Too Early to Panic? Maybe Not.

Islander fans across the country knew that the 2008-2009 season was going to be a learning process, but most did not expect the shellacking the Isles got from the Sabers yesterday to come so early on in the season. The Isles would be playing on extra adrenaline through at least the first two home games, right? Wrong. The Isles got their butts beat on the ice, on the scoreboard, and pretty much everywhere else they keep score. Sadly, I think this is a sign in what is to be a very long season. Accordingly, here is my list of what has gone wrong thus far.

1. NHL-unready players – It is hard to be consistently competitive when you dress so many AHL’ers on a nightly basis. Franz Nielsen is clearly not NHL ready. As I watched yesterday’s game, I saw one major flaw in Nielsen’s game: the guy cannot complete a pass when moving at a high speed. The guys I play with at open ice hockey at 12AM have the same problem, but those guys aren’t being paid NHL dollars. At least three times yesterday, I saw Nielsen leading an attack that was only thwarted because his attempted pass was behind Tambellini or in Hunter’s skates. Why is this guy centering two guys who are being counted on to score a ton of goals this season? I would play Comeau in Nielsen’s spot—Comeau showed last year that he has the poise to hold onto the puck and to make a strong pass to one of his linemates. Although he’s not a center by trade, Comeau would help that line way more than Nielsen ever could.

Tambellini has also done little to prove he belongs on an NHL roster. He was invisible throughout the first two games, but managed to at least force Howie Rose to recite his name a few times yesterday. Tambellini seems too afraid to handle the puck (NHL players are big and scary) and so he always finds himself coasting around the offensive zone where he will either (1) find an open puck and take a quick shot, or (2) take an offensive zone penalty due to boredom. So far, the latter has happened more than the former.

I like Okposo, but if he were on any other team, he would probably be playing in Minnesota. The Isles rushed his development, but thus far, he is the only thing to get excited about on Long Island. In that regard, it was the right decision to move his progress along, and I hope he finds the confidence this year to carry the offensive burden on an offensively challenged team. On the other hand, I have constantly ripped on Hilbert throughout his tenure on Long Island for being unworthy of an NHL sweater. For now, I will subside. He is one of the few players in the league who gives a complete effort on every shift and does all that he can to make sure that his line is not scored upon. But all in all, when you dress more than one NHL-unready player, you’re asking for trouble.

2. The DP situation – It has been a major coaching blunder to keep DP on the bench if Gordon is not prepared and willing to play him. On Saturday, he got away with it, as Joey Mac was stellar in helping steal a game the Isles probably would not have won with out him. However, yesterday that same decision came back to bite the Isles. There are quite a few reasons Gordon botched this up, and you can take your pick: (1) The Isles did not have a backup to possibly change the momentum of yesterday’s game, (2) The Isles could not save Joey Mac from giving up an embarrassing 7 goals when his team failed to show up in front of him, (3) The Isles did not have a goalie to put in if Joey Mac got hurt. For a coach who is a former goalie, he does not seem to know too much about how to handle netminders thus far. However, all is well, because if any other teams’ coach and GM challenged the Isles coach and GM to a Goalie Duel, I’m pretty confident that Gordo and Snowy would reign supreme.

3. The Atmosphere – I was at yesterday’s contest, and let me tell you all it was a joke. They actually decided to have kids/mascot day on the 2nd home game of the season. What a nightmare. The Islanders were coming off a strong win in their home opener, and instead of coming into a serious hockey building trying to get to 2-1 on the season, they found themselves in a crazy circus filled with giant cartoon headed mascots running frantically around the ice and throughout the building. The Isles were down 4-0 and all anyone in my section cared about was whether Stanley C. Panther was heading our way. Actually the highlight was when they showed a dance contest between N.J Devil, the Sabers’ mascot, and Sparky the Dragon, whereafter the Devil mascot and Saber mascot beat the hell out of Sparky on the jumbotron. Hey at least they are inculcating in all the kids’ heads that we are in for a beating this year right from the start.

4. Marc Andre, ahemmmmm, I mean Marc Streit. It’s rather unusual when your highest paid skater is also your worst skater. Wait, no it’s not the Isles endured 5 seasons under the Yashin tenure. I was always an avid MAB supporter and I was often ridiculed for it. But what do the Isles do in the off season? They go sign a guy who makes 4x as much as MAB with about the same upside. Streit was turnover central yesterday and I have not seen anything that would make me believe he is anything more than an MAB-type defenseman. Sure Streit made that nice backhand pass to Hilbert on Saturday, but even MAB was good for a highlight goal every few games. I’m waiting for the Streit bashing to begin so I can finally believe MAB was not unfairly singled out.


I’m not ready to completely throw in the towel of course. It’s a long season and even last year’s team was shellacked by the Maple Leafs in the first week of the season. But the Isles have even less offense than they did a year ago and less experience, grit, and toughness. They looked like an AHL team yesterday, and I just hope that’s not a sign of things to come this season. I guess we will know soon enough.

Roster to Start Season Announced

The final roster cuts from training camp have been made. 2008 first round pick Josh Bailey has made the team to start the season. My guess is that he will not be with the Islanders more then the 9 games he is allowed before being able to return to his junior team. That being said, if he plays well enough in these handful of regular season games, it is going to give Snow and Gordon their first real tough decision of the year. The Islanders are also starting the season off with 8 defensemen on the roster, including Jack Hillen, who impressed us all last year with his play against the Rangers after being signed as a FA toward the end of the season.

Forwards (Lines are Projected by me)
Tambellini - Weight - Guerin
Comrie/Bergenherim - Bailey - Okposo
Sim - Park - Hunter
Hilbert - Nielson - Comeau

Knowing that Hilbert will be in the lineup makes it impossible to have a truely energetic 4th line of Bergenheim - Nielson - Comeau; which to me would not be a true 4th line. Having Hilbert out of the lineup would allow this line to play together give allow us to roll 4 real lines.

Defense
Witt - Martinek
Streit - Freddy
Hillen - Bruno
Pock-Skinner

Goalies
DP
Joey MacDonald

Players Starting the Year Injuried
Sillinger, Campoli, Sutton

Trimming the Roster

With training camp coming to a close, the only major moves regarding the Islanders at this point, is who will make the final roster. Josh Bailey seems to be in the driver seat of where he will play this year based upon comments made by Gordon earlier in the week as well as the fact that he has made this first roster cut and is penciled in as the 2nd line center. It still pains me that Andy Hilbert is still on this team and is most likely going to be eating a roster spot for a younger player like Colliton or maybe even Bailey, once Guerin and Sillinger come back. Guerin is listed on the injured list due to shoulder surgery that he is still recovering from; he is expected to be ready for the beginning of the season.

Forwards
Jon Sim, Doug Weight, Kyle Okposo
Blake Comeau, Josh Bailey, Mike Comrie
Jeff Tambellini, Frans Nielsen, Trent Hunter
Sean Bergenheim, Richard Park, Andy Hilbert
Mitch Fritz, Jeremy Colliton, Tim Jackman
Brandon Sugden

Defense
Brendan Witt, Radek Martinek
Andy Sutton, Freddy Meyer
Mark Streit, Bruno Gervais
Jack Hillen, Chris Lee
Brett Skinner

Goaltenders
Joey MacDonald
Yann Danis

Injured list – G Rick DiPietro, RW Bill Guerin, D Chris Campoli, C Mike Sillinger.

Training Camp Notes

With the season just over two weeks away, this year's New York Islanders squad is beginning to take shape. New coach Scott Gordon has decided against intersquad practice scrimmages and instead devotes all time on the ice to teaching all players, whether veteran or young prospect, Gordon's style and systems of play. Specific line combinations are still being hammered out and probably won't be set until about the last preseason game.

Rookie center Josh Bailey is making his case to make the squad after showing off his talents during practices as well as adding a goal and assist in the team's first preseason game when the Islanders' rookies defeated the Boston rookies 8-4.

When was the last time the Islanders doubled their opponents shot total? The answer is the teams first preseason game when the Islanders outshot the Bruins 38-19 in a 2-1 OT victory. If the team can consistently shoot the puck this much more this season, we should all be in for a pleasant surprise for this upcoming season. I do realize that this is just a preseason game but the foundation of the season is being set now for what is to be expected for this upcoming season.


Injury Front -
The key to the franchise, Rick DiPietro, has been rehabbing on his own while working with the teams goalie coaches. While no set return date has been released, it is believed that DP will get a preseason game under his belt and then split the opening weekend games, most likely playing the home opener vs. the Blues, letting Joey Mac get the season opener at the Devils.

Additionally, center Mike Sillinger is continuing to rehab from hip surgery, performed during the off season, does not look like he will ready for the beginning of the season. Since it does not look like he will be ready for the start of the regular season, his absence has opened a spot for someone like Josh Bailey to come in and step up. Hopefully Bailey will produce early and often allowing Snow's youth movement to really take charge this season.

On the blueline, Chris Campoli left the first preseason game after being nailed on the boards by Michael Ryder. Coach Gordon would not disclose the injury but stated that it was neither his shoulder (which he hurt last season and had corrective surgery over of the offseason) nor a concussion. Hopefully Chris will be back on the ice sooner then later.

B&O Season Preview

Is Anyone Out There? ~ B&O Season Preview

I hope all of you B&O’ers out there had a great summer and I hope you are looking forward to the upcoming Islander season. B&O has been inactive for quite some time and that’s mostly my fault as I was studying all summer to take the New York Bar Exam. But now that’s behind me and we can concentrate on Islanders hockey from here on out.

What is there to be excited about this season?

Plenty. That’s if you truly buy into Garth Snow’s long term plan. According to Snow, this year marks the beginning of the future of hockey on Long Island. For the first time in a long time on Long Island, the General Manager chose not to disperse every draft pick and prospect for a quick fix, but instead decided to accumulate as many draft picks and as much young talent as possible. And we will all get a first taste of that decision this season.

