Islanders Bits, NHL Power Rankings: Jurcina is Close
by Dominik on Oct 26, 2011 2:03 PM EDT
in This, That & What-Not
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PrintThe Islanders practiced today before shipping out -- with all three goalies -- for the back leg of their home-and-home with Pittsburgh.
The most notable development is Milan Jurcina is close enough to be a morning decision, while Andrew MacDonald took another maintenance day.
Below are other links about last night's game and the general state of the Islanders, as well as our weekly NHL Power Rankings roundup. It's interesting watching national media try to get a sense of this team, and generally being a few games behind the trends noticed by those of us who watch the team most closely.
Islanders Links & Etc.
Last Night: NYI FYI takes on the positives, but says a shakeup should be the next step; talk of evals by the visiting Bridgeport scouts too. ... Eyes on the Isles on panic. ... The Post on the strong goaltending (and DiPietro "closer to playing"), and what the rest of the team needs to do ... Newsday on DiPietro ... 7th Woman on the frustration .
- Hey, how come he never does that playing for us? Kudos to our own Keith Quinn for his job handling the recap of last night's game at IPB. Good read. (And don't worry; KQ has not bee waived.)
- Also at IPB, the reappearance of the video Q&A with Botta.
- The official site talks to Darius Kasparaitis about 1993.
- This is how the Top 25 Under 25 (which we stole) came about at Oilers blog Copper & Blue: Basically, a recognition that under 22 is prospects and hopefuls, and 23-25 is when you hope those prospects become foundational pieces.
- The Devils have claimed depth forward Ryan Carter off waivers from Florida.
- Finally, bummer of a tale about Alabama-Huntsville, left out of the conference reshuffle, losing its NCAA D-1 hockey team. Lots of background links there too.
Now on to our weekly "what are they saying? They're so wrong!" exercise...
Media Power Rankings
We've added in Fox since last week (and recalculated last week's average accordingly), and TSN's is generally an every-other-week thing, so their upward trend seems behind the times. Still no listing from Columbus though. :(
But take a look. These were before last night's loss:
| Outlet | Rank | Last Week | Their Commentary |
| CBSSports | 16 | 9 |
John Tavares is still on a roll with 10 points in his past four games and has had a hand in 10 of the Islanders' past 12 goals. |
| THN (Proteau) |
18 | 14 |
Only Pens, Hawks have a more effective penalty kill than Isles (91.7 percent) |
| ESPN | 19 | 6 | Back-to-back losses to Tampa Bay and Florida bring the Islanders back down to Earth. Up next: a home-and-home against the Penguins this week. |
| CBC | 18 | 11 | Are the Islanders coming down to earth? The line of Tavares-Parenteau-Moulson is certainly not. They've combined for 22 points in six games. This could be a confidence-building or confidence-breaking week. New York has a couple dates with the Penguins and then the Sharks. Good test for the young Isles. |
| TSN (Cullen) |
11 | 22 | It's difficult to be more top-heavy than the Isles, as C John Tavares, RW PA Parenteau and D Mark Streit have combined for 24 of the team's 37 total points thus far. |
| Fox | 14 | 24 | The Isles’ offense is better than the three combined goals in losses to Tampa and Florida. John Tavares has been one of the league’s best forwards thus far. |
| Average |
16 |
14.3 | "Back to Earth. Sort of." |
Real Power Rankings
Our weekly "real" power rankings, courtesy of our own ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles (who is the one you'll find tirelessly compiling FIG picks in the game thread), conceived and delivers these week after week. They reflect games through Sunday.
