Good luck in your future endeavors Silly.

Aside from that, there hasn’t been much Isles news, so my video game exploits have continued.

Check out my NHL 10 demo thoughts here. Goddamn this game is so much fun. Even if you don’t play games, click the link anyway. I’m sure the screenshot alone will scare the crap out of you. It’s hard to believe video games have come this far. I still remember loving NHLPA 93 despite how ugly it was and now sometimes it’s more fun to play this than actually watch the real thing.

http://reviewfix.com/2009/08/nhl-10-demo-rocks-like-a-hurricane/

Today, those thoughts have not changed.

Despite missing 29 games with injuries this season, the wily veteran still has 35 points and when healthy, has been a difference maker.

Signing for only two million bucks as well, Weight is a low-risk and high reward signing. If he stays on the ice and off injured reserve, he’ll score his 50 points or so and will help youngsters like Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey get better.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

“I wish everything could have been a little better this year; I wish I could have stayed healthier, I wish a lot of guys on our team could have stayed healthier,” Weight told Newsday. “But I really have been impressed with everything over the course of the last three or four months, and I’ve said before we like the area. I’m excited to be coming back and excited for what’s coming for this team, hopefully sooner than later.

“We’re going to be champing at the bit to get back in September, and I’m happy to be part of it.”
The fact that Weight is still hungry and is a testament to what Scott Gordon’s system can produce may also entice other veterans to come and fill holes on this young Islanders team. Islanders General Manager Garth Snow has sad that next year’s roster will be a very similar one to this season’s, but if he can get someone at a price similar to Weight that can come in and produce, you can bet your bottom dollar that he’ll do so. Because of that, keeping Weight around can turn out to be a smart move for the Isles.
Remember this anyone?

It feels like 10 years ago, doesn’t it? To the rest of the hockey world, it seems impossible that the Islanders could have players the likes of Ryan Smyth, Alexei Yashin, Jason Blake and Viktor Kozlov on their roster, but just two seasons ago, they did.

However, if this team is to ever make the playoffs while playing in Long Island again, a new batch of players, much younger and far less accomplished, will have to find the same amount of intensity those guys did just two short seasons ago.

Will it ever happen?

Islanders fans everywhere know that the team’s offense has been in shambles, especially after losing the likes of Alexei Yashin, Ryan Smyth, Jason Blake, Tom Poti and Viktor Kozlov a few years ago, but for the first time in team history, the Islanders are in danger of being without a 20-goal scorer.

So despite the fact that the youngsters have been getting better and both Joey MacDonald and Yann Danis appear that they could be adequate backups next season, the fact that the team’s offense is so bad that they may make team history hurts bad.

Ah man, that hurts bad.

It hurts even more knowing that this wouldn’t have been the case if the team was healthy this season.
Even last season, when the team was ravaged with injuries and a plethora of under-achievers [Ruslan Fedotenko, cough, cough] as well, they had two 20-goal scorers.

In all honesty, I’ve seen guys in wheelchairs participating in jump rope contests that have better luck than the Islanders have had over the past two seasons. Last season, I think the Isles were good enough to make the playoffs before the injury bug infested them like a horde of ants on a wad of cheeze-wiz. This season as well would have been a bit better if they had some of their key players in the lineup a bit more often.

However, what makes this even tougher to digest is that without the injuries, the Islanders would have at least three 20- goal scorers if you ask me.

Trent Hunter would be right around there; the same thing goes for Sean Bergenheim and Kyle Okposo. As a matter of fact, you could even make the argument for Bill Guerin, who has 20 now after being traded to the Penguins. Had Doug Weight not gotten injured, Guerin’s game wouldn’t have hit the fan over the last month he was on the team. You could even make a good a good argument for Mark Streit.

Ah, but in the end, it’s all wishful thinking. No 20-goal scorers. So sad. Even the 92 San Jose Sharks had one in Pat Falloon. Are the Islanders that bad? Are they? Someone answer me already.

Wow, this team’s offense is so lacking this season that I’m talking to myself in my own posts now.

