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

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

Ah man.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

The Shenanigans the Islanders have forced their fans to deal with this season essentially started after the Islanders lost in overtime to the Flyers on October 30. Ever since then, watching this team play the final 20 minutes is worse than a prostate exam.

So what does this team need to do in order to get out of the rut they’ve gotten themselves in?

Here are a few of my thoughts:

1- Be more physical, especially in the defensive zone- Giving up 18 shots in the final period on Saturday, this team needs to play with more desperation and more of an edge. Mitch Fritz got into a tussle while up here with the Isles, but I say that isn’t enough. Guys need to start finishing checks on every single shift. Everyone from Mark Streit to Frans Neilsen has to do this in order for it to be effective as well. Being that physical will also open up the ice more and give the few playmakers the Islanders have, guys like Doug Weight and Neilsen room to find the Bill Guerin’s and Trent Hunter’s.

2- Score on the powerplay- Currently ranked 25th in the NHL, Streit and Weight have been brought in to help out and while they have, other players have to start contributing. For starters, the Islanders need to overload the powerplay with guys that can score. Nothing against Neilsen, but he should be one of the last people who get a shot on the PP. Alongside Weight and Guerin, Hunter should play on the other wing with Streit and Chris Campoli. The second unit should be something along the lines of Mike Comrie with Sean Bergenheim and Kyle Okposo with Andy Sutton and Bruno Gervais at the point. While it’s not as deep a unit as I would like it to be, there would be enough diversity to give the Islanders options. The first unit would be all about getting traffic in front of the net and the second would be about puck possession and generating offense from the circles. Once Mike Sillinger comes back, I think this team’s powerplay will get much better, but until that happens, something else needs to be done.

3- Play smarter defense- Going along with my first statement about the team’s need to play tougher, I think the defense needs to cut down on their turnovers. I know it’s not as easy with Rick DiPietro still injured, but overall, this team needs to make smarter passes in their own zone and commit themselves to eliminating traffic in front of Joey MacDonald and limiting second chance opportunities. If they can do that, this team won’t have to score four goals a game every night to stay in games.

Posted under 2008-2009, Pregame Musings

I think first and foremost, the Islanders have to play 60 minutes of consistent hockey to stand a chance against this team. The Penguins have a ton of depth on their forwards lines and without Brendan Witt [who owns Evgeni Malkin by the way] and Radek Martinek, the Isles have to be perfect on defense tonight. Any lapses will result in a letdown worse than any the Isles have experienced so far this season.

For starters, Miroslav Satan seems to be reborn in Pittsburgh, and already has eight goals, compared to the 16 he had last season with the Islanders. Another former Islander, Ruslan Fedotenko hasn’t enjoyed that same amount of success, but with Crosby out of the lineup for a tad, it’s obvious that’s played a part. Speaking of Crosby, he will be in the lineup tonight, making things that much more difficult for the Isles.

Nevertheless, if they get ahead early, stay out of the penalty box and play a consistent 60-minute game, we’ll see what happens.

In other news, Greg Logan of Newsday reports that Sean Bergenheim will be back in the lineup tonight and that Tim Jackman has been called up to replace Mitch Fritz. Nate Thompson has a strained groin, so he’ll be out of the lineup as well. While Jackman isn’t the enforcer Fritz is, he’s a grittier player, who has more talent offensively. He’s been playing well in Bridgeport this season and should fit in fine with the team again this season.

Joey Macdonald will also be in the net as well, cementing his spot as the team’s starting goaltender with Rick DiPietro injured. Like I’ve said before, you can’t really ask for more for this guy. Who you can ask for more out of are the youngsters, Jeff Tambellini especially, alongside guys like Brett Skinner, who have done little or nothing this season.

Also, According to Newsday, Josh Bailey, Mike Sillinger and Martinek all practiced yesterday and are all close to returning. Once they come back, things are going to get mighty interesting with this team. Who stays? Who goes? Who knows. At any rate, it’s going to be fun seeing Bailey, Kyle Okposo play with guys like Doug Weight and Bill Guerin.

In other, other news:

I was quoted by the New York Times hockey blog today for my coverage of the New York Islanders.

You can check that article out here as well.

http://slapshot.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/isles-move-to-the-back-of-the-line/

Posted under 2008-2009, Pregame Musings

Well, just when you think this team has a shot at squeaking out a win, they go and break your heart. Nevertheless, getting a point against a surging Flyers team after the way the game started has to be a start in the right direction.

