Islanders chatter

Now What??

2010-04-15T08:57:00.000-07:00

The season is over and the Islanders are on the outside of playoffs... again. It would not be as upsetting if these band of idiots did not go on a win streak in final 2 weeks killing their chance at Hall or Seguin. The Islanders by getting hot after they were essentially eliminated from the playoffs got the 5th pick. So now what do they do? Lets take a look at the team.

Forwards: The young kids played very well and seem to be a real solid core of talent. Garth is going to stay the course with the "build from within" and that means you really have only a couple of spots to fill. How do you add toughness and a veteran goal scorer with only 2 spots? The 9 guys I can not see him sitting or sending down are Tavarez, Bailey, Okposo, Nielsen, Bergenheim, Comau, Moulson, Schrempf and Hunter. These guys are all getting better every game. So you leave 3 spots .. if you sign Jackman, Gillies or riechlits to add toughness you are down to 2 spots. How do you not give the other prospects a chance? (Joensuu, Kirrili Petrov, Trivino, Trevor Smith..etc.).. so say one of them make the team. Now you have one forward spot open to sign a captian (Iginla, Marlau, Kovalchuk, etc.) .. I don't know.. to me it seems we have to many pieces to this puzzle. I would look to make a trade with a few young kids for a top tier stud (Geno Malkin comes to mind).
Defense: Same type of situation. Isles only have 7 spots. Hillen, Streit, MacDonald, Gervais, Martinek, and Witt are all signed. That leaves one spot open for all the prospects or free agent signing (DeHaan, Ness, Hamonic, Sutton, Meyer, 5th pick in draft, etc.). I look at this situation and see the same issue. The Isles have too many kids for too little spots. I would not be surprised to see a big trade once Garth takes a long look at these situations.
I am guessing the Isles grab a big defenseman with the 5th pick. That would not be my pick, but I think that is what Garth will do in that slot. So that is another body you have to factor in to the equation.
Tons of cap room, tons of prospects, and tons of NHL caliber talent. That is a unique situation. Please don't trade for Lecavalier Garth, but listen to other possibilities.

He's BAAAACK!!

2010-01-08T10:36:00.000-08:00

Isles are officially .500 18-18-8 to be exact. They are relatively healthy and should have the system down pat. Weight is healthy and DP makes his long awaited debut tonight. Rolo has proven he is legit and if DP can begin to play even close to his ability they should make a run for the playoffs. All these talented young kids are starting to click. The isles have 4 lines that can put the puck in the net. They have 3 very solid pairs on defense. Take Biron and his 2-12-2 record out of the mix and they should finally start putting together a string of points. It is now or never for this team. Either they extend their current hot streak of 5-1-1 or they will trade vets for picks at the deadline. If they continue to stay in playoff hunt Snow has said Wang wants to spend some money. I would expect them to add one or 2 big time vets at the deadline (they have tons of cap room). That does not mean Snow is going to trade any of the young guns. Tavares and Okposo will be Islanders for a long time (tambellini, schremp, meyers.. may be packaged if it can land a Kovalchuk or nash).

Speaking of JT ; He has hit a bit of a dry spell as of late. He looked like he was finally getting angry about it in the last game. I expect him to start scoring again in these next 2 games. He is no longer avoiding contact and has started crashing the net. As all these other first round picks like Bailey, Okposo, Nielson, Schremp, Commau, and Tambellini are starting to score this team is becoming dangerous. .. 2010 they will continue suprise a lot of people.