Is this what we’ve come to?

I think so…I think so.

Nevertheless, in spite of the vigor and jam he adds when on the ice, I have a feeling time is running out for him. Not as far as his spot on the team is concerned, but as his status as a talented youngster goes.

With youngsters the likes of Frans Neilsen, Blake Comeau, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey stepping up, I feel Bergenheim has to start doing much of the same. Sure, he’s got another year left on his contract and is a restricted free agent at the start of the 2010 season, but for the Islanders to truly start to get this youth movement in full swing, I feel Bergie has to be one of the guys that steps up. Otherwise, he’ll have that niche of being a role player labeled on him and no one will ever give him a chance to be the top six forward I believe he can be,

Much like Andy Hilbert, I see Bergenheim as a jack of all trades on the ice, but a master of none. He’s a good skater, with good speed and a huge heart. However, much like Hilbert, he doesn’t produce enough offensively. On pace for a 20-goal season at one time before injuries and the flu began to creep their way into his game, Bergenheim needs to step up.

Now on a line with Richard Park and Tim Jackman, I think the Isles will possess one of the best energy lines in the league. Park has slowed down offensively after a white hot start and needs someone to get him going. That’s exactly where I think Bergenheim comes in. For way too long have I thought this guy deserves to be a top six forward and watched him get stuck in a role like this, but until he proves he can be consistent in both ends and start producing more, much like a Jason Blake, he’ll stay there.

Speaking of Blake, who proved in his time on the Island that he needed the puck as often as possible to be effective, I think Bergenheim is a much better shooter and can take advantage more than Blake did. For instance, Blake will end up taking over 300 shots again this season and will end up with about 25-30 goals. I think Bergenheim could score 20 eventually one day while taking under 200. It’s just a matter of him staying healthy and getting the type of ice time where he can accumulate those numbers.

When he actually got that ice time last season, I think he surprised a lot of Islander fans and even the organization with just how talented offensively he can be in the this league, in addition to all the other stuff he does. All in all, there’s no reason why he can’t be a dependable 20-20 guy and be a solid pest, even at this point in his career.

Again, it’s just a matter of getting him on the ice.

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.

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.

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!

Wade Dubielewicz has signed a one-way contract for the 2007-2008 season.

I know it’s not Ryan Smyth or Jason Blake, but Dubie has earned the right to remain on the Islanders and it’s great that the organization did the right thing here and rewarded “Yoda” for playing his heart out during the last week of the season. Again, while the Islanders will have bigger fish to fry [no fish sticks pun there, I just like the cliché] trying to hold on to Smyth, Blake, Poti and a few other players from going elsewhere this offseason, signing Dubie was a must.

For one, the guy has spent his whole entire professional career in the organization and has always played well whenever he has been called upon. I don’t know how you guys feel about this, but I come from the school of thought that you have to help people that really go above and beyond the call of duty and stick their necks out for you and in the case of Dubie, he’s been nothing short of stellar for the Islanders and without him, I dare say they may have not made the playoffs.

Another reason why I love this deal is because Mike Dunham managed to wear out his welcome pretty fast and proved down the stretch, despite some solid games earlier in the season, that he was no longer capable of backing up DP. At times, it just seemed like he didn’t have the killer instinct and composure the Islanders [or any other team in the NHL for that matter] need out of their backup goaltender.

I mean, lets be honest here, it takes a special type of player to be able to play 15 games a season and know that regardless of how great you play, that’s all you’re going to get. Dunham wasn’t that guy. Dubie on the other hand, deserves this opportunity and I believe is more than capable of providing DiPietro with a breather every few games and can even provide the team with a boost emotionally in the process.

The only season why Dunham was signed last year is because I believe Islanders management felt that DP still had some growing up to do. Now however, DP has proven this season that he doesn’t need an experienced veteran to back him up and he can take hold of this team and be responsible for his actions of the ice [all concussions aside]. With that being said, I think DP’s dominance this year was as much a reason in Dubie’s contract signing as was his own stellar play over the last week of the season.