Who is there to be excited about this season?

Jeff Tambellini and Frans Nielson are almost guaranteed roster spots at this point, with each of them agreeing to a one-way contract with the Isles. While Tambellini undoubtedly felt buried by Ted Nolan and his veteran-favoring ways, Tambellini will finally get the chance once and for all to prove that he belongs in the NHL. If he falters this season, I think we will have to concede that Tambellini is just a bust. Nielson on the other hand has never really had a chance to fully play in the NHL. I don’t see him has a top 2 line center, so it seems he will probably be relegated to 4th line duty this season. His future is probably as Mike Sillinger’s replacement after Silly can finally admit to himself that it’s over.

Then there’s Kyle Okposo who stood out in his brief NHL debut last season. If given ample ice time and power play time, Okposo should net at least 20-30 goals, simply because anyone with his skills is bound to put up points with enough ice time. His poise with the puck last season and his hockey intelligence will make or break the Isles’ upcoming season.

Marc Streit will hopefully be a much better version of MAB on the blue line. There is definitely something cool about an offensive-defenseman with a big shot that can light the lamp at anytime. The Isles have one of the best defensive crews in the East. Campoli and Gervais will both be one year older, while Witt, Sutton, and Martinek should all be back healthy. Then remember the kind of year Freddy Meyer IV had and add the debut of Jack Hillen and I think it’s safe to say I am very comfortable with our top 8 defenseman. I don’t think there are many teams out there who can say that.

Can the Isles’ aging vets really compete at this level?

The jury is still out on Weight and Guerin. Guerin was mildly productive last season, and maybe a reunion with Weight will spark each of their games. Sillinger killed the Isles last season, but maybe that has more to do with how Nolan used him. I don’t think I’ll ever understand why a coach would try to take an old aging checking center and give him more power play time than players with actual skills. Other than that, this team isn’t nearly as old as it was in past years. Expect a healthy Comrie and DP as well this season.

What is there to be worried about this season?

The same two words that haunted us last season: goal scoring. Where on earth are the Isles going to replace the production of last year’s…oh wait the Isles had no offensive production last season. The Isles have not one proven NHL goal scorer, which is an interesting way to head into a season. Every team needs one player that it can turn to in order to score a big goal or make a big play. The Isles are really banking that Okposo is going to be that player. From what I’ve seen so far, Okposo is more of a playmaker than a goal scorer, so it looks like Tambellini will have a full chance to be that go-to guy this season.

What can we expect out of Rick DiPietro?

Another big season, hopefully one that is injury free. Remember, DP started in the all-star game last winter, which is a testament to how good he was in the first half of last season. DP will be another year older and wiser, and as long as Coach Gordon gives him enough rest, DP should have another fine year. He is the backbone of this franchise and the biggest leader in the locker room, a job I don’t even think dare I say Roberto Luongo could handle.

Where will the Isles be at the trading deadline?

Hopefully somewhere near the playoff picture. Don’t expect them to be anywhere near the top 4, but if the Isles are floating around the 8 spot for a majority of the season, then I think we will all be content. Obviously a playoff berth would be even sweeter. And if the Isles are in the mix, don’t expect Snow to send away any picks for a proven goal scorer—he has made it clear it’s a youth movement from here on out.

Do the Isles have a chance to make the playoffs?

Clearly all of the NHL “experts” do not think so. But those so called experts wrote the Isles off each of the past two seasons as well. Two seasons ago, the Isles did in fact make the playoffs, while last season the Isles held onto the 7th spot at the all-star game, and were in the playoff race for most of the season. The talent level from teams 6-10 does not vary that much, so that at least gives the Isles a shot. A good one? Maybe not, but I think Gordon will keep this team competitive this season.

What about Josh Bailey?

I hope the Isles give him a chance this season, but only if he will get serious ice time and a chance to learn at the NHL level. It’s hard to make an 18 year old kid your first line center, but if the Isles are really starving for offense they might have to turn to Bailey for help. And from everything I’ve heard and read about him, he is up for the challenge.

Scott Gordon Named Coach, To Be Announced Tomorrow...

The Islanders have agreed to a multiyear deal with Scott Gordon to coach the team.



More to come...

So Long Ted

In a remarkable turn of events this off season, the New York Islanders and Ted Nolan have decided to part ways. It's interesting and classy that the Isles have adapted the "part ways" philosophy, which allows Nolan to keep some dignity after being removed before his current contract expired. It is also interesting that for the second time in Nolan's coaching career, he has lost a job after crashing heads with his own team's GM.

Ted Nolan did something remarkable in his first year on Long Island--he took a team that was supposed to finish near last in the NHL and led them to a playoff berth. Even though the 2007 playoff run was largely due in part to collapses by Montreal and Toronto, Nolan kept his team close enough to steal the 8th seed if and when Montreal and Toronto faltered. However, the 2007-2008 season was a different story.

The Islanders were strangely inconsistent over the past season. There were times when us fans believed the Isles were capable of beating some of the best teams in the NHL, yet there were plenty more when we believed the Isles couldn't beat the Albany River Rats. Long before injuries claimed the seasons of Mike Silinger and Rick DiPietro, the Isles often disappeared throughout the season. Who can forget the 8-1 shellacking by the Maple Leafs in the first few weeks of the season? Who can forget a power play that failed to adjust over the course of a season after every team in the league sat and waited for Marc-Andre Bergeron's blast from the point? Who can forget all the "rookie mistakes" from all the rookies that led to benchings while similar play from veterans went unpunished? I sure cannot.

It was no secret that Ted Nolan preferred his veterans over his younger players. And it's not all that strange that he did. But when those players failed to perform, the Isles organization clearly felt that it was time to give the Tambellinis, Bergenheims, and Comeaus more of a shot than Nolan had previously given them. And since it appears that Nolan still refused to buy into that philosophy, Garth Snow undoubtedly made the right decision in letting Ted Nolan walk.

Where does this leave the Isles? With one man: John Tortorella. At least that's my pick for the Isles next head coach. Everyone loved to talk about what a good motivator Ted Nolan is, so why not replace him with a coach who is perhaps even more well known for his ability to motivate his players. Tortorella is definitely not the players' coach that Nolan was, but I think that's the right fit for this team. The Isles need a tougher voice in the locker room--someone who will discipline the younger players at such an early juncture in their careers and someone who will not let lackadaisical play from the veterans slip under the radar.

Party on Garth.

The New York Islanders Select...

After attending the draft day party at the Coliseum and reading just about everything I could find on our new baker's dozen of prospects, here is my analysis of the Islanders 2008 draft.

With the 5th, I mean 7th, no wait the 9th pick - the Islanders select Center Josh Bailey from Windsor of the OHL. Time will tell if Snow's plan of picking up the additional 2nd and 3rd round picks from the deals to move from 5 to 7 then 7 to 9 were worth passing over Filatov, Schenn or Wilson. As of this point I believe we could have the new generation's version of Joe Sakic. Bailey is a lefty playmaking two-way center. During his post draft interview with Buccigross, Bailey stated he models himself after both Sakic and Yzerman. If he can do half of what both of these hockey greats have accomplished during their careers, we here in Isles Country will be very happy with this selection. He also said in his interview, that offensively he would rather pass the puck then use his shot (get him on the ice with Okposo ASAP), after you watch the youtube video, you will see that this kid not only needs to use his shot more but also that he is exactly the type of player we love around these parts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hN4MlGHR5w4

The 1st of our 2nd round selections was Corey Trivino, another center who has some size but needs to hit the gym. This past postseason he averaged 1.47 points per game with 5 goals and 17 assists.

Our second 2nd round pick was this years Minnesota's Mr. Hockey defenseman Aaron Ness. While on the smaller side, 5-10 160, he just graduated high school and will be going to Okposo's former stomping grounds University of Minnesota. His senior year he tailed 72 points with 28 goals to lead his team to a section championship.

With our final 2nd round pick comes another defenseman, a 6 foot bruiser by the name of Travis Harmonic. "He plays on the Warriors, and he is a warrior" - said one scout. "He breaks his jaw earlier in the season, and comes back to play the rest of the game. You have to love his mentality, not overly skilled but will block a shot with his teeth if need be." Could he be a homegrown Witt?

The NHL has the Staal family dominating across the league and for the Islanders sake lets hope that the Toews are the next NHL family to take on the league. The first pick of the 3rd round was Jonathan Toews' brother, David. Going along with the draft theme of taking highly skilled players, David fits accordingly. He had 100 points last year in 51 games with 44 goals. If he develops into a player like his brother, we all will be very happy with this pick.

Continuing to build our defensive depth comes the selection of Jyri Niemi. Though Finnish born, Niemi is playing in the WHL where he led rookies with 14 goals last season.

The steal in this draft could come from pick number 73 Kirill Petrov. Ranked as the 2nd overall international skater for this draft, Petrov dropped this late in the draft because he has 3 years left on his deal with his Russian team. If Petrov did not have this contract over in Russia and expressed interest in coming to the NHL now, he easily could have been the Islanders pick in the first round at number 5. When compared to Filatov, Petrov is 3 inches taller with a wider frame.

Our 1st of two 4th round picks is defenseman Matt Donovan from Cedar Rapids. As a rookie last season, Donovan played in 59 games were he tallied 31 points (12g, 19a).

Our hopeful version of a Zetterberg type find in the draft comes with the pick of David Ullstrom. This 6-3 swede needs to hit the gym as he weighs in at 190. He also put up 54 points last year with 27 goals.

In need of having depth at the goalie position for our farm system comes the pick of Kevin Poulin with the 5th round pick. Hopefully he plays better then his 3.69 GAA and .887 save percentage of last year.