Gaining momentum

2009-11-16T07:23:00.000-08:00

Young team starting to click. The Islanders are starting to play better. They started the Season 1-4-5 in their first ten games. The last 10 games they are 6-2-2. They have played 10 overtimes in 20 games. I feel like I am the only one saying this is a playoff caliber team. Everyone who points to the last 2 years as indicative of this teams talent is a fool. If this team stays realively healthy (or at least doesn't lead the league in man games of injury for 3rd year in a row) they will be a good team. Their defense is better then everyone wants to believe and they have 4 solid lines. They are extremely talented and extremely young. They will continue to get better every game. As the season progresses and they get DP back in the mix they will be a very tough team to play.
The reason for the 1 win in the first 10 games was mainly the inability to put teams away. They are still strugling to hold on to leads but getting better. They will continue to get better as the season progresses. The bigger and better sign is these young kids are starting to score.. a lot.
Okposo is no longer a secret. I think the league is now realizing this kid is legit. Tavares has been exactly what everyone thought (except Ranger fans). Jt has the same amount of goals as Crosby after 20 games.. fyi. Neilson is starting to play some solid hockey (would love to see him for a full season). Bergenhiem, Tambellini, Comeau, and Bailey are starting to play better... they just need to be a little more consistent. Trent Hunter needs to stay healthy. He is a big guy who can put the puck in the net. He is fantastic in the corners and on defense. I was expecting him to be the Captain this year and I am still a little upset they gave it to Weight (is he ever not hurt?). The bottom line is we need Weight to get healthy for a month so we can trade him.
Martinek out for the season (again). The defense can not afford any more injuries. This kid Hillen has been Phenominal. I think it is funny no one in hockey is talking about him. He has been far better then most young defensemen in this area and has not gotten any press. I am excited about him. Gervais has been the opposite. He has taken a HUGE step back this year. I want to see him back to they way he was playing last year. Sutton, Witt, and Striet have been very solid. They take the body and clear in front of the net. That is what defensemen are supposed to do... add a few joining the rushes and you can't ask for a lot more then that... Witt 2 goals in one game? Freddy Meyer has gotten some ice b/c of Martinek going down and is playing a MUCH more physical game. He could always fly and handle the puck. If he continues to play the same physical game, Bruno Gervais better be careful. He might be the odd man out when the Isles make a trade .. (Weight and Biron will be traded) or bring a guy like McDonald or De Haan up to the big club.
The Forwards are playing better every game. I love that the coach benched Bailey for a game and Tambellini for 2 games. Jeff thought b/c he finally scored a few goals he could go back to not skating in the defensive zone. Guess what Jeff.. this team is Stacked with guys in the AHL and being scratched that WILL give 110% every shift. I am guessing next time Tambellini gets in the line up He will be flying around the ice. 6 goals does not mean you don't back check. I am sure Trevor Smith or Jesse Joensuu would be happy to get another shot at the NHL.

Bottom line is the future is very bright on Long Island and everyone is starting to see that.... They WILL make the playoffs this year and the next couple of years will contend for the cup. They have tons of cap room and a few guys that will make the team next year. Aaron Ness, Calvin De Haan, Kirili Petrov, etc... get on the band wagon now!!

Petrov- Isles took a shot by drafting him in the 3rd round in 2006. He was in contract in Russia so no one thought he could play in NHL so did not draft him. Isles had a ton of picks so used one on him .. just in case. He would have been a top 2 pick if not for the contract. This year his contract is up.. He is very big and very talented. (comparisions to Malkin).. never know.

Tired of hearing how great Marc Staal is.. Just b/c his last name is Staal does not mean he is a great young player. He is the "Fredo" of the Staal family. When you don't score or hit ... then you stink. Gilroy and Delzotto have been FAR better then the rest of the rangers Awful Defense.. girardi, Staal, Rosival and Redden have not hit anyone in 10 games.

New season .. imminent.

2009-09-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Hockey season is about to begin. JT is about to make his Professional debut. I am very excited to see this kid with a real team around him on Saturday night. He showed flashes of brilliance in pre season and when on the power play they scored in about 10 seconds. He is HUGE and very talented. I can not wait to see how He, Bailey, Okposo and Comeau does this year.
This year the Islanders also have a ton of kids that are making it real tough to send them down to trim down the roster. To me that is a great sign b/c if we start having injuries again we have tons of depth. Sounds like Doug Weight will not make the opener so that is one extra spot. This kid Matt Moulson is making it real tough to assign him as he has 4 goals in the last 3 pre-season games (add an assist in his 4th game). I was a little surprised to see them assign Jesse Joensuu b/c the kid looks huge and amazing to me every time he plays. The other bubble boys are Trevor Smith, Greg Moore, Jeremy Reich (broke wrist last night) , Joel Rechlicz and Calvin De Haan.. Joel is a goon.. will probably make it and be a healthy scratch for most games. Trevor is real deal will most likely make it for now .. I don's see Moore and Reich making the team. The kid De Haan is the other first round pick the Islander moved up to get. This kid is legit and although he may not make it for the start of season.. I don't see him playing in Bridgeport very long. Here is the lines as I see it.. when everyone is healthy.

