Islanders 3, Avalanche 2: The Schremp, Roloson and Okposo Show
by Dominik on Jan 7, 2010 3:26 AM EST
in New York Islanders Game Recaps
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PrintCalm. That's what Dwayne Roloson showed me tonight through all of his ridiculous saves. Calm.
Even amid the miscommunication with Bruno Gervais, when Roloson went behind the net and played it to the corner but Gervais instead headed to guard the net (Mark Streit was also headed behind the net, on the other side), which led to Matt Duchene having an almost-open-net-except-for-that-glove.
Yes, even on that flustercuck of a play, Roloson did not panic: He just calmly slipped back toward the net, diving to glove Duchene's shot as if easing into a plush chaise lounge.
Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Corsi | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles
Enthusiasm. That's what Rob Schremp's play showed me tonight. Not "aren't I a hot dangler?" enthusiasm, but enthusiasm for playing this great game. And he did have a great game: He created the offense that led to Jon Sim's goal (shot distance: 2.5 feet), he extended offensive chances with his stickhandling, and of course, he scored The Goal. A goal that probably only he or fellow lacrosse vet John Tavares scores. It might've been Schremp's best game as an Islander even without that goal, but The Goal adds a nice identifier to it.
But all my faux-baseball-columnist blathering leaves out the biggest, most fundamentally sound play of the night: Kyle Okposo's perfect execution of a 3-on-2 for the game-winner with 3:17 left to go.
Tonight I knew Okposo had his hooks in me as a fan when I stood up from the couch with anticipation as he curled toward the slot, and I instinctively did the celebratory K.O. kneel-and-fist-pump a second before he did it to revel in the game-winning goal.
Of that line with Blake Comeau and John Tavares, only Okposo got a point on the play. But that 3-on-2 was a coach's dream: All three gain the line with speed, Comeau accelerates to the net to provide a passing option and take a defenseman with him. Tavares angles away from Okposo to draw Scott Hannan with him. Okposo, seeing Hannan back off to watch the dangerous Tavares, doesn't rush a shot -- but instead takes the space now yielded to him, giving himself a much better angle, allowing him to take the time needed to pot a perfect shot upstairs. Magnificent. Enjoy:
Kyle Okposo Game-Winning Goal
Roloson-Dominated Highlights
But Roloson was the game-long hero, from period 1 to period 3. His fantastic saves are spread throughout the game highlights video. Some nights, you know the goalie did well because: "OMG! 43 saves!" Tonight it was all about the quality of the 30 shots he saved.
I can't even really shouldn't try to describe them, so might as well watch the best ones:
Some Improvement, Some Stasis
Powerplay: To me, the powerplay looked marginally better last night. They still have trouble gaining the zone, but once there, Doug Weight's magic hands appear to create more space at the point both for himself and Mark Streit. The Isles only received two opportunities from a most curious officiating crew, so 1 for 2 isn't half bad.
Playing with the Lead: The Islanders again took a lead into the third period -- and a 28-18 shot advantage -- yet let the opponent dictate play in the third. This is an issue for every NHL team: It's simply nature to close up a bit, while it's the nature of the trailing team to throw the kitchen sink at you. But I could have handled more assertiveness. In fact, after regaining the lead on Okposo's goal, the Isles had a couple of very good shifts where they actually forced the play in the Avs zone instead of sitting back to watch things in their own.
Hitting, and Fighting: Andy Sutton's trademark blueline hipcheck on Chris Stewart was effective, even if it knocked his own wind out. Short-term grinder Mark Rycroft, adjusting to life on the Avalanche post-game broadcast, said:
"If Sutton doesn’t have a broken hand, [his refusal to fight Stewart later] is a bit of an embarrassment to the [Islanders] organization."
Wrong. This is the voice of the (brief) career agitator or the bloodthirsty fan. In reality, when you deliver a clean, hard check on an opponent who had 25 unpressured feet of ice to keep his head up, you are under no such obligation to fight him. When you are part of a blueline that is as thin as the Islanders', you are almost obliged not to fight him in a close game, putting yourself out of the rotation for five minutes.
Truly, despite my nuanced complaints, I'm fine with fighting's place in this game. But I am not fine with the way it serves as a crutch for so many players, announcers and fans who pretend it is the answer to everything, that it is some kind of magic cure for all ills and slights. Sometimes you have to fight to answer what you've done; sometimes you have to turn away when someone wants to fight just because he's embarrassed he got his shit rocked.
