The Islanders may be in the cellar of the league right now, but according to their coach, Scott Gordon, he’s a better coach because of it.

“It’s made the challenges of coaching the first year in the NHL and it’s allowed me to deal with adversity,” Gordon told the Associated Press right before the All-Star break. “Every team that I’ve coached, at some point you have adversity, whether it’s the loss of players, losing your goaltender, having to manage people that, at times, are unmanageable. There’s all kinds of different things that, when that year is over, you look back on it and learn from it and it makes you a better coach.”

With the amount of injuries this team has had to deal with this season, you kind of have to give Gordon a free pass. If Doug Weight and Rick DiPietro were healthy and Brendan Witt and Radek Martinek in the lineup a bit more often, I really feel that former Isles coach Ted Nolan could have gotten this team to the playoffs or pretty damn close to it. Then seeing what a positive impact Gordon had on some of the youngsters like Chris Campoli and Frans Nielsen in addition to Weight, Guerin and Trent Hunter, I really think this team could have challenged for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, this dude is one crazy cat, but back when Joey MacDonald was one of the NHL’s players of the month, this team was scoring enough to get by and was playing decent defense. The rest of the league, simply put, was shocked. No one wanted to admit that the New York Islanders played their tails off every night and had a decent chance at coming out with two points regardless of who they were playing.

Despite the fact of the rumors that this team may be moved and where they are in the standings right now, I feel that Gordon can be the guy to help lead them to the land of respect once again. Is it going to be a quick process? No, but the fact that Gordon isn’t letting up and is ready to continue taking the beating he’s taken this season is a good sign to me.

He’s not giving up. And if he doesn’t maybe some of the youngsters will play the same way over the last 35 games of the season and put a smile on my face a few times before the season’s over.

Just maybe.

Photo by the AHL.

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

I said yesterday that I don’t care if the Islanders win every night, I just want to see this team put forth a solid effort.

I want to see passion. I want to see intensity. I want to see jam.

That third period, well the last minute and a half at least, the Islanders had me confused. They went from playing well-intentioned, but too unfocused to win hockey, to being the owners, founders and major shareholders of Smuckers. Yes, my friends, they were making jam.

The line of Blake Comeau, Mike Comrie and Kyle Okposo had all the flavors for you if you wanted as well. They were skating their tails off, carrying the puck into the zone, rather than play dump and chase and were taking shots. It also seems that in the process of scoring his 400th goal the other night, Bill Guerin now feels the need to become the passer he never was. Dishing the puck well all night, Guerin may take Doug Weight’s spot on the team as their top playmaker once he comes back if he continues playing the way he is.

Add in some good offensive play by Chris Campoli, Freddy Meyer and yes, Brendan Witt [who also blocked several key shots late in the game] and the Isles had more than enough of a team effort to skate out of Dodge with a point. Above all though, when Jeff Tambellini works as hard as he did last night, scoring his first goal in more than half a season, you know you have to get something out of it,

The expression on Lindy Ruff’s face said it all. Giving up two goals like that at the end of the game should have changed his game plan a bit, but it didn’t. Opting not to put his leading scorer on the ice in Thomas Vanek during the overtime period, he continued to role the dice an luckily for him, he came out on top in the skills competition portion of the game and got the extra point. That’s not the point here though.

The point is that regardless of what their record is right now and regardless of if the Islanders are saying DP tweaked his groin again [I personally think he's fine and they just want him to take things extra slow this time around so he's ready to play the Rangers], this team is playing harder and smarter than they have in a month.

That my friends, is good enough for me.

“I can at least hold my head up high the last five games and say the guys have resembled a team that is competing for 60 minutes,” coach Scott Gordon told the AP after the game.

Ditto.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

It’s been 10 games and nearly a month since the Islanders last win.

Even in my darkest days as an Islanders fan, I’ve never seen things turn this sour. I mean, things were awfully bad during Butch Goring’s tenure as coach, but let’s be honest here, those teams had no chance. They were full of youngsters, with washed-up veterans that wanted nothing but a paycheck. There was no Bill Guerin, Brendan Witt or Trent Hunter. However, in spite of the markedly different lineup the Islanders have this season, things feel just as dire.