Let’s face it, the first 20 minutes weren’t exactly pretty. While the Islanders only found themselves down 2-1, off of nasty looking goals by Mike Knuble and Jeff Carter that goalie Joe MacDonald had absolutely no chance at, Bill Guerin tallied with an impressive shot of his own that kept the Isles within striking distance. Looking horrible on faceoffs in the period, the Islanders really needed to get their legs going and get some traffic in front of the net.

Things got a little spicier in the second, as both the Islanders and Flyers started playing with more intensity. Much like the first period, the Isles were having problems with the Flyers in the corners as they generated several scoring opportunities via the cycle that MacDonald was forced to deal with. Nate Thompson had a great scoring opportunity at the midway point of the period, but he couldn’t cash in. Andy Sutton, making his season debut, did a good job blocking a few shots and clearing the crease later in the period on a Philly powerplay, but the Isles offense never responded. The newly formed energy line of Thompson, Richard Park and Sean Bergenheim [why was he taken off the first line?] had a few good chances, but they too could pot one, keeping the score at 2-1.

Nevertheless, they had more gas than they did in the first and the game still looked up for grabs.

The third period started off as a frustrating one, but after the midway point, the Isles stepped up their play on both ends of the ice and got an ugly one from Andy Hilbert that sent the game into overtime.

Then like most of the young season, the Islanders paid the ultimate price for taking a penalty at the wrong time.

Game over.

In spite of the over time loss, the Islanders need to take this as a positive first step. They came from behind against a tough Flyers team and did so with most of their key players on defense and their franchise goalie out of the lineup.

Not bad if you ask me.

Notes:

Close call: Simon Gagne nearly clipped MacDonald’s neck with his skate when the Flyers were on the powerplay in the second period. Whew.

Funny guy: In between the first and second period Carter told Isles reporter CJ Papa that they were being careful against the Islanders in spite of Marty Biron’s record against them, saying that the Islanders “Had plenty of guys who could put the puck in the net.” Next time there’s a roast on Comedy Central, they should snub Gilbert Gottfried [John Stamos walks into a bar...] and give Carter a shot.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

With Andy Sutton in the lineup tonight, the Islanders defense should be in better shape to handle a talented Flyers team tonight that despite being without Daniel “Don’t call me Danny” Briere for the next few weeks, still has a plethora of options on offense.

Scary stuff if you ask me.

For that reason alone, this is a game where the Islanders cannot make avoidable mistakes in. Otherwise, this game will be over before the end of the first period. Costly penalties and turnovers did them in on Monday against the Rangers, a team that is playing good hockey right now. The Flyers on the other hand are more like a sleeping giant. They have most of the pieces on their team in place, but haven’t gotten great goaltending this season and their defense hasn’t been that strong either. With that being said, the Flyers will jump all over the Isles if they have an opportunity.

The Isles can counteract this however if they get another solid game out of guys like Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo. As I’ve said before on the blog, the line of Doug Weight, Bill Guerin and Sean Bergenheim are playing solid hockey right now, they just have to start finishing. Once that happens and guys such as Jon Sim and Jeff Tambellini start to become factors, this team can hold it’s own. However, until then, this season is going to be a disaster.

Aside from Mark Streit, the Islanders haven’t had a consistent presence on the score sheet this season. We know that this team doesn’t have any legitimate offensive juggernauts, but is it asking so much to have a few guys that can score 45-60 points? As of right now, it looks like Streit and perhaps Weight are going to be the only players close to that. After that, the Islanders offense looks extremely grim.

Because of that and without Rick DiPietro and a bunch of other important players that I’ve mentioned a thousand times not in the lineup, the Islanders defense has to be pretty damn close to perfect for them to break out of this funk they’ve started their season in. If they work hard however, get a quick goal and perhaps a few powerplay opportunities, things could end up differently. So far this season both Marty Biron and Antero Niittymaki have been far from perfect as well, which leads me to believe this game could get hairy really fast if both teams get sloppy.

Posted under 2008-2009, Pregame Musings

With the Islanders defense is Dire Straits as it is, another injury could have really put them but that famous creek without a paddle. Luckily, Andy Sutton, according to Newsday and the team’s official website, is set to make his season debut when the Isles take on the Broad Street Bullies on Thursday.

