Recap - Stars (on 45) 3, Islanders 2: Can Games Be Only Forty Minutes?
by mikb on Dec 15, 2011 10:21 PM EST
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Well, that was undistinguished.
The Islanders started very poorly and found themselves in a 1-0 hole when Loui Eriksson was left all by his lonesome in front of young Kevin Poulin. Then they fought back with one each in the first (Grabner off a strong pass from Okposo) and second (Okposo directly) to hold the lead... ahhh, a lead... ahhh, but then came the cursed third period, where for the third consecutive game, the Isles gave up an easy goal to a poorly-covered forward to start things off.
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Game Highlights
The game thread featured a lot of angst as things came unraveled... and Jack Capuano was not much happier in his postgame comments. One of the very first things he mentioned was the breakdown on the tying goal by Brenden Morrow - "The strongside defender was too high" or words to that effect - and the next thing was the breakdown on the third goal, where a poorly-chosen moment to pinch led to a 3-on-1 breakout and a short-side wrister by Jamie Benn for the deciding goal.
"I don't like to mention names," Capuano added, but the name on both of those plays was the captain, Mark Streit, who has been struggling badly in the past week or so. On the tying goal, he found himself wandering and covering nobody, leaving Travis Hamonic alone in front. When the puck went low, Matt Martin realized that he was closest to the slot and broke off his point to help, but was a step too late. And Streit was the pincher on the firewagon breakout.
Oy, the growing pains, they are painful.
Still, there were positives. Kyle Okposo is still in beast mode, creating both Isles tallies with strong puck possesion and getting shots to the net. Calvin de Haan debuted slow but steady, with his shifts limited in the first two periods before Cappy turned him (relatively) loose in the final stanza - de Haan saw PK and PP time, looked good moving the puck, and was solid in his own end, not looking overmatched by physical play. And the final goal notwithstanding, Poulin was generally sharp, especially on a wicked redirect in the second that he tracked and blockered off. He left noticeably fewer rebounds than his Dallas counterpart, Richard Bachman. In the common parlance of the hockey fan, he gave his team a good chance to win. Dallas, however, seemed to have a stick on every puck the Isles passed or shot... and as the game went on, a stick on every Islander as well, with scrums and chippiness trying to wear down the home team. With Brian Rolston sidelined after the first with a concussion, Capuano was forced to run three lines, with Tim Wallace and David Ullstrom getting cycled in as best as could be.
They get to try it all over again on Saturday, moving from hosting the former Minnesotan hockey club to visiting the new one, the Wild. With their cap mules veterans falling one-by-one to Islanders Malady, play will have to be carried by that growing group of youngsters that Garth Snow is assembling..
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My plus for the night
+ DeHaan looked strong tonight
+ Every time I turned the Rangers game on to see what the score was the Blues scored.
You wouldn't believe how good the Corsi is for my NHL 12 Be A Pro player.
It sucks
because I’m sure Streit would have really benefitted from being able to come along more slowly off the injury, but he’s really struggled lately. Like everyone else on defense, he is being asked to do too much. In his case, I think it’s largely a TOI thing, in addition to the tough minutes.
I hope de Haan can give us another useful body, but again, he too will be asked to do too much for his age/experience.
You only hope that at some point, we might roll out:
Hamonic/Amac
Streit/Eaton
de Haan/Reese
and that they will be far more effective than our guys have been this year. I’m not saying de Haan is ready, or anything like that. I’m just hoping that he might be, and that the Isles might be able to field some serviceable d-lines.
Not only have Jurcina, Mottau, and Staios not gotten the job done, they’ve been so bad I think they are damaging to the other players (particularly Streit). Same thing with the goalies. This was Montoya’s first night off in a while, in large part because the other guys weren’t actually capable of spelling him, and I believe it’s taken a toll on him as well.
Depth will come, but it’s hard seeing our better players run into the ground because the alternatives are so ugly.
Remember
How long it took Okposo to get going last season, he looked like he had finally shaken off the rust the last two months. The hope is that it’s the same problem for Streit, and hopefully not a deterioration of his skills.
"I really wouldn’t wish rooting for both the Isles and Blues on anyone." Dominik
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Agreed
That’s why it really sucks that we don’t have anyone that can take some minutes from him until he gets back up to speed.
by afrosupreme on Dec 15, 2011 10:58 PM EST up reply actions
I think
outside of his PP time which wasn’t going to be taken away, there had to be some hope that the team could lead on Hamonic/Amac, but Mac’s been hurting and not playing his best hockey lately either.
"I really wouldn’t wish rooting for both the Isles and Blues on anyone." Dominik
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
But also
he’s had to cover for Steve Staios, Milan Jurcina, or whatever god-awful player he gets paired with.
I partially think the recent Streit/Hamonic pairing is an effort to take a little pressure off him and give him a breather…
by afrosupreme on Dec 15, 2011 11:03 PM EST up reply actions
My thoughts
+ deHaan
+ Okposo
+ FNGO as a whole looked pretty good tonight
- Mottau
- JT constantly being hampered
-Cappy
-PP
Thought Poulin played well, but of course could’ve been better.
Streit and Jurcina disappointed me.
PP/entering the zone was very frustrating. It is like we are incapable of entering the zone or even accomplishing a dump and chase. NEed to go back to simple hockey, get shots on net, go to the net and finish your checks. We stopped skating also at points. Also, I’m sorry but I’m done with Capuano, I just don’t see him as a good NHL HC.
UVa Student. Twitter: @ericdavidmorris
by edavidmorris on Dec 15, 2011 10:41 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
+ deHaan
+ Okposo
+ FNGO as a whole looked pretty good tonight
- Mottau
- JT constantly being hampered
-PP
Thought Poulin played well, but of course could’ve been better.
Streit and Jurcina disappointed me.
PP/entering the zone was very frustrating. It is like we are incapable of entering the zone or even accomplishing a dump and chase. NEed to go back to simple hockey, get shots on net, go to the net and finish your checks. We stopped skating also at points.
I totally agree with all of this.
Also, I’m sorry but I’m done with Capuano, I just don’t see him as a good NHL HC.
He is the same coach thats been there when things have looked good. He doesnt have all the players on remote control, I dont see how their execustion is his “fault”. If they were unmotivated or had attitude problems or there was division in the room Id see it, but I just dont see it now.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 15, 2011 10:58 PM EST up reply actions
agreed
I do not like the flip-flop attitude we see with opinions of Cappy
We go on a winning streak and its oh Cappy has got them going, but when we lose a few its II am done with him
I think all in all he is doing fine; this team is way better than last year, we just have yet to see the results – trust me it will come though, they are definitely heading in he right direction
James T Paulson
by Jtpdolphins2009 on Dec 16, 2011 7:38 PM EST up reply actions
Somehow this is Dom's fault
What happened to all those Grabner hat tricks when you took a night off?
At least the Blues won.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
At least I went 1 for 1, given the Blues’ victim.
Hitchcock afterward: “We try to take teams out of their comfort zone. We did that tonight. We made that team uncomfortable.” Hee hee hee…
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
It won't take much to do that to the Islanders.....
Is there a fan comfort zone for Islander fans?
It’s more of a twilight zone, I’m afraid.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
by Dominik on Dec 16, 2011 10:39 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
nice
Where are we to go now that we’ve gone too far?
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
Question regarding 36+ contracts
OK, you CBA wizards, I have a question for you…
Hearing about both Rolston and Pronger getting concussions, and Pronger going on IR for the rest of the season, I was wondering… Do those 36+ contracts count against the cap when the player is forced to retire due to a career ending injury?
I ask more for our team (in case Rolston, for instance, can’t return) than the Flyers. Although I doubt Rolston’s injury will force him to quit, let’s just say he figures he doesn’t want to chance another hit again, and abruptly retires. Would we have to find another few million in salary immediately?
Yet another Moulson brother-in-law.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Dec 15, 2011 10:46 PM EST reply actions
35+
and yes they do count against the cap after the player retires. That’s why the Flyers keep arguing that Prongers contract was pre him turning 35.
It doesn’t really matter when it comes to Rolston, cause he could just sit out the rest of the year (like Dougie last year) and retire at the end of the season. There would be no reason for him to abruptly retire.
"I really wouldn’t wish rooting for both the Isles and Blues on anyone." Dominik
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
That’s why the Flyers keep arguing that Prongers contract was pre him turning 35.
Heh- they can argue it all they want, but the definition is clear (unlike so many things in the CBA) and they just screwed up.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 15, 2011 11:00 PM EST up reply actions
Ah ok thanks Mark.
Yet another Moulson brother-in-law.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Dec 16, 2011 7:22 AM EST up reply actions
Yes. Lapierrierre retired from concussion sydnrome and his cap hit count against the flyers for an extra year or 2 because of his contract length.
Pronger retires, the flyers are F’d bad with ~$5mil cap hit for the next 5yrs. That’s if pronger retires from the concussion. Even if he retires during next year, that’s a useless $5mil on the payroll for a while.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
Flyers are screwed anyway
cause there’s no way Pronger is playing those last 3 years of his contract, and each year has a 4.7 mill cap hit. So they are paying later for the cap space they got earlier in the contract.
"I really wouldn’t wish rooting for both the Isles and Blues on anyone." Dominik
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Agreed. I'm surprised he'd made it this far. He's breaking down bad and that concussion should signal the end, especially if it shuts him down for at least 3/4months at his age.
How much money has Pronger acquired anyway throughout his career so far? He’s got no reason to play, he’s made easily over $50mil in his career so far and he’s got a cup.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
He's a competitor
The Flyers also might not want him to retire. His contract might be valuable for a team that wants to get to the floor without spending a lot of money. They could technically trade him, and then he’d announce his retirement after.
"I really wouldn’t wish rooting for both the Isles and Blues on anyone." Dominik
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
OMG
Could you imagine taking him on as a six year Mule who never even suited up for you? I’d cry as a fan.
by afrosupreme on Dec 15, 2011 11:12 PM EST up reply actions
I might change teams if that really happens. It's bad enough living with DP's cap hit yearly, Yashin's $2mil+ of dollars annual cap hit for what feels like forever.