Despite that, it always feels great to see a hard-working guy get rewarded for his hard work. Today, one of the hardest-working players in professional hockey just got the biggest reward in his life and just shook off the label “career minor-leaguer.”

Congrats Dubie!

Now with the goaltending situation under control, it’s going to be interesting to see what happens next.

I don’t know about you guys, but I nearly jumped out of my seat when I read about it the other day. While I think it sounds crazy at first, I think that after some dissection, it does make some sense for the Islanders. However, why the Maple Leafs would even consider doing something like this is beyond me.

First off, looking at their numbers over the past three seasons, McCabe and Yashin are extremely similar. Both have huge shots, but don’t score as much as some would like. Both have had problems playing smart hockey on both ends of the ice [McCabe has proven to be quite dirty at times as well]. Both have had problems maintaining some kind of consistency in their careers and both look like they may be in the need of a change of scenery.

I think the latter falls more into the category of Yashin, who despite a solid first season with the Islanders, has never really proven to be the point per game center the Isles thought they were getting when they gave up Bill Muckalt, Zdeno Chara and what eventually became Jason Spezza [what any Islander fan would do to have either Chara or Spezza on the Island is a story within itself].

Secondly, Yashin has been benched at one point or another during every season he’s been on the team, including during the team’s recent playoff series against the Sabres. Again, I don’t know how you guys feel, but I think the captain of your team has to be at the forefront of your game plan and Yashin really hasn’t done that. As well, with the Islanders looking to find a way to keep both Jason Blake and Ryan Smyth this offseason, the question really becomes, can they really afford to keep the underperforming Yashin around [and I’m not talking about on the ice either, what about the locker room?]? And is there anyway that they can unload the guy without getting totally ripped off?

That’s where this all gets tricky.

From what I’ve heard and read online, McCabe’s wife is a native-Long Islander [if this is true or not I have no idea] and the reason why McCabe’s play suffered down the stretch was because she wants her husband to return to where his career started and it took some type of toll on him. Again, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is all the musings of one poor soul online, but if it’s true it could be pretty interesting.

With Sean Hill not an option for next season and Tom Poti a free agent, the Isles defense may look very different. Will it include McCabe? In my opinion, as much as I’d love to see him on the power play and cork-screwing every thing within a five-mile radius, I don’t see why Toronto management would want to trade one handful for an underachieving and overpaid one. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Unless the Isles are willing to throw in a prospect or two and are still willing to pay a portion of Yashin’s contract, I don’t see anyway this could get done. While critics all over the NHL don’t think McCabe is as solid as his numbers indicate, it’s pretty hard to argue with those numbers and the fact that McCabe can provide the type of physical presence the team needs with Hill gone and the need for another defenseman who can eat up minutes.

If that isn’t enough for you, you have to admit, having both Marc-Andre Bergeron and McCabe on the power play would be sweeter than a kiss on the cheek from Christy Brinkley.

Thank you.

While the Isles did maintain a better offensive presence in this game, they weren’t as strong defensively or physical and in the end, that’s what cost them the most.
This may not be the best comparison, but I think that this team has a lot in common with the Islanders team that lost to the Maple Leafs in 2002. Sure, the Leafs that year were a completely different monster than the Sabres, but by the end of that series and the end of this one against Buffalo, I said the same thing to myself, “This team needs to be more physical.”

After the team lost to the Leafs that year, the Islanders parted ways with finesse winger Mariusz Czerkawski and went out and got Arron Asham and Jason Wiemer. At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if the team tried their hardest to pick up someone else with some “marbles” for next season. Someone like Taylor Pyatt immediately comes to mind.
As well, with Sean Hill no longer an option for next season, the Islanders are going to either give Chris Campoli and Bruno Gervais [who both played very well last night and seem ready to accept more responsibility] a bigger role or count on Radek Martinek to make a solid comeback after another injury-plagued season. With Tom Poti now a free agent as well, the Isles are going to have some serious questions to answer about their defense during the offseason.