The Goaltending: So Roloson was fantastic -- I mean really, how many times has he delivered performances that were greater than anything we had last year? But intriguingly, Rick DiPietro was dressed as his backup. I think he starts Friday in Dallas.
On the NHL Network, they said Garth Snow is already taking calls for Martin Biron, and "some say the front-runner appears to be Edmonton," but DiPietro hasn't even proven that it's safe to sell that insurance policy yet. So I think we have a ways to go there. That said, Edmonton? Sure, they need goaltending (hmmm...now who did they have last year?), but is it worth an asset just to turn an awful season into a bad season? They may be better off ensuring their lottery pick and defining once and for all what they currently have in goal.
This Beat Goes On, to Big D
Next, the Islanders move on to Dallas. The Islanders need to thump the Stars if for no other reason than because the Stars just let Sean Avery get some serious revenge on the team that overpaid him when the Rangers wouldn't. How sad is it that Avery needs that kind of stimuli to play up to his talent level?
Despite Larry Brooks' constant pleas to let Avery be his natural dirtbag self (because a dirtbag Avery is an effective Avery), I won't buy him as an NHL player worth tolerating until he can deliver a quality performance in a game where he doesn't have an ax to grind or a manufactured offense to avenge. That said, cheers to Stan Fischler for pressing Avery in the post-game. Sometimes, Fischler's still got it; sometimes, Avery acts like an adult with a pinch of wit.
Bottom Line
That was a fun game to watch. Neither John Tavares nor Matt Duchene got on the scoresheet, but both showed why they were top picks. The Tavares-Comeau-Okposo line had some enticing moments, enough where I'd like them to stay together. Andrew MacDonald continues to play quietly effective defense, a subtle but essential ingredient on a functional blueline.
The road gets harder here, but between the goalies, the kids, and the returning injuries, there are a lot of reasons to tune in and watch this little baby grow.
What keeps you watching?
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It was a great game except...
That Moulson/Hunter line left alot to be desired from me.. they didn’t seem to mesh much and really didn’t even look competitive to me. I need Tambellini in this line-up. Those flurrys that Colorado had where proof of what good team speed gets you. The sustained offensive possesions and tremendous pressure on their forecheck was a beautiful thing to watch. When Hunter/Moulson where out there is seemed less like dump and chase and more like dump and line change. BTW my boy Schremp is doin work for us. It just goes to show that skill always has a spot on a young nhl roster. Like I’ve said before you put the players out there with the most upside and give them a chance to mature sprinkle in a few(3-4) vets and hope for the best. Otherwise great game good comeback and unbelievable saves by Rollie tonight. Great Win
Tambi + Schremp 4 Life… take a night off Moulson
Keeps me watching
Because I know as soon as I give up on this franchise they will win a Stanley Cup. Plus I have put up with all the B.S. that has gone on with this franchise over the years, I need to still be around when it’s finally turned around.
Haha, excellent. Yeah, at this point, you have to stick around for the payoff.
P.S. Welcome! Thanks for joining.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
Re: Sutton
Sutton keeps me watching. He levels some chump at the Isles’ blue line once a game and refuses to fight over clean hits. So-called experts slam him for being soft, when he’s actually just keenly aware that he’s too important to take a seat in the box. I hope we manage to hang onto this guy.
We’ve got Jackman to punch people now, anyway.
And another welcome – thanks for joining.
Sutton’s hits are a joy to watch, especially since he’s able to do them cleanly with such consistency. There’s a risk/reward to him with his (lack of) mobility, so I’m on the fence about signing him. If someone wanted him as a rental, I’d listen. But since he’s in our top half of blueliners right now, I don’t relish the idea of having to replace his physicality and shot-blocking and make several upgrades with the rest of the unit.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
I mean really, how many times has he delivered performances that were greater than anything we had last year?
Only 95% of the time he takes the ice.
Rollie 16-7-6 2.76 GAA .910 SV%
MacDonald 14-26-6 3.37 GAA .900 SV%
Danis 10-17-3 2.86 GAA .910 SV%
Wow, Danis was actually closer to Rollie’s numbers then I thought. I guess it helps having more offense.
At this point given his record and bad luck on the Island (maybe its a Biron family thing) I say trade him. Worst case scenario we can give either of the BP guys a shot in the NHL, they’ve both been impressive in the minors for a few seasons.
"So basically, the Stats make no sense whatsoever."
record and bad luck on the Island (maybe its a Biron family thing)
LOL. I hadn’t thought of that!