While he’s a far cry from Paul Coffey, Sutton will be able to give the Isles the toughness they desperately need right now. Aside from Trent Hunter, Nate Thompson, Freddy Meyer and Sean Bergenheim, Doug Weight has been the Islanders biggest physical presence. If you don’t believe me, just ask Brandon Sutter. At any rate, with the way this offense has performed this season, they need as much help on defense as possible.

Much like last season, if the Islanders can get Brendan Witt, Radek Martinek and Freddy Meyer back, the Islanders defense will be solid and the team won’t have to be forced to play catch up every night. Again, Sutton by himself isn’t going to change everything, but he can be a competent player than can give the team one less thing to worry about. Aside from giving the team an edge on defense, he’ll be able to play the point on the powerplay too if he absolutely has to, providing the team with another option for the second unit. Before his injury last season, Sutton started to come around and after a rocky start, became a leader on the team. If he can provide that same type of energy and clear the crease, he’ll be a pleasant addition to the lineup.

Nothing against Jack Hillen, but it looks like he’s not quite ready yet to be a regular. A sloppy pass here, a failed shot from the point there, combined with Chris Campoli’s return made Hillen a bit replaceable. Given that he has barely any experience in pro hockey in the first place, some time in Bridgeport could benefit his game immensely. His smarts and skating ability could provide him with an ample start there and by later in the season, he may be ready to give the NHL another whirl. That will only be the case though if this defensive core can stay healthy. Otherwise, guys like Hillen and Brett Skinner will be forced into action and as we’ve seen already this season, they are far from being dependable NHL defenders. That’s not to say that they won’t be at some point, but as of right now, they need to earn a few more bumps and bruises.

Posted under 2008-2009, Isles Thoughts 2008

The way the Islanders have been playing this season, it figures they would lose a game that they registered a franchise high 60 shots on goal. There was only one problem.

Cam Ward was damn good.

The Islanders offense, despite registering all of those shots, wasn’t up to finishing the job. Kyle Okposo had a golden opportunity to get the Islanders on the board in the first, but came up empty. As I’ve said before on the site, this is a guy that has to start finishing and soon. The same thing goes for Jeff Tambellini and Mike Comrie.

However, despite the fact that this team is having problems finishing, there were several positives to take from this game.

The physicality was there. Doug Weight and Nate Thompson were taking the body. I think overall, Thompson played his best game of the season. He had much better shot selection and was a force physically. As far as the responsibilities of a fourth line center go, he’s was on top of all them last night. With Mike Sillinger and Mark Parrish in the wings, Thompson is going to have continue to play that way or else he’ll find himself in Bridgeport.

Another Islander who was strong last night was Bill Guerin. On the whole, the line of Sean Bergenheim, who is quickly becoming a force, Guerin and Weight have been solid. All they need is a huge game to get the confidence going. Once that happens, hopefully the rest of the team can pick up the slack.

Speaking of someone who needs to pick up the slack, Rick DiPietro was not on top of his game. I’ve made several mentions over the past three seasons at how DP, while being a great puck-handling goaltender, needs to watch himself at times. When he tries to do too much, he usually ends up hurting the Islanders. Last night was no different. If this team has any shot at turning this season around, it all starts with Rico. He has to be on top of his game.

With the team’s next game against the Rangers on Monday, there’s no time like the present. Games against the Rangers usually bring out the best or worst of both teams as well, making this an even more important game for both teams, with the Isles struggling to find out where they belong in the league and Rangers trying to keep their lead in the conference.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

Words can’t describe the smorgasbord of emotions and thoughts that were going through my head during that debacle of a game.

Well, in actuality, there are plenty of thoughts and even more words to describe them.

For your reading pleasure, here they are:

Why does Kyle Okposo look so tentative out there? Why isn’t he attacking the crease and taking shots that hit the net?

Sean Avery seriously needs to get into acting. Even though he looks like someone cross bred a possum and Jeffrey Donovan [that dude that was in Hitch and that USA show Burn Notice or some crap like that], he’s like a virtuoso of the embellishment, a prince of farce and a patriarch of exaggeration all rolled into one. He’d be a great character actor or the first dude to die in a horror movie, don’t you think? As a matter of fact, the only thing more preposterous than Avery’s antics on the ice are the zebra’s the fall for his nonsense every single night. I’d still take him in a minute on this team though, idiotic Buddy Holly glasses and all.