Regardless of that however, I still think this team is headed in the right direction and if they can manage to add a few more pieces, they’ll have better luck next year.
Throughout this entire season, the Islanders have been through more emotionally than the teenagers on Dawson Creek, but have always managed to put it together when it counted, thanks in part to some great coaching by Ted Nolan and a career years from Jason Blake and DiPietro. However, against Buffalo, the team just ran out of steam and couldn’t keep up with the uber-talented Sabres.

While being extremely disappointed right now that the team couldn’t keep the Sabres [who played far from a perfect series] on their toes a little bit longer, I’d have to be out of my mind to not be proud of this team. All season long, through injuries to key players such as Rick DiPietro, Alexei Yashin, Shawn Bates, Radek Martinek and the Chris Simon suspension, this team found a way to stay in the thick of things. For a team that was predicted by a myriad of media outlets to finish in last place or extremely close to it, just making the playoffs alone is a huge accomplishment.

Nevertheless, you can’t help but get the feeling that things could have been much different if the team could have stayed healthy and found away to stay away from some of the other drama that managed to engulf them.

Maybe next year will be different.

Well, that closes the book on the 2006-2007 New York Islanders season. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. I know there were plenty of times that had all of our stomach’s in knots, but I also know that there were a ton more that put a smile on all of our faces. I’ve said it numerous times this season, but I feel the urge to say it one last time: this season had more energy than the past five put together and despite being eliminated in the first round, I think that Islander fans and the organization itself have gotten a taste of what Ted Nolan can do when given an opportunity.

That in itself is probably one of the biggest things to happen to this team in a very long time and hopefully next season Nolan doesn’t have to deal with as much adversity and drama and can continue to take this team to the next level.

Let’s go Islanders.

Speaking of which, tonight the Senators come to town and regardless of what happens tonight, I know one thing: This is going to be a great game. Ottawa has a solid team with Danny Heatley, Jason Spezza and company, but is most likely going to be without their best defenseman Wade Redden, which means the Isles may have an opportunity to take advantage.

However, the scariest thing about the Senators is their depth, as they have nine players with at least 16 points, so the Isles will have to make sure they play tough on both ends of the ice if they want to go home with two pints. This also looks to be a game where players like Shawn Bates, Park and Jason Blake will have an opportunity to use their speed and take advantage of Senators D-men like Tom Pressing, Andrej Meszaros and Joe Corvo, who have pinched in on offense much more than usual this year. 

Hopefully, the Senators throw Gerber in net tonight, because Emery has been solid all season and I’d really like to see another high scoring game. Islander fans really haven’t been treated to a really explosive offensive team since 91-92 and 92-93 when Derek King, Steve Thomas and Pierre Turgeon were scoring all of those goals. This year, if Satan, Blake, Kozlov and Sillinger stay hot and the “new” Yashin comes back strong, the Isles have the potential to have a few players with at least 25 goals. 
But anyway, getting back to tonight’s contest, as long as the Islanders play a disciplined game and stay out of the penalty box, while playing gritty and physical at the same time, I don’t see why they can’t increase their lead in the Atlantic Division. 

Damn that sounds good saying that.  

Let’s go Islanders. 

Two loses in two games without Yashin. I can hear the Rangers fans talking trash already. Last night’s game was like hanging out with someone who has Tourette’s syndrome. Every five minutes the Islanders would show some a ton of emotion, and then would go flaccid.

On the whole, the way the Isles were playing in the first two periods was driving me crazy. I have no idea why you would play a dump and chase game when you have players that have solid speak and puck handling ability. It makes no freakin’ sense to me, it’s like giving Michael Jordan steel shoes and asking him to try and dunk with them on; not going to happen.

We’ve seen at time how dominate the Islanders can be when they play physical and play a puck possession game. Billy Jaffe made a great comment last night about how the Isles are a better team when they take the body. You would think now that they would put the two together, but they haven’t. It wasn’t until the last period that they started finishing checks and driving with the puck.