Adding some muscle to this draft is winger Matthew Martin. Last year he had 155 penalty minutes while also netting 25 goals.

Another potential steal from this draft could be our last pick, Justin DiBenedetto. This left winger was 2nd in scoring on Steve Stamkos' team this past season with 93 points.


Other News:
Dubie has agreed to terms with AK-Bars of the Russian Super league, it was a 2 year deal.

Bergenheim, Colliton, Nielson, Tambellini, Walter and Bruno all have recieved qualifying offers.

Coming later this weekend will be a preview of the upcoming free agency period, which opens on Tuesday.

Draft Day

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UPDATE; I'm not too sure I liked what Garth Snow chose to do yesterday. He promised fans that he would take the best available player, but he clearly went back on his word. If either Filatov or Wilson turn out to be big time talents and Bailey becomes the next Ryan O'Marra, then it's over. It just isn't meant to be for us Isles fans. The Isles did replenish their farm system and hopefully that will pay its dividends sometime before 2015. July 1st is on its way. I'm not sure if that's a day to look for or not, but sometime in mid July we will have a better idea of what kind of team we will see out there for the 2008-2009 season. Thoughts?

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Who will the Isles choose? Will they grab the speedy Russian forward Flitiov at the 5 spot if he's still available. Or will they perhaps grab Pietrangelo if he's still available when the Isles make their pick. Some believe the Isles might agree to drop a few spots in this year's draft in an attempt to grab some extra players, while allowing another team to move up. The events that unfold tonight will play a huge role in how the Isles will look over next 5 years. Let's see what happens.

Dubie Dubie Doon't

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UPDATE: Isles talking to Yashin?

It appears the Isles are under talks with Alex Yashin's agent on a possible one year deal. Wow.
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As many of you might have recently become aware, the Isles decided last week to cut ties with back up goaltender Wade Dubielewicz. Although Dubie got off to a terrible start last season, he did put in some incredibly solid performances in the latter part of the season. But let's not get too worked up about this one folks. Dubie is a career back up goaltender who has only had one productive NHL season. He is undersized, almost 30 years old, and he evidently reported out of shape to camp last season--his first season signed to an NHL level contract. His services were surely helpful, but they are undoubtedly replaceable.

The non-offering of a contract to Satan is not surprising, but I'm a little shocked the Isles didn't at least try to sign Joe Vasicek. I guess the Isles feel they have more than enough depth at center and thus do not feel the need to bring back another enigmatic player.

Regarding Sean Avery, I would not want any part of his services, nor do I expect Avery to have any desire to come to Long Island. Oh well.

Regarding moving up in the draft, I can only beg: "Garth, please do not compromise the future of this organization for the chance to land an aging, declining player that may or may not propel us to the 8th seed next spring." Aka, if you can't acquire a Dany Heatley, then let's give it a go with our own pick.

Pre-draft analysis coming soon....thoughts?

B&O Challenge: Bill is the Champion of the first annual playoff challenge! This is not surprising, as Sir William has been taking it to us all season. For a prize, how about a weekly column. Might as well put your knowledge to work, eh?

B&O Playoff Notes: Rangers are toast, Price can't Carey the load, Osgood back in top form, and Brad Richards a deadline steal

Eastern Conferene

Penguins v. Rangers - I don't even think Islander fans would have predicted that the Penguins would be currently sitting with a 3-0 series lead on the Rangers. But having watched every minute of every game so far, I can tell you that the Penguins sit where they because they are the far superior team. In game 1, the Penguins came storming back from an early 3-0 deficit and haven't looked back since. In game 2, the Rangers cried that the refs blew the game for them, but anyone who watched that game could tell you that the Rangers were tremendously outplayed for 59 minutes. Game 3 should have been the Rangers night to regain some lost ground in the series, but apparently Chris Simon's vicious attack on Ryan Hollweg didn't knock any sense into the latter. After the Rangers stormed back from a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 deficit, Hollweg for no reason in the offensive zone disgustingly bulldozed Petr Sykora from behind into the boards. That gave the Penguins back some much needed momentum, and moments later, a power play goal. Sean Avery is out for the season, which could remind the Rangers to focus more on playing hockey, and less on how to continuously agitate your opponents with bush league antics.

Canadians v. Flyers - Think about what the Flyers have accomplished thus far. They went from being one of the worst teams in the East one year ago (where the Isles are now) to leading the first place Canadians in the second round of the playoffs. The progression of the Flyers organization shows that a complete turnaround is possible if the right decisions are made. The Canadians' GM should be fired for unloading Cristobol Huet at the trading deadline and forcing an untested and unproven Carey Price to lead the way.

Western Conference

Red Wings v. Avalanche - Nobody here is crying that Ryan Smyth's Avalanche are no match for the Red Wings. The Red Wings are simply a much quicker, smarter, and more disciplined hockey team. I also have no kind words for teams like the Ducks and the Avalanche who each before the trading deadline picked up all-stars who chose to sit out for a majority of the NHL season. In addition, it has been great to see Chris Osgood steal the reigns from Hasek and run with it. Remember, Osgood was run out of Detroit after the Red Wings first acquired Hasek. Osgood quickly became a fan favorite on Long Island--he was a great Islander who was happy to be here and was an instrumental part is getting the Isles back to respectability in the NHL.

Sharks v. Stars - What's wrong with the San Jose Sharks? They just can't seem to put it all together--a great regular season team that simply can't get over that last hurdle in the playoffs. Nabokov is the clear Vezina winner after a remarkable regular season, but he still has yet to carry his team deep into the playoffs. The Stars went out and got Brad Richards at the trading deadline, a move that has already paid for itself.

Golf Conference

Isles v. The Rest - Nothing has really happened in the Isles organization since the end of the regular season. Bergenheim was injured for a few days, DP became a TV star, and Snow signed a few college players. Snow has plenty of work to do this offseason, which we will start to pay more attention to as the NHL season winds down. So for now, the Isles can continue to work on their golf game and can patiently await the rival Rangers to join them on the golf course in the not so distant future.

B&O's Key Factors for the 2008-2009 New York Islanders

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UPDATE: I found a definition for Nolan-type player, for those of you who might be confused. Check it out here...

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Nolan-type
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Here are my following notes/highlights that must be addressed and/or acknowledged before the start of next season.

1. The New York Islander did not lose because of injuries. They lost because they were devoid of talent.

2. Ted Nolan is a good coach, not a great coach. Hopefully next year he will learn to incorporate his younger players at an earlier point in the season.

3. Nolan should be blasted for his horrible powerplay strategies. The Isles looked like they never practiced the 5 on 3. Or if they did, after noticing that it was failing miserably, they never changed it up. The more the powerplay faltered the more Nolan went with a "law of averages" strategy hoping that if the PP stinks, then it would only get better over time. He should employ a "common sense" strategy where if his PP unit stinks, then he should try out new players and a different strategy.

4. Dubie v. Joey Mac? Who cares. Dubie did his job, and Joey Mac could probably do the same job. Don't lose sleep over this conundrum.

5. Blame Snow and not Nolan? I don't think that's fair considering the huge role Nolan plays in who Snow signs. On a normal team, the GM would be solely to blame for the on-ice product. But in the Isles' case, Nolan might be equally deserving of the same blame as Snow.

6. Let Fedotenko walk. Try to resign Joe Vasicek. If Satan will take a pay cut, consider him as well. Cut ties with Hilbert. His role on this team is easily replaceable.

7. Do not ride DP into the pavement. He should get a max of 60-65 games next season.

8. Do not make the same mistake with Tambellini that this organization made with Robert Nillson. Everything all the Tambellini-haters say about Tambs, said the same thing about Nillson: he's soft on the puck, he's lazy, he doesn't put up numbers, he's a career AHL player, blah blah blah. Nillson's confidence was destroyed by a coach who didn't believe in him. The Isles better get it right with Tambellini, who has all the tools to be a very good NHL scorer. If Nolan is as good a coach as many believe he is, then he should be able to harness those tools, right?

9. Don't change much on the blue line. The Isles should be set there for next season. Consider moving Gervais for an offensive player.

10. Overall, not a useless season for the Isles. We got to see where many of our younger players stand and got a glimpse of Okposo and Hillen. But the Isles and Snow/Nolan need to remember that solid teams cannot be built on grit alone--teams need a certain amount of skill. Nolan will forever favor those players who resemble himself as a player: talentless, hard-working, gritty, career-minor leaguers. If Nolan can actually get a group to play the gritty blue collar style he preaches, then I think the Isles will be fine. But don't kid yourself into believing the Isles put in a good effort every night before the injuries piled up, because they didn't. This upcoming final year of Nolan's contract should be judged on how hard a young team will work for a gritty "hard-working" coach.

B&O Playoff Challenge

This year we will be conducting our first annual B&O Playoff Challenge.

The contestant with the most wins will be our champion. Extra points for correct games. Who knows their stuff?

The First round matchups are....
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Montreal(1) v. Boston(8)
Pittsburgh(2) v. Ottawa(7)
Washington(3) v. Philadelphia(6)
New Jersey(4) v. New York R(5)

WESTERN CONFERENCE
Detroit(1) v. Nashville(8)
San Jose(2) v. Calgary(7)
Minnesota(3) v. Colorado(6)
Anaheim(4) v. Dallas(5)

FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME

By: BIll (Guest Columnist)

This summer will be the defining moment for the Snow/Nolan regime. The team, as it stands now, is full of holes and there are teams in the Eastern Conference that are becoming stronger (Washington, Philadelphia, Montreal).

As it stands now, goaltending appears to be a real strength. I think that both Joey Mac and Dubie have proved to the rest of the NHL that they are capable backups Unfortunately, one of them has to go. Mac has a signed contract for next year and my gut feeling is that Snow would like to see him emerge as the back up. Dubie, on the other hand, is an UFA. My feeling is that the Isles should resign Dubie to a two year deal and then move one of the two.

