In the Islanders last game on Saturday, the youngsters on the team were missing something. They had several good scoring opportunities, but just couldn’t pull the trigger. Like I’ve said a plethora of times on this site already this season, if these kids can’t step up to the plate, the Isles are going to be in big time trouble.

Because if that, I figured I’d break down the play of some of the youngsters in this post and discuss what I think they need to do to be more effective.

Kyle Okposo- In order for KO to be at his best, he has to do two things: shoot and take the body. Similar to Trent Hunter in the fact that he has a great shot and can be a presence physically, but different due to his solid skating ability and above average speed, KO can be a dangerous commodity; he just has to be less picky with his scoring opportunities and skate more. He can’t shy away from contact either. The next time he’s skating towards a puck in the corner, you’ll see that he’ll take the puck, rather then the body. Once that agenda gets fixed and he starts shooting more, I think you’ll see a different player on the ice.

Nate Thompson- Another guy that needs to take body more. His play in his own end has been okay, but he has to be more of a physical presence. He hasn’t been shooting the puck at all either through his first cup of coffee with the Isles, so I don’t even know what else to say

Jeff Tambellini- He needs to stop avoiding contact and use his stick handling ability to find his way in the middle of the ice. Too many times this season has he skated by people along the boards and ended up coughing the puck. In the AHL, Tambellini wasn’t scared of getting hit if it meant an opportunity to score a goal. In the NHL, he seems extremely passive and rather than go through defenses or draw penalties through hard work, he’s trying to make the highlight reel east west pass in front of the net. I got news for you Tambs, it’s not going to happen. Start earning your bumps and bruises and you’ll be a better player for it.

Frans Nielsen- While his passing has been solid, his play on the powerplay has been a bit suspect, as a lack of confidence and an overbearing sense of unfamiliarity with the NHL game seem present. With his speed, Nielsen should be playing with fire, much like a guy like Jason Blake, who draws penalties and uses his speed to give himself room on the ice. Right now however, Nielsen seems too preoccupied with making the perfect pass than skating and giving himself the adequate room so he’s able to pass in the first place.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2008

A battle of two rebuilding franchises will take place tonight between the Florida Panthers and the New York Islanders.

However, they are two teams that are very different from one another.

The Islanders on one hand are hoping, almost praying, that guys like Sean Bergenheim, Kyle Okposo and Jeff Tambellini can develop into superstars and take them to the next level. They’re also hoping that guys like Mike Comrie, Trent Hunter and Richard Park can have career years, while keeping their fingers crossed that Doug Weight and Bill Guerin can prove they have some gas left in their tanks.

The Panthers on the other hand, missed the painfully obvious memo last season that most of the kids they’ve drafted over the past few years have turned into decent players, rather than the superstars they’ve envisioned. Sure Jay Bouwmeester, Nathan’s Famous Horton and David Booth are great players that any team would like to have, but even the biggest Panthers fan would have a problem explaining what went wrong with guys like Stephen Weiss, who was supposed to a point a game player in this league at one point and Rusty Olesz, who prefers to hit people from behind nowadays, rather than put the puck in the net; something he hasn’t shown too much proficiency doing yet anyway. After that, they have former high picks like Shawn Matthias, Kamil Kreps and Anthony Stewart, who are servicable players that are merely taking up space on the bottom two lines. Add in acquisition Corey Stillman, who has never been the same player since leaving the Lightning and it’s easy to see how similar, yet different these two teams really are.

So with that being said, what do the Islanders need to do to come out victorious tonight? The same thing they did against the Lightning: SKATE! If the Isles keep those legs moving, they will draw penalties and with the way Hunter and Weight have played over the past few games, the Isles can and will pot few with the man advantage.

However, there is another way the team can give themselves a chance at victory tonight and that is having a healthy Rick DiPietro in net. Newsday beat writer Greg Logan seems to think DP is in the net tonight and I have to agree. He’s been off the ice first in practice, which is customary for the starting goaltender of the next game and I think after the 6-0 loss in his first game in the preseason, his conditioning may finally be where it’s supposed to be now. If he is healthy, the Islanders just got their best player back and a third defenseman on the ice that will keep the Panthers at bay behind the goal line.

