Unlike some of the other players that seemed content with their play during the season, Weight was always seen yammering on the bench and trying whatever he could in order to get his team going.

Now with the team ready to draft the number one pick in the draft in a few weeks, Weight sees the possibilities.

And boy is he excited.

“Getting the first pick in the draft certainly excites me from an organization standpoint,” Weight said. “We had 61 points this year and we had a lot of injuries and it was a tough year for us this way. I think we are going in the right direction, but nothing speeds it up like getting a great hockey player. We have some good young players that have taken some strides this year, but to get somebody like this in your organization in September or October will give us a boost and maybe it will give us some confidence. If you team that up with everyone getting healthy next year, who knows what position we are going to be in.”

You have to admit, Weight has a point. While the rest of the NHL is focused on what the Islanders did this year, no one is thinking about how much better they can be next season. Guys like Josh Bailey, Frans Neilsen, Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau should be ready to perform at a higher level and if they can keep veterans like Trent Hunter, Brendan Witt and Radek Martinek healthy, who knows what the team will be capable of.

Well, I think even if that is the case, the team will struggle to find itself in the postseason, but they will be better than this season.

At the very least, it’s a start.

While garnering the first pick has lifted the spirits of Weight, it’s been great for business as well.

“There is a lot of excitement surrounding this year’s NHL Entry Draft for the Islanders organization and its fans,” New York Islanders President Chris Dey told the team’s official website. “That enthusiasm is being felt through the increased interest in our various ticket packages.”

Teams like the Blackhawks and Penguins have proven how much a first overall pick can change play on the ice and business; hopefully this is just the beginning of something special for the Isles.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

In the end, I felt horrible for my g/f, who had her first NHL spoiled by the exploits of Phil Kessel and the Bruins, who dominated the living crap out of an Islanders team that was sluggish in both ends of the ice.

Despite that however, you could see that Islander fans and the organization feel better about this team than their record indicates, especially Islanders head coach Scott Gordon.

“We have some elements of team identity to carry over into next season,” Gordon told the Associated Press after the game. “The second half of the season flew by with the attitude and commitment we had.”

After a dismal first half, the Isles were a different team in the second, as many of the youngsters carried them. Up until April, the Islanders were playing close to .500 hockey in the second half, no small feat for a team missing players like Rick DiPietro, Trent Hunter, Andy Sutton and Mike Sillinger. During that span, Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen, Blake Comeau and Sean Bergenheim proved that could be everyday NHLers, while Josh Bailey and Jeff Tambellini showed that they may be able to contribute a bit more than they did earlier in the season as well [keep your fingers crossed.] Even the super youngin’s like Jesse Joensuu, Mike Iggulden, Trevor Smith and Joe Rechlicz have shown some potential and will be fighting for a job in training camp next year.

Doug Weight came back for the last few games of the season and showed his support for the team by signing a one-year extension, while Yann Danis fizzled out after a three-week stretch of excellent hockey in February and March.

Sounds like a Soap Opera doesn’t it? Now imagine writing something about a team like this every day for a year and watching half the other dudes and dudettes give up halfway through.

Seeing the Blog Box occupied only by the uber dependable Gary Harding for the last game of the season yesterday was pretty disappointing. Those guys have a privilege and to just give up because the team is losing says way more than any of their writing ever could.

That’s one of the reasons why I’d rather write at home [aside from the fact that I cover minor league hockey, live in Brooklyn, run three other sites and teach college English and journalism] anyway. What I’m trying to say here is that the Islanders should pay attention to these things very closely. When your most dedicated super fans can’t show up to watch the game from one of the best seats in the house and do something hundreds of young journalism students would die for, you know you have a problem.

Simply put, this team needs more offense, needs to stay healthy and needs a new building. Once that happens, all the fans that gave up will have a reason to believe again and this team can gain it’s respectability back.

Nothing short of John Tavares, the lighthouse project and Rick DiPietro back in net can fix that.

Site News: Now that the season is over, I will update less often, probably once or twice a week, in order to give myself a much needed break. Thank you to everyone that helped support me this season. Hopefully next season we’ll be able to talk Islanders hockey a bit longer.

Photo by Patrick Hickey Jr.

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

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

Ah man, that hurts bad.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Is this what we’ve come to?

I think so…I think so.

That, I predict, will change big time next season.

If healthy next season, I not only see Kyle Okposo hitting the 20 and even 30 goal mark, but Trent Hunter, Mark Streit and Sean Bergenheim as well.

Since the All-Star Break, Okposo has been the best player on the team next to Streit, scoring big goals and showing excellent instincts. After another summer of intense conditioning and more time with Josh Bailey, who is also developing, I see him becoming the Islanders version of Zach Parise. If the Islanders pick up John Tavares or Victor Hedman as well, Okposo will have a huge burden off of his shoulders and won’t be looked at as the team’s savior. Because of that, I see next season eventually turning into the best season of his young NHL career.

Hunter was playing excellent hockey early in the season before dealing with injuries and with Frans Nielsen getting better every game, I see those two making some beautiful music together next season. With Nielsen’s speed and Hunters ability to get in front of the net and score garbage goals, Hunter will get his fair share. Also, with Nielsen’s playmaking ability, Hunter can use his shot a bit more than he was using earlier in the season when “The Great Dane” wasn’t exactly comfortable in the league yet. Simply put, the better Nielsen gets, the more Hunter will produce.

As far as Mark Streit goes, Islanders fans have already seen what a good shot he has and if the players around him develop, he’ll have even more confidence and will unleash it much more often. Already a Norris Trophy Candidate, Streit won’t have nearly as much pressure on him as he had last year and because of that, he’ll get even better, getting to the 60 point mark again.

Bergenheim is the tricky one here. Always a late starter, Bergie has to have the first strong first half of his career and then revert back to his usually deadly second half self during the final 40 games. With great hands, a plethora of grit and even more desire, Bergie can and will score 20 goals in this league. He just has to stay healthy and have a drop more consistency than he had this season. Overall, I think it’s fair that it’s not asking for much out of him.

Josh Bailey is having the best month of his professional hockey career with seven points, including four goals, in 13 games.

Frans Nielsen has 10 points in his last 13 games.

Before going down with an injury, Sean Bergenheim has seven goals and 11 points in his last 16 games.

Even Bruno Gervais is stepping up his offensive game as of late, scoring three goals and seven points in his last 16.

While these numbers are far from amazing, they are without a doubt better than what these kids were producing earlier in the season when Mark Streit, Richard Park, Bill Guerin Doug Weight and Trent Hunter were leading the team in both ends of the ice.

Now, it feels like this group of youngsters may in fact have what it takes to get the job done next season.

As far as Islanders general manager Garth Snow is concerned, this was what was supposed to happen all along.

“We came up with a plan to build through the draft, and we’re sticking to it. This season has been painful, but we think we’ll be better for it,” Snow told the New York Post. “This is an important time for our organization to take the next step, and I take that very seriously.”

With the draft coming up, the Islanders have a chance to bring in another youngster that can grow alongside the group the Islanders have put together.

That according to Snow, that is exactly what the fans want.

“Whenever (fans) come up to me, whether it’s on the concourse during games or at practice, they say, ‘Stick to the plan,’” Snow told Yahoo Sports. “The team we have next year will be very similar to the one we have now. I expect a lot of players to develop.”

Hmm. Is that another way of saying that the Islanders won’t waste money on washed up players or guys that haven’t produced every where else? As far as I’m concerned, aside from the signings of Weight, Mark Streit and Richard Park, I’ve been pretty unimpressed with the free agents this team has brought in over the past three seasons.

Hopefully that trend will stop and the Isles will truly start the youth movement next season.

We all know it’s a decision that won’t be made until next season, but just look at the guy’s numbers. 52 points and a +7 on the worst team in the league, from the blue line. I don’t know if there are many players in the league that could put up points like that if they were in his situation. Add in the fact that he missed and handful of games and it’s possible he could have even broken his career high in points that he set last season.

However, as many of you dudes and dudettes know, being a captain of any team in any league has more to do with the total package than just numbers alone. That is a category where I think Streit is totally underrated. Making amazing strides in his defensive game this season, I dare say that Streit is the best defenseman this team has had since Adrian Aucoin. And Unlike Aucoin, he doesn’t have to take 200 shots a season to be productive offensively. A great passer with an excellent shot and skating ability, Streit is one of the few defensemen in the league that can attract attention in all situations on offense and make the players around him better.

To me, that’s exactly what a captain should be able to do.

And to think, the Montreal Canadiens thought they used the guy up and that he’d never be able to reproduce the numbers he put up last season. I’m not a betting man by any stretch of the imagination, but I’m sure the Habs would gladly take Streit over Mathieu Schneider any day of the week. And let’s be fair here, Schneider is one of the most talented offensive defensemen of this generation. He’s a guy that many teams would kill to have.

But he’s not Mark Streit.

Again, that’s another reason why he should be Islanders captain. He’s one of a kind and he’s getting better every day because the organization has had faith in him from the start. The same way the youngsters are growing, Streit too has become a much better player this season and is a representation of what this team could be if they worked as hard as he did.

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.

That was the word that I uttered when I found out the Islanders received a fifth round pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins for Bill Guerin yesterday.

Wow.

Simply put, I think Islanders GM Garth Snow panicked.

Why you ask? The guy got a third round pick for Marc-Andre Bergeron last season, a third round pick, [yes, I didn't stutter ]. He even got a sixth round pick for Chris Simon, a player no one in the NHL wanted last season and now, he gets a conditional fifth round pick for Bill Guerin, one of the most prolific American born goal scorers of our era.

Someone dropped the ball.

And to make matters worse, now Islander fans everywhere will have to root for the Pens and hope they get into the playoffs and past the first round so that fifth round pick can magically, deliciously transform into a third round pick.

Not going to happen.

So the Islanders will have an extra pick, but at what cost? I know Guerin was going to be gone at the end of the season anyway, but you simply cannot give away a player with his resume for a pick that low. If it was a third or second round pick, I would have been OK with it, but this is like a slap in the face.

Ray Shero is probably playing “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang as we speak.

Not cool.

With Guerin gone now, the Islanders will have to put the C on someone’s jersey and as of right now, I think it’ll either be Brendan Witt or Trent Hunter. While I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Witt, despite his struggles this season, I do think Hunter is the better choice. He’s going to be around another four years and is a young veteran and someone the Islanders can build around. More than anything right now, I feel this team needs to find some sort of stability right now, some kind of immovable object that fans know that regardless of how bad things get, that person will be there.

Trent Hunter can be that player.

After that, I’d give A’s to Richard Park and Witt. This way the Islanders have guys there that command a decent amount of respect around the league for their hustle and drive, which is exactly what Scott Gordon and the rest of the organization want to preach anyway.

But who knows what the Islanders will do. I remember when Bryan McCabe was named Islanders captain and I nearly crapped by teenage pants in disgusts.

What I do know however is that because of all of this, the last dozen or so games should be very interesting.

Stay Tuned.

Considering the fact that there seems to be a rift between several of the older players and Isles head coach Scott Gordon, many of the team’s veterans could be on the move.

I’m also wondering if Trent Hunter’s supposed lower body injury has more to do with his relationship with Gordon [I have no idea what it is, but if it's rocky, we may have seen the last of him] than anything with his lower body.

As of right now, it just feels like the team has had enough of many of the veterans on the team.

Jon Sim, for example, goes and plays his best game as an Islander and is put on waivers the very next day. The guy has been playing great hockey as of late after a whole season of under-performing and as soon as he gets going, you attempt to give him away? I don’t know if I agree with the logic there. He’s signed for an agreeable one million dollars next season and if he continues to produce, he’ll have a dozen goals in about 60 games. That’s not too shabby for a guy that scored 17 a few years ago with a plethora of ice time. Why they wouldn’t want to just ride him out until he stops scoring is beyond me.

