse, I think of Brendan Witt’s turnover that led to Erik Cole crashing the net and a goal soon thereafter. That I think deflated the team and after that, they simply hung young goaltender Peter Mannino out to dry. Was he as solid as he was in his first start last week? I don’t think so, as Carolina’s play in the third period was something he nor the Islanders defense was ready for.

Much like any young team, the Islanders earned some more bumps and bruises last night, a process that will surely continue.

However, seeing four unanswered goals and two of them coming from Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo made the game an entertaining one.

It may be hard to see right now, but I feel like this team is beginning to start to develop an identity or style of play.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Once the dust has settled on this win, the rest of the NHL will consider it a fluke. They’ll say that the Devils didn’t stick to their system and came out flat. Then they’ll say the Islanders, who despite having a depleted lineup after trading away two of their better players the night before, were just plain lucky.

However, we know the truth.

These youngsters on the Islanders, when they finish, are talented players, that can in fact, play with a solid team like the New Jersey Devils. The Islanders defense, when on their game, can protect whoever is in net and whoever that is, Joey MacDonald or Yann Danis, can make the big saves when they have it. The Islanders veterans too have some gas left in their tanks and last night, even Jon Sim made the most of a very small opportunity and got on the scoresheet.

It was that kind of a night.

For the entire season however, it’s been just a matter of waiting for the stars to align and these guys to find the level of consistency for 60 minutes to show the rest of the league this. Chances are the Islanders will play like this another two or three times this season, on their way to one of the worst seasons in franchise history. Nevertheless, I feel the flashes of brilliance have been there to see, you just have to look extremely close. Hopefully, next season, they won’t be so hard to see.

One thing that was rightfully apparent last night though regardless of where you stand on the poll of opinion in this league was the play of Danis. Was he something special or what? 40 saves, from a ton of different angles and in traffic. You can’t ask for more than that and luckily, the Islanders didn’t have to. I think it’s safe to say this kid has proven that he can be a more than solid backup in this league and isn’t scared to be the main guy if he has to. Any goaltender that can keep a 5-8 record, 2.63 GAA and a .922 save percentage on a team as bad as the Islanders should be given the keys to Nassau Coliseum. It’s going to make things extremely interesting next season. I mean seriously, who would you want to back up Rick DiPietro next season. I’m sure if you poll the majority of Islander fans right now, it would be right now the middle.

Like I said, things will be interesting again this offseason.

Only with this team.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Aside from the fact that they were out shot by a huge margin last night, the Islanders hung in against one of the best teams in the NHL for 60 minutes.

That alone was a huge reason why fans should be proud of the direction this team is going in. The first year of the multi-year plan, the Isles are getting their youngsters the playing time they need in order to continue their progression towards building a consistent winner. Despite the fact that the chances are slim that this team will be ready for the playoffs next season as well, but I know this much, they’ll be better.

That, I think, is all Isles fans can really ask for.

From the way things are starting to shape up as well, one thing they won’t have to ask for is for Kyle Okposo to continue producing. With six goals in his last nine games, KO looks like he’s got the ability to crack the 20-goal barrier. Now ask yourself, when was the last time an Islanders rookie did that? In the 15 plus years I’ve been watching this team, I’ve never seen a rookie do that. If he can somehow manage to do that, I think it may even help draw some free agent over who see him as a budding star.

I know it sounds like a pipe dream, but hey, it could happen.

Anyway, back to the game…

Through two periods, the Isles were barely hanging on, but what else do you expect? The Devils are the real deal and the Isles are, well, the Isles. Brent Sutter has turned the Devils into a team that can hurt you offensively as well as on defense. It would be hard for any team to defend against that. Add in that Doug Weight was out of action for the third with an injured knee and its crazy to think the Isles could hang on, right?

You would think so, but Joey MacDonald was on his game. Saves with the glove at the doorstep, kick saves from the slot, reaction saves on redirections, he had it all last night. With Yann Danis playing as well as he has been lately, “Pickles” needed to have a strong bounce back game. His last win coming into tonight was on Dec. 31, Joey Mac looked like he was going to help guide the team to a win. A bad penalty from Brendan Witt however gave the Devils the opportunity they needed and Zach Parise made them pay, again.