I personally prefer to see Dubie stay just because he bleeds Islanders blue and orange. He has proved to me that he is more than an adequate back up and that he could easily play 20 games next year.

Joey Mac, with a signed deal, should bring some kind of pick or prospect before the draft. I hope that Snow doesn't pull another "brain freeze" and allow Dubie to walk away for nothing in return as he has done several times in the past. He will certainly attract some offers and he should be locked up ASAP.

Loyalty to this franchise has been in short supply over the last years and at some point the franchise has to reward the players that really want to be here. Hunter was a good start and Snow should continue it with Dubie.

Random thoughts:

Sillinger should retire or be bought out, if he cannot be moved before the season starts. He was a good stopgap but clearly his time here has passed.

Comeau is a decent player but he is being hyped way beyond his talent. He holds the puck too long and does too much sideboard play. He should blossom into perhaps a second line player. He is not as good as his hype and is simply a solid player on a bad team. He only has 8 goals in 50 games. He is a future building block but by no means is he star material.

Colliton is a sleeper who should replace Hilbert next year. If he puts on some muscle over the summer, he could be a tough player to move from in front of the net. He is also a very good player on the PK.

Okposo looks like he will one day be a frontline player here. Finally, a first round pick that lives up to his reputation.

Steve Regier doesn't appear to have a future in the NHL. Anyone here think differently?

Tambellini has disappointed me this year however, I would like to see what he could with Franz Neilsen as his center all year. They worked magic together in Bridgeport this year and I see no reason why they should not at least be given the chance to do the same here.

What is the consensus on Joe V.? Stay or go? I waffle. I know that if he goes he will score 30 goals for his new team. If he stays he will hit 15 again. What say you?

MY GOODBYE LIST:
Tank
Satan
Sillinger
Hilbert
Joe V ????

Next time I'll address the defense.....BILL

Is Nolan Right Man for Isles?

There have been renewed indications that Ted Nolan's future with the New York Islanders is not exactly written in stone. After 1.5 seasons as the coach of the Isles, most would have assumed Nolan would be re-inked by the Isles, especially after leading the Isles to 7th in the East at the all-star break. But then the wheels came undone and now the legacy of the Isles' 2007-2008 season won't be about how many points the Isles missed the playoffs by, as it will be about how close the Isles are to landing a top drafting position. And so the question remains as to whether Nolan is responsible for where the Isles currently sit today. My answer: Not entirely.

The argument FOR Ted Nolan - Those who will vouch for Nolan will tell you that he is a players' coach--that his players will go to the ends of the earth for him. They will tell you that Nolan can get the most out of average players. Last season Viktor Kozlov had his most successful season under Nolan, notching 25 goals and finally showing signs of his true potential. Other players like Jason Blake had a career season under Nolan, as Blake reached 40 goals and won him self a mammoth $25 million contract. This season Josef Vasicek proved he can provide more than merely eating 4th line minutes. Nolan proved last season he could take a team that was predicted to finish near last in the league into the playoffs, while giving the top team in the conference a good scare in the first round.

The Nolan advocates will tell you that Nolan is the right man for the Isles's bench considering the lack of talent that has surrounded the Isles organization--that Nolan will get the most out of whoever Garth Snow can muster up each and every summer. They will also convey that the downfall of the 2007-2008 Isles was out of Nolan's hands: (1) His all-star goaltender (DP) injured his hip at the all-star game, (2) His best puck moving defenseman (Campoli) suffered a season ending injury, (3) His defensive crew (Martinek, Witt, Gervais, Campoli) has suffered numerous injuries all season, and (4) He was given a team with simply not enough talent to score goals on a regular basis. They will point out that with out Ted Nolan, this franchise might be much worse off than is imaginable.

The argument AGAINST Ted Nolan - Those who will tell you that Ted Nolan is the wrong man for the Isles' bench will tell you a completely different story. I tend to agree with those individuals so I will speak from that perspective. We will concede that Nolan might be a good motivator at times, but we will highlight that Nolan's lack of understanding of some basic hockey knowledge is a flaw that cannot be surmounted. We will tell you that Nolan is a man resistant to change--that he will continue to repeat mistakes at the expense of winning.

We would cite examples: (1) Mike Dunham roughly one year ago, who had proved to the world that he could not compete in the NHL, yet was still allowed to continuously play while singlehandedly losing games for the Isles while an anxious Dubie sat on the sidelines, (2) A PP this season that has never shown consistent success, yet still comprised the same strategies and the same players for months at a time, (3) A horrendous 5-3 strategy involving perimeter passing and outside shooting that has singlehandedly cost the Isles points this season, (4) An obvious favoritism toward veterans like Silinger and Hunter on the PP, Comrie and Guerin always on the first line, and selective punishment for poor play (see MAB's 20 games in the pressbox v. Comrie's 0 games), (5) A refusal to admit that his trust and faith in Chris Simon was misplaced after a 2nd horrific on-ice incident in less than 20 games.

We will tell you that with the likes of Comeau, Tambellini, Nielson, and Okposo, the Isles are an up and coming team that will rely primarily on younger players (see aso Gervais and Campoli on the blue line). We will also remind you that the Isles will have 4 top picks in the first two rounds of this year's draft, and that the Isles need a coach who will not only motivate them to play as hard as humanly possible, but one who will also teach them how to play the game and give them the confidence to do so. We will tell you that Nolan was just what we needed this year and last, but it's time to part ways and move on.

What will Garth Snow do? Is it even Garth Snow's decision to make? What would you do?

Only Shadows in the Sunshine State

As the 2007-2008 season continues to unravel for the New York Islanders, there isn't much the loyal Islander fan can look forward to. More DP puck-handling gaffs? More ice time for the Bridgeport Islanders? Jon Sim's unlikely return? Like I said, there is not too much to look forward to.

Regarding the play of Rick DiPietro...Where in the beginning of the season DP was a cautious puck-handler, mostly making the right choices behind the net, last night's game was the epitome of the great flaw to DP's goaltending career. What should be his most dependable weapon has once again become his Achilles heel. When DP is making sound decisions, he is communicating with his defenseman, starting the breakout, and keeping the opposing team's forecheck in line. On the contrary, when DP is making mindless decisions, he makes poor passes, he give the opponent's multiple cracks at an empty net, and he disrupts the flow of his team's defensive game. When DP sits back in his goal and does the simple thing like stopping the puck, he can be one of the most effective goaltenders in the NHL. But the DP of last night looked like he belonged back in the minor leagues.

Now in all fairness to DP, he is probably playing with an ongoing injury--probably whatever he worsened during the NHL all-star skills competition. That, in addition to playing behind one of the worst teams in the NHL, would certainly frustrate DP and make him want to leave his crease to play the puck more. Some are now willing to question DP's 15 year contract based on what has transpired in a few week interval. However, I am not one of those persons.

DP has proved to me that he is more than capable of leading this team to a successful season. The first half of this season (prior to all the defensive injury woes, his own injury,and when the Isles were still competitive), DP was in top form. I don't think it's fair to quit on the franchise player when every other player on the Isles has failed to adequately support him. That said, DP still needs to be tamed and the over-handling of the puck did not serve the Isles well last night.

Regarding the Isles' management...This is not going to be the type of season where we can question specific in-game decisions and certain missed chances that led to our place in the standings. However, this is the type of season where we must question those in charge and the overall strategy they have in place to bring the Stanley Cup back to Long Island. Garth Snow and Ted Nolan, two men who were highly regarded for the job they did last season, have taken enormous steps backwards over the course of a single season. Ted Nolan has developed an unwillingness to change--his line combinations, his apportionment of ice time, his power play strategy--are just a few examples of a stubborn coach letting his ego override what's best for his team. For example, Ted Nolan tells us that Mike Comrie is a top-line player and that Trent Hunter is a tremendous asset and that they should receive the big minutes. Yet when Comrie/Hunter fail, not only does Nolan refuse to admit he was mistaken, but he also refuses to give those minutes to more deserving players. Over the last 13 games, the Isles' PP is 4 for its last 55, or a measly 7%. During that stretch, and we have not seen or heard of any change on the PP strategy or the PP personnel. And what does Snow do in response to all of this? He refuses to fire Isles' PP coach Gallant and rewards Comrie and Hunter with new contracts.

I hope Garth Snow has learned a lesson this season. This nonsense notion that a team of "Ted Nolan players" will prevail over the more skilled teams has no merit. A coal miner who works all day will never have the IQ to design a space satellite. Along those lines, a team of hard-working unskilled hockey players will never have the ability to compete in the NHL. Moreover, this group has gone through numerous stretches of lazy inattentive play, which is the opposite of a "Nolan player." At this point in the season, we need to see more of guys like Comeau, Tambellini, Walter, and Colliton. They are more skilled than the Hilberts, Hunters and Parks on the current team. Yes, there are going to be periods of spotty play as these kids better learn the game, but they have more future upside than every last member of the Isles forward unit. In addition, I wouldn't bring Okposo up into this mess either and spoil his NHL debut on a gutless team that has lost interest in the current season.

Regarding the defensemen...There is merit to the idea that the Isles season has unfolded partially due to the loss of so many defensemen. Currently, Campoli is out for the year, Sutton is on the shelf for weeks, and Gervais, Martinek, and Witt are and have been banged up. Aaron Johnson is not a capable NHL defenseman nor is Rob Davison or Bryan Berard. Next year I hope Snow adds one major defenseman along the lines of a Wade Redden. A strong UFA in addition to Witt, Martinek, Sutton, Campoli, Gervais, and Meyer not only is sufficient, but is large enough to allow the Isles to move a Campoli/Gervais for some offensive help.

