The Nashville Predators have scored 12 goals this month.

This is a team the Islanders should have beaten, even without the bodies they’re missing.

Instead, the Isles beat around the bush for 60 minutes, rather than establish the forecheck. On top of that, this team refuses to skate the puck into the offensive zone and repeatedly plays dump and chase, which, to me, is like praying to win the lottery every night before you go to bed [do you hear me up there, lottery gods?]. Why not skate the puck into the zone and start a cycle?

At any rate, I don’t have the answers to these questions. As a matter of fact, I don’t think anyone in the organization has the answers right now.

Time is running out boys. If this skid continues, the Isles will have dug themselves such a whole that the “Mole Man” wouldn’t be able to get out.

All childish comparisons based on Marvel Comics aside, this team is getting so bad that my mother, is even saying things like: “They stink, they can’t even complete a pass.”

This coming from a woman that doesn’t know the difference between Kyle Okposo and Hubie McDonough. However, in spite of my mother’s lack of Islanders knowledge, she’s without a doubt a die-hard. When my father seems to give up on the team after 65 games every season, my mother still watches the games and roots for them with all her heart. If that doesn’t prove her loyalty, maybe this will. She had Miroslav Satan’s back all season, especially when I was on him for under-performing, and was pissed when they didn’t resign him, saying he deserved another chance.

To see someone like that start to see the light makes me feel this team is really as bad as the rest of the NHL thinks.

Now with Doug Weight and Trent Hunter battling injuries, it’s going to be even tougher to change the minds of the rest of the league.

But hey, at least they know what the deal is. At least this team knows that they’re not only under-performing, they’re just not very good right now.

And the only people that get the Islanders out of this are themselves.

And maybe Chuck Norris.

“Nobody’s going to get us out of this slump but ourselves,” MacDonald told the AP after the game. “We know this and the coaches know this. Everybody has to get together and keep working. We are short on bodies, but we just have to keep battling and working hard. We’ll get out of it. I thought tonight we made a few good steps.”

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

104 games in the NHL= four goals.

57 games in the AHL last season= 38 goals.

Simply put, something is wrong here. The Islanders know it. That’s why they sent him to Bridgeport on Saturday.

Now, the rest of the NHL knows it too.

But more importantly, Tambellini knows it.

Over the course of the season, unlike the rest of the youngsters on the Isles, who have shown some type of progression, Tamby has been a wreck. Obviously suffering from a lack of confidence, Tambellini hasn’t been a factor at all.

“If you start playing mind games with yourself, you’re only hurting yourself,” Tambellini told Newsday. “It is what it is. I don’t know what to tell you. I go day-by-day and I just play each game as a new game. I can’t worry too much about the past. It is what it is. I can’t really dwell on it.”

Well Jeff, you kind of have to start worrying about it. You’re a former first round pick that has performed great at every level, except the NHL. You’re not exactly 21 any more either. In order for you to stay at this level and be more than a fourth liner, you have to change your game. Because obviously, what you’ve been doing this season hasn’t been working.

The way Blake Comeau played on Saturday, with passion, intensity and desperation, is exactly the way Tambellini should be playing. It’s easy to see that he’s never going to be a power forward or a role player. He’s a sniper through and through. With his skill set, he has to score or else he’s going to be stuck in the AHL forever. Right now, he lacks the desire to get himself to the places on the ice where he can score and takes garbage shots from all weird angles, hoping to catch a break.

So far this season, it hasn’t happened.

It hasn’t been because the team hasn’t given him an opportunity either. It would have been the case last season, but not now.

So what can the Islanders do about this?

Maybe a reality check in the AHL will wake him up, maybe it won’t.

I personally think he needs to have an epiphany of some sorts and soon. Otherwise, Comeau will finish this season here and Tambellini will be lost in the shuffle, either playing out his days as a depth player with the Isles or hopping from team to team that is willing to give him a chance to live up to his promise.

