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Around SBN: Eli Manning Wins MVP, Giants Presented Lombardi Trophy

Islanders defy Gretzky, wrap up winning homestand

Now how shall we spin this relative hot streak? A 4-1-1 homestand? The Islanders have won 4 of 5? 5 of 8? Taken points in 6 of 8? Since they ended January's 8-game losing streak with that Yann Danis-stolen victory over Anaheim, they've earned 22 out of a possible 40 points -- which is by no means playoff-like, but is far off a Tank for Tavares pace. Thank goodness for a miserable December.

Game Summary | Event Summary | Islanders Site Recap


Final - 3.8.2009 1 2 3 Total
Phoenix Coyotes 1 0 1 2
New York Islanders 0 3 0 3

Complete Coverage >


The Islanders now embark on a six-game road trip -- with some serious opponents -- which may temper the enthusiasm newly emerging fan worry that the long-sought reward for all this losing -- the Tavares-weighted lottery pick -- will somehow slip away.

Today's offensive stars will sound like a broken record through the rest of the season: Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey, Jeff ... Tambellini? Passer Bailey potted a rare goal after the again-impressive Mike Iggulden started the rush and created a wide-open rebound. Tamby's goal came from -- get this -- going to the net, as ordered.

But it's funny: The Islanders' top six forwards are now purely the young core because all the old veterans have left the building: Doug Weight and Richard Park are still injured, Bill Guerin and Mike Comrie are dealt away, and now even Trent Hunter is injured for the year. It's the young kids' time now by design but also by accident.(Incidentally, Guerin had a big day on Sidney Crosby's wing and looked positively 96 World Cup-ish with his enthusiasm. His long search for meaningful hockey is over.)

Homicidal Penalty Kill

But it wasn't just the pretty shots that made the day. Danis naturally took first star with his career-high-tying 40 saves. But he and other penalty killers (Mark Streit, Bruno Gervais, Radek Martinek, plus forwards Andy Hilbert, Dean McAmmond and Okposo) helped squash Coyotes power plays, including two 5-on-3s and one 6-on-4 with the goalie pulled.

Granted, the Coyotes' two-man advantage leaves much to be desired and leads one to question exactly what it is Wayne Gretzky teaches this team.

"We didn't capitalize on either five-on-three," Phoenix coach Wayne Gretzky said. "I believe you should score on every five-on-three situation."

Well, OK then. He at least teaches them what should happen. But the way the Coyotes used the two extra men reminded me more of a middle school fire drill rather than the Oilers' dynasty interruptus that received the torch from the Islanders but fell a Steve Smith'd 1986 short of replicating it. OdinMercer of Coyotes blog Five for Howling suggested that the 'Yotes PP will never improve while Ed Jovanovski is on the point.

Whatever the answer, we won't see it. This is the modern NHL, so we won't see these desert dogs for quite some time. Why, the fact we even saw them twice this season was just a scheduling accident that reminds us the league's more glamorous teams want their extra games to be against other glamorous teams. So it goes.

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Rangers fan here (but let me speak anyway)

What impresses me about the Isles is the relentless attack they have right now. Even the other night against the Rangers, they just kept coming. Those kids were buzzing all night long. And I LOVED seeing them hanging all those goals on Marty the other day.

It’s good to see the Islanders on the way up, the rivalry is always more fun this way.

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Mar 9, 2009 9:52 AM EDT reply actions  

Ack, intruder! Pull up the drawbridge, assume positions!

Seriously, thanks for chiming in. We’ll see how the kids do once the enthusiasm wears off and the pressure is back on, but this last run of games certainly showed the form Gordon was talking about over the summer.

Hopefully it does make the rivalry more exciting. I suspect Tortorella will do his part on that end, too.

Lighthouse Hockey: SBN's New York Islanders blog with hip issues.

by Dominik on Mar 9, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions  

LOL, dodging the boiling oil!

by the way, loved Howie’s piece during the Devils game about Eggs the goalie, that was funny, nice to see street hockey getting its props, myself being a guy that had to save up $3.14 to buy his first Mylec in the 70’s (no holes in the blade then). Don’t ask me how I remember how much it was, I just do.

And I can never think of Butch Goring without thinking of that weird helmet he wore.

Giants fan from the womb to the tomb

by Jim Schmiedeberg on Mar 9, 2009 10:45 AM EDT reply actions  

That was a great piece on Eggs — I’m really glad they put so much into it (they had teased it with some other footage from that day on earlier broadcasts). Oh, the number of old broken shafts I salvaged to use with those Mylec blades!

Goring … one-of-a-kind helmet, one-of-a-kind character.

Lighthouse Hockey: SBN's New York Islanders blog with hip issues.

by Dominik on Mar 9, 2009 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions  

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Isles Reading

Atlantic Standings

GP W L OTL PT
New York Rangers 50 33 12 5 71
Philadelphia 52 30 16 6 66
Pittsburgh 53 30 19 4 64
New Jersey 52 30 19 3 63
New York Islanders 51 21 22 8 50

(updated 2.5.2012 at 4:42 PM EST)

New York Islanders Roster

# Pos. DOB W H
Josh Bailey 12 LW 10/2/1989 190 6-1
Rick DiPietro 39 G 9/19/1981 190 6-1
Mark Eaton 4 D 5/6/1977 215 6-1
Michael Grabner 40 RW 10/5/1987 185 6-0
Travis Hamonic 3 D 8/16/1990 203 6-2
Milan Jurcina 27 D 6/7/1983 253 6-4
Andrew MacDonald 47 D 9/7/1986 196 6-1
Matt Martin 17 LW 3/8/1989 210 6-3
Al Montoya 35 G 2/13/1985 203 6-2
Mike Mottau 10 D 3/19/1978 190 6-0
Matt Moulson 26 LW 11/1/1983 205 6-1
Evgeni Nabokov 20 G 7/25/1975 200 6-0
Nino Niederreiter 25 RW 9/8/1992 205 6-2
Frans Nielsen 51 C 4/24/1984 184 6-0
Kyle Okposo 21 RW 4/16/1988 205 6-0
Jay Pandolfo 29 LW 12/27/1974 190 6-1
P.A. Parenteau 15 LW 3/24/1983 193 6-0
Rhett Rakhshani 49 RW 3/6/1988 190 5-10
Marty Reasoner 16 C 2/26/1977 205 6-1
Dylan Reese 42 D 8/29/1984 201 6-1
Brian Rolston 11 LW 2/21/1973 215 6-2
Steve Staios 24 D 7/28/1973 200 6-1
Mark Streit 2 D 12/11/1977 197 6-0
John Tavares 91 C 9/20/1990 202 6-0
Tim Wallace 36 RW 8/6/1984 207 6-1
Calvin de Haan 44 D 5/9/1991 187 6-1

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