Explanation of how he does it is in the original post. If you have any questions about it, leave them in comments and he'll likely answer. These are through Sunday's (Oct. 23) games:
| W | L | OTL | Pts | Pts% | PWR | ||
| 1 | Washington | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1.000 | 2973 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0.786 | 2246 |
| 3 | Buffalo | 5 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0.714 | 2226 |
| 4 | Chicago | 4 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 0.714 | 1998 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh | 6 | 2 | 2 | 14 | 0.700 | 1917 |
| 6 | Tampa Bay | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 0.500 | 1739 |
| 7 | New Jersey | 3 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 0.583 | 1710 |
| 8 | Philadelphia | 4 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 0.643 | 1708 |
| 9 | Detroit | 5 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 0.833 | 1686 |
| 10 | Carolina | 3 | 3 | 2 | 8 | 0.500 | 1670 |
| 11 | Florida | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0.571 | 1637 |
| 12 | Dallas | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0.750 | 1630 |
| 13 | Colorado | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 0.750 | 1610 |
| 14 | Edmonton | 3 | 2 | 2 | 8 | 0.571 | 1531 |
| 15 | Anaheim | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0.571 | 1432 |
| 16 | Toronto | 5 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0.786 | 1418 |
| 17 | San Jose | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0.500 | 1412 |
| 18 | NY Islanders | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0.500 | 1400 |
| 19 | Minnesota | 3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 0.563 | 1344 |
| 20 | NY Rangers | 2 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 0.500 | 1307 |
| 21 | Boston | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0.375 | 1276 |
| 22 | St. Louis | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 0.500 | 1256 |
| 23 | Vancouver | 4 | 3 | 1 | 9 | 0.563 | 1237 |
| 24 | Phoenix | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0.500 | 1196 |
| 25 | Winnipeg | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.357 | 1133 |
| 26 | Nashville | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0.500 | 892 |
| 27 | Calgary | 2 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0.357 | 882 |
| 28 | Montreal | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0.286 | 765 |
| 29 | Ottawa | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 0.375 | 670 |
| 30 | Columbus | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0.063 | 203 |
>>"Well there we're in sort of a gray area."
"How gray?"
>>"...Charcoal."
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Press Conference in Pitt 3 p.m. tomorrow
What’s this all about? Crosby news?
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Oct 26, 2011 2:36 PM EDT reply actions
Nah
probably to tell everyone that the draft will be held in Pittsburgh this year. Second worst kept secret in hockey next to the winter classic participants (since confirmed).
NY Islanders, just one irrational free agent signing away from contention!
Website:Lighthouse HockeyTwitter: @KeithLHHockey
Whose place will Jurcina take?
Mottou is #1 suspect.
That would be my guess.
I’ve been giving out grades to defensemen each game. I try to be as objective as I can, but I realize it is still largely subjective, giving ‘-’ each time a player makes a abnormally bad play and ‘+’ each time a player mades an abnormally good play, and also taking into consideration overall play each period. Through 7 games it is:
Hamonic: B+ (3.371 average)
Streit: B+ (3.183, which is nearly a ‘B’)
AMac: B (2.957)
Eaton: C+ (2.443)
Staios: C+ (2.386)
Mottau: C (1.946)
So the difference between Eaton/Staios (take your pick) and Mottau has been about the same as the difference between Hamonic and AMac, for whatever that is worth.
According to the grades, each pairing has a noticeably stronger partner, with Streit/Staios being largest difference. (But a lot of that is due to Streit’s attacking; their grades may be very similar if I was only grading their defensive play.)
I think AMac stays with Hamonic, unless AMac takes a couple games off to heal up. Perhaps Staios drops to 3rd pairing with Eaton, but I’m not sure I like that, even as a 3rd pairing. But I’m not sure I like Staios with Streit much longer either.
The righties are Hamonic, Jurcina, and Staios. So by taking out either Mottau or Eaton, the Isles can have one righty for each pairing.
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Oct 26, 2011 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Keep the grades coming
(And feel free to double-post in the recap or +/- thread. Much later on, when looking back, it’s easy to find stuff attached to specific games that way.)
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
by Dominik on Oct 26, 2011 3:30 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Pretty much agree with those grades....
would give Streit a B- due to middling defensive play (/realize he’s been out a full season)
and Mottau C- (has improved last 2 games).
Each goalie bets A-.
I agree on goalies, even though we don't have much to go by yet.
Yeah, Streit has certainly been below ‘B’ level in his own zone. If not for his PP excellence, his grade average would be, perhaps, a full letter grade below what it is. (And if not for his PP excellence, Isles only real offensive threat so far this season would be Tavares.) He really needs a better defensive defenseman partner than Staios in order shine. But I can’t say I’m disappointed with Staios’s play up to now.
I can’t argue with a C- for Mottau thus far. But watching him closely, he does do well with the puck in his own zone. But not well at all when the opposition has the puck.
