A week ago at this time, we were all lamenting that fact that the Islanders had too many goalies. Today, it seems like they can't get enough.
The Islanders tried to solve part of their log jam on Monday when they announced they were loaning Mikko Koskinen to KalPa of the SM-Liiga.
Showing posts with label Mikko Koskinen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mikko Koskinen. Show all posts
November 19, 2011
February 13, 2011
Grab-Trick Gives Isles Win Over Hot Sabres
The game against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday afternoon was anticipated by various people all over the hockey world for a multitude of reasons. For Islanders fans, the game presented a new challenge. The Isles had to find a way to come up big against another team that has been on fire lately after the statement they made in the last game.
While the path getting there was a bit of a roller coaster ride, the result is exactly what we all could have hoped for.
Michael Grabner not only scored what has become his normal two goals for this game, but added a third for his 2nd career hat trick as the Isles went on to beat the Sabres in a wild one, 7-6.
The other Isles goals came from John Tavares, Ty Wishart, Milan Jurcina and Blake Comeau.
Grabner really did it all once again. Between the penalty killing, the speed, the average of two breakaways a game for the past month and the stripping opponents of pucks to create chances the other way he has done it all. Howie Rose said that he has completely run out of superlatives to describe Grabner, now tied for the rookie lead in goals in the league with 24.
Mikko Koskinen didn't look too great in this one, with the rebounds once again being the biggest issue here. This is the one are of his game that needs a ton of work, and the style the Sabres employ brought out that weakness. Unfortunately, Al Montoya was no better as he was seemingly unable to hold on to any pucks that came his way, giving up some bad goals and some really good chances to the Sabres. If that's going to be the norm from him, then we may need to look elsewhere once again. I'm hoping that it was an aberration, with a combination of nerves of being in his first NHL game in a while and having to come in while fairly cold in the 2nd period.
The defense as a whole was pretty poor. The most noticeable one was Wishart. There were a couple of Buffalo goals that came due to him stepping up towards the wrong person and just being completely out of position, like for example on the 3rd Buffalo goal. He did score a goal at a key time, however his defensive game still has a few holes in it here and there. I can see why he is still considered to be in the prospect/project stage by some.
At any rate, the Islanders get another win to go along with what they have been putting together over the last week or so. It's also coming at a time when guys like Grabner, Tavares, Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo are racking up points. This is a good thing to see.
The Isles show next rolls into Ottawa, where they'll face a team that's struggling big time. They are now without Mike Fisher, who was traded for draft picks to the Nashville Predators. It always seemed like Fisher had good games against the Isles, so perhaps that is an advantage there.
Final thoughts:
- I do have some things I want to say on Mario Lemieux's comments about the NHL's handling of Friday's events. I'll have something on that tomorrow as I am still working on organizing what to say here.
- Sean and I got together and recorded the show as we always do on Sunday. You can watch the broadcast of the show on our UStream page here, or download the podcast version for our podcast site here.
- Click here to see the Islanders feature on Chris.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
While the path getting there was a bit of a roller coaster ride, the result is exactly what we all could have hoped for.
Michael Grabner not only scored what has become his normal two goals for this game, but added a third for his 2nd career hat trick as the Isles went on to beat the Sabres in a wild one, 7-6.
The other Isles goals came from John Tavares, Ty Wishart, Milan Jurcina and Blake Comeau.
Grabner really did it all once again. Between the penalty killing, the speed, the average of two breakaways a game for the past month and the stripping opponents of pucks to create chances the other way he has done it all. Howie Rose said that he has completely run out of superlatives to describe Grabner, now tied for the rookie lead in goals in the league with 24.
Mikko Koskinen didn't look too great in this one, with the rebounds once again being the biggest issue here. This is the one are of his game that needs a ton of work, and the style the Sabres employ brought out that weakness. Unfortunately, Al Montoya was no better as he was seemingly unable to hold on to any pucks that came his way, giving up some bad goals and some really good chances to the Sabres. If that's going to be the norm from him, then we may need to look elsewhere once again. I'm hoping that it was an aberration, with a combination of nerves of being in his first NHL game in a while and having to come in while fairly cold in the 2nd period.
The defense as a whole was pretty poor. The most noticeable one was Wishart. There were a couple of Buffalo goals that came due to him stepping up towards the wrong person and just being completely out of position, like for example on the 3rd Buffalo goal. He did score a goal at a key time, however his defensive game still has a few holes in it here and there. I can see why he is still considered to be in the prospect/project stage by some.
At any rate, the Islanders get another win to go along with what they have been putting together over the last week or so. It's also coming at a time when guys like Grabner, Tavares, Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo are racking up points. This is a good thing to see.