1. Okposo, Tavarez, Weight (okposo is ok after the cheap shot.. should be good to go. Weight has pulled groin)
2. Hunter, Bailey, Comeau (Hunter was on pace for a 30 goal season when got hurt.. he will be captain of this team soon.. he is a little hurt right now.. hope he makes opener)
3. Park, Bergenheim, Tambellini (Park and Berg have been amazing. Tambellini HAS to show he can do in the NHL what he does in AHL.. this is his last shot)
4. Thompson, Neilson, Jackman , Sim? (Thompson also great last year till got hurt.. fighter who can score, Neilson is hurt for now.. again. needs to stay healthy, Jackman is a goon who will be looking over his shoulder at Rechleicz .. )

(Weight, and Neilson are hurt right now... so probably Smith, Moulan, Sim and Rechleicz fighting for those 2 spots)

Def.1 Witt and Martinek (Martinek is best I have seen since Kenny Johnson on defense.. he finally stayed healthy last year.. watching him and Ovechkin battle is a lot of fun.)
Def. 2 Streit, Gervais (Streit was the best free agent signing of the year last year.. Bruno gets better every year)
Def. 3 Sutton , Hillen (Sutton was leading league in blocked shots when he got hurt.. led league 4 times on other teams.. only played about 20 games) Hillen is the kid they liked so much they traded Campoli.
last defenseman will be Freddy Meyer for now.. DeHaan hurt but will make a push for this spot. .. if no one gets hurt.. Freddy may get traded. He knows this and is working like a mad man to make this team.. Watch how much he hits when on the ice. He was never known for that.

Goalies :
1. Roloson
2. Biron

Dp when fully healthy will bounce one of these guys.. both were top teir starters last year. so no matter what happens this year will not be same as last year. I would imagine as these kids get better and make it more difficult to leave them in Bridgeport the Isles will use their depth to make some trades and gain picks. Unless we have injuries.. no matter what the abberation of last year's 575 man games of injury will not happen again. We are going to suprise a lot of people this year. Trust me.

Isles also just claimed Schrempf off waivers from Edmonton. He was a first round pick in 2004. I guess he goes into mix fighting for a spot. This will be a very interesting week.

Half way to JT

2009-01-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

The Islanders are awful... and I am happy about it. I can not tell you that this happened a lot in my life. I rejoice with every loss (unless it is against the Rangers). I smile with every slight injury to players I know would turn this around. Why? I Want John Tavarez. I want a super star a goal scorer. The only way to build this team is the bottom up. We have all excepted that as Islander fans. We have a lot of Good young players who will be important pieces to the puzzle. This off season they have the oportunity to build a great team. Get the top pick and sign Gaborik. That 1-2 punch will be the difference between a good team and a winner. Take it slow with DP. Trade all the free agents and get picks. If you add Tavarez and gaborik to a team with Young players like Okposo, Bailey, Smith, Hunter, Gervais, Campoli, Comeau, Nielsen, Bergenheim, Thompson and DP. You will have a stone cold winner for a long time. The Islanders have a chance to build a Monster of a team. They have the cap room and the talent in the system to make it happen. Add Draft picks and free agents ... and the laughing will stop.