Taking a look at some of my old posts, particularly the “Worst Case Scenario” post I did before the season started, I came to see that this is in-fact the worst case scenario for this team right now.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at this I came up before the season started:

1- A change in philosophy if the team is close to a playoff spot at the trading deadline
2- Radek Martinek or Brendan Witt going down for any prolonged period of time
3- An uber inefficient powerplay…again
4- Rushing Josh Bailey
5-Mike Sillinger misses most of the season again
In my “Hopes for 2009” post, I outlined five things I wanted to see this season.
Take a look at this list:
1- Kyle Okposo’s continued development.
2- Jeff Tambellini solidifying a role on the team.

3- Bill Guerin and Doug Weight having solid seasons.

4- Chris Campoli and Mark Streit both become factors on the powerplay.
5- Rick DiPietro stays healthy all season.
Taking a look at these two lists, it’s easy to see that this season, so far, has been an absolute disaster. Aside from Weight and Streit playing well, everything else has fell to pieces. KO has been on the shelf too long to really assess, while injuries to Sillinger, DiPietro, Witt and Martinek have decimated the Islanders defensive ability, character and most importantly, heart. Tambellini’s play has been a joke as well, while Witt’s comments have shown some unwillingness in the Isles’ Over-Speed system.
With that being said, I take us back to the original question I proposed: When will this losing streak come to an end?
While I’ve been willing to throw around my opinion with a certain amount of confidence all season, regardless of the outcome, this is one that I have no idea on. I really wish I did.
Only the Islanders know the answer right now.

I’m not even sure on that one either.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2008

The Isles may have hit a snag against Pittsburgh on Wednesday, but they are still 5-4-1 over their last 10 games, proving they can be a .500 team without Rick DiPietro, Mike Sillinger, Mike Comrie and Kyle Okposo. Veterans the likes of Doug Weight, Trent Hunter and Bill Guerin have been holding down the fort offensively all the season and now with a healthy Brendan Witt and Freddy Meyer back to support Mark Streit, Andy Sutton, Chris Campoli and Radek Martinek, I really feel that the Islanders are ready to turn the corner and play .500 hockey.

Once they get as close to completely healthy and some of the youngsters begin to get more comfortable as well , I really think this team can gain the respect of the rest of the league.

However, as we’ve seen before, playing 500 hockey may not be good enough to make the playoffs anymore in the NHL. I’ve also said before that if this team is healthy, I feel they can make the playoffs, but it’s really a toss up at this point. Overall, this team has to commit itself to staying with their game plan. That means the forecheck has to be consistent for 60 minutes. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been as repetitive as a Green Day hook, constantly saying these things. I’m sick of it. From the look on some of the veteran’s faces on Wednesday, I can tell they’re sick of it too. There’s only so much they can do though. The same thing goes for the host of role players on this team. Richard Park, Jon Sim, Sean Bergenheim and Andy Hilbert aren’t 30-goal scorers and even though they work their tails off every night, I really feel that this team needs a career year out of these guys for this team to really be able to compete with the rest of this league.

So how does this relate to the Boston Bruins?

Just like the Isles, the Bruins lost a tough game their last time out, but overall, this is a much better team. 8-1-1 over their past ten games, Boston has one of the league’s most underrated, yet effective playmakers in Marc Savard and Phil Kessel, who finally seems to be coming into his own. Patric Bergeron, Milan Lucic, Blake Wheeler and David Krejci aren’t to be underestimated either, as they have legitimate talent and are more than just spare parts. Add in a dominate duo in net between Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas and it’s easy to see that the Islanders can and will be in deep trouble if they don’t commit themselves to working extremely hard in both ends of the ice.

Posted under 2008-2009, Pregame Musings

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

What’s worse than working all day and coming home to watch an Islanders game?

Working all day and coming home to watch a game that you already knew the score to.