The Islanders powerplay needs to take more shots…end of story. They were passing back and forth on the five on three opportunity they had when all they needed to do is put the puck on the net and clean up the mess. It was like the Islanders had Pierre Turgeon, Joe Sakic, Craig Janney, Marc Savard and Neal Broten [sorry, five best passers I could think of off the top of my head]on the PP; no one wanted to take a shot. They were all looking to set another guy up. Sometimes you have to be selfish in this game. When you have a chance like that to get a goal, you have to take it, especially for a team struggling on offense like the Islanders.

Jon Sim needs to skate towards the net and do what he did over the last few seconds more often or this team is toast this season. He’s already drew a bunch of penalties this season, he just has to finish a bit more and other defenses will have to think about him as a potential problem to deal with. Right now, the Islanders don’t have many of those types of players.

Sean Bergenheim worked his tail off last night. Keep him with Doug Weight and Bill Guerin. Only good things can come from this for all three of them. Weight has been solid this season even though he should have netted one last night. Guerin too has been ok and has been skating hard. Bergenheim’s work ethic will give these guys the space they all need to produce.

If Brendan Witt is going to be out for a long period of time, the Islanders need to call up Mark Parrish asap, regardless of where he is physically. If Jack Hillen is going to play defense in Witt’s place, the Isles defense isn’t going to be as strong as it needs to be, so they need to add more offense or else they are doomed. The Nate Thompson experiment was fun, but this team needs people in the lineup that are going to put numbers on the board and even though Parrish is slower than John Olerud, he’ll be a presence. Throw Parrish on a line with Comrie and Okposo and put Hilbert in the middle with Park and Sim. That at the very least would give the team some more depth on offense, something they desperately need right now.

On another note, Kudos to NBC’s Len Berman for stating the incorrect score of the last night’s game on the news. Looks like some broadcast journalists don’t like to watch the ENTIRE game anymore. Great job NBC, keep it up.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants

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

Well, that was different wasn’t it?

When the Islanders skate, pressure the puck and play a little smarter in their own zone, they can be a pretty fun team to watch. Add in an empty-netter, a short-handed goal and a goal with the man-advantage and I don’t think the Isles could have played this one any better.

Overall, it was great to see guys like Andy Hilbert and Mike Comrie, who didn’t play their best hockey on Friday, turn it around and be driving factors in the win. Comrie, who was schooled so bad defensively on Friday that I thought I heard my dog cry in the other room, was snappier on the ice and was visible on nearly every shift. And more importantly, no toe drags! Hilbert wasn’t horrible on Friday, he just couldn’t finish. But last night, he, too, was noticeable and was making the most of opportunities.

However, while the team turned around their timid play from opening night, one player didn’t need to step it up. Simply put, Joey MacDonald was once again stellar, making breathtaking saves left and right, while having solid rebound control and poise. A lot of Islander fans weren’t happy when Wade Dubielewicz left the team to go to Russia [and because the Isles pretty much pegged MacDonald to be the backup this season] so number 35 kind of had a tough task ahead of him. One, play well an earn the respect of the fans and now, play well enough to keep the team above water until DP is completely healthy. It’s always a feel-good story when a guy performs well that you didn’t expect too, but MacDonald’s play over the last two games has proven [so far] that the Isles don’t have to play DP 70 games this season. With the NHL’s new policy on injuries, I doubt any of us will know what is exactly wrong with him and when he’ll be back, so until then, Joey Mac has to keep running with the ball.

Another guy that played very well last night was Sean Bergenheim. Anyone see Scott Gordon patting him on the back in the third period? Less than 10 minutes of ice-time and four shots on goal. Not a bad day at the office if you ask me. I think it’s fair to say he earned himself some more playing time last night and if he continues to play that way, he’s going to be playing much more. Also, I loved that the Isles had the veterans out there the last few minutes to sew up the game. Hopefully, by the end of the season, we’ll see a few of the younger guys in that spot.

Lastly, in my opinion, it looks like Radek Martinek has at least a separated shoulder. If you watch the video, it look like his shoulder disappeared under his jersey when he ran into the boards. Not good if you ask me. This guy has the worst luck of any player I’ve ever sen. When he’s healthy, he’s one of the best defensive D-men in the league. With Chris Campoli and Andy Sutton already out as well, this was the last thing this team needed. For the time being, Jack Hillen will most likely get the nod to replace him, which is good for you fans that want to see more youth, but for those who want to see the team sneak into a playoff spot this season, it’s scary.

Scarier than seeing Barrett Jackman punch Jon Sim in the face twice and not having a penalty called.

Photo by NHL Media.

Posted under 2008-2009, Post Game Rants