I WANT A BLIZZARD

2008-07-02T05:30:00.000-07:00

It is July 2nd and all is quiet on the eastern front. The islanders signed Streit last night. It is a good sign, but I am quietly waiting for a snow storm. I think as far as defense goes.. the Isles are done. They have Streit, Martinek, Witt, Campoli, Gervais, Sutton, Johnson and Freddy Meyer.. so that is done for Isles. There are tons of rumors out there with big big numbers going to the likes of Jagr, Hossa and Sundin. Islander fans are WELL AWARE of what happens when u spend too much on one guy. I am o.k. with missing the really big signing for a long time. I would not mind a Sundin at 20 mill for 2 years (they CLEARLY have the cap money). Hossa is apparently being offered over a hundred mill for 10 years.. that is friggin nuts. He is not Gretzky or Ovechkin .... REEELAAAAX with the 100 mill. So here I sit logging into to nhl.com and Islanders.com hitting refresh every hour (or more)... waiting. Come on Garth get me some excitement!!! At least get me Peca or Asham back (still love those guys). Get me Naslund!! Get me Owen Nolen!!! Get me something to get fired up about... LET IT SNOW!!!!

If you build it.. they will come

2008-06-23T12:24:00.000-07:00

June 20th - a new regime.
Draft was certainly interesting as an Islander fan. Going into the Draft I was kind of just curious more then anything who the islanders were going to take. The Islanders already have a bunch of young defenseman and I know the top 10 in this draft would be stacked with big "Chris Pronger" type defenseman. The thing that everyone forgets is Pronger sucked for 4 or 5 years as a Hartford whaler. He did not become a force for a long time. The Islanders also have a knack for drafting defenseman in late rounds that work out (Zdeno Chara- 6th round).
So that left me hoping the Russian kid would be there at 5 Fetisov. Now He was not projected to go early till about a week ago. Then he was talked about as "another great Russian player??!!" So at 5 when he was available I thought they would take him.. they did not. They traded down and picked up a few picks. Then at 7 they traded down again and gained some more picks.
Then at 9 they took Josh Bailey. He is a big talented Center that hits hard.. Character kid who is not afraid to drop the gloves, but is not a brawler. Isles said if they had the second pick this is the kid they would have taken so moving down made sense b/c he would still be available..etc. Then b/c of all the moving down and trades during year Isles land 13 picks in a very deep draft. So it comes down to this... if Fetisov does not turn out to be Ovechkin then I gotta be very happy... here is a break down of who the Islanders got: http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=366699

Steal-: if Petrov comes over from Russia he would have been a steal at pick number 73... Big skilled Russian.. most of the other kids will be in the Frozen 4 for a while.

In all most of these kids are Teddy Nolan type players and you would hope a few of them turn out to be pretty good. I am very interested in Bailey, Trivino, Petrov (big Russian), Toews and Ness. These were all highly touted going into draft. Rest will be a wait and see type players.

Anway I thought Snow and Co. did a pretty good job but still would have rather had a few more picks via trading our free agents, but hopefully we end up with some stars. Goodness knows we need them.... Free agency begins in one week. some how we need a goal scorer.

Sell Mortimer Sell

2008-02-11T06:07:00.000-08:00

I hate to even write this blog. I am hoping it is thrown in my face in a month. That said I think after getting 4 wins in 18 games it is time for the Islanders to start selling. They have a ton of UFA (unrestricted free agents) on the roster. It is time to get some value for them if you can. I am not talking about getting rid of our future or the heart and soul of the team. I am talking about the players we basically will have to try and re-sign after the season. To me if you can get some good Players or picks for a player who is UFA after the season you have to start listening. Players like Tenk, Comrie, Satan, Vasicek, Bergeron, Berard, and Aaron Johnson. If you can get something worth while for them... let them go and let the young guys get more play time. I would not give up guys like Hunter, Witt, Gervais, or even a hurt Campoli for anyone (unless a player of the Vinny L caliber is being discussed). The other players who are older or basically were one year rentals you gotta take advantage and see what a team trying to put that last puzzle piece together for the playoff run will give up for them. Just take a look what Nashville did last year to get a 97 year old broken down Peter Forseburg from Philly (and consequently destroyed their whole team doing it). So I am calling out to you Garth... My season is a bust.. Make it Snow!!!