The Isles show next rolls into Ottawa, where they'll face a team that's struggling big time. They are now without Mike Fisher, who was traded for draft picks to the Nashville Predators. It always seemed like Fisher had good games against the Isles, so perhaps that is an advantage there.
Final thoughts:
- I do have some things I want to say on Mario Lemieux's comments about the NHL's handling of Friday's events. I'll have something on that tomorrow as I am still working on organizing what to say here.
- Sean and I got together and recorded the show as we always do on Sunday. You can watch the broadcast of the show on our UStream page here, or download the podcast version for our podcast site here.
- Click here to see the Islanders feature on Chris.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
February 10, 2011
Koskinen gets First NHL Win
Regardless of what the outcome would have ultimately been, I would have to say that the Isles latest visit to Montreal made for one of the more entertaining games we have seen all season long.
Fortunately, the night ended in a win for the Isles, and the first ever NHL win for goalie Mikko Koskinen.
Koskinen made 37 saves and stopped all four that came at him in the shootout to earn the win. And boy, did he earn it.
Koskinen came up with some big saves numerous times, including a diving stop on a fluttering puck that James Wisniewski tried to smack in at the goal line. As much as Koskinen tried to down play nerves prior to his first game, you could see how much more composed he was against Montreal. He obviously prepared much differently for this one.
I would say the one thing that bothers me about Koskinen's game is that he goes down into the butterfly too early. He's a big goaltender, and the report that Montreal had must have outlined this weakness in his game because they took a lot of shots up high. However, during the pre-season I wrote numerous times how impressed I was with both Koskinen and Kevin Poulin as far as reaction time, especially on glove saves. Koskinen made some nice saves with the glove, often reaching up for the high shots. If you're going to make saves like that, then how early you go down is only a minor issue.
Michael Grabner did his normal thing - scored a goal - and added another one for goiod measure. He also made some really nice defensive plays, and used his speed once again to his advantage. His first goal came after he split two defenders and created a mini-breakaway for himself. Just unreal. The waiver wire acquisition now has 19 for the season, just five behind Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks for the rookie lead.
Josh Bailey didn't get onto the score sheet, but he had a good game. He has been quietly getting his legs back, and is showing signs of a player poised to break out of a prolonged slump. He had two excellent chances tonight, both created when he stripped Montreal defensemen of the puck.
The overall effort tonight was excellent. The Canadiens played a tough game the night before against the Boston Bruins, and it showed but only very early in the first. They had their legs going by the time they got their first goal, but the Isles never let up and kept peppering Alex Auld with some good shots. They didn't keep it to the perimiter, either. They kept trying to push the defense back and get guys in front of the net, and all game long that happened. It was very refreshing to see.
The Isles need to do more of the same Friday night at home against the Penguins. They are without Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, so it is imperative they try to take advantage. Al Montoya will most likely be called up.
Koskinen played so well tonight that I almost feel the Isles have to start him against the Pens if he ends up staying over Joel Martin. However, as much as it might sound weird to say this, I am a little bit interested in seeing what Montoya can do at this level. I will be watching this one live, and will be sitting in the press box.
More thoughts to come Friday morning or afternoon.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
Fortunately, the night ended in a win for the Isles, and the first ever NHL win for goalie Mikko Koskinen.
Koskinen made 37 saves and stopped all four that came at him in the shootout to earn the win. And boy, did he earn it.
Koskinen came up with some big saves numerous times, including a diving stop on a fluttering puck that James Wisniewski tried to smack in at the goal line. As much as Koskinen tried to down play nerves prior to his first game, you could see how much more composed he was against Montreal. He obviously prepared much differently for this one.
I would say the one thing that bothers me about Koskinen's game is that he goes down into the butterfly too early. He's a big goaltender, and the report that Montreal had must have outlined this weakness in his game because they took a lot of shots up high. However, during the pre-season I wrote numerous times how impressed I was with both Koskinen and Kevin Poulin as far as reaction time, especially on glove saves. Koskinen made some nice saves with the glove, often reaching up for the high shots. If you're going to make saves like that, then how early you go down is only a minor issue.
Michael Grabner did his normal thing - scored a goal - and added another one for goiod measure. He also made some really nice defensive plays, and used his speed once again to his advantage. His first goal came after he split two defenders and created a mini-breakaway for himself. Just unreal. The waiver wire acquisition now has 19 for the season, just five behind Logan Couture of the San Jose Sharks for the rookie lead.
Josh Bailey didn't get onto the score sheet, but he had a good game. He has been quietly getting his legs back, and is showing signs of a player poised to break out of a prolonged slump. He had two excellent chances tonight, both created when he stripped Montreal defensemen of the puck.
