Isles Snap Skid with Shutout of Devils

The Isles not only got a couple of players back from injury on Saturday night, but they were also able to get out of the small funk that they were in which saw them lose the previous four games.

They got back to their game in a big way too, coming away with the 3-0 shutout of the New Jersey Devils.

Tavares the Hero as Isles Beat Devils 3-2 in OT

With less than stellar efforts in their prior two games in Edmonton and Vancouver, the Islanders needed to get back to their winning ways with the team now back in the East. A win against the Devils would be just what they needed heading into tougher games against the Blue Jackets and Rangers later this week. But to do that the Islanders needed some better play than what we saw in Western Canada.

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.

Isles Spoil Devils Home Opener in Shootout

In similar fashion to what we would have seen towards the end of last season, the Islanders pulled out a shootout win over the New Jersey Devils in a game where they played pretty sloppy overall.

Neither side really had great defense, a trend that seems to be in concert with what the rest of the league has been experiencing over the first week of the new season. When you pair that with the smaller equipment that the goalies are now required to wear it makes for some high scoring contests.

Isles Powerplay Silent Against Devils, Fall 3-0

After playing each other twice before, the Islanders and Devils definitely felt that they had a handle on the style the other played. And both teams, remembering the offensive outburst by the other side from Thursday night played hesitant for the first 30 minutes of this game.

Islanders Beat Devils in OT; Strait Gets 3 Years; Visnovsky Reportedly Arrives Next Week

In what proved to be one of their biggest tests of the young season, the Islanders bent but never broke after blowing a two goal lead against the New Jersey Devils, ultimately winning 5-4 in overtime in a game that was quite exciting and gave the Isles a share of first place.

Opener: Devils 2, Islanders 1; 1/20/2013 Podcast

After a long anticipated wait, the Islanders finally opened up their season on Saturday night against the New Jersey Devils. As expected after a training camp that lasted just shy of a week, the game of hockey that was played between the two wasn't the prettiest thing we've seen.

Isles Finalize Roster, Claim Strait & Suspend Visnovsky; Prepare for Devils

Continuing the week of the waiver claim, the Islanders added defenseman Brian Strait from the Pittsburgh Penguins. The move marks the fourth consecutive day the Islanders have added a player via the waiver wire.

Devils Stun Islanders

Sometimes it only takes a couple of minutes for a game to go completely South, and a much needed two points can turn into walking away empty handed.

Or, it may only just take 14 seconds.

Anders Nilsson gets First NHL Win, Shutout

Seeing as how Evgeni Nabokov has had some recent issues with playing in the second game of back-to-backs, the Islanders did the prudent thing and decided to go with their back-up goalie for Sunday's meeting against the New Jersey Devils.

Islanders Get Revenge on Devils; NYI FYI at 10 AM Sunday

The Islanders stuck to the basics and made some changes after getting shut out 1-0 on Friday afternoon. The slight changes they did make resulted in a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils about 24 hours later.

Isles Shutout by Devils

There is quite an alarming theme going on with some of the Islanders home games this season. It seems every time they get a fairly large crowd, they put a goose egg up on the scoreboard.

Isles Come Home to Face Devils; Blood Drive Scheduled

The New Jersey Devils, coming off of a 4-3 preseason loss to the New York Rangers arrive at the Nassau Coliseum to take on the Islanders. It's the Isles only true home preseason game on the Island.

According to the Isles website, the lines are as follows:

Matt Moulson - John Tavares - Nino Niederreiter
Michael Grabner - Frans Nielsen - Kyle Okposo
Jay Pandolfo - Ryan Strome - Tim Wallace
Matt Martin - Josh Bailey - Trevor Gillies


Mark Streit - Steve Staios
Mark Eaton - Milan Jurcina
Aaron Ness - Travis Hamonic


Al Montoya
Kevin Poulin

Pandolfo appears to get a bit of an upgrade in linemates, and for good reason. His showing on Friday night with Trevor Frischmon and Jeremy Colliton (until the latter left with an injury) was pretty strong and warrants more of a look.

Steve Staios, who wore an 'A' on his jersey Friday night in Boston returns to action as Mark Streit's partner on the top pairing. Thats another guy to keep an eye on.

Ryan Strome will be playing his first professional game (sort of, I guess) against a decent NHL line-up. We've seen already what he can do against other prospects both in the orgianization and abroad, but now we'll get to see him against NHL players. He's hoping to stick, even if it's only for nine games. A strong performance Saturday night can go a long way in helping him make the case for that.

BLOOD DRIVE: The Islanders and the American Red Cross are teaming up for a blood drive before the game. Fans who wish to participate can donate blood at any time from 12 noon up until game time at the Coliseum. There is an effort to help replenish the blood supply, which is rather depleted. According to the Red Cross, Hurricane Irene cancelled close to 150 blood drives, causing this sudden drop in levels across blood banks.