“We all want him to score,” coach Scott Gordon told the Associated Press. “There’s definitely a lack of confidence that probably has built up, which is natural. I’m sure he’s frustrated.”

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2008

There’s a famous cliché I used to get repeated to me all the time when I was a kid that has consistently made me think of this year’s Islanders team.

“Beggars can’t be choosers.”

Well, this season, they’ve been on several occasions.

By working hard and making the most of the small opportunities they’ve gotten this season, the Islanders have been middling, rather than sinking.

Sure, the powerplay could have been better last night and sure, the second period was a disaster for the most part, but in the end, the Islanders came out on top.

To me, that’s obviously the most important thing, but to beat a playoff team like Senators [in spite of the problems they been having this season] and to do it three times in a row is a step in the right direction.

They just have to do it against the rest of the teams in the NHL.

For the time being though, I’ll be happy with the look on Craig Hartsburg’s face.

I said a few posts ago that in order for this team to continue to win, they are going to have to get career years out of a few people and as of right now, they are getting it out of Andy Hilbert and Joey MacDonald. No question about it, these guys are both playing excellent hockey.

Throw in an excellent game from my favorite Bill Pullman look-alike in Freddy Meyer and again, the Isles skated away with a win.

Bailey stays- Over the past few weeks, I’ve shared my opinions on Bailey’s play numerous times. During the span, I feel as if the 19-year-old has gotten better and better. A little tentative at first, Bailey is now playing an active role in the team’s offense. Everyone knows the kid can pass. However, the past few games, the playmaker is starting to take more shots and is trying to score, rather than throw something at the net.

Five assists in 10 games isn’t amazing, but it’s solid as far as I’m concerned. Once the Isles get Miek Sillinger, Mike Comrie and Kyle Okposo back, the Islanders offense will have a more multi-faceted approach and defenses will also begin to take some pressure off the teenager and that is when I believe he’ll start to produce a bit more.

Regardless, he’s going to be a blast to watch the rest of the way

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

A bad goal here, a deflection there, one in traffic. Simply put, this is how the New Jersey Devils operate. Do they have the greatest offense since the ‘84 Oilers? No, but they do scratch, bite and claw their way to victory on most nights they play. The Islanders weren’t ready for that last night, as a three-game winning streak was halted after a 5-2 loss to the Devils.

It just seemed like every time you thought the Islanders had learned their lesson on defense and got the offense going, the Devils came back and put an end to their party. That’s usually he case when a team like he Islanders that is slowly starting to find their identity plays a team that already has one like the Devils.

Nevertheless, the Islanders feel they are just starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Our season didn’t start the way we wanted it to, but if you take the positives out of some of those games where we blew a three-goal lead or a two-goal lead in the third period, in some cases, it was 40 or 50 minutes of good hockey,” GM Garth Snow said in an expansive interview Friday with Newsday. “I think we’re headed in the right direction, and we’re just going to get better as the season goes on and as players gain confidence in this system. I think we’re on the right track.”

With a game against Buffalo today, the Islanders need to quickly forget about last night and concentrate on doing the the things that broke them out of that ugly skid they were in early this season, which was establishing a forecheck, playing well in front of Joey MacDonald and getting offense from a wide variety of sources. If they do that, they’ll be able to hold the ice with any team in the NHL.

We’ll see what happens tonight.

Also, in other news, I just wanted to let you guys know about another site I have, AcesOverBrooklyn.com, where I cover the Brooklyn Aces of the EPHL. Simply put, this site is what I wish I could do with this one, as it is filled with journalism, rather than just be shooting off my opinion every day. It’s also filled with pictures, video, podcasts, polls and everything else you’d expect from someone covering a team with every free ounce of their time.

Check it out today!

Posted under Post Game Rants, Pregame Musings

A few days ago, I came across a beefy topic that caught my interest. According to HockeyBuzz.com, the Chicago Black Hawks are reportedly interested in the services of Mike Comrie. At first, I didn’t think much of it, considering the fact that the Islanders are already missing Mike Sillinger and need all the help up the middle they can get. After a few e-mails from people on the subject though, I figured I’d share my two cents.

For what my opinion is worth, I don’t think Comrie will ever be a point a game player in the NHL. Right now, he would be an excellent third line center on a great team or a solid second line center on a very good team. Only on a fridge or rebuilding team like the Islanders could he get a shot at being a number one center. That shot didn’t exactly go as planned for him last season either, as his lack of polish on defense and overuse of simple deke moves [like the toe drag, cough] hurt him down the stretch and turned what could have been a career year into another decent one.

Last season, around the All Star break, Comrie was pretty close to a point a game and once he had to be counted on more to provide offense when injuries enveloped the team, his game suffered incredibly. Being even more judgmental here, if you take away the first week of the season from him last year, where he lit up the Buffalo Sabres and it’s totally possible that he could have had his worst offensive season since his rookie campaign.

This season, it appears that the Islanders head coach Scott Gordon prefers to see Doug Weight play with Bill Guerin and because of that, Comrie has been relegated to playing on a line with Richard Park and Kyle Okposo. While some Islander fans aren’t too excited about this, I feel that once Mike Sillinger comes back, the Islanders lines will be pretty well balanced and Comrie won’t be a victim of playing against the opposition’s best defensive players every night, which will benefit him and his current linemates immensely. He’ll produce the same amount of offense he did last season, but it will be worth even more to the team because he’ll be more of a role player than a primary producer. Trading him now would ruin any chance this team has at having a decent offensive attack.

Don’t do it Garth Snow.

That is unless you’re willing to play Josh Bailey in more than nine games this season and you can get a first or second round pick for him.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2008

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

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

While any win is a good win in the NHL, you’ve got to want to see Rick DiPietro back in net for the Islanders. Until that happens, I’m going to try and refrain from showing too much emotion when they play well. When it’s all said and done, he is the team’s franchise player and above everything else, needs to be prepared for the season, or else it’s going to be a disaster. I know he’s not ready yet, but in the end, these preseason games won’t be overly influential if DP can’t get accustomed to the system and be ready for the season.

Nevertheless, it’s great to see guys like Frans Nielsen and Trent Hunter scoring goals. With a lack of a huge offensive presence again this year, this team is going to need a good dozen to 15 players scoring 25-35 points, who can play their part on both offense and defense if they are going to be competitive. That kind of balanced attack is going to be the only thing that’s going to be able to support DiPietro in net.

With that being said, I really feel Scott Gordon’s philosophy can turn some of the third and fourth liners into better players and give the Islanders that kind of balance because good things happen to teams that skate hard every night. Looking at the team’s bottom six forwards, players such as Richard Park, Sean Bergenheim, Neilsen, Andy Hilbert and it’s easy to see that they have the speed to play within the system and eventually thrive.

Now, that I’ve gotten the meat of my post out of the way, I feel the need to vent:

As I said before, it seems like the Islanders are catching on with Gordon’s coaching philosophy, but most Islander fans aren’t able to see it unless they want to shell out dough to watch them in person. Rarely do I ever attempt to sound like an agitated fan, but enough is enough. Why aren’t the Isles’ preseason games on television? Every single Rangers preseason game is on MSG, so why can’t the Isles get at least half of theirs on the tube? You read books like Alan Hahn’s “Fishsticks” and there’s all this talk in there about how lucrative the Islanders TV deal is. Well, if it really was, then why can’t I find a game on television?

The rebuilding plan aside, there is no reason why this team should not be on TV during the preseason. I swear, the fans of this team have had to put up with so much over the past 15 years that the organization should go out of it’s way to make sure that the little things, like preseason games, get put on TV.

OK, I’m done.

Posted under Offseason 2008

When Trent Hunter finished his first full season in the NHL, I, among many other Islander fans expected him to be someone who could score 25-30 goals a season and lead the league in hits, while becoming a leader in the locker room.

Well, as Meat Loaf once sang, “Two out of Three Ain’t Bad.”

Despite not scoring the amount of goals many people think he is capable of, Hunter has consistently been in the top ten in hits every season and is quietly becoming a leader on the Islanders. As a matter of fact, when Bill Guerin retires or signs somewhere else, I see either Brendan Witt or him becoming the next captain of this team.

Not the best skater in the world or the most flashy, Hunter is exactly what the Islanders claim to be in ads online and in the posters all over the Nassau Coliseum. Every night, he personifies, grit, character and heart. However, like most of the players on the team last season, Hunter had problems putting the puck in the net and despite playing hard all season and setting a new career-high in assists, many were disappointed in his overall play.

Others however feel that Hunter falls into the category of players like Richard Park, who work so hard on the ice that their offensive production is simply a benefit and that they should not be counted on for points. I however feel that the day Hunter is put into the same category as Park, it’s a sad one for Trent Hunter.

Nothing against Park, who had a great season last year, but he doesn’t have the size and potential of Hunter. With his strength and nose for the net, he should be scoring 20-25 goals a season. Park is a guy that kills penalties, buzzes around the ice all night long and takes advantage of mistakes by the opposition, He also takes a lot of shots for a fourth liner, hence his amount of goals last season.

Hunter, on the other hand, has the ability of taking his game to the next level if he continues to take the body and more importantly, finishes offensively. His shooting percentage was a deplorable 5.4 percent last season, meaning if he shot 10.8, which could still be considered average, he would have scored 24 goals. His rookie season, he shot 13.4 percent, which induced a 25-goal season. If he would have got that last season, he would have been around the 30-goal mark.

Also, he’s shown some kind of pattern in his game that every other year, his shooting percentage gets cut in half and he can’t get to 20 goals, where he belongs. In order for him to take his game to the next level, Hunter is also going to have to try and find a level of consistency. Otherwise, he like the Islanders, will be forced to revel in mediocrity.

Photo by NHL Media

Posted under Offseason 2008

Over the next few weeks, I’m going to be giving you guys my take on what the Islanders should do with the bevy of free agents they’ll have on their team after the season is officially over.

Here we go:

Tom Poti.

I don’t know how you guys feel about him, but I think he was easily the Islanders best defenseman last season and was extremely under-appreciated and didn’t get nearly as much praise as he should have. However, at the same time, he wasn’t booed every single time he touched the puck when he was on the Rangers. That I think might have been what Poti wanted all along, just to be able to play his game and in the end, his game really benefited from it. Make no mistakes about the guy, Tom Poti was everything the Islanders could have ever asked for this season.

Basically combining the solid defensive play he showed the NHL during his last year with the Rangers and being the consistent offensive defenseman many scouts thought he was eventually going to be during his days in college, Poti was excellent on both sides of puck. In all honesty, he reminds me a lot of Adrian Aucoin [at least when he was on the Isles] because not only can he eat up minutes, but he’s not scared to block shots and take the body when he has to. The only thing I think I’d really change about Poti’s game is that I’d make him take some more shots from the point. He’s got way too good of a shot to be passing to Marc-Andre Bergeron ALL the time.

Poti shooting a bit more would also make Bergeron less on a target on the powerplay and penalty-killing units would have to worry about both of their shots and not just Bergeron’s. At any rate, Poti, if signed, could continue to be a huge contributor to the team.

The only question is, do we keep him?

With Sean Hill’s Islanders career most likely over, I think Poti has to stay. I love Bruno Gervais and Chris Campoli, but I don’t think their ready to be 25-minute a game defenseman yet. In addition, Poti is more adept on the power play than both of them and as we saw in the Islanders playoff series against Buffalo, they don’t have many options at the point when they’re on the man advantage. Radek Martinek coming back healthy and strong will help, but having Poti around as both a leader and a mentor to Gervais, Campoli and whoever else might be around next season will be extremely important for the Islanders and their defense core.

Keep ‘em.

Posted under Offseason 2006-07