The overall effort tonight was excellent. The Canadiens played a tough game the night before against the Boston Bruins, and it showed but only very early in the first. They had their legs going by the time they got their first goal, but the Isles never let up and kept peppering Alex Auld with some good shots. They didn't keep it to the perimiter, either. They kept trying to push the defense back and get guys in front of the net, and all game long that happened. It was very refreshing to see.
The Isles need to do more of the same Friday night at home against the Penguins. They are without Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, so it is imperative they try to take advantage. Al Montoya will most likely be called up.
Koskinen played so well tonight that I almost feel the Isles have to start him against the Pens if he ends up staying over Joel Martin. However, as much as it might sound weird to say this, I am a little bit interested in seeing what Montoya can do at this level. I will be watching this one live, and will be sitting in the press box.
More thoughts to come Friday morning or afternoon.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
February 9, 2011
Isles Lose Poulin for Season, Acquire Montoya
"It's bad luck for Ricky but I think it's a great opportunity for me and I'm just looking forward to playing some games." -Kevin Poulin on February 4th
I wasn't all that hopeful that the results of Kevin Poulin's MRI would come back with good news. When the injury happened, it looked pretty bad immediately. As it turns out, it's just as bad as many expected.
For the 2nd time, Kevin Poulin has dislocated his left knee cap. Just like the other time in juniors, this one too will require surgery. Poulin will be out for the remainder of the season.
Despite the Isles wanting to send the goalie down to be the everyday starter at the AHL level, Poulin played better and better each night and was working on cutting down on some of his extra movements, which seemed to be what one of his weaknesses were.
As you can see from the quote above, Poulin knew this was his chance to show what he can do as a 20 year old against NHLers. He was always a guy who had a lot of promise, even though he fell to the 5th round in 2008, ironically mainly due to injury and inconsistency.
That chance ended when Poulin's skate got caught in a rut on the infamous Coliseum ice, causing the goalie to immediately crumble to the ice. It was a site that made many fans all around the world bury their head in their hands.
For a while, it appeared as though it suddenly became Mikko Koskinen's turn to show his stuff. After being named the starter to replace Poulin against the Maple Leafs, he promptly gave up two goals on the first two NHL shots he saw. Koskinen would settle down a bit, and didn't receive a heck of a lot of support from his teammates, who appeared to look rather deflated at times due to Poulin going down.
During the game, Garth Snow began to make some calls around the league, looking for a team that had a 3rd string goalie that he could get on the cheap.
Wednesday saw a lot of action as far as transactions in the NHL. After the Leafs dealt away defenseman Francois Beauchemin, goalie Jonas Gustavsson was pulled from his start in the AHL. For a few hours, people wondered what was going on there and tried to connect the dots, wondering if this was the 3rd string veteran that Snow was targeting. Since James Reimer has come up and looked really good for the Leafs, both J.S. Giguere and Gustavsson have lost starts.
But word came down that Gustavsson actually was having problems with his heart rate again and as a result, was removed from the game. So the search for a new goalie went on.
On our Twitter account, I posted that I felt Snow was going to add a goalie of the Martin Gerber or Curtis Sanford variety. Both of these guys actually fit the bill for what he was looking for.
Needless to say, many were a bit surprised when the news hit the wire about the Isles trading a 6th rounder this summer to the Phoenix Coyotes in return for Al Montoya.
Montoya, better known by Isles fans as the last goalie to get into a fight with Rick DiPietro prior to Brent Johnson, was the 6th overall pick by the New York Rangers in the 2004 draft. Thing's haven't worked out for Montoya though, now 25. To date he has played all of five games in the NHL, all with the Coyotes.
Montoya was struggling this season in San Antonio of the AHL, but overall has compiled a 96-72-7 record since joining the league in 05-06. His overall numbers haven't been horrible, but this season is obviously one of his worst ones yet.
Since Montoya still is fairly young, I'm assuming Snow saw the potential for something here. I don't think there is anything else potential wise there, but stranger things have happened. For Montoya, he gets a chance to finally be an NHL goalie for 28 games. If he plays well he gets noticed, if not by the Isles then by some other team. If not, then he'll still be talented enough to be an AHL guy, maybe even for the Isles.
It is assumed that with Nathan Lawson really close to returning, Koskinen and Joel Martin will head back down to Bridgeport while Montoya and Lawson handle the nets up with the Isles for the balance of the season.
Montoya will go to Bridgeport, but join the Isles when they return home from Montreal. He may even start against the Penguins on Friday.
Let's just hope that he doesn't get hurt now.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
February 4, 2011
DiPietro Out 4-6 Weeks
I decided to use my Friday off today to take the time and head over to the Coliseum to watch practice. I made the decision at pretty much the last minute, and in the end it turned into quite a busy day.
