First road point since Jan. 28.

Despite the loss, I’m sure the Islanders will take it.

Sean Bergenheim’s injury and a few defensive lapses aside [right now he's waiting to be further evaluated. Hopefully there is an update on his status soon. I personally think it's a pulled groin], this was a productive game for the Islanders.

Toronto is far from an amazing team and they’re currently going through plenty of their own struggles, but the Islanders didn’t flinch and played hockey for 60 plus minutes.

With a team this young, that’s all you can ask for. I’m sure I’m not the only fan of this team that has seen a marketed improvement in the Isles’ play over the past few weeks and considering that, things like this, losing games they should have won, are still bound to happen. On the whole, this team still has plenty of bumps and bruises left to earn.

That was the case tonight.

Nevertheless, there were plenty of positives.

The second period alone, when they drew five penalties because they were skating their tails off [Kyle Okposo especially] in all three zones put a smile on my face because things like that are what Scott Gordon has been preaching all season. Sure, the powerplay was flaccid and was unable to generate quality scoring opportunities, but that’s to be expected. This is a young team after all and I’d rather see little steps in the right direction than no steps at all.

For the most part, Joey MacDonald did his job in net, but his rebound control wasn’t as solid and played a huge part in the Mikhail Grabovski goal in overtime. Nevertheless, aside from that, he didn’t let anyone down and gave his team a chance to win.

Speaking of players that gave the Islanders a chance to win, Blake Comeau and Okposo have been exceptional lately. Sometimes I think what the Islanders season could have been if KO didn’t start the season the way he did and Comeau came into camp in shape. However, rather than continue the dream fest, I will say that these guys are proving themselves more and more every day.

Another guy proving himself is Bruno Gervais [kudos on the scrap], who has been playing much better hockey in his own end and has been showing the skating ability that almost got him a spot here as an 18-year-old. Is he going to be the 30-35 point a season defenseman the team thought they were getting when they drafted him? Probably not, but I do think he can still be a good two-way defenseman.

All that aside, the Islanders, despite the loss should have some momentum when they face the Canadiens on Thursday.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Goddamn it, I love being right.

Over the past few weeks, Islander fans have seen the transformation of Sean Bergenheim from gritty third liner to possibly a top six forward that can play in any game situation. It’s been a process that many may still be in shock over, but like I’ve said countless times on this site, there is no reason why this kid can’t be a 20-goal scorer in this league. He’s got so much energy and has a much better shot and even better hands than most people give him credit for. It’s only a matter of time until everyone in the league begins to see it.

It also makes his life much easier when the players around him are playing well. Yesterday, that was exactly the case as Josh Bailey and Jeff Tambellini played their best games in quite some time, while Andy Hilbert, Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau were no bums either. Add in a strong defensive performance [Anyone see Zach Parise on the ice yesterday afternoon?] and a great first game with the Isles by Mike Iggulden [an old friend of mine and a die-hard Islander fan Anthony Natoli is extremely high on him and has been waiting all season for him to be called up. Just figured I'd throw that out there] and because of that, the Isles had a winning formula.

The first period in my estimation was perhaps the best 20 minutes the team has played all season. The forecheck was amazing, Joey MacDonald made all the saves he had to and the Islanders defense was rock solid. It was like someone finally turned a light on in this team’s collective head and they played the way they were supposed to.

When the score was 5-2, I decided to go out and watch the rest of the game later. About 45 minutes later, I get a ring from Islanders Blog Box member and a damn good friend of mine Gary Harding, who tells me Trent Hunter is out for the season. Just when things start looking good for this team, they lose an emotional leader and a key player in Hunter. Well, it could have been worse; the Islanders could have been battling for a playoff spot and this happened. However, with nothing to lose, the best thing that could happen is for Hunter to heal up this offseason and come back healthy and lead this team next season.

For now, I’m just wondering if this means Jon Sim comes back or another youngster gets a shot.

Guess we’ll just have to wait until 3 P.M., when the Isles take on the Coyotes at the Coliseum.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009, Post Game Rants

Definitely a fun one to watch if you ask me.

However, it didn’t have to be that way. I understand that the Islanders season is a lost one, but the way Yann Danis has been playing, you have to keep him in between the pipes. Nothing against Joey MacDonald, but he hasn’t been as good as Danis lately. Last night, he gave up a few softies, especially early on that played a huge part in the game. Had he made those saves [I'm talking about the Nikolai Kulemin and Dominic Moore goals especially], the Isles would have been in a much better situation to take two points.