If not, Joey MacDonald will get the call and that in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Despite the one game against Buffalo, where the team’s defense called in sick, Mac has been good enough for the Isles.

At any rate, regardless of who is in net, this should be a fun one to watch.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Rumors 2008, Pregame Musings

As I’ve said a thousand times on the site, even though I am a journalist, I write this blog as sort of a release from the shackles of unbiased writing and to share my thoughts on my favorite team in the world.

Last night was a night where I’m happier to do it than usual.

Why, you ask? Because guys like Jeff Tambellini, Mike Comrie, Kyle Okposo, Doug Weight, Frans Neilsen and Trent Hunter have to be able to produce offensively for this team to win hockey games this season and they did just that.

Good times I say. Good times.

Aside from a few meltdowns in front of the net in the third period [I'll get to that later, I'm flowing here!], did anyone else notice how solid the forecheck was? Anyone notice how hard the team was skating and how many penalties they drew? I surely did. And you know what, despite the fact that they just barely scraped out a win, it’s still two points and even without several key role players injured and no Rick DiPietro, this team played well enough to win. And despite the insane amount of penalties last night, most of them were right on the money. Guys like Richard Park, Andy Hilbert and Jon Sim were buzzing all night and drawing penalties and the referees had no choice but to blow the whistle.

In the end, it was a great game to watch and game I’ll remember for a while, mostly due to the sour puss on Barry Melrose Place’s face as he walked back to the locker room after the game. Possibly wondering if he’s going to lose his Paul Mitchell shampoo endorsement if the Lightning keep playing the way they are. As I’vementioned in my pregame thoughts, this team’s defense is spotty and both Mike Smith and Olaf Kolzig [every time I hear his name I feel like I'm in eighth grade history, talking about explorers or something. Ironic, since he needs to start to channel his inner Ponce De Leon if he wants to play another year or two in this league] have something to prove this season, giving this upstart bunch of misfits [minus Gerry Only and Danzig unfortunately] a chance at victory.

However, like I said, the Islanders just barely licked the top of the chocolate syrup bottle of victory last night and never had a chance to fully drink from it before their mother came into the kitchen and asked them why at 25-years-old would they do something like that… I mean it was a close game…yeah.

The very reason why the game was so close in the end was because Joey McDonald, while being stellar around the circles, was a disaster with traffic in front of the net and with players behind the goal line. After his performance in the matinée game against Buffalo on Monday, I’m starting to notice a trend here worse than the kids that refuse to take the stickers off their New Era hats. Pucks that DP would swat out of there or Wade Dubielewicz would slash his light saber at, MacDonald has problems with. At any rate, it may be a problem when team’s start to scout him further and the season progresses, but as of right now, it’s just something to look out for.

At any rate, the Isles are now .500. Take it in my friends. Enjoy it.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

On the message boards all over the Internet, many hockey fans are already counting the Islanders out this season. In spite of that, I still think this team has a lot of potential. Injuries have already begun to take its toll on the team and because of that, the team hasn’t been able to implement many of the things they need to in order to succeed.

Like I’ve said a few times already this season, the Islanders need to be able to roll four lines and have solid defense in order to sneak into the playoffs. Already missing key players, the first 20 games this season are going to be tough, but once they get who they need back, they should be able to hold their own.

As a matter of fact, if those players get hot, this team may surprise more than a few people.

A lot of people that cover the NHL and fans have short memories when it comes to the Islanders; so short that it’s kind of nauseating at times. Last season, before injuries took their toll, this team was in the middle of the playoff race. This season, they have a few other things going on, as guys like Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini and Frans Neilsen have to be able to contribute on both ends of the ice, but in the end, the story is very similar.

