Isles Fuming After Officiating Against Devils

Jack Capuano has always been politically correct when answering some of the tough questions, but he pulled no punches when asked about the outcome of the Islanders' 3-2 overtime loss to the Devils on Saturday night.

We got no respect tonight. Maybe if we start winning games, we'll get it. Maybe it's a young coaching staff and they've got an older coaching staff. Maybe it's their players -- their veteran guys versus our non-veteran guys. I have no idea. But it's tough for guys to prepare for a game and then it's taken away from you.

That is some pretty powerful stuff. However, the Islanders haven't been the only team to have games ruined by the refs. It's happened a lot in the league this season, and goes back to the point I was making in February after the game against Pittsburgh. Many teams have had it with officiating this year, and it's starting to boil over.

The Islanders could have made it tougher on everyone if they would have played much better than they did. The fact that they played poorly doesn't help their argument too much. Sure, they battled back from a 1-0 hole to grab a 2-1 lead, but for much of the first period and a good chunk of the second, they were badly outplayed. The Devils had 31 shots, while the Isles managed only 15.

Blake Comeau had a very strong game once again and scored his 20th of the season on a really nice play to make Martin Brodeur go down way too early and leave him flopping in the crease.

Brodeur made some great saves on the few times he was really tested though. Al Montoya also stood tall, and you can't really fault him for the outcome. The shot was a bit of an odd one, and Salmela got it off rather quickly and unexpectedly.

The Islanders should get some credit for taking a team to overtime twice in the same week, not to mention a team that hasn't lost much in the last 25 or so games.

Capuano and company are definitely on to something with the officiating, and I'm really glad that he spoke up. The league is investigating the officiating, but I'm sure nothing will come of it, just like always.

I'll be curious to see if Capuano gets fined for his comments. Lately, coaches have been getting away with saying things like this, perhaps because the NHL is catching on to their mistakes. But i he does, then that opens up another whole can of worms.

Just keep winning. Capuano is right - that's what this will take. Be serious in your pursuit for the playoffs. Actively talk to top free agents and actively explore trades. Show you are serious about spending money, don't just talk about it. You get respect if you win. That's not how it should be, but such is the way of sports these days.

NO NYI FYI: For those of you thinking you missed us for a show on Sunday, unfortunately you did not. Due to an event that Sean had to be at, we were unable to record a show on Sunday. We are hoping to get something, perhaps during the week though. Stand by for an announcement on that. We apologize to you guys for having a last minute thing pop up.

-CH