Those numbers say something about samples. If Danis had gone down with injury and missed his last 8-10 starts last year, his SV% would have finished somewhere around .930. He was really hot for a while.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
Stats
Roloson has two more wins (16) at this point that our leading netminder had last year.
Last year we were 12-25-4 here, this year we’re 18-18-8.
At this moment last year (1/7/09):
Okposo had 13 points (28 now)
Bailey had 11 points (17 now)
Streit had 32 points (23 now)
Weight had 32 points (7 now)
Guerin had 29 points (on Pitt)
Tambellini had 31 GP (5 pts) … uh.. (24 GP and 13 pts now)
Hunter had 26 points (17 now)
Park had 22 points (13 now)
the top 5 scorers at this point last year had 14 more points in 3 fewer games. WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MEAN? (WebBard is pretty much right in asserting that the stats mean very little).
I guess you could say that youth is being served? I think in some ways, this shows that Roloson has played at an elite level to garner those 16 wins. Consider Biron’s 2-11-2, because in reality it’s not that different from where our goalies were at this point last year. If we had to rely on the same performances (and this isn’t throwing Biron under the bus, just a question) for a second year, would we in the same position as last year? Or perhaps even worse? Hard to imagine that at this moment, but the team is still growing and we have a ways to go before we’re a force in the East yet. I suppose that’s my food for thought.
Otherwise, what an awesome season so far.
Roloson has just been huge, so consistent after his first 5 games. Rob Schremp to me looks like the cryogenic reanimation of Rob Brown. Like the line mix last night. The Isles just seem to bury more of their scoring opps this year vs. last year…plus they are getting more..just the maturation of these guys. Let’s go Islanders!
Rob Schremp to me looks like the cryogenic reanimation of Rob Brown.
That is fantastic. Schremp needs a mullet to complete the image.
Roloson is just so steady. He’s had a few off games this year (every goalie does), but on the other nights he’s just dialed in all game. You can see it in how he tracks pucks and waits shooters out … it’s just nice not having to worry about a meltdown back there.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
You know whats wonderful?
HockeyDB now has a breakdown of games. Looking at last seasons games you can see exactly when Danis went in and got hot. But for the most part in the early season there was a lot of 5-3 4-2 5-4 and more high score losses. I may be wrong, but I think a lot of the time teams got up by a few goals against us and kind of sat back. They’d let up a goal or two, but it wasn’t enough to win the game.
"So basically, the Stats make no sense whatsoever."
just look at GF and GA in the standings, and that tells a much simpler story of the team’s improvement (for whatever reasons) pacing out a few more goals for, and a solid amount less…
why isn't #16 hanging in the rafters?
Is that the second Islanders come from behind victory this season? That has to be worth something. I did not get to see the game but I am going to bet that the line changes had something to do with that fact. Well that and the ridiculous saves made by a circus freak goaltender. Honestly if they didn’t show a close up of Rollie in the mask in the highlights I would have thought Spider man was in net. That save on Duchene was grand larceny. It is beginning to look like Rollie could land us a 1st rounder and/or players if we went that route. With that being said we would hold on to Biron and work DP back in to the mix. At this point I feel like Rollie is playing too well to stay with the Isles. Although I will really miss the baseball slap.
I heard that Bergy is on this road trip. Hopefully he will play in Dallas tomorrow night. :) I’m taking some soccer fans to their first live hockey game. Here is to the conversion process. Hopefully they don’t become Stars fans (actually that wouldn’t be so bad but I would prefer that they take to the Isles.)
I am starting to believe that the guy that hit Brendan Witt with the SUV was Swiss.
Roloson as trade bait
It’s really not a bad idea, if a team were offering enough. It’s a little risky to rely on DiPietro’s health and Biron rebounding, but then it’s a little risky to rely on a 40-year-old goalie, too.
I’m taking some soccer fans to their first live hockey game. Here is to the conversion process.
Sweet. In my experience, soccer fans (well, at least some Italians who didn’t know hockey at all) will be stunned by the speed and the fact that no one is gliding out there. “It’s…it’s so fast!” {spoken in Italian accent}
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
Roly is going to be in demand
Ottawa and Dallas are two teams who will probably at least make inquiries. Unless they offer a first rounder, I wouldn’t bite. Watched the Av broadcast and they made a point of saying that Roly’s was the best goaltending job played against the Avs all year.
At this point I feel like Rollie is playing too well to stay with the Isles. Although I will really miss the baseball slap.
an interesting point… if im say Chicago, and i lose my #1, well i certainly would feel more comfy with Rolly, even with the extra year on the contract, than Biron, simply because he’s playing better hockey and gives me the best chance to keep on winning… we’ll see, we got two weeks of 3 goalie shuffle probably before we ship anyone so here’s to rooting more hot tending for our boys
why isn't #16 hanging in the rafters?