What they are doing right now is slapping him in the face. Putting him on waivers once and not having anyone pick up was bad enough, now putting him back there while he’s playing his best hockey is the ultimate disrespect. Now if no one picks him up, what’s the next step? Throw a player you’ve already proven to have no faith in and that you’ve shown has no value to the 29 other teams in the rest of the league back in the lineup? Like I said, he’s still got another year on his contract and you’ve already made him miserable this season, so what exactly is this guys incentive to play hard for you? That’s the big problem here. Now he has none.

Simply put, doing things like this will inhibit free agents from coming over in the future. Add in the fact that the Islanders obviously already have problems signing players that they need to and this is not good news.

Not good business dealings if you ask me.

The Islanders where skating hard and keeping themselves warm in the first and it absolutely showed. Every line had some type of pressure and chances to try and take advantage of and Yann Danis, while mostly untested, made the stops he had to. Dean “Why do I have an ‘A’ on my jersey already?” McAmmond’s goal got the Islanders on the board. Even a few bad penalties couldn’t kill the Islanders momentum in the period, as they maintained their intensity and forecheck throughout. Overall, the team, without Brendan Witt, Trent Hunter [Who, according to IslesBlogger.com, is injured, so you don't have to worry about him being on the block] and Bill Guerin proved they still have some gas left in their tanks.

Things changed pretty quickly though, after Ryan Smyth [insert preferred insult about # 94 here] scored just 33 seconds in on the powerplay to make it a 1-1 game. The Islanders only needed about two minutes to get the lead back though, after a Jesse Joensuu goal, his first as a pro in his first pro game [reminds me of Chris Campoli...tear]. Watching him through his first few shifts, I have to say, I like his game and think if he can continue to get in front of the net with his size [6'4], he may be up here the rest of the season.

Speaking of doing good things on the ice, Bruno Gervais is a modern day Dennis Vaske, doing most of the grunt work, but not getting anything as far as statistics to prove it. His goal [Which Jon Sim assisted on for his third point of the game] put the Isles up 3-1 and looked to put the Isles in the driver’s seat. While the Islanders powerplay later in the period was absolutely atrocious and they got in penalty trouble, they were able to keep Colorado off the scoreboard and hold on to their two-goal lead going into the third.

However, just like the beginning of the second, Smyth scored to cut the lead to 3-2. Luckily, it was the Islanders who has a case of deja-vu themselves, as they struck right back and regained their two-goal lead after a Jeff Tambellini goal that was the result of some great work by Mark Streit, who carried the puck through all three zones. That seemed to be the final nail in the coffin and continuing their strong play in their own zone, the Islanders were able to fend off the Avs.

While Colorado is far from the team they used to be, a hard-nosed win like this, without some key players is just what the doctor ordered for this young team. However, a bigger question remains… how long can these guys keep it up?

Nevertheless, I really like the attitude Islanders head coach Scott Gordon has had with the team this season.

We’ve all seen the frustration on his face mounting after every goal against, every injury and every miscue, but in spite of all of it, I truly believe the youngsters on this team are getting better and that Gordon’s system and coaching style has a lot to do with it.

“We could have easily deflated after our losing streak in December,” Gordon told the Associated Press a few days ago. “The one thing I stress to our players is we’re trying to build something here for next year, and I’m not going to stop coaching and trying to get our team to be better and I expect the same from all our players, but particularly the ones who are going to be here next year.”

If you’re a fan of this team, regardless of everything that has happened over the past two years, that should make you feel a little comfortable. Well, as comfortable as you can feel right now.

With the trading deadline on the way as well, the Islanders will have an opportunity to build the team more in Gordon’s image as well, which should, barring another crazy amount of injuries next season, make the Islanders much more competitive and much more fun to watch.

“What we want are players who will work through this adversity,” Gordon told the AP. “The circumstances we’ve had to go through with injuries… we’ve had some hurdles, and it’s how we’re going to handle adversity. One of the key areas is our character and not breaking away from what we want our team identity to be.”

I think that over the next 21 games, that identity will begin to be forged. One based on grit, speed and hard work, with guys like Mark Streit, Trent Hunter and Kyle Okposo leading the way and players the likes of Frans Neilsen, Sean Bergenheim and Josh Bailey not too far behind. Add in a good draft and the Islanders will be on the way to righting this ship and making sure they can build a consistent winner and not one that has to be destroyed every four years.

Having Rick DiPietro healthy for a change wouldn’t be so bad either.

Going over a month without scoring a goal, no one knows when Park broke his ribs, but spending a few weeks on the shelf may be the best thing for him right now. You hate to see a guy like Park hurting physically and especially when the team is playing as poorly as they have been. A guy like Park would a key role player on any first place team, but on the Islanders, his worth is perhaps even more. He’s the heart and soul of this team. However, he’s better off the ice if he’s injured and if Hunter back, the Isles may be able to score a bit more.

Speaking of Hunter, I’d really like him to get going offensively again. In order for the youth movement to continue to progress, the young veterans like Hunter and even Mike Comrie and Andy Hilbert [if they stick around next season]have to get hot. Having Mark Streit and Bill Guerin score 50 points this season is not going to be sufficient enough to help get these kids to understand what it takes to perform at this level.

That’s why Doug Weight’s exodus from the lineup is so huge. When he was averaging close to a point a game, players like Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo had something to shoot for and could watch it being done right before their very eyes. Now, these kids have to bear down and do it all by themselves. Having some of the other guys get hot could possibly give them more space on the ice and give them an opportunity to produce a bit more.

With most of the team not producing offensively, it’ll make it really interesting to see who gets traded. Weight is absolutely off the list, Mike Sillinger is done for the season and Guerin has a no trade clause, leaving possibly only Comrie as the only Islander without a contract next season with any real value to the rest of the league. So with the team being where they are, do they trade Comrie for a prospector a draft pick? Or do they part ways with someone like Brendan Witt or Radek Martinek, who many teams would love to have, especially due to his inexpensive salary?

I don’t know, but it is something interesting to think about.

Damn, this didn’t start the way I wanted it to.

However, in spite of the Islanders playoff hopes having less life than a pack of batteries from the dollar store, this team still has a ton of time to do one thing much more important than reaching the postseason.

Winning back the faith of the fan base.

Let’s face it, the organization is going to win as many fans over with their “Can-do, Fondue” ticket promotion as Jason Alexander would if he became the new spokesperson for Bally Total Fitness. The only way this team gets a new place to play and the only way this team gets the support of their exhausted and broken-hearted fans back is by players the likes of Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Trent Hunter and Mark Streit, the players that are all in for the long haul and will be built around over the next few years, getting as many goals, assists, points and anything else that can give the confidence they need to become impact players and players that can help change the motif the rest of the league has towards this team.

“I’m not going, the rest of the year, to base everything on wins and losses,” Islanders head coach Scott Gordon told Newsday the other night. “To me, our measure of success is going to be the confidence and the improvement of players that are going to get more ice time.”

Seems to me that Gordon has done the math and finally has found a formula that can get this team a bit more respect.

Being a writer, it’s in my nature to hate math, but I have come up with a few equations that have the possibility of determining the rest of the Islanders’ season.

More ice-time for youngsters= extreme-super-fun-awesome goodness for fans, great for franchise, no fondue necessary.

More ice-time for youngsters= veterans know they have to hustle more if they want to stay on the ice.

Veterans knowing that they have to hustle more if they want to stay on the ice= a revitalized franchise.

The only sad part is that it took over a half season to find this out.

The truth of the matter however is that they probably would have never realized any of this if they weren’t as bad as they were during the first half. Losing as often as the Isles did early on, you find out very quickly who the winners are and who the losers are. Despite the fact that this team has the record it has, I haven’t seen many players just giving up on plays. The fact is, as I’ve stated early and often this season, this team, with all the injuries they’ve had, just haven’t been very good. It was never a matter of them quitting.

Healthier and more confident than they’ve been all season, the Isles may have a few tricks up their sleeves that may put some smiles on their fans faces.

They deserve it.

Sure, they almost lost the game in another third period meltdown and they could have scored 10 goals with the amount of scoring chances they had, but when your team has as many wins as the Isles do, you take them any way you can get them.

Enough of the cliché-talk though. It’s not fun.

Okposo’s first goal of the game came on a beautiful pass from Josh Bailey that he ripped into the net with the kind of enthusiasm that makes you think that these guys are starting to gel.

“He knew where I was,” Okposo said after the game. “He knows how to find me. He has good vision. He’s easy to play with. Sure, there’s chemistry.”

Ah man. That’s exactly what I want to hear. If the Islanders lose every game the rest of the reason, but Bailey and Okposo can prove that they can be guys that can put up points next season, I will be content with that. Add in a more than certain top five pick in the draft and the rebuilding process with continue, but with more of the pieces falling back into place.

I also wrote a few days ago that I wanted to see the same Trent Hunter that was on the Isles team through the first 20 games of the season. Opening up the scoring last night after a sneaky pass from Mark Streit, who was also on his offensive game last night, Hunter utilized his excellent shot and got the Islanders the early lead. Was it super flashy? Of course not, Hunter, of course, was the trailer on the play and left himself in prime shooting position. That’s his game. It’s a good thing for him and the Isles that he’s getting back to that.

I also liked the fact that Andy Hilbert wasted no time in his first game and was a factor, especially on Tim Jackman’s goal. After the shot he took that led to Jackman’s goal, I said to myself, “Why didn’t he start doing this two years ago?” He was definitely getting the ice-time. Rather than complain about it, I think it’s best for Islander fans to enjoy it.

I think that sound be the team’s and fans’ mantra the rest of the season.

Just enjoy it.

While Sillinger’s impact this season wasn’t huge due to the fact that he’s only played in seven games, if he was indeed healthy, he could have given the team a very important bartering chip come trading deadline. Even though Sillinger has scored more points with the Islanders than any other team he’s played with over the course of his career, he could have gotten the team a decent draft pick or prospect. Now, after his second hip surgery in two seasons, who knows where he’ll be next season.

However, in spite of this, having the likes of Hunter, Weight, Campoli and Hilbert back in the lineup will provide the team with a huge boost.

If Hunter can get back to where he was earlier in the season, skating hard and taking high-percentage shots, a 20-goal season isn’t out of the question. Battling a lacerated hand and the shell shock of that hit he endured at MSG last month, Hunter had every reason to be off his game, but now it’s time to get back into the thick of things and make the Isles look smart for signing him to a five-year contract.

The same thing can be said for Campoli, who despite starting the season looking like to was finally ready to be the solid two-way defenseman the team is in desperate need of. With five points in his last 11 games before going down with a strained-groin on Jan. 19, Campoli was getting back to where he belonged, but with only 14 points in 40 games, he’s a long way off to getting back to his rookie numbers of nine goals and 25 assists.

Weight and Hilbert however are in very similar situations, but ones different from Hunter and Campoli, having their best seasons as pros for quite some time. Free agents at the end of the season, both of them could be on the market and could undoubtedly provide any team in the league with a more than solid number two center or depth forward capable of playing in all game situations. While Scott Gordon has stated that he is going with the youngsters more the rest of the season, I expect these two to get a ton of ice-time as the trade deadline approaches.

“It’s made the challenges of coaching the first year in the NHL and it’s allowed me to deal with adversity,” Gordon told the Associated Press right before the All-Star break. “Every team that I’ve coached, at some point you have adversity, whether it’s the loss of players, losing your goaltender, having to manage people that, at times, are unmanageable. There’s all kinds of different things that, when that year is over, you look back on it and learn from it and it makes you a better coach.”

