Islanders Bits: 'He's Johnny Tavares, you know?'

I’ll ruin the secret a little bit, we can write posts and then schedule them to run at any time. For example I actually did the prospect post following the Islanders game last night for once, instead of waiting to do it this morning. It’s scheduled to go, but I couldn’t sleep last night anyway and I’m still up now. Most likely I’ll be awake when it runs, wondering why I can’t sleep.

That it was most likely one of those “Scratch Comeau and hope it gives him a kick in the ass” moments. People forget that Grabner and Parenteau had some early scratches last season too.

http://www.toywiz.com/nhl24tavares.html

Tavares getting the hatrick and seeing every ranger fan get up and leave

His skating has gotten better, he knows where to go on the ice and what to do when he gets there. And some of those shots he’s taking will eventually start to go in. I thought he and Bailey played well together both cycling the puck and in the defensive zone.

Martin will never be the offensive player Comeau is capable of being. But Comeau remains, after four years, a very undisciplined player in terms of playing within a system. I really don’t think he’s long for this team.

Those efforts always feel SOOO worth it when they pay off.

I think your right about Wishart, he must have an STD because he getting no love :).

is it looks like he’s on the 3rd pairing there…I would really have no idea what level of competition he is going up against in the AHL. That D looks pretty weak and porous though. They can’t just be leaving people alone or merely stick checking them when they are in the crease.

Ullstrom’s goal was a beauty!

he has a nice shot and this is promising for the Cappy game of the get the puck on net (which the COZOman is in last place on – 1 shot in 3 games = epic fail)

Wishart is relatively young and one suspects they are waiting for him to show a consistent game and more than anything else a consistent urgency that his game has lacked to date

there’s no way they placed him on the 5-6 pairing because he’s been impressive in that context, a few offensive highlights not withstanding

someone with talent and potential who doesn’t have the consistent desire & drive needs to learn that somehow – so the current approach makes sense – no reason to question anything this organization is doing these days – clicking on all cylinders

Ullström’s goal was my favorite — not just for his great play, but for the Baby Ranger d-man who threw himself into the boards for the big hit … and whiffed.

I thought he was just trying to seek out DiBo for work well done screening in front of the net, so the first two were ancillary to the celebration. If you notice on the next goal involving Wishart, where DiBo (I think) does get the credit for the tip, he makes a b-line out to Wishart for putting on the tippable shot.

(Yes, I realize I’m parsing AHL goal celebrations on a Sunday morning. I do not have a problem — I can quite whenever I want!)

Every one one of those penalties was legit, including Callahan making absolutely no attempt whatsoever to avoid running over Nabokov, and Boyle staying down on his knees in the corner for what seemed like forever making repeated attempts to cover the puck with his hands despite being told by the official to knock it off.

In the third period, Prust even skated by Nabokov right after a whistle and elbowed Nabokov’s head, but being late in the game the official only gave him a lecture.

Let them have their chant that reeks of bitterness and jealousy. It’s comical.

Everytime I hear Potvin Sucks!!, I really Hear:

They won 4 straight cup!!
fuck
They won 4 straight cups!!
fuck

But so much is matching arena availability with team requests with what works for the traveling team. The Blues have a bizarre California, then Philadelphia, then Calgary sequence.

You can look at the schedules in a lot of different ways, but by a few of them the Isles have a better schedule this year: Fewer back-to-backs and more where the opponent is on the second of back-to-backs.

Down the stretch the Isles’ schedule looks extremely busy and rather road-heavy. In March and in April combined they’ll play 19 games in 38 days (4 times back-to-back nights, 4 times 3 games in 4 nights). And 13 of the final 21 games are away (despite 4 of the final 6 being at home).

And what Ben said.

a lot of confidence in himself and his skills. When he speaks about them.