Yea, poor Witter looked horrible on that one rush last night. Feel bad for the guy. He just can’t keep up anymore.
Yeah, it’s sad to watch when he gets victimized like that.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
goalies: I expect Rollie to start again tomorrow and DP then to come back at Phoenix. Rollie knows the Western Conference better than anyone on this team and besides the obvious ones (Toronto, yesterday), his best performance of the season has in my opinion been against Columbus – another Western team and that’s why I’d start Rollie in two of the next three games with the third being back at home, but still against a Western team (Detroit). And the best way to give him two out of the next three would obviously be a rest on Saturday.
lines: Great game, great win indeed, but I still didn’t like the lines at all. Already last week, certain guys (mainly Tavares, Comeau, Moulson) had been used too much, whereas others (Bailey, Schremp, Tambellini) would have deserved more ice time in my opinion. For example, to send out Tavares for that 4-on-3 powerplay in the OT against Atlanta was a big mistake. I would have gone with the hottest players in that game (Bailey, Nielsen) and/or the hottest powerplay guys (Schremp, Hunter).
I know some like Tavares being back at Okposo’s side (in order to get Tavares going) – I don’t. I’d mostly go with the best/hottest guys together, as otherwise too many bad/cold players get too much TOI. That was the case again yesterday… How can Bailey get only 12:10 minutes, Hunter 13:13, Schremp 13:50 (and Tambellini be a scratch), but on the other hand Tavares 16:02 and Comeau 18:24?! The answer of course is because Bailey and Schremp were on a line with Sim, whereas Tavares and Comeau were together with Okposo. Comeau has been ok, so I don’t mind him getting around 16 minutes, but Tavares has just been ice cold and unlike others I didn’t see an improvement yesterday. He simply was on a better line this time around. And everything that line created, was indeed all Okposo and Comeau. Tavares again made lots of soft plays, turned the puck over too often, had no shot, etc. To be honest, I’d scratch him for a few games – otherwise we might have to wait until after the Olympic break to see Tavares producing at good pace again.
However, I’d just like the best/hottest players (Okposo, Bailey, Nielsen, Schremp, perhaps Hunter) not to be spread to more than two lines.
Interesting. I like your goalie plan — Roloson definitely has a book on the Western teams, and I’d want him out there against Detroit for sure. Don’t think him playing Saturday excludes him playing Tuesday vs. Detroit, though.
On the lines and Tavares and such: I’m not as big of a believer in putting the “hottest” players together. When a top talent like Tavares is cold, you want him hot again as quickly as possible. Whereas Hunter seems fairly consistent no matter how he’s used; his production ebbs and flows with luck and shot placement. Regarding Comeau’s 18:24, don’t forget almost two minutes of it was on the PK.
While Comeau and Okposo got the flashier moments last night, I think part of that was due to Colorado sticking close to Tavares. They were no doubt worried about him the most. But I do agree Tavares may be playing through fatigue or something. Gordon put himself in a tough spot by giving him heavy minutes right from Day 1. JT handled it fine, so no loss there, but now you run into the problem of if he has rookie fatigue, how do you manage him? There was no easing in process. I don’t think a healthy scratch of your #1 pick is the answer unless he’s playing piss poor, but I wouldn’t mind a reduction in minutes.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
the lines got jumbled up plenty though last night, so that can skew the TOI a little bit…
tavares had a few chances that sadly never came to fruition, he was in great position to receive the puck on 3 different occasions and the pass either went to someone else, didn’t get thru, or wasn’t even attempted… the most glaring one was an attempt to get the puck to KO in the slot, from the far boards (i think it was blake) the pass never worked, but as i rewound, JT was WIDE OPEN on the right for a shovel shot slam dunk goal… bailey/weight/schremp probably find him, blake though is more familiar with KO so far though
why isn't #16 hanging in the rafters?
bailey/weight/schremp probably find him, blake though is more familiar with KO so far though
Isn’t that surprising?
Again, Comeau has been quite good, I just was not very happy with the TOI he’s got lately. But your thoughts made me think and guess what, poor Comeau gets it again, although I really never had planned to be that harsh with Comeau and still think he deserves a decent role.