How many goals does Kent Nilsson’s kid have this season?

Had to look that one up didn’t you?

Yeah, I thought so.

Add in an empty-netter from Jamie Langenbrunner and this one was over.

Sad too, considering what MacDonald was forced to do to keep his team in the game. With Weight’s status uncertain as well and Mark Streit still out, the Isles may be forced to deal with even bigger problems over the next few games.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Not a bad game to watch overall, in spite of the fact that the Islanders took some bad penalties and couldn’t convert on the powerplay when they needed to.

Too bad Bruno Gervais has hit the goalpost more over his past 150 games than the back of the net as well.

On the whole, I liked the fact that the Isles were attempting to take shots on Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick from all angles. Tim Jackman’s goal, aside from being incredibly sneaky, proved that when you have the puck and shoot it, good things happen. For far too long this season have the Islanders tried to set up the perfect pass and take the perfect shot. Now, it at least looks like they are getting the idea that garbage goals are just as good as highlight reel ones.

Nevertheless, they were still a bit too pensive out there, especially on the powerplay.

Going 12:47 without a shot just proves that.

Speaking of highlight reel goals though, who would have thought that Bill Guerin was going to pass when he had the whole net to himself? It seemed like Doug Weight came out of nowhere. That goal got the Islanders back into the game and gave them some more confidence, but the seesaw battle continued for 60 minutes.

While he had two golden opportunities over the course of the game and couldn’t finish, I really like the spunk Bergenheim had out there tonight. The same thing goes for Andy Hilbert and Jackman, who never hurt the team when they are on the ice and somehow, someway, always do something that gives the team some kind of boost.

However, one of the reasons the Kings were able to sneak back in was because of a few bad penalties by the Isles and poor coverage in front of the crease. While he’s been much better over his past few games, Brendan Witt again was on the ice during a key moment and failed to clear the crease. I know he does a lot on the ice, but that’s what is priority should be and he hasn’t been doing it for a big chunk of the season. A lot of this has to do with the fact that he’s been forced to play much more in his own end because of youngsters like Joe Callahan and Jack Hillen

In all honesty, this game should have never went into overtime, but both teams couldn’t finish each other off. With the powerplay opportunities both of them had, this game should have ended in regulation. But when you have two teams that aren’t playoff bound [The Kings could still make it though if they get hot], things like this are bound to happen.

Then it comes down to the crap shoot and the Kings prevail courtesy of a slick move by Jack Johnson.

Game over.

It’s till a game though and a lesson learned.

Stop taking bad penalties and convert on the powerplay.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

I want someone to find out what the Islanders +/- is with two minutes left in the third period this season. I guarantee it’s pretty damn impressive. Considering the fact that the last time I checked the team was -24 in the third period, the way this team plays with a few minutes left is simply insane.

In the end though, it wasn’t enough, as San Jose is just too damn good a team.

Nevertheless, again, I like that this team didn’t lay down. Tim Jackman’s goal was the effort of hard work and determination. This season, he’s done that every night and because of that, he deserves the sweater with his name on it. The same thing goes for Sean Bergenheim and Richard Park, who were hustling out there and at least trying to make the most out the opportunities they had. Take away that offside call in the third where Park was sprung and he may have had another one there. At any rate, Park is a shining example of an amazing role player that can produce solid numbers on any team he plays on.

Again, it’s too bad his effort was wasted in another loss.

The same thing goes for Joey MacDonald. The guy was hung out to dry tonight. I don’t even want to know what San Jose’s time in the attack zone was. With all the saves he made and all the shots the Islanders defense blocked, I think Scott Gordon is going to have a plethora of things to discuss during the team’s next practice.

The way it feels right now is that this group of players is incapable of putting a total 60-minute effort together. If they were just terrible every night for 60 minutes, I’d actually not be too mad about it, but considering that they played good hockey for the last eight minutes of the second and amazing hockey for 90 seconds, it just makes me wonder. What does this team need to do in order to play consistent hockey?

I’ve already spoken at length about the personnel decisions I believe this team would need to make in order to be a .500 team and knowing that they aren’t going to happen, I feel it’s useless to talk about them anymore.

