I think it’s safe to say the Pittsburgh Penguins are in serious trouble.

That team has no jam, no grit, no heart. I know they are a team that is built around offense, but I really feel as if they are missing Jarkko Ruutu and Georges Laraque, two players that enabled their secondary scorers the space they needed to thrive. If they had those two guys, I think they’d get more offense from the rest of their team. Nothing against Eric Godard, who is one of the best enforcers in the game, but the team doesn’t use him in the right way. During that period long stretch where it was 2-2, I would have sent him there to get his nose dirty. Not to necessarily cause a fight, but to take the body and make the Isles think twice about skating all over them.

Dan Bylsma is going to have it tough over the next few weeks.

On the other side of the ice, every Islanders youngster skated hard today. Sean Bergenheim was making solid passes in the offensive zone and Frans Nielsen was absolutely flying, creating scoring opportunities and keeping the pressure on in the neutral zone. Chris Campoli was joining the play and Bruno Gervais looked like Radek Martinek circa 2001.

However my three favorite highlights of the night was the 25 second stretch in the first period where the Isles had a defensive cycle going in the neutral zone that had the Penguins confused more than Lindsay Lohan on the 28th day of the month. If this is something that this team can find a way of duplicating and redefining over the rest of the season, it may be something they can carry over into next year.

The second highlight was Jeff Tambellini’s wrister that beat Marc-Andre Fleury in the shootout. Talk about a howitzer. It’s not often you get to see shots like that and not often that they come from a guy with only six goals in his career. Hopefully, this will be something that gets him going in the right direction, He’s still got one year left on hos contract an who knows what could happen in that time.

Lastly, seeing a few of the guys turning their helmets inside out was great. It shows me this team doesn’t like losing and that they want to play spoiler over the next two months.

That’s exactly what I want to see.

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

Three wins in a row.

Points in four consecutive games.

And to think, I thought they didn’t have it in them.

In most of the Islanders losses this season, their biggest problem has been their coverage in front of the net. Players like Bruno Gervais, Chris Campoli, Thomas Pock and Brendan Witt have not been strong on the body or the puck when it’s in the crease area. Because Yann Danis and Joey MacDonald aren’t the best goaltenders in terms of giving up rebounds and rebound control, this quirk has bit the Islanders in the arse several times this season.

Last night however, Brendan Witt, especially was on top of his game, taking the body and then the puck all night long. Having a rough season adjusting to Scott Gordon’s system, Witt proved he’s still got some gritty hockey left to play this season.

The forwards were also helping out a ton, as Richard Park saved a goal on a wide open attempt by Richard Zednik in the second. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, a lot of the times, this game is more about hustle than skill. In terms of hustle, Park will always be on top. The numbers are on Park’s side this season as well, as he’s proven just how talented he really is.

Andy Hilbert is another guy that was just running around and doing his thing. Danis did his job and then some as well, making several sharp saves early in the third period to keep the Isles lead in tact. Overall, when these guys are playing this well in their own end and on the penalty kill, your offense doesn’t have to be phenomenal.

Thankfully for the Isles, Mike Comrie scored a sneaky goal after catching Tomas Vokoun behind the net that got them the lead. Bill Guerin’s spin move goal in the third was also pretty surreptitious as well. Considering the move the Islanders captain pulled earlier in the game, where he almost broke a Florida Panthers’ defenseman’s legs, it’s fair to say that he had his best game in quite some time.

Add in another goal from Kyle Okposo and I have to say, this was probably the Isles’ most complete game of the season.

60 solid minutes.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

It’s crazy when I think about it.

This is the third Christmas this site has been around.

What first started off as a way for a young college student to earn some extra [practically a tiny piece of] bread while writing about his favorite team in the entire world has slowly turned into a way for a college professor and working journalist to earn some extra [practically a tiny piece of] bread while writing about his favorite team in the entire world. During that time, I’ve seen the Isles go from a playoff team, missing a few pieces and being able to make the second round, to a team riddled with injuries, to a team that is downright poor.

I’ve seen players the likes of Jason Blake have career years and guys like Miroslav Satan have season’s so unproductive that they were almost finished professionally because of it. I’ve seen players like Wade Dubielewicz and Joey MacDonald inspire me with their hard work and guys the likes of Chris Simon and Sean Hill nearly break my heart for not using their heads on and off the ice.

In spite of everything that’s happened over the past three year’s with this team though, it’s been a complete blast. Getting to interview people such as Jiggs McDonald, Ruslan Fedotenko, Bruno Gervais, Bob Probert and Ross Bernstein alone over the past three years have made this journey an extremely enjoyable one, but reading your comments every day and trying my hardest to satisfy your needs and entertain you simultaneously has made this one of the most rewarding endeavors I’ve partaken in since I started doing this.