With the amount of injuries this team has had to deal with this season, you kind of have to give Gordon a free pass. If Doug Weight and Rick DiPietro were healthy and Brendan Witt and Radek Martinek in the lineup a bit more often, I really feel that former Isles coach Ted Nolan could have gotten this team to the playoffs or pretty damn close to it. Then seeing what a positive impact Gordon had on some of the youngsters like Chris Campoli and Frans Nielsen in addition to Weight, Guerin and Trent Hunter, I really think this team could have challenged for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Yeah, I know what you’re thinking, this dude is one crazy cat, but back when Joey MacDonald was one of the NHL’s players of the month, this team was scoring enough to get by and was playing decent defense. The rest of the league, simply put, was shocked. No one wanted to admit that the New York Islanders played their tails off every night and had a decent chance at coming out with two points regardless of who they were playing.

Despite the fact of the rumors that this team may be moved and where they are in the standings right now, I feel that Gordon can be the guy to help lead them to the land of respect once again. Is it going to be a quick process? No, but the fact that Gordon isn’t letting up and is ready to continue taking the beating he’s taken this season is a good sign to me.

He’s not giving up. And if he doesn’t maybe some of the youngsters will play the same way over the last 35 games of the season and put a smile on my face a few times before the season’s over.

Just maybe.

Photo by the AHL.

Damn skippy.

I could not believe how this this team played in the first period. Sure, they missed a few golden opportunities, but to come out with a 2-0 lead against a team like the Ducks was no simple task. Seeing Kyle Okposo light the lamp from the circle on a one-timer like that is something that I want to see more of in the future. If he can continue to make the most of opportunities like that, he may find himself around the 20-goal mark.

Speaking of players that look like they’re headed down the right bath, Kurtis “Don’t call me Kirk or Brett” McLean has looked good in both ends in his two games as an Islander. Being 28, he’s got far more polish than some of the other youngsters on the team and from the looks of it, can get a good chunk of ice-time the rest of the season. That process will become an even easier one if he continues to put the puck in the back of the net as well.

Frans Nielsen is another player who I feel had some spunk last night and even though he couldn’t cash in during the first on a golden opportunity, the pass he made to McLean on his goal was exactly what I want to see from him the rest of the season.

After those goals however, I feel like the Ducks were the better team. They were getting shots on Yann Danis and if not for him and some good penalty killing by Tim Jackman in the third and good defensive composure, they may have lost the lead. Danis rebound control still needs some serious work as well, but I don’t think it held him back enough to be a huge factor. Simply put, if the defense is skating hard and clearing the crease, those opportunities aren’t an extreme factor.

Sure the Isles were out shot 38-14 up until the last two minutes of the game, but the fact that they could hold on for dear life against a team the likes of the Ducks with Trent Hunter and Doug Weight both out of the lineup shows that this team still has some heart. While the playoffs are obviously out of the question, the fact that this team isn’t looking for a hole in the woods to crawl in just yet is good for the legion of fans that still care about this team.

Quickly becoming the story over the past few weeks is the Islanders inability to produce offensively, which continued yesterday afternoon, as the Isles scored only once on 28 shots on goal.

“We’ve got to keep working hard,” Okposo told the Associated Press after the game. “We just have to get some breaks. We’re getting chances.”

Scoring a powerplay for the first time in nearly ten games, it’s obvious the Isles are missing Doug Weight. Not having Chris Campoli and Trent Hunter in the lineup either played a big factor in the why the team wasn’t on the ball offensively.

In the first period, it looked like the Islanders were going to get on the board early though, as Capitals goaltender Jose Theodore was sloshing all over the crease and was out of position. The Islanders couldn’t put one on the board and soon enough, Ovechkin lit the lamp.

Like I’ve said before, playing from behind is something the Isles cannot afford to do and as we’ve seen from the team before, making mistakes seems to be something that happens in intervals with this team.

Today was no different.

However, in spite of my less than encouraging tone lately, I’d be out of my mind to not talk about how hard this team worked on the ice against a team that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today. Sure, Ovechkin had nine shots on goal, but the rest of the team had 29 and 16 of those came from Viktor Kozlov and Brooks Laich.

Alex Semin, Chris Clark, Nicklas Backstrom, Sergei Fedorov, Michel Nylander and Mike Green had a combined five shots on goal for the game. Stopping Ovechkin isn’t going to happen obviously, but the Islanders worked hard in their own end and limited everyone else’s opportunities. That’s all you can really ask for, especially from a team in the situation the Islanders are in right now.

Speaking of all you can ask for, Yann Danis bounced back after allowing a pair of flimsy goals against the Devils the other night and played one of his best games this season. Perhaps losing Wade Dubielewicz to the Blue Jackets wasn’t so bad after all? Giving up 12 goals over his past four games, Danis has given the Isles very similar numbers to what Joey MacDonald was producing before his injury.

As I’ve mentioned before though, the one thing the Isles do need to ask for more is offense.

In the end, the choice is simple, start scoring or finish with one of the worst records in franchise history.

“We didn’t play for two periods, and that pretty much says it all,” Islanders coach Scott Gordon told the Associated Press after the Isles 3-1 loss to the Devils. “Not many teams can afford to play like we did for two periods like we did. We’re in that category.”

Well, it appears that Gordon is beginning to understand that this team cannot get by the way they are right now. They are missing a true sniper and a real goaltender and without them, every game will end the same way: with the Islanders working hard, but in the end not having the necessary tools to induce wins.

Simply put, Bill Guerin and Trent Hunter have to start producing more. When they were playing well, the team was at least hovering around .500 and the team was looking games 5-4, rather than 3-1. Now, when the defense starts to pick up their play and support the goaltender playing in front of them, the offense can’t produce. With Doug Weight and Mike Sillinger out, the Islanders are missing two very important catalysts and in order for them to be at least competitive, Guerin and Hunter have to start scoring.

You can only expect so much out of the rookies and Richard Park.

On another note, Yann Danis played well last night. However, for all the solid saves he made, he gave up two pretty bad goals. With the team’s confidence being what it is, all it takes is one bad bounce to break their hearts and deflate them. That’s exactly what happened last night.

Plus,when you make mistakes and commit turnovers with the man-advantage, you set yourself up to fail. Like I said before, when your team isn’t that good in the first place, you can’t make mistakes. I’m sure the Dave Clarkson goal was another mistake the Islanders regretted when they watched the video after the game as well.

Lastly, I think it’s safe to say Radek Martinek had his best game of the season thus far. Less pensive, more snarl and his stick was all over the ice. However, it wasn’t enough, as he was on the ice for the second New Jersey goal. His defensive partner, Brendan Witt, hasn’t been the force he was the past two seasons and couldn’t clear the crease, allowing the goal to be scored.

Just another sour note on a sour season.

Last night against the Rangers, every Islanders youngster got a hearty helping of minutes and despite the fact that they lost, the effort was there. The difference was of course was Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who was uber solid after a first period where he looked to be having problems with his rebound control and overall confidence.

So with that being said, it’s obvious that as of right now, these kids lack the polish needed to win hockey games. Most of them are still growing into their bodies or getting accustomed to the NHL game. So what can we expect the rest of the season.

A lot of losses, that’s for sure, but a lot of entertainment as well.

While veterans the likes of Mark Streit, Bill Guerin, Trent Hunter and Richard Park are obviously going to continue to get minutes in key situations, don’t be shocked to see guys like Sean Bergenheim and Josh Bailey get much more time on the powerplay. Also, with his speed and desire on the ice, Kyle Okposo would make one hell of a penalty killer, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him tried out there as well.

The way Islanders head coach Scott Gordon is talking right now, it feels like all these wild experiments will begin to take shape over the next few games.

“We used the first half of the year to allow our older players to run with it. Now we’re at the point, whether it’s our next game or a couple games after that, (where) there’s certainly going to be a bigger responsibility on our younger guys,” Gordon told the Associated Press a few days ago. “Not necessarily lineup changes, but bigger responsibilities. It’s something that I’m going to be cognizant of to make sure that (all our young guys are) moving in the direction to have a bigger impact and to have it carry over into next year.”

Exactly.

Trying all of these guys in different roles now will make next season a bit more predictable for them and help the organization truly assess where they truly belong to be. Some of these guys are going to be expected to be big parts of the team next season and if they don’t start to show some promise now, they may not be around to find out.

Grade A

Richard Park- The more I see Park, the more he reminds me of Jason Blake. People continue to count him out every chance they get and in spite of that, he continues to get better. On pace for the best season of his career, Park is an example to the league and his teammates; work hard on every shift and you’ll get rewarded. It’s too bad the majority of the team hasn’t recognized that yet.

Grade A+

Bill Guerin- On pace for another 20-goal season, Guerin has been far from terrible, but he isn’t the 30-goal scorer the team thought they were getting when they overpaid for him two seasons ago. Has he had a positive impact on the youngsters on this team? Absolutely. However, he hasn’t shown them how to win, which could create a problem for them in the future.

Grade B-

Andy Hilbert- I never would have thought Hilbert would be on pace for for a 35-40 point season. I also would have never thought I’d be anxious for him to get back in the lineup. That’s how good he’s been this season. Just like Park, he’s been a pleasure to watch and has played hard-nosed and passionate two-way hockey.

Grade A-

Trent Hunter- Starting the season the way he did, I saw Hunter scoring 30 goals for the first time in his career. However, over the past dozen or so games, he’s been a different player and hasn’t been contributing as much offensively. Sure, he does so much else for this team, but in order to be the leader this team needs in the future, he has to continue to find the back of the net.

Grade- B

Tim Jackman- The epitome of what you for from a fourth liner, Jackman has broken his hump all season long. Sure, he has problems finishing and will never be he offensive player the Blue Jackets thought he was going to be when they drafted him, but he’ll never hurt you when he’s on the ice and will do whatever it takes to stay out there.

Grade C +

Mike Comrie- If I was only grading his play since he came back from injury, it would be a completely story entirely. Battling injuries through his first stint with the team this season, Comrie was ineffective, but a serious hip injury will do that to you. If he can continue to play the way he has been since being paired with Kyle Okposo and Blake Comeau, who knows, he may land an extension or find a suitor for the playoff run.

Grade- C

Jon Sim- Despite being on pace for his usual dozen goals, Sim hasn’t been the agitator the team was looking for when they signed him. At this point, it looks like he may need a change of scenery. The only problem is no one else in the league wants him.

Grade- D+

Mike Sillinger- Two goals in seven games put him on pace for 22 if he was healthy. That’s exactly where he should be. However, it’s impossible to grade someone based on only seven games. All I know is that Sillinger is needed in the lineup and him not being there has played a big role in the team’s lack of success.

Did you just hear that? I thought I just heard the entire Montreal Canadiens organization slap itself in the face. I don’t know, maybe I’m hearing things.

Let’s not even mention the fact that he’s playing more than adequate defense despite barely playing the position at even strength last season. He’s also been a physical presence. Is he Trent Hunter on the boards or Mitch Fritz in the fighting department? Absolutely not, I doubt he’s even received a fighting major in his career, but he is able to get pucks out of the neutral zone and can clear the net, in addition to landing a hit when he has to.

That alone should make him a top candidate for the Norris trophy as the league’s top defenseman.

However, with the Islanders tanking this season, Streit’s play has gone totally unnoticed. In my opinion, not only should he be in the starting lineup for this season’s All-Star game, he should be a candidate for the Norris trophy if he keeps this play up the rest of the reason. There is no reason why he should be punished because the team he plays on can’t win hockey games. If he was playing on any other team in this league, he’d be getting articles written about him every day and would be a labeled one of the league’s newest stars.

What a shame.

The same thing happened to Adrian Aucoin a few years ago, when he was averaging close to 30 minutes a game and was easily the best two-way defenseman in the league.

Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again.

As far as I’m concerned, the only way Streit gets the award is if he can make himself the only plus player on the team and get a point a game by season’s end. If he’s at 80 points and is a +2 or +3, you’d have to be crazy not to give him that award.