As a result, the third period was great. Richard Park and Chris Simon have been plugging away all season and I was happy to see them get goals, but other people have to step up too. Miro Satan played a solid game last night, making one beautiful pass to get a goal and Jason Blake and Viktor Kozlov were noticeable as well. But again, we need other people to step the fudge up!

Speaking of that, where has Mike Sillinger been the last dozen games? You can win all the face-offs you want brother, but you scored 32 goals last year and your on pace for like 16, that’s not going to cut the mustard on my fish sticks.

I’m not even going to get started on Trent Hunter and Andy Hilbert right now.
Overall, the Isles have depth on their forward lines that most teams would kill for. It’s time for these guys to start earning their pay checks. We want goals!

NEXT GAME…
 
The Islanders have another appointment with Bing Crosby and Evgeni “My last name sounds like an STD” Malkin tomorrow. After taking the night off against the Flyers, DP should raring to go. Let’s hope the Isles remember to take the body.  

Consisting of experienced veterans like Mark Recchi, John LeClair and Sergei Gonchar and blue-chip youngsters like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Whitney, the Pens are a team that shouldn’t be taken lightly. In order to come out with two points, the Islanders will have to have to play similar to the way they played against the Hurricanes, which means staying out of the penalty box, taking the body and playing smart in addition to getting a few goals.
 
TRENT…

Despite not scoring as much as many would like, Trent Hunter has been playing some solid hockey as of late, hitting anything that moves and has exemplified what it means to play smart hockey. If it weren’t for a few goal posts and cross bars, Trent could easily have five or six goals. Nevertheless, Hunter is bound to get going offensively sooner or later and as long as he’s taking the body and playing hard, I don’t mind if he doesn’t score 20 goals this season.

Speaking of players getting going offensively, maybe two empty net goals over the past three games will give Miroslav Satan the confidence he needs to be the sniper the Islanders need be successful. Don’t get me wrong, Miro hasn’t been horrible for us, but he should be all means have at least 8 goals and about 18 points for us by now. There is no reason, with Jason Blake and Alexei Yashin getting most of the attention from opposing defenses, that Miro can’t score 30 goals and add another 35 assists; he just needs to get his confidence back somehow.

BACK TO THE PENS…

If the Islanders we saw on Wednesday night were the real deal, the Penguins don’t stand a chance. During that game, my dad made a comment about how the Isles looked like they were playing playoff hockey.

You’re damn right.

The Isles played the way every hardcore fan knows they are capable of. They played great defense, got good goaltending and scored when they had to and rolled four lines with jump. There’s no reason why they can’t play that way every night, especially with how incredible Yashin, Blake and the goaltending have been. All they need is for the supporting cast to keep their heads up and keep the tempo at the level it’s been the past few games.

However, that’s the weird thing about hockey. One night a team can be phenomenal, going as far to look like a playoff team and the next they can look like the Charlestown Chiefs. Regardless of which team shows up tonight, the game should nevertheless be interesting.

Let’s Go Islanders.

Hopefully, just maybe, looking back a few months from now, we can say that this was when the Islanders season really began.

Pure domination, that’s the best way to put it. Every line had their thing going. Asham, Park and Bates were flying all over the ice and the defense was joining the play and not having any problems getting back and stifling the Hurricanes offense.

While the offense of the Hurricanes was held in check last night, the Isles were all over the puck and again, Alexei Yashin and Jason Blake were on fire. Billy Jaffe made a great point by saying that they are both being unselfish with the puck and it’s paying well for them. Also, despite taking a few penalties [one of them was a complete joke as York was getting his stick held by a Hurricane and the back referee made the call for hooking when it was obvious he was getting his stick held], York played a solid game and provided some energy with Kozlov and Hunter.

We were so dominant last night that even Andy Hilbert managed to stick out, managing a season-high six shots on goal.

Simply put, when someone who has no points plays his best game of the year, you have to win. Luckily for the Isles, DP stayed on top of his game despite facing a minimum amount of shots and the rest of the team stuck together and played their best game of the season. Maybe now, the rest of the league will start to take the Isles a little bit more seriously.