After the first period, I think the Islanders were definitely the better team. Sean Bergenheim and Kyle Okposo played their hearts out all night, even though I’d like to see them both finish a bit more. Mark Streit continues to hold down the fort and what can I say about Jon Sim. What crawled up his uniform and told him to score lately? Anyone who knows anything about the NHL knows that when he uses it, Sim has one of the nastiest wrist shots in the business. It’s just a matter of him using it. Well, Vesa Toskala found that out first hand last night.

I’m not sure how many people know this, but Sim still has a year left on his contract and considering the fact that the Isles are stuck with him [they sent him through waivers early in the season and no one picked him up], it’s good that he’s been producing lately. Nothing wrong with three goals in four games if you ask me.

It was also pretty cool to see Dean McAmmond pot one as well. Over the next 21 games, McAmmond will have an opportunity to prove to the rest of the league that he can still play in this league. Like I said before on the site, I’d have no problem with him anchoring the fourth line, where he should be able to score a dozen goals and add 15 or so assists if he’s healthy and doesn’t revert to the type of play that led to his exodus from Ottawa. Plus, he’s been around the league enough to be a good mentor to some of the young guys. With Mike Sillinger’s Islanders career most likely over, it makes sense if they keep him.

Despite the loss, it was good to see all those positives for a change. Let’s hope they can cut down on some of the mistakes they made [I thought the defense was a bit too lax as well, especially after how well they played against the Pens the other night] and give us some more offense. If that happens, the last 21 games should at least be entertaining to watch.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Once the dust has settled on this win, the rest of the NHL will consider it a fluke. They’ll say that the Devils didn’t stick to their system and came out flat. Then they’ll say the Islanders, who despite having a depleted lineup after trading away two of their better players the night before, were just plain lucky.

However, we know the truth.

These youngsters on the Islanders, when they finish, are talented players, that can in fact, play with a solid team like the New Jersey Devils. The Islanders defense, when on their game, can protect whoever is in net and whoever that is, Joey MacDonald or Yann Danis, can make the big saves when they have it. The Islanders veterans too have some gas left in their tanks and last night, even Jon Sim made the most of a very small opportunity and got on the scoresheet.

It was that kind of a night.

For the entire season however, it’s been just a matter of waiting for the stars to align and these guys to find the level of consistency for 60 minutes to show the rest of the league this. Chances are the Islanders will play like this another two or three times this season, on their way to one of the worst seasons in franchise history. Nevertheless, I feel the flashes of brilliance have been there to see, you just have to look extremely close. Hopefully, next season, they won’t be so hard to see.

One thing that was rightfully apparent last night though regardless of where you stand on the poll of opinion in this league was the play of Danis. Was he something special or what? 40 saves, from a ton of different angles and in traffic. You can’t ask for more than that and luckily, the Islanders didn’t have to. I think it’s safe to say this kid has proven that he can be a more than solid backup in this league and isn’t scared to be the main guy if he has to. Any goaltender that can keep a 5-8 record, 2.63 GAA and a .922 save percentage on a team as bad as the Islanders should be given the keys to Nassau Coliseum. It’s going to make things extremely interesting next season. I mean seriously, who would you want to back up Rick DiPietro next season. I’m sure if you poll the majority of Islander fans right now, it would be right now the middle.

Like I said, things will be interesting again this offseason.

Only with this team.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Aside from the fact that they were out shot by a huge margin last night, the Islanders hung in against one of the best teams in the NHL for 60 minutes.

That alone was a huge reason why fans should be proud of the direction this team is going in. The first year of the multi-year plan, the Isles are getting their youngsters the playing time they need in order to continue their progression towards building a consistent winner. Despite the fact that the chances are slim that this team will be ready for the playoffs next season as well, but I know this much, they’ll be better.

That, I think, is all Isles fans can really ask for.

From the way things are starting to shape up as well, one thing they won’t have to ask for is for Kyle Okposo to continue producing. With six goals in his last nine games, KO looks like he’s got the ability to crack the 20-goal barrier. Now ask yourself, when was the last time an Islanders rookie did that? In the 15 plus years I’ve been watching this team, I’ve never seen a rookie do that. If he can somehow manage to do that, I think it may even help draw some free agent over who see him as a budding star.

I know it sounds like a pipe dream, but hey, it could happen.