Regarding the offense...The Isles should have parted with the likes of Satan and Fedotenko. While they may not have fetched high round picks, any return would be more helpful to the Isles future than those players' services this season. This again goes towards Snow's inability to characterize and judge the value in the market. He made low-ball offers to the top UFAs last season, and I'm sure he low-balled offers at the trading deadline a few weeks ago. We will know soon whether Snow learned from his lesson.


All in all, the Isles need to overhaul the strategy we see on the ice. We need newer younger players, who play an uptempo style with lots of scoring chances. The leftover aging vets routine has put Isles fans to sleep over the course of a 82 game season. Presently, I find it extremely hard to sit through an entire Isles game, mostly because the Isles try to put the other teams to sleep in hopes of winning games 1-0, 2-1, etc. If that method were working, I'm sure I would have less of a problem with it. But that method can't possibly work when we have no one capable of creating scoring chances on a consistent basis and no one willing to pay the price to collect the unskilled goal. Out of all the Isles forwards coming into this season (Guerin, Comrie, Hunter, Vasicek, Tank, Hilbert, Park, Silinger) there isn't one player I would miss if they were not to return next season. We will however be stuck with Guerin, Comrie, Park, and Silinger, but if Snow can replace the others with some faster younger players, the Isles just might be watchable next season. And it doesn't hurt also that we are creeping slowly toward solidifying a spot in the bottom-5 of the league and a crack at the first overall pick.

Video Gaming Nolan

Sometimes I feel like Nolan is completely mindless out there—as if his coaching decisions were based on a video game’s knowledge of the Isles. Hear me out…

1. In a video game, the PP lines and PK lines are predetermined. It doesn’t matter how many times a strategy fails or the players fail, the game still rolls out the same lines with the same strategy. Sounds a lot like Nolan.

2. In a video game, a player’s ability and skill will stay the same throughout a season. A Blake Comeau video game version could never be more than a 4th line player. However in real life, kids mature and improve and make a case to be considered for top line minutes. Yet Nolan still treats Comeau like a scrappy 4th liner.

3. Along the same lines, players’ abilities can deteriorate over a season in real life (although this doesn’t happen in a video game)—take Hunter for example. In a video game, Hunter (a former 25 goal man) would see top line minutes and ample power play time. Yet in real life, Hunter has lost his scoring touch and is now more of a checking line winger. Yet Nolan continues to employ his video game logic and continues to roll Hunter on the PP over guys like Comeau, Bergenheim, Tambellini, all who are young creative players that could help us score.

4. Lastly, in a video game, you have a depth chart, so if a defenseman goes down, the next defenseman in line will be called up. For the Isles, that defenseman in Aaron Johnson. At the beginning of the season, AJ was the 7th d-man waiting in the wings. Now it seems no matter what happens, AJ will always be the next man in, just as a video game would always insert the 7th defenseman. However, in reality, Drew Fata has proven to be a more effective choice yet is still further down than AJ.

My point is that many times throughout this season I have seen Nolan take the easy way out—making the mindless decision. His ability to get the most out of mediocre players is a great asset for a coach. His teams work hard and they mostly like playing for him. However, there comes a time when some basic hockey understanding needs to be considered. It’s pathetic that I would trust every AHL team’s 5 on 3 ability over that of the Isles.

Tambellini Gives Isles Life

In what could have been the final nail in the coffin on a downward spiraling stretch run, Jeff Tambellini came through in the clutch to give the Isles a much needed shootout win over the rival Rangers. In the 6th round of shooters, Tambellini made one quick move in the slot and unleashed a wicked wrist shot over Henrik Lundqvist's glove. It was nice to see Tambellini have such an impact on a game, and maybe now he will fall towards Ted Nolan's favorite list. Also, tot to go unmentioned should be Bill Guerin's tying shootout goal in round 2. I found Guerin's attempt to be a wise veteran's move, going for what the goaltender gives him. Lundqvist is so quick laterally you almost have to shoot--and the 5-hole was staring Guerin in the face.

The Kid-line - Again I thought the Kid-line was the most effective throughout the game. Comeau and Tambellini, and even Coliton easily generated the most scoring chances of all the Isles' lines last night. The problem? They saw NO time in overtime. I don't understand how you keep your best and quickest line all night on the side when the game is on the line. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S 4 on 4 and the quicker players are the most dangerous. At one point last night during the OT, Nolan had AJ, Berard, Hunter, and Satan out there together. Does he want to lose? If you want to sit back and force the shootout that's one thing, but if you're going for the W, then Comeau/Tambs should have got a chance to win it.

The PP - One word describes the Isles PP - dreadful. Now not only are the Isles unable to score on the PP, but they now are prone to at least one short-handed goal per game. I think that's 3 SHGs against in 4 games with out MAB. Where the PP should be a means to score, it is now at the point where the Isles should consider declining a PP opportunity because it's more likely they will be scored upon. I have asked all season and I ask again: How does Gallant still have a job with this team?

Shootout - I was very perplexed with the choice of shootout contestants by Nolan last night. In my book, the #1 Isles shootout shooter has to be Miro Satan. The guy is about .500 for his career and has the 3rd most shootout goals in NHL history. Yet somehow, Nolan found 3 better options. Richard Park has ONE shootout goal in his career, and last time he dipsee doodled away and didn't even get a shot on goal. And last night, he looked over matched against Lundqvist. Hunter, who is usually not a good choice, was a fair choice last night being that I thought it would take a good shot to beat Lundqvist. Hunter does have a good shot even though it has failed him and the Isles this season. The 3rd spot should have gone to either Guerin or Comrie, where last night Guerin was the right choice again because Guerin as the superior shot. The top-3 should now be Satan, Tambellini, and Comrie/Guerin. I am spending so much time on the shootout order because it can be the determinative as to whether we make the playoffs. I'd hate to have lost last night with Miro on the sidelines. If you're going to go down, you better go down with your top players.

Dubie - Dubie played a good enough game in regulation to get the win. He wasn't spectacular and often looked uncomfortable, but he did make a tremendous save on Shanahan's breakaway and his rebound attempt. However, Dubie stole the show in the shootout. Shanahan has been an automatic goal, yet Dubie came way out and gloved one of the best wrist shots of all time. He stopped 5 out of 6 to lead the Isles to the win.

DP - Many have pondered whether the Isles are hiding an ongoing DP injury, and in all likelihood the answer is yes. Anyone who heard him during the skills competition knew that he was seriously hurt--and I'm amazed he actually played in the game the next day. DP was too good towards the beginning of the year to simply become a mediocre goaltender now. On that note, if he's actually hurt, then Dubie better be in goal tomorrow. If DP actually is healthy, then you have to go back to him for tomorrow's rematch.

Stretch Run

With only 18 games left to play, the New York Islanders sit uncomfortably in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. After going on an improbable six game winning streak, the Isles catapulted themselves back into the playoff picture, only to drop back to back games soon thereafter. Now, not to discredit the Isles most recent surge, but they did run into a good amount of luck in order to keep that streak alive. In my opinion the Isles won 6 games in a row in part because (1) The Flyers underestimated an Isles team that had lost 7 games in a row, (2) Toronto outplayed us only to lose 5-4, (3) Atlanta didn’t want to play us, (4) Nabakov’s head-shot led to some spotty goaltending, (5) Kolzig gave Vasicek a gift, and (6) Tampa Bay missed various chances while being shut out by DiPietro. There’s some truth to the idea that that’s how winning steaks are formed—you have to get a good amount of luck. But from here on out, the Isles have to make their own luck.

The luck seemed to run out when the Isles were badly outplayed in the 3rd period against New Jersey last weekend. The luck did not find its way back the next game when a depleted Pittsburgh team took full advantage of the opportunities it got. Even though the Isles crushed the Penguins in the shot department, I’d say the Penguins had more chances to score than we did. And think about that—think about how hard it is to be out-chanced in a game where you dominate in the shots-on-goal department. Again, this drives us back to the inability of the Isles to generate consistent scoring opportunities.

Last game, Pittsburgh had wide open one-timers and 2-1s, while Malkin constantly penetrated the Isles’ defense—and Pittsburgh took advantage of those opportunities. On the other hand, the Isles maintained puck possession for a majority of the game yet never seemed to create good chances to score. What were some of the best chances? The Satan one-timer? The Bergenheim mishap breakaway? The first led to an easy save and the second did not even result in a shot on goal. The Kid-line did the best job of cycling the puck, and created a goal by driving hard to the net. When then Isles were winning, they were crashing the net and getting that dirty goal. More recently, the Isles seem afraid to pay the price in front.

I have been hard on Trent Hunter in this department, mostly because he is the most built to handle this kind of role. He has the scoring touch and hand-eye coordination to be able to net these kinds of goals. Yet Hunter, who has racked up almost 200 shots on goal, has a mere 8 goals on the year, many of which had seeing eyes or took strange bounces. Having watched Hunter all season, I don’t think his play warrants him having more goals than he actually has. So that begs the question of why isn’t he changing up his plan being that he has a league worst shooting percentage of 4.5%. It’s not like he’s been unlucky.

On a more positive note, the Isles’ PK is among the tops in the East, and there is little I would mess with there. Park, Hilbert, Vasicek, etc. have all done an outstanding job up front, while the Isles blue line has played well enough down low. But the Isles’ PP...oh that dreadful Isles’ PP. It’s like you’re opening up a pickle jar and you turn it one way and it won’t open. So you twist harder and harder and harder, and still nothing. Then you have an epiphany: Oh wait, why don’t I try twisting in the other direction? Well in hockey terms, the Isles are the pickle eaters, and the jar is the PP. The Isles keep trying the same thing, over and over, with no hint of success on the horizon.

