New York Islanders Journal

2010 - 2011 Preview & Prediction

2010-07-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I'm jumping the gun with this preview, but I'm tired of waiting for hockey season to start.

Its been a quiet off season for the Isles. Recent news has been about how clean the food and concessions are at the coliseum, mall appearances by players, golf tournaments and a few minor free agent signings. Its apparent that Garth Snow is sticking with his guns and we are rebuilding. And you know what, when did bringing in stars help us make the playoffs in the last 20 years? OK 2007, but the Sabres handed our asses to us in the first round. We have a team, a young team, but a focused young group of guys determined to bring hockey back to Long Island, so lets get excited and make some predictions about the season and each player.

I think the Islanders will improve from last season, will win around 42 games in regulation (vs 34 from last season), but will not make the playoffs. They'll finish in 9th or 10th place in the conference, but Islanders fans will be excited by what they see.

Lets start with the Islanders forwards.

Josh Bailey: In his first year as an Islander, Josh spent a lot of the time on the ice (literally on the ice), with size, maturity and experience, expect Josh to score up to 20 goals this season and have a bigger presence on the ice.

Blake Comeau: We all know Blake's got the mind and hands to be a great goal scorer in the league. Will he pick up where he left off last season?

Trevor Gillies: With few players to fight with now that the Islanders put together a team of goons, look for Gillies to shine in division games against the Rangers, Devils, Philly etc...

Trent Hunter: The Islanders need to get the puck to Trent more and give him space to shoot. He's got a rocket of a shot, but often ends up shooting from ridiculous angles.

Zenon Konopka: I'm not sure what to expect, just go after Gaborik and I'm happy. Zenon will help keep the younger guys secure on the ice. Great pickup.

Matt Moulson: After signing a 1 year $2.45 million deal with the Isles, the pressure is on Matt to show that last season wasn't a fluke. He is a work horse and I expect another great season. JT will overtake him this year in goals scored.

Frans Nielsen: Frans is an all around guy, he does it all and he does it well. Did anyone notice that he scored on the same exact shootout move all season? Wrist shot over the top right shoulder. Happy to have Frans on the team.

Kyle Okposo: Expect a breakout season from Okposo. He doesn't rest during the summer and should be in top shape for the 2010 season. I predict 23 goals.

Parenteau: In my mind, this was a great steal from the Rangers. Parentau is a great addition, a quiet one, but he will shine with the Isles.

Rob Schremp: Did you see the goal!? Robbie Schremp carries and shoots the puck extremely well, last season he showed that he deserves to play regularly.

John Tavares: 31 goals, 34 assists and a new clothing line JT91.

Islanders Defensemen:

Mark Eaton: A sound defenseman that protects the puck and will help the offense transition out of the zone better. Looking forward to his experience and defensive help.

Bruno Gervais: I'd like to see him shoot more.

Jack Hillen: One of the hardest working guys on the team, I love Hillen and love watching him play. He's all over the ice.

Milan Jurcina: Size does matter. Milan adds great size to the defensive squad and comes from a team with playoff experience.

Andrew MacDonald: His injury late last season after signing a new contract with the Isles was unfortunate. A fresh start this season is going to be great and Andrew will be a top defenseman in the league some day.

Radek Martinek: What can I say, recover and don't get hurt again.

Mark Streit: Probably the best player on the team, Mark has been great on defense and on the power play. I'm curious to see who Gordon pairs him up with this season.

Islanders Goalies
Rick DiPietro: ? Always a question mark here. DP is not a reliable goalie in my eyes anymore.
Dwayne Roloson: Our savior and hero last year, Dwayne was incredible, but I fear that his age will catch up soon.

New Comers & Prospects:
Nino Niddereiter (AKA El Nino): I'd love to see Nino start this season with the Islanders just like JT did.
Brock Nelson: Bridgeport, here I come.
Kirill Kabanov: Bridgeport, here I come. Keep an eye on this guy.
Matt Martin: Should be a full time Islander by mid-season. Love his grit and intensity on the ice.
Kiril Petrov: Bridgeport

Isles Ink Moulson

2010-07-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

Several hours before the arbitration hearing in Toronto, the Islanders and Matty M. agreed to terms on a one year $2.45 million deal. Nowadays, that seems decent, but g-d knows we have seen some ridiculously high deals in the last decade. To put Matt's one year deal into perspective, its $6,712.32 a day for the next 365 days. Being a professional athlete ain't too shabby.

Moulson will be an Unrestricted Free Agent next season. My feeling is that if he scores another 30 goals, he will receive a fat long term deal. For now, the Isles made the right decision, 1 year deal and let him prove himself.

At Least We Can Say - Dont F*ck with the Islanders

2010-07-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

Islanders signed enforcer Jeremy Yablanski today.

Interestingly enough, Gillies and Yabo have fought each other before (see picture) and somehow Yabo was Gillies best man. These guys are nuts and I love it.

If I were a player from any other team in the league, I'd fear the Islanders for one reason and one reason only, my safety.

Trevor Gillies, Jeremy Yablonski & Zenon Konopka are a threesome you rather miss out on. All have been known to drop the gloves in a big way and will never back down from a good fight. This really excites me for when we play the Rangers.

With the additions of defense, Jurcina and Eaton and the toughness of the three stooges mentioned above, other teams will fear carrying the puck over the blue line. Keep your head up baby!

Why so quiet on the Island? First post for the 2010 Season

2010-07-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

After standing on a train for 3 brutal hours, stuck next to the young bimbo with the straw hat, listening to the Black Eyed Peas and sporting a yapping yorky in her Louis Vitton (I hope I spelled that wrong) bag and the already drunk banker squeezing to and from the restroom every ten minutes with a beer in hand and two in his pockets, I finally arrive in Sag Harbour. I say to myself, the traffic was worth it. Now I'm here at the beautiful beach, sparking up the grill, popping open a cold one and kicking it with my friends and family. So standing on the Long Island Railroad for a few hours is fine. I can deal with it.

More often than not, I arrive at the coliseum after sitting in 2 hours of traffic, and my attitude isn't quite the same,rather, I ask myself, is this worth it? After all, I have a large HD TV to watch the game on, a couch, dinner, beers,email etc...If the Isles are losing, I'll simply swap channels and watch the Rangers lose to make myself feel better.

Like many Islanders fans, in their mid 20's like myself, we missed the boat. We are the unlucky bunch that got on the wrong train, heading in the wrong direction. To me, its like leading a strictly religious life and then right before you die, your told that its all bullshit and you could have done whatever the hell you wanted.

But for how long? Is 2010 going to be another year where we finish at the 12th seed. Is Rick Dipietro going to play 4 games and hurt his knee again? Should I really spend all this money on tickets, tolls, beer and bad food at the coliseum? How come the guy with the gold hair is at every game, isn't he sick of losing and spending money on season tickets? Can we just watch the Ice Girls dance in a bar instead of going to the game? How long does it take to rebuild a hockey team? Does any good UFA want to join us? Are we even trying to bring any stars in?

Well, I can go on for quite a bit. This is what happens after years of losing, but for some reason, we continue keeping the faith and hoping for the boat to turn around and head in the right direction.

Guess What? I actually believe, the good days are near.

Although many Eastern Conference teams have improved (Devils, Pens, Tampa etc...), I'm confident with our youth and have bought into Garth Snow's annoying yet, semi successful (TBD)system. "SLOW AND STEADY REBUILD". Although I hate those words, its guys like K. Okposo, JT, Robbie Schremp, Josh Bailey that help me keep the faith.

Granted all Isles fans are frustrated by the off season thus far. Snow has made offers to several good UFA's but was turned down, because guess what, the Isles have sucked for too long, and good players don't want to be involved in it. The only option is to improve with what we have and eventually lure in some bigger pieces to the puzzle when the time is right.

The Islanders picked up three new players this year, Jurcina, Eaton and some tough guy from Tampa. These small additions may prove to be helpful, but guys like Freddy Meyer and Sutton have been lost in the process. In terms of defense, I worry, as we have lost some of the physical players, but added some size overall.

In terms of offense, can we rely on Matty Moulson scoring 30+ goals again? Will JT put on some much needed weight and muscle, protect the puck and have an even better season? How about Okposo, Baily, El Nino, Hamonic...Will they eventaully become the Pittsburg Penguins?? I dont have the answer, but I'm optimistic and excited for the future (god I hate the word future).

Simply put, our young team is going up against some serious talent this season and I personally think that the playoffs are already out of the equation. However, I think we will improve from last season, and in a few years with the addition of some super star along the way, the Isles will be back and will win a playoff series. I'll keep the word Stanley cup out of all posts until I feel its warranted.

Go Isles!

10 Reasons for Islanders Fans to Smile

2010-02-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

Despite losing their 6th straght game last night in Tampa, Islanders fans still have some reasons to smile about this season.

1. The Isles are just 5 points out of the 8th playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

2. Last year the Isles played 82 games and won 26, this season the Isles have played 57 games and won 23 (will that 26th win ever come?).

3. In 2008 the Isles goals against was 279 in 82 games, this season its 177 in 57 games.
4. Robbie Schremp is an Islander.

5. In 2008 the Isles finished with 61 total points, this season they have 54 points in 57 games.

6. Islanders fans understand that a trade to make the playoffs isn't what we want anymore. We have a great bunch of talented kids that will one day bring the cup back to Long Island.

7. Its Friday.

8. No Islanders except Mark Streit will be in the Olympics, so a good vacation and lots of rest may help the team for the playoff race March.

9. Justin Kohn got physical against Tampa last night.

10. MSG + showed Al Arbour on TV last night to remind Isles fans that the 80's weren't that long ago.

Isles play Carolina at home Saturday night at 7PM.

Isles Drop 6th Straight Game

2010-02-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

That is all I have to say today.

Isles Face Tampa

2010-02-04T06:53:00.000-08:00

For Islanders Country, 2PM today will be more important than whatever their doing at work, home or on the road. I don't mean to sound too dramatic, but its time to get out of the dog house.

The Isles take on the Tampa Bay Lightning in a game that will surely be difficult to win. Josh Bailey is out for the next 6 games with an upper body injury, Hillen is spoon feeding, Brendan Witt is on waivers and we have lost 5 straight games. Like I mentioned in a previous blog, all hope is not lost, today is a great day to turn things around.

The isles have 6 games left before the Olympic break. How sweet would a 6 game win streak be? Nah, I'm crazy to even have that thought cross my mind. On Saturday we face Carolina (winnable), on Tuesday Nashville (fat chance), and on Wednesday Sid the Kid and the Penguins. The last two games will be against Tampa and Ottawa. That said, the Isles best get something brewing, and try and position ourselves for a good race in March and then April.

Today's Wake Up Call goes out to John Tavares and Sean Bergenheim. Neither have been productive as of late, but at least Bergy constantly has his feet moving. Tavares is often on the floor swatting at legs and the puck. Wake up!

Go Isles!

Witt Placed on Waivers

2010-02-03T09:26:00.000-08:00

Brendan Witt was placed on waivers today.

Additionally, Marty Biron has been sent to Bridgeport on a conditioning stint. He will be with the Sound Tigers tonight as they prepare for their game on Friday.

Trevor Gillies will also rejoin the Sound Tigers today.

Josh Bailey left the team in Florida and returned to New York to be evaluated on an upper body injury that he suffered in the Islanders 2-0 loss to the Florida Panthers on Sunday.

All Hope is Not Lost

2010-02-02T08:04:00.000-08:00

Amid a 5 game losing streak, which could not have come at a worse time, all hope is not lost for the New York Islanders. With 26 games remaining in the regular season, I can promise you that other teams in this tight race will hit walls like the Isles did in the past week and the tide will change several times before it comes down to the wire in April.

The Isles face off against Tampa on Thursday and look to begin sneaking their way back into the middle of the traffic jam I like to call the Eastern Conference.

For the Isles to succeed they will need to start creating better scoring chances and will need players like Trent Hunter and John Tavares to start scoring again. Ideally, Brendan Witt will be back for Thursday's game and will add some much needed relief for McDonald and Kohn.

Lets not forget what we accomplished up until this point and the great teams we beat by wide margins in middle of January. 6-0 over Detroit, 4-0 over NJ and beating the Sabres. We won these games with hard work and determination. Its time to refocus and remember what this young team is made of.

Here is how the standings currently look in the Eastern Conference:

Standings
1 Washington Capitals 80
2 New Jersey Devils 72
3 Buffalo Sabres 71
4 Pittsburgh Penguins 71
5 Ottawa Senators 66
6 Philadelphia Flyers 59
7 New York Rangers 57
8 Florida Panthers 57
9 Atlanta Thrashers 56
10 Montréal Canadiens 56
11 Boston Bruins NE 55
12 Tampa Bay Lightning 55
13 New York Islanders 54

All hope is not lost, but hope doesn't win hockey games.

Isles Drop 5 Straight

2010-02-01T08:46:00.000-08:00

At least we know its not the frigid weather across the country causing the Isles losing streak, as they lost their 5th straight to the Florida Panthers in the Sunshine State on Sunday.

In their fourth and final meeting of the season, the Panthers blanked the Isles 2-0.

Tomas Vokoun stopped all 33 Islanders shots and helped send the Isles to their fifth straight loss.

The offense has not been producing good scoring chances and despite a good outing by Ricky D. the Isles just left him hanging.

Hopefully the team can find some answers this week. The Isles face Tampa on Thursday and have a lot of time to correct whatever is going wrong.

Isles Add 215 Pounds of Grit & Toughness in Gillies

2010-01-29T11:04:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately not the type of Gillies that comes to mind for Isles fans, but the Islanders have agreed to terms with Trevor Gillies to a NHL contract.

Gillies has played in 18 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers scoring a goal and accumulating 123 penalty minutes. Yes, that's right, 123 penalty minutes in 18 games. With the added penalties, Coach Gordon needs to take a good luck at the Islanders penalty killing unit and make sure they can handle having an enforcer taking penalties all game. Gillies at 6'3 215 pound, should challenge Carcillo early in the game on Saturday and get the Isles blood pumping early.

If Gillies sticks around long enough to face the Rangers in march, I look forward to him pounding Voros into the ice.

DP Changing the Isles Defensive Style?

2010-01-29T07:17:00.000-08:00

Oh how we love Ricky D. here in Islanders Country. Despite the fact that he is from Boston, we embrace him like he grew up in Huntington. After his first few starts, DP's won two games and lost three, while giving up 15 goals and a goals against average of 2.62.

Not bad for a guy who hasn't played competitive professional hockey in over a year.

Ever since his return to the Islanders, there's been a shift in the way the Islanders play defense. As we all already know, DP is an extraordinary athlete, with great hand eye coordination and a good feel for playing the puck. But how much is too much??

I've noticed that when the opposing offense dumps the puck into the Isles zone, the defense simply interferes with the forwards rushing in for the puck, while DP comes out of the net and tries to make a play. In my mind, DP is over playing the puck, and causing the defense to take a lazy approach to chasing the puck into the corners and battling with the opposing offense.

Something I always like about Rolle, is that he is less active behind the net than DP. In last nights game vs. Carolina, DP nearly gave the puck away right in front of the net, which would have lead to another Hurricane goal. I hope that was a wake up goal to quiet it down back there. I'd like to see the defense get the nitty gritty going in those corners and not rely on DP to handle every puck that's dumped into our zone. Just a quick thought.

Hurricanes Too Much to Handle for the Slumping Islanders

2010-01-29T06:22:00.000-08:00

Just last week, I wouldn't believe that I'd be writing the Islanders a headline like this, but I guess that's what this season has been like for a lot of teams in the Eastern Conference. I'm not quite sure how to put my finger on last nights loss to Carolina. Were the Islanders even there? Did they show up? There was a span of 5 minutes in the first period and 2 minutes in the third period where I saw some life, but it didn't last.

My first question to everyone is does this team know that hockey is a physical game? Granted Sutton is afraid to send someone flying or smash their face into the boards due to his suspension for his hit on the Penguins Dupois, but last night a Hurricane beat him one on one straight to the net, and he was forced to put us on the penalty kill.

My next Question is where was Jon Sim last night? With a guy like Cam Ward in net, we needed Sim in front and around the net all game. I don't believe I heard a thing about Sim until he came to life for a few minutes and got us a power play.

Offensively, the Isles really aren't creating good chances for themselves. Its been the routine, bring the puck up the side and take a hard angle shot with little traffic in front. This is Trent Hunters favorite shot (although from time to time he sinks it). The puck movement needs to improve big time and we need more shots from the point.

The Defense last night was not horrendous, but at the same time they don't get a good grade.

Although two of the goals were completely DP's fault, the intensity wasn't there and they need to start being more physical and making better passes out of the zone.

If I can be positive for a moment, I cant tell you how excited I am about Robbie Schremp. The kid is golden and you can feel the excitement every time he touches the puck. What a play maker and what a sniper! This guy is going to the lead the team in points one day. Great job Snow!

Isles play Philly on Saturday (Matinee), its time for someone to step up in a big way. The key to this game will be getting physical (Get ready for Carcillo, he wont step down) and getting the puck to the net and crashing for rebounds.

I personally would like to see Rolle get the start. I think we are throwing DP into the mix to quick and he didn't get us here in the first place.

Isles look for a big win in Carolina

2010-01-28T13:49:00.000-08:00

Its been a long time since I wrote this blog, but I have decided to pick it back up again. With the recent loss of Jack Hillen (6-8 Weeks), the Islanders find themselves in a bit of a hole defensively. Expect Brendan Witt to sit out (calf injury) another game tonight, which doesn't help the cause. But I have to say, with all the good fortune we have had this season, I have faith that Dustin Kohn will step up in a big way. My only concern is if he could handle the amount of playing time as Hillen and also whether or not he will play effectively from the point on power plays. I hate to be too skeptical, but the goalie situation has been under par in the last week. I'm not sure who gets the start tonight yet, but with the Hurricanes on a role (and we all know they are indeed a dangerous team) we need some solid goaltending.

Offensively, I'd love to see some goals scored from the point tonight. Cam Ward absolutely shut down the Rangers last night. The name of the game is deflections in front on shots from the point and big rebounds. I expect to see the Isles forecheck to be strong and for Jon Sim to annoy the hell out of Cam Ward. Matty M should buy himself some real estate in front of Carolina's net tonight if were going to win this one.

My pick for tonight's unexpected hero is Richard Park. He's been quiet all season, but his hard work will pay off.

Regardless of Carolina's record, tonight's game is huge for the Islanders. We can continue to fall behind or jolt ourselves up to the 6th spot with a win. I hate to be too cliche, but lets just say we hold our own destiny in our hands.

A win tonight will also give us momentum going into Philly for Saturday's matinee.

Go Isles!

Reality Beginning to Set In

2009-10-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

Last nights game against Montreal really showed me the difference between a team full of great talent and a team with a lot youth and growing up to do.

This off season the Montreal Canadiens spent $111 Million and picked up some huge names like Gionta, Gomez, Cammalleri, Mara etc etc etc...

Not only were the Islanders completely out talented, but on top of that, they came out flat and remained flat for the majority of the game.

I will continue this article when I have more to say. For now, we play a better Capitals team on Saturday and the Isles best come to play in this one.

Isles Looking for Win Number Two

2009-10-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

What really can I say about tonight's game? I'd love to see Marti Biron come up big in this one vs. a very dangerous Montreal Canadian team.

Doug Weight will be sitting this one out as he's suffering from the flu. Don't worry it isn't H1N1 and we should see him back in the lineup soon.

The Canadians have to decide whether they start Halak or Carey Price in net tonight. After a shaky start for Price and Halak's shutout earlier this week, it looks like Halak might get the call.

For the Isles, I'm looking to Rob Schremp, Sean Bergenheim, Josh Bailey and Richard Park to get more involved and productive offensively. The first line NEEDS support and NEEDS to other line to step it up. Tonight's strategy should include getting the puck to the net and crashing. We saw it last night, Tim Jackman in front of the net for the goal. It doesn't need to be pretty, its just got to go into the net.

Check out my tweets during the game and Go Isles!

Isles Squeeze Out Their First Win

2009-10-22T09:55:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, the elephant has left the arena.

At a rather empty Coliseum (which was filled to capacity just two weeks ago for the home opener) the Islanders defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in a, surprise, surprise, .........shootout.

In the first two weeks of the season, the only offensive production was coming from the first line of Moulson, Okposa and Tavares. With the addition of Frans Nielsen last night, the Islanders added some much needed depth to the offense and it proved effective.

But who was the real champion last night, would you say Matt Moulson (scoring his 5th goal of the season) or Tim Jackman? No. Last night, Andy Sutton decided that the Islanders were going to win a game. Sutton fed Moulson in front of the net for the Islanders first goal in the first period. On a regular basis, were used to seeing only Mark Streit pinching in and Radek Martineks once in a blue moon come in and shoot. In addition to jump starting the offense, Sutton scored his second goal of the season and laid out some Hurricanes in a big way.

As usual JT and and the first line kept on the pressure all night. I was pretty taken back when JT got nailed late after he took a shot from the side of the net. The hit was definitely late and props to Sutton for jumping in and standing up for his teammate.

Going into the 3rd period, I was almost certain that the Isles would finally hold on for a regulation win. Slowly, I noticed that the puck was sitting in our own zone with both our Defense and Offense playing the last 6 minutes like they were on a penalty kill. I think to get out of this groove the Isles need to establish a line that can keep the puck deep in the offensive zone late in the game.

During the shootout my heart was literally in my throat. I couldn't believe the moves that both Tambelini and Nielsen came up with to beat Cam Ward. Who makes it look easy against Cam Ward? And then to seal the deal, JT put it away for the Victory.

Roloson has proven to be solid in all game besides the last 10 minutes of the 3rd period.

Looking forward to a second win tonight against Montreal.

Do you guys think we can get back on the board with some wins this week against Montreal, the Caps, and the Rangers?