Islanders Gameday: To catch a Predator; Biron is in
by Dominik on Feb 9, 2010 6:30 AM EST
in Previews
82 comments
Update: Chris Botta reports that Doug Weight, nursing a shoulder injury that won't be 100% without surgery, is the other "healthy" scratch. But a bigger shocker: Martin Biron will get the start. Biron's last NHL start was a 2-1 loss to the Flyers Dec. 27.
That pun has to be dated by, what, two years right? My defense is I never watched the show. It only entered into my consciousness by vague osmosis when overhearing third-party discussion, the same way I occasionally become aware of college sports. (I think I know that Tim Tebow is some QB for a southern school, right? And he's done now, yes? I'm serious, that's all I know.)
Not trying to turn half of you off; but it's amazing how pleasant your sporting life can be when you reduce it to just those sports about which you are truly passionate. Freeing yourself from the obligation to shoot the bull about sports that don't interest you is a wonderful thing.
Anyway, fortunately this is an Islanders hockey site. So we're all on the same page for this, at least.
On that note: David Poile and Barry Trotz have done it again. On a tight budget, in a literally small market, these two expansion survivors continue to be employed and continue to keep their club in playoff contention year after year, without benefit of a #1 overall pick -- in part because they're on the same page. I hope we can say that about Garth Snow and Scott Gordon one day -- and I hope, of course, we can say it because they have more success than the Predators.
82 comments | 0 recs |
Anders Lee USHL Player of the Week
"Lee scored five points (3g, 2a) and registered a plus-five rating as the Gamblers won two of three games over the weekend. He recorded three points (2g, 1a), including the game-winning goal, in Wednesday's 7-5 win over Tri-City. ... [He] is top scorer for the Gamblers with 47 points (24g, 23a) while playing all 41 games during his first USHL season. He also leads the League with a plus-32 rating."
Nice to hear Lee hasn't let up. I know one reader who will be very pleased at the news. For newer readers, check this LH interview with Lee from last month.
about 18 hours ago
Dominik
12 comments
0 recs
What to Expect: Matt Martin's 1st NHL game
by Dominik on Feb 8, 2010 6:15 AM EST
in Islanders in Diapers
66 comments
So NHL rookies Jesse Joensuu and Matt Martin are on their way up from AHL Bridgeport to provide a little size, create a little space, hopefully score a little. For Martin, it's his first NHL game. What can he expect?
A popular meme among observers of coaches -- in many sports -- is how they handle young players. "He hates kids. He always sticks to veterans." ... or "He rushes kids." Such common complaints among fans, who see old news in their veterans and future hope in the kids. But it's not that simple, of course: We don't have a handle on the locker room dynamic nor how the coach perceives maturity in each youngster. We can only guess.
Scott Gordon can hardly be accused of neglecting youth, but each kid is different. John Tavares steps into the NHL at the first possible opportunity and plays first-line center. Most guys don't get that treatment, and rightly so.
What follows is how Scott Gordon has used other rookies in their NHL or season debuts:
66 comments | 0 recs |
Lighthouse Project calm before the storm
I linked these in the game recap, but if you missed them, here are three interesting and complementary takes on the likely next development in the Lighthouse Project saga (after Charles Wang's pre-emptive mini-strike on air last night): Hockey Independent, plus Islanders Point Blank, and Let There be Light(house).
Update: Sure enough, Kate Murray plans a press conference Monday a.m., announcing scaled-down zoning plans.
1 day ago
Dominik
67 comments
0 recs
Changes Incoming: Matt Martin, Jesse Joensuu to join Islanders
by Dominik on Feb 7, 2010 3:03 PM EST
in Roster Manoeuvres in the Dark
34 comments
The Islanders official site and Newsday's Katie Strang report, and Connecticut Post's Mike Fornabaio amplifies, that the Islanders' seven-game losing streak and frightening failure to score (10 goals in eight games) will lead to the call-up of big AHL Bridgeport forwards Jesse Joensuu and Matt Martin, each of whom Fornabaio reported had good games last night in the Sound Tigers' 6-4 win.
Joensuu has had a few looks at this level and has steadily improved his play this season since a disappointing 2009 training camp. Martin, 20, potted two goals in four NHL preseason games -- and 23 PIM -- enough of a glimpse to get Islanders fans dreaming that we have a budding power forward on our hands.
"Top six" may be too much to hope for either of these two, but big bodies who can make trouble in front of the net and put in goals from that precious real estate? Hell and yes.
34 comments | 0 recs |
Hurricanes 3, Islanders 1: It's getting Fowler in here
by Dominik on Feb 7, 2010 12:42 PM EST
in Game Recaps
15 comments
This is a tardy recap due to personal engagements, but there is plenty of "Where are we now?" to discuss as the regulation losing streak has grown to seven.
While the Islanders have scored a whopping 10 goals in their last eight games (including the 1-1 shootout "win" over Florida), at least the similarly offense-challenged Bridgeport Sound Tigers broke out last night for six at home over Manchester. Martin Biron allowed four, though Mike Fornabaio reports he was big in the final minutes against six attackers.
Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Corsi | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles | CC
The Islanders may wish to ascribe some of their struggles to bad luck and posts and such; there is was some merit to that. Very modest merit. (Last night: Jon Sim's post was followed by a quick whistle with the puck still free. A quick whistle also robbed Matt Moulson of a goal in a situation where we've seen the opposition allowed to continue banging away at Dwayne Roloson's pad to score.) But more importantly: Carolina rookie Justin Peters had an outstanding debut. As a goalie prospect it can't be encouraging to look up the depth chart and see Cam Ward perched above you, but last night Peters did all he could to make a statement.
To break out of this slump, the Islanders are going to have to play at a level luck cannot undermine, a level we haven't seen in weeks. They've lost convincingly to some very average teams during this streak; now they get to try to break it against good teams like Nashville or Pittsburgh. Good luck with that.
15 comments | 0 recs |
Islanders Gameday: It's just the Hurricanes...right?
by Dominik on Feb 6, 2010 6:15 AM EST
in Previews
44 comments
On the bright side, the Hurricanes are banged up, with Erik Cole and Tuomo Ruutu still out, and Cam Ward sent home to deal with an upper body injury. So Ward won't have the Islanders to kick around anymore.
On the other hand, the Islanders have lost six in a row -- including one uninspired showing against these same Hurricanes (well, "same" plus Ward, which is no minor difference) -- and the Hurricanes won last night in Buffalo to make it five wins in seven games. Eric Staal extended his point streak to 11 games. Great.
I swear Southeast opponents are like a Siren's call to Scott Gordon's squad, luring them into a game of wide-open hockey they cannot win, save for when its the Thrashers doing the calling. (Upon reflection, I suppose among Nature's threats, thrashers -- despite their impressive song repertoire -- pale in comparison to wild cats and destructive storm systems.) It seems each team's star, be he Nathan Horton or Staal or Martin St. Louis and friends, always finds life easy against the NYI. (It also seems that being a fan allows for sweeping statements like that one.)
Newsy interruption: Martin Biron stopped 39 38 shots for Bridgeport last night, earning the 3rd star in a 3-2 OT loss in Springfield. The winning goal? From Ryan O'Marra, of course. Speaking of the Sound Tigers, here's a nice piece from Mike Fornabaio on the progress of Islanders sleeper pick Anton Klementyev.
44 comments | 0 recs |
Biron's Big Weekend: Win us a pick, Marty
by Dominik on Feb 5, 2010 11:32 AM EST
in Roster Manoeuvres in the Dark
49 comments
Martin Biron is an NHL-caliber goaltender who finds himself in the AHL this weekend to hone his form and ideally audition for an NHL return. He is in this situation because he (or rather, his agent) were part of the two biggest misreads of the 2009 NHL free agency period: In Edmonton, somehow they formed the thesis that their goaltending needs were best answered with a big-money 4-year deal to an injury-prone and aging goaltender. In Biron's camp, the belief was that such contracts would be flowing like wine and merriment despite a flooded goalie market strongly hinting to the contrary.
Fortunately for the Islanders, Biron was available as an inexpensive fallback as insurance for aging-yet-ageless wonder Dwayne Roloson and the still-rehabbing Rick DiPietro. The other bonus was, in theory, Biron would make lovely trade bait at the deadline.
He still might. But remember that flooded goalie market? It hasn't really gotten any less so. Teams seeking goaltending insurance down the stretch have the possibility of Marty Turco's expiring contract, Kari Lehtonen's fragile physique in Atlanta, and Biron, to name a few.
It's hard to imagine two games in the AHL making a believer out of a rival NHL GM. But it's surely a much better sales job than pointing to how nimbly Biron operates the Islanders bench gate.
49 comments | 0 recs |
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Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
New Jersey
|
58 | 36 | 20 | 2 | 74 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
59 | 35 | 22 | 2 | 72 |
|
Philadelphia
|
57 | 29 | 25 | 3 | 61 |
|
New York Rangers
|
59 | 26 | 26 | 7 | 59 |
|
New York Islanders
|
58 | 23 | 27 | 8 | 54 |
(updated 2.9.2010 at 9:00 AM EST)
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