P.S.- man I hope this is thrown back at me in a month.

WE have reached a crossroad

2008-02-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone.. it has been a while. I have watched with frustrations and aggravation the up and down Islander season. I know the Islanders have been battling flu bugs and injuries for the last week or so... but tonight is the last chance to begin a playoff charge. If they do not show up and beat the Penguins tonight it is time to start rooting for draft picks. They have a good team. It is a team built on character instead of talent. It is the type of team that could actually do some damage in the playoffs if they made it. They need to start playing Teddy Nolan hockey. They need to beat other teams to the puck. They need to have forwards back checking. They need to dig in the trenches. They need to skate full speed every shift. I believe in this team. I hope they don't disappoint me in that belief!!

I was at the game on Tuesday and the constant Booing of the home fans pained me. I don't understand the thought process on coming to a game just to shout "we suck" at the top of your lungs. What kind of example are you setting for the kids? Did you think they were going to kill the ducks? do you think a team with Weight, Selanne, Guigerre, Neidemeyers, etc. stunk? Do you hear the kids Yelling "Satan you suck!" while he is laying on the ice in pain? I get as frustrated at losing skids as any fan, but is this how you really want to express your feelings to YOUR Team? How many people who booed Eli feel stupid right now? If someone yells "come on Skate!!" to a player I have no issues but to scream "You Suck ____ " is just absurd!! Show a little class.

When did Hockey become the NFL??

2007-10-25T10:27:00.000-07:00

What the freak is with the week off after a game? The Islanders played what seemed like every night for the first week and now they only play one game a week. I think Mr. Brent Sutter may still be an Islander at heart. He basically played Broduer 2 nights in a row and then when they played the Islanders he sat him for Weekes after they had a day of rest in between. I have no idea why he made that decision, but I am not upset about it. Thanks Brent we owe you one.
Islanders got 2 wins in a row before the extremely long break. If they had lost that last game I would of had to sit with that loss for a week... so I am very relieved they held on and won. That and I brought my 3 year old daughter to the game and I Refuse to believe they would not win for the Bean. She did say "Wooo" for the next 5 days.
So as we thought the Islanders are getting production and hustle from all 4 lines and all 7 defensemen. They have a very well balanced team. No they do not have the One super star on their team (except maybe DP), but this is a team sport and they have a very solid team. I still think they have about 7 guys who could score over 20 goals. They have one of the better secial teams in the game (PK unit currently ranked 2nd). I am very pleased with the team Garth and Teddy has put on the ice. I will not lie and tell you I wouldn't love if they nabbed a goal scorer with their cap room, but I would not want another Yashin guy out there... they have great Character guys all the way up and down this roster. I would hope they would only add a goal scorer with that type of attitude (Iginla type) . I also saw Ryan Smyth's return to Edmonton on TV as an Av and will only say this... Ryan there is no crying in hockey.
I will not mention what is going on with the 'other" New York team. I will just say I am smiling quite frequently.

Here we go again

2007-10-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

It really is funny being an Islander fan. Let me see the Islanders last year were abused for spending waaaay too much money on Poti and Kozlov. Kozlov is overrated.. never panned out... etc. Poti stinks, turns the puck over, not physical enough... etc. This year after both had solid years in the Islander system ... The Islanders are going to "suffer" losing these fantastic players. They did not sign anyone of substance again.... Guerin, Sim, Comrie, Tenk, Vasicek, Sim, Sutton, etc... all were not a big deal and we over paid for all of them... It will be a "miracle" if they make the playoffs. I am just curious why Scott Gomez who scored 13 goals last season and averaged around 16 the last 8 years at 10 mill this season and 8 mill for the next 3 is not over paying and a good sign, but guerin and commrie (who already has 4 goals) are terrible signings at 4.5 and 3.4 mill. The bottom line is Garth and Ted signed solid 2 way players. They signed Character players. They signed guys that fans and teamates love to watch every night. They signed guys who will block shots, take the body, muck it up in the corners, back check, etc. They signed every shift 100% kind of players. They signed the type of guys that great teams are built around. The Rangers signed the flashy free agents. They did not address the only real need they had.. defense. Hats off to the Rangers on getting Drury he is a great 2 way player. They over paid for him.. but he is a great player. To all the Ranger fans who already had the cup in their mantle this summer... RELAX!!! The Islanders have 4 solid lines and 7 solid defensemen. They have a great blend of youth and veterans. They have Big stay home defensemen who block shots and clear the front of the net and skilled offensive defenders to help at the point. They have tons of good 2 way role player forwards. They have a very good goalie who will have a great year b/c this defense will allow him planty of room to see the puck. They have 8 guys who can score over 20 goals this season. They will make the playoffs... again.. and surprise everyone.. again... and next year if one or two of these signings sign away from the Islanders after having a great season. Guess what you will hear... the Islander should never have let Comrie, Fedotenko, Vasicek, etc.. get away they will regret it.... enjoy the season Islander fans!!!