No sooner did I get there and take a seat and start scribbling some items in my notebook, the Isles staff informed me that I had to go to the locker room. Now I don't get the internet on my phone at this time, and left my house at about 11:45. So I truly had no idea what was up.
Before entering I asked what happened and was told Rick DiPietro was going to speak. My immediate thought was "uh oh."
I turn from the hallway to the entrance of the locker room. As soon as I enter, DiPietro removes his aviator sunglasses to address those of us there.
Upon seeing the condition of his right eye I immediately frowned, as would a parent walking into a room to see their child had done something bad. I kept thinking about the strong feelings I had after the fight where I essentially said it was foolish for DiPietro to be engaging in stuff like this no matter who did the initiating.
Just from looking at the swelling on his face I knew it was going to be a while. Arthur Staple of Newsday began to ask about the knee injury, and I was confused at first. I soon realized though what was going on here, that this was more than just some broken bones in his cheek.
My initial thought after hearing him speak and seeing the damage was that he was done for the year. The Isles are saying he's only out 4-6 weeks. I'm not one to tell people I'm right and things like that, but I'm sticking by my prediction. I don't expect to see him for the remainder of the season.
DiPietro however, remained optimistic that he would be able to return sooner rather than later. "I hope so, but I can't tell you how long it's going to take my bones to heal."
Meanwhile, DiPietro is also suffering from swelling in his knee, the same problem he has always been battling. "It's the same stuff we've been dealing with. I'm sure the rest will help."
When asked if he had any regrets for getting into the fight with Brent Johnson, DiPietro gave an emphatic "no."
"I'm not. I'm sick of losing, our team's sick of losing. You never expect to go into a fight and get smashed in the face that hard but it happens, he landed a good punch and we move on."
While DiPietro maintains that he has to move on, the Islanders now have to try and figure out their goaltending situation moving forward.
After practice, Jack Capuano said that nothing had been decided on goaltending from here on out yet.
"I haven't even talked to Garth yet. Obviously, we do have some prospects and I'm sure Garth will make that decision here shortly."
This afternoon, the team announced they signed goalie Joel Martin, currently backing up Mikko Koskinen in Bridgeport, to a two-way contract and kept him in Connecticut on loan to the Sound Tigers. Right now it appears that Koskinen is the favorite to come up with Nathan Lawson still ailing. Koskinen has had a number of issues in Bridgeport this season though, and still appears to be a ways away from living up to the billing as a 31st overall pick.
As far as NHL options, there are a couple that are out there. The most talked about one is currently Ray Emery. Emery has been battling serious health issues of his own in the past few years, but appears poised to make a return to the NHL. He and his agent are expected to sign a deal somewhere shortly, where he could start in the AHL for conditioning and work his way back.
A report from Friday says that the Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers were pursuing Emery, as well as a third team. The feeling on that 3rd team is that they are "at a point where they're prepared to make an offer" to sign the goalie. The Islanders are certainly at a point where they can make an offer.
The Islanders passed on Mike Smith on waivers, but if he goes on re-entry then he could be another option. The Toronto Maple leafs have been shopping J.S. Giguere with the emergence of James Reimer.
Of course, if Evgeni Nabokov ever comes to his senses he would be welcomed with open arms now. One has to wonder if he is looking at this situation and changing his mind if he was serious about "visibility for next season." My guess is that he isn't since it was proven otherwise.
Right now, the number one is going to be Kevin Poulin who is obviously up for the challenge. The plan was to try and get Poulin back to Bridgeport at some time to become the number one starter there again, but now it appears like he won't be headed down there until the Isles season has been completed.
"It's bad luck for Ricky but I think it's a great opportunity for me and I'm just looking forward to playing some games."
Poulin continued, saying "The team has helped me a lot. My defense has blocked a lot of shots the last few games."
Capuano was quick when asked about his confidence in the 20 year old going forward. "Poulin's been playing great. Kevin wants to be that guy, he puts the pressure on himself to be that guy and every game he wants to know who's starting."
"I'm not worried about Kevin."
Many Isles fans aren't either, given his 3-2-1 record in nice games, with a .929 SV% and 2.37 GAA.
In all honesty, it would be nice to see the Isles pick up one of the aforementioned goaltenders but I have my doubts. It certainly goes against their thinking of just two weeks ago when they claimed Nabokov, but I think they are fine with just rolling with Poulin for a majority of the games from here on out and mixing and matching Koskinen and Lawson for the other games. We'll have to see what happens here.
Some other notes from practice:
-Mark Eaton showed up for the first time in what seems like a while. Upon entering the locker room, the players eyes lit up and they all flocked around him to see how he was doing. He was telling players that he was pain free, but still couldn't out pressure on his surgically repairedknee EDIT: hip.