But then again, this is coming from a league that has allowed only four teams to be represented in the starting lineup of the All-Star game. Asking for them to do the right thing at this point seems impossible.

Last season, Comrie started off hot because he wasn’t scared to take shots on net. No toe-drags, no fancy stick-handling moves, just plain old shooting at the net. Over the past four games, he’s done the same thing and has looked great on the puck. Simply put, he’s buzzing and has both Comeau and Okposo doing the same thing. The end result is one damn good line that played a key role in the Isles victory yesterday.

Speaking of key roles, Joey MacDonald was on his game in the first period and after a shoddy no-goal call, things could have fell apart, but they didn’t. After Brett McLean’s marker, Joey Mac was rock solid and the Islanders defense rose to the occasion, blocking shots and establishing themselves through solid passing in their own zone. When you do that, you make the goaltender’s work a whole lot easier. Thankfully, that was the case yesterday afternoon.

Add in another quality game from Mark Streit and what I consider a turning point game for Sean Bergenheim and you get enough to ensure an Isles victory.

Smith’s debut- With Trent Hunter and Mike Sillinger out of the lineup, Trevor Smith made his NHL debut and truth be told, I really like the kid. Forget about the fact that he’s wearing my favorite number on the back of his jersey, he’s got a lot of spunk and has a nose for the net. I got a feeling he may be someone that Islander fans may get to know a bit better over the next few weeks.

On another note, I just want to say that while I love the work of Howie Rose on Islanders telecasts, I loved hearing Jiggs McDonald yesterday. I know I say it every time he’s back with the Isles, but that’s only because it’s true. With everything that’s gone on with his life over the past few weeks, it’s great to see him in on TV doing what I feel he’s one of the best in the world at.

Even in my darkest days as an Islanders fan, I’ve never seen things turn this sour. I mean, things were awfully bad during Butch Goring’s tenure as coach, but let’s be honest here, those teams had no chance. They were full of youngsters, with washed-up veterans that wanted nothing but a paycheck. There was no Bill Guerin, Brendan Witt or Trent Hunter. However, in spite of the markedly different lineup the Islanders have this season, things feel just as dire.

Taking a look at some of my old posts, particularly the “Worst Case Scenario” post I did before the season started, I came to see that this is in-fact the worst case scenario for this team right now.

Don’t believe me? Take a look at this I came up before the season started:

1- A change in philosophy if the team is close to a playoff spot at the trading deadline
2- Radek Martinek or Brendan Witt going down for any prolonged period of time
3- An uber inefficient powerplay…again
4- Rushing Josh Bailey
5-Mike Sillinger misses most of the season again
In my “Hopes for 2009” post, I outlined five things I wanted to see this season.
Take a look at this list:
1- Kyle Okposo’s continued development.
2- Jeff Tambellini solidifying a role on the team.

3- Bill Guerin and Doug Weight having solid seasons.

4- Chris Campoli and Mark Streit both become factors on the powerplay.
5- Rick DiPietro stays healthy all season.
Taking a look at these two lists, it’s easy to see that this season, so far, has been an absolute disaster. Aside from Weight and Streit playing well, everything else has fell to pieces. KO has been on the shelf too long to really assess, while injuries to Sillinger, DiPietro, Witt and Martinek have decimated the Islanders defensive ability, character and most importantly, heart. Tambellini’s play has been a joke as well, while Witt’s comments have shown some unwillingness in the Isles’ Over-Speed system.
With that being said, I take us back to the original question I proposed: When will this losing streak come to an end?
While I’ve been willing to throw around my opinion with a certain amount of confidence all season, regardless of the outcome, this is one that I have no idea on. I really wish I did.
Only the Islanders know the answer right now.

I’m not even sure on that one either.

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.”

If any of the other team’s in the league didn’t pick up the one time All-Star, it was because he was coming off the worst season of his career and one that made it look like he was on his last leg.

That’s why many GM’S around the league and Islander fans alike thought Islanders management was crazy when they were the ones that brought him in this summer. However, Weight has easily been the team’s best player this season and has already proved his value, scoring 27 points in 30 games, two more than he scored of all last season.

Number don’t tell the whole story though. Simply put, you couldn’t ask for more from this guy. Alongside Streit, Weight has been something special on the powerplay and has done everything in his power to make sure the Islanders don’t embarrass themselves every night.

Now he’s just four points away from a milestone that every single hockey player from Pee Wee’s to Pros, dreams about.

1,000 points.

There’s just one problem, the Islanders are beginning to make good on the thoughts of every wannabe NHL pundit on the Internet and are playing themselves in a whole that not even the Disney version of the Might Ducks could get themselves out of. Sure they have Weight, who is their Charlie Conway and Trent Hunter, Bill Guerin and Streit are having solid seasons, but this team needs a lot more and fast or else this season is over.

And before the All-Star break.

That’s what makes this guy’s achievement a little bittersweet.

Even though Weight is a fun-loving guy who having a good time this season, you get the feeling that things could be so much better if the Islanders started winning.

“To play as long as I have and to be successful and to be coming up on that mark, I’m very proud of it and very excited about it,” Weight told Newsday. “It sounds like I’m answering in the politically correct way, but I want to mix it in with some wins. It’s more enjoyable around your team.”

It’s not like we didn’t all see this coming though, as all the fan boy blogs and even the guys secretly pulling for the team were hesitant to say where they thought this team was going to finish this season. A few weeks ago, I thought this team had the sneakiness to get into the playoffs.

Now it looks like Weight’s moment may be ruined.

What can the Islanders do to change that?

Where is the passion? Where is the intensity?

In the end, it was a better effort than what they put forth against the Penguins, but it’s not anywhere where it should be.

The game started off extremely slow, with both teams feeling each other out, making me wonder when either team was going to “show up.” Rick Nash scored a goal early on that got disallowed and Tim Jackman had a golden opportunity of his own as well, but Columbus goaltender Steve Mason had his number, making that listless feeling I had in my gut stick around a bit longer.

The second period felt similar until the Blue Jackets got on the board and the Islanders started to show their true colors. Only 11 shots through the midway point of the game, Mason wasn’t exactly busy. It’s not like they didn’t have chances though. Simply put, the Islanders powerplay just wasn’t getting it done and whenever they had an angle on a shot, they were shooting the puck right into Mason’s chest, rather than make him work.

The line of Doug Weight, Trent Hunter and Blake Comeau was buzzing at times, but they weren’t able to finish. Mark Streit too had a few opportunities, but was unsuccessful. After Jason Chimera skated past everyone on the ice and scored the Blue Jackets second goal of the night, everything looked like it was about to fall apart.

The look on Scott Gordon’s face was the same exact look on my face after Nate Thompson took a penalty less than a minute after the goal. Unfortunately, I was at my girlfriend’s house, so I couldn’t assault her animals or scream. So instead, I was forced to grind my teeth.

Then, out of nowhere, Richard “I never stop hustling” Park potted a short-handed goal that got the Islanders back in the game.

My girlfriend’s animals were without a doubt safe now, as were my teeth.

After the period was over and C.J. Papa interviewed Park and I listened to him speak candidly about the team’s attitude right now, I felt that maybe, just maybe, things could turn around in the third.

The way Joey MacDonald was playing early in the period nearly cemented that notion, but the Isles couldn’t get one past the goal line. The lines were mixed up for the period as well and Tim Jackman and Comeau [who has to sharpen his skates or get some new ones!] as well as Weight and Bill Guerin had a few chances. But again, things just couldn’t go their way.

Another Blue Jacket goal with just about nine minutes to go cemented another Islanders loss, making this writer consider wishing upon a star, to Santa Claus, or anyone one else with the ability to change this team’s luck, hoping for something to change soon.

But what can be done?

“What do you do?”

The question here has nothing to do with saving a bus with a bomb on it or saving humanity from aliens.

In fact, it is much more important than that.

What do you do when your team just isn’t good enough?

In all honesty, I hate writing things like this, especially about the one and only team that I still root for. Being a journalist does that to you after a while though, especially after you’ve covered a few teams in a few different sports like I have. But I digress, this site is supposed to give me the carte blanche to express myself without any journalistic veil over my eyes, or my heart. Rather than wax any more formalities, let me just get down to business.

Over the past few games, I can’t escape the feeling that this team just isn’t good enough. Six games ago, I felt like they could sneak into the playoffs. No other team, not even the Mets, has ever made me feel that way so quickly. Why? I’ll tell you exactly why. They have to play close to perfect hockey every night and hope the opposition plays poorly. In a league with the kind of parity the NHL has, that’s just not going to happen.

It took one of the biggest bloopers in NHL history for the Islanders to beat a team like the Canadiens and even a sloppy period and a half by a solid team like the Flyers wasn’t good enough.

It also feels like a lot of players are playing better hockey this season than they were before and it’s still not good enough. So far this season, Andy Hilbert has gone above and beyond anything anyone could have expected him to do and the Isles still can’t get to .500. Richard Park gives his heart on every single shift too an he too can’t give this team the spark they so desperately need.

So what can the Isles do?

I personally believe that the Isles have to combine the quality play of guys like Trent Hunter, Bill Guerin, Doug Weight and Mark Streit with youngsters and struggling veterans like Jon Sim, Sean Bergenheim and Josh Bailey. Put players in a situation where they have someone who is going to push them hard on every shift, so that they are accountable for all of their actions.

Here are the lines I believe could get this team going.

Forwards

Comeau- Weight- Guerin
Bergenheim- Bailey- Hunter
Hilbert- Sillinger- Park
Fritz [now that Sim has been put on waivers]- Thompson [once he comes back from the flu]- Jackman

Defense

Witt- Streit
Campoli-Meyer
Sutton- Pock/Callahan

I don’t know what else could be done at this point guys. Simply put, they are running out of excuses.

They got back in the game a few times, following nice goals by Bill Guerin and Mike Sillinger, but not once did it feel like they were headed in the right direction.

The reason for the most part I believe was the defense left Joey MacDonald out to dry… again. Every goal the Maple Leafs scored was due to a miscue on the Islanders defense. By the time Jeremy Williams scored his first NHL goal, it was painfully obvious that the Isles defense needed to get back to basics and simply watch for the back door pass and eliminate they space they offered the Leafs.

On offense, I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the changes in the forward lines Islanders head coach Scott Gordon made before the game. I know Sillinger has had chemistry with Trent Hunter and Andy Hilbert, but there was “real” chemistry starting to develop between he and Josh Bailey. I know the team is pressed for offense over the past few games, but that was a combination I wouldn’t have played around with.

All night, I just felt like there was too much of a feeling out process going on between most of the new lines, which was just one of the reasons why there was a huge gap in third period where the Islanders couldn’t complete a pass.

That combined with the sloppy defense really put the Isles in a situation where they couldn’t muster enough energy to get the W.

On a positive note, I really liked the way Richard Park and Blake Comeau played last night. Regardless of the score, they were making smart plays in both ends. The same thing goes for Tim Jackman who continues to make something out of nothing every night. He’s kind of like a slinky that you never think will be able to make it down the stairs, but surprises you every time.

Unfortunately, as a team recently, the Isles haven’t shown the passion or intensity to make it down a pair of steps, nevertheless a flight of them.

Something has to change soon.

On another note, what is going on with Ian White and Ryan Hollweg? They look like a combination of the Super Mario Bros and legendary porn star Ron Jeremy with those mustaches. Scary stuff if you ask me. However, even more scarier were a few questionable hits by Hollweg in the game, one that caused a scrap between he and Nate Thompson, who ironically left the game with the flu shortly thereafter [maybe it had to do with seeing that wad of facial hair up-close]. Simply put, this guy has had a history of hitting from behind and one day, he’ll be just as vilified as Chris Simon, the guy that went over the line on him a few years ago.

Mark my words.

Great, just great.