Time for the big Blow!!!

2007-07-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

All Right I am still waiting and hoping and praying. I am dying to see the Islanders in the news. I have gotten head faked the last week twice (once for the second round pick trade and once for a Bridgeport goalie). I still trust Garth, Ted, Bossy, et al. I am still really hoping for a monster move though... should I not be? I notice that Nashville is dumping salary to make the team more sellable (remember salary dump days... bye Ziggy, Berard, McCabe, Green, etc.). Why can we not benefit from another team doing the same? Why can't the Isles pick up Sullivan or Arnott? We have tons of cap room... tons!!! Please just get me one more "guerrin" in this line up. I love the young guys and want them to get a shot... but We still need one more legitamate NHL goal scorer in the line up... one more sniper!! Garth, get one more guy... preferably not Yashin... I just couldn't take the abuse. Resign Asham, Simon and Peca too... thanks.
Larry Brooks likes our making Guirin a captain... now I feel dirty about it. Hey Larry stick to writing your insanely Ranger Biased articles!! We don't need your blessings.

In Garth I Trust

2007-07-09T05:02:00.000-07:00

Islander country is still waiting for the rest of the chips to fall. I believe in this Mgmt. group. I know how much money we have left under the cap (almost to the penny.. issues). I am happy with the additions of Tank, Comrie, Guerin, and Sim. I am still waiting for one or two more announcements to really start to get excited. I am hoping that Garth and co. has there eyes on a big blue liner to take the place of Sean Hill (It killed me to see him sign with the Wild this weekend... I loved that guy). I am really hoping the Islanders do exactly what they did last year at this time of year. They stole a bunch of quality guys late in the free agency period (Kozlov, Sillinger, Simon, Hilbert, Park, etc). So if they can do that again to solidify this team to a quality 4 line team... how can you not be happy? Sprinkle in a few of the young guys that have to get a shot (Bergenheim, Comeau, Tambellini, Nielson, Okposo, etc). The bottom line is this is not a "basement" team as everyone is assuming again. Remember where they had this team last year?
Here are my thought on the loss of players in the last couple of weeks. The only two I am upset at all about is Smyth and Blake. Zednik spent too much time not playing and in Nolan's dog house for me to really have issues with losing him. Kozlov was a "loaner" player that really was too slow to throw a ton of money at him... I will miss him on the shootout, but with the signing of Guerin I am o.k. with him moving on... As Far as Blake is concerned he was a Phenominal Islander, but how can you blame Garth and co. for not signing a 37 year old for 5 years? They offered him a 3 year deal. He went to Toronto for the 5 year deal. To lock up 5 mill a year for 5 years is just too risky. Last year was a career year for him. I would love to have him back, but in all I think the decision was the correct one... Let's see how Toronto feels in 3 years about the signing... especially if the NHL expands and brings the cap down (cap is percentage of revs divided by amount of teams). Smyth was a gamble worth taking. Anyone who says we gave up too much does not understand the depth of this Islander organization. We have quite a few guys who are trying to break there way into the line up. How many of the Names I typed above will make it this year? Is Nillson better then Neilson? Is O'marra better the Okposo? My point is it was worth taking a shot on Smyth. My hope is we go farther in the playoffs then he does in the very near future. I am glad he signed with Colorodo for no other reason then every Ranger fan in the world told me he wanted to go back to Canada.... guess not.
I don't really care about the Rangers signing the top 2 free agents out there and if you are upset at that you shouldn't be.... Remember the other times the Rangers signed the top free agents in the past.. how did that work out? How many cups did Gretzky win? how about Holik? Bottom line is they still need defense and giving 2 guys over 7 mill a year is going to make signing Princess Lunquist a lot more difficult (how do you give 3 guys over 7 mill and your best player under 5).
I remain Patient. The signings last week have me a little happier. I am still hoping for a lot more from Wang and the gang. IN GARTH (and Ted) I TRUST!!! Go Isles!!