Ah man.

If I was the Incredible Hulk, my first words on this game would be: “Hulk want powerplay goals, NOW!”

Seriously, it’s actually gotten the point this season where I have to quote superheroes I can’t stand [I'm more of a Spider-Man kind of guy] to depict the way I feel about this team.

As I mentioned numerous times on this site as of late, the Islanders powerplay has to be able to finish. With the injuries and lack of offense they currently have, the powerplay becomes even more important. Mark Streit and Doug Weight were brought here to help the powerplay and while their play overall has been solid, the rest of the team hasn’t stepped up it’s play. Guys like Kyle Okposo, Jon Sim and Frans Neilsen have to play with a bigger sense of urgency and simply score more often.

As Forrest Gump would say “And that’s all I have to say about that.”

From the looks of it, Weight knows exactly how I feel.

“When you go 0-for-8 with two 5-on-3s and give up a short-handed goal, it’s on us on the power play,” Weight told the Associated Press after the game. “No matter what five guys you have out there, you have to change the momentum of the game. You have to score on those. We didn’t.”

Simply put, there are no excuses for this, none at all.

On defense, the Islanders have to play tighter. The legs have to be going nonstop and they have to make a conscious effort to make better first passes out of their zone. With the speed the Isles have upfront, guys like Chris Campoli, Streit and Andy Sutton have to spring players like Sean Bergenheim, Andy Hilbert and Richard Park and get this team a few easy goals. Like I said before, with offense not coming at a level where they can get greedy, the Isles have to get as creative as possible. Otherwise, this season is over, today.

Not even Josh Bailey’s NHL debut can break me out of this feeling that this team is sinking fast. Make no its or buts about it, if this team doesn’t get Radek Martinek, Brendan Witt and Mike Sillinger back and back soon [and Mike Comrie, but who knows how serious his hip injury is at this point] this team is going to easily win the John Tavares sweepstakes.

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

Lindsay Campoli’s [I hope I spelled her name right!] birthday may have been yesterday, but her son gave her the best present a mother could ask for in a 4-3 Islanders win.

The game wasn’t all peaches and cream though.

Scary stuff indeed.

Just when you think this team has a game all sewed up, they play down to level of their opponents. If this team is going to get back to .500, things like this cannot happen. See how fast this team sinks tomorrow night against the Rangers if they pull these same type of shenanigans.

Nevertheless, there were several positives to take from this game.

1- Trent Hunter had a solid game.

That’s not to say that he hasn’t been playing well this season, but I feel he needed a multi-point game to really get him going on a consistent basis. In addition, he was taking the body and was in front of the net. Again, if this team is going to be better than average this season and with Rick DiPietro out for the next six weeks, Hunter has to continue to produce.

2- Bill Guerin had a solid game.

The same thing goes for Guerin. That breakaway goal was a thing of beauty just for the simple fact that the Islanders captain isn’t the type of player that is known for deking out goaltenders. Again, much like Hunter, Guerin is going to have to stretch his mold and be more than the player he’s known for. Asking something like that from a player at Guerin’s age may be a bit too outlandish, but who would have thought Doug Weight would be playing as well as he is right now? If he can do it, why can’t Guerin?

3- Richard Park finished!

This guy works so hard on the ice and it was great to see him pot one. Another guy the Islanders need to produce offensively, I don’t see any reason why Park can’t score 15 goals and add 20 helpers this season.

4- Campoli breaks out finally.

The way the Islanders offense is built, guys like Chris Campoli and Mark Streit can really benefit if they’re proactive and take shots. That was definitely the case tonight.

Sound bite of the night: Islanders color commentator Bill Jaffe went on the big tirade in the second period, comparing Jeff Tambellini to Andy Hilbert. I know what point that he was trying to make, saying that Tambellini needed to find himself as a player, but comparing Tambo to Hilbert isn’t in the best interest of either player. Tambellini has a much better shot and pales in comparison to being the defender Hilbert is. Aside from their inability to produce offensively, they are two different players.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants