Park It Here
The Isles have signed Richard Park to a 2 year extention. While this is hardly big news, at least it shows that Snow has learned that unless he signs some players over the course of this season, then next summer would encompass a 2nd consecutive team overhaul. On that note, I'd love to see Snow sign some more current Isles with a little more value. While we are all excited about the early production of Mike Comrie, I don't think the Isles will begin to think long term for a few months, although he's already convinved me to be worthey of an extention.
With both Fedotenko and Vasicek only agreeing to one year deals, and with Satan's contract ready to expire, this could be the only year this precise group of forwards has a shot. If they continue to buzz, Snow should lock them up.
OTHER NOTES
I'm not sure what Nolan sees in Satan, but I've seen him do an abysmal job as the Isles' PP quarterback. Satan is a short-range sharp shooter and has no business at the point. Berard should hopefully be locked up by tomorrow.
I'm also not a big fan of Hunter on the PK. While his postioning is good and he does block shots, he just isn't quick enough to keep up with a fast moving PP.
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25 comments:
I think Gerrard Gallant is in charge of the PP. I don't know why he put Satan out there either, he looked terrible. They should have just went with Campoli and MAB. As far as Hunter on the PK, I agree he isn't fast enough. They seem to be using almost everyone on the PK, maybe looking to see who is most effective. They need to cut down on the stupid penalties, it's going to catch up with them sooner or later.
Being on the PK is not all about speed. It is totally about positioning and having good anticipation skills. Hunter posesses both. He also is not afraid to put his body in front of slapshot. Not every player is willing to do that.
Sign Hunter, MAB, Berard, extend Witt for 2 years. Open talks with Comries agent and get something done.
As it stands now, Comrie will be one of the only free agents available at star level. Lock him up.
I have this nightmare that Comrie will have a super season here and then pack up for the bright lights of Broadway. What could be worse?......Bill
Being on the PK is about each of speed, positioning, and anticipation. For a quick 20-30 second shift Hunter can be a very effective penalty killer, but once the opposing team maintains possession for about a minute, Hunter becomes a liability.
I like what I've seen from Park on the PK.
Bergenheim has had an invisible debut to his season.
I've seen more negative out of Sutton than positive.
DP has made some spectacular saves, yet has also given up some softies. Good to get them out of the way and still win.
Bootland is funny.
Vasicek v. Kozlov. Vasicek looks bigger, stronger, and faster, although less skilled. Vas is also less lazy. I'll take it.
Hilbert, please go away.
Campoli...impressive.
Gervais...meh.
MAB keep the turnovers to a minimum please.
You guys are confusing speed with quickness. The best penalty killer the Islanders ever had was Ed Westfall, and he couldn't beat me in a foot race.
Bergenheim has speed, but all he does is skate in circles, so he is ineffective.
Players on the PK are taught to get off after 25-30 seconds.
Hunter has all the attributes to be a first rate penalty killer.
Sutton needs to play with someone other than MAB. He is too slow to make up for MAB's giveaways. He may be better suited to pair with Campoli or Gervais.....Bill
I would also split up the Campoli-Gervais combo. If the roster stands as it is, then I would pair Sutton with Campoli and MAB with Gervais, since Bruno is the more defensively sound defenseman. If Berard is added to the mix, then the Martinek=Witt combo might need some adjusting.
I wouldn't split up Marty and Witt. If we were to add Berard to the d corp then I think you put MAB and Berard together and then play matchup with Sutton Campoli and Bruno depending on who we are playing.
Even though its only two games into the season, isn't it nice to say we have the best PP in the league
AND THE BEST RECORD IN THE ATLANTIC DIVSION!!!!!!!
Meyer got claimed by Phoenix.
Jason Blake has a form of leukemia, hopefully he makes a full recovery.
Berard signs! No idea on the terms yet, but obviously, great news. Lets get the other guys wrapped up for a few more years now, and we won't have anything to complain about anymore!
Not a good 3rd period today. No fire and no desperation to tie the game. I thought Hilbert looked good (did I just say that?) on the 3rd line, and I was disappointed that Bergenheim replaced Tambellini on the 2nd line. Hilbert did remind us of his stone hands when he couldn't receive the pass when wide open in front of the net.
Vasicek was invisible today (very Kozlov like) and I thought Silinger had a horible game. Campoli continues to impress me.
That was probably Hilbert's best game. He looks a lot more comfortable on the third line. I thought Bergenheim looked good on the second line. Tambellini had one good shift and that was it. I was expecting a lot more given he's trying to prove he belongs on the second line.
They are still way too sloppy in their own end, and take too many penalties. Satan shouldn't be on the PP, he's playing terribly right now. He loses every battle along the boards, and every pass hits his stick and bounces off, or his stick breaks.
Thought that was especially odd how many sticks he broke. I wonder if Satan is trying out a new stick or something, contributing to the breaks & bad pass receptions. Either way, I don't see it lasting, and he'll come around. He's been the most consistent scorer in the NHL over the last 8 years now, and I don't see him losing that in a contract year.
I do think he should be on the PP, just not on the point. I saw one set play today that looked good and that opened MAB for a shot- there needs to be so much more of that. Satan needs to play the half board on MABs side, and feed him better than the other Dman can. Though apparently Berard will be sitting there on Wednesday, so hopefully that will be better...
But will he? I'm still searching for confirmation that Berard will be signed. Today's game was the epitome of the Isles' PP costing us the game. We had almost 2 full minutes of 5 on 3 and failed to generate a decent scoring chance. That would have put us up 2-1 instead of vice versa.
I thought the team looked unprepared to play today. It seemed like they expected to win and never really gave an all out effort.
This is not a team that can just turn it on at will, they have to work hard every shift in order to win. I never saw anyone really drive to the net or clog up the front. All of the shots taken were perimiter shots and they were very few screens.
I thought they D played well and that Silinger had an edge to is game. DP still doesn't look in mid season form. Kozlov's goal was pretty soft.
Nolan needs to have this team ready every game. Beating Buffalo twice seemed to give them a false sense of confidence and they played like it.....Bill
Finally, Berard is officially an Islander. We all knew this was coming, especially after the lackluster performance by the powerplay yesterday. I posted a link to the article in the Isles in the News section.
There are rumors that Sim is out for the season. I think this is going hurt. On the other had, it will probably get Hilbert off the second line, or get Tambellini on the second or third line.
That's what I've heard as well and I agree that Tambellini should be able to take his spot. If Nolan opts for Bergenheim on the 2nd line, then I'm not sure there really is a spot for Tambellini. Hilbert looks to most comfortable and the most productive back on the line with Silinger and Hunter.
I'm not sure why Nolan is hesitant to start Berard. The PP looked very problematic on Monday and you're not going to win an emotional game against the Rags with out a solid effort from the PP.
Berard is playing tonight. I'm guessing Gervais is the scratch, unless they dress 7 d-men.
Versus coverage was horrible. There were key parts in the third period when the announcers were telling some oddball story about the Hurricanes. Versus also has the habit of showing advertisements along the bottom of the screen while the action is going on, which completely interferes with the view of the play.
I do not think it would be a horrible idea to experiment with MAB as a forward. His blistering shot is needed in this lineup, but his defensive lapses create too much havoc in front of DP. When MAB gets down low he happens to be a very effective cycler, and we've all seen how good his stickhandling and shot can be. So why not try playing him at wing, while maintaining his point position on the PP? Just trying to think outside the box here.
It seems Tambellini's ice time gets reduced after a shift or two, which prevents him from getting into the flow of the game. Nolan should give him a regular shift for a few games to see if he cant hold in own in the NHL. I don't think Tambs will do much to hurt us if given this chance.
Campoli is eons better than he was last year. Hilbert is proving he actually has some value as a 3rd line winger and penalty killer. Now that Sim is out, the signing of Hilbert is looking good. Sutton is by far the worst signing of the summer (so far).
Justin- 100% agree with the Versus coverage. Why were they talking about Cam Ward?? I was so confused.
I don't remember MAB being THIS bad last season w/ turnovers. Sure, there were some bad ones, but yesterday was awful.
And I 100% agree about Camps & Hilbert. You'll remember I was one of the few around these parts supporting keeping Hilbert on the roster, and I'm glad it turned out this way. Scoring is only one part (albeit a big one) of the game; he brings a lot more. His speed, his cycling w/ that line, his 2 way play, even his HITTING (who would have thought!) have been very good. Remember, Mike Peca, who many call one of the best 2-way men of our time, scored 25, 11, and 12 goals while on the Isles. Hilbert will be good for between 10-20 this year if he keeps playing like this.
I'm not sure what to think about Sutton. He's a BEAST back there blocking shots (him & Witt will LEAD the league!) and clearing the crease- which are the things he was touted for when signed. Agreed, he's a bit slow and takes penalties- but I'd gladly give up 2 PPs a game if little snots like gomez and briere can't feel their backs by the 2nd period...
Gomez almost crapped himself yesterday with that open goal- I loved it! I think Sutton will clean up his D a bit more; with Witt & Berard out there, he's gonna learn.
Lets see what we can do tonight against the leafs! I'm torn between hating and feeling bad for Blakey...I have a feeling he's gonna score- he's a beast when it becomes personal.
Bite your tongue. Shutout for DP.
I thought Tambellini played pretty well the first two periods. His only shift in the third was a bad one. He got pretty much the same ice time as Vasicek, who I think was benched for most of the second. MAB as a forward would be interesting. I thought Campoli and Gervais looked pretty good as the 2nd PP pairing.
MAB is not moving to wing. He has been a Dman his whole career and he is not changing now. He needs to be paired with someone else with speed who can cover his mistakes and he neeeds to work through his problems. He is what he is and the Islanders knew that when they traded for him.
Some of you may remember Milbury playing Berard at wing one game to punish him for wandering. Remember how lost he looked?
I like the 7 D men idea. The final forward plays what? 3 minutes a game, maybe. Who needs that.
Satan has looked lost out there. This is the worst I have ever seen him play. Good thing he has plenty of season left to turn it around.
I hate seeing Tambellini burried on the bench. C'mon Nolan give the kid a chance. No player can have any sort of impact playing six or seven minutes a game.
As for Blake, I wish him well in his battle against his diease. But tonight, I want Witt to flatten the little jerk and knock him senseless.....Bill
Are you sure you don't want MAB at wing????
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