Missing Mike Sillinger, Andy Sutton and Chris Campoli, the Islanders are missing a great faceoff man that can contribute on both ends of the ice, a shutdown d-man that will stick up for his teammates and Chris Campoli, a kid that I believe can be a guy that can provide a physical edge and score 40 points a season. Add these players into the mix and I feel that this is a very different team. Nevertheless, there is one more player that can take this team and take them from zeros to a playoff contender.

Rick DiPietro.

I don’t think that anyone that roots for another team in this league truly understands how much DP means to the team. Without him in the lineup, it’s nearly impossible to see this team make the playoffs. Despite my comments about his attitude and his consistency over the years, saying that he was anything less than the franchise’s biggest asset would be a gross understatement.

So before you guys go out and pack up your bags, wait for the sheriff to come back and clean up this town.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2008

The Islanders claimed center Nate Thompson from the Providence Bruins on Wednesday, but what does it mean for them? Well, if you ask me, it may tighten up the job security of a few choice Islanders, mainly Andy Hilbert. I know what many of you guys are thinking: why are you always picking on poor Mr. Hilbert? The answer is a simple one my friends. As of right now, after two full seasons in the NHL, Hilbert has yet to prove himself on the Islanders. Simply put, he’s a fringe player, too good for the AHL and not good enough to be a top six forward in the NHL. That, to me, makes him expendable and someone used more as a depth player. That is unless, he begins to finish on offense.

Thompson on the other hand, is a guy worth looking at, especially with injuries to Mike Sillinger. He’s put up some decent numbers in the AHL and was one of Scott Gordon’s players, making him already comfortable with his up-tempo system. If the chips fall in the right places, Thompson could be an interesting guy to watch and at 24 years of age, he has at least this season and next before the ceiling on his development begins to truly close. You can’t say the same thing about Hilbert though; he already has over 200 games of NHL experience under his belt and as I’ve said before, is someone that the Islanders know what is capable of.

As far as what this does for the Islanders this season, I think it’s fair to say that Thompson’s appearance doesn’t change the outlook on the season. Simply put, Jeff Tambellini and Kyle Okposo have to develop in both ends of the ice this season, and Bill Guerin and Doug Weight need to prove they still have some gas in their tanks. Brendan Witt will be asked to bounce back from injuries and even the steady Radek Martinek will have to try to show people he’s more than just a solid defensive defenseman.

Above all else, Rick DiPietro will have to laugh at the words of the hockey pundits around the NHL and show them he can be a top five goaltender in this league and in spite of a less than mediocre offense, can win hockey games.

Of all the team’s in the NHL, the Devils have been a team the Isles have played well against over the past few seasons and a team that will be a good test as to what to expect from this ragged group of misfits this year.

Let the times, good or bad, roll.

Photo by the NHL.

Posted under 2008-2009

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

The season hasn’t started yet and the Isles injury bug from last season seems to have carried over into this one.

Who’s Hurt:

Chris Campoli
Andy Sutton
Mike Sillinger
Rick DiPietro

Who’s Nursing Injuries:

Bill Guerin
Richard Park
Sean Bergenheim
Doug Weight

This simply is not good.

However, as far as the defensive situation goes, the Islanders are lucky that they have players like Bruno Gervais, Freddy Meyer, Jack Hillen and now even Thomas Pock [who has some pretty solid seasons in the AHL under his belt and may be even be able to help out on the powerplay if given an opportunity] who can fill in until they’re healthy. With Hillen in the wings as well, Sutton’s injury may be a blessing in disguise. On the other hand, the Islanders, who are already far from the toughest team in the league, need a tough guy who can clear the crease like Sutton can.

The forward situation isn’t quite the same though.

Sillinger’s absence creates a huge hole at center [which I've already discussed at length in older posts] and if Weight and Guerin are forced to play all season injured, the Islanders are going to have a very tough time scoring goals. With no real first line as it is, this has the potential of really making this season an eyesore. The only way the Isles make it out of this okay is if these injuries are minor ones [as per Islanders policy, no one really knows how bad the injuries really are] or if guys like Jeff Tambellini [who is also recovering from a lower body injury] and Kyle Okposo can play consistent offensively in their first full seasons in the league.

That’s not asking a lot is it?

For those who can’t tell, I’m being sarcastic.

Bergenheim and Park’s injuries have the potential to be devastating as well, considering the fact that they are the heart and soul of the bottom two lines and are great penalty killers. They provide such a jolt of energy and can even pot a few here and there, making them huge commodities on any team, nevertheless a team fighting to form an identity. These two I’m not as worried about as Guerin and Weight though.

Let’s face it, they’re not the youngest guys in the league anymore and the Isles desperately need offense. They both have something to prove, as Guerin cooled off in the second half last season and Weight had the worst season of his pro career in 08. If they come back and can contribute, they’ll provide a lift in the locker room and on the ice.

If not, this is going to be a very long season.

Posted under Offseason 2008

While most of the league and it’s relentless bloggers and pit bull pundits say the Islanders don’t have a shot in hell this season of making the playoffs, I think the Islanders will be competitive and fun to watch regardless. Considering that, I thought I’d share a few of my hopes for the upcoming season.

Five Things I want to see:

1- Kyle Okposo’s continued development-

During the offseason, I chatted with hockey writer Ross Bernstein and the best damn play-by-play guy in NHL history, Jiggs McDonald about KO and they both seemed sure he’d come into camp ready to thrive. I too believe he’ll be a bit bigger and should be ready light the lamp a good 25 times. If he hits 30, that alone would make me happy regardless of where they finish this season.

2- Jeff Tambellini solidifying a role on the team-

That doesn’t mean fourth line pest of healthy scratch either. Two years ago, there was a stretch of about 12 games when he finally got the ice time he needed to thrive. If he gets it again and can pot a few easy ones early in the season, he may have the confidence needed to finally ditch the “prospect” label that has been stamped on his back the past three seasons.

3- Bill Guerin and Doug Weight having solid seasons-

If both of these guys can get 50 points this season, I would be absolutely thrilled. Guerin was close last season while playing with an inconsistent Mike Comrie and if Weight can forget about being reduced to a depth player last season with the Ducks, they both may have one last hoorah in them. Not only would that take some of the pressure off the rookies, it would increase their values as free agents at the end of the season and give the Islanders a continued opportunity to build through the draft…if they felt obligated.

4- Chris Campoli and Mark Streit both become factors on the powerplay-

We all know Streit is going to be asked to net anywhere from six to ten powerplay markers this season, but Campoli, who had 11 of his 18 points with the man advantage before injuring his shoulder last season, will be asked to step his game up as well. If he’s completely healthy, I’d love to see him either with Streit or anchoring the second unit and proving the 34 points he scored his rookie season was just the beginning of what will be a solid NHL career.

5- Rick DiPietro stays healthy all season-

No knee injuries, no problems with his hip, just straight-shootin’, cocky and convinced all-season long. If he watches the way he plays the puck and plays smart, he can single-handedly guide this team to an unsuspected playoff birth. Don’t think so? Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Posted under Offseason 2008

Last season, the Islanders offense relied heavily upon chance. The chance that Bill Guerin and Miroslav Satan still had gas left in their tanks. The chance that Mike Comrie and Ruslan Fedotenko could develop into near point a game players with first line ice time. The chance that Josef Vasicek and Jon Sim could thrive in expanded roles and lastly, the chance that Sean Bergenheim and Trent Hunter could be consistent offensively all season long.

Considering the fact that the Isles didn’t make the playoffs last season, it’s safe to say most of those players missed great opportunities to prove themselves. However, Guerin proved last season that he can still be an offensive threat, but it’s obvious he needs a real playmaker by his side to get back to being a 30-goal scorer. With Doug Weight’s mediocre season last year behind him, the former Olympian may provide a spark in both of their games that helps the Islanders stay in the mix a little bit longer than expected. Nonetheless, there are holes all over this team’s forward lines that beg to be addressed. Better yet, they beg for someone with some grit, character and heart to step up and cement their spot on this team. Otherwise, it’s going to be a very long season at the Coliseum.