-Zenon Konopka was very excited about a potential Twitter account. Apparently, as team communications coordinator Jesse Eisenberg pointed out, someone created a fake twitter account for the often outspoken center. He really wants his own account now, and every time he talked about it the media relations folks kept looking at each other with understandable petrified looks. We'll see if he gets his wish or not.
-Trevor Gillies practiced on the 4th line today with Konopka and Matt Martin. Rob Schremp wore an orange jersey with Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau and Jeremy Colliton. I'm assuming that there's a strong chance that Schremp is an odd man out next game with Gillies getting back in. It makes some sense after what happened last game. The Senators have guys like Matt Carkner and Chris Neil.
-I spoke to Ty Wishart after practice for a small getting to know you type blog entry. He's a good guy with a good personality and a good sense of humor, as he poked fun of himself and how many times he's been traded already. So look for that in the next day or so.
NYI FYI on Saturday: Due to the Super Bowl on Sunday and the fact that everyone has plans, we decided to do the show on Saturday this week at 1 PM. Be sure to tune in by going to our UStream page to listen to us live. There you can also participate in the chat room and submit your questions or thoughts for us to read on air.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
No sooner did I get there and take a seat and start scribbling some items in my notebook, the Isles staff informed me that I had to go to the locker room. Now I don't get the internet on my phone at this time, and left my house at about 11:45. So I truly had no idea what was up.
 |
| DiPietro has suffered another setback. Photo by C. Hessel |
I turn from the hallway to the entrance of the locker room. As soon as I enter, DiPietro removes his aviator sunglasses to address those of us there.
Upon seeing the condition of his right eye I immediately frowned, as would a parent walking into a room to see their child had done something bad. I kept thinking about the strong feelings I had after the fight where I essentially said it was foolish for DiPietro to be engaging in stuff like this no matter who did the initiating.
Just from looking at the swelling on his face I knew it was going to be a while. Arthur Staple of Newsday began to ask about the knee injury, and I was confused at first. I soon realized though what was going on here, that this was more than just some broken bones in his cheek.
My initial thought after hearing him speak and seeing the damage was that he was done for the year. The Isles are saying he's only out 4-6 weeks. I'm not one to tell people I'm right and things like that, but I'm sticking by my prediction. I don't expect to see him for the remainder of the season.
DiPietro however, remained optimistic that he would be able to return sooner rather than later. "I hope so, but I can't tell you how long it's going to take my bones to heal."
Meanwhile, DiPietro is also suffering from swelling in his knee, the same problem he has always been battling. "It's the same stuff we've been dealing with. I'm sure the rest will help."
When asked if he had any regrets for getting into the fight with Brent Johnson, DiPietro gave an emphatic "no."
"I'm not. I'm sick of losing, our team's sick of losing. You never expect to go into a fight and get smashed in the face that hard but it happens, he landed a good punch and we move on."
While DiPietro maintains that he has to move on, the Islanders now have to try and figure out their goaltending situation moving forward.
After practice, Jack Capuano said that nothing had been decided on goaltending from here on out yet.
"I haven't even talked to Garth yet. Obviously, we do have some prospects and I'm sure Garth will make that decision here shortly."
This afternoon, the team announced they signed goalie Joel Martin, currently backing up Mikko Koskinen in Bridgeport, to a two-way contract and kept him in Connecticut on loan to the Sound Tigers. Right now it appears that Koskinen is the favorite to come up with Nathan Lawson still ailing. Koskinen has had a number of issues in Bridgeport this season though, and still appears to be a ways away from living up to the billing as a 31st overall pick.
As far as NHL options, there are a couple that are out there. The most talked about one is currently Ray Emery. Emery has been battling serious health issues of his own in the past few years, but appears poised to make a return to the NHL. He and his agent are expected to sign a deal somewhere shortly, where he could start in the AHL for conditioning and work his way back.
A report from Friday says that the Anaheim Ducks and Philadelphia Flyers were pursuing Emery, as well as a third team. The feeling on that 3rd team is that they are "at a point where they're prepared to make an offer" to sign the goalie. The Islanders are certainly at a point where they can make an offer.
The Islanders passed on Mike Smith on waivers, but if he goes on re-entry then he could be another option. The Toronto Maple leafs have been shopping J.S. Giguere with the emergence of James Reimer.
Of course, if Evgeni Nabokov ever comes to his senses he would be welcomed with open arms now. One has to wonder if he is looking at this situation and changing his mind if he was serious about "visibility for next season." My guess is that he isn't since it was proven otherwise.
