The Islanders announced on Saturday that Jay Pandolfo has agreed to a try out with the team when camp opens in a couple of weeks. About a week ago, Newsday's Katie Strang posted a list of players who the club could possibly have in camp on invite: Pandolfo, Sergei Samsonov, Chris Clark and Bryan McCabe. There is strong reason to believe that all were extended invites - among other players as well - but so far, going this route only made the most sense for Pandolfo.
Pandolfo hasn't been in the NHL since the 2009 - 2010 season with the New Jersey Devils. After that season he was bought out and participated in a handful of AHL games last season before his Christmas Day release from the Springfield Falcons.
Neither Pandolfo nor the Islanders have anything to lose with this, and I'm disappointed in some of the comments I see from fans regarding this. The point of an invite is that it gives you a look at someone without having to give them a guaranteed spot on the roster. I want Nino Niederreiter, Matt Martin and others to feel their jobs are at stake and be pushed. Now, how far can someone like Pandolfo push them? Well that remains to be seen, sure. But with so many forwards already on the roster, if I'm a young player and I see a 36 year old veteran coming in, I'm not taking my chances or scoffing at the competition. Especially with an individual who has proven for many years he can be an excellent penalty killer, even though his game has eroded over the past two seasons.
According to Strang, McCabe and Samsonov appear "reluctant" to take the invite at this time, and I can't blame them for that. With camps set to open, any injury could have them signing a guaranteed contract, perhaps for terms even better than they are expecting (see Mike Mottau and his two year deal from the Isles last September 25th). I would imagine the invites are always open, so Clark could still come if he wishes too, despite a similar player in Pandolfo coming (EDIT: Not sure how I missed this, but Strang reports Clark has accepted an invite with the Bruins, who offered one to Pandolfo too). I think as time goes on, McCabe accepts his invite too. Samsonov though, I would be surprised.
I've been asked this a lot over the weekend - if McCabe comes to camp, am I upset? It's a good question. McCabe is not the ideal defenseman this team needs. But at the same time, that's why he'd be coming in as an invite. If he plays well? Then it means he looked fine, looked like he still had enough in the tank and will suffice until someone better comes along (or one of the kids are ready, such as Calvin deHaan). If he looks awful? Then he walks away and is free to talk to other teams (like Brent Sopel did a few years ago after his camp with Detroit). At the end of the day, an upgrade for me in the most basic sense was a guy more durable than Radek Martinek, Jack Hillen or Bruno Gervais. McCabe would certainly be that and a great shot to use on the 2nd power-play unit to keep the opposition guessing after seeing Mark Streit on unit one.
I am always curious to see what players go on invites to other teams, and see who can crack lineups. It's a popular way to fill out rosters or find an extremely cheap gem. The Islanders generally have lucked out with guys like this under Snow, and it'll be a good story line to follow as a distraction from some of your usual ones. We'll see if any of the others accept soon.
More to come on some items we missed on discussing while we were away.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
Showing posts with label Bruno Gervais. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bruno Gervais. Show all posts
September 6, 2011
June 28, 2011
Free Agent News: Isles Not Qualifying Hillen
Monday was the deadline for NHL teams to extend qualifying offers to their RFA's or risk losing them on the open market when it opens on Friday.
While there were a number of surprises that were not extended offers around the league, Isles fans had one that surprised them in Jack Hillen.
Starting out the year as the odd man out, Hillen had a nice finish to the season, ending up with four goals and 22 points with 137 blocked shots. The last couple of months seemed to be the first time he had gotten the confidence back that he had prior to taking the shot in the face from Alex Ovechkin a couple of seasons ago.
It appears that a lot of fans are upset about the news of Hillen testing the market, and that is understandable. Some are going with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" adage, but for the Islanders case it is broken. Very broken. They finished in the bottom five in goals against.
Hillen is a quick, solid puck moving defenseman who can get knocked off the puck at times, leading to a loss in possession and a gain in momentum for the other team. The Islanders seem to realize they need to add some more size to the blueline and the exits of Hillen along with Bruno Gervais allow them to try and go down that path. Hillen likely isn't in line to take a 2-way deal as a depth defenseman now for the Isles and will try his luck on the open market and look for a one way.
A contending team may not be willing to give him an NHL spot, but if those teams came calling Hillen would definitely jump for a NHL/AHL deal for a team like that. On this team, it was evident that he was going to be depth once again. The Islanders already have Ty Wishart, who they did qualify, as the go to guy as the 7th man, and Dylan Reese is being kept for his AHL experience and some leadership in Bridgeport.
It remains to be seen if the Isles agree with the consensus in that they need to add one solid top-four guy this offseason, but this move adds some fuel to that argument.
OTHER RFA NEWS: After failing to offer a qualifier to Tomas Marcinko, the Isles agreed to a one year, 2-way deal with the big center. Marcinko doesn't look like he'll become much of an NHL player, but has been a solid defensive forward down in Bridgeport and will continue to provide that this season.
Defenseman Dustin Kohn, a 2nd round pick in 2004 has likely seen his last days in the organization. Kohn was not offered a qualifier and will try to latch on with a team starting on Friday.
Gervais signed a new deal with the Lightning, getting a one way deal at $550K. That's a bit of a pay cut for him, but it's worth it on the one-way deal to try and re-establish himself and get his confidence back up. Good luck to him.
Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, Micheal Haley and Jesse Joensuu also received offers from the team.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE CONFUSED: A qualifying offer is extended to a player so a team cannot lose their rights. A player doesn't have to accept it until later in the summer, but it gives teams the ability to match any offer sheets that come the players way.
Often times players will not be given QO's and come to terms with their teams anyway (like the Isles did with Marcinko and the Penguins will likely do with Tyler Kennedy).
A QO gives a player a 10% raise if they made less than $660K in the previous season or 5% if they made up to $1 million.
More can be found here.
If you missed our live show Sunday, you can find the recording here or download the podcast of it or previous shows here.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
While there were a number of surprises that were not extended offers around the league, Isles fans had one that surprised them in Jack Hillen.
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| Hillen will look for new work. Photo by C. Hessel |
It appears that a lot of fans are upset about the news of Hillen testing the market, and that is understandable. Some are going with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" adage, but for the Islanders case it is broken. Very broken. They finished in the bottom five in goals against.
Hillen is a quick, solid puck moving defenseman who can get knocked off the puck at times, leading to a loss in possession and a gain in momentum for the other team. The Islanders seem to realize they need to add some more size to the blueline and the exits of Hillen along with Bruno Gervais allow them to try and go down that path. Hillen likely isn't in line to take a 2-way deal as a depth defenseman now for the Isles and will try his luck on the open market and look for a one way.
A contending team may not be willing to give him an NHL spot, but if those teams came calling Hillen would definitely jump for a NHL/AHL deal for a team like that. On this team, it was evident that he was going to be depth once again. The Islanders already have Ty Wishart, who they did qualify, as the go to guy as the 7th man, and Dylan Reese is being kept for his AHL experience and some leadership in Bridgeport.
It remains to be seen if the Isles agree with the consensus in that they need to add one solid top-four guy this offseason, but this move adds some fuel to that argument.
OTHER RFA NEWS: After failing to offer a qualifier to Tomas Marcinko, the Isles agreed to a one year, 2-way deal with the big center. Marcinko doesn't look like he'll become much of an NHL player, but has been a solid defensive forward down in Bridgeport and will continue to provide that this season.
Defenseman Dustin Kohn, a 2nd round pick in 2004 has likely seen his last days in the organization. Kohn was not offered a qualifier and will try to latch on with a team starting on Friday.
Gervais signed a new deal with the Lightning, getting a one way deal at $550K. That's a bit of a pay cut for him, but it's worth it on the one-way deal to try and re-establish himself and get his confidence back up. Good luck to him.
Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau, Micheal Haley and Jesse Joensuu also received offers from the team.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE CONFUSED: A qualifying offer is extended to a player so a team cannot lose their rights. A player doesn't have to accept it until later in the summer, but it gives teams the ability to match any offer sheets that come the players way.
Often times players will not be given QO's and come to terms with their teams anyway (like the Isles did with Marcinko and the Penguins will likely do with Tyler Kennedy).
A QO gives a player a 10% raise if they made less than $660K in the previous season or 5% if they made up to $1 million.
More can be found here.
If you missed our live show Sunday, you can find the recording here or download the podcast of it or previous shows here.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
June 25, 2011
Bruno Gervais Traded to Lightning
While many were focused on the madness that was draft weekend, the Islanders made a separate transaction that marks the end of an era for one Islanders defenseman.
On Saturday the Islanders announced that they had dealt defenseman Bruno Gervais to the Tampa Bay Lightning in return for future considerations.
Those future considerations will likely be a late round draft pick in the 2012 draft.
The deal marks the end of a six year run for Gervais on Long Island, a roller coatser ride if there ever was one.
Gervais was originally drafted in the 6th round back in 2003. While many players in the later rounds were long shots, after a couple of years it looked like the Islanders may have found a gem. After a solid rookie year in the AHL with eight goals and 30 points in 76, Gervais followed that up with 17 goals and 42 points in just 55 AHL games during the strike year of 2004 - 05 leaving many to wonder what he could do at the NHL level.
Gervais showed flashes, most recently near the end of 2008 - 09 after being paired with Mark Streit. The strong play is what made the Islanders keep him over Chris Campoli when it became abundantly clear that they were very similar players, as Campoli began to show signs of regressing. Unfortunately, Gervais would be unable to keep that up for his remaining two seasons and became a depth defenseman on a team that already had plenty.