Anyway, back to the game…

Through two periods, the Isles were barely hanging on, but what else do you expect? The Devils are the real deal and the Isles are, well, the Isles. Brent Sutter has turned the Devils into a team that can hurt you offensively as well as on defense. It would be hard for any team to defend against that. Add in that Doug Weight was out of action for the third with an injured knee and its crazy to think the Isles could hang on, right?

You would think so, but Joey MacDonald was on his game. Saves with the glove at the doorstep, kick saves from the slot, reaction saves on redirections, he had it all last night. With Yann Danis playing as well as he has been lately, “Pickles” needed to have a strong bounce back game. His last win coming into tonight was on Dec. 31, Joey Mac looked like he was going to help guide the team to a win. A bad penalty from Brendan Witt however gave the Devils the opportunity they needed and Zach Parise made them pay, again.

How many goals does Kent Nilsson’s kid have this season?

Had to look that one up didn’t you?

Yeah, I thought so.

Add in an empty-netter from Jamie Langenbrunner and this one was over.

Sad too, considering what MacDonald was forced to do to keep his team in the game. With Weight’s status uncertain as well and Mark Streit still out, the Isles may be forced to deal with even bigger problems over the next few games.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

After getting reamed by Islanders head coach Scott Gordon several time after his first few starts, it appears that Isles goaltender Yann Danis is starting to win him over.

While this obviously good for Danis, who was a relative-unknown last season, it’s not exactly the best news for Joey MacDonald.

So with that being said, who gets to back up Rick DiPietro next season?

“One thing about Yann, I think he’s taken it a step further than what Joey did,” Gordon told the Associated Press last night. “Not that Joey didn’t play well, but certainly, Yann, from a level of consistency, has been able to play like a guy that’s a true No. 1. That’s reflective of his numbers…to consistently give up less than three goals is what you expect a No. 1 guy to do, and that’s the type of performance he’s been able to give us. It goes hand in hand with his success. When you have that kind of goaltending, it certainly makes it easier for your team to know that, when you have those off moments, it’s going to stay tight.”

Only on the New York Islanders could there be a goaltending controversy right now. With the trading deadline rapidly approaching, could one of the two be on the move? Again, only on the Islanders. Nevertheless, this situation alone should provide plenty of bar conversation over the next week or so.

What do you guys think?

Bergenheim back- Despite registering just one shot in 11-plus minutes of action, Sean Bergenheim is back. It may take him a few games to get back in the swing of things, but having another gritty player in the lineup is definitely going to help the Islanders the rest of the season. Another guy I’d like to see get up to 15-20 goals, Bergenheim got hot at the end of last season, lets see what happens this time around. A skilled penalty killer as well, having a healthy Bergenheim back in the lineup also makes up for the injury of Nate Thompson and allows either Richard Park or Andy Hilbert more responsibility at center. Considering how dependable those guys have been on the ice this season, I think that’s good news as well.

So again, while this team isn’t going to make the playoffs, at least there are things to think about the rest of the season and offseason.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2009

As soon as this game started, I knew something was up. Why would Scott Gordon go with Joey MacDonald when Yann Danis was absolutely stellar through his last five games? Why would you tinker with a winning formula? It was bad enough the team’s best player, Mark Streit was out of the lineup, the Isles were forced to go with Joe Callahan and Jack Hillen on defense. Now, they have a cold goaltender between the pipes.

The two newbies weren’t the reason why the Islanders fell last night however. As a matter of fact, I’d rather see Hillen on the ice than Thomas Pock, but having Callahan in there instead of Streit hurts the Isles big time. Sure, Chris Campoli gets more ice time as a result and can rack up some points, much like he did last night, but having the both of them out there is what the Isles need.

With Callahan and Hillen logging just under 25 minutes combined, the rest of the Islanders D was put on the spot and didn’t have the same jump they’ve had over the past few games. They also didn’t have any surface to air missiles to stop Richard Zednik from jumping over Witt and potting one past MacDonald.

Where they horrible last night? No. They managed to hold their own with a playoff bound team. Even in loss, it’s a huge step in the right direction for this team.

However, the biggest step in the right direction last night was the continued progression of Josh Bailey. Shooting more and finding the open man, no one is questioning Garth Snow’s decision now to trade down two spots in the entry draft. I know 15 points in 37 games is far from incredible, but over the past half dozen games, he’s starting to make a believer out of me. The same thing goes for Blake Comeau, Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen, who are all playing well with the added responsibility they’ve been given over the past few weeks.