Right now, the number one is going to be Kevin Poulin who is obviously up for the challenge. The plan was to try and get Poulin back to Bridgeport at some time to become the number one starter there again, but now it appears like he won't be headed down there until the Isles season has been completed.
"It's bad luck for Ricky but I think it's a great opportunity for me and I'm just looking forward to playing some games."
Poulin continued, saying "The team has helped me a lot. My defense has blocked a lot of shots the last few games."
Capuano was quick when asked about his confidence in the 20 year old going forward. "Poulin's been playing great. Kevin wants to be that guy, he puts the pressure on himself to be that guy and every game he wants to know who's starting."
 |
| Poulin has a chance to shine now. Photo by C. Hessel |
Many Isles fans aren't either, given his 3-2-1 record in nice games, with a .929 SV% and 2.37 GAA.
In all honesty, it would be nice to see the Isles pick up one of the aforementioned goaltenders but I have my doubts. It certainly goes against their thinking of just two weeks ago when they claimed Nabokov, but I think they are fine with just rolling with Poulin for a majority of the games from here on out and mixing and matching Koskinen and Lawson for the other games. We'll have to see what happens here.
Some other notes from practice:
-Mark Eaton showed up for the first time in what seems like a while. Upon entering the locker room, the players eyes lit up and they all flocked around him to see how he was doing. He was telling players that he was pain free, but still couldn't out pressure on his surgically repaired
-Zenon Konopka was very excited about a potential Twitter account. Apparently, as team communications coordinator Jesse Eisenberg pointed out, someone created a fake twitter account for the often outspoken center. He really wants his own account now, and every time he talked about it the media relations folks kept looking at each other with understandable petrified looks. We'll see if he gets his wish or not.
-Trevor Gillies practiced on the 4th line today with Konopka and Matt Martin. Rob Schremp wore an orange jersey with Josh Bailey, Blake Comeau and Jeremy Colliton. I'm assuming that there's a strong chance that Schremp is an odd man out next game with Gillies getting back in. It makes some sense after what happened last game. The Senators have guys like Matt Carkner and Chris Neil.
-I spoke to Ty Wishart after practice for a small getting to know you type blog entry. He's a good guy with a good personality and a good sense of humor, as he poked fun of himself and how many times he's been traded already. So look for that in the next day or so.
NYI FYI on Saturday: Due to the Super Bowl on Sunday and the fact that everyone has plans, we decided to do the show on Saturday this week at 1 PM. Be sure to tune in by going to our UStream page to listen to us live. There you can also participate in the chat room and submit your questions or thoughts for us to read on air.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
September 15, 2010
Rookie Game 1: Boston 5, Isles 2
The Islanders Rookies dropped the first of the two meetings against the Bruins Rookies on Wednesday, losing 5-2.
The Isles got their goals from Nino Niederreiter and Robin Figren.
The team looked very shaky for much of the game. Some of you who were tracking the analysis on Twitter tonight may have already seen some of my comments. Specifically, I called out Calvin de Haan for his performance tonight. One has to remember, though, that this was essentially his first game in a number of months after suffering a season ending should injury which required surgery in January. When you take a step back and think about that, it was sure nice to see him back on the ice. He is a very good defenseman, which one can see from his selection to represent Canada at the World Juniors. However, there were at least two instances tonight where he tried going for the poke check only to have a Bruins forward easily skate around him. Once he gets his feel for the game back, this will hopefully be a much rarer occurrence.
Mikko Koskinen was a standout for the Isles for much of the night. He looked strong early on, and despite issues controlling rebounds, was able to keep things close thanks to his quickness. He playes a stand-up style and does not seem to flop around much, which is probably best for a 6'7" netminder. Koskinen is still returning from a lengthy injury of his own that he suffered last season, when he had to have surgery on his hip, and miss most of the AHL season. Upon his return, he played a handful of games down in the ECHL before returning to Bridgeport for the playoffs. What I saw from Koskinen tonight left me confident considering how little hockey he's played in the past year. I think a lot of the things that a goalie usually lacks after a layoff like that, such as the quickness, were there. The rebound control is something that a player with his skill can work on and rectify quickly, so I'm not too worried there.
Kirill Kabanov has a ton of skill, and it showed on the powerplay. While there wasn't much to show on offense for the Isles tonight, Kabanov made some nifty moves and was very slick. He has an amazing ability to keep the puck on his stick for stretches, and is very fast with his decision making. Some of his defensive plays weren't anything to write home about, and I know some people were pointing that out. In all honesty, he's billed as a kid who oozes offense - that's his game. There are a ton of players in this organization who are great two-way players. There aren't many, however, who posses the offensive ability that Kabanov does. We can splurge a little. After his little mishap on the first day of camp, he worked extra hard on day two and even stayed after for some "punishment sprints." The hard work showed tonight, and I hope that's the only message the Isles have to send him. If he gets his head in order (keep in mind how young he still is), then we will be in for a treat.