So rather than waste any more time in this post, let me just say thank you. Thank you for reading every day. Thank you for commenting when you feel the need to. Thank you for just being yourselves.

Happy Holidays.

Okay, time to get to business.

Right now, I feel the thing this team needs more than anything is a game against the Rangers. That’s the only thing that can instill the necessary passion needed for this team to thrive on the ice.

That, however is a two-sided coin.

They could end up looking so bad against the Blueshirts that I’ll have to deal with idiotic Ranger fans at work for the next two weeks talking how good their team is. Forget it when I tell them that their defense is a joke and that they don’t have enough offense to hold water with any of the super powers in the Western Conference. It won’t change the fact that this team is dead in the water right now. Nothing short of half the team stepping up their games and the guys this team has on IR magically coming back and playing their hearts out can save them from ending the season even worse than the pundits thought they’d finish.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2008

Sorry for jumping around so much today guys. I just have a bunch of things I want to address.

Sillinger’s return- Like I said yesterday, this is going to be good on several fronts for the Islanders. Nevertheless, I think Isles head coach Scott Gordon summed it up pretty nicely a few days ago when he said getting Silly back was like a mid-season trade.

Martinek reinjured? - According to Greg Logan’s blog, Radek Martinek will be out after banging his shoulder up against the Senators.  With Bruno Gervais also injured, it looks like Thomas Pock will get another chance to prove himself after clearing waivers a few days ago. In my opinion, Martinek has got to have the worst luck in the world. It’s like he’s got a black cat in his hockey bag or something. If he doesn’t start either taking the necessary steps to make sure he doesn’t get injured again without sacrificing his play in the offseason or taking showers with garlic shampoo, he’s going to continue to get injured and never be the player many Islander fans thought he’d be after 23 great games in 2002.

In other Islanders news, the team will get another injection of toughness as both Mitch Fritz and Tim Jackman. However, the question remains as to who sits if both of them or even one of them is in uniform on Thursday.

Cough:: Jeff Tambellini ::Cough.

Nothing against the kid, but he hasn’t shown a spark and considering how good Andy Hilbert and Richard Park have been thus far, he’s out of roles. This team doesn’t need another tiny sparkplug on the bottom two lines. They need another 20-goal scorer and as of right now, Tamby looks out of place.

Laviolette Canned? Well, it looks like former Islander coach Peter Laviolette will be spending the holiday season watching hockey at home, rather than coaching it with the Carolina Hurricanes. More ironic however is the fact that he has been replaced by Paul Maurice, the coach he replaced five years ago. As far as I’m concerned, Laviolette is still an excellent coach and if Alexei Yashin hadn’t played golf with Charles Wang every weekend, Lavy would have never lost control of his players and find the pink slip. And as far as that statement is concerned, I feel that while the Islanders teams he coached were good, they were never good enough to do more than he did with them.

Those teams really needed another legitimate scorer and a shutdown defenseman to compliment all the offense they had on the blue line. That is the real reason why Steve Stirling [who is now off coaching in Germany of all places] didn’t win a Stanley Cup here either. It had nothing to do with Laviolette. Sadly, just like the Islanders have had bad luck with players over the past 15 seasons, they’ve had just as much bad luck with coaches. Not keeping Laviolette and cleaning up the mess around him will always be one of them.

Posted under Isles Thoughts 2008

Through their first 21 games, the New York Islanders defense has had to deal with injuries to Chris Campoli, Brendan Witt, Andy Sutton, Radek Martinek and Freddy Meyer.

Wait, what did I just say? Am I to believe that through the first 21 games, the Isles have already had five defensemen on the shelf? Am I to believe that Mark Streit and Bruno Gervais have been the only healthy D-men on this team this season?

Unfortunately, the answer to all of those questions is a resounding yes.

Because of that, it’s incredibly hard to assess what this team has done defensively so far this season.

However, it is pretty simple to see that this team is headed in the right direction in their own end.

Streit, simply put, has been a revelation in both ends this season, playing extremely well on special teams and eerily solid in his own end. After the Islanders picked him up this summer, the Canadian press had a field day, saying the Isles paid too much for his services, and stating that he was basically a fourth liner that had a penchant for contributing on the powerplay. I myself said that I didn’t think he’d score 63 points again this season, but as of right now, he’s looking to be awfully close.

[Isn't it funny how over the past few weeks, the Islanders alone have made the Canadian hockey media look like Jason Blair on truth serum?]

With Sutton, Martinek and Witt all back and healthy as well, I think the Islanders have their spine back. Now they can shutdown the top lines in the league and mix it up a bit if they have to. A few weeks ago, guys like Gervais, Streit and Campoli were playing 25 minutes a game, killing themselves in both ends. With the anchors back, those three can now play in roles more beneficial to them and because of that, I think we’ll start to see some more production from them.