BRUNO!

Maybe it was just me, but I’m starting to become a fan of Bruno Gervais. He plays such a solid game on both ends of the ice and it goes almost completely unnoticed. A few times he joined the rush last night and you could see that this kid has some speed. With Campoli in Bridgeport now, it looks like Bruno is here to stay. Originally wanting to see Campoli back in the lineup, I was hesitant of Bruno’s ability, but over the past few games, he’s made me a believer.

POOR MIRO!

I would have never thought that Satan would get himself into a slump like this, even though he’s a streaky scorer. Nevertheless, it’s great that he’s finding ways to score and he really played a great game last night, if anyone deserved that open-netter, it was Miro. If he continues to play this way, I have no doubt that the goals will come.

NEXT GAME…
 
Malkin and the Penguins come to the coliseum on Friday. Crosby missed the last game due to a groin injury, so he’s not likely to be 100% if he plays. This might be exactly what the Islanders need, considering a win against the Pens will put the Isles in sole possession of the last playoff spot in the conference. I know it may be a bit too early to think about the playoffs, but these games against division rivals will end up meaning a lot by the end of the season.

Much like their last game against Toronto, the Isles can not afford to give up a few quick goals and play catch up the rest of the game; rather, they have to establish themselves in the offensive zone and play physically in the neutral zone, in effect forcing the Hurricanes to work for every inch of ice they skate on. The amount of grit players like Trent Hunter, Richard Park, Chris Simon and Arron Asham bring to the ice tonight will be a key ingredient in a victory. As well, Alexei Yashin and Jason Blake will have to continue their hot play as of late and will most likely find themselves matched up against Brind’amour, who is not only the team’s best defensive forward, but is also leading the team in scoring.

This is a great opportunity for the Islanders to reassert themselves after a sloppy game in Toronto, but they will have to play a smart game and not commit unnecessary penalties; that means you Alexei Zhitnik! The season is way too short to take penalties for doing things like slamming your stick against the back of the net because you don’t agree with a referee’s call. I can put up with a hooking penalty that is caused by not skating once in a while, but to do both, especially when your team is trying to claw its way back into a game against a conference rival is unbearable.

The Isles have the depth on defense and on the forward lines that many teams would die for; I mean c’mon, Miroslav Satan isn’t even a top line winger on this team, while anywhere else he’d be without a doubt. It’s time for the Islanders to stop showing flashes of brilliance and start playing consistent hockey. A win against the Hurricanes would keep them on the right track, because truth be told, they’ve been playing solid hockey as of late.

BY THE WAY…

For those of you who don’t know, Wednesday is considered the “hump” day of the week because it marks the middle of the week and tells us writers that we’ve gotten through the rough days and the weekend is almost here. To help add some more content on the site, every Wednesday I’m going to talk about players that are over the hump [meaning playing well] and players that are under it, in an effort to bring out the best and worst of the team for you, my readers.

OVER THE HUMP…

This one is obvious. Playing their hearts out the past four games, Jason Blake, Alexei Yashin and Rick DiPietro have been on top of their games and have kept the Islanders over the .500 mark for the majority of the season.

After suffering a groin injury early in the season, DiPietro has bounced back and played marvelous hockey during his past five games. Alexei Yashin has been hot since the first game of the season and has played extremely well on defense, in addition to bring out the best in Jason Blake. Despite putting up solid numbers the past two seasons, Jason Blake has finally began to get some exposure outside of the Long Island area and in spite of that has still produced a point a game, proving to everyone that he’s the real deal.
 
UNDER THE HUMP…

Through a quarter of the 2006-07 season, Andy Hilbert has failed to score a point. Need I say more? Unlike most of the Islanders, who have found at least one other line mate to consistently play with, Hilbert has been played with everyone from Yashin to Shawn Bates and still has yet to register a point. It’s so bad at this point that the only goal he’s scored this season has come during a shootout.