Islanders chatter

2006-10-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

TIME FOR A RUN!!

Well the Islanders made it interesting on Friday night, but in the end they got the "W". D.P. got his first win of the season and despite a couple of starting defenseman out hurt (Campoli and Bouchard) they played fairly well against the defending stanley cup champions. The offense is starting to click and the team seems to be slowly getting Nolan's system down. I think the Islanders ending the Sabres win streak on Thursday would be an excellent way to tell the hockey world they are for real. Buffalo is trying to match the all time best start of 10-0 in that game. It would be great to slam the door on that record.
Poti got the game winner just into overtime on Saturday night. He has been playing much better the last couple of games on defense, and it is nice to see him chip in on the offensive side. I am still concerned about him giving up the puck in a crucial spot of a big game, but so far he is doing very well. They always have him paired up with a stay home guy which helps. We still seem to be struggling on the penalty kill and that needs to be addressed if the "run" is going to happen. The new guys seem to be clicking and Yashin having all this talent around him is helping him get off to the best start for him as an Islander. Sillinger is not only putting the puck in the net; he is winning almost 60% of his face-offs. That is up there with the best of the league (he was ranked 3rd the last I checked). Like I said in my first Blog ... This is a very solid team...now they have too prove it.

sidenote: Bobby Clarke finally resigned as the GM for the Flyers. Is anyone a bigger Moron then Bobby Clarke? The guy has lost more cups for this franchise as a GM then he won as a player. On his way out instead of just saying I did not do a good job etc.... he blames it on others??

"I felt strongly from the end of last season on, I don't know if the right word is burnt out or tired, but the decisions that had to be made, I was not willing to make them," Clarke said. "I was letting other people make them. I know I didn't do the right jobfor this organization."

What decisions Bobby? How about getting a friggin goalie when u had the best team in the league for almost a decade. Lindros would be hailed as one of the greatest players ever if he had a friggin goalie. Let's see if we can win a cup with Hextall when he is 40 or Garth Snow... unreal. I HATED the Flyers back then b/c they were easily the best team in Hockey. Their only weakness was Goalie and B.C. would never get a top notch net minder.... then on his way out he blames his failures on phantom "other people"... what a total load of B.S.

3 games - 5 points... If you build it..

2006-10-17T11:32:00.000-07:00

Islanders lost a tough game in a shoot out last night. While it would appear to be a set back we have to look at who they were playing and again understand that this team has only had 6 games together. Wait till 10 games before you start to get upset.
Nashville is not the same team they were last year. This team is STACKED with talent. Paul Kariya, Sullivan, Arnott, JP Dumont (remember him? We draft him and when he gets good trade him.), lehtonon, Sullivan, Suter, Hordichuk, Timonen, etc. This is a Very solid team with an unbelievable goalie in Vokoun. I am happy with 1 point. The Islanders had many chances, but could not get the puck in the net. They were skating well most of the game and crashed the net often. Isles had 2 goals taken away because the net was off its moorings (the net was off the moorings about 10 times last night and We never got a power play out of it). I will point out that any player with the last name Tootoo who decides to make his number 22 deserves to be creamed everytime he steps on the ice….. There is no cutsie in hockey!!