I come from a mindset as a fan where I’m used to seeing multiple defensemen being able to produce offensively on a team. Growing up, I saw guys like Tom Kurvers, Jeff Norton, Uwe Krupp, Mathieu Schnieder and Bryan Berard at the point scoring their 35 plus points a season. As a teenager, I saw Roman Hamrlik, Kenny Jonsson and Adrian Aucoin do the same thing. Because of that, I fully expect guys like Campoli, Streit and hopefully even Gervais and Martinek can produce offensively to be factors. I think it’ll come a bit more naturally for he first two players I’ve mentioned, but I really feel Gervais and Martinek have a lot more to give in the offensive zone.

If they do and the Isles can continue to support Joey MacDonald, I think you’ll see a very different Islanders team the rest of this season.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2008

Final Score: Islanders 1, Vancouver Media 0.

Seriously, what kind of journalist says something along the lines of the Islanders don’t stand a chance and Roberto Luongo and the Canucks can get away with playing decent and still win?

This is the NHL baby. Every game in this league never has a clear-cut winner. All it takes is for a hot goaltender or someone with a wicked backhand to get an opportunity in the shootout and it’s lights out, regardless of how good your team is.

Luckily, the Islanders got both last night, as Joey MacDonald and Frans Neilsen played superb games, leading New York to an “unlikely” win.

Winners of three in a row and holding a 7-9-2 record, things aren’t nearly as bad as they were a week ago, right? The return of Radek Martinek has quietly bolstered the Islanders defense and all of a sudden Frans Neilsen, Josh Bailey [would you guys keep him around after his nine games are up? As of right now, I totally would] and Kyle Okposo are noticeable out there. Are they playing phenomenal hockey? No, but they are making factors of themselves. The same thing goes for a guy like Tim Jackman, who looks like he may stick around this season after getting a long cup of coffee last season when injuries buried this team and their playoff chances.

This season however, the Islanders playoff chances haven’t really even been realized yet. All this team is doing right now is trying to earn the league’s respect back. In my mind, they are still a legitimate scorer and another offensive defenseman away from being a playoff contender, but if they keep finding ways to win and get Mike Comrie, Brendan Witt and Mike Sillinger back and they can produce, this team is going to be a heck of a lot of fun to watch.

Joey MacDonald alone has been a blast to follow this season and has almost singlehandedly kept this team as close to above water as he can. Nevertheless, I think guys like Bruno Gervais, Chris Campoli, Mark Streit and Andy Sutton have played much better in their own end over the past few games as well, giving MacDonald every chance to flourish.

If this keeps up, this team may just take us on another joy ride for a few weeks.

At the very least, Islander fans should enjoy this and keep their eyes on the prize. This is blue collar, unsexy hockey, but it’s winning hockey. With a host of rookies and aging veterans on this team, you couldn’t really ask for me right now.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

The Shenanigans the Islanders have forced their fans to deal with this season essentially started after the Islanders lost in overtime to the Flyers on October 30. Ever since then, watching this team play the final 20 minutes is worse than a prostate exam.

So what does this team need to do in order to get out of the rut they’ve gotten themselves in?

Here are a few of my thoughts:

1- Be more physical, especially in the defensive zone- Giving up 18 shots in the final period on Saturday, this team needs to play with more desperation and more of an edge. Mitch Fritz got into a tussle while up here with the Isles, but I say that isn’t enough. Guys need to start finishing checks on every single shift. Everyone from Mark Streit to Frans Neilsen has to do this in order for it to be effective as well. Being that physical will also open up the ice more and give the few playmakers the Islanders have, guys like Doug Weight and Neilsen room to find the Bill Guerin’s and Trent Hunter’s.

2- Score on the powerplay- Currently ranked 25th in the NHL, Streit and Weight have been brought in to help out and while they have, other players have to start contributing. For starters, the Islanders need to overload the powerplay with guys that can score. Nothing against Neilsen, but he should be one of the last people who get a shot on the PP. Alongside Weight and Guerin, Hunter should play on the other wing with Streit and Chris Campoli. The second unit should be something along the lines of Mike Comrie with Sean Bergenheim and Kyle Okposo with Andy Sutton and Bruno Gervais at the point. While it’s not as deep a unit as I would like it to be, there would be enough diversity to give the Islanders options. The first unit would be all about getting traffic in front of the net and the second would be about puck possession and generating offense from the circles. Once Mike Sillinger comes back, I think this team’s powerplay will get much better, but until that happens, something else needs to be done.