In all fairness, Okposo was starting to play well, especially alongside another first rounder in Josh Bailey, but he wasn’t playing like Mike Bossy. He wasn’t playing like Steve Thomas either. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t even in Wendel Clark’s league. Nevertheless, for a short while, it was pretty entertaining to see what the future could look like with those two on the ice together. At any rate, those euphoric desires will have to be quenched in other ways until he’s healthy again.

Luckily, Trent Hunter is easily having the best season of his career and is finally taking more high quality shots. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, even though he’s a good defensive forward and doesn’t have great skating ability, this guy is not a third liner. Anything but. He should be a 20 goal guy every season, regardless of who he plays with, especially with his stick handling ability and shot. On pace for 30 biscuits potted thus far, the next Islander captain [or maybe Witt] is proving that you can be a good player with an abundance of grit and hard work.

The same thing goes for Bill Guerin, Doug Weight, Andy Hilbert and Mark Streit, who are all proving that they can produce the way Islanders management believes they can. Once the majority of the youngsters do, I think this team is going to be a lot of fun to watch. Once Comrie and Okposo come back as well, I really feel that the Islanders can have four solid lines that can contribute on both sides of the ice. That may mean that a guy Jeff Tambellini would ride the pine in favor of someone who shows up every night and wants to play like Tim Jackman [or maybe Blake Comeau]. Some people may not like that, but in the end, those are the breaks baby.

You can only implement a true youth movement with players that are truly ready or close to. While Sean Bergenheim and Chris Campoli [and even Okposo and Frans Neilsen before they got injured] have shown flashes of brilliance, Tamby looks like he playing Dungeons and Dragons out there. No poise or drive. He either takes chances in both ends, trying to make the big play, or takes garbage shots that have no chance at going in, effectively rolling the dice with his chances of getting quality ice-time.

If he continues along these lines, he’ll not only lose ice time, he may lose his spot on the roster as well.

Even without Chris Clark, Sergei Fedorov, Alex Semin and Mike Green, Ovechkin played his heart out, using his body and his stick in a game the Islanders never had a chance in.

Even though they showed some moxie battling back, the Islanders didn’t put up a fight in front of the net, leaving Joey MacDonald, who played his tail off, despite giving up four goals, out to dry. It didn’t help matters either that he couldn’t get his stick in front of a Donald Brashear tip that ended up putting the game away.

In spite of that, the Islanders lost this game way before Brashear’s goal. Way too many penalties and a general lack of hustle in their own end early on gave both Ovechkin and his teammates the confidence they needed to get ahead. Then, once the Islanders got back into the game, they made their biggest mistake of the night.

They made Ovechkin angry.

And obviously, they didn’t like him when he was angry. [Is it kind of a freak coincidence that AO and the Hulk have the same haircut?]

Sillinger’s first game back- Overall, I think there was a bit of tentativeness on his part, but it wasn’t anything you wouldn’t see from any player that’s played his first game in close to a year. In a few more games however, we’ll get to see what he’s capable of now with his surgically repaired hip.

For the Islanders sake and his, I hope he can get going. If he score 35-40 points the rest of the way, a lot of pressure gets taken off the backs of players like Bill Guerin, Doug Weight and Trent Hunter.

In other news, I recently interviewed Ranger old timer Nick Fotiu at Aviator Arena while covering the Brooklyn Aces for Bay Currents Newspaper and asked him a few questions about one of the best rivalries in sports today.

The Drive for Five- You played for the Rangers when the Islanders rivalry was at it’s All-Time high. Was there a player on the Islanders that you couldn’t wait to get in a scrap with or lay a big hit on?

Fotiu- Not really. I actually really had a lot of respect for those guys. Bobby Nystrom and Clark Gillies especially were really tough players that you had to work your hardest against if you were going to be succesful. Actually, the team’s coach now, Scotty Gordon, I coached Nashville Tennessee.

TDFF- What was it like to be a part of that rivalry?

Fotiu- It was really tough hockey. It was a war. A lot of hard-hitting and great goaltending. Every time the Islanders and Rangers played, it was like the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

You can read the rest of the interview on my Brooklyn Aces site, AcesoverBrooklyn.com

If Josh Baily was a wrestler, he’d have all of those things, averaging over 17 minutes of ice time over his past six games and quickly earning the faith of Isles head coach Scott Gordon after notching five assists in his first 10 games in the NHL.

Things didn’t feel that way for Bailey however, as he feels he’s just starting to get comfty on the Island.

“Obviously, there were times I was sitting in my hotel room thinking it was almost a matter of time before I went back to junior,” Bailey told the Associated Press. “Once they told me I was staying … I told them I’m starting to get my confidence as a player.”

I’ve said before that I really like the chemistry between Doug Weight and Bill Guerin this season, but the line of Trent Hunter, Andy Hilbert and Bailey have been pretty damn solid as well. Once Sillinger comes back [he's expected to play on Thursday] the Isles have two options. They can either put Silly on a line with whoever is left from the third and fourth line, possibly Jon Sim and Jeff Tambellini, leaving the fourth line to be a solid trio of Richard Park, Nate Thompson and Tim Jackman, or they can reunite Sillinger with his old linemates in Hunter and Hilbert and see if Bailey’s play making ability can wake up Tambellini and keep Jon Sim at a 15-20 goal pace.

Either way, it should be fun to watch.

From the looks of it, Gordon feels the same way.

“I think it really comes down to the maturity of the player, and Josh is a mature player and person,” Gordon told the AP. “Like I said, he’s done everything right that we’ve asked him to do … Whoever he’s going to play with down the road is going to be a better player because he’s one of those players who can make something out of nothing. That’s an exciting thing to have because those players are hard to find.”

For my money, I’d love to see Bailey continue to work with Hunter and Hilbert. Once Kyle Okposo and Mike Comrie come back, the Isles offense can be shaken up a bit so they get the most bang for their buck, but as of right now, I wouldn’t want to mess with a good thing.

Once they get as close to completely healthy and some of the youngsters begin to get more comfortable as well , I really think this team can gain the respect of the rest of the league.

However, as we’ve seen before, playing 500 hockey may not be good enough to make the playoffs anymore in the NHL. I’ve also said before that if this team is healthy, I feel they can make the playoffs, but it’s really a toss up at this point. Overall, this team has to commit itself to staying with their game plan. That means the forecheck has to be consistent for 60 minutes. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been as repetitive as a Green Day hook, constantly saying these things. I’m sick of it. From the look on some of the veteran’s faces on Wednesday, I can tell they’re sick of it too. There’s only so much they can do though. The same thing goes for the host of role players on this team. Richard Park, Jon Sim, Sean Bergenheim and Andy Hilbert aren’t 30-goal scorers and even though they work their tails off every night, I really feel that this team needs a career year out of these guys for this team to really be able to compete with the rest of this league.

So how does this relate to the Boston Bruins?

Just like the Isles, the Bruins lost a tough game their last time out, but overall, this is a much better team. 8-1-1 over their past ten games, Boston has one of the league’s most underrated, yet effective playmakers in Marc Savard and Phil Kessel, who finally seems to be coming into his own. Patric Bergeron, Milan Lucic, Blake Wheeler and David Krejci aren’t to be underestimated either, as they have legitimate talent and are more than just spare parts. Add in a dominate duo in net between Manny Fernandez and Tim Thomas and it’s easy to see that the Islanders can and will be in deep trouble if they don’t commit themselves to working extremely hard in both ends of the ice.

Then something started to happen. After blowing a handful of third period leads, they woke up and decided to play as a cohesive unit and since then, they’ve won four out of their last five games.

Sure, they still don’t have a legitimate sniper or a point a game player, but they have enough pieces and have enough depth at defense that if they continue to play this way, they can surprise a few people.

Andy Hilbert, Doug Weight and Trent Hunter look like they’ve been reinvigorated under Scott Gordon and are proving they either are capable of more than they’ve produced in years past or their back to where they should be. In the case of Hilbert, it’s great to see the guy on pace for a 15 goal, 35 point season. I’ve said plenty of times on this site that that’s where he should be and considering what a solid job he does in the defensive end, he and Richard Park could give the team a great tandem of role players that can contribute on both ends of the ice. Weight and Hunter are both coming off years that they know they’re better than and have responded marvelously this season.

Weight looks like he did with the Blues a few years ago and looks extremely solid with Bill Guerin, who has looked good too. Hunter has been picking his shots much better than he did last season, when it felt like he was simply peppering the net. Scoring 25 goals his rookie season, Hunter should be around that total every season. I’m so sick of pundits calling him a defensive forward. The guy’s a power forward who needs someone to feed him the puck. Frans Neilsen was doing a good job of that through the early season and his injury may stunt Hunter a bit, but I feel as if he’s confident right now and will continue to produce in spite of the Great Dane’s absence.

Guys like Sean Bergenheim and Jon Sim are too proving that they can be depended on, but still have a ways to go to establish themselves. Both have great wrist shots, can skate and play a physical game, which makes them tailor-made for Gordon’s system; they just have to continue to work hard and I’m sure the goals for both of them will be there. Surely nothing in the 30-goal range of course, but if they continue to skate and get some time on the powerplay, I don’t see any reason why the both of them can’t score 15-20 goals each.

Nonetheless, the Islanders offense is still missing key contributors in Kyle Okposo, Mike Comrie and Mike Sillinger. Once those guys get back and can be healthy, the Isles offense can go from mediocre to surprising. I mean lets be fair here, this team is never going to be the Detroit Red Wings on offense, but combined with their defense and provided they continue to get the defense they have over the past few games, they can squeak into the playoffs.

Yes, I said it.

Can’t believe I did, but I did.

Scary thing is I know it’s not the Kool-aid talking either.

Sure, Mike Comrie is still nursing a hip problem and Kyle Okposo will be out for at least a week with arm problems of his own, but as I’ve said before, this team’s defense is much more important than the offense. The way Comrie and Okposo have played this season as well makes their absence from the lineup not as big a deal as it could have been if they were producing.

As long as the defense supports Joey MacDonald and he can see the puck, the Islanders should be in decent shape. The way some of the role players have responded the past few games, guys like Frans Neilsen, Jon Sim and Tim Jackman especially, it feels like this team will find a way to produce enough offense to win. That’s not something I would have gone out of my way to say a few weeks ago, but if this team continues to skate and draw penalties, I feel that players will score for this team.

Kind of funny how a few hard-earned wins will change someone’s mind eh?

With KO out, Newsday beat reporter Greg Logan believes the Isles will have an emergency callup from Bridgeport will be made, but didn’t give any ideas as to whom it might be. My money is either on Blake Comeau, who many feel should have made the team out of camp this season and has 11 points in 13 games this season, or Mike Iggulden who has 20 points in 18 games. That doesn’t mean the Isles won’t take the safer route though and go with a guy like Kurtis McLean, who also has 20 points, but is a bit older than both Comeau and Iggulden.

Regardless of who joins the team, I think that players like Trent Hunter and Doug Weight will have to continue to lead the team offensively, while Radek Martinek and Witt will have to jump right into the thick of things. These guys don’t have the luxury of waiting a few games to find themselves. The team’s top defensive duo, they will have to be on top of their game against New Jersey on Friday. Winning three in a row, the Isles have to maintain this type of play until they get healthy again.

Then after that, we’ll see what this team can really do.

After the powerplay and Joey MacDonald ran rampant the other night, Islander fans now a tiny morsel of hope. Can the powerplay continue to produce? Can Joey MacDonald do his best Wade Dubielewicz impersonation? Can Trent Hunter pretend he’s in .38 Special and “Get Back to where He Belongs” [being the 20 goal scorer every Islander fan knows he should be]? Alright, enough with the 80s music references. In all seriousness, if the Isles can commit themselves to playing smart defense and can take advantage of mistakes on the powerplay, they can play with any team in this league.

It’s just a matter of the stars being aligned properly for those to happen on a consistent basis.

What I’m looking for the most in this game is for the Islanders to come out strong and take the body. Without Brendan Witt, they are really missing their best physical presence and I think some rough stuff could open up the ice more for guys like Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey.

Speaking of Bailey, it should be interesting where he ends up tonight, although from what Islanders head coach Scott Gordon said the other night, it’s a pretty safe bet were he’ll be.

“Just watching what I saw from Josh the other night (against Philadelphia), it was an opportunity to see what he can do with Kyle and see how it goes,” Gordon told the AP. “We have a lot of young wingers that have offensive potential, but the reality is we don’t have that high-end playmaking center. So, when we look at Josh and what he brings to the table, he has a different element than Richard Park or Nate Thompson, and with Mike (Comrie) being out of the lineup (with a hip injury), it opens up a hole for us.”

Kind of a smack in the face to Frans Neilsen, but it’s the truth. While I think if he continues to develop, Neilsen could be a 30 assist guy in the NHL, Bailey has the pedigree this team is looking for right now. He is the playmaker they need in the lineup, especially without Mike Comrie and Mike Sillinger out as well, who aren’t playmakers and are more of the dangler-type. If he can open some eyes during the rest of this mini-tryout, it’s going to be very interesting what this team decides to do with him next season.

At any rate, we’ll see what he comes up with tonight.

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.

Something needs to be done so this team can hold a lead. They play well for 40 minutes and then fall to pieces like a house of cards. They seem so oblivious on the ice, that I’ve seen Kevin Federline speak at Harvard with more poise.

The even scarier thing though is in reality, what can this team possibly do to stop this? It’s not like a trade is going to solve this problem. If someone gets benched, who comes in that can fill shoes? No one. This team has to win with what they have right now. If they don’t, this season is over.

No its, ands or buts about it.

As bad as the Isles have played though, there are players doing the right thing on the ice.

Guys like Doug Weight and Tim Jackman came to play last night. Speaking of Jackman, maybe he’ll finally got it into his system what he has to do in order to stay in this league the rest of the season. Aside from Trent Hunter and Bill Guerin, the Isles don’t have many players that can crash the net and get garbage goals [one of the reasons why I'm still heavily pissed that they let Mark Parrish sign with the Dallas Stars]. A guy like Jackman could provide a lift and help this team get a few ugly ones to keep them above water.

Another guy that was sound last night was Andy Hilbert. On pace for an 18-goal season, if Hilbert can keep this type of play up, I may not rag on him so much. While that alone isn’t enough for him to be consistent, it’s great to see him contributing more on offense. The numbers that he put up in the AHL, I don’t think it’s asking too much for this guy to score 15 goals a season. Everyone knows he works hard, he just has to finish. So far this season, he’s done a much better job of that.

With their next game against the Flyers on Tuesday, things need to change and change fast.

The first period was a toss up, but the Islanders were holding their own. Aside from a bad change that resulted in Slava Kozlov’s goal, the Isles were in fact the better team out there. Over a 17-second span in the second period however, the Isles took control of the game behind Frans Neilsen, who has to continue to play this way if this team is ever going to back to .500 this season and Trent Hunter, who hasn’t been this solid since his rookie year.

Nevertheless, the Islanders found a way to cough this one up.

As I’ve said before, this team cannot make mistakes in the defensive end, especially without three good defensemen on the shelf in Radek Martinek, Brendan Witt and Freddy Meyer. Andy Sutton has been solid since he came back, but everyone else on the defense has to commit themselves to playing well for the entire 60 minutes. Weak penalties like the ones Mark Streit and Joey Macdonald took later on in the game are prime examples of what the Islanders need to stay away from if they are going to turn this season around.

Speaking of MacDonald, I think that while last night wasn’t one of his best games, he did what he’s done for most of the season: keep this team in a game for the entire 60 minutes. As a goalie, especially on a team like the Islanders, that is all you can really do. Asking for anything more from Mac would be crazy.

In the end, I think Islanders color commentator Billy Jaffe said it best during the postgame show; this team needs to cut out the garbage and commit themselves to playing non-stop, in your face, heavy puck pursuit hockey. Anything less from them is going to result in the same thing that has been happening almost every single night this season. I think the fans of this team have already started catching on to that.

On another note, while Kyle Okposo was buzzing a bit at times, he still has yet to establish himself on the ice. I know getting switched to the left side can be an adjustment for any player, nevertheless, a rookie, but he has to start producing. The same thing goes for Jeff Tambellini, who I feel the fan base and coaching staff have already given up on and as soon as Sean Bergenheim gets rid of the flu bug he caught, Tamby will be back to being a fourth liner, or even worse, a healthy scratch.

If hearts grew on trees, the only person who would be able to grow said tree would of course be number 10 himself.

After starting their season in most dismal fashion, Park and the boys from Long Island have rebounded quite nicely, playing well enough to win and providing some spunk in the process. Despite some bumps in the round in the third period on Monday and a scary last minute at MSG last night, the Isles have their first winning streak of the season.

While guys like Park, Trent Hunter and Bill Guerin have stepped up their play as of late, Joey MacDonald kept the Isles in both games this week and has been a key reason why this team is treading water for the moment. At 4-4, MacDonald has played his part in relieving the injured Rick DiPietro.

Simply put, there’s nothing else more he could do at this point. Despite not hugging the post and having inferior footwork in the crease through a few of his losses, MacDonald looked stellar last night, making a handful of spectacular saves. Let’s be fair here, despite a nasty loss to the Leafs the other night, the Rangers have been one of the best teams in the league this season. Because of that, this was easily one of the biggest wins of the season.

Overall, the Islanders played like a team and players stepped up and that’s why they ended up with two points. Nate Thompson is now my favorite Alaskan [next to the uber-sexy Sarah Palin of course.], due to the fact that he not only got one shorthanded when the team needed it, but I think you’d agree that the way he did it was insane. Most players would have given up on that play, but he showed the moxie to keep his legs moving and finish the play [in mid-air nonetheless] he started that Frans Neilsen couldn’t finish. Good work Nate.

Speaking of Tambellini, the kid showed some fire last night in dropping the gloves. He also finished a few checks. Nonetheless, this kid has to score. Otherwise, he goes right back to being a healthy scratch when Sean Bergenheim gets back from the flu.

Now with a day off before their next game, the Isles can concentrate on facing another high energy team in the Atlanta Thrashers and proving that last night was no fluke.

The game wasn’t all peaches and cream though.

Scary stuff indeed.

Just when you think this team has a game all sewed up, they play down to level of their opponents. If this team is going to get back to .500, things like this cannot happen. See how fast this team sinks tomorrow night against the Rangers if they pull these same type of shenanigans.

Nevertheless, there were several positives to take from this game.

1- Trent Hunter had a solid game.

That’s not to say that he hasn’t been playing well this season, but I feel he needed a multi-point game to really get him going on a consistent basis. In addition, he was taking the body and was in front of the net. Again, if this team is going to be better than average this season and with Rick DiPietro out for the next six weeks, Hunter has to continue to produce.

2- Bill Guerin had a solid game.

The same thing goes for Guerin. That breakaway goal was a thing of beauty just for the simple fact that the Islanders captain isn’t the type of player that is known for deking out goaltenders. Again, much like Hunter, Guerin is going to have to stretch his mold and be more than the player he’s known for. Asking something like that from a player at Guerin’s age may be a bit too outlandish, but who would have thought Doug Weight would be playing as well as he is right now? If he can do it, why can’t Guerin?

3- Richard Park finished!

This guy works so hard on the ice and it was great to see him pot one. Another guy the Islanders need to produce offensively, I don’t see any reason why Park can’t score 15 goals and add 20 helpers this season.

4- Campoli breaks out finally.

The way the Islanders offense is built, guys like Chris Campoli and Mark Streit can really benefit if they’re proactive and take shots. That was definitely the case tonight.

Sound bite of the night: Islanders color commentator Bill Jaffe went on the big tirade in the second period, comparing Jeff Tambellini to Andy Hilbert. I know what point that he was trying to make, saying that Tambellini needed to find himself as a player, but comparing Tambo to Hilbert isn’t in the best interest of either player. Tambellini has a much better shot and pales in comparison to being the defender Hilbert is. Aside from their inability to produce offensively, they are two different players.

While many already believe this team is done for the season, which as of right now I’d have to agree and say the John Tavares sweepstakes are looking like a done deal, the Isles played hard against a good Philly team and may in fact just need a few more games to really get things going.

On another note, please don’t even get me started with Rick DiPietro being put on IR on Thursday. All it does is prove that something else is going on and of course the fans of this team are left in the dust. My hunch is that DP is seriously injured and the team would rather keep fans out of the loop as to not make it look like they are giving up on the season.

From the way they’ve played thus far this season, it looks like exactly that.

This has nothing to do with Scott Gordon, but the Islanders youngsters have looked out of place and aside from a handful of guys that bust their humps on every shift, guys like Doug Weight, Trent Hunter and Mark Streit immediately come to mind, the Islanders are a team that has to play perfect hockey in order to win against even the most mediocre of teams.

They cannot commit costly penalties and must convert on the powerplay. Otherwise, every game will end in 7-1 loss or a 3-2 squeaker that could have been saved if they had a legitimate sniper and a defense.

Simply put, I haven’t seen an Islanders team this bad since the year before they picked up Mike Peca and Alexei Yashin.

So against a Montreal team that is red-hot, the chances of the Isles squeaking out a win solely depend on how badly this team wants to be considered more than failure. It’s completely up to them.

Sink or swim guys.

Sink or swim.

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.

There’s a reason why the Rangers are in first place and there’s a reason why the Isles have only two wins through eight games this season.

Goaltending and offense my friends. Something the Isles don’t have much of right now.

Through the first 40 minutes though, the Islanders looked like they were holding their own. Kyle Okposo, despite flubbing a few golden opportunities through he first half of the first period, really stepped up his game and easily had his best contest of the season. See what happens when this kid gets his legs moving and isn’t scared to initiate contact in the corners? The same thing goes for Frans Nielsen, who was all over the puck through the first two periods.

Speaking of solid performances tonight, Mark Streit was on top of his game as well. With seven points in eight games, the guy is doing everything he can on both ends of the ice to keep this team alive. Even his defense has been better than expected, as he’s did a solid job of clearing the crease, in addition to his prowess on the powerplay.

If there were anything really positive to take from this game, those would have to be it.

On the negative side, Joey MacDonald, while playing decent overall, has got to improve his play with traffic in front of the crease and with loose pucks around him. The Rangers first goal tonight was one that any decent goaltender in this league would have stopped. That’s not to say that Joey Mac isn’t a good netminder, he just has one glaring weakness that needs to be addressed and addressed soon.

Something else that needs to be addressed is the play of Jeff Tambellini. This guy has to get going offensively and soon. He’s taking shots, but isn’t getting any lucky bounces or help. I say throw him on a line with Mike Comrie and Kyle Okposo. Trent Hunter and Nielsen aren’t bad guys to play with, but the combination of speed and offensive ability that Comrie and Okposo have may give Tamby a bit more room on the ice to thrive.

In injury news, it seems that Freddy Meyer is only going to be day to day with an abdominal injury. Nothing against Brett Skinner, but Meyer was playing solid hockey before his injury and with Radek Martinek, Brendan Witt [who allegedly will be out for the next four weeks]and Andy Sutton all out of the lineup, the Isles need all the help they can get.

I personally feel like DP has never been healthy this season and has tried to play through whatever has been ailing him. Either that or his conditioning is so poor that he ended up getting injured again. At any rate, at least the drama is over Yann Danis is in town and the Isles are going to have to step it up on both ends if they are planning to pick up any points against the Rangers today.

With Andy Sutton, Mike Sillinger, Radek Martinek, Brendan Witt and now DP out of the lineup, let me be the first to stop the obscure terms given out by the organization and that the Islanders are suffering from a “heart and soul” injury and the estimated time out of the lineup for “heart and soul” may be the start of the 2009-2010 season. Last season, the Islanders were in the hunt until about the last 20 games, when injuries completely took over. That made one think that if they were healthy and the youngsters stepped it up, this team could still be competitive.

However, with guys like Kyle Okposo and Fran Nielsen looking out of place through their first handful of games as full-time NHlers, the Islanders are sinking faster than a fat man’s face in a gallon of Edy’s ice cream. Simply put, these youngsters have to play their hearts out over the next 70 plus games or else this season is over.

With that being said, the Islanders need players like Doug Weight, Mark Streit, Bill Guerin and Trent Hunter to continue to play well and produce. These guys are the ones that have to set an example for the youngsters like Okposo, Neilsen and Jeff Tambellini, who for the most part, have looked lost this season.

Games against the Rangers are always a good way to rile up the team, so here’s to hoping tonight does the same thing. I don’t know about you, but a two-goal game from a youngster and a few powerplay tallies would be a good sign of things to come if you ask me.

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.

If the Islanders offense could have gotten something going, this game could have been won. However, they didn’t have the same jump in their step they had against the Lightning. It just felt like every time they got a cycle going in the offensive zone, someone committed a turnover or failed to pull the trigger. Simply put, many of the youngsters have to shoot the puck more and stop hesitating. There were a few instances last night where that happened and it ended up costing the Islanders the game. If this team is going to battle for the last playoff spot this season, they have to finish on offense. That didn’t happen last night.

And therein lies the biggest problem with this team this season; they don’t have a bona fide finisher aside from Bill Guerin. So they have to get the youngsters and guys like Andy Hilbert, Trent Hunter and Richard Park to pot in a few every time they get a chance. Otherwise, this is going to be a very long season.

The only line that really had their legs in my mind last night was the Jon Sim, Guerin and Doug Weight line, who were buzzing in the offensive end, making passes and taking shots when they had to. However, Panthers goaltender Tomas Vokoun battled back after a less than mediocre appearance against the Wild a few days back and shut them down. Even a pair of powerplay opportunities couldn’t get this team going on offense. Because of how dormant the sticks were last season, I’m sure many fans are hoping that the team doesn’t fall into the same rut they did last season. If they do, things could end up even worse. Remember, this team doesn’t have the depth on the forward lines they had last season either.

The defense, aside from a few terrible passes in his own end by Thomas Pock, the Islanders defense was pretty solid. Again, their play in front of the crease needs to improve, but they weren’t allowing as many second chances as they were in the other games they’ve played this season.

That was one of the only real positives I could take out of last night’s game.

Looks like Scott Gordon is going to have some video to watch this week before the team’s net game with the Dallas Stars.

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.

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.

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.

From the look of it so far, it looks like the team is diggin’ it.

“The essence of the style is to be constantly moving and getting the puck up the ice quickly. It’s all about high speed with and without the puck and putting pressure on the opposition. “It was a long night for the wingers when we played against Providence in the past,” said Tambellini on the team’s official website on Sunday. “The defensemen sat right up on the wingers when we tried to get the puck out. It’s a very fluid system that Gordon implements. It keeps the opposition from having too much time with the puck. We’re all going to have to be skating at top speed.”

Sounds to me that every player on this team is going to have pest-like characteristics then. With a lack of a true first-line center and a first line in general, this may work out well. Again however, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about guys like Hunter, Guerin and Weight getting comfortable. Over the years, I’ve seen guys [take Markus Naslund for instance] get their style cramped when a new coach came in with a new style, so I really don’t want to see guys games get hurt to their point where they are ineffective.

On the other hand, you’d have to think that after the relatively mediocre offensive production this team had last season, that a guy like Hunter or Guerin that have the talent to score 25 to 30 goals in this league if they get hot, are willing to try anything.

With that being said, I think this system to tailor-made for getting the most out of players like Richard Park, Sean Bergenheim, Frans Neilsen, Andy Hilbert and Jon Sim. I even feel that Mike Comrie and Kyle Okposo can benefit from it as well. Let’s face it, teams that skate hard and keep moving every night usually win hockey games. If not, they’re fun to watch. Look at the Sabres team that beat the Islanders in the playoffs a few seasons ago as an example. Many of those players work their tails off in both ends and keep the puck moving, which makes them hard to defend against. I don’t know if it’ll work with the Islanders this season, but it should be fun to watch.

He’s an indispensable commodity.

However, according to Newsday and a plethora of other hockey sites, Sillinger may miss opening night due to microscopic hip surgery. As of right now, it’s not known when he’ll be back and even Sillinger himself wasn’t sure when he’d be back. In his absence, the Islanders already anemic offense will not only have to find someone to play with Trent Hunter and Jon Sim, they’ll have to get offensive production from them as well.

That’s where the bigger problem lies: can the Isles fill Sillinger’s spot in house? Is either Fran Nielsen or Richard Park capable of centering a checking line and pinching in on the offensive end? What about Ben Walter or Andy Hilbert? Can they finally turn promise at the AHL level into decent NHL numbers?

Probably not. At this point, Hilbert and Walter seem like spare parts and don’t figure to be more than fourth liners. Of the four, I believe Park can thrive in that spot, but only if he begins to finish a bit more. If he can score few goals early this season and a guy like Nielsen can step up and play solid at both ends of the ice on the fourth line, the Islanders should be able to get by until ole Silly comes back. Much like last season, the offense isn’t going to be spectacular and Rick DiPietro will need to be close to perfect, but what else is new?

But what about Josh Bailey? Rumor is he’s bought a house on Long Island and could be NHL ready much faster than most people think. Given his noted two-way ability, could he make an impact in Sillinger’s absence? At the very least, it could be very fun to watch Bailey, along with the likes of Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini, Blake Comeau and Chris Campoli develop.

If that does happen and Bailey does establish himself, what do the Islanders do with Sillinger then? Given his market value, do the Islanders trade away their assistant captain for picks and youth? At any rate, it should be an interesting situation.

With the season starting in about a month, I figured I’d discuss a player that despite his work ethic and passion for the game, may find himself a healthy scratch for most of the season.

That man is Andy Hilbert.

So rather than just end the post right here, I’m going to be fair and present five reasons why Hilbert should be on the Islanders opening night lineup and why he should start the season in Bridgeport.

In the end, you make the decision:

Why should Hilbert stick around?

1- He’s solid on both ends of the ice-

Unlike some of the other youngsters on the Islanders this season that play questionable defense, Hilbert is a solid defender that is willing to sacrifice his body and is adept at making the smart play in his own zone.

2- He’s a great penalty killer-

I can smell the tomatoes coming from every direction right now, but I think Hilbert is a great penalty killer that can make a living in this league for another eight or nine years just because of his play on the PK.

3- He fits the Islanders system-

He’s got a lot to prove and has the speed and potential to be a third liner with some moxie. Considering the fact that he has ties to the Bruins organization and has the skating ability needed to thrive in Scott Gordon’s new system, he may see time on the fourth line this season.

4- He has chemistry with a few players on the team-

Everyone knows that Hilbert plays well with Mike Sillinger and Trent Hunter, but he’s also shown plenty of promise with guys like Richard Park and Sean Bergenheim. If the Islanders offense falters at some point this season, Hilbert may be brought in to shake things up a little bit.

5- The Islanders know what he’s capable of-

Unlike the bevy of Islanders rookies this season who will be going into the year with virtually no experience in key situations, the Isles know that Hilbert can play well enough on the third and fourth line that he won’t be a detriment on either end of the ice. His play may be mediocre, but it also may be better than coddling a bunch of rookies all season.

Why should Hilbert start the season in Bridgeport?

1- He’s proven himself at the AHL level time and time again-

He’s had several solid seasons in the league and can help several of the youngsters.

2- He can’t finish in the NHL-

Take a look at his career shooting percentage in the AHL compared to the NHL. Scary stuff.

3- The youngsters need more playing time-

Jeff Tambellini on the bench in favor of Hilbert for the third season in a row? Not anymore.

4- He’s nowhere near as dynamic a player as the rookies currently on the Isles roster-

Hilbert has the heart of a lion, but isn’t even close to being the player a Kyle Okposo, Jeff Tambellini or a Blake Comeau can turn into.

5- The Islanders know what he’s capable of-

The choice is simple; wait for rookies to produce or get stuck with Hilbert on a second or third line again this season. Waiting will definitely produce more than that seven or eight goals and 25 points Hilbert will come up with this season. Suddenly, waiting doesn’t seem like a bad option anymore.

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.

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

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

Nevertheless, he did prove he was still a solid player who could contribute. I don’t anyone would have argued if Guerin put up the same numbers, 23 goals and 21 assists on the second or third line of a team like the Penguins, Red Wings or Sharks. But this is the New York Islanders we’re talking about and Guerin’s 44 points were a bit of a disappointment to many of the fans here, despite what he did in the locker room and in the community.

Before he played his first game with the Islanders, I predicted he’d score 30 goals in 08. 23 isn’t so far off that prediction, but when you add in how cold Mike Comrie was at times and that the team had no one around him that could give him some space, 23 goals is pretty damn good if you ask me. I don’t know if this year is going to be different, but I think if guys like Trent Hunter and Comrie come into this season looking to take their games to the next level, Guerin could be a huge benefactor of their success.

Let’s face it, the Islanders don’t have a legitimate first line. Rather, they have two above average second lines, a great third line and a young energy line on the bottom. It doesn’t matter who defenses put up against these lines because none of them feature game-changing players. They feature hard-working players that will make you pay for your mistakes, guys like Hunter, Richard Park, Sean Bergenheim, etc. If a few of these players can have solid seasons, somewhere along the lines of 20-25 goals and 30 helpers [I don't expect Park to do that considering everything else he does for this team, but I see no reason why Hunter or Bergenheim can't, I mean Hunter did it his rookie reason], defenses will have to plan against the Isles differently.

As of right now, they know to keep Guerin away from the front of the net and slot and to watch out for Comrie’s toe drag. Mark Streit’s presence on the blue line and a healthy Chris Campoli should help the offense as well, but back to Guerin.

Aside from the 99 Oilers and 2004 Stars, Guerin has never been the go to guy on offense for any team he’s played for. He’s been a great secondary scorer and a guy that can provide leadership though and if the Islanders can either develop or get someone who can be that legitimate go-to guy, I think they’ll see a more productive Guerin.

Photo by NHL Media

I don’t know about you guys, but if this is the last Isles game I get to see until October, I want to see some hard-hitting and tough play in the corners for the entire 60 minutes. As well, I want to see the Islanders maintain a consistent offensive presence and take more than five shots in the last period.

If the Islanders can do that, I really won’t be upset if they fall to the Sabres. Let’s be honest here guys, the Islanders were never supposed to have a chance in this series and the fact that they’ve been in every game played says something to me. With a little more toughness up front and another puck moving defenseman, I think this team can surprise a few people.

However, this series isn’t over yet and a win against the Sabres today could give the Isles a chance to take the series to game seven win a win at the coliseum.

Can it happen?

Stranger things have happened before.

I mean c’mon, we’re living in a world were Michael Jackson is the father of multiple children. I’m sure that if the Isles manage to come back and win this series that the world will still continue to function as we know it.

Despite that however, I hold firm on the belief that this team could have faired a lot better against the Sabres if they had both Radek Martinek and Chris Simon in the lineup. All series, they’ve lacked the ability to break through Buffalo’s blue line and haven’t been in the Sabres faces nearly enough for my taste.

But then again, I do come from the Rich Pilon, Mick Vukota and Steve Webb school of playoff hockey. In all honesty, I don’t think I’d ever be able to hide my love of great checks and tough hockey. Sadly, this series, sans a few hits from Sean Hill, Brendan Witt and Trent Hunter, has been completely void of that.