BACK TO THE GAME…

Take the body, play smart and stay out of the penalty box. I know I sound like a broken record, but if the Islanders can do that, they can play with any team in the league, even the defending Stanley Cup Champions.

Let’s see what they do tonight.

Given that, this is a game that the Islanders can and must win. They have the offensive firepower to hold their own with the Leafs and without Sundin in the lineup, the defense can focus on some of the other players that can hurt them. That will give players like Asham and Hunter the opportunity to lay hits on people like Darcy Tucker.

Getting points in their last five road games, the Isles have been a changed team since they were taken to school by the Lightning a week and a half ago, combining both fantastic goaltending by Dipietro and Dunham with the consistent dominance of Alexei Yashin and Jason Blake has effectively formed the key ingredients of a team that has been simply amazing as of late.

Ted Nolan has got these guys going in the right direction and has them motivated all season. Despite a few hiccups along the way, the Islanders have been one of the sleeper teams in the conference. I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but Stan Fischler so far has nailed it right on the head. Usually the biggest Islanders basher in the tri-state area, “The Maven” said in an article on MSG that the Isles were going to sneak up on teams the same way the Rangers did and like I’ve said already, so far so he’s been totally right and I hope it stays the way all season.

That also goes to tell you that despite the fact that he was practically ripped apart by the media during the off-season, Garth Snow [and Neil Smith] did a pretty decent job of putting a solid team on the ice and Ted Nolan has taken care of the rest.

BACK TO THE GAME…

Hating the Maple Leafs as much as I do, I really want to see the Islanders take the body tonight. Nolan has been rolling four lines consistently and because of that, we should be flying tonight and should put forward a team effort. Look for guys like Witt, Hunter and Asham to insert themselves into the game and fuel a hard fought Islanders victory. If guys like Hilbert and Satan get going offensively, we might even see a blow out.

But let’s see what happens.

Let’s Go Islanders.

I surely hope not.

After shutting out the Stars a few nights ago, the Islanders head into the Sunshine state to tackle Brad Richards, Martin St. Louis and company, looking for a fifth consecutive road win. Like the game against Dallas, a win against the streaky Lightning would continue to increase the Islanders reputation against the NHL’s elite.

In a way, the Lightning and Dallas have some similarities in the fact that they both have hot goaltenders right now in Marty Turco and  Johan Holmqvist, but unlike the Stars, the Lightning have been getting more than ample scoring from their first two lines, making them much more dangerous.

THE KEYS TO THE GAME:

It is essential that the Islanders stay out of the penalty box and take the body as often as they can. This is a game that Trent Hunter, Arron Asham, Chris Simon and Brendan Witt need to assert themselves in. If the Isles can play smart and continue what they’ve been doing the past two games, taking quality shots and using their speed and grit to get scoring opportunities, Tampa Bay doesn’t stand a chance.

But if Lecavalier, St. Louis and company find a way to get open ice, via the power play or sloppy defensive play, the Islanders are going to getting demolished again. Another way the Islanders can guarantee a win tonight is to get some production from people like Andy Hilbert, Victor Kozlov and Miroslav Satan.

While Kozlov and Satan have been streaky at times, Hilbert has been ice cold this season.  The Isles need at least a dozen goals and about 15 assists from our fourth line center and as of now, I don’t see it happening. Nolan has tried everything in an effort to get him going, including throwing him on the second line for occasional shifts and he still has no points this season.

For the Islanders to content this season, they will need all four lines going strong.  Let’s hope it happens.

ON ANOTHER NOTE… 

Alexei Yashin and Jason Blake have been playing amazing and have kept the Islanders in so many games this season. I love that Alexei is passing the puck so well [reminds me of how he was on the Senators] this year and it makes me feel even better that Blake is taking less shots, and scoring more. It’s funny to me that all this time the Islanders have been looking for suitable partners for Yashin and they never thought about Blake until this season.

I guess that’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. It’s just going to be hilarious when we look back and see that Yashin had his best season as an Islander when he was paired with a former fourth line pest.