Chances are that Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini, Blake Comeau and Sim will find themselves on different lines this season and these are the players that will have to be the spark plugs. While I’ve already said in previous posts what I think the youngsters are capable of, Sim is a guy that has scored 17 goals with no ice-time in Atlanta a few years ago and can really provide the depth needed to win hockey games. Because of that and guys like Hunter and Mike Sillinger, who he will most likely be paired with, I don’t think a 20-goal season is out of the question for him. Add in his tenacity and heart to a line with already plenty of moxie and I think it’s easily the Islanders most multi-faceted trio if given a chance to gel.

With the four aforementioned players can step up and add something different to the table, I see no reason why guys like Hunter, Richard Park and Bergenheim, noted for their grit and offensive upside as well, can’t follow suit and add respectable numbers themselves. Again, I’ve already discussed what I think Hunter is capable of and I think if Bergenheim finishes more, he can be a 20-goal scorer in this league as well. Park, I think is a lock for a dozen goals and some damn good defensive play.

Then it comes down to how bad a guy like Mike Comrie wants to win. Much like Isles goaltender Rick DiPietro, he has two sides to his game, a focused one where he has a deadly accurate shot and plays decent enough defense in his own zone to not be a liability and another side that knows only a mediocre toe-drag and loves to commit neutral zone turnovers. If the Isles have any chance at success this season, Comrie has to be on his game on both ends of the ice.

In the end though, it’s all about people stepping up and making themselves viable options. The days of having bona fide superstars on this team may be over for the time being, but there is no reason why this team can’t roll four lines that can play quality hockey on both sides of the ice. If they do eventually do that, I think they’ll be a lot of fun to watch and will surprise a bunch of people down the stretch.

Posted under Offseason 2008

It’s getting to that time. No more trades. Training camp coming up. And no new news. So considering that, I figured I’d make some possible forward line combinations for the Isles this season. And just to make sure they’d work on the ice this season, I did the next best thing to watching them in real life, I played with them on the highest difficult setting in NHL 08 on the XBOX 360 for a few hours.

Okay here we go:

Line 1

LW- Sean Bergenheim, C- Mike Comrie, RW- Kyle Okposo- This line was a lot of fun to play with just because of Bergenheim’s toughness and the flashiness of Okposo. I think that Weight may be a better fit here, especially because Bergenheim and Okposo could benefit a little bit more from having a better playmaker with them, but with Comrie’s shooting ability, Bergenheim and Okposo did get solid second chances in the crease, creating several easy goals.

Line 2

LW- Jeff Tambellini, C- Doug Weight, RW-Bill Guerin- The speed of Tambellini really saved this line from being a plodding mess. Guerin’s presence in front of the net did give Weight more room to skate though, which gave Tambellini several chances of f nice passes around the circles. In real life, Islanders head coach Scott Gordon may eventually go to a line like this with one speedy guy to try and get more out of the other players.

Line 3

LW- Trent Hunter, C- Mike Sillinger, RW- Jon Sim- The face off ability of Sillinger and the overall checking ability of Hunter and Sim make this a fantastic energy line. In the defensive end, they were smart and tough and in the offensive zone they worked hard in the corners and while they had problems finishing, they were good enough to pose an offensive threat. This is a line the Isles formed last season that looked great and hopefully they bring them back this season. Here, they easily were the Isles best line in both ends.

Line 4

LW- Richard Park, C-Frans Nielsen, RW- Blake Comeau- Another good energy line, but for different reasons. Park and Nielsen’s speed combined with Comeau’s grit made them solid in their own zone and surprisingly solid in the offensive zone. Again, much like the third line, they had problems finishing and lacked the raw ability to get past defenders, but they proved they could hold their own against top lines. There was a problem however with the line’s overall toughness, as they were pushed aside by bigger teams and taken advantage of in corners.

Now that you’ve sit idly by and read this all, I have a question for you: Why aren’t you outside? It’s beautiful out!

Photo by Gamespot.com

Posted under Offseason 2008