Nolan has stuck with Guerin and Comrie (and previously Silinger and Hunter) for way too long on the PP, and this group simply cannot get the job done. Every PP should generate at least one solid shot on goal, where a 5-3 PP should create multiple scoring chances. You won’t score every time, but the Isles do not even produce shots on their PPs nor do they produce scoring chances on their 5-3s. It’s a shame, because converting on your 5-3s can win you games. It’s no surprise the Isles lost the past two games after failing on extended 5-3 opportunities in both contests.

Regarding the deadline, I was disappointed with the non-movement. The six game winning streak ruined all chances for a fire sale, but I do not think Snow did himself any favors by keeping all of Satan, Fedotenko, and Vasicek. In addition, I really think the Isles blew it by not going harder after Bryan McCabe. Word out of Toronto was that the Isles were not even interested on deadline day. The addition of McCabe would have done a number of things towards the rest of the season: (1) It would give the Isles a legitimate PP quarterback, one who has scored close to 60 pts in each of the last three seasons, especially after the Isles unloaded MAB; (2) It would have generated interest/excitement among Isles fans, seeing one of the ones that got away from the Milbury stage back in an Isles uniform; and (3) It would have further solidified the Isles’ blue line for the next few seasons. I’m not sure what exactly Toronto was looking for, but I bet Snow could have got it done without giving up the Isles 1st round pick in this year’s draft.

The poor management referenced by Bill I think points to what we should all expect in the off-season—that July 1st will now become our annual Groundhog Day. I don’t see the Isles as having accomplished too much since last season. The Isles will still be looking to add UFAs this summer, and all indications are that they will struggle in that department unless they blow Hossa away and pay him an outrageous amount. For a team that surprised the world last season making the playoffs at the last possible moment, it’s hard to stomach seeing that same team far worse off than was before.

The Day After Tomorrow

As we close in on 48 hours before Tuesday's trade deadline, us residents of Islanders Country can only imagine which way Snow will move this team. We have all read the countless reports that Snow is neither a buyer or seller for this upcoming deadline but rather a builder. This builder status Snow has taken took its first step when Snow signed Trent Hunter to a 5 yr, $10 million deal on Friday. As we have all discussed over the course of the season, Hunter was a player we all liked when he played in his proper role of 3rd line winger. This deal solidifies that Hunter will be with us for the next 5 years, but also begs the questions as to whether he will be used properly. Personally, I am happy Trent is able to stay on the Island for this contract. I don't believe that the Isles are overpaying him although his lack of production was alarming.

Looking ahead to Tuesday, there are still many moves that this franchise can make. Of the players to be moved include: Comrie, Satan, Vasciek, Fedotenko, Berard and our own favorite MAB.

Mike Comrie: I personally think that moving Comrie at this point would hinder any type of playoff push we are at least attempting to make. Prior to this season Comrie was basically passed around the league like the teams were playing hot potato with him. He has stated numerous times that he enjoys LI and is comfortable on this team. If put on the market, Comrie should be able to have a 1st rounder or a solid prospect in return for him.

Miro Satan: Miro would probably be the most likely to be traded Islander if not for his No Trade Clause. As we have learned with his time on this team, Satan is a very streaky goal scorer at this stage in his career. Over the past couple of games, his play has seemed to picked up (maybe he wants to be traded to a Cup contender), which could only benefit us if he waives his NTC. In return for Satan, we should be able to receive a solid prospect and 2nd or 3rd round pick.

Joe Vasicek: At a more than reasonable price, teams will be calling about Joe V because he wont do much to their cap. If the Isles are serious about making a playoff push, Vasicek is not going anywhere.

Ruslan Fedotenko: Between his hot play of late and his prior playoff experience, I expect Snow to receive many calls regarding Tank. Due to Satan's NTC, Ruslan moves into the spot of Islander most likely to be traded by Tuesday. In return for Ruslan, we are once again looking at solid pick or prospect in return.

Berard and MAB: While each could go in separate deals, I doubt they will be traded unless packaged with one of the above forwards and a mid level prospect to a team looking to unload a marquee player (Tampa and Toronto come to mind).

The Great Simon Debate

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UPDATE: Trent Hunter signs 5 year extension.

The deal is worth approximately $10 million.
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There has been much debate in the hockey world as to whether enforcer Chris Simon should be given a third chance to prolong his career with the New York Islanders. With Simon’s most recent suspension about to expire, and with Isles’ coach Ted Nolan undoubted allegiance, it appears the Isles are ready to welcome Simon back whole-heartedly.

The New York Islanders team website has been promoting this return as some sort of a season-altering event—one that could help turn the Isles around and into a playoff contender. But I view this inevitable return as a franchise-altering event—one that clearly highlights the organizational shortsightedness and the main glaring detriment to Ted Nolan’s coaching career.

For those who have been living in a cave, I will provide you with a recap of Chris Simon’s recent altercations. The time was March 2007, and the Isles were fighting for their playoff lives. A game against the New York Rangers, with whom the Isles were competing with for a playoff spot, was to have a huge impact on the outcome on both teams’ seasons. The Isles had played a strong game, and the score was tied at 1 with about 5 minutes remaining in regulation. Then, after being cleanly checked by Ryan Hollweg, Chris Simon took his stick, and in lumberjack fashion, chopped Hollweg across the face. It was one of the most gruesome attacks in NHL history and it got Simon a record high 25 game suspension. More importantly, it put the Rangers on a 5-minute major power play, one that they ultimately scored on en route to victory. A chance at two hard-earned points ruined by one man’s ill-timed decision to take out his anger in an extraordinary vicious manner.

While many thought that was the end of Chris Simon’s NHL career (in part due to this altercation, but also due to his inability to compete in today’s quicker NHL), Ted Nolan went to the powers that be and requested that Simon be given another chance. He advocated how Simon had learned from his previous mistakes, how Simon was extremely sorry, and how playing hockey meant the world to Simon. Garth Snow and Charles Wang bought this pile of horse manure, and Simon was resigned and eligible to return this season after he finished his suspension from last season.

This season, Simon made his return, and it was very evident that he was far worse off (hockey-wise) than he was last year. He was slower than before and behind on every play. He wasn’t chipping in his usual goal and he certainly wasn’t providing the Isles with any toughness. Yet somehow, he was receiving time on the Isles’ PP. It began to make me wonder whether Simon actually deserved this second chance. He seemed better tempered and less angry, so I believed Nolan when he said we wouldn’t have to worry about another on-ice violent outburst. But Simon was a liability on the ice—his game consisted of constant turnovers and a weak fore-check. This is what first led me to question whether Nolan’s loyalty to Simon was beginning to prevent the former from seeing what was actually transpiring on the ice.

Then Simon’s career took another unfortunate spin. In another close game, and again at the end of the third period, Chris Simon again lost control of his anger and it cost the Isles another game. This time the Isles were trying to stage a 3rd period comeback against divisional rival Penguins, and with the Isles down by 1, Simon attempted to stomp on Jarko Ruutu, using his skate blade as a weapon. The Isles again were forced to kill off a major and again lost the game. Simon received a new record 30-game suspension (breaking his own record from last March), but more importantly proved to me that he hadn’t changed—that he simply might not be capable of changing. Less than 20 games since his last violent outburst, Simon comes back with an even more gruesome attempt to injure another player.

Some can overlook the fact that Simon obviously cannot control his anger and is prone to violent outbursts that put other players in constant danger. They will say violence is a part of the game. (Although I highly doubt the type of violence Simon inflicts is a part of hockey). But can those of you also overlook the fact that Simon is not a team-first guy, but instead a me-first player? Simon has twice received 5-minute major penalties in the last 5 minutes of competitive divisional games, while costing his team both contests. I’ve seen Ted Nolan bench players for taking poorly timed hooking penalties in the first period. I’ve seen Nolan bench players for a 5 game stint after a giveaway during a blowout game. But when it comes to Simon, apparently the usual rules don’t apply.

I’m not sure how a coach can justify having this guy out on the rink, with so few games to play, where every point from here on out matters. The two-points lost against the Rangers last season should have cost the Isles their season as the Isles only squeaked in due to Montreal and Toronto collapsing down the stretch. And if nothing else shows that Ted Nolan plays favorites, this blind loyalty to Simon certainly proves that Nolan will go out on a limb for some, while will leave others to drown on their own.

Simon could have severely injured two different players in less than a year (where only poor aim prevented this). He has put himself above the team and his antics should not be allowed to reenter the Isles locker room. Simon has disgraced the Isles' franchise, by being given a second chance and repaying them with an even more horrifying incident. But it is the Isles who will be disgracing themselves if Simon does don an Isles’ uniform again. It leads me to question the judgment of Nolan, Snow, and Wang, who are the only ones who had enough information to decide if Simon was indeed cured and ready to return this season. Turns out they were wrong once, and I’m pretty sure they'll be wrong again.

Remember that old saying..."fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on me." The saying stopped there, because nobody has ever been foolish enough to let someone fool them THREE times.

Band-Aid on a Broken Leg

Tonight's 4-3 victory over the Flyers certainly represents the feel-good night the Isles have needed for about a month. They turned in a tremendous effort, outworking the Flyers throughout stretches of the game, while playing the type of up-tempo style that saw the Isles right in the thick of things only a few weeks ago. While I do think the Flyers came out taking the Isles a bit lightly, it was still gratifying to watch many of the up and coming Isles show their stuff--Jeff Tambellini scored on a rocket of a shot, while Sean Bergenheim used his extraordinary speed to chip one in, literally. I thought Nielson and Comeau were effective for the most part as well.

But that's not to say that all is well in Islanders Country. One win in the past 8, and the first at home in 2008 will do just about as much for the Isles as a Band-Aid would do for a broken leg.