Travis Hamonic was OK, but nothing special. This is a guy billed as an excellent shut-down defenseman, but tonight he seemed a bit hesitant. He did get into one fight, which quickly turned into a wrestling match with both players stumbling to the ice. We hear so much of Hamonic laying out big hits and I personally didn't see him play the body as much as I would have liked.
When taking a look at everyone, I tried to keep in mind a couple of factors. The injuries that some of the players we're battling was one of them. aside from that, the rookies practiced for two days then jumped on the bus to get to Boston. Also, there were a couple of players on the Boston squad who spent time in the pro's last season, more than many of the Isles prospects. I think all of that played a factor as well.
At the very least, it was good to watch hockey again. I was hoping for a better effort, but these guys are all so young and still trying to get back into the swing of things. The guys that people are paying close attention to all did some good things, with some mixing in some not so good things. But that's what this is for. The hope is that this is a tune up for them for the big camp starting Friday.
The Isles and Bruins go at it again Thursday night. Just like Wednesday, expect there to be a feed on the Bruins and Isles web site. Expect a different lineup as well.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
The Isles got their goals from Nino Niederreiter and Robin Figren.
The team looked very shaky for much of the game. Some of you who were tracking the analysis on Twitter tonight may have already seen some of my comments. Specifically, I called out Calvin de Haan for his performance tonight. One has to remember, though, that this was essentially his first game in a number of months after suffering a season ending should injury which required surgery in January. When you take a step back and think about that, it was sure nice to see him back on the ice. He is a very good defenseman, which one can see from his selection to represent Canada at the World Juniors. However, there were at least two instances tonight where he tried going for the poke check only to have a Bruins forward easily skate around him. Once he gets his feel for the game back, this will hopefully be a much rarer occurrence.
Mikko Koskinen was a standout for the Isles for much of the night. He looked strong early on, and despite issues controlling rebounds, was able to keep things close thanks to his quickness. He playes a stand-up style and does not seem to flop around much, which is probably best for a 6'7" netminder. Koskinen is still returning from a lengthy injury of his own that he suffered last season, when he had to have surgery on his hip, and miss most of the AHL season. Upon his return, he played a handful of games down in the ECHL before returning to Bridgeport for the playoffs. What I saw from Koskinen tonight left me confident considering how little hockey he's played in the past year. I think a lot of the things that a goalie usually lacks after a layoff like that, such as the quickness, were there. The rebound control is something that a player with his skill can work on and rectify quickly, so I'm not too worried there.
Kirill Kabanov has a ton of skill, and it showed on the powerplay. While there wasn't much to show on offense for the Isles tonight, Kabanov made some nifty moves and was very slick. He has an amazing ability to keep the puck on his stick for stretches, and is very fast with his decision making. Some of his defensive plays weren't anything to write home about, and I know some people were pointing that out. In all honesty, he's billed as a kid who oozes offense - that's his game. There are a ton of players in this organization who are great two-way players. There aren't many, however, who posses the offensive ability that Kabanov does. We can splurge a little. After his little mishap on the first day of camp, he worked extra hard on day two and even stayed after for some "punishment sprints." The hard work showed tonight, and I hope that's the only message the Isles have to send him. If he gets his head in order (keep in mind how young he still is), then we will be in for a treat.
Travis Hamonic was OK, but nothing special. This is a guy billed as an excellent shut-down defenseman, but tonight he seemed a bit hesitant. He did get into one fight, which quickly turned into a wrestling match with both players stumbling to the ice. We hear so much of Hamonic laying out big hits and I personally didn't see him play the body as much as I would have liked.
When taking a look at everyone, I tried to keep in mind a couple of factors. The injuries that some of the players we're battling was one of them. aside from that, the rookies practiced for two days then jumped on the bus to get to Boston. Also, there were a couple of players on the Boston squad who spent time in the pro's last season, more than many of the Isles prospects. I think all of that played a factor as well.
At the very least, it was good to watch hockey again. I was hoping for a better effort, but these guys are all so young and still trying to get back into the swing of things. The guys that people are paying close attention to all did some good things, with some mixing in some not so good things. But that's what this is for. The hope is that this is a tune up for them for the big camp starting Friday.
The Isles and Bruins go at it again Thursday night. Just like Wednesday, expect there to be a feed on the Bruins and Isles web site. Expect a different lineup as well.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
July 11, 2010
Orange wins Prospect Game 5-4; Islanders Rumors
Team Orange won the prospect game on Saturday night 5-4. The teams played had a skills competition after the game as well. There were some Islanders that stood out, and that is good considering some of them are very close to making contributions to the team.
