Last night was a testament to just how good Alexander Ovechkin really is.

Even without Chris Clark, Sergei Fedorov, Alex Semin and Mike Green, Ovechkin played his heart out, using his body and his stick in a game the Islanders never had a chance in.

Even though they showed some moxie battling back, the Islanders didn’t put up a fight in front of the net, leaving Joey MacDonald, who played his tail off, despite giving up four goals, out to dry. It didn’t help matters either that he couldn’t get his stick in front of a Donald Brashear tip that ended up putting the game away.

In spite of that, the Islanders lost this game way before Brashear’s goal. Way too many penalties and a general lack of hustle in their own end early on gave both Ovechkin and his teammates the confidence they needed to get ahead. Then, once the Islanders got back into the game, they made their biggest mistake of the night.

They made Ovechkin angry.

And obviously, they didn’t like him when he was angry. [Is it kind of a freak coincidence that AO and the Hulk have the same haircut?]

Sillinger’s first game back- Overall, I think there was a bit of tentativeness on his part, but it wasn’t anything you wouldn’t see from any player that’s played his first game in close to a year. In a few more games however, we’ll get to see what he’s capable of now with his surgically repaired hip.

For the Islanders sake and his, I hope he can get going. If he score 35-40 points the rest of the way, a lot of pressure gets taken off the backs of players like Bill Guerin, Doug Weight and Trent Hunter.

In other news, I recently interviewed Ranger old timer Nick Fotiu at Aviator Arena while covering the Brooklyn Aces for Bay Currents Newspaper and asked him a few questions about one of the best rivalries in sports today.

The Drive for Five- You played for the Rangers when the Islanders rivalry was at it’s All-Time high. Was there a player on the Islanders that you couldn’t wait to get in a scrap with or lay a big hit on?

Fotiu- Not really. I actually really had a lot of respect for those guys. Bobby Nystrom and Clark Gillies especially were really tough players that you had to work your hardest against if you were going to be succesful. Actually, the team’s coach now, Scotty Gordon, I coached Nashville Tennessee.

TDFF- What was it like to be a part of that rivalry?

Fotiu- It was really tough hockey. It was a war. A lot of hard-hitting and great goaltending. Every time the Islanders and Rangers played, it was like the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

You can read the rest of the interview on my Brooklyn Aces site, AcesoverBrooklyn.com

Posted under 2008-2009, NHL, Post Game Rants

Even though the Islanders defense will feature crafty veterans like Andy Sutton, Mark Streit and Radek Martinek this season, Brendan Witt will be asked to lead the charge once again.

Nothing against those guys, but Witt is arguably one of the best stay at home defensemen in the league and can lift a team’s spirit with a blocked shot or a big hit. No ask yourself, how many players in the league can do that?

Recently signing a new contract, Witt be will the Bert Marshall of what will hopefully be a young Islanders team that matures over the next few seasons.

Hopefully, his new contract will also put an end to the endless debate on the message boards and on all the “rumor” sites that Witt would be traded. I know he has plenty of worth out in the open market, as do guys like Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie and Mike Sillinger, but enough is enough. I said it a few months ago when I was writing about Witt’s performance last season and I’ll say it again- he is the heart and soul of the New York Islanders. Add in the fact that the team doesn’t have a legitimate enforcer this season and Witt’s value just went up even more.

So not only will he be asked to piss off guys like Sydney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin day in and day out, he’ll also have to drop the gloves with David Clarkson, Riley Cote and Chris Neil too.

Sounds like a fun job right?

Now take into consideration the “all guts, no glory” position that both a shut down defender and enforcer have on the ice. Having a guy that can do both and provide leadership on the ice and in the locker room make him an indispensable commodity in my mind.

As a matter of fact, this guy is such a solid defender that I think he could score 35-40 points [which would never happen, but let my imagination run it's course here] he would be a Norris finalist every year. But like I said before, since the focus in the NHL now is on less hitting and more scoring, the true value of a guy like Witt will only be apparent to someone who either truly understands the game or has the opportunity to watch him day in and day out.

Luckily, I fall into both of of those categories [or at least I think I do, let my imagination run it's course again guys] and know that the only reasons why the Islanders were in the playoff hunt for as long as they were was the shutdown defense of Brendan Witt and the goaltending of Rick DiPietro and Wade Dubielewicz [it figures that as soon as I can spell his last name by heart, the dude goes to Russia].

If the Isles are to make another attempt at a playoff spot this season, Witt is going to have to be on his game once again.

Photo by NHL Media

Posted under Offseason 2008