However, whereas Tavares and Comeau have played together for almost a month, KO has only just joined this line and all the same, Comeau has been more familiar with KO. Of course, KO is great and many, many players would very quickly be familiar with him, so that’s not the surprising part. But how about Tavares and Comeau still not clicking? They’ve played together since Dec, 12th (against Boston) and that’s about when Tavares’ slump started. He had an assist in that game (ironically on a shift with Moulson and Okposo) and a goal against Toronto (assisted by Comeau). Overall, he’s been 1-1-2, -6, 1.54 shots/game over the last 13 games. Well, I still think there are a few other reasons for Tavares’ slump, but it surely doesn’t look like Comeau has helped him a whole lot… If I’m correct, they had played together earlier this season, in that time, when Comeau was a healthy scratch also sometimes. Might have worked better early on than it has lately… However, I’d try something else now.
Oh, thanks, I thought the game against Detroit was on Monday already… The additional day off indeed opens up possibilities, but I’d still go with the hot Rollie again tomorrow ;-)
Yes, Comeau has done a very good job on the PK and has defensively been one of the most solid guys anyway. He deserves a decent role, but regarding TOI, others might have PP time. So, just looking at EV TOI, Comeau had still four to five minutes more yesterday than Bailey, Schremp and Hunter. And that’s been pretty usual lately, as Comeau had 18:24, 18:35, 19:24 and even 23:40 (!) TOI in the last four games.
Well, Tavares might be the more interesting discussion and it’s not at all that I haven’t liked Comeau’s contribution. But seriously – whether you like it or not – do you have any idea, why his TOI has risen by that much? As said, he’s been ok or even quite good, but “number-two forward”?
Hmm, I had never thought about other teams being most worried about Tavares… Interesting point. But if I had to prepare for a game against the Islanders and watched tapes of recent games, I would surely not come out being worried most about Tavares… So, after all, not sure about that.
Anyway, one of course would have to know the whole story about Tavares’ slump to give good advices. The coaches should know best and hopefully will handle it well. Unfortunately, I don’t know any similar cases… However, from what we know and think, it seems to be fatigue mainly. Gordon said something like “it would help Tavares to get away from the game more often, not to take it home, etc.”. That sounded to me like Tavares could indeed need a break. Not sure, if just giving him a different look (using him on the wing or with different line mates or cutting his minutes) is the very best of options. This way, he’s still got things to think about, so to say. However, it’s just that these two not so buys weeks would have been a good opportunity perhaps to give him a rest. He’d only have missed a few games, but would still have had more than a week to recover, work on his game and be ready again for the very tough stretch of games from mid-January until the Olympics.
Comeau
My guess for his uptick lately is just from what you suggested: He’s been put on the “top” line (first with JT/Moulson, now with JT/KO) that Gordon uses a lot, and combined with his PK time he’s racking them up.
It’s an interesting time. I think a lot of this is Gordon probing and evaluating to find out what the kids really have. For Comeau to go from healthy scratch to this, it’s like Gordon is saying, “Fine, show me what you got.”
Then when Bergie returns, we’ve got another PK TOI variable thrown in the mix. It’s pretty enticing to think of a team where #91, 21, 51, 12, 26, 57, 7, 20, 13 are all humming at their best. I know that’s impossible and consistency is the name of the game, but I’m enjoying the ups and downs, trying to guess where each guy’s “true value” lies.
Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.
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Islanders Schedule
Next 5 Games
Florida
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Sun 02/12 | 3:00 PM EST |
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Winnipeg
|
Tue 02/14 | 8:30 PM EST |
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St. Louis
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Thu 02/16 | 8:00 PM EST |
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Carolina
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Sat 02/18 | 7:00 PM EST |
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Ottawa
|
Mon 02/20 | 1:00 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
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Los Angeles
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Sat 02/11 | OT - W 2 - 1 |
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Montreal
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Thu 02/09 | L 2 - 4 |
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Philadelphia
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Tue 02/07 | SO - W 1 - 0 |
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Buffalo
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Sat 02/04 | SO - L 3 - 4 |
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Ottawa
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Fri 02/03 | OT - W 2 - 1 |
Atlantic Standings
| GP | W | L | OTL | PT | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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New York Rangers
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52 | 34 | 13 | 5 | 73 |
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Philadelphia
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54 | 31 | 16 | 7 | 69 |
|
New Jersey
|
54 | 31 | 19 | 4 | 66 |
|
Pittsburgh
|
54 | 30 | 19 | 5 | 65 |
|
New York Islanders
|
53 | 22 | 23 | 8 | 52 |
(updated 2.11.2012 at 8:02 AM EST)
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