The defense: Poti actually had a very solid game...I was pleasantly surprised. This is his type of game that stressed speed more then anything else. Radek Martinek is really becoming a very talented defensemen. He skates like Kenny Johnson and he hits. Hill played well again. Witt had his worst game as an Islander. He seemed to be struggling to keep up the speed and had very few hits. He also had another penalty.

Offense: I was happy to see Sillinger score again. I think he is going to be a 35+ goal scorer for the Isles this year. We really need Satan and Hunter to get it going as well. The good thing is we have a lot of guys who can put some pucks in the net. Sillinger, Yashin, Kozlov, York, Satan, Blake, Bates, and Hunter are all capable of scoring 20 goals or more. We also could still see a young gun in the system like Ryan O’Marra or Tambollini come up and get in the mix. They just need to have a couple of guys clicking at all times. This team is very well balanced. They do not need points to come just from the first or second line. They have Talent on all 4 lines.

Goalie: Dunham had another great game. He stopped over 30 shots and robbed a couple of Predators on shots they thought were clearly in the net. The best thing about Snow being the GM is the Islanders got to look at a few talented goalies in their system and choose the best as DP back up. I will add that before the shootout Dunham took a very hard slap shot in the face that had him down on the ice for about 5 minutes. He finished the game and OT, but did not do very well in the shootout. Sullivan and Kariya both beat him on a one timer over the glove hand. Vokoun on the other hand was very sharp the whole game including the shootout. He stopped Satan shot after a move that I thought clearly had him beat.

Overall I am still happy with the play of the team... just need to keep the energy to the level it was the last few games for all 3 periods.

sidenote: Renney was asked before he played the Devils if he was hoping to get revenge for last years loss in the first round of the playoffs. He said he did not even think about the playoff loss till he read the paper in the morning. Does anyone believe this? Do you really think that the Rangers did not circle every game they play against the team that swept them in the first round of the playoffs and put their superstar on the IR. I remember when Isles lost to Toronto in 7 games. I was circling games the day the schedule came out. Don't kid yourself Renney everyone knows your dying to beat the Devils ...no matter what you say to the press.

Isles get 2 points

2006-10-13T07:30:00.000-07:00

The Islanders finally picked up a couple of points last night. It took OT and penalty shots to finally get it done, but they are on the board. I am relatively pleased with the performance of this team thus far even though the result is a 1-3 record. This team has all the pieces that are needed to make a very good TEAM. The toughness added with the off season pick ups will help this team a lot as the season progresses. I like seeing MANY guys sticking up for Yashin and blake when an opponent takes a shot at them. This team will take some time to gel, but the overall make up is a VERY solid team.
Brendan Witt has taken what seems to be a million penalties in the first 4 games (granted many of them were ridiculous calls). The team actually had 5 of their 6 penalties in the Anaheim game in the 3rd period which allowed the Ducks (don't call them mighty) back in the game. That said my initial thought of Bredan Witt is I love this guy. The Isles have needed a big time physical defensemen and he and Hill are filling that need very well. I am very excited about the depth at defense. The only addition I am unhappy about is Poti. He is a decent point man on the power play, but he continues to give the puck away 3 to 4 times a game. He did this a lot on the Rangers. Martinek, Campoli, Gervais, and a helathey Zhitnik is one heck of a defensive squad (not even mentioning Bouchard who is hurt right now.. he was the best defenseman for the Isles last year). I am very happy with the defense as a whole.
The new and improved offense looks pretty good. They will struggle for a little while getting to know each other, but I like the players. If nothing else we do not have the guys who will forget how to skate when they are in the defensive zone (Kvasha..enough said). They have some great character guys with the new additions which they desperately needed. The Isles getting a 4th goal past Guigerre to tie it up las night was very good sign. Giggy was averaging a Goals against of about 1 coming into this game. The fact that Isles got 5 including the shoot out is a very good sign. Kozlov getting the shootout goal was nice to see because you heard a lot about how He was one of the best in the league. I think all the fans on the Island will be pleasantly surprised by Christmas. Nolan said it would take at least 10 games for these players to get to know each other... so give them a little time.