Let the John Tavares sweepstakes begin my friends. Until then, let’s hope the lunchpailers make life interesting until April.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

I was getting the feeling that was never going to use the picture to my left ever again.

But, as this team has proven this season, when they skate their tails off for 60 minutes and don’t make mistakes on defense, they can and will win, regardless of the team they’re playing.

Even though I got a bunch of great things for Christmas this year, thanks to my lovely girlfriend and friends and family, this was one of the best gifts I received this year.

Simply put, this team skated as if their rears were on fire.

I, on the other hand, was totally exhausted from a hectic day on Christmas and Christmas Eve, but I stayed up anyway and watched them.

They deserved it.

I think us fans deserved it a bit too.

I mean seriously, no wins in a month is something I’m used to. I’m a Mets, Jets and Nets fan too you know. But none of those teams are that attached to my happiness as the Isles. Simply put, I don’t care if they win or lose, I just don’t want to see them embarrass themselves. That’s what my menstruations over the past month on this site have mainly been about.

Like the world-famous Paul Newman said in “Slapshot”: “Let ‘em know you’re there boys!”

That hadn’t been happening as of late.

However, last night, the Islanders had youngsters and veterans, promising prospects and journeymen and franchise goalies and role players, all on the same page, working as a cohesive unit.

On the whole, Rick DiPietro was solid and thanks to a complete effort from his defense, something Joey MacDonald hasn’t gotten in quite some time, DP didn’t have to bend over backwards or even come lose to testing his surgically repaired hip or knee.

Good stuff if you ask me. Good stuff indeed.

It’s only one win though, not time to go cash in my 401K just yet.

We’ll see what happens tonight.

Hilbert Injured- Last night’s victory came at a bit of a price. Hit in the skate blocking a shot, Andy Hilbert suffered a hairline fracture in his foot, which should keep him out at least a month. I know I haven’t been Hilbert’s biggest supporter over the past two and a half seasons, but this season has been different. He’s easily been one of the Islanders best players and has shown the finish needed for him to play on one of the top lines, of any team in the league.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

The Nashville Predators have scored 12 goals this month.

This is a team the Islanders should have beaten, even without the bodies they’re missing.

Instead, the Isles beat around the bush for 60 minutes, rather than establish the forecheck. On top of that, this team refuses to skate the puck into the offensive zone and repeatedly plays dump and chase, which, to me, is like praying to win the lottery every night before you go to bed [do you hear me up there, lottery gods?]. Why not skate the puck into the zone and start a cycle?

At any rate, I don’t have the answers to these questions. As a matter of fact, I don’t think anyone in the organization has the answers right now.

Time is running out boys. If this skid continues, the Isles will have dug themselves such a whole that the “Mole Man” wouldn’t be able to get out.

All childish comparisons based on Marvel Comics aside, this team is getting so bad that my mother, is even saying things like: “They stink, they can’t even complete a pass.”

This coming from a woman that doesn’t know the difference between Kyle Okposo and Hubie McDonough. However, in spite of my mother’s lack of Islanders knowledge, she’s without a doubt a die-hard. When my father seems to give up on the team after 65 games every season, my mother still watches the games and roots for them with all her heart. If that doesn’t prove her loyalty, maybe this will. She had Miroslav Satan’s back all season, especially when I was on him for under-performing, and was pissed when they didn’t resign him, saying he deserved another chance.

To see someone like that start to see the light makes me feel this team is really as bad as the rest of the NHL thinks.

Now with Doug Weight and Trent Hunter battling injuries, it’s going to be even tougher to change the minds of the rest of the league.

But hey, at least they know what the deal is. At least this team knows that they’re not only under-performing, they’re just not very good right now.

And the only people that get the Islanders out of this are themselves.

And maybe Chuck Norris.

“Nobody’s going to get us out of this slump but ourselves,” MacDonald told the AP after the game. “We know this and the coaches know this. Everybody has to get together and keep working. We are short on bodies, but we just have to keep battling and working hard. We’ll get out of it. I thought tonight we made a few good steps.”

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Wow.