But having another $5mil/yr cap hit for multiple years just because we don’t wanna spend the extra money would be the last straw for me. I have a huge fear that Wang is gonna buyout DP to have his cap hit eventually and just waiting for the right time.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
I forgot to mention the usual cap mules too just to reach the floor.
Being an Isles fan is rough.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
by OzzyFan on Dec 15, 2011 11:48 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
have to agree with you hear ozzy
and i too fear wang will decide, every dollar he has to pay DP damn well will be counted against the cap…
Milbury screwed up by overdrafting DP, we all know that, but that 15 year brain-cramp of a contract is all on Wang.
by CanadianIsleslifer on Dec 16, 2011 2:21 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
There's no way anyone would do that
it’d make sense maybe for a season when you’re desperate to make the cap but not for that long. Any team would rather spend the money on a functioning player even if they overpay an under performer.
You wouldn't believe how good the Corsi is for my NHL 12 Be A Pro player.
Then why buyout Yashin other then to cut payroll?
Sadly, I question if we’d pass on this option if it came available to us.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
"cut payroll" and give us a free cap hit"
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
because we were going into a rebuild
Yashin was still a good enough player that wouldn’t have given us a shot at tanking for draft picks.
You wouldn't believe how good the Corsi is for my NHL 12 Be A Pro player.
I guess you could do that with a contract like Prongers
but I doubt the NHL head office would allow a trade like that to go through, even if a team was crazy enough to hamper themselves that much for more than a 3 year period.
Yashin has less than half the cap hit that Pronger would carry.
You wouldn't believe how good the Corsi is for my NHL 12 Be A Pro player.
by ArsenalLI on Dec 16, 2011 2:24 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Come to think of it, what was the point?
of buying out Yashin?
I believe that, at the time, there was still hope to be NOT a floor team.
There was still plenty of hope for the Lighthouse Project. They were forced to make a quick decision or be stuck with him forever, so they bought him out.
Yet another Moulson brother-in-law.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Dec 16, 2011 9:23 AM EST up reply actions
So his retirement "nullifies" payment of the contract, but the cap hit remains.
That would be a very Islander-like scenario as opposed to Yashin, who although he is not playing, they are still paying him.
Wow. Thanks, Ozzy.
Yet another Moulson brother-in-law.
by ICanSeeForIslesAndIsles on Dec 16, 2011 7:25 AM EST up reply actions
There's a big HOWEVER with Pronger though: LTIR
Even if things look bleak after this year, Pronger could theoretically go on LTIR, the way they did Rathje (and maybe Hatcher, too?). LTIR gives you room above the cap by the amount of that injured player.
Don’t know if it would change in the next CBA, but in terms of cap baggage, Pronger permanently hurt but not yet retired is better than Pronger healthy but sucking as an old man.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
I assumed
that was why they are saying he’s out for the playoffs already. There’s really no way to rule him out for that because of a concussion right now (because of their unpredictability), but it puts them on the road to cap circumvention.
by afrosupreme on Dec 16, 2011 10:14 AM EST up reply actions
They claim two different doctors recommended shutting him down for that long
I was wondering the same though. I guess if they really think that’s likely, it’s easier to get it out of the way rather than go through the Daily Crosby.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
And this is why it will always be a league of haves and have-nots.
The Islanders would carry the cap hit because they have to pay the money regardless and would rather meet the floor. The Flyers basically void the cap hit part of the contract and just use the extra Winter Classic money to cover any losses.
by Hockey1919 on Dec 16, 2011 10:47 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I'm glad the score wasn't as bad as it could have been. From my view we were outplayed most of the game.
Streit was horrible, he has been bad the last couple games. His play cost us both goals. Stupid mistakes.
Another frigging invisible penalty on Hamonic. His stick wasn’t even near that Star when he fell over. Cost us precious time there. Hamonic for some reason is getting a reputation or something that leads to these “invisible penalties” that’s at least 3 or 4 invisble penalties on him this year. Unexcusable for the refs.
Lot’s of sloppy play overall. Too bad we couldn’t squeeze out a point. DeHaan’s passing looked sharp though, Okposo beasted, and Nielsen’s backchecking saved at least 1 goal from my view. And Reasoner’s dive saved 1 goal. Poulin wasn’t bad in net either except for playing the 3 on 1 pass the whole way, gave Benn an easy goal to finish it.
Not a good bounceback game after that horrid canadiens game. I expected better, but we just didn’t show up for the whole game again. What’s up with that?
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
Another frigging invisible penalty on Hamonic. His stick wasn’t even near that Star when he fell over.
You must not have seen the replay.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 15, 2011 11:00 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah
Hammy’s stick was in between the legs. MAybe OTt was easy going down but still, it was a trip.
UVa Student. Twitter: @ericdavidmorris
by edavidmorris on Dec 15, 2011 11:07 PM EST up reply actions
My bad, the replay at the game was a bad angle.
The organ player even played “if I only had a brain” after the call and Hamonic was super pissed in the box. Thanks for the correction.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
It looked like a really bad call in real time
Only on the reverse could you see his stick got caught up.
by afrosupreme on Dec 15, 2011 11:10 PM EST up reply actions
Thats what I figured.
I thought it was crap as well, until I saw the replay.
He got his stick into the guys skate- literally, inside the gap in his skate.
It was a strange thing, but its a more understandable call once you see it.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 15, 2011 11:10 PM EST up reply actions
It bothered me that the center ice ref may the call down low in the corner,
but his x-ray vision must have caught Hamonic’s stick cut in the blade. In this case, even a blind squirell finds a nut once in a while.
by Hockey1919 on Dec 16, 2011 10:49 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
and he also raised his arms as to say "i tried to avoid it".....
But that has the opposite effect…It brings attention to the player when they do that…
I found it weird that I saw a DeHaan white oshawa generals jersey. Wonder if it was a coincidence or the guy knew DeHaan was getting called up when he got his tix/earlier today/etc.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
Well, people were talking about it yesterday.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 15, 2011 11:02 PM EST up reply actions
yea
going to an isles game is usually a last minute thing for me too, especially since some stubhub sellers reduce their prices 3 hours before gametime. I would have never thought id be just out of college and able to afford to go to so many games, but with 200 or 100 level seating for $16-$20, its very reasonable.
everybody "wong" chung tonight
by potvins_cups on Dec 15, 2011 11:18 PM EST up reply actions
I was thinking of going tonight last-minute myself
-to see Kevin Poulins first start of the season, of course. I just didnt get back home in time.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 15, 2011 11:20 PM EST up reply actions
When we "suck", ticket prices go way down.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
It is becoming increasingly bothersome to see Tavares being so ineffective.
I know he’s played well for the most part, but lately, he just looks overmatched and unproductive.
Is he really going to just be a 65-70 point player in this league? That would definitely put him in the running for one of the worst first overall picks of the last few drafts. I always had hopes for at least a consistent 80 point scorer. I know its early, but he’s been inconsistent for strong periods during his first three seasons.
I wouldn’t call him a bust; he plays with passion, works hard, and has skills, but is he really destined to be inferior than Taylor Hall, RNH, Patrick Kane? I know these are all great players, but are Islander fans going to look back in the future and say “we got the most disappointing 1st overall compared to the others around him.”
I know part of it is the lack of elite talent around him, but Parenteau and Moulson have been tremendous of late and JT has not been on that same level on a consistent basis.
Feel free to disagree.
we suck on many, many levels...
but tavares does not in any way contribute to our suckitude. hes a one man wrecking crew with not much help around him (as you mentioned). PAP and Moulson are good players, but they’re not nearly as consistent as tavares.
everybody "wong" chung tonight
by potvins_cups on Dec 15, 2011 11:11 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
well this should stir the pot
For the record, jt is not a concern. If he is a 65-70 point guy in his 3rd pro year, we are in good shape with him.
by randyboyd on Dec 15, 2011 11:07 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
But wouldn't we want that total to increase?
Would anyone be satisfied with JT scoring less points than a year ago? Not to put pressure on him, considering how hard he works, but would anyone be okay with that?
JT certainly wouldn't be happy with it
One reason why I love having him on the team – he is relentless in his desire to improve and keeps playing hard every shift. There is no quit in his temperment.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
by mikb on Dec 15, 2011 11:19 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Last year
Only 27 players had more points then Tavares.
JT is just being targeted time and time again because he is absolutely the best player on the team. That’s why there is always so much talk about the Islanders needing secondary scoring.
When the Hawks won the Cup, they had Kane and Sharp on the same line and Pronger was able to shut them down. Once they separated them it was a different game.
Most of the last decade the 1st overall pick has basically been a freak of nature. Even though JT might not be up to that level (yet) I don’t know anyone in their right mind that would consider him a bust.
"I really wouldn’t wish rooting for both the Isles and Blues on anyone." Dominik
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Also
Parenteau and Moulson don’t score their goals in a vacuum
"I really wouldn’t wish rooting for both the Isles and Blues on anyone." Dominik
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
Never considered him a bust whatsoever.
Just concerned with his inability to score on a more consistent basis.
I know that goaltenders are good in this league, but you’d hope JT would be able to score from outside the crease with a snipe.
I know what youre saying.
If Im gonna be honest I yearn for him to string some Palffy-type goal together, myself.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 15, 2011 11:22 PM EST up reply actions
Wasn't his goal before the one he stuffed in a snipe from high in the slot?
He just constantly plays in the dirty areas around the net so it is less likely he scores those peripheral goals. He’s a center, not a wing. Bossy had Trottier down low sending the pucks out to the “sniper” areas.
Kane has more often then not played wing as well to free him up from doing the things in the dirty areas. He also has some guys named Toews and Hossa that create opportunities when he isn’t on the ice.
Eh
He went 13 games without a goal, but has 2 in his last 5. I think the problem is without another dangerous line (although FnGO is threatening to become one again), it’s too easy for teams to key on the first line (Goaltron?), JT in particular. You can see it looking at his shot totals. Given the effort he puts forth every night, when he goes with 0, 1, 2 shots, it means someone was draped on him all night and he just couldn’t get loose.
This is the one problem I have with Moulson and PAP-neither of them seem to find ways to draw defenders and get JT the puck on a regular basis. I like them both, but at some point I think they will need to find someone who can make a little more space for JT out there.
by afrosupreme on Dec 15, 2011 11:08 PM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Neither PAP or Moulson are board men in the Tonelli or dare I say Don Maloney molds.
JT works so hard down low and behind the net to get those pucks. PAP is the guy that gains the zoen carrying it and Moulson goes to the paint and pickes up any table scraps available, but JT is the retreiver. He gets the pucks off the boards and opens everything up for everyone else. Is there another forward that can actually work the boards as well as JT or even close?
Okposo is strong on the puck and along the wall
He’s damned hard to separate from the puck unless he’s trying to dispy-do around defenders. When he keeps it simple he’s very good.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
by mikb on Dec 16, 2011 11:04 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
True, I thought of him, but didn't think he had the distribution skills.
I still see him as the puck carrier pushing it into the zone, but you are right he is certainly capable if in “Beast” mode.
Yea
And I think if his passing can keep improving he could eventually displace PAP on the top line. I thought he made some good strides on that last year, playing with Grabs. Might be worth giving it a chance again, and trying to jumpstart JT a little bit.
by afrosupreme on Dec 16, 2011 11:09 AM EST up reply actions
It seems that...
JT is always carrying the puck in on his own, and getting jumped. Team has to do a better job of carrying into the zone and setting up an offense. They rely on dumping and rushes, but the rush is JT and 2 D-men from the other team
I can think of worse
Hall and The Nooge are certainly not sure things yet, though they look very good. And going back I see Patrik Stefan, Alexandre Daigle, and a couple of goalies that either took a long time to get there or… aw dammit.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
I still argue
That Daigle shouldn’t be considered one of the biggest draft busts. He had a surprisingly long career, and his point total for his career put him in the top 20 of his draft class.
It’s just considered bad because he was followed by Pronger.
"I really wouldn’t wish rooting for both the Isles and Blues on anyone." Dominik
Contributor to Lighthouse Hockey not sure if I'm the Sniper or the Enforcer.
by Mark D on Dec 15, 2011 11:13 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
what the hell have you been watching?
taveras has been anything but “ineffective”
he’s been borderline outstanding. one of the few on this team
by ripcurl2121 on Dec 15, 2011 11:14 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
JT was really pissed about this game. He skated off the ice ripping his helmet strap off and visually pissed off bad.
His thirst for the game and being all he can be shouldn’t be questioned.
And PS: A 70pts player in this league is good enough to be a top 25 offensive player in the NHL regularly.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
by OzzyFan on Dec 15, 2011 11:38 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
I have to admit I do worry a little...
But the fact of the matter is he doesn’t have a guy to feed him the puck like he does for everyone else…He might not be scoring allot of goals right now but hes getting his assists on a regular basis…I think hes at least a point per game player when hes in his prime. He almost is already…
really?
Tavares has played with career minor leaguers his first three years. One of them my have 30G three consecutive years. The other is playing his way to a huge payday. Are Moulson and Parentau bad? No. But they aren’t carrying the first line. It’s JT that is drawing the double, it’s JT that is finding them in space, it’s JT that is maintaining possession in a phone booth to fire shots.
Then you have the defense. If he was centering the first line of a team with 4 quality defensemen he’d have 50 points and 20 goals so far. There is no support offensively from the D, and very little help defensively. Where would he be if they had defensemen that could terminate possession in their own zone quickly and create odd man rushes, instead of having that line have to spend most of their shift playing supportive defense.
This inability to appear as a “generational” talent is mostly because of the situation he has been placed. Hell, it was the middle of his second year before opposing teams slowed their desire to just POUND HIM into submission. Do you think that would have happened if he was a Flyer prospect, or a Leaf prospect?
This organization has done a lot of things wrong… but drafting John Tavares isn’t one of them!
He’s here. He’s committed to being here for years to come, and he plays a hard and talented game. If you want to be disappointed with your a first overall pick, try this guy:
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
by JPinVA on Dec 16, 2011 8:20 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
No offense JP
But its limiting that nobody can ever critique JT (or even say things that arent praising him) ever, ever- without another person mentioning or posting a picture of Rick DiPietro and mentioning his draft from a dozen years ago. I think you should be able to discuss one without having to discuss the other… but every time someone has an opinion that JT needs to see more results, even if they put it as nicely as possible, boom this same rebuttal is made- again and again and again.
Or do you just bring it up because you think there just isnt enough talk about when Rick was drafted?
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 16, 2011 9:51 AM EST up reply actions
i thought he was responding to this
"we got the most disappointing 1st overall compared to the others around him."
These comments crawl up from the depths of the deepest Chasm of Saar
But that's not exactly true
He’s only currently terrible because he’s physically unable to do it anymore through injuries. This is a guy who turned himself into a credible starting goalie by age 25. He wasn’t ever going to live up to the hype of being “first goalie ever drafted #1” but that’s hardly his fault. He embraced that as a challenge. HIs first three full seasons behind a not-so-good team were probably just as good as Fleury’s for Pittsburgh. The difference is that Fleury stayed healthy and has posted .918 and (so far) .917 save percentages last year and this year, after a mediocre .905 in ‘09-’10.
RDP, on the other hand, got hurt and stayed hurt. He first thre full years were .911, .900, .919, and he was following up with a .911 when he was hurt at the All-Star game. He went .881 the rest of that year, and in the four years since has played only 47 games, and at a miserable .888 clip. It’s clear that he was a legit starter before, and is now no longer even a legit backup only and entirely because he was hurt.
I hear your point, but I feel compelled to say this. It’s not Rick’s fault. I mean, of course it’s not any goalie’s fault that he is what he is – but the difference between RDP and, say, Andrew Raycroft or Steve Mason is that those guys maybe never really had it. Rick really did have it and it was taken from him. That makes a difference.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
by mikb on Dec 16, 2011 10:29 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
I agree...
but in the context of #1 overall… think of what the other options were. In the context of the Islanders, and the day… it may have been the stupidest series of events in the history of the franchise. Kirk Muller was a bad decision… letting Lavy get away was a bad decision… Rick Dipietro over Gaborik and Heatly, with Luongo in the system 2 years closer to being an NHL #1 goalie… was something I could only equate to a GM having fallen in love with somebody’s mother… because I still see absolutely no other reason to trigger the tailspin of a franchise on a kid who played one year of college hockey.
You also have to remember that balls-for-brains made him the first goalie to ever be selected overall. When he had the 5th pick that would have sufficed. Maybe it’s not so bad if they get Heatley and RDP… but no.. they got an above average goaltender and a middling middle-six power forward.
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
That's the trouble with the DP topic
He’s too easily associated with a lot of baggage that is not, in fact, on him.
They should’ve kept Yashin around just so he could share some of the deflected rage. He could’ve been this year’s Rolston.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Justified vs. Just Plain Crazy
I agree. I think Milbury was so in love with the idea of taking the brash, New England kid and building his team around him that he let logic fly out the window. Shocking, I know.
Jesus christ, what a mad man.
"He's depriving some small village of a pretty good idiot" - Mike Milbury on Ziggy Palffy's agent. On Twitter: @Dan_of_Science
Still think Daigle was worse than DP.
If for no other reason than Daigle was worse than Yashin. (Not to undersell Yashin because he was a league MVP candidate for a season or two).
mikb: official psychologist of the New York Islanders
Success was survival and, kid, it still is
by IslesFanInNJ on Dec 16, 2011 10:44 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
hahahahahaha
My wife HATES it when I grow a beard. Now I know why.
I actually agree with you, JP, at least as far as the 2000 draft. Instead of taking DiPietro they could have simply held Luongo, kept Jokinen, added Gaborik (who would have been the choice over Heatley, I’ve heard), and waited until Torres developed completely. They got the worst of just about every transaction involving all of those guys. It was all just so bizarre. I just can’t bring myself to blame Rick for any of it. If only Dale Hunter had crushed Milbury instead…
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
by mikb on Dec 16, 2011 10:53 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I think you can end up being labelled a bust, even if it’s because of injury, but I guess that’s a matter of opinion.
But the other thing is, as you point out, he was never going to live up to being the #1 pick as a goalie. I’m sure every player taken #1 embraces the challenge, but the ones who fail are labeled busts. It’s none of their faults, per se, that they were drafted #1, and certainly no moreso for DP.
Yes, he was a legit starter before that, but an average one at best. Obviously you hope your #1 pick is an above average player when you draft him.
by afrosupreme on Dec 16, 2011 11:18 AM EST up reply actions
I agree as far as draft position goes
See immediately above. I really put that on the GM who fell so madly in love with the idea of the cocky Bostoner goalkeeper, not so much the goalkeeper.
In re: “bust,” I’ve always felt that there’s a difference between just washing out of the league and being forced out because of injuries… but operationally, it comes to the same result – a player who never fulfills the hopes of the team that took him. So I do understand where you’re going with that.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
Yea
and it’s totally a fair point, and probably a matter of opinion.
And I was definitely being (somewhat) flippant originally, although it’s sadly true at this point
by afrosupreme on Dec 16, 2011 11:39 AM EST up reply actions
I would agree here too,
What has happened to DPs career is very unfortunate. You can tell he wants to be the go to guy for the Isles, and its almost sad how every thing has collapsed. But the organization needs to work something out with him, obviously he isn’t at the level to play in the league.
In my own defense...
1. It isn’t my only “rebuttal”.
2. If you’re going to use the phrase, “we got the most disappointing 1st overall compared to the others around him” (as pointed out by Bob L already) then the obvious response is Richard Dipietro.
3. I didn’t go into the reasons why RDP is the most disappointing #1 overall in franchise history, but I could if you’d like. I think we’ve been there enough.
4. John tavares is FAR FROM A “disappointment”. What some fans fail to realize when comparing him to his peers is the situation he was dropped into.
a. Team: His best contemporary teammates: Bailey, Okposo, Moulson, Nielsen, Bergenhiem, Tambellini and Comeau. All had yet to make any significant strides when he was placed in their midst. The veteran leadership… Guerin, Weight, Streit, Sim…really. He has lead that team in scoring two years in a row.
b. Coach: He is a kid with incredible hands and hockey sense. He was asked to create offense through an aggressive forecheck… something that his least dominating attribute (skating) did not lend itself to… and he lead that team in scoring. The coach led the team in answerless interviews. One of them is gone.
c. Moulson and Parentau… who do you think made who better. Both of those guys are good NHL players, and would be assets to any team they played on… but where else would they be immediately raised to the level of CONTRIBUTING first line forwards. Could you imagine where he would be if he was dropped into a circumstance that had Martin St. Louis and Vinny already in place… or at least a defense that wasn’t comprised of AHL level players, an over-taxed potential star, Andrew MacDonald(sometimes) and Mark Streit(sometimes).
I’m sorry that this offends you… but I can not apologize for my offense. I’m just going to put this out there… and please don’t take offence to it. But when I comment here, I comment in the scope of THIS COMMUNITY. I do not expect the responses to those comments to put me (or anybody else that posts here) in the broad scope of THE WHOLE INTERNET…. I don’t read the the 20 other Islander sitres, blogs or tweets regularly. When I do I comment there in the context of what I am responding to.
…and I’m a little off this morning. A hero has passed!
RIP, Christopher Hitchens
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
My belief is that...
eternity consists of your final thoughts… and I hope his was the arrival of a case of 18 year old Scotch, and the anticipation of enjoying it amongst friends and family… and not being beaten senseless by Mother Teresa and Henry Kissinger.
TRUTH took a punch to the solar plexus today.
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
I could swear that MC is DP in a skirt, lol...
Just kidding….I understand what you’re saying…But Isles fans are just bitter. It is what it is.
ask not for whom the bell tolls...
It tolls for thee, cappy.
by randyboyd on Dec 15, 2011 11:04 PM EST via mobile reply actions
I really though bailey looked good today.
Same for Matt Martin.
was it just me or did the coliseum ice look particularly bad tonight?
the puck was bouncing and on its side so often. not to mention the weird bounces off the end boards were especially bad tonight
everybody "wong" chung tonight
Board bounces are usual, but it was hotter and I believe humid outside. Something like 53* and humid they said at the coliseum.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
serious question
Does this team have a defensive system?
by randyboyd on Dec 15, 2011 11:18 PM EST via mobile reply actions
i dont mean players
I mean a plan. So often they pinch too far, with no fwd covering. In their own end, you see dmen often confused between them about which guy should get the loose puck, leading to crazy turnovers. There is no apparent breakout scheme. This is why i keep wishing for an nhl coach. I think our talent on d is lacking, but the situation is compounded by the lack of a system suited to our group, such as they are. Why not trap?
by randyboyd on Dec 15, 2011 11:29 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
You think D-men Pinching that deep is part of the gameplan?
I’m sure Streit has free reign to do whatever he wants in the o-zone, but I can’t see Cap telling the other guys that they can or should go as deep as the faceoff circles to help on O, especially given their skating skills and overall offensive abilities. It’s not like we are dealing with 4 or 5 jack hillen’s on D, we are playing with a lot of older and slower offensively limited d-men right now. I think it’s more stupid mistakes that cause this, no reason for Staios and Mottau pinching as an example.
I wouldn’t mind to see a hybrid trap if it wins some games, but their will be only so many games I could sit through that end up 1-0 or 2-1 because we play a low shot per game trap system like the devils just to squeeze out a few more wins.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
You mean why not trap full-time?
Because they do trap, situationally (really, every team does). I think a big reason they try to be aggressive and try to get the D pinching is because they had such trouble scoring goals earlier in the season.
When things were really dry and below 2.00 goals per game, Capuano mentioned trying to get the D more involved — which of course invites peril when you have speedsters like Jurcina, Staios and Mottau daring to wander.
But I’m just not sure how much an “NHL coach” — at what point does one become an NHL coach? After being fired from an NHL job? — would make a difference.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
When the Islanders do trap it means they are trapped in their own zone.
The defense usually isn’t capable of closing the gaps with the forwards in the neutral zone and being able to chase the puck down when it is dumped. The dump and chase is way too effective against the Islander because of the defenses lack of mobility. de Haan did look extremely poised last night bringing the puck up and even beat a player or two before the initial pass, which has been rare this season.
Defensemen Grades
I am going to catch up with the averages soon, but for now:
Kyle 5, Post 2.
Streit: C-. Awful pinch. Wasn’t close to getting the puck.
Hamonic: B-. Less than stellar. Caught in between on one goal. (2 or 3 other guys can share the blame on that goal, though.) Still played tough minutes and did some things well.
Jurcina: C. Physical at times. Average Jurcina.
Mottau: C-. Not awful
Reese: C+. No big mistakes. Even a little physicality.
deHaan: B. Sound defensively for the most part. Excellent distribution of puck. The kid can find the open forward. Coughed up puck once in open ice, but recovered well enough.
Even without the after-the-whistle shenanigans, I thought Stars had better of the calls. PAP was decked with a high hit away from the puck above the crease. (Much worse than Wallace’s, which was a stupid penalty.) One other obvious penalty that I forget. And I also thought follow-through high-sticks were penalties again. Am I wrong on this? I know they weren’t penalties 10 or so years ago.
"The reader of this sentence exists only while reading me."
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Dec 15, 2011 11:21 PM EST reply actions
+I thought De Haan looked really good.
and I was skeptical thinking he would look completely overmatched.
I was wrong, I really liked his game.
+Classic KO is back in full effect.
+Poulin was solid.
-Streit has been terrible the last few games. Maybe injured?
Otherwise another disappointing game.
by The Danish Backhand of Judgement on Dec 15, 2011 11:22 PM EST reply actions
de Haan was effective at getting the puck to the net on most of his shots.
Can one be an atheist toward a hockey team? That means I have NO faith anymore.
by Turgeon1992 on Dec 16, 2011 10:47 AM EST up reply actions
And effective at getting the puck away from his own net
First two periods – de Haan played about 6:30. He played more than that in the third period alone. Looks like he made the proper impression on the coaches.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
I was shocked when they showed that 6:30 graphic.
Expecially when it meant Mottau and Jurcina had to be eating up significant ice time. Then there was the play where the Stars nearly split Jurcina and Ullstrom (covering for Mottau) and I think the coaching staff had to final realize that de Haan was the way to go.
De Haan looked good today, but I believe Wishart did also in his debut.
Not trying to temper any positive vibes, but we need to see if he can maintain that poise for a string of games.
So with Rolston out with a concussion (3 on this team now), who gets called up or brought in?
So who comes up?
DP on IR, Rolston with a concussion, Staois with a possible concussion. I mean, these injury problems. What other team has this ever happened to?
UVa Student. Twitter: @ericdavidmorris
haley please
Lookin like shit since he stopped dressing. Cmmon jack, it wasnnt your freakin tie. This season is making me sad.
by randyboyd on Dec 15, 2011 11:33 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
If its Haley..
That 4th line is looking either like:
Martin-Reasoner-Haley
or
Haley-Reasoner-Wallace
Idk about you guys but I really don’t think any of those lines would do anything and you need to think about the PP and PK time that Rolston inexplicably gets.
I think it needs to be DiBo just for the type of player he is (not that he’s some incredible offensive talent) but he can is better on the puck than Haley.
I never wished for Rolston to get hurt and not be able to play at all. Only that Cappy would wise up and use him less. Now all the completely anti-Rolston ppl get their way and we’ll get to see a Rolston-on-the-point less powerplay.
IMO Nielsen is NOT the answer at the point (like we saw tonight)
by BaltimoreIslander on Dec 16, 2011 12:43 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
WTF is with Haley?
Keep him up, scratch him when you don’t need him. The guys love him, the fans love him, he gets the crowd going, just let him play.
"We owe him a lot more than he owes us at this point. He's been stellar all year. He still gave us a chance to win this one, and we've got to find a way."
—C Josh Bailey, on G Al Montoya after a 5-3 loss Tuesday in Montreal.
by BobbyNystromOwnsYou on Dec 16, 2011 1:04 AM EST up reply actions
Why we have "no" forwards on the bench is beyond me. Scratching Nino with a concussion is stupid. We should have IR'd him and brought someone up for depth, especially now with our little "road trip".
Carrying bench players is a smart thing to do, but we refuse it for some reason. Is Wang that cheap with ATO’s and paying guys an nhl check that he won’t do this? Just a little conspiracy theory here. This I fear is one of the reasons Gillies is in the minors. His NHL salary is a lot more then his ahl salary, and scratching him at the nhl is a free paycheck for him.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
Dibo is the better all around haley, but Haley likely brings more energy and is a great middleweight fighter.
I wouldn’t mind seeing either. Both are gritty in different ways. lol
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
Well, it depends what you expect of Dibo.
If you think he has a real top 6 nhl future, leave him down there. If you think he’s nothing more then a bottom 6er, then playing him on the 4th line wouldn’t be bad at all. He’s 23 and already has over 2 full ahl seasons under his belt.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
And it goes without saying, but Mottau had around a handful or more stupid mistakes tonight.
Really sad to think he could actually be better then what we have left down there from all the injuries. Ness/Wishart better? Hmmmm.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
lol
that it goes without saying is gross.
These comments crawl up from the depths of the deepest Chasm of Saar
by bob l on Dec 16, 2011 9:51 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
It's unfathomable for me that we can run a team and leave him on the roster.
He’s been unbelievably dreadful. If this is all about Wang not wanting to pay Mottau $500k in the minors and pay another player $500k+ on an nhl contract, then Wang has his priorities for team success completely f’d up. I really really question him running this team sometimes. It feels like he “wants” to spend as little as possible, cutting corners in anyway possible: DP contract, Yashin buyout, 35+ contracts w/unreachable bonuses(pandolfo/staios) Cap mules(rolston), and no Mottau waived now. I wonder if he realizes he is losing and has lost a lot of fans because of how he runs the team/spends his money. Obviously, the bandwagonners will be back once we start to contend and make the playoffs repeatedly, but can he survive before that here on LI and such is a huge question. Life isn’t gonna get any better till we start winning, and we aren’t there yet it seems.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
I don't mean to be that guy
But blaming Wang for Mottau? Really? That literally makes no sense at all, as you stated in your own argument. And if he wanted to spend as little money as possible, he wouldn’t have agreed to take on $5 million of Rolston’s contract.
I’m sure he realizes that the fans aren’t following as intently, but it’s most certainly not because of him “not wanting to spend money.” I hate reading this sentiment over and over again (I don’t mean to pick on you, don’t take any offense to it). If he really didn’t want to dump more money into this team, he would’ve sold it a long, long time ago. I understand that this team being mired in despair is upsetting, but I can bet that Wang is doing everything he can to help this team.
Free agents don’t come here because of our dreadful facility, and unless Charlie can pull $400 million out of his ass or Nassau County finally realizes how stagnant they are, there’s nothing that can be done until an arena deal is in place.
by sayvillelax94 on Dec 17, 2011 1:10 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
And if he wanted to spend as little money as possible, he wouldn’t have agreed to take on $5 million of Rolston’s contract.
Not true, since he’s required by the league to spend a certain amount on the NHL roster.
What Ozzy outlined is a possibility-that Wang actually has to pay Mottau his NHL salary, even if he’s in the AHL, whereas he can pay Wishart a lower AHL salary. The way the roster has been managed this season, I’ve begun to wonder if there might be some of this going on, but who knows?
Just got done reading the recap on the Stars' SB Nation blog and they had Reasoner as 1 of the 3 stars?
Did I miss something?
by BaltimoreIslander on Dec 16, 2011 12:54 AM EST via mobile reply actions
maybe they thought he's the one who potted Okposo's goal?
You wouldn't believe how good the Corsi is for my NHL 12 Be A Pro player.
He saved a goal against us on a dive in front of the net. He didn't have a bad game. He was solid defensively. Couple big shot blocks.
What do you mean they won 4 cups in a row? Is that possible?
Part of it is the fact I didnt want to have same as everyone else...
Also… I thought the big defensive plays by Reasoner to be incredible.
Defending Big D- Dallas Stars news & analysis
@brandonworley - Follow me on Twitter!!
by Brandon Worley on Dec 16, 2011 1:42 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Well, he prevented two Stars goals from happening
One was where he whiffed trying to clear the puck and cleaned up his own mess, and the other was a point blank scoring chance that he absolutely saved a goal on.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 16, 2011 9:54 AM EST up reply actions
i'll give him cred on the 2nd one
the first cancels itself out no?
These comments crawl up from the depths of the deepest Chasm of Saar
Cancels
Only if every player who makes a mistake always fixes it afterward.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
by Dominik on Dec 16, 2011 10:28 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
So there is a family of five.
Mother, father, 2 sons, i daughter. Family of Rags fans
The youngest son Johnny one day decides he wants to be an Islander fan. On the way to the mall his dad tells him today he will get his first Ranger jersey. Johnny exclaims:
“Dad, I want an Islander jersey.”
“No, son. We are Ranger fans, and you will get a Ranger jersey too. Just like your brother and sister got”
So they get to the mall, and Johnny experinces the worst nightmare of any true Isles fan. He has to wear a Rags jersey. His dad makes him wear it home.
On the way home from the mall, Dad looks in the mirror at Johnny sitting in the backseat and says:
“Well son, did you learn anything today?”
Johnny replies:
“Yeah, I’ve only been an Isles fan for 12 hours, and I already figured out Rags fans are assholes.”
"We owe him a lot more than he owes us at this point. He's been stellar all year. He still gave us a chance to win this one, and we've got to find a way."
—C Josh Bailey, on G Al Montoya after a 5-3 loss Tuesday in Montreal.
by BobbyNystromOwnsYou on Dec 16, 2011 1:16 AM EST reply actions 6 recs
I love little johnny stories!
Remind me to tell you the “cooperation” one some time… it’s my favorite.
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
Good funny
STOP effin' messin' with my FnGO!!
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Dec 16, 2011 12:51 PM EST up reply actions
Some P/M thoughts
+ deHaan wasn’t exposed. He was well used and he responded responsibly. I don’t think it’s beyond the realm of belief that he stays the rest of the season.
+ Poulin gave them a chance to win. Some really nice saves, and no brutal mistakes. Essentially he gave up 2 PP goals.
- Forced defensive pairings. The lack of defensive depth, as was predicted, is making everybody play above their paygrade. If Hamonic is to be a first pairing defender he is going to need a few more years to grow into it, or he’s going to need a partner not coming back off of injuries. He has played okay, but he’s made too many mistakes himself and isn’t really ready to make up for the mistakes/inabilities of a middling partner. This is not about Hamonic, but the role he’s been thrust into. neither Macdonald nor Streit have been what they were the last time they were healthy. The rest of the defense is made up of guys that can barely handle 15M. I thought it might be time to bring Haley up to fill Rolston’s roster spot, but now I thinkk a seventh defenseman would be more valuable.
- The attendance is slipping. They’re not getting 10K for weeknight home games. This is a reflection of play. They had a real opportunity to turn it around this season… they really need to find a professional NHL defenseman(maybe two) really fast or the season will be completely lost.
- I’m not sure that either of the last two penalties on the Islanders were “fair”. Wallace was curling back to get back onsides and ran into the late defender… incidental at best, could have been called the other way if the ref had an anti-star bias. Hamonic’s tripping was pretty weak in the context of the game. There was high sticking, elbows and a lot of sheap shotting after the whistle by the Stars who wanted to flaunt their physical advantage…. but a guy skating over a stick held by one hand draws a penalty. WEAK.
- With our goaltending history, why didn’t somebody wreck Morrow for blatently running Poulin? We’re getting to that place again… if Martin isn’t on the ice, nobody stands up for each other.
- Frans Nielsen on the PP point. Can we end this…PLEASE. Please get the Apprentice out from behind the bench, take away his whistle, and send him upstairs to smooth over clients with hard liquor and an easy smile. I know their options on D are limited, but Jurcina and deHaan are better PP point options.
+ Wallace has played harder than Rolston in every game he’s been in. We’ll hopefully get to see what Bailey can do with younger legs, and a RH RW who wants to play RW can do. I expect that line to be a legit secondary scoring contributor if they play together for more than 3 games.
+ I was hoping that Rolston’s career would end because they had the balls to tell him he wasn’t cutting it anymore… I really didn’t want to see him get injured…REALLY!..But I’m kind of happy to see Doug Weight’s coaching options come to an end as well. Because, if he’s not there to tell Rolston when to go on the ice what else is there. Allen always has the clip board in important moments, Allen is doing the between periods interview. Maybe saturday they will have rid themselves of MULE1 and MULE2. The Country Club has got to end!
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
by JPinVA on Dec 16, 2011 7:10 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
A haley Morrow fight would've been nice
Morrow just shouldered KP, while our guys just watched. Again.
It’s amazing how welll our goaltenders have played this year with the runnings they take all the time.
"We owe him a lot more than he owes us at this point. He's been stellar all year. He still gave us a chance to win this one, and we've got to find a way."
—C Josh Bailey, on G Al Montoya after a 5-3 loss Tuesday in Montreal.
by BobbyNystromOwnsYou on Dec 16, 2011 8:46 AM EST up reply actions
Career crippling penalties on Wallace
Wallace is a guy busting his hump to make it on a rare opportunity in the NHL and the referees screw him for hustling his ass of to stay on-side. I’m not harping on the officiating because it was one-sided, I’m going to harp on it because it was once again god awful. If I’m Wallace I have to go to the Ref and say, " Thanks, you just F*ed my career because with limited ice time I got called for 2 penalties and my one shot may be over. "
How the hell does Ott get and interference on Moulson (okay a late hit, but when is that new to the NHL?) and then Mouslon get’s completely dumped after the whistle in front of a pair of refs and nothing is called at a critical juncture in the game for the Islanders? How the hell can players be expected to play if the rules change evey two f*ing seconds.
by Hockey1919 on Dec 16, 2011 9:09 AM EST up reply actions 4 recs
No doubt, what a screwjob for Wallace
And really the horrible officiating began from the first penalty. Martin reaches around on the stick, gets body position with leverage, and is called for hooking. Okay. Weak call but okay, whatever, we’re going with the 100% zero tolerance stickwork/obstruction standard.
On the ensuing PK, an Islander (Grabner I think) wins the puck and is rushing it out of the Isles zone, getting hooked and slashed as he speeds away. If we’re going with the zero-tolerance standard five minutes into the game, then it’s time to make that call, too.
Like you just said (but which I need to repeat/vent for myself), it’s a good sign of horrible officiating when the players have no idea what’s going to be called. Amateurs.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
by Dominik on Dec 16, 2011 10:32 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
Not to mention the roughing penalty
THe Star is clearly holding his arm and glove, he can’t break lose and gives the guy a glove to the back of the head. Even after going down the Star is still holding his arm and the “rough” get called? I’ve seen people get hit harder playing tiddlywinks.
by Hockey1919 on Dec 16, 2011 10:37 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I have never actually witnessed tiddlywinks
So I will defer to your judgment on this one.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Sounds like the vice of scofflaws, I reckon
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
You can see it on Wallace's face. He just couldn't believe it was happening.
He was like, “what I am I, in the twilight zone”??? doodoo, doodoo, doodoo, doodoo….
Anyone else see PAP get decked with a high (head?) hit in front of the other goal?
Am I the only one? It didn’t look like a common cross-check to the back (which is also now commonly called). It was so far away from the puck— perhaps that’s how the 2 refs missed it.
"The reader of this sentence exists only while reading me."
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Dec 16, 2011 3:34 PM EST up reply actions
I know this happens often with us (community as a whole)
but I was thinking the same thing. I didn’t state it like that because I hope that Snopuano see it as it is. They have a forward that plays physically and has middle six offensive ability that IMPROVES their inventory of such…. please don’t end his opportunity so we can watch the skating dead some more.
Saturday’s lineup should look something like this:
Moulson-Tavares-Parentau
Grabner-Nielsen-Okposo
Ullstrom-Bailey-Wallace
Martin-Reasoner-Haley
All lines ar LH-LH-RH, all lines have potential for offensive contribution… and all lines will have three forwards willing to skate for their supper! They can win with that lineup… unfortunately, I don’t think they have much of a chance with their defensive inventory.
Andrew Macdonald…please give us a chance again!
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
That was the point where the game started getting away from the Isles.
The Wallace interference was an absolutely weak call. And I understand that weak calls happen, but the refs missed plenty of stuff where the Stars committed the same infractions against the Isles and got away with it. It seems as if the team gets out of its groove once they know the refs are in a screwjob mood. It bugs me that the refs control the game so much.
Can one be an atheist toward a hockey team? That means I have NO faith anymore.
by Turgeon1992 on Dec 16, 2011 10:55 AM EST up reply actions
Ott
Ott is basically allowed to be a douche at will because, as with pulling over speeders, it’s too much paperwork to catch them all. So the lazy refs just randomly call him on shit but generally let him get away with Ott being Ott. It’s unbelievable how some guys get a reputation and tough agitators that gives them license other players who “aren’t like that” do not have.
If Ott were a diver or if he made jokes about ex-girlfriends to the press, he’d probably get called more than the 16 measly minors he has so far this season. Instead he’s just, well, GRITZ or something.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
by Dominik on Dec 16, 2011 11:06 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
It also has to do with Ott being part of a top team at this point in time.
The Isles are at the bottom. And the NHL is the cool league where the refs/league officials pick on the uncool while letting the cool get away with shit (see, Malkin attempt to elbow Giroux’s head off).
Can one be an atheist toward a hockey team? That means I have NO faith anymore.
by Turgeon1992 on Dec 16, 2011 11:11 AM EST up reply actions
Malkin's attempt to elbow Giroux’s head off
So in the case of two cool kids, neither is a delinquent?
I'll take Ott on our team
"We owe him a lot more than he owes us at this point. He's been stellar all year. He still gave us a chance to win this one, and we've got to find a way."
—C Josh Bailey, on G Al Montoya after a 5-3 loss Tuesday in Montreal.
by BobbyNystromOwnsYou on Dec 17, 2011 11:30 AM EST up reply actions
Its mind numbing.
I just wish the Isles brass would say something…Shed some light on the inconsistency. Why are we allowed to be push overs?
I'm glad to see KO scoring some goals and making things happen with his relentless pursuit of the puck.
Nielson and the 2nd line looked the best it has all season.
by KO21 on Dec 16, 2011 7:45 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
.....I'm at a complete loss for words after this game.....
…..if the only ‘grizzled vet’ we had was Reasoner, I’d be a lot happier; of them all, he seems to be the most (relatively) valuable/consistent and/or innocuous (i.e., not causing goals on a regular basis, unlike in ascending order of frequency, Pandolfo, Jurcina, Rolston, Staios and especially Mottau). JP SAID it (as have numerous other LHH pundits): we have GOT to find at least 1, ideally 2, big, punishing shut-down defensemen – STAT. If both Streit and MacDonald’s injuries have diminished their impact to such an extent that we can expect them to be at fault for 1 goal apiece per tilt, if that set of circumstances serves to eventually destroy Hamonic from a combination of fatigue/wear and resignation (as is a very serious threat with JT) we’re looking at another protracted rebuilding phase, Mayfield, Pedan and Russo or none of them – deHaan, Ness, Katic & Donovan just AREN’T built to shoulder a disproportionate portion of this burden….
As to +/-:
+ deHaan; B – Calvin is demonstrating an unmistakable poise and maturity, just as was hoped…..a very encouraging game, to be sure – but only his first (hopefully more such will follow!)
+ Reese; C+ – on a team with better-constituted defense and that could allow him to indulge his offensive tendencies a bit more, Dylan could be a very valuable component, possibly to the tune of a 10 goal season someday and, like MAB, has an ideally deceptive, tricky shot for a point role – his defensive skills aren’t sufficient enough to be carrying so much responsibility in the neutral zone, though…..
+Bailey; B – Josh had another very solid game but needs to loosen his grip on the stick a bit more, otherwise one of his shots would’ve likely gone in tonight…..
Okposo: B – slightly better game than Bails, continuing to improve and get more consistent
+ Grabner: B – another good game for Michael as well
+ Moulson: B – Matty Mo couldn’t keep the goal streak going but was a good threat and (mostly) responsible defensively
+ Tavares: B- JT struggled with Dallas’ tactics and really couldn’t impact the game much but didn’t give up and limited mistakes to a couple of small cough-ups…..
+Parenteau: B – P.A. was also consistent
- Wallace: C- His 2 penalties cost them the game, Period; Hamonic’s trip wouldn’t have carried nearly so much weight were it not for them…..
- Ullstrom: C+ Kind of a comparative non-factor tonight
Bottom line: despite Wallace’s two infractions at the most inopportune times imaginable, we all know it was the defense which made them so damning…..offense is doing its best to hang in until the D is revitalized, but this cannot continue for much longer without VERY serious consequences to this team’s playoff chances and worse:(
In memoriam: Virginia Ariel Cayon 1927-2011 R.I.P. Mom
My one wish for PAP is a quicker release
He holds that puck just a second too long and allows the goaltender to get set. The same patience that helps him set-up other players in the zone is hurting him when he hesitates to get the shot quickly on net during odd man rushes.
dont get me started
on PAP’s shot… i’ll just say it’s AHL quality at best
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That's why he scored 20 NHL goals last year
PAP is here to stay so deal with it. He’s not an AHLer now and he’s been one of our best performers this season. Yeah, maybe he’s not an NHL first-liner but at least he hustles and gives it his all night in/ night out
UVa Student. Twitter: @ericdavidmorris
by edavidmorris on Dec 16, 2011 10:05 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
you just said it - not a 1st liner -- but oh so close to being one
i think you’ll find that whomever gets to play with JT will find themselves scoring near career high marks…
and if he had an nhl average shot, he’d have gotten 30 last year…
i root for him, i love his hustle, but he always leaves me screaming at my tv… if he were just a bit more talented he’d be a complete stud
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I don't know how we went from, a quicker release to AHLer so fast in this thread
PAP has played well beyond expectations for the Islanders, I just wish he released the puck quicker. That could add an additional 3 goals a year to his total. I don’t think anyone said he is an “AHLer” either, just that he doesn’t have a tremendous release. The last couple of games and the losing has really made people interpret every comment in the worst possible light the last few days.
by Hockey1919 on Dec 16, 2011 10:42 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
One thing I was thinking of as I was switching over from game to game last night was
The Islanders could have easily signed for Jason Arnott and Jamie Langenbruener if they wanted to ex devils on the team, I think that would have been huge improvement over Rolston and Pandolfo.
If you wanted to see good defense and support, you just had to look at the white sweaters, anytime the puck was chipped in there was a Stars defender on the puck who made a nice pass or had good support to get the puck quickly out of the zone. For a while there in the 2nd, it looked like the Islanders would never get into the zone.
They need to score on the PP if they want to win games, simple.
+ Kyle Okposo and de Haan, I liked what I saw out of the kid, smooth skating, very crisp passing, and good positional play. He hit a few times and was hit a few times and oh my goodness he did not have a concussion, rip his shoulder apart, pull a groin, or dislocate his hip.
True, but those two ex-Devils went to a much better team, with a GM they already knew
I agree they’d have been much preferred, but … those guys had their pick of teams and I think they chose wisely. I think this is the problem the Isles face in free agency. How do you get even an Arnott and a Langenbrunner to come? If it’s even possible, it’s probably by offering more than one year and risking more aging baggage.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
The Islanders like the Mets are not going to get better until they get new owners
What free agent is going to sign with a team whos owner is so cheap that the team has to struggle to reach the cap floor ? This is the same team that put a winner on the ice for the better part of 20 years and the fans supported that team. Until Wang sells or completely changes his perspective, we are doomed to be in this mess for a while. If we will not pay what it takes to run a real franchise, the only hope is that in 4-5 years our young talent will be old enough to mentor the inevitible influx of more high draft picks. Hopefully our young talent is not so used to losing at that point we can all live to see a playoff game (forget a championship)
by Best Thing Going on Dec 16, 2011 10:56 AM EST up reply actions
Wang is hardly cheap
The guy wouldn’t be losing ten million a year if he was.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
by mikb on Dec 16, 2011 11:02 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Wang is always penny wise, dollar foolish!!!!
by Best Thing Going on Dec 16, 2011 11:03 AM EST up reply actions
I would venture a guess that
Wang has spent more on this team than all of its other owners combined. Which is only the slightest indication of how awful the franchise’s ownership has been.
"He's depriving some small village of a pretty good idiot" - Mike Milbury on Ziggy Palffy's agent. On Twitter: @Dan_of_Science
by PGI on Dec 16, 2011 11:15 AM EST up reply actions 4 recs
Wang has spent a good chunk this off-season.
The default question is: who do you want Wang to overpay for? Which obvious free agents did Garth miss this off-season?
Can one be an atheist toward a hockey team? That means I have NO faith anymore.
by Turgeon1992 on Dec 16, 2011 11:04 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
It is not about one particular player
This has been going on for years and years. What we call overspending the rest of the league calls fair market value.
by Best Thing Going on Dec 16, 2011 11:13 AM EST up reply actions
I like our definition better
STOP effin' messin' with my FnGO!!
by Nova Scotia Isles Fan on Dec 16, 2011 1:17 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs
You know the answer to that... a Top pairing Dman and emite winger for Tavares. Duh.
Snow should have snapped up one of all those UFA top Dmen and elite wingers who were sitting around scratching their heads waiting for contracts.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 16, 2011 11:13 AM EST up reply actions
so that would be zero right?
James T Paulson
by Jtpdolphins2009 on Dec 16, 2011 8:03 PM EST up reply actions
Does the fact that there was only like one available and the Isles actually DID try to sign him even matter?
He totally should have signed a top Dman and an elite winger, anyway.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 16, 2011 8:10 PM EST up reply actions
There's no guarantees
We might all be here bitching about “cap mules” Arnott and Langenbrunner wasting roster space while Rolston becomes a contributor in St. Louis. I mean, Langenbrunner hasn’t looked all that great for the Blues and Arnott’s a center, so where would the Isles put him? Or would Bailey be winging it again?
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
Good point
And Arnott has had his share of questions over his career, especially recently. Some of these guys are engaged in a better situation, and appear to be cashing checks in a worse one.
I think Langenbrunner’s doing fine for what’s asked. If he were with the Isles he’d no doubt be seen as one of the old men holding them back.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
people scoffed when i said
we can’t be sure striet will be the same guy as before his injury…
BUT, to be fair, he looks like he’s trying to do too much all the time, maybe the weight of the C on his chest.
These comments crawl up from the depths of the deepest Chasm of Saar
Remember the team said Streit was healthy at the end of the season, but sat him out as a precaution.
This is the same team that had AMAC play injured down the stretch to prove something that I still don’t understand. I agree, Streit isn’t 100% back just yet and was going to be a question mark coming into the season. Add that to AMAC and a lot was being asked of a sophomore in Hamonic.
Hamonic right now is getting a lot of “reputation” calls or better yet “lack of reputation” calls. In a season or two whatever marginal infractions he is getting called for now will be glossed over and he can play more of his game.
i remember that
but some injuries are fine to play thru if you can tolerate the pain,
so maybe it fell into that category.
and that’s a nice way to phrase that, ‘lack of reputation’ calls
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CDH
There was a moment when de Haan got the puck deep in the Isles zone, used a nice little spin move to escape a forechecker and got the puck out of the zone quickly and efficiently. It was a revelation from what we’ve been seeing from most of the D this season.
And in the same game we saw Mike Mottau on the PP.
by Dorfer on Dec 16, 2011 10:13 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
Hey, I'll take Mottau rather than Rolston on the PP.
Mottau’s really pretty good with the puck. If only he could skate.
"The reader of this sentence exists only while reading me."
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Dec 16, 2011 3:38 PM EST up reply actions
Mike Mottau on the PP.
That says it all about this team!!!
deHaan did look like he belonged. I am reaching the point where I think we send all the vet D to the minors or the press box (except Streit) and let the kids play. We aren’t making the playoffs anyway. Let’s get the kids some experience, get the first pick in the draft and with Strome and Nino coming maybe we can start to be a real NHL team.
by Best Thing Going on Dec 16, 2011 10:24 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
in his defense
he was on a 1 game point scoring streak, and earned that pp time
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CAPPY! IT'S OK TO YELL AT THE REFS NOW AND AGAIN!
you’re fans will thank you for it…
the livid looks aren’t making the calls get any better
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by bob l on Dec 16, 2011 10:34 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
I know, he just mumbles under his breath
Scream or something.
"We owe him a lot more than he owes us at this point. He's been stellar all year. He still gave us a chance to win this one, and we've got to find a way."
—C Josh Bailey, on G Al Montoya after a 5-3 loss Tuesday in Montreal.
by BobbyNystromOwnsYou on Dec 16, 2011 11:00 AM EST up reply actions
I have a feeling that this goes back to last year...
…and he doesn’t want to make it worse for his team. Do you remember the end of last year. He had Konopka getting 10 minute misconducts from the bench. Gillies got a 10 for being on the ice. I have a feeling that Cappy is keeping it zipped so he doesn’t lose Hamonic for half a game.
If you are bringing this up because of Tortorella… It’s a little easier to be open with the refs when you don’t have to defend against the simple retort, “If you want to keep your NHL team on the ice, put an NHL team on the ice.”
This is a $20M team in a $60M league… they may be doing the best they can, but they should be ashamed of what they put on the ice pretending it is an NHL lineup.
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
by JPinVA on Dec 16, 2011 11:01 AM EST up reply actions 2 recs
i'm not saying every bad call JP
but after you get crippled by penalties after you already lost a PK’er in the game, it may be a good time to try to get the ref’s to give you a break by voicing up
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I understand the request...
I mean I want people to react to things more like I would as well… but I would generally make an ass of myself more oft than not. We probably need a balance, but who holds the scale?
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
Besides some of the call-ups...
this is more of an NHL team this season than last. Whether you want to admit it or not, players like Eaton, Mottau, Rolston, Reasoner, Jurcina are all NHL vets. The very nature of the game is that there are top vets and bottom vets, and this team is populated by bottom vets.
Can one be an atheist toward a hockey team? That means I have NO faith anymore.
by Turgeon1992 on Dec 16, 2011 11:07 AM EST up reply actions
bottom vets
Sad but true.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
didnt mottau JUST play in his
300th game? not exactly a ton of games for that Veteran label
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No its not
But he is a 33yo dman who was drafted in the mid 90s and played his first NHL games before the turn of the century, so I dont see what else he would be if not a veteran.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 16, 2011 12:25 PM EST up reply actions
He's played the equivalent of about 4.5 average NHL seasons.
I think we would agree that although not a kid, not what you would expect from a 33 year old either. He has also played a lot older than his 33 years.
Oh my god
That piece of driftwood is only 33? Until reading this, I honestly thought he was an old, crusty 39 year old… dear Lord.
by sayvillelax94 on Dec 16, 2011 5:35 PM EST up reply actions
??? He doesnt look old at all, but OK. He actually looks a lot like JT.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 16, 2011 5:37 PM EST up reply actions
And WTF is it with 39 being "crusty"? Im not 39 myself but I can see it from here, thank you.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 16, 2011 5:38 PM EST up reply actions
Chillllll
Sorry, I was talking in terms of hockey, being that 39 is rather old for an NHLer, and he certainly plays like an old man. I wasn’t referring to his physical appearance, and you could certainly agree that his play demonstrates that of an aging veteran (his play looks absolutely “crusty”).
I didn’t mean to offend you or anyone else.
by sayvillelax94 on Dec 16, 2011 5:44 PM EST up reply actions
Old for an NHLer, definitely.
The whole “crusty” thing is just not fun to read.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 16, 2011 6:36 PM EST up reply actions
I knew I liked you lol.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 16, 2011 9:58 PM EST up reply actions
I'll admit it...
Whether you want to admit it or not, players like Eaton, Mottau, Rolston, Reasoner, Jurcina are all NHL vets.
Eaton may never play a full NHL season again.
Mottau would not be on any other NHL roster.
Rolston would not be on any other NHL roster @ $5M.
Reasoner is an NHL bottom six center.
Jurcina is an NHL thrid pair defenseman.
They have a quarry of good young NHLers… list is too long for me right now, but their payroll is leveraged by AHL level players because they have been mismanaged for far too long… and by mismanaged I mean RUN LIKE A F***ING CIRCUS.
..and this is not a reflection on how I think Garth Snow is running the team. He has at least evolved them from a street carnival to a middling provincial circus… and he has a ton of work to do. When your best defenseman is a 22 year old kid that by photo ID alone would avail himself to quite a booty of juvenile discounts… that’s not a good NHL Roster… that’s not what the fans deserve… but I do understand that the powers in place now are trying to get to that place…. it’s just taking them longer because of the actions of their predecessors.
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
I sometimes feel; bad for guys like Tavares who signed up for this team.
He committed to the Isles so lets show a commitment to him and the rest. I know I will get hammered here…People are gonna say that there are no moves for Garth to make this team better. But his excuses are his own. That’s what my manager says when I had a car problem and couldn’t make it work which really did piss me off but he is right. He doesn’t care to hear the excuses. Just get to work. Where there’s a will there’s a way. All he cares about is results. Take the bull by the horns and make it happen instead of the excuses.
This is a $20M team in a $60M league… they may be doing the best they can, but they should be ashamed of what they put on the ice pretending it is an NHL lineup.
EXACTLY!!!!
by Best Thing Going on Dec 16, 2011 11:04 AM EST reply actions
So basically we watch for no reason?
At least most cap floor teams dress some toughness, we can’t even say that anymore.
"We owe him a lot more than he owes us at this point. He's been stellar all year. He still gave us a chance to win this one, and we've got to find a way."
—C Josh Bailey, on G Al Montoya after a 5-3 loss Tuesday in Montreal.
by BobbyNystromOwnsYou on Dec 16, 2011 11:16 AM EST up reply actions
How so?
Where is this elusive toughness that Colorado and Carolina are dressing? Which of their “tough” players would you rather have than Martin and Hamonic? Doesn’t this whole “softness” lament I hear day after day have more to do with their lightweight top six, where PAP is the feistiest among them? How does one rectify that issue without stumbling into the rare and much-sought proverbial power forward?
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
by Dominik on Dec 16, 2011 12:14 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
C'mon
call up Gillies and Haley and double shift them both. Then one of them is always on the ice.
by afrosupreme on Dec 16, 2011 12:22 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I did wish at some point that the match-up wasn't PAP vs Souray.
Souray did need a pop in the mouth last night, but I don’t see PAP having the time to get the ladder to do it. The Stars targeted Moulson all last night as well and the Isles only received one PP for all of their cheek turning.. I wouldn’t go this far yet, but it started to look a little bit like Bruins vs Canucks last night.
I was speaking with another hockey#### today and we agreed that MArtin and Hamonic are the only two that really bring teh gritz on a nightly basis, but you can’t afford to lose your best defenseman for offsetting penalties all night either. I have no solutions at this point only wishing and whining that I could have a shift disturber that another team actually feared and could play 15 minutes a night,
Every time we have one...
He isn’t good enough. When the messiah does come, it will be on defense. Hamonic is 3+ years away from being confident and physically strong enough to know when, and how much force to apply to make things right.
We had Sutton… Sutton wanted to come back.. and all we got out of that whole relationship was a banned blogger.
We had Witt… but he aged exponentially.
We had the ability to get Schenn… but we traded that away.
Why Trivino and Ness over Yann Suave in 2008… Neither of those other guys have the ability to become 220lb defensemen.
They could have taken Myers over Bailey… but he’s not there yet either.
In the 2006 draft that Smith ran they could have taken Theo Peckham in the third round instead of Robin Figren. But picking the RIGHT 220 lb defenseman is harder than trying to pick a catholic priest who just enjoys being with children. But this is the only option they have… THE DRAFT.
By trade, they get guys like Ty (I’m sure this is coming eventually, so I might as well start it here) Swishart.
By draft we get 10 dehaan, Donovan, Ness, Katic type puck movers to every gritz filled Hamonic. Only this past year has the focus been put on D that will defend more than their position. This is the role that is least represented in this organization. It wouldn’t be hard to point a finger at Jankowski… but when you take inventory of YOUR PANTRY and there is no peanut butter, don’t blame your wife when she consistently comes home with FLUFF… because she likes FLUFF. You either go shopping yourself, or see if FLUFF is a legit reason to file for divorce.
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
Of course when the messiah comes he'll be a defensman, they are god's gift to defense AND offense,
Forwards were put on this earth to collect rebounds off of point shots and goaltenders where put on this earth to blame the defense for any goals against.
But I am in no way biased towards defenseman.
by Hockey1919 on Dec 16, 2011 1:15 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Just look at the old testament...
Denis Potvin was our Moses… he led them to the promised land.
Do we need Travis Hamonic to walk through the desert until he’s 30, so we can where a little stanley cup around our necks to honor his memory?
THIS is the true mystery of faith!
LighthouseHockey: We saw this coming!
@JPinVA
Then who is the Pharoah, Pilate, and the Scarecrow?
I tend to get all of these characters mixed up, but then again I guess I’m lucky that between matters of faith and science they don’t cause me nearly as much angst as yours apparently does.
Love this
Although, well good defensemen are such gifts … who like ice time too much to play forward.
The rest are just failed forwards who can skate backwards passably or swing their stick at things.
I am also in no way biased.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
The tell me why is it that I go for line changes more often than my forwards?
Oh, I forgot it is because I’m old. And yes I can skate backwards even to the bench.
I recently told the guys I know I’m old since I went from creating offense (leading the team in scoring from the back-end many years ago), to detroying offense (by leading the team in plus/minus while tallying no goals). The goals were a lot of fun, but hearing forwards whine after being denied is its own type of music.
it's all in where you stand, i suppose
I feel like it’s my puck, and I just let you skaters do stuff with it. All that running around… but it keeps you happy so it’s all good.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
by mikb on Dec 16, 2011 2:53 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Haha, well done
Crazy goalies, don’t even know they’re in an asylum with 10 volunteers working to keep them occupied for 60 minutes or so.
It’s why we applaud when you do the simple things and act like it’s no big deal when you screw up. “There there, everyone makes mistakes. We should’ve been there to hold your hand anyway.”
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
by Dominik on Dec 16, 2011 3:09 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
I consider the puck like an invisible fence.
I keep shooting on net so the goaltender doesn’t stay from his little blue yard. I even let the opposing team get a shot on once in a while to keep mine from becoming a stray.
by Hockey1919 on Dec 16, 2011 3:34 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Aye
you can’t afford to lose your best defenseman for offsetting penalties all night either. I have no solutions at this point only wishing and whining that I could have a shift disturber that another team actually feared and could play 15 minutes a night,
That’s where I’m at on the matter as well. Watching an important player like Backes as often as I do (or even Oshie, a skilled player who gets his nose dirty more than KO but still doesn’t fight at all) really drives home that need.
The other funny line from Backes last night after dominating the Rangers, answering a question (paraphrasing from radio): “It may not be pretty and it’s not tic-tac-toe hockey, but it’s Blues hockey: at the end of the night you should walk away knowing you played a man’s game. If I’m the one leading the way with that, that’s fine.”
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
I feared when the Rangers got within a goal, but it all worked out.
The meathead was asking me about my sweaters in the closet yesterday, when I came across a Pro Blues I had no idea I even owned (I knew I had that angled stripe thing that is quite ugly with trumpets etc), but I also have the Starter that looked an awful lot like the original white with the solid blue on the shoulders and the yellow piping. The meathead really liked it and asked why I don’t wear it to the local skates and realized it was because I had no idea I even owned it. I have way too much hockey shit in the house and the wife may on occasion be right.
If it weren’t for my 1-9 combintation rule I could even add a 7 for old “Walt.”
Wow
Shanahan wore 1-9 with the trumpet, but didn’t last long enough to get that more traditional one with the blue shoulder bar. Scott Mellanby wore it well though (I actually have his 1-9 orange Flyers…yes, I sort of hate myself for that but it’s classic).
I actually can’t even think of who else wore 19 post-trumpet, so that can’t be good. (Paging Chris McAlpine, Chris McAlpine report to the front desk.)
Before all that … Terry Crisp, Wayne Merrick, Curt Bennett Derek freaking Sanderson, Perry Ganchar who is not Sergei Gonchar … and Rod Brind’Amour all too briefly.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Did not recall the Shanahan 19, will consider it if I didn't think that uni was so awful looking.
Merrick would be awesome, but I have stupid rules about the name and number having to match the exact uniform the player wore and why I cherish my 1980 Islander number 19 that was way too big as a youth, but thankfully stil lfits now.
PS
Would still love to do the Goring 19 in Kings purple.
by Hockey1919 on Dec 16, 2011 3:33 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
That's not a stupid rule!
I applaud you for adhering to it.
The Fisherman Isles and the trumpet Blues are the only eras from my beloved teams I just could not get myself to buy. (I did buy a wave uni once they ditched the Fisherman.)
For both of them, I thought it was a workable motif for an expansion team but not a franchise with real history. Ugh.
Lighthouse Hockey: A flute with no holes is not a flute. A Dane with no holes is Frans Nielsen.
Losing Roleston will help
Roleston shied away from contact more than any winger I have watched in a long time. I think the toughness will improve just by him not being on the ice.JT, KO, Ulstrome, Martin and Nino are tough skilled players, meaning they will pay the price. They will take the body, crash the nest, back check hard and win the battle in the corners. Hamonic on D, the rest of the team, not so much :(
by Best Thing Going on Dec 16, 2011 1:02 PM EST up reply actions
Dom, Colorado has no toughness
But they still pushed us around. That’s my point.
And no, we had the same top 6 last year, and nobody was complaining about our toughness. At least not the second half of the year.
And nobody is asking for Gillies and Haley (except Wang when we are out of it for sure to sell tickets) but the team now looks the same now that Haley was sent down. More goalie abuse, nobody sticking up for teammates, etc. I mean, I’m not the only one to see it. Why can’t they just scratch him and use him sometimes? To me he earned a place on this team.
That’s more than i can say for the New Jersey contingent.
"We owe him a lot more than he owes us at this point. He's been stellar all year. He still gave us a chance to win this one, and we've got to find a way."
—C Josh Bailey, on G Al Montoya after a 5-3 loss Tuesday in Montreal.
by BobbyNystromOwnsYou on Dec 16, 2011 1:50 PM EST up reply actions
Ullstrom
Was the only reason he barely played was due to the injury to Rolston?
I didn’t get a chance to watch the game (damn you Christmas tree) and just saw the box score.
pretty much that, yeah
With Rolston out and Wallace getting extra coal in his stocking from Santa Ref, he was odd-man out. Still would have liked to see him with Bailey and Martin, that line played very well while it was together. Instead I saw a lot of Reasoner on that unit in the last period.
We may be in the box, but you get the penalty.
Lighthouse Hockey - a beacon of greatness on the rocky coast of sports blog mediocrity
Non-hockey scribblings at nightflyblog
He is looking great. He gets limited ice time too.
As he keeps his up his ice time should increase. I feel like he might belong on the 2nd line because Nielson is a perfect 3rd liner because of the way he plays the game…
He may even end up displacing Nielsen on PP1
Isles could use a little more size on PP1. Bailey is not huge, but he’s bigger than Nielsen. Isles were roughed up last night each time the PP entered the zone. Bailey is protecting the puck pretty well with his body positioning and stick handling. He’s made a few nice passes on PP2 in the past few games.
Saves Nielsen for the PK, who is still a little better than Bailey PK, as improved as Bailey has been the past few games.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Bailey and Okposo on line 2 together. Martin and Ullstrom look like they may be ready for top-9 time. One with Bailey and KO? One with Nielsen and Grabner? If 2nd and 3rd lines can be a scoring threat, that should open up things for the top line.
"The reader of this sentence exists only while reading me."
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Dec 16, 2011 3:49 PM EST up reply actions
I really love what I'm watching from this kid.
It’s the strangest thing: I see Josh battling, actually coming out of the boards with the puck, and with speed. He checks opposing players now, and not just your BS make-bare-minimal-contact check – he has delivered some hard checks, and to some big players as well as star players. Lastly, when I see Bailey rush the puck into the O zone, he has made some great decisions with it, and quickly, without the pause and deer-in-headlights thing.
As for line pairings, Bailey and Okposo together sounds great, but I’m kinda hoping Kyle ends up with Moulson-Tavares tonight or near future. Ullstrom and Josh should remain paired, as should Grabs n Frans…I see PAP working well with Ullstrom-Bailey, but the RW for Grabs n Frans is the tough one: Martin, Wallace or Nino?
"Seriously that's the last time you guys f#@%ing won?" -RSH (about beating the Penguins in '93)
by Bryan2112 on Dec 17, 2011 8:14 AM EST up reply actions 3 recs
Whoever is with Frans and Grabs
needs to be fast. I still don’t think it’s Martin…But I could see it being Ullstrom.
NY Islanders, just one irrational free agent signing away from contention!
Website:Lighthouse HockeyTwitter: @KeithLHHockey
Baileys PK work recently has looked really good to me.
Let Us Go, Islanders! (Ever notice how strange that sounds without the contraction?)
by TheMetalChick on Dec 17, 2011 10:37 AM EST up reply actions
Yep, I think so too.
Ullstrom has helped him a lot it seems. Now lets see what he can do without Rolston around.
"We owe him a lot more than he owes us at this point. He's been stellar all year. He still gave us a chance to win this one, and we've got to find a way."
—C Josh Bailey, on G Al Montoya after a 5-3 loss Tuesday in Montreal.
by BobbyNystromOwnsYou on Dec 16, 2011 1:51 PM EST up reply actions
He who shall not be mentioned
Neglects to mention the part...
…when the kid strips Milbury of his shoe and…
"The reader of this sentence exists only while reading me."
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Dec 16, 2011 8:28 PM EST up reply actions
Running Total and Defensemen Grades
Kyle 5, Post 2.
Streit: C-. Awful pinch. Wasn’t close to getting the puck.
2.864 (29 games played)
Hamonic: B-. Less than stellar. Caught in between on one goal. (2 or 3 other guys can share the blame on that goal, though.) Still played tough minutes and did some things well.
3.103 (29)
Jurcina: C. Physical at times. Average Jurcina.
2.105 (20)
Mottau: C-. Not awful
1.917 (22)
Reese: C+. No big mistakes. Even a little physicality.
2.186 (7)
deHaan: B. Sound defensively for the most part. Excellent distribution of puck. The kid can find the open forward. Coughed up puck once in open ice, but recovered well enough.
3.000 (1)
Not In Action:
Staios
2.193 (28)
Eaton:
2.131 (16)
AMac: B.
2.694 (22)
"The reader of this sentence exists only while reading me."
by North Dakota Red Eagle on Dec 22, 2011 1:32 PM EST reply actions
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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.