While Hunter and Fedotenko snapped prolonged goal draughts, I think tonight's effort signifies that the Isles still could have a shot at reaching the playoffs, even if it parted ways with many of these soon-to-be UFAs. Let's face it, the Isles are never going to be an overly skilled team this season. And if Nolan could assemble a group who would be willing to work harder on a more consistent basis (aka kids who have something to prove), then I like the Isles chances heading down the stretch. I can't see the Isles holding onto Trent Hunter--I don't think there's a chance that Trent accepts the kind of offer Snolang would offer. He will want to test the waters this summer, as is his right. So for that reason, I would part ways with Hunter at the upcoming deadline.

While Mike Comrie has been effective as of late (as he was the first week of the season), let's not forget how many nights Comrie was either invisible or a determent to the Isles. He is still among the worst in the NHL in +/- ratings, and I think he should easily net a 1st round pick at the end of the month. What Comrie can do for the Isles this season and the next few simply doesn't compare to what the 1st rounder might do for the Isles over the next 10 years. He needs to go as well.

I would also like to point out one thing that Garth Snow has done exquisitely for the Isles. Over the summer, Snow did a great job assembling a defensive unit with enough depth and enough skill to endure the vigor of an NHL season. While the Isles have suffered injuries to key defensemen like Witt, Martinek, Gervais, Berard, and a season-ender to Campoli, never have I once felt that the Isles were unprepared to slot in a replacement defenseman. While MAB, Berard, and AJ have all been subject to Nolan's revolving door, the Isles have mostly put forth a consistent defensive effort thus far. Kudos to the Snowman.

Starving

Is there anything that has been left unsaid of the New York Islanders this season? Here on Bleeding Blue and Orange, the regulars have broken down the Islanders in a number of ways. We have suggested line combinations, apportioned playing time, contemplated positional changes, and analyzed statistics. Many of our ideas have been utilized, while some of our most obvious notions have been continually ignored.

We have been advocating a youth movement—an injection of younger players into a lineup filled with aging veterans. The Flyers have been able to turn around a last place team of aging vets to a first place contender this season in merely one year. The Flyers accomplished such a daunting task by making a few key acquisitions via trade (Timonen, Hartnell, and Upshall), one key off-season signing (Brierre), and an injection of youth into their everyday lineup (Richards, Carter, Kukkonen, Coburn, and Downie). It begins to make you wonder is such a turnaround could ever be possible on Long Island.

I can tell you this much, such a turnaround will continue to remain impossible if the Islanders continue to employ a current philosophy of assembling as many “hard-workers” as Snow can find among the leftovers each summer, after all the “real” teams scoop up the “real” players.

The “new” NHL is a league based on speed and skill, and does not emphasize grit and toughness as much as it has in the past (and I’m not implying the Islanders are either gritty or tough anyway). But that’s how the current Isles were built—to outwork you, out-hit you, and make you feel the physical wrath for stepping onto the ice with the New York Islanders. The Isles had done a certain amount of that early on, but that kind of game plan has been missing for quite some time. That’s probably because teams can’t maintain that kind of intense play for an entire season—there comes a point where the overall skill of a team needs to be relied upon to overcome certain deficiencies.

There have been a handful of games this season where the Isles have outworked their opponents throughout an entire 3rd period, only to fall short by one goal. And it must become frustrating when that group of players can’t muster up a goal because that group doesn’t boast one legitimate offensive threat. My overall point is that a team can’t be so one-dimensional. It can’t rely solely on the blue collar aspects of the game, while neglecting to focus on the skills needed to compete in the NHL. It can’t solely rely on a motivating coach to squeeze something out of a team comprised of nothings.

The shortcomings of the Isles are clear and decipherable. Forwards Guerin, Comrie, Hunter, Fedotenko, Vasicek, Satan, and Hilbert have combined for something like 6 goals in their last 125 games (when you combine each of their recent goal droughts). Think about that. 6 goals in 125 games! Guerin, Comrie, & Satan should be 30 goal scorers (let’s say 0.33 GPG), while Hunter and Vasicek should be 20 goal scorers (let’s say 0.25 GPG) and Hilbert and Vasicek should be 15 goal men, considering their minutes (let’s say 0.20 GPG). This averages to 0.27 GPG for those players over the course of a season. They have currently combined for a 0.048 GPG average. So instead of getting a goal from each of those players about every 4 games, we are roughly getting a goal from each of them every 21 games.

Now I don’t mean to point out the obvious. The Isles are clearly starved for offense and that is something that even the novice fan would be able to ascertain. But Nolan could have tried something, anything. He could have used his “magic” to try to squeeze some goals out of the leading goal-scorer in the AHL (Tambellini), instead of bringing him up here and there and giving him less than 10 minutes of ice time. He could have even tried to work him into the Isles PK to create a backdoor approach to gain some offense (Tambellini leads the AHL in short-handed goals as well). He could have tried to work in a speedy and smart two-way center (Walter), instead of giving a boatload of minutes to Mike Silinger, who is so old that he can’t help but break down over the course of the season. He could have demoted Comrie and Hunter from the PP after they proved to the world that they simply could not produce on the PP. But then again, how do you build an engine out of a box full of nuts and bolts.

Here on B&O, I continue to propose that GM Garth Snow disassemble this group. This team as constructed has no future and no promise. Let the fire sale begin.

Who Wants a Nolan?

I apologize for not posting this week, but it’s been a rough week in Islanders Country. The Isles completed the month of January with out a win at home, and are thus winless in 2008 at the NVMC. Games like last night’s contest against the Kings makes me wish I loved football or basketball, and not hockey. The Isles have gotten away from everything that makes hockey enjoyable.

As I first reported on Wednesday afternoon, Ted Nolan assured us that his team would quit trying to score so much so that they might concentrate better on defense. And in that the Isles were certainly successful. The Isles held the Kings (a highly offensive team) to two goals with their backup goaltender manning the crease. But what good is holding your opponents to two goals if you don’t even come close to creating the kind of scoring opportunities that could lead to goals? Against a horrible Kings backup goaltender, the Isles simply couldn’t muster up enough chances to even feel bad about losing this contest. As I have stressed for weeks now, the Isles found a way to lose another close game without forcing the other goaltender to blink at all.

Goaltenders like Chris Osgood are supposed to get easy games like the Isles' opposing goaltenders are getting. Osgood plays in front of a tremendous team that out shoots and out chances its opponents on a regular basis. In that regard, Osgood’s stats become inflated and he becomes an NHL all-star. (Did anyone else thing he looked out of place last weekend?) The Isles offense can make even the worst team in the NHL’s defense look like the Detroit defense.

Looking at the stats, one might fathom that the Kings defense surely held its own against a much better Isles team. (Better only in that the Isles were a playoff team as of last night and the Kings held the worst record in the NHL). The Isles actually out shot the Kings last night, but can anyone really remember any decent save by LaBarbera last night? The guy gave up a weak goal to Berard through his 5-hole from an off angle, and all the Isles can do is cycle, dip-see-doodle, and throw low-percentage perimeter shots at goaltender who has a mere 25 NHL wins since his NHL debut in 2000.

It’s perplexing to me how Mike Comrie is constantly the Isles’ leader in ice time among forwards. Am I watching the same game as Nolan? Comrie is a turnover waiting to happen. He hurts the team way more than he helps them. He was a minus player last night, and I think he is a minus player under any condition. In the same way we see why MAB got shipped out of Edmonton (I still love MAB), it’s very clear to me why Comrie is so well traveled in the NHL. Comrie will net a first rounder at the deadline, and this is a deal on which Garth Snow MUST PULL THE TRIGGER.

Anyone who has opposed my firesale campaign is losing leverage quickly. This team is simply not worth keeping intact and Snow must start to look towards the future. Hey, I’m all about getting a few playoff games come April, but after 4 straight first round knockouts (not counting ’94), it’s time we set our hopes a little higher. The team as is constructed today has no prayer to make its way into the second round of the playoffs. Cleanse this team of its perennial Nolan-type players, because the Isles of today don’t play the game Ted Nolan had in mind. They don’t fight for every puck, they don’t work for chances, and they don’t battle in front of the net. We already have a Nolan-type coach. That should fulfill the quota of Nolans per team. Who wants a Nolan? Nolans for sale. NHL take your pick.

All-Star Challenge

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Update: 96 and 97 are tough...clue...they were both defenseman....
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Can you name the last 10 Isles' All-Stars? Don't cheat...

2008 - DP (freebie)
2007 - Blake (Nyisles82)
2004 - Aucoin (Nyisles82)
2003 - Hammrlik (Nyisles82)
2002 - Yashin & Parish (Nicky P)
2000 - Czerkawski (Nicky P)
1998 - Palffy (Shinkdew)
1997 - ?
1996 - ?

Reality Check for Isles

Last night’s 4-1 loss to the Boston Bruins shouldn’t sit well with Islanders fans. The loyal Islanders fan has been told to give this team a chance—that this team will fight for every point and fight for every puck on every shift on every night. But all too frequently, that is not the case. Had the Isles come out with a strong performance in Boston, they might have been able to head into all star weekend with the notion that they have over-performed thus far this season. Had they emerged with two points last night, they might have been able to look down the stretch with a hint of optimism as well as confidence. Instead last night’s 4-1 loss to a mediocre Boston team should signal a reality check for the New York Islanders.

But how can the Isles have a winning record (4 games over .500) and still be subjected to the kind of criticism I am portraying here? Well it’s quite simple. The Isles are the only team in the NHL who are capable of defeating the best teams in the league, while losing to some of the worst; and this signifies a team that straight out refuses to work on some nights.

The Isles frequently take nights off and shifts off, which leads to clunkers like the 4-1 loss to the Bruins last night. The Islanders epitomize the classic NHL tease—showing you signs of dominance while mixing in some lazy inattentive play. It makes you wonder had the Isles kept their word and come out skating and hitting (aka outworking) their opponents every game, then they might be sitting atop the Atlantic Division today. And so far, that’s still not beyond a possibility. Last night’s game should signal to Coach Nolan that the Isles cannot afford to take shifts off if it hopes to win the Atlantic Division.