That was the worst combined effort I’ve seen between two teams on a hockey rink in quite some time.

And that’s coming from a minor league hockey writer mind you.

In the end, there’s a reason why these teams are were they are in the standings. The Islanders, despite playing with a ton of energy at times and showing flashes of being a decent team, cannot put it together for 60 minutes. The Thrashers on the other hand, are just missing pieces. I mean seriously, if someone told me that Marty Reasoner and Chris Thorburn would be on the same line as Ilya Kovalchuk, I would have laughed a certain part of my body [the most attractive part, aside from my luscious green eyes] off.

Nevertheless, unlike the Isles, Atlanta made the most of the opportunities they had.

It didn’t matter that they were outplayed, outshot and outhit either.

That’s just way the cookie crumbles sometimes in this league though, especially when you’re not the Boston Bruins and you have to play as close to perfect hockey every night to even come close to winning.

Funny moment of the night: When Islanders sideline reporter C.J. Papa asked Islanders Assistant Coach [and a damned good passer in his day] John Chabot why things weren’t going the team’s way after two periods and Chabot responded with something along the lines of “I think we were watching two different games,” I almost lost it. Nothing against Papa, but damn to I miss Deb Kaufman this season. Any decent hockey fan knew that at that point in the game, the Islanders were the victims of good goaltending by Moose Hedberg of a some sloppiness on defense.

Sometimes Mr. Papa, the score of a game isn’t the only indication of the direction a game is going.

In other news, aside from the Isles inability to finish last night, there was one positive to take out of the game:

Blake Comeau.

Goddamn, was it just me or was this guy buzzing out there? Not only was he finishing his checks, he was playing very well in the offensive end and was just a few inches away from his first goal of the season. Because of the way he played, you gotta think that if he can keep it up, something is going to be done about Jeff Tambellini. Originally falling out of Scott Gordon’s favor in the preseason and learning the Islanders system in Bridgeport, Comeau has the ability, spunk and now, the smarts to be an effective player at this level.

Okay, maybe I’m getting a bit too far ahead of myself. Nevertheless, it should interesting to see how Comeau plays against the Maple Leafs on Monday.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

A few days off after a win like the Islanders had the other night is definitely a good thing. Bouncing back after an ugly loss against the Bruins on Friday, is it fair to say they’ve learned their lesson and are committed to playing 60-minutes of intensity-filled, high-speed, jaw-dropping, rockem-sockem, hyphen-induced hockey?

Guess we’re just going to have to see about that, but at any rate, they’re are a few players that I feel are going to get the most out of the next three days off.

Joey MacDonald- Even when the Islanders defense was without the likes of Andy Sutton, Radek Martinek and Brendan Witt, Joey Mac has done everything but bribe the opposition in order to keep this team in the mix. A few times he’s come down to earth, showing an inability to keep his feet moving in the crease, but for the most part this season, his positioning, determination and poise have been excellent.

Either way you feel about MacDonald’s play, it’s pretty hard to argue with eight wins in game in November.

“Joey’s given us a chance to win every night,” team captain Bill Guerin told the Associated Press. “That’s all you can ask from your goaltender. He’s played as well as anybody out there. He’s just a great teammate, and works his tail off every day. He deserves a lot of accolades for us being in every game.”

I still can’t believe I’m going to say this, but another guy that deserves a few days off is Andy Hilbert. Six goals already this season and a heck of a lot more polish in the offensive end have quickly proven to me that Super Andy may just have a 20-goal season in him. The more I think about it, the more I wonder if this is another Jason Blake case, where the guy just needed a coach to have more confidence in him and play him in every situation. I know Ted Nolan always had a soft spot for the kid, but I never thought last season that Nolan trusted him for offense late in games when the team was in a bind. This season however, Scott Gordon seems to really trust him and because of that, Hilbert is having the best season of his NHL career.

While guys like Trent Hunter, Doug Weight, Mark Streit and Guerin have been solid as well, I really hope Mac and Hilly get a few good night’s rest under their belt before Thursday against Washington.

In other news guys, my site has been nominated on YesIslanders.com for Islanders Blog of the year! The voting takes place all month. Please stop by and throw me a vote!

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2008