Seeing as the Islanders still do have all of that depth and not quite enough top-end blue liners, Gervais became the first casualty of a potential house cleaning on the back-end.
Current Lightning Assistant Coach Dan Lacroix seems to have successfully sold Head Coach Guy Boucher and General Manager Steve Yzerman on the idea of bringing in yet another recent ex-Islander player, of which they are three-for-three so far (Dwayne Roloson, Nate Thompson and Sean Bergenheim). Gervais is due to become an RFA on Friday but I'm assuming Tampa plans on him staying for a year.
Personal Note: Bruno Gervais was one of the first Islanders Sean and I interviewed following one of the opening days of training camp, our first in the Blog Box. We walked into the locker room with one of the other bloggers, and Bruno immediately looked in my direction. After introductions were out of the way, he looked back at me and said "Please don't tell me you're cold!" On the way out he requested that I bring a jacket next time.
It's no secret that Bruno was a great guy off the ice, and that part will surely be missed on the Island. We can take solace in the fact that there have been other players who have had the chance to see that side of him for the past few seasons and will undoubtedly pick up where he left off.
Best of luck to Bruno as he opens up the next chapter of his career.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
On Saturday the Islanders announced that they had dealt defenseman Bruno Gervais to the Tampa Bay Lightning in return for future considerations.
Those future considerations will likely be a late round draft pick in the 2012 draft.
The deal marks the end of a six year run for Gervais on Long Island, a roller coatser ride if there ever was one.
 |
| Photo by C. Hessel |
Gervais showed flashes, most recently near the end of 2008 - 09 after being paired with Mark Streit. The strong play is what made the Islanders keep him over Chris Campoli when it became abundantly clear that they were very similar players, as Campoli began to show signs of regressing. Unfortunately, Gervais would be unable to keep that up for his remaining two seasons and became a depth defenseman on a team that already had plenty.
Seeing as the Islanders still do have all of that depth and not quite enough top-end blue liners, Gervais became the first casualty of a potential house cleaning on the back-end.
Current Lightning Assistant Coach Dan Lacroix seems to have successfully sold Head Coach Guy Boucher and General Manager Steve Yzerman on the idea of bringing in yet another recent ex-Islander player, of which they are three-for-three so far (Dwayne Roloson, Nate Thompson and Sean Bergenheim). Gervais is due to become an RFA on Friday but I'm assuming Tampa plans on him staying for a year.
Personal Note: Bruno Gervais was one of the first Islanders Sean and I interviewed following one of the opening days of training camp, our first in the Blog Box. We walked into the locker room with one of the other bloggers, and Bruno immediately looked in my direction. After introductions were out of the way, he looked back at me and said "Please don't tell me you're cold!" On the way out he requested that I bring a jacket next time.
It's no secret that Bruno was a great guy off the ice, and that part will surely be missed on the Island. We can take solace in the fact that there have been other players who have had the chance to see that side of him for the past few seasons and will undoubtedly pick up where he left off.
Best of luck to Bruno as he opens up the next chapter of his career.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
January 6, 2011
Jurcina Extended for 1 Year
The Islanders announced Wednesday evening that they have signed defenseman Milan Jurcina to a one-year contract extension.
Jurcina, originally signed for just this season at $1 million, will get a $600K raise next season.
Jurcina has proved to be an excellent signing for what he provides. When brought in, everyone said that as a bottom pairing, 18 minute guy he can be good and that has been the case.
The feeling from many Isles fans is a good one. They realize the need for some size on the blue-line and apparently, the team does as well. Some feared that the addition of Ty Wishart to the organization meant that they were going to move Jurcina, but now we see that isn't the case.
Naturally, as is the case with anything in sports there will always be some detractors. I had a spirited discussion on our Facebook page with a fan about the move. He brings up Jurcina's lack of speed, lack of an offensive game and the fact that he doesn't use his big body. All are fair points, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Just prior to getting injured, I featured Jurcina in this space. Jurcina missed a lot of time, but is still tied for the team lead in hits among defensemen (58). Jurcina has used that big body to his advantage this season, and at 27 appears to have finally hit his stride and found his niche.
Jurcina is a mainstay on the PK, which is essentially what he has been his entire career. It has always been said that he has a big shot he rarely uses, and anyone who has watched the games this season will agree with that. We have seen glimpses of the shot, and we can count on one hand how many times it has been accurate. But that isn't why he was brought in. The Islanders wanted a big, youngish defenseman and that is why Jurcina is here. The salary he will get is on par with other solid defensemen who throw hits and play a lot on the PK.
The Islanders now have six defensemen under contract for next season. Radek Martinek is in his final season before UFA, while Jack Hillen and Bruno Gervais are going to be RFA's. The latter to have been underwhelming this season, more so for Gervais. After showing glimpses two seasons ago that he can be a solid defenseman, he has really fallen off. It's very hard to find anyone out there who thinks he will be back. He will most likely be here all year however, seeing as he has no trade value.
Hillen is a guy I'm on the fence on when it comes to thinking about if he will return or not. I originally thought he would not, but now it seems unclear. He's still 24 and might have some untapped potential, but it is most likely not much more than what we see now. For a small, offensive guy he does block a lot of shots. That may be something the Isles will value, and the offense from the back end is something that is a glaring need.
We don't know what we have yet in Wishart, but I think it's a safe bet to assume the Isles would qualify him after the season for a longer look. They did trade the only stable goalie they had for him at this point in time, after all.
It's possible we might see the Isles try and ship someone under contract out, like Mark Eaton. His name has come up here and there in rumors. Who knows.
In the meantime, I'm happy with this deal for only the one year. They always say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and Jurcina has been the least of the Isles problems, and they played better with him than without him. We both were in the same camp as the majority of the fans asking to re-sign him, as we mentioned on the show this past week.
All in all, a good deal and I'm happy the Isles realize the need to retain the size they have on the blue-line.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
Jurcina, originally signed for just this season at $1 million, will get a $600K raise next season.
Jurcina has proved to be an excellent signing for what he provides. When brought in, everyone said that as a bottom pairing, 18 minute guy he can be good and that has been the case.
The feeling from many Isles fans is a good one. They realize the need for some size on the blue-line and apparently, the team does as well. Some feared that the addition of Ty Wishart to the organization meant that they were going to move Jurcina, but now we see that isn't the case.
Naturally, as is the case with anything in sports there will always be some detractors. I had a spirited discussion on our Facebook page with a fan about the move. He brings up Jurcina's lack of speed, lack of an offensive game and the fact that he doesn't use his big body. All are fair points, and everyone is entitled to their opinion.
Just prior to getting injured, I featured Jurcina in this space. Jurcina missed a lot of time, but is still tied for the team lead in hits among defensemen (58). Jurcina has used that big body to his advantage this season, and at 27 appears to have finally hit his stride and found his niche.
Jurcina is a mainstay on the PK, which is essentially what he has been his entire career. It has always been said that he has a big shot he rarely uses, and anyone who has watched the games this season will agree with that. We have seen glimpses of the shot, and we can count on one hand how many times it has been accurate. But that isn't why he was brought in. The Islanders wanted a big, youngish defenseman and that is why Jurcina is here. The salary he will get is on par with other solid defensemen who throw hits and play a lot on the PK.
The Islanders now have six defensemen under contract for next season. Radek Martinek is in his final season before UFA, while Jack Hillen and Bruno Gervais are going to be RFA's. The latter to have been underwhelming this season, more so for Gervais. After showing glimpses two seasons ago that he can be a solid defenseman, he has really fallen off. It's very hard to find anyone out there who thinks he will be back. He will most likely be here all year however, seeing as he has no trade value.
Hillen is a guy I'm on the fence on when it comes to thinking about if he will return or not. I originally thought he would not, but now it seems unclear. He's still 24 and might have some untapped potential, but it is most likely not much more than what we see now. For a small, offensive guy he does block a lot of shots. That may be something the Isles will value, and the offense from the back end is something that is a glaring need.
We don't know what we have yet in Wishart, but I think it's a safe bet to assume the Isles would qualify him after the season for a longer look. They did trade the only stable goalie they had for him at this point in time, after all.
It's possible we might see the Isles try and ship someone under contract out, like Mark Eaton. His name has come up here and there in rumors. Who knows.
In the meantime, I'm happy with this deal for only the one year. They always say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," and Jurcina has been the least of the Isles problems, and they played better with him than without him. We both were in the same camp as the majority of the fans asking to re-sign him, as we mentioned on the show this past week.
All in all, a good deal and I'm happy the Isles realize the need to retain the size they have on the blue-line.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
November 30, 2010
Injury Updates and Prospect News
While the Islanders might be in the middle of a five day rest between games, Monday certainly brought about a lot of news.
We learned that defensemen Jack Hillen and Andrew MacDonald are close to returning, which is really good to hear. MacDonald was one of the Isles best defensemen this season up until the point he got hurt, which was coincidentally the last game the Islanders had won prior to Friday. MacDonald is very smooth with the puck and blocks a ton of shots, and the sooner the Islanders can get him back the better.
There was also some news of the unfortunate type too. Milan Jurcina, originally slated to miss 4-6 weeks with that hamstring injury is now out an additional 4-6 weeks. I know I might be in the minority here when I say this, but I really liked Jurcina's game. It wasn't flashy or the best, but he was providing some solid play for 18 minutes a night. In the same week that he got injured, I wrote this piece explaining what he provided and what he was doing so well. I was really looking forward to getting him back soon, and this setback hurts.