I mean, who cares if the Isles outwork their opponents on 60% of their games and sneak into the 8th spot and get blown out in the first round? The hockey world doesn’t remember those teams just as they don’t remember the Isles of last season. That is shown by every expert predicting the Isles to finish last in the league this year once again. On the other hand, the hockey world does remember those teams that weren’t supposed to go anywhere, yet pull it together in order to make a deep Cup run, a la the Edmonton Oilers a few seasons back. This needs to be the goal of the New York Islanders franchise—to make a run at the Cup. Presently, it seems an Isles’ season can be deemed a success if we slip into the playoffs and last at least 5 games in the first round (no brooms!). Everyone considers last season a success. Will it be a success if the Isles duplicate that performance this season? Probably. Makes you wonder what happened to the idea of building on the previous season.

The Isles inability to outwork opponents is evident in the streaky goal scoring of its top forwards (which is probably more nonexistent than streaky). Let’s take a peek at some of the Isles “top-6” forwards as of late.

Mike Comrie – 1 goal in his last 11 games
Miro Satan – 1 goal in his last 15 games
Josef Vasicek – 1 goal in his last 19 games
Ruslan Fedotenko – 1 goal in his last 12 games, 2 in his last 31
Sean Bergenheim – 1 goal in his last 13 games, 2 in his last 39
Trent Hunter – 1 goal in his last 17 games, 3 in his last 38

Each of these players above has seen ample time on the Isles first and second lines. And each of these players’ goal scoring is mostly nonexistent. Yes Tank and Hunter have seen more 3rd line duty recently, but each is still given plenty of time on the PP and should therefore be analyzed as a top forward. These guys simply don’t get the job done offensively and it’s time to give others a shot. Why not insert Blake Comeau on the PP instead of a Comrie or a Hunter? Yes Comrie is creative and Hunter can dig pucks out of the corner, but look at the stats I just divulged! NONE OF THOSE PLAYERS HAS AT LEAST TWO GOALS IN THE PAST 11 GAMES!

Trent Hunter is becoming more and more replaceable as this season progresses. I hope the Isles don’t make the same mistake that they made with Jason Blake last season. Ship Trent out for a 2nd rounder at the deadline, and let him take his puck-digging abilities elsewhere. There’s got to be a puck-digger somewhere out there who can score. Or even occasionally score.

DP has looked at bit rusty and only has one win in his last 5 starts to show for it. Perhaps it’s from being overworked, but it more and more looks like he’s struggling with some sort of knee injury but refuses to go down and miss his first all star game. Hopefully this decision won’t backfire on the Isles’ season.

Weekend Recap

A holiday weekend that could have seen the Isles take home 4 out of 4 points, instead saw the Isles take home a measly 1 point. With 2 goal leads both against the Flyers and Canes, the Isles managed to squander ‘em both, while additionally managing to lose for the first time this season when heading into the 3rd period with a lead.

It was the weekend of fortuitous bounces. The Flyers got 2 tremendous deflections off the boards, while the Isles were equally as lucky on Hilbert's goal yesterday. (Hilbert actually looked like he knew how to score goals on his mini breakaway). Coach Nolan and the Isles should take something more from the Canes' come-from-behind victory yesterday than being victimized by some bad luck. They should comprehend that it doesn't take much to beat some pretty talented NHL goaltenders. If I were Nolan, I'd be horrified by the thought of constantly losing games to mediocre goaltending. Can anyone remember the last time the Isles lost because the opposing team's goaltender stood on his head? (You know the thing that Ricky does so often for us?) I believe this shows the Isles are usually responsible for beating themselves.

From a goaltending perspective, Trent Hunter did one of the most irritating things on the Canes' tying goal when he stood up and tried to play goalie on a 50 foot slapshot. If I were DP I'd be fuming. I'd be shouting "either get down and block the shot or get the **** out of the way." Hunter gave DP no chance to see the shot--one that he probably would have eaten up and rendered all of this ranting moot.

Once again, Blake Comeau was the most exciting player on the ice for the Isles and I'm waiting for this to register in Nolan's brain. When we see Comeau on the PP, we will all know Nolan is paying attention to what's transpiring on the ice.

Patiently awaiting a fire sale,

Justin

Jekyll & Hyde

The Isles' 5-3 loss to the Flyers last night epitomizes the story of the split personality New York Islanders. The Jekyll Islanders come out flying. They come out skating and hitting and shooting. They give you everything they have because they know the only way they will beat you is if they outwork you. On the contrary, the Hyde Islanders are not so anxious. They are not desperate to create scoring chances out of determination and grit. They are not willing to pay the price in front of the net to score the “garbage” goal. The Hyde Islanders like to try tricky plays—drop passes, no-look passes, through the legs behind the back, oh wait, another turnover. The Jeyklls came out in the first period last night, and it’s a shame the Hydes took over after that.

The turning point in the game last night was clearly the 4 minute power play, a majority which was in effect as the Isles started the 2nd period. Instead of applying instant pressure in a game that the Isles led 3-1, the Isles sat back and remained content as if they were going to sit on a two goal lead for 40 minutes. The Isles registered no shots on that PP, and the play of the Isles made me question whether reality is registering in Ted Nolan’s brain. 5 minutes into the 2nd, we all knew the Hydes were taking over the game. And as usual, Nolan did very little to fire up his squad. Did anyone notice the Flyers’ coach take a premature timeout in the first period, just to yell at his team? I’m still waiting to see that kind of fire from Nolan. I’m waiting for him to show that a listless effort with a two goal lead at home is unacceptable. I won’t hold my breath while I wait.

Mike Comrie turned the puck over at least 10 times last night, and was not penalized at all. MAB would have been shipped to Serbia. Hunter is simply not productive. His defensive efforts are overshadowed by his lack of offensive output. And we now know he’s a terrible fighter.

I thought AJ played way too much last night. He saw important minutes—PK minutes, PP minutes—too many minutes for a defenseman that Nolan hadn’t even played at D yet this season (remember the AJ offensive experiment?). He made some decent plays, but for the most part looked sluggish and offbeat.

The Isles need to inject some youthful legs into their lackluster offense. The speedy Blake Comeau was the most exciting Islander last night. On every shift, he seemed to create something out of nothing (which is quite impossible when your linemates are Andy “stone-hands” Hilbert and Tim “why do I have an NHL job?” Jackman. This loss cannot be attributed to unfortunate bounces when the Isles lacked a legitimate scoring chance for 2/3 of the game.

News & Notes

In an effort to keep Dubie sharp, he has been sent down to Bridgeport for a conditioning stint. Recalled to play bench warmer for DP is Mike Morrison. Morrison is a University of Maine graduate who has put up respectable numbers this year at the bridge. He has 13-9-0 record with a 2.70 goals against average, .908 save percentage and three shutouts so far this year.

In other news, it looks like we may have seen the end of Bryan Berard. Aaron Johnson has returned from his conditioning stint with the Sound Tigers. Hopefully Campoli won't be out too long, as both Justin and I have been unable to find any update on his status. The other reason I don't expect to see Berard in the lineup is that Witt should be returning to the lineup as early as tomorrow night against the Flyers, barring any further setbacks.

DiPietro Steals Another

Mark this game down as another that the Isles had no business winning without their all-star netminder. A game that the Isles controlled for a majority of the night saw the Isles treading helplessly for the final 10 minutes as Rick DiPietro turned in a stellar performance. While many will look towards that flash of leather on Elias, the glove save on Zubrus went mostly unheralded. With DP down and out after making two saves in front, Zubrus had the entire net to shoot at, picked his spot, but DP picked it right out of midair.

This marked another OK game by Mike Silinger. He did manage to score the game winning goal, although his play was quite suspect at times. While short handed and with the Isles holding onto a 1 goal lead, Silinger led a two on one with Hunter. Instead of getting off a quick shot and returning to his defensive responsibilities, Silinger dilly dallied down the wing, lost the puck, and set the Devils up for an odd man rush. If not for another tremendous DP save, this game might have had a whole different feel to it. Silinger needs to simplify his game if he wants to consistently be effective.

The Isles have pretty much been employing 4 offensive defenseman on the blue line, which would seem to leave the Isles in constant panic around the crease. Each of Campoli, Bergeron, Berard, and Meyer are well known for their puck moving skills, but neither has been the consistent steady defenseman...until now. Freddy Meyer IV has been the most impressive in his attentiveness to his defensive responsibilities, while MAB has kept his turnovers to a minimum. This unit is getting the job done.

The Isles still need to find a consistent offensive game. Too many forwards go quiet for too many stretches during individual games and beyond. I like seeing Comeau on the first line, but I would really like to see Tambellini be given a fair shot. The guy practically leads the AHL in goals, so I'm not sure why Nolan can't seem to squeeze production out of him at the NHL level. If Nolan could get 25 goals out of Kozlov last season (only 4 goals this season), then Nolan could surely find a way to maximize Tamb's talent. Did I mention Tambellini leads the AHL in shorthanded tallies with 5? The Isles have the worst differential in terms of SHG for/against in the NHL.

The deadline is approaching fast, and more guys are beginning to reserve their place in the expendable market. Satan is the biggest bust this season in my opinion. As someone wrote on Newsday, if people are still referring to Miro Satan as a sniper, then Andy Hilbert is an assassin!
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My final letter to TSN:


Scott,

Some final thoughts on the Isles for your consideration. As of tonight, the Isles are still in the 7th spot, where all 5 teams from the Atlantic Division are currently sitting in playoff spots. I think that would make the Atlantic the toughest division in the NHL, and the Isles are holding their own.

Moreover, against the 2 best teams in the East (Ottawa and New Jersey), the Isles have a combined 8-1 record. Wow.

-Justin