3- Play smarter defense- Going along with my first statement about the team’s need to play tougher, I think the defense needs to cut down on their turnovers. I know it’s not as easy with Rick DiPietro still injured, but overall, this team needs to make smarter passes in their own zone and commit themselves to eliminating traffic in front of Joey MacDonald and limiting second chance opportunities. If they can do that, this team won’t have to score four goals a game every night to stay in games.

Posted under 2008-2009, Pregame Musings

Aside from the game against the Buffalo Sabres, the New York Islanders’ defense has been solid. It’s almost mind-boggling how in spite of missing Andy Sutton, Chris Campoli and Radek Martinek the defense still remains the least of the team’s problems.

Nevertheless, it is still a facet of the team that needs to be addressed.

In order for Scott Gordon’s “Overspeed” system to work, the Islanders defenseman have to take care of business. That means making the first pass out of the zone, clearing the front of the net, and pinching in along the boards. The way the team has played this season, it’s obvious that the Islanders forward lines haven’t yet caught on to the system. In the games they’ve won, the puck pursuit has been there and they’ve had their legs, which has created scoring opportunities and a plethora of second chances. In the games they’ve lost, they’ve had a huge problem establishing a forecheck and setting up in the offensive end.

I know what you’re thinking now: “I’ve read this on other Islander blogs already.” Well, I think I have a different take on this that has nothing to do with the lack of depth on the forward lines or the amount of youth present.

Here it goes.

I think the main reason why the Isles have had problems maintaining the level of offensive consistency and passion is because the defense, just like the offense, hasn’t yet bought into the system fully either. The two wins the Islanders have this season were due in part to the fact that the defense, alongside the offensive, were physical, swarming the puck and skating.

This generates scoring opportunities, something this team always seems to be short on.

However, in the games the Islanders have lost, where have the D-men been on the offensive end?

Mark Streit, Jack Hillen, Bruno Gervais Thomas Pock and Freddy Meyer are all defensemen that have above average skating skills and should have no problem joining the rush and helping out pinching on the boards. Streit especially, who came here to help the team on the powerplay and be a force on offense, needs to be a bit more proactive. In Montreal, he had no problems joining the play and applying pressure to opposing defenses. In order for this team to stay above water this season, Streit needs to be a factor

In the games this team have been outscored though, that hasn’t happened from Streit or any other member of the defense. They’ve been too preoccupied keeping the opposition out of the zone to be a force.

So in order for “Overspeed” to really work, two things need to take place at the same time. One being that the Islanders forwards have to skate their tails off. Secondly, the defense has to take chances on offense and take shots.

As we’ve already seen so far this season, if that doesn’t happen, they don’t win.

Posted under 2008-2009, Offseason 2008

Well, here it is, courtesy of the team’s official website:

http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=385315

Well, now that that’s out of the way, here are my thoughts:

Anyone that doesn’t like that first round pick Josh Bailey ended up making the team is out of their minds. Sure, the Islanders have a host of veterans on the team this season, but with Bailey’s cup of coffee this season, combined with getting to see Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini, Sean Bergenheim, Blake Comeau and possibly even Jack Hillen develop, this team has the potential of being very fun to watch.

Are they going to make the playoffs? Who knows. If these young kids can play well enough and guys like Bill Guerin, Mark Streit and Doug Weight can pull their “weight,” then this team may have a shot to surprise a few people. Again, much like the last few seasons, the team won’t be expected to do much, but like I said, if they can stay healthy and get contributions from everybody, these misfits will challenge for the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Much like the team two seasons ago, the Islanders will need to get offense from all four lines in order to be successful. Can it happen? Asking Andy Hilbert to be consistent every night on offense will be bad enough, but players like Frans Nielsen and Richard Park will have to be steady and score about a dozen goals as well. Can that happen? Stranger things have happened before.

Getting Rick DiPietro back the other day is also a sign of good news, even though his play in the team’s final exhibition game was far from solid. The team’s vocal leader and general on the ice, DP will be counted on again to lead the charge. With Radek Martinek and Brendan Witt around though, DP will have one of the best defensive tandems in the league on the ice for 25 minutes a game. Despite that, no one really knows who will fill in for Chris Campoli and Andy Sutton through the first handful of games, making the Islanders last pair of defensemen a toss up. For my money, Jack Hillen and Freddy Meyer may be the best way to go, considering Hillen’s upside on offense and Meyer’s physical ability and knack for playing smart in both ends. Bruno Gervais may be the best skater of the remaining defensemen and Thomas Pock may have the most offensive ability, but Hillen and Meyer have the poise in my mind to keep the team above water until Campo and Sutton are ready to come back.

At any rate, we’ll see what Scott Gordon decides to do tomorrow in the season opener.

Posted under 2008-2009