One of the noticeable ones was Matt Martin, who has seemed to work on his skating a little bit. There were already hopes that Martin would fill the job of being the ultimate enforcer/pest while putting up a decent amount of points, and from we saw in his brief stint last year left us wanting more. Great to see Martin continue to work on his game.
Goalie Mikko Koskinen looked very strong, which is encouraging when you take into the consideration that he had to batter through a major hip injury last season. His reactions were generally quick, and he didn't look too awkward on his skates. This kid is big. He'll put on some more muscle too. One would assume that he will be the starter in Bridgeport this season.
Many fans walked away pretty satisfied with Nino Niederreiter. We finally got a see a little bit of what we had in him, and he is big. The scary thought with him is that he is only going to fill out more being that he is so young, and his style of play could make him quite the force on the left side for the team for a long while. He also showed us he is quite good with handling the puck.
Unfortunately, we did not get to see Kirill Petrov in this game. He has suffered a shoulder injury, and is going to be evaluated by team doctors on Monday. Lets hope for the best as he seems like a strong possibility to make the team this year.
The Islanders have some nice coverage of their prospect game, complete with a slew of photos here.
IslandersTV had coverage of the game, with a ton of different guests on such as Calvin deHaan, John Tavares and Garth Snow. Snow was a very interesting interview, as he talked about some NHL moves. He touched upon Kovalchuk again, not ruling the Islanders out but saying that they are "still monitoring that situation" and will "see where that takes us." Interesting. He also stated that he would not rule out trading for another defenseman at some point in the summer. There are some decent defensemen available through trade, and they would be a definite upgrade to our blueline for the upcoming season. We'll see what happens there.
Of course, everyone seems to be excited that we could still be in on Kovalchuk. I still remain skeptical, but it certainly would be nice. The Islanders seem to have been looking at scoring, and there is still some sitting out there. As we get later into the summer, there seems to be a good chance that the Islanders could land a good player at a great price. There were rumors tonight that Kovalchuk was flying to Los Angeles to sign a contract with the Kings, however the Kings have disputed the rumor and said that they are meeting face-to-face with him just as they would with any free agent. So we'll have to see what happens, and again I'm skeptical. But it is certainly nice to see that Snow is quite serious about going after the top talents available.
nyifyi@gmail.com
-Chris
One of the noticeable ones was Matt Martin, who has seemed to work on his skating a little bit. There were already hopes that Martin would fill the job of being the ultimate enforcer/pest while putting up a decent amount of points, and from we saw in his brief stint last year left us wanting more. Great to see Martin continue to work on his game.
Goalie Mikko Koskinen looked very strong, which is encouraging when you take into the consideration that he had to batter through a major hip injury last season. His reactions were generally quick, and he didn't look too awkward on his skates. This kid is big. He'll put on some more muscle too. One would assume that he will be the starter in Bridgeport this season.
Many fans walked away pretty satisfied with Nino Niederreiter. We finally got a see a little bit of what we had in him, and he is big. The scary thought with him is that he is only going to fill out more being that he is so young, and his style of play could make him quite the force on the left side for the team for a long while. He also showed us he is quite good with handling the puck.
Unfortunately, we did not get to see Kirill Petrov in this game. He has suffered a shoulder injury, and is going to be evaluated by team doctors on Monday. Lets hope for the best as he seems like a strong possibility to make the team this year.
The Islanders have some nice coverage of their prospect game, complete with a slew of photos here.
IslandersTV had coverage of the game, with a ton of different guests on such as Calvin deHaan, John Tavares and Garth Snow. Snow was a very interesting interview, as he talked about some NHL moves. He touched upon Kovalchuk again, not ruling the Islanders out but saying that they are "still monitoring that situation" and will "see where that takes us." Interesting. He also stated that he would not rule out trading for another defenseman at some point in the summer. There are some decent defensemen available through trade, and they would be a definite upgrade to our blueline for the upcoming season. We'll see what happens there.
Of course, everyone seems to be excited that we could still be in on Kovalchuk. I still remain skeptical, but it certainly would be nice. The Islanders seem to have been looking at scoring, and there is still some sitting out there. As we get later into the summer, there seems to be a good chance that the Islanders could land a good player at a great price. There were rumors tonight that Kovalchuk was flying to Los Angeles to sign a contract with the Kings, however the Kings have disputed the rumor and said that they are meeting face-to-face with him just as they would with any free agent. So we'll have to see what happens, and again I'm skeptical. But it is certainly nice to see that Snow is quite serious about going after the top talents available.
nyifyi@gmail.com
-Chris
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