Yesterday, I dreaded what a sweep by the Senators could mean. Today, after a Viagrafying win, I'm greedy, dreaming of a sweep of our own. Ah, the hormonally charged life of a fan.
- Salt in the wound: Greg Logan reminds fans -- for the 2,362 time -- that the Islanders could have had Spezza, Heatley and Luongo on the same team. Thanks! All flippancy aside, Logan pried some sincere quotes out of Spezza and Heatley about those draft days when Milbury spared them. Will we have peace when the last Milbury mistake retires?
- As mentioned yesterday, Jason Blake was scratched a second time -- and quite pissy about it, even going all "maybe I don't belong here." At Pension Plan Puppets, there's an entertaining debate about assigning fault for this strange package JFJ sold them.
- More disturbing: Blake responded to the scratch with a great game in Edmonton, eliciting one of the creepier Photoshops I've seen in a while, at He Score, He Shoot! Brilliant!
- Logan also got a nice BS answer out of Commissar Gary about not screwing (no, really!) the Isles out of what would have been an epic Isles-Rangers Winter Classic at Yankee Stadium.
- James Mirtle crunches numbers for the best defensive D-men thus far. No Islanders on the list, but the two in the top 30 last year -- Witt and Martinek -- have been hurt.
- Chris Botta indicates Mike Sillinger's hip will need "at least a few more weeks" before his return. He's been skating for several weeks already. He was shut down for surgery in February, so I really hope this isn't the long, lingering end for Sillinger, a UFA this summer. Detroit's 1989 first-round pick has used his wheels and smarts to be effective well into his late 30s. Here's a Q&A from a year ago, after his 1,000th NHL game.
- The Short Island Smurfs have discovered the "other part" of Nikolai Zherdev, the part that drove Columbus to sell early. File under: Works in Progress.