For those of you who listened to the latest podcast that we uploaded on Sunday night, you may have heard us give a shout out to Bruno Gervais at the end of the show for sticking up for P.A. Parenteau against the Devils. Gervais got into a fight with Colin White, which lasted all of one punch. As if Bruno wasn't getting enough props already, we learned yesterday that he has suffered a fractured cheekbone as a result of that punch. A lot of criticism gets thrown his way in Islanders land, but to stick up for your guy, get a broken bone in your face as a result and still play the remainder of the game, not even going to the dressing room? Kudos, my friend. That's a good example to set, and Bruno has moved up a few notches in many people's books, mine included.
Doug Weight is still day to day with the back spasms. That is the same injury that kept Rob Schremp out for most of the first month of the season. Hopefully, it doesn't last as long as that for Weight. I'm just happy that it's not his shoulder or hamstring again. If it were, one could venture a guess that his playing time would be over. Weight hadn't looked very good in the last few weeks, and one has to wonder if he was perhaps playing through the injury a bit. Hopefully the time off rejuvenates him.
Josh Bailey also suffered an injury down in Bridgeport. He strained a pectoral muscle, and it doesn't seem serious. In the couple of games he's played down there he has looked just OK. Hopefully he can get it going a bit. He really needs to for his and the Islanders sake. We talked extensively about Bailey's situation in the podcast, giving our opinions on his demotion.
Yesterday, Team Canada announced their invitations for the World Junior camp. Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan and forward Casey Cizikas will both be attending.
In the case of de Haan, this is a perfect example of why you don't rush your prospects. The World Juniors is great experience for a prospect. In the case of de Haan, he is already the captain of his team in Oshawa and was one of the top defenseman for Team Canada last year along with Travis Hamonic. Now, he has a chance to be one of the top guys once again and perhaps even get a letter. This is some good experience that Bailey really lost out on, and one of the reasons I'm upset with the way he has been developed.
For Cizikas, while he may be a long shot to make the final cut, it is certainly a success story. Cizikas has been very good in the OHL, putting the demons behind him of the gruesome accident he was involved in during a rugby game where another player died. Cizikas was not convicted, and with support from not only his family but the family of the victim too has really taken this "second chance" and ran with it. Good for him, and hopefully he can make one of the checking lines.
So that's where we are for now. There's still so much time off left that I'm sure there will be something else to talk about and dissect.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
We learned that defensemen Jack Hillen and Andrew MacDonald are close to returning, which is really good to hear. MacDonald was one of the Isles best defensemen this season up until the point he got hurt, which was coincidentally the last game the Islanders had won prior to Friday. MacDonald is very smooth with the puck and blocks a ton of shots, and the sooner the Islanders can get him back the better.
There was also some news of the unfortunate type too. Milan Jurcina, originally slated to miss 4-6 weeks with that hamstring injury is now out an additional 4-6 weeks. I know I might be in the minority here when I say this, but I really liked Jurcina's game. It wasn't flashy or the best, but he was providing some solid play for 18 minutes a night. In the same week that he got injured, I wrote this piece explaining what he provided and what he was doing so well. I was really looking forward to getting him back soon, and this setback hurts.
For those of you who listened to the latest podcast that we uploaded on Sunday night, you may have heard us give a shout out to Bruno Gervais at the end of the show for sticking up for P.A. Parenteau against the Devils. Gervais got into a fight with Colin White, which lasted all of one punch. As if Bruno wasn't getting enough props already, we learned yesterday that he has suffered a fractured cheekbone as a result of that punch. A lot of criticism gets thrown his way in Islanders land, but to stick up for your guy, get a broken bone in your face as a result and still play the remainder of the game, not even going to the dressing room? Kudos, my friend. That's a good example to set, and Bruno has moved up a few notches in many people's books, mine included.
Doug Weight is still day to day with the back spasms. That is the same injury that kept Rob Schremp out for most of the first month of the season. Hopefully, it doesn't last as long as that for Weight. I'm just happy that it's not his shoulder or hamstring again. If it were, one could venture a guess that his playing time would be over. Weight hadn't looked very good in the last few weeks, and one has to wonder if he was perhaps playing through the injury a bit. Hopefully the time off rejuvenates him.
Josh Bailey also suffered an injury down in Bridgeport. He strained a pectoral muscle, and it doesn't seem serious. In the couple of games he's played down there he has looked just OK. Hopefully he can get it going a bit. He really needs to for his and the Islanders sake. We talked extensively about Bailey's situation in the podcast, giving our opinions on his demotion.
Yesterday, Team Canada announced their invitations for the World Junior camp. Islanders defenseman Calvin de Haan and forward Casey Cizikas will both be attending.
In the case of de Haan, this is a perfect example of why you don't rush your prospects. The World Juniors is great experience for a prospect. In the case of de Haan, he is already the captain of his team in Oshawa and was one of the top defenseman for Team Canada last year along with Travis Hamonic. Now, he has a chance to be one of the top guys once again and perhaps even get a letter. This is some good experience that Bailey really lost out on, and one of the reasons I'm upset with the way he has been developed.
For Cizikas, while he may be a long shot to make the final cut, it is certainly a success story. Cizikas has been very good in the OHL, putting the demons behind him of the gruesome accident he was involved in during a rugby game where another player died. Cizikas was not convicted, and with support from not only his family but the family of the victim too has really taken this "second chance" and ran with it. Good for him, and hopefully he can make one of the checking lines.
So that's where we are for now. There's still so much time off left that I'm sure there will be something else to talk about and dissect.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
November 5, 2010
Isles Drop 6th in a Row to Sens
The Islanders dropped their 6th in a row last night as they fell by a score of 4-1 to a very hot Ottawa Senators team. Jason Spezza had a goal and three assists as he led his team to victory.
The Isles lone goal came on the powerplay from Matt Moulson in the 3rd period. While the overall effort was better than the previous two games, there was still fairly disappointing aspects of the game.
The biggest thing that upset me was the team didn't appear to become "alive" until Moulson scored that goal. Early on, the Islanders got a five-minute major powerplay after Zack Smith's boarding call on Trevor Gillies. The Islanders failed to show much of anything during that powerplay. That is not good when you are going at it for five minutes, no matter how you slice it. It made it very easy for Ottawa to kill off.
Dwayne Roloson certainly had his share of gaffes in net as well as the David Hale and Spezza goals were weak and need to be stopped. You could see from the reaction of Roloson that he would agree. The first goal, which came from Sergei Gonchar was on a nice play, but both Bruno Gervais and Josh Bailey blew the assignments there. Both players seemed to have drifted over towards the right of Roloson leaving that area of the ice wide open. This is a breakdown that seems to be happening more often than not, and I see an awful lot of scrambling on the part of the Islanders to try and get back into position constantly.
Some people are relating this to the system that they team is playing, and there are some rumblings starting to surface about the status of the team. The rumblings actually started based on a Tweet from TSN's Darren Dreger:
This caught my eye because it got me thinking about Scott Gordon and if his job might actually be in trouble. It is no secret that this is the last year of Gordon's contract and that he and the team had some high expectations for this season. I won't get too into details now, but firing him would be the wrong move. We really don't know what we have in some of the young guys here, and the rest of the team has been sub par for various reasons. I'm planning to write more about this subject later, but for the time being I just wanted to throw it out there.
The Isles now turn their attention to the Philadelphia Flyers once again as they look to avenge the 6-1 drubbing that was handed to them last Saturday. Should be an interesting one. If they lose again and the skid hits seven, then you can be sure the rumblings will begin to enter the insane range.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
The Isles lone goal came on the powerplay from Matt Moulson in the 3rd period. While the overall effort was better than the previous two games, there was still fairly disappointing aspects of the game.
The biggest thing that upset me was the team didn't appear to become "alive" until Moulson scored that goal. Early on, the Islanders got a five-minute major powerplay after Zack Smith's boarding call on Trevor Gillies. The Islanders failed to show much of anything during that powerplay. That is not good when you are going at it for five minutes, no matter how you slice it. It made it very easy for Ottawa to kill off.
Dwayne Roloson certainly had his share of gaffes in net as well as the David Hale and Spezza goals were weak and need to be stopped. You could see from the reaction of Roloson that he would agree. The first goal, which came from Sergei Gonchar was on a nice play, but both Bruno Gervais and Josh Bailey blew the assignments there. Both players seemed to have drifted over towards the right of Roloson leaving that area of the ice wide open. This is a breakdown that seems to be happening more often than not, and I see an awful lot of scrambling on the part of the Islanders to try and get back into position constantly.
Some people are relating this to the system that they team is playing, and there are some rumblings starting to surface about the status of the team. The rumblings actually started based on a Tweet from TSN's Darren Dreger:
How many more can the Isles lose before things turn sour? Not many.
This caught my eye because it got me thinking about Scott Gordon and if his job might actually be in trouble. It is no secret that this is the last year of Gordon's contract and that he and the team had some high expectations for this season. I won't get too into details now, but firing him would be the wrong move. We really don't know what we have in some of the young guys here, and the rest of the team has been sub par for various reasons. I'm planning to write more about this subject later, but for the time being I just wanted to throw it out there.
The Isles now turn their attention to the Philadelphia Flyers once again as they look to avenge the 6-1 drubbing that was handed to them last Saturday. Should be an interesting one. If they lose again and the skid hits seven, then you can be sure the rumblings will begin to enter the insane range.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
October 29, 2010
Life Without El Nino Begins as Isles go for Round 2 vs. Habs
Coming off the heals of yesterday's announcement that Nino Niederreiter is heading back to Portland of the WHL, the Islanders prepare to take on the Montreal Canadiens at the Coliseum for the 2nd part of a home and home.
Sending Niederreiter down was the right move for various reasons, some of which I discussed here yesterday. Now he'll get solid playing time, be a leader on his team, and perhaps make the Portland Winterhawks one of the powerhouses in all of junior hockey. Niederreiter is a great player and a good kid who is taking it all in stride.
Matt Martin will stay up and take Niederreiter's place for now. I felt Martin had a solid game on Wednesday night, so we'll see if any of that carries over to tonight. I thought he was going to make the final roster of Niederreiter originally, but as Scott Gordon said the injury he sustained during camp hindered his chances near the end.
Michael Grabner remains out, and will probably not play Saturday against the Flyers either. Trent Hunter is playing tonight. The Islanders are making a change at forward, however, in the form of Bruno Gervais. Yes, that is not a typo. The Islanders, who have used Gervais as a forward in practice, are going with a little experiment for at least tonight. It is a bit odd, but one would suspect that perhaps Trevor Gillies is out of the lineup tonight. He was supposed to be scratched Wednesday, but ended up playing with Hunter out and logged a whopping 55 seconds of ice time. The Islanders can't do that against a fast team like this, so it appears they just decided at the last minute to go with Gervais rather than call someone up. Will be interesting to see how this works out.
Dwayne Roloson gets the start again. He looked sharp to me on Wednesday, and the result was more of a product of those in front of him. If they are not going to skate, and are going to stand around, then expect a similar result to Wednesday. I do not anticipate this happening. Gordon most likely let them hear it after that performance.
SCHREMP TO BRIDGEPORT: If you caught it on his Twitter account last night before the comment got deleted, Rob Schremp is in fact heading to Bridgeport for a conditioning stint. He seemed to jump the gun with reporting the news, but myself and a few others saw it. The Isles made the news official today, and he is playing tonight against Manchester. He had been skating with the team a little this week, so you knew he was close to returning to action. It'll be good to get his creativity and improved skating into the lineup within the next week or two.
KABANOV TRADED IN QMJHL: As I had re-tweeted yesterday, Kirill Kabanov was traded to the Lewiston MAINEiacs from Danny Flynn's Moncton Wildcats. The deal had been rumored for about a week, which covers a good chunk of the time where Kabanov was in Russia for a "personal issue." Kabanov spend about two weeks back home.
It's not right to jump to conclusions at all, but one has to wonder if these things are related. When he left, it seemed very odd to say the least. usually when players head home for personal reason's you hear about why. There have been only some theories on why he returned to Russia, nothing concrete though.
At any rate, Lewiston gave up quite the package for the talented winger, sending away goalie Jordan Kennedy, a second round draft pick in 2011, a fourth round draft pick in 2011, a first round pick in the 2011 CHL Import Draft, and a fourth round draft pick in 2012. Problems aside, there is a reason why the kid was at one time regarded as a top three pick. We'll see what this change does for him.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
Sending Niederreiter down was the right move for various reasons, some of which I discussed here yesterday. Now he'll get solid playing time, be a leader on his team, and perhaps make the Portland Winterhawks one of the powerhouses in all of junior hockey. Niederreiter is a great player and a good kid who is taking it all in stride.
Matt Martin will stay up and take Niederreiter's place for now. I felt Martin had a solid game on Wednesday night, so we'll see if any of that carries over to tonight. I thought he was going to make the final roster of Niederreiter originally, but as Scott Gordon said the injury he sustained during camp hindered his chances near the end.
Michael Grabner remains out, and will probably not play Saturday against the Flyers either. Trent Hunter is playing tonight. The Islanders are making a change at forward, however, in the form of Bruno Gervais. Yes, that is not a typo. The Islanders, who have used Gervais as a forward in practice, are going with a little experiment for at least tonight. It is a bit odd, but one would suspect that perhaps Trevor Gillies is out of the lineup tonight. He was supposed to be scratched Wednesday, but ended up playing with Hunter out and logged a whopping 55 seconds of ice time. The Islanders can't do that against a fast team like this, so it appears they just decided at the last minute to go with Gervais rather than call someone up. Will be interesting to see how this works out.
Dwayne Roloson gets the start again. He looked sharp to me on Wednesday, and the result was more of a product of those in front of him. If they are not going to skate, and are going to stand around, then expect a similar result to Wednesday. I do not anticipate this happening. Gordon most likely let them hear it after that performance.
SCHREMP TO BRIDGEPORT: If you caught it on his Twitter account last night before the comment got deleted, Rob Schremp is in fact heading to Bridgeport for a conditioning stint. He seemed to jump the gun with reporting the news, but myself and a few others saw it. The Isles made the news official today, and he is playing tonight against Manchester. He had been skating with the team a little this week, so you knew he was close to returning to action. It'll be good to get his creativity and improved skating into the lineup within the next week or two.
KABANOV TRADED IN QMJHL: As I had re-tweeted yesterday, Kirill Kabanov was traded to the Lewiston MAINEiacs from Danny Flynn's Moncton Wildcats. The deal had been rumored for about a week, which covers a good chunk of the time where Kabanov was in Russia for a "personal issue." Kabanov spend about two weeks back home.
It's not right to jump to conclusions at all, but one has to wonder if these things are related. When he left, it seemed very odd to say the least. usually when players head home for personal reason's you hear about why. There have been only some theories on why he returned to Russia, nothing concrete though.
At any rate, Lewiston gave up quite the package for the talented winger, sending away goalie Jordan Kennedy, a second round draft pick in 2011, a fourth round draft pick in 2011, a first round pick in the 2011 CHL Import Draft, and a fourth round draft pick in 2012. Problems aside, there is a reason why the kid was at one time regarded as a top three pick. We'll see what this change does for him.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
October 3, 2010
New Podcast Posted; Sunday Evening Notes
As promised, Sean and I got together today and recorded our first podcast of the new season. The show can be found here.
We encourage you all to not only download this weeks episode, but subscribe so that you can get the subsequent installments as well. There are links on the side of the podcast site that tell you how to do so. As two loyal listeners pointed out to me tonight (thank you John in DC and jkeitz from Twitter), you can also subscribe through Google Listen or Dr. Podder for those of you who might not have iTunes. I am not familiar with either, or how they work, but for those of you who are tech savvy, by all means do so. Also, for anyone who knows other ways to download the shows, please do not hesitate to e-mail us about them so we can inform our other listeners, or leave a comment for all to see.
Today was a really good time to record a show seeing as the team just finished their preseason schedule, and also cut 17 players this morning. We were able to discuss items like that, which was a good change of pace. Don't get us wrong - we love doing the offseason shows like the free agency special or the training camp primer - but they are nothing compared to actually talking about the team and the performance on the ice. We were excited, and you can feel that it is the eve of hockey here in New York with the cold air finally arriving.
Now that the season has officially arrived, we encourage you guys to click around and visit some of the links that are here. Be sure to check out our NYI FYI home page and sign up for the newsletter, which should begin rolling in the next week or two.
SUNDAY EVENING NOTES: With teams having only until Wednesday to finalize their rosters, expect some movement. While there have been no rumors of the Islanders possibly making any moves, keep one eye open. There are supposed to be some decent forwards hitting the waiver wire. One forward, Michael Grabner, Sean and I spoke about in the podcast. He was unable to crack Florida's lineup to start the year, and in order to go down to the minors needed to be placed on waivers. I am a little surprised that Grabner is being placed on waivers, despite not having the strongest camp, and would be equally as surprised if no one claims him. Top-15 picks being placed on waivers does not happen very often. Still, he can be considered a bit of a project, but he did score 11 points in 20 games last season in Vancouver.
A couple of teams still have salary cap issues that need to be resolved by Wednesday. The most notable ones are the Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils. The Devils are believed to be shopping Colin White, Brian Rolston and possibly Jamie Langenbrunner. Bryce Salvador was once considered as the most likely player to be banished, but he is battling through some concussion problems. It remains to be seen what happens there. The word surrounding the Bruins is that they could possibly end up demoting Michael Ryder depending on if some of their younger prospects impressed them enough. The first week or so of camp there was a lot of talk about this, but not as much in the past week. Has Ryder done enough to redeem himself, or is he on his way out?
As far as defensemen go, there is the Sheldon Souray watch (we needed someone to painfully keep track of once Kovalchuk signed, right?) as people look for Edmonton to possibly put him on re-entry. Word out of Edmonton is that they still have hopes to trade away the disgruntled blue liner, but everyone knows their situation and is not offering them anything of value. We'll see what happens there. Shane O'Brien was put on waivers by Vancouver, and there is some belief that he will be claimed by someone, perhaps even the New York Rangers.
Some Isles fans are wondering what we are in store for when it coms to claiming players, but will we be putting any players on waivers? We already waived one player, defenseman Dustin Kohn. He seems to have gone unclaimed (so far) and will most likely report to Bridgeport. The Islanders still have eight defensemen on one-way contracts, leaving people to wonder about the status of Bruno Gervais. The fact that he was sent to Quebec City to play with the "B" team (and didn't have a great game, either, by many accounts) might tell us something. The real questions here are 1) do the Islanders feel comfortable having two defensemen as healthy scratches and 2) how confident are the Islanders in Radek Martinek's ability to stay healthy? If they are pretty confident, then they may have no reservations about waiving someone, or even trading them for someone elses spare part (like Ryder).
The only thing we know for sure is not to expect the Islanders to claim any of the defensemen. The search for blue liners ended with the signing of Mike Mottau.
Many of the players already on waivers have to either pass through or be claimed by 12 noon Monday, so we won't be waiting long to find out the landing place for those who have already hit the wire.
CAMMALLERI HEARING: Mike Cammalleri has a conference called with the league scheduled for Monday morning to discuss his incident with Nino Niederreiter during the Isles-Canadiens game on Saturday night. We'll keep track of any news of possible suspensions (there should be one).
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
We encourage you all to not only download this weeks episode, but subscribe so that you can get the subsequent installments as well. There are links on the side of the podcast site that tell you how to do so. As two loyal listeners pointed out to me tonight (thank you John in DC and jkeitz from Twitter), you can also subscribe through Google Listen or Dr. Podder for those of you who might not have iTunes. I am not familiar with either, or how they work, but for those of you who are tech savvy, by all means do so. Also, for anyone who knows other ways to download the shows, please do not hesitate to e-mail us about them so we can inform our other listeners, or leave a comment for all to see.
Today was a really good time to record a show seeing as the team just finished their preseason schedule, and also cut 17 players this morning. We were able to discuss items like that, which was a good change of pace. Don't get us wrong - we love doing the offseason shows like the free agency special or the training camp primer - but they are nothing compared to actually talking about the team and the performance on the ice. We were excited, and you can feel that it is the eve of hockey here in New York with the cold air finally arriving.
Now that the season has officially arrived, we encourage you guys to click around and visit some of the links that are here. Be sure to check out our NYI FYI home page and sign up for the newsletter, which should begin rolling in the next week or two.
SUNDAY EVENING NOTES: With teams having only until Wednesday to finalize their rosters, expect some movement. While there have been no rumors of the Islanders possibly making any moves, keep one eye open. There are supposed to be some decent forwards hitting the waiver wire. One forward, Michael Grabner, Sean and I spoke about in the podcast. He was unable to crack Florida's lineup to start the year, and in order to go down to the minors needed to be placed on waivers. I am a little surprised that Grabner is being placed on waivers, despite not having the strongest camp, and would be equally as surprised if no one claims him. Top-15 picks being placed on waivers does not happen very often. Still, he can be considered a bit of a project, but he did score 11 points in 20 games last season in Vancouver.
A couple of teams still have salary cap issues that need to be resolved by Wednesday. The most notable ones are the Boston Bruins and the New Jersey Devils. The Devils are believed to be shopping Colin White, Brian Rolston and possibly Jamie Langenbrunner. Bryce Salvador was once considered as the most likely player to be banished, but he is battling through some concussion problems. It remains to be seen what happens there. The word surrounding the Bruins is that they could possibly end up demoting Michael Ryder depending on if some of their younger prospects impressed them enough. The first week or so of camp there was a lot of talk about this, but not as much in the past week. Has Ryder done enough to redeem himself, or is he on his way out?
As far as defensemen go, there is the Sheldon Souray watch (we needed someone to painfully keep track of once Kovalchuk signed, right?) as people look for Edmonton to possibly put him on re-entry. Word out of Edmonton is that they still have hopes to trade away the disgruntled blue liner, but everyone knows their situation and is not offering them anything of value. We'll see what happens there. Shane O'Brien was put on waivers by Vancouver, and there is some belief that he will be claimed by someone, perhaps even the New York Rangers.
Some Isles fans are wondering what we are in store for when it coms to claiming players, but will we be putting any players on waivers? We already waived one player, defenseman Dustin Kohn. He seems to have gone unclaimed (so far) and will most likely report to Bridgeport. The Islanders still have eight defensemen on one-way contracts, leaving people to wonder about the status of Bruno Gervais. The fact that he was sent to Quebec City to play with the "B" team (and didn't have a great game, either, by many accounts) might tell us something. The real questions here are 1) do the Islanders feel comfortable having two defensemen as healthy scratches and 2) how confident are the Islanders in Radek Martinek's ability to stay healthy? If they are pretty confident, then they may have no reservations about waiving someone, or even trading them for someone elses spare part (like Ryder).
The only thing we know for sure is not to expect the Islanders to claim any of the defensemen. The search for blue liners ended with the signing of Mike Mottau.
Many of the players already on waivers have to either pass through or be claimed by 12 noon Monday, so we won't be waiting long to find out the landing place for those who have already hit the wire.
CAMMALLERI HEARING: Mike Cammalleri has a conference called with the league scheduled for Monday morning to discuss his incident with Nino Niederreiter during the Isles-Canadiens game on Saturday night. We'll keep track of any news of possible suspensions (there should be one).
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
September 17, 2010
NYI FYI Podcast: Training Camp Primer; Tavares, Comeau and Gervais Interviews
While it may have not had the feel of a training camp just yet, you could sense the excitement in the air for many of the players at Islanders Ice Works in Syosset on Friday.
The players, many of whom have already been at Ice Works skating informally, had to take their physicals and perform off-ice exercises as they prepare for yet another training camp.
By the time Sean and I were able to get there this morning, some of the players had already come and gone. However, we were able to catch up with John Tavares, Blake Comeau and Bruno Gervais.
All three have interesting story lines surrounding them as we enter camp. For Tavares, the big question is what kind of a follow up he'll have to his overall good rookie season last year. Comeau was on a hot streak until his season was cut short due to a broken foot, and he now has to use the camp in order to find that level of success once again and go into the season with it. Gervais was very up and down last season, and with three new defensemen in the fold, his job got a little tougher.
All three are very well aware from these stories and you can hear that in our interviews with them.
In lieu of a lengthy post for the training camp primer, Sean and I got together and made a two part, one hour and 30 minute podcast for you guys to listen to. We go through the different battles, speak about many of the players and the stories surrounding them and really focus in on Gervais, Comeau and Tavares and play those interviews for you.
As always, these podcasts can be found at our NYI FYI podcast site here. You can even subscribe to our podcasts through iTunes by using the links on the side of the page to be sure you keep up with us as we record shows.
For those of you who don't feel like listening to the preview and analysis and are only interested in what the players had to say, then feel free to check out the NYI FYI site and look for the sound bites on the right side of this page.
In the Bruno Gervais interview, a couple of questions came from Christian Arnold of Islanders Hockey Blog. He asked some good questions, so we left those in and just wanted to give him a shout out for that.
A couple of items of note before we leave you to enjoy all of our coverage from the day. Tonight, the Islanders announced lines for the two training camp squads. These are obviously going to change as we go along with camp, but Scott Gordon seemed to make some very interesting combinations up. I feel that the Mark Streit - James Wisniewski pairing was a very likely scenario, so it is obvious to have them as the top pairing on one of the squads. I'm very curious to see how the Josh Bailey - Frans Nielsen - Nino Niederreiter forward line does. Matt Moulson - Rob Schremp - Kyle Okposo is another very interesting one to keep an eye on as well.
As far as injuries go, we are going to have to wait a little longer to see enforcer Zenon Konopka and new defenseman Mark Eaton. Konopka has suffered some lower back issues and has no timetable set for his return, while Eaton has some back spasms and should be able to practice late next week. Let's hope that happens, and that Konopka returns quickly. He was a guy that many players spoke highly of today since he brings an element that the team has lacked for a few years.
Looking for ways to expand our coverage for you guys and bring you some extra goodies, we have created a newsletter that you can sign up for on the NYI FYI main website. Sean has been adding a lot to the site over the last couple of weeks, and we are trying to make that the main hub for all things NYI FYI and make it easier to access all of the items we have to offer. So please, definitely check that out and take a look around.
That's all we got for now. Tomorrow, with players finally jumping onto the ice I'm sure there is going to be a lot to discuss and analyze and we'll be sure to give you some sort of summary.
Enjoy the audio and the podcast!
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
The players, many of whom have already been at Ice Works skating informally, had to take their physicals and perform off-ice exercises as they prepare for yet another training camp.
By the time Sean and I were able to get there this morning, some of the players had already come and gone. However, we were able to catch up with John Tavares, Blake Comeau and Bruno Gervais.
All three have interesting story lines surrounding them as we enter camp. For Tavares, the big question is what kind of a follow up he'll have to his overall good rookie season last year. Comeau was on a hot streak until his season was cut short due to a broken foot, and he now has to use the camp in order to find that level of success once again and go into the season with it. Gervais was very up and down last season, and with three new defensemen in the fold, his job got a little tougher.
All three are very well aware from these stories and you can hear that in our interviews with them.
In lieu of a lengthy post for the training camp primer, Sean and I got together and made a two part, one hour and 30 minute podcast for you guys to listen to. We go through the different battles, speak about many of the players and the stories surrounding them and really focus in on Gervais, Comeau and Tavares and play those interviews for you.
As always, these podcasts can be found at our NYI FYI podcast site here. You can even subscribe to our podcasts through iTunes by using the links on the side of the page to be sure you keep up with us as we record shows.
For those of you who don't feel like listening to the preview and analysis and are only interested in what the players had to say, then feel free to check out the NYI FYI site and look for the sound bites on the right side of this page.
In the Bruno Gervais interview, a couple of questions came from Christian Arnold of Islanders Hockey Blog. He asked some good questions, so we left those in and just wanted to give him a shout out for that.
A couple of items of note before we leave you to enjoy all of our coverage from the day. Tonight, the Islanders announced lines for the two training camp squads. These are obviously going to change as we go along with camp, but Scott Gordon seemed to make some very interesting combinations up. I feel that the Mark Streit - James Wisniewski pairing was a very likely scenario, so it is obvious to have them as the top pairing on one of the squads. I'm very curious to see how the Josh Bailey - Frans Nielsen - Nino Niederreiter forward line does. Matt Moulson - Rob Schremp - Kyle Okposo is another very interesting one to keep an eye on as well.
As far as injuries go, we are going to have to wait a little longer to see enforcer Zenon Konopka and new defenseman Mark Eaton. Konopka has suffered some lower back issues and has no timetable set for his return, while Eaton has some back spasms and should be able to practice late next week. Let's hope that happens, and that Konopka returns quickly. He was a guy that many players spoke highly of today since he brings an element that the team has lacked for a few years.
Looking for ways to expand our coverage for you guys and bring you some extra goodies, we have created a newsletter that you can sign up for on the NYI FYI main website. Sean has been adding a lot to the site over the last couple of weeks, and we are trying to make that the main hub for all things NYI FYI and make it easier to access all of the items we have to offer. So please, definitely check that out and take a look around.
That's all we got for now. Tomorrow, with players finally jumping onto the ice I'm sure there is going to be a lot to discuss and analyze and we'll be sure to give you some sort of summary.
Enjoy the audio and the podcast!
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
September 29, 2008
Islanders Claim Thomas Pock and Other News
This afternoon the Islanders announced that they have claimed defenseman Thomas Pock off waivers from the New York Rangers.
The move comes as a bit of a surprise because as Chris Botta reported this is a one-way contract which ensures Pock will be with the team for the year. One has to wonder about who other than Chris Campoli has sustained some kind of injury. Pock, 26, has been know as an offensive defenseman for much of his career. The 6'1", 210 lb. blueliner has amassed seven goals and seven assists in 59 career NHL games with the Rangers, while going 23-89-112 in 195 games with the Rangers AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The biggest looser of this could possibly be Bruno Gervais. While many have assumed he would have a spot on the depth chart on this team, Scott Gordon has had him as the 7th defenseman all camp. Freddy Meyer has been playing in the 6th spot, one that many thought Gervais would have for sure. The fact that Campoli is hurt and the Islanders had been rumored to be in on the Schneider sweepstakes before he was sent to Atlanta and have now actually claimed an offensive defenseman really makes you question exactly what the team feels Gervais's role on the team is.
Isles-Devils at Coliseum: The Islanders will play their 4th preseason game on Wednesday Oct. 1 at the Coliseum. The Isles are 2-1 so far after splitting their last two games, loosing 4-0 to the Flyers and then beating the Panthers 4-2. The teams scoring problems proved to still be a problem for the game against the Flyers, and rookie Josh Bailey only had two shots in his first game. Going back to the OHL might be the best thing for him at this juncture, but it was only one game and there is still time for the team to work out some of these kinks. Two Islanders the team is putting a lot of faith in, Trent Hunter and Frans Nielsen scored 2 goals apiece to beat the Flyers. With Mike Sillinger out, many feel that Frans Nielsen will be the guy who will see a bulk of the playing time as the 3rd line center between Jeff Tambellini and Hunter. Many people are hoping that Hunter can regain his scoring touch from his earlier years, and this was a good start for him.
Botta Returns: Chris Botta has returned to blogging for the team. After going on hiatus July 7, Botta has a new site and a new format. His site is frequently updated every day. As usual, he has provided some great insight and has let readers know some information that wasn't out in the open before. He's even broke the story about Pock's one-way status. The link has been updated under our links section on the side of the page, and you should definitely check it out.
NYI FYI Radio Show Returns 10/5: Sean and I will be back for our second season of NYI FYI this Sunday at 10 PM at MYWCWP. We're very excited to get our new season underway and return to talking Islanders hockey!
nyifyichris@yahoo.com
The move comes as a bit of a surprise because as Chris Botta reported this is a one-way contract which ensures Pock will be with the team for the year. One has to wonder about who other than Chris Campoli has sustained some kind of injury. Pock, 26, has been know as an offensive defenseman for much of his career. The 6'1", 210 lb. blueliner has amassed seven goals and seven assists in 59 career NHL games with the Rangers, while going 23-89-112 in 195 games with the Rangers AHL affiliate the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The biggest looser of this could possibly be Bruno Gervais. While many have assumed he would have a spot on the depth chart on this team, Scott Gordon has had him as the 7th defenseman all camp. Freddy Meyer has been playing in the 6th spot, one that many thought Gervais would have for sure. The fact that Campoli is hurt and the Islanders had been rumored to be in on the Schneider sweepstakes before he was sent to Atlanta and have now actually claimed an offensive defenseman really makes you question exactly what the team feels Gervais's role on the team is.
Isles-Devils at Coliseum: The Islanders will play their 4th preseason game on Wednesday Oct. 1 at the Coliseum. The Isles are 2-1 so far after splitting their last two games, loosing 4-0 to the Flyers and then beating the Panthers 4-2. The teams scoring problems proved to still be a problem for the game against the Flyers, and rookie Josh Bailey only had two shots in his first game. Going back to the OHL might be the best thing for him at this juncture, but it was only one game and there is still time for the team to work out some of these kinks. Two Islanders the team is putting a lot of faith in, Trent Hunter and Frans Nielsen scored 2 goals apiece to beat the Flyers. With Mike Sillinger out, many feel that Frans Nielsen will be the guy who will see a bulk of the playing time as the 3rd line center between Jeff Tambellini and Hunter. Many people are hoping that Hunter can regain his scoring touch from his earlier years, and this was a good start for him.
Botta Returns: Chris Botta has returned to blogging for the team. After going on hiatus July 7, Botta has a new site and a new format. His site is frequently updated every day. As usual, he has provided some great insight and has let readers know some information that wasn't out in the open before. He's even broke the story about Pock's one-way status. The link has been updated under our links section on the side of the page, and you should definitely check it out.
NYI FYI Radio Show Returns 10/5: Sean and I will be back for our second season of NYI FYI this Sunday at 10 PM at MYWCWP. We're very excited to get our new season underway and return to talking Islanders hockey!
nyifyichris@yahoo.com
November 13, 2007
Isles Lose close one to Flyers
The Islanders were coming off of a 4 game winning streak, and the Flyers were unbeaten at home. Obviously, something had to give. Unfortunately, the Isles winning streak ultimately ended.
The Islanders lost to the Flyers 3-2 in a very tough game. Rick DiPietro played so-so in my opinion, but I felt the first 2 goals were not his fault. The first was off a give away in front of the net by Ruslan Fedotenko, while the 2nd was a breakaway where Bruno Gervais fell and lost his balance, leaving Scottie Upshall alone for the breakaway. The Isles had come back 2 times down by one goal off of goals by Mike Sillinger and Chris Simon.
Overall, I felt the Islanders had come out strong. However, the powerplay did not look very good at all. Marc-Andre Bergeron has been good filling in for Bryan Berard, but he had a bad game last night. It was his turnover that lead to the shorthanded goal by Mike Richards half way through the 3rd period.
The Islanders play the Penguins Thursday night in Pittsburgh. That should be an interesting one as the Isles look to rebound. It will be tough, but I think if they come out with a good effort and tighten up the defense a bit more then they should be OK.
The Islanders lost to the Flyers 3-2 in a very tough game. Rick DiPietro played so-so in my opinion, but I felt the first 2 goals were not his fault. The first was off a give away in front of the net by Ruslan Fedotenko, while the 2nd was a breakaway where Bruno Gervais fell and lost his balance, leaving Scottie Upshall alone for the breakaway. The Isles had come back 2 times down by one goal off of goals by Mike Sillinger and Chris Simon.
Overall, I felt the Islanders had come out strong. However, the powerplay did not look very good at all. Marc-Andre Bergeron has been good filling in for Bryan Berard, but he had a bad game last night. It was his turnover that lead to the shorthanded goal by Mike Richards half way through the 3rd period.
The Islanders play the Penguins Thursday night in Pittsburgh. That should be an interesting one as the Isles look to rebound. It will be tough, but I think if they come out with a good effort and tighten up the defense a bit more then they should be OK.
October 21, 2007
Guerin gets Winner to Beat Devils 4-3 in OT
Bill Guerin scored with 3.7 seconds left in overtime to give the Islanders and 4-3 win over the New Jersey Devils. It was a game that probably should have never gone to overtime though, as the Isles blew their second consecutive 2 goal lead. However, the Isles still found a way to win it and finished the week winning both their games.Early in the game, turnovers looked like they were going to kill the Isles. Their second turnover in the first minute of the game led to a Zach Parise goal. As much as the Devils have struggled this year, you can not turn over the puck continuously to guys like Pairse, Patrik Elias, Brian Gionta and Dainius Zubrus.
The Isles came out much stronger in the 2nd period, scoring 3 goals. The first was scored right after a power play ended. Josef Vasicek took a blocked shot attempt by Miroslav Satan and moved to the front of the net and beat Kevin Weekes to tie the game. Shortly after that, Satan got one himself has he moved around Paul Martin and then a sprawling Weekes and slipped the puck passed him for the 2-1 lead. With about 8 minutes to go on the period, The Isles were on the power play. A nice pass from Ruslan Fedotenko to Bruno Gervais produced a one-timer shot from Gervais, that hit the crossbar and landed somewhere in the crease. The puck bounced out to Mike Comrie who quickly shot it passed Weekes for the 3-1 advantage. The team went into the 2nd intermission with a 2 goal lead, the worst in hockey.
The Islanders came out a bit sloppy again in the 3rd, and the Devils seemed to control more of the play. A fluke goal was scored by Jay Pandolfo when he shot the puck and it deflected off of Andy Sutton's leg and sailed over DiPietro. The Isles then failed to convert on a 4 minute power play and once it concluded, Brian Gionta tipped a Paul Martin shot in to tie the game at 3.
In Overtime, after some great end to end action that saw a flurry of saves and even Chris Campoli spoil a breakaway by Sergei Brylin, it was the heroics of the captain, Bill Guerin, who had a loose puck bounce his way and he hammered it home for the win on the power play.
Obviously, even though they scored 2 power play goals the team seemed to have trouble with some of the set ups and what not. That is most likely due to the loss of Bryan Berard, who left the game early on with what is being described now as a groin injury. With a week off, I really hope Berard can take the time to get healthy enough and get some practices in. It also appears Shawn Bates could be back for the game next Saturday as well, so it should be interesting to see who will sit in favor of him.
So a successful week in islanders hockey, and now we must wait until next Saturday until we see the Isles again.
WE'RE ON THE AIR TONIGHT: Sean and I will be on the air again tonight, at 10 PM on http://myweb.cwpost.liu.edu/dcox/website/listen.html. We're on webradio, not on the FM station. Just as last week, we will have a phone line and an AIM screen name running so you can send us your thoughts and questions. We'd love to hear from any fan as we love discussing hockey in general, but especially the Islanders. Hope to hear from some of you tonight. For those who can;t listen, we will put the podcast form up. We'll let you know when it is there.
October 13, 2007
Leafs Crush Isles 8-1, Isles Reshuffle Lineup
On Thursday the Islanders lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-1. It was such a disappointment of a game from the Isles as they seemed to be just going through the motions. The defense as a whole was terrible in front of backup goalie Wade Dubielewicz.
Ruslan Fedotenko scored the only goal for the team as he deflected Bruno Gervais' shot from the point on the powerplay in the first period. The Isles went into the first intermission only down 2-1, and it seemed that they could still try and battle back. But that's when it started to go sour.
About 7 minutes into the 2nd, Thomas Kaberle scored for the Leafs and then the goals started to come. For a period and a half, the Isles were hanging in there and could have easily scored to change the momentum but failed.
One thing that killed the isles, aside from their terrible defense was penalty trouble, especially from Jeff Tambellini, who took 3 very lazy and unnecessary penalties. On the subject of special teams, the Isles power play wasn't anything exciting either. They tried to be too fancy and the men at the point, especially Marc-Andre Bergeron had a hard time controlling the puck, which lead to some shorthanded odd man rushes for Toronto, one of which they scored on.
With a tough loss like this all you can do is hang your head high and play better next time out. As I said, for a period and a half things were OK, but the Isles were unable to take control or change the momentum when they had the opportunities.
That next shot comes Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Isles lineup will look a bit different. On Friday, the team sent down forward Jeff Tambellini, who failed to stick after getting his shot when Jon Sim went down with injury. Sean Bergenheim, who has looked good in the limited amount of ice time he has seen, now moves up to the second line to play with Miro Satan and Josef Vasicek. Chris Simon also returns for the game, and Shawn Bates is very close to returning. On defense, the Isles are scrapping the idea of going with 7 defensemen and going back to 6, which means one of Bergeron, Gervais, Bryan Berard and Chris Campoli will not be playing. Based on play, Bergeron might be the odd man out. But there has been no inclination from coach Ted Nolan as to who will be sitting.
The game is a bigger one than it might seem for so early in the year, but it is huge. You always want to win games against your division, and a win would out the isles at 4-2, 4 points better than anyone else. With the lack of games between now and the end of the month, it is important to stay up around the top of the division now so that you are not constantly playing catch up with the others. 3-3-0 is not terrible, but seeing as how bad the 2 losses have been so far, (the one against Washington should have been one, the one against Toronto might have been a loss either way), 4-2-0 would sort of make up for all of that. The return of Simon should rally the troops well, not to mention the return of Rick DiPietro to the nets. We'll see what happens.
Ruslan Fedotenko scored the only goal for the team as he deflected Bruno Gervais' shot from the point on the powerplay in the first period. The Isles went into the first intermission only down 2-1, and it seemed that they could still try and battle back. But that's when it started to go sour.
About 7 minutes into the 2nd, Thomas Kaberle scored for the Leafs and then the goals started to come. For a period and a half, the Isles were hanging in there and could have easily scored to change the momentum but failed.
One thing that killed the isles, aside from their terrible defense was penalty trouble, especially from Jeff Tambellini, who took 3 very lazy and unnecessary penalties. On the subject of special teams, the Isles power play wasn't anything exciting either. They tried to be too fancy and the men at the point, especially Marc-Andre Bergeron had a hard time controlling the puck, which lead to some shorthanded odd man rushes for Toronto, one of which they scored on.
With a tough loss like this all you can do is hang your head high and play better next time out. As I said, for a period and a half things were OK, but the Isles were unable to take control or change the momentum when they had the opportunities.
That next shot comes Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Isles lineup will look a bit different. On Friday, the team sent down forward Jeff Tambellini, who failed to stick after getting his shot when Jon Sim went down with injury. Sean Bergenheim, who has looked good in the limited amount of ice time he has seen, now moves up to the second line to play with Miro Satan and Josef Vasicek. Chris Simon also returns for the game, and Shawn Bates is very close to returning. On defense, the Isles are scrapping the idea of going with 7 defensemen and going back to 6, which means one of Bergeron, Gervais, Bryan Berard and Chris Campoli will not be playing. Based on play, Bergeron might be the odd man out. But there has been no inclination from coach Ted Nolan as to who will be sitting.
The game is a bigger one than it might seem for so early in the year, but it is huge. You always want to win games against your division, and a win would out the isles at 4-2, 4 points better than anyone else. With the lack of games between now and the end of the month, it is important to stay up around the top of the division now so that you are not constantly playing catch up with the others. 3-3-0 is not terrible, but seeing as how bad the 2 losses have been so far, (the one against Washington should have been one, the one against Toronto might have been a loss either way), 4-2-0 would sort of make up for all of that. The return of Simon should rally the troops well, not to mention the return of Rick DiPietro to the nets. We'll see what happens.
October 9, 2007
Islanders Sign Defenseman Bryan Berard
The Islanders announced today the signing of defenseman Bryan Berard to a 1 year contract worth $725K. The signing comes as no surprise as Berard impressed coach Ted Nolan after he was invitee to training camp. Berard came into camp with the goal of earning a spot on the Isles roster, and it was successful. he was a notable force on the power play in the action he saw in the preseason.Over the weekend, the Isles had put defenseman Freddy Meyer on waivers. He was claimed by the Coyotes yesterday afternoon. The purpose of that move appeared to make room for the signing of Berard, which seemed imminent even though he wasn't one of the 8 defensemen to make the team out of camp. Meyer and Aaron Johnson grabbed the 2 extra spots. With Meyer out now, Berard has the spot.
Berard practiced today along side Johnson, who can't be sent down without clearing waivers. The Islanders seem to be holding on to him for now, as they just signed him this past summer. It seems as though Nolan plans on using both Berard and Johnson soon, and Bruno Gervais might be a casualty of that. It seems likely that Berard will be in the lineup Wednesday night when the Islanders take on the Rangers at the Coliseum.
INFO ABOUT THE PODCAST: There appears to be some spotty problems occurring with the podcast. For some people recently, the entire podcast is not downloading. Sean and I are working on fixing the problem, but it appears to be a problem with the host. It seems that if you subscribe to the podcast through iTunes, the entire thing downloads. Or, try to download the podcast again tonight or tomorrow sometime. Again, we are trying to figure out whats going on, and if we have to switch hosts we will update you and update the link as well.
September 29, 2007
Islanders Lose to Rangers 5-2
After all of the anticipation for the 2nd and final meeting of the preseason between the Islanders and Rangers, things didn't go quite as expected.
No, there were still fights. But some key players were missing from both sides. The Rangers had their entire lineup in with the exception of Jaromir Jagr and super pest Sean Avery. Earlier in the week, Avery had hinted at the idea of taking a run at some of the Islanders after what happened at the Coliseum last Monday. Even Andy Sutton spoke out on Avery, saying he should just focus on playing hockey. But it seemed everyone who was involved in the scrums last week from the Islander's side did not dress for the game. No Simon. No Sutton. No DiPietro.
Many of the players for the Islanders in the game will be starting the year in Bridgeport. With 3 games in 3 days, it seems the Isles didn't want to take a chance on having players get injured in a meaningless preseason game, especially with guys threatening to run others.
Brendan Shanahan scored twice, once on starter Joey MacDonald, the other on Mike Morrison. Also scoring for the Rangers were Scott Gomez and Martin Straka. Petr Prucha iced the game with an empty netter. The Isles tallies came from Sean Bergenheim and Trent Hunter.
In all honesty, there wasn't any Islander who really stood out in the game. Bergenheim showed some good speed and scored a nice 5-hole goal on Lundqvist. Darryl Bootland had a pair of fights, and will become a fan favorite down in Bridgeport, maybe even on the Island for a few stints. As for the defense, the only regulars who played were Bruno Gervais, Chris Campoli and Marc-Andre Bergeron. All 3 were OK, but they are definitely still learning. It is going to be interesting to see who gets that last spot on defense.
The Islanders play the Devils tonight at 7 PM at the home of the Sound Tigers, the Arena at Harbor Yards. The game will be shown on Islanders TV through NHL center ice. I would imagine most of the regulars will be playing tonight as the game is the 2nd to last preseason game. The Isles will play their final game tomorrow against the Bruins.
On a sad note, coach Ted Nolan lost his brother recently and did not make the trip to the Garden for last nights game. He will also miss tonight's game. His status has not been revealed for tomorrow yet. Our prayers go out to you, Ted.
No, there were still fights. But some key players were missing from both sides. The Rangers had their entire lineup in with the exception of Jaromir Jagr and super pest Sean Avery. Earlier in the week, Avery had hinted at the idea of taking a run at some of the Islanders after what happened at the Coliseum last Monday. Even Andy Sutton spoke out on Avery, saying he should just focus on playing hockey. But it seemed everyone who was involved in the scrums last week from the Islander's side did not dress for the game. No Simon. No Sutton. No DiPietro.
Many of the players for the Islanders in the game will be starting the year in Bridgeport. With 3 games in 3 days, it seems the Isles didn't want to take a chance on having players get injured in a meaningless preseason game, especially with guys threatening to run others.
Brendan Shanahan scored twice, once on starter Joey MacDonald, the other on Mike Morrison. Also scoring for the Rangers were Scott Gomez and Martin Straka. Petr Prucha iced the game with an empty netter. The Isles tallies came from Sean Bergenheim and Trent Hunter.
In all honesty, there wasn't any Islander who really stood out in the game. Bergenheim showed some good speed and scored a nice 5-hole goal on Lundqvist. Darryl Bootland had a pair of fights, and will become a fan favorite down in Bridgeport, maybe even on the Island for a few stints. As for the defense, the only regulars who played were Bruno Gervais, Chris Campoli and Marc-Andre Bergeron. All 3 were OK, but they are definitely still learning. It is going to be interesting to see who gets that last spot on defense.
The Islanders play the Devils tonight at 7 PM at the home of the Sound Tigers, the Arena at Harbor Yards. The game will be shown on Islanders TV through NHL center ice. I would imagine most of the regulars will be playing tonight as the game is the 2nd to last preseason game. The Isles will play their final game tomorrow against the Bruins.
On a sad note, coach Ted Nolan lost his brother recently and did not make the trip to the Garden for last nights game. He will also miss tonight's game. His status has not been revealed for tomorrow yet. Our prayers go out to you, Ted.
September 27, 2007
It's Been a While
Sorry for not updating the site in a while, but things have been going crazy lately. Until Sean finds some time, most of the posts you are going to see will be from me. Anyways, let's just touch on a few things:
ISLES TRAINING CAMP: Now, I'm sure most of you followed the Isles through training camp. Camp was again held up in Moncton, and the citizens up there were very thankful to see the Isles again. They had a welcoming parade for the team and the mayor even treated them to dinner. Going up to camp is a perfect way for the team to bond with each other, and what better place than Ted Nolans old stomping grounds to do so. It's nice to see the Isles have picked up some fans there along the way too.
Mike Comrie has been very impressive so far in camp. In every scrimmage and preseason game he has played in, Comrie has wowed everyone. In 2 separate scrimmages he scored hat tricks, and this past Monday against the Rangers at Coliseum, Comrie had 2 goals and 2 assists, one of the goals coming in OT to win the game. The combination of Guerin-Comrie-Fedotenko seems to be shaping up very nicely. I had my doubts and while those aren't the biggest of names, it is certainly a first line and I have a feeling will be very good come October 5.
Another player who has impressed me is Josef Vasicek. I voiced my opinion against signing him and thus far have been proved wrong. He uses his size well, keeps his legs moving and has the ability to be a god playmaker. He is also very capable of scoring a goal here and there. he keeps up what he has shown in camp, and many fans will be saying "Viktor who?" by seasons end.
As for the defense, it does appear that Bryan Berard will be making the squad, which leaves 4 others for the last spot. Things are still up for grabs and it appears Bruno Gervais is slightly in the lead. Campoli has a one way, 3 year deal and will be tough for the Isles to pass through waivers. The other fighting for spots are Freddy Meyer and Aaron Johnson.
The Isles have played 6 preseason games so far, and have a record of 2-2-2. They take on the Rangers again tomorrow night at the Garden. Based on the last game, tempers will most likely flare and Sean Avery has hinted that he might make a run at some of the Isles, including goalie Rick DiPietro. If Avery expects to do anything, he better expect to drop the gloves as well because he won't get away easily with it. How he will do in any fight is still a mystery, as he usually just likes to talk tough. We shall see though.
DUNHAM OFFICIAL: On the first day of camp, Mike Dunham was officially introduced as the new goaltending coach. Good move because both DiPietro and Dubie talked to him many times last year in pressure situations such as the shootouts, so they really respect Dunham's word. If he is that much of a calming influence, then there should be no issues.
NEW RADIO SHOW COMING: As I said back when we started this site, Sean and I will both be doing an Isles radio show. It is scheduled to start on October 7th at 10 PM. I will have more info about it after I finish going through the training for it, but we're really excited to get it going.
That's all we have to say for now. Be sure to check out tomorrow's game on MSG at 7 PM. It should be an interesting one. Tonight at 7, FSN will have the Islanders Preview show that they have each year, which usually gives a good recap of the new additions and how things look so far in the preseason.
We'll post a recap of tomorrow nights game right here, so be sure to start checking back again now that we have come out of hiding!
Chris
EDIT: I noticed I left out the Bruins-Isles trade that went down just before training camp. The Isles Shipped Petteri Nokelainen to the Bruins for prospect Ben Walter and a 5th round draft pick in 2009. While many feel that Petteri would have been the perfect mold of a Ted Nolan type player, the committee felt otherwise. Walter had 67 points in 73 games for the Providence Bruins last season, and is just 2 years older than Petteri. It will take another year or two before we can really tell if this an upgrade, downgrade or a lateral move. Either way, the Isles acquired someone with a good skill set that we hope can translate into a good NHL career here on Long Island.
ISLES TRAINING CAMP: Now, I'm sure most of you followed the Isles through training camp. Camp was again held up in Moncton, and the citizens up there were very thankful to see the Isles again. They had a welcoming parade for the team and the mayor even treated them to dinner. Going up to camp is a perfect way for the team to bond with each other, and what better place than Ted Nolans old stomping grounds to do so. It's nice to see the Isles have picked up some fans there along the way too.
Mike Comrie has been very impressive so far in camp. In every scrimmage and preseason game he has played in, Comrie has wowed everyone. In 2 separate scrimmages he scored hat tricks, and this past Monday against the Rangers at Coliseum, Comrie had 2 goals and 2 assists, one of the goals coming in OT to win the game. The combination of Guerin-Comrie-Fedotenko seems to be shaping up very nicely. I had my doubts and while those aren't the biggest of names, it is certainly a first line and I have a feeling will be very good come October 5.
Another player who has impressed me is Josef Vasicek. I voiced my opinion against signing him and thus far have been proved wrong. He uses his size well, keeps his legs moving and has the ability to be a god playmaker. He is also very capable of scoring a goal here and there. he keeps up what he has shown in camp, and many fans will be saying "Viktor who?" by seasons end.
As for the defense, it does appear that Bryan Berard will be making the squad, which leaves 4 others for the last spot. Things are still up for grabs and it appears Bruno Gervais is slightly in the lead. Campoli has a one way, 3 year deal and will be tough for the Isles to pass through waivers. The other fighting for spots are Freddy Meyer and Aaron Johnson.
The Isles have played 6 preseason games so far, and have a record of 2-2-2. They take on the Rangers again tomorrow night at the Garden. Based on the last game, tempers will most likely flare and Sean Avery has hinted that he might make a run at some of the Isles, including goalie Rick DiPietro. If Avery expects to do anything, he better expect to drop the gloves as well because he won't get away easily with it. How he will do in any fight is still a mystery, as he usually just likes to talk tough. We shall see though.
DUNHAM OFFICIAL: On the first day of camp, Mike Dunham was officially introduced as the new goaltending coach. Good move because both DiPietro and Dubie talked to him many times last year in pressure situations such as the shootouts, so they really respect Dunham's word. If he is that much of a calming influence, then there should be no issues.
NEW RADIO SHOW COMING: As I said back when we started this site, Sean and I will both be doing an Isles radio show. It is scheduled to start on October 7th at 10 PM. I will have more info about it after I finish going through the training for it, but we're really excited to get it going.
That's all we have to say for now. Be sure to check out tomorrow's game on MSG at 7 PM. It should be an interesting one. Tonight at 7, FSN will have the Islanders Preview show that they have each year, which usually gives a good recap of the new additions and how things look so far in the preseason.
We'll post a recap of tomorrow nights game right here, so be sure to start checking back again now that we have come out of hiding!
Chris
EDIT: I noticed I left out the Bruins-Isles trade that went down just before training camp. The Isles Shipped Petteri Nokelainen to the Bruins for prospect Ben Walter and a 5th round draft pick in 2009. While many feel that Petteri would have been the perfect mold of a Ted Nolan type player, the committee felt otherwise. Walter had 67 points in 73 games for the Providence Bruins last season, and is just 2 years older than Petteri. It will take another year or two before we can really tell if this an upgrade, downgrade or a lateral move. Either way, the Isles acquired someone with a good skill set that we hope can translate into a good NHL career here on Long Island.
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