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Oct 26, 2011 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions
I hope it's not MacDonald
If you know what I mean.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
In the words of Zed...
is it time we break out the Gimp? He could get the start in Pitt on Thurs.
Zed's dead, baby.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
OT: Ranger Ads
I know about pay the bills and all, but boy do I have to grit my teeth seeing cube and banner ads all over Lighthouse Hockey promoting the Rangers home-opener on MSG.
Somebody needs to photoshop/edit those things with snarky phrases in the marquee, e.g., "Marian Gaborik as “THE CRIPPLE”. Or "Glen Sather as “THE MENTAL MIDGET.”
by Hey Hanrahan on Oct 26, 2011 5:31 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Or it could be fun to come with some for our beloved Isles.
E.g. “Mike Mottau” – as – “THE PYLON”.
by Hey Hanrahan on Oct 26, 2011 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Seriously
All goddamn day. The Islanders should send the Josh Bailey in Chains ad to Blueshirt Banter as part of the exchange.
"He's depriving some small village of a pretty good idiot" - Mike Milbury on Ziggy Palffy's agent. On Twitter: @Dan_of_Science
Hehe.
“Give a 110%. Push it to the limit. Kick it into high gear. Take it to the next level. Never … say die. However you want to say it, we’re gonna do it.”
Who are the ad wizards who came up with that one.Or we could send the new one where Streit talks about “commitment” while choking back laughter.
by Hey Hanrahan on Oct 26, 2011 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions
I was just complaining about the exact same thing yesterday.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Oct 26, 2011 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Ack, this again?!
Sorry to hear it guys. (They’re location-based, so they’re hard to avoid in a three-team market.) I’ll see if there’s anything I can do, but I think it’s like MSG on TV: We force the Duguay.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
I'm just breaking chops.
We’re all used to it from years of Ranger spots during Islander games.
by Hey Hanrahan on Oct 26, 2011 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions
Kasper was my favorite Islander when he was here.
"It means a lot to me, that we’re going to be honored," Kasparaitis said. "When you’re an Islander, I guess you’re always an Islander. That was my first team. That’s when everything started for me as a professional hockey player."
He continued, "I’m always going to have great memories in my heart for the New York Islanders. They treated me with respect and they loved me on Long Island. Playing for other teams throughout my career, I never was treated so warm and with such a great appreciation from the fan base like I did on Long Island."
This makes me love him even more. It also makes me made that Dale Hunter ruined it for us.
I really miss that crazy Lithuanian...
"Seriously that's the last time you guys f#@%ing won?" -RSH (about beating the Penguins in '93)
Fun untalked about Stats: FN-GO has combined to draw 6 penalties, while committing 0.
The line still has it in them, it just hasn’t had some luck here or there.
Writer at Beyond the Box Score and The Hardball Times
Pitchf/x enthusiast.
http://twitter.com/#!/garik16
by garik16 on Oct 26, 2011 7:05 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Worth a mention, definitely.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Oct 26, 2011 7:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Last game 3rd line had some flashes. But how about some consistency???
I want to see at least 5 FIB’s per game…
Comeau and Bailey
Part of me prefers that these two NOT play on the same line, y’know maybe spread the enigmas to the other lines. But another part of me feels that they should be left together to man up and figure it out, cuz shit the talent is there…
Regarding many people here who say Nino is not the answer…well no, Josh and Blake are still the answer to their own problems…but a confident young player trying to make a name for himself, who goes to the paint, isn’t lazying thru a $5M contract…it might wake up the talent locked inside these two headcases.
"Seriously that's the last time you guys f#@%ing won?" -RSH (about beating the Penguins in '93)
It seems like Cappy is reluctant to change the lines around....
We also forget that Moulson hasn’t been doing much as well…I think thats because hes always been kind of invisible and he comes out of nowhere and scores a goal…But how about switching KO w Moulson or PA???
sit Mottau
IR MacDonald for a couple of weeks – he’s just not ready
call up Ness and play him with Hamonic for a couple of weeks (they played well together against NJD in the preseason)
Streit-Staios
Ness-Hamonic
Eaton-Jurcina
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