Keep it up the rest of the season boys. It may not be pretty the rest of the way, but if these youngsters can continue to improve little by little, by next season, this team will start to take shape a bit more.

That is all I’m asking for and all the thousands of broken-hearted fans of this team are asking for. Much like the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Capitals, this is a three or four year process and despite the team’s record, if these youngsters can continue to pick it up, this will prove to be a productive year one.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Riding their biggest high of the season, the New York Islanders will face off against a dangerous Florida Panthers team, a club they defeated last week on the back of Yann Danis, who made 37 saves in a 3-1 win.

That was a night as well where the Isles’ youngsters stepped up again and played well enough to help induce an Islanders win.

If Danis and the Isles’ babies can step up again, the Islanders can and will hold their own with the Panthers.

Seeing Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen and Blake Comeau play the way they have been as of late has almost given me a renewed sense of vigor. For a while there, watching this team play was like driving a screwdriver through my head. Now, it’s become fun again. Once Sean Bergenheim gets back in the lineup and Scott Gordon finds a place where he fits, the team should be even more energetic and fun to watch.

The way the veterans have stepped up as well has made this season an interesting one. What this team decides to do at the trading deadline should provide plenty of things to talk about too.

That alone should be enough to get me through the season.

Goalie Controversy?- Only with this team, I swear. Who would have that thought that Danis could hold down the fort the way he has over the past five games. No one in the NHL, that’s who. Like I’ve said before, nothing against Joey MacDonald, but Danis has been the better goaltender and the Islanders defense has supported him much better than they have Joey Mac. Because of that, you’ve got to give Danis every opportunity to make the most of his chance.

What happens in the end of this all however, is completely up in the air.

“We both want to play and I think we’re both capable,” Danis told the Associated Press the other night. “You know, I’m not worried about it. I’m feeling really good. I’m feeling big out there. This is a huge opportunity that I’ve waited a long time for. I was hoping to get in a few games and show what I can do. I wasn’t expecting what’s happening right now.”

When you also consider the fact that his team is playing for their pride at this point and MacDonald has already had 36 starts to prove himself to the team and the rest of the league, it’s only fair that Danis gets a similar shot as well, right? I mean seriously, what’s the worst thing that could happen? The team is already in last place.

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

Just after playing one of their most complete efforts of the season in their last game, the Islanders managed to get away with playing great hockey for just 20 minutes, scoring three goals in the second period in a 3-1 win.

They’ll take it though.

Both teams came out flat in the first period, but the Lightning had several golden opportunities to find the back of the net. Luckily for the Isles, Yann Danis was on his game, making the stops he had to when they counted. Now with Joey MacDonald back, it should be interesting to see what happens between the pipes for this team. Nothing against “Pickles,” but in my opinion, you have to ride the hot horse. Especially considering how well the defense is playing in front of him, you can’t and shouldn’t mess with a good thing.

What the Isles have going right now, is definitely a good thing.

Making things that much better was another solid effort from the combo of Radek Martinek and Brendan Witt, who weren’t allowing the Lightning those second chance opportunities they’ve been know for burying over the years. If you want to beat the Bolts, that’s exactly what you have to do.

Through two periods, that’s exactly what they did.

Combine that solid defense with three goals in 3:25 and you have a recipe for success. Simply put, the youngsters are stepping up and are taking shots. The defense has been extra frisky in both ends and over his past half dozen games, Danis has been better than the fat kid from the Mighty Ducks [who I saw as a guest star on “The King of Queens” the other day, weird].

You can’t really ask for more right now, can you?

However, with Mark Streit out with a supposed upper-body injury for the third, the Isles possessed the worst lead in hockey today and had to protect it without their best player. A Vinny Lecavalier goal early in the third changed the momentum a tad, but Tampa Bay couldn’t get back into it and were taking lazy penalties. Guys like Frans Nielsen and Okposo really shined the last few minutes, making beautiful touch passes and skating with their hearts on their sleeves. Just watching the progression they’ve made over the past four games has been something special.

If these guys can keep this up, the crossbars they’re hitting won’t be for long.

Things are becoming fun again.

Who said that you can’t enjoy yourself watching a team play spoiler?

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Three wins in a row.

Points in four consecutive games.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

60 solid minutes.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants