Halak Stands Tall Again in 3-1 Win over Devils

We knew when the Isles brought Jaroslav Halak in to the fold in May that we could reasonably expect a step up in what we saw out of the crease in several years prior. But I don't think anyone would have expected him to show us the goaltending skills he has here in the early going, and we all walked away completely amazed at what we saw from him again on Saturday night as he single handily won the game for the Isles. Halak stopped 34 of 35 shots, including all 16 that he saw in the 3rd period to give the Isles the win and hopefully start off a new winning streak.

Free Agency Opens - What are the Options?

Happy Free Agency Day to all! Today will prove to be a wacky and wild one once 12 PM hits, seeing as teams have had the last couple of days to meet, erm, I mean express interest in any UFA they wish (without negotiating or many any offers, of course – thanks NHL for pointing that out early in the process)!

At any rate, it’s been a while since I posted in this space with the whirlwind of stuff going on between game 6 and now the start of free agency. I have all intentions of posting about the Isles draft day, but I feel we need to see how the beginning of this signing period goes to correctly identify organizational needs and how the rest of the roster falls into place.

Happy Trade Deadline Day!

2:30 - The Ottawa Senators have sent goalie Ben Bishop to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Cory Conacher and a 4th round pick in what's been the most exciting deal of the day thus far. This is a hockey trade, although my immediate reaction is I don't like what Tampa GM Steve Yzerman is giving up here.

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.