After Jaroslav Spacek’s elbow throwing at the end of game one, I thought Arron Asham was going to have his name faster than an old lady at a bingo hall; it never happened. After Jason Blake got boarded by Teppo Numminen in game four, I expected to see Brendan Witt drop the gloves with someone; that didn’t happen either. What I’m trying to say here is that the Isles haven’t played as desperate as they needed to during this series and despite getting more than adequate goaltending from both Dubielewicz and DiPietro during the course of the series, they still find themselves on the brink of elimination.

Why you ask?

They haven’t been nearly as physical enough.

If the Isles can go out on a mission and take Buffalo out of the corners and force them to make perfect passes out of their zone, they’ll have plenty of opportunities on offense. However, that alone won’t induce a victory for them. In addition to playing a hard-nosed game, the Isles have to actually hit the net when they shoot, something they failed to do in game four.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m not ready to let this season go down the tubes yet and hopefully the Isles can stick around for at least one more game. I’m at the point where I’m actually contemplating selling my soul to the Robot Devil [Futurama reference, get with it] just to see this season go on for a few more days.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Like I said yesterday, the Islanders need to get back to the gritty, blue-collared and physical game that got them into the playoffs and have to stop trying to beat the Sabres at their own game. That means that guys like Sean Hill, Brendan Witt, Trent Hunter, Arron Asham and Chris Campoli need to start throwing their bodies around more.

I still don’t understand why this team looked so pensive against Buffalo, were they scared to make huge mistakes and get down early?

Were they intimated by the Sabres skating ability?

Was Buffalo just that damn good on Thursday?

Why I disagree with the later, I do think that the Islanders didn’t want to put themselves in the same situation with the Sabres that they were in on March 30, when they lost 6-4 and found themselves down early. As well, the Sabres are one of the best skating teams in the league and it’s easy to just stand there and watch when a team can do the things on offense that they can do. If the Islanders are going to have any chance at making it to the next round, they have to find a way of stopping the flashy Sabres from finding open ice.
One way of doing that is to start taking the body.

Another way for the Isles to stifle Buffalo’s offensive attack is to have every Islander skate hard, in an effort to outwork the Sabres. How many times this season have we seen guys like Alexei Yashin, Viktor Kozlov and Ryan Smyth draw penalties in the corners because they kept their heads down and kept fighting for the puck? If the Islanders can keep skating, they’ll draw penalties and keep the play in the Buffalo zone, which would give whoever’s playing goal for the Isles a break.

I’ve said it a thousand times this season and I find myself forced to say it again, the Islanders defense needs to try and limit how many shots the opposition takes. I still can’t believe they managed to get this far facing easily over 30 shots a game and if there going to make it further, they have to start playing more aggressively on defense and need to clear the front of the net and not botch any assignments.

If they don’t do that, it doesn’t matter who’s in net.

While Lundqvist and Weekes both looked horrible in net, DP had to make a ton of saves and despite giving up two soft goals, he played well enough to win.
Ah man, I can’t begin to describe how big this win was or how great it felt to know that this team is capable of scoring seven goals against a playoff team without our best player/leading scorer. Also, in spite of the absence of Yashin, guys like Chris Simon, Mike Sillinger, Richard Park, Arron Asham and of course Viktor Kozlov have stepped up their games and have been the main reason why we’re 2-2 with him instead of 0-4.

On top of all of this, the physical play of Trent Hunter and Brendan Witt has really fortified the stellar play on the ice as of late. Scoring seven goals is great, but standing up for your teammates and making sure none of them get hurt is another. Overall, I couldn’t be happier with the way this team has played over the first 26 games of the season. Sure, they started off a little slow and the team has had problems scoring from time to time, but when we’ve been hot, we’ve played the kid of gritty, blue collar and hard hitting hockey that everyone in the NHL can appreciate.

If you asked any beat writer in the NHL or any hockey fan before the season started if they thought the Islanders would be where they are right now, I don’t think that you’d get an answer that I could write on this site. No one expected the Isles to be anywhere near a playoff position, nevertheless first-place. I felt this team had the potential to make the playoffs before the season even started, but getting the opportunity to watch them through the first third of the season, I really think this team has what it takes.

Ranger fans may feel and think the opposite, but right now we’re in first and they’re not, so truth be told, their opinion doesn’t mean much.

Let’s go Islanders.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hope Gary and Derek are ok after that comment I made about Travis Zajac. In any case, it felt good to be appreciated on the air for my sense of humor and for my amount of hockey knowledge. Gary made a comment during the show asking me if I read a hockey encyclopedia before going on after I mentioned Craig Janney. Brother, I am a hockey encyclopedia, ha-ha. I can’t tell you how much useless knowledge is crammed into my brain when it comes to hockey.

Simply put, Hockey is one of the biggest joys of my life, aside from having a career I love and a beautiful girlfriend that appreciates me. Nothing makes me happier than getting the opportunity to showcase my ability. For that, I owe you guys a firm hand shake and smile for giving me that chance.

Thank you.

OK, MOVING FORWARD TO TONIGHT’S GAME…

The Flyers are in town and the Islanders will have to put their last loss against the Penguins behind them and come out firing on all cylinders. Guys like Trent Hunter, Viktor Kozlov and Miroslav Satan need to start scoring consistently if the Isles are going to make due with Yashin. While some people think the Isles are destined to deflate as the season goes on without Yash, I think that they will get a solid team effort on both sides of the ice and will play well without him.

The Flyers are a team that has gotten some inconsistent goaltending this season and has shown a penchant for not being able to score when the chips are down. It’s so bad that Peter Forsberg and Petr Nedved have only EIGHT GOALS combined this season. However, with big names like this, the Isles need to understand that they can break out at any time and need to stay focused, play a smart game and get some offense.

As I’ve mentioned before, while Yashin is without a doubt the most important offensive player on the team, he’s not the only player that can produce offensively. The Isles have four lines full of solid two-way players that have speed, grit and energy. That’s what wins hockey games. If they come out with some “spunk and jump” tonight, there’s no reason why they can’t dominate the Flyers.

RICHARD PARK…

One of the most unnoticed pick ups in the NHL over the summer, Richard Park has been amazing all season for the Isles, doing everything from killing penalties to forming a great fourth line with Arron Asham and Shawn Bates. Tonight, aside from blocking a few shots with no stick, was flying all over the ice and easily played his best game since joining the team.

MIROSLAV SATAN…

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that his wife was at the game, or maybe a little bit more that he was being pestered by Noah Welch all game, but Miro was on fire! The goal and the assist was one thing, but seeing Miro come back and nail Welch after he manhandled him through the entire second period was great. The problem with players in slumps is they lose their passion for the game and focus on producing, instead of playing their game. Tonight we saw Miro exhibit the passion that I think was missing from his game the past few weeks.

BRENDAN WITT…

Easily the best game of the year for Witt. The hit on Malkin in the third period was enough to satisfy his most ardent critics, but a few blocked shots and other great hits put him over the top. I love the fact that whenever a smaller player or a scorer gets hit, Witt is right there. When Satan got punched by Welch, Witt was right there and had his back the whole way. That’s what great teammates do and those are the types of players every team needs when they want to win.

BACK TO THE GAME…

Maybe Evgeni Malkin doesn’t know it, but last time I checked it was ILLEGAL TO THROW THE PUCK INTO THE NET WITH YOUR HANDS! Considering the fact that the Phillies are in desperate need of pitching, I think Malkin would fit right in. 

The same thing goes for Noah Welch. Dude, WEARING A VISOR MEANS YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO FIGHT! The overall clumsiness and lack of poise of the Penguins exhibited tonight was so apparent that I don’t even think Sydney Cosby could have fixed.

 Simply put, tonight, the Islanders showed the rest of the NHL that they are in fact the real deal. Critics will say that they beat a team without their best player, but that’s only half the story. One player doesn’t make a team. It takes 20 players working their asses off every night to create a winning team; the Islanders are starting to make that known to the rest of the league. 

TOMORROW AGAINST THE CAPS…

 After Bob Bourne gets inducted in the Isles Hall of Fame, the Isles will take on the hated Washington Capitals. Hopefully, playing three games in four nights won’t be a factor. Let’s see what happens.

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

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

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

BACK TO THE PENS…

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

You’re damn right.

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

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

Let’s Go Islanders.

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

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

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

BY THE WAY…

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

OVER THE HUMP…

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

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

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

BACK TO THE GAME…

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

Let’s see what they do tonight.

Well, as Foghorn Leghorn used to do say every time he was down and out:
“I say, I say, fortunately, I number my feathers in case of such an emergency.”

Even without Alexei Yashin, the Islanders still have enough skilled players on offense to win hockey games. It’s hilarious to me sometimes how short the memory is of the media in this city. Ever since Yashin has been on the team, he’s never been a part of the team’s most dominant line, well until this year. Anyone remember the Peca-Parrish and Bates line a few years back; or what about Wiemer-Scatchard and Blake the year before the lockout? Last year, it was whoever was paired with Satan and York. What I’m trying to say here is that the Islanders have won without Yashin before and they will do it again. Last night’s game was just a case of Fleury playing a great game. Against any other goalie last night the Isles would have won 4-3.

For about five minutes before the second period came to a close, I felt the Islanders were playing a solid game and were putting on a passing clinic. It’s just a shame that they lost on such a fluke goal from a weasel-looking checking line forward like Chris Thorburn. During Saturday’s game, he was complaining about calls and wouldn’t stop talking. Finally, Trent Hunter nailed him and on his next shift Brendan Witt hit him as well. But that’s hockey, sometimes you get a few bounces your way and sometimes you don’t. With the Flyers coming into town tomorrow, the Isles need to put this loss behind them and get back on the gravy train.

Ok, now since its Wednesday, here’s another segment of THE HUMP!

OVER THE HUMP…

Arron Asham- A few goals in his past few games combined with his ever so solid physical play have thrust Ash into a position where he’s due for more playing time. With Yashin out, Asham will see some time on the powerplay and will be forced to shoot! The dude has an unbelievable shot but only has 28 shots on the season. That number will go up significantly over the next three weeks.

Jason Blake- Without Yashin in the lineup, Blake will be asked to continue his production and last night was a good starting point. What a beautiful pass to Kozlov for a goal last night. I think Ted Nolan made a very smart decision in putting Kozlov with Blake because his game is so much similar to Yashin’s. He’s big and strong and has a great shot, sounds a lot like number 79 eh? If Kozlov can regain the form he had with the Panthers, scoring 70 points a few years back, the Isles may be much better off than they thought.

UNDER THE HUMP…

Andy Hilbert is going to stay in this section until he scores a goal, plain and simple. I’m sick of being nice and saying, “Oh, well he had six shots on goal and played hard.” No, he needs to put a puck completely across the goal line and then I will get off his back. Like I’ve said before in previous posts, his play is much better and he’s noticeable on the ice, but he needs to get going already. He’s reminding me of Daniel Marois, who couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn when he was on the Isles.

Mike Sillinger- This was a tough one. The guy does so much on the ice, he kills penalties, takes face offs, provides leadership, but at the end of the day, he needs to take more shots. There is no reason why Sillinger can’t score 20 goals this year and the Isles need his offense even more than ever right now.

BACK TO TOMORROW’S GAME…

Like I said before, the Islanders need to forget about the Pens and need to concentrate on taking the Flyers out. They have to play a smart game and rely on people like Chris Simon, Trent Hunter, Arron Asham, Brendan Witt and Richard Park to use their grit, speed and physical presence to open up ice for Miro and Blake. If they can do that successfully, they’ll be able to pull out a win.

Let’s go Islanders.

I surely hope not.

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

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

THE KEYS TO THE GAME:

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

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

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

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

ON ANOTHER NOTE… 

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

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