It's always good to help out those in need, and this is no different. If you are able to do so, it's highly encouraged that you participate. The first 200 people who participate will receive two vouchers to a future Isles home game. Those who donate and are also attending Saturday night's preseason game will be entered into a raffle to "high five" the players as they come out to the ice.

For more info, check out the Isles press release on the blood drive and remember to do a good deed that can go a long way for others.

-Chris

nyifyi@gmail.com

Isles Fuming After Officiating Against Devils

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-CH

Resiliency at it's Finest as Isles Down Bruins

They always say those late goals at the end of the period can be killers. Generally, the Isles are usually on the receiving ends of having the momentum sucked out of them. On Friday night against the Boston Bruins however, it was the Islanders getting a late goal that completely shifted the game in their favor.

The Islanders had a very pedestrian effort against the Bruins for much of the first and second periods as the Bruins built a 2-0 lead on goals by Nathan Horton and, naturally, Zdeno Chara. The Isles appeared to have trouble containing the Bruins, and you saw numerous times why people have been including them in their Stanley Cup predictions since the summer.

With two seconds left in the second though, things changed. P.A. Parenteau, John Tavares and Matt Moulson had an excellent shift to keep the puck deep in the zone. Parenteau got the puck behind the net to Tavares, who made a no-look behind the back pass to Moulson who was left alone to the left of Tim Thomas. His quick shot surprised everyone and cut the lead to 2-1.

The Islanders came out hard in the 3rd, and didn't let off at all. They would end up controlling the play for much of the period. Michael Grabner would score to tie the game after picking up a rebound after a scramble in front of Thomas. His shot looked rather harmless, but all of the pushing and shoving in front of the net allowed the puck to slowly trickle in past Thomas.

Jack Hillen scored after a puck deflected in off of a Bruin and past Thomas. He tried his hardest to make the save, but when he realized where the puck was it was too late. It had already fluttered in, and the Isles were firing on all cylinders, feeding off of the crowd of 12,119.

Parenteau would get a goal of his own in an empty net. The puck never actually went in, but he was tripped up and taken down on a breakaway which is an automatic goal.

This was resiliency at it's finest. The Islanders battling back, against one of the top teams in the East it an excellent story for this crew.

Since December 16th, the Islanders and the Bruins are tied for the most points in the Conference. I don't need to beat a dead horse, but it's a shame what the outcomes were in the previous 21 to December 16th.

Al Montoya only faced 28 shots, and stopped 26 of them. He made some nice saves and continues to get better and better as time goes on. The Islanders threw 41 shots at Thomas. It was the first time since 1986 that the Islanders won back to back games after taking 40+ shots.

Moulson moved one goal away from getting his 2nd straight 30 goal season, while Grabner moved two away from that mark.

Blake Comeau had a really strong game, and made two really nice plays on penalty killing opportunities. Both times he dove to knock pucks out of the zone. He threw hits and skated hard all night, perhaps trying to get his first career 20 goal year under his belt. He has been playing fairly well in my opinion over the last few weeks, and it's great that he has kept that play up to show some consistency.

The Islanders get no rest as they take on the New Jersey Devils again on Saturday night. This should be another fun game, and another one that's been getting some notice from hockey pundits in the area. Neither team could care less about draft picks and want to win these games. It makes for some fun late season hockey among two teams that are unlikely to make the playoffs. But hey, we've been wrong before. As Captain2Man pointed out to us on Twitter last night:

you guys haven't been too great in predicting hockey games recently. That makes me happy.

It makes us happy too. Lets hope for another win in our own quest for a late season surge, as well as deliver a blow to the Devils hopes.

-CH

Brodeur Solid, Halts Isles Streak

For anyone paying attention to what has been going on around the NHL lately, they would have told you that Sunday afternoon's match-up between the Islanders and Devils was actually a game many were looking forward to. While both are fighting for their playoff lives and dreaming of miracle runs, they have actually been two of the hottest teams in the league the past few weeks.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the Isles looking for their 3rd straight win. Martin Brodeur got in the way.

"We know he's a good goalie," Frans Nielsen told me. "You can't think about it too much. You just have to keep shooting and get pucks at him and maybe they'll go in."

Nielsen had several good opportunities on Brodeur, each of which were denied. Nielsen's best chance came not one minute after he took a hard hit into the boards and was slow to get up. Nielsen, who favored his head as he came to his feet, told me after the game he felt fine and was showing no effects of anything wrong.

P.A. Parenteau also had some good chances on Broduer but was stopped as well.

"It's frustrating. Both goalies were awesome tonight, but with Marty he made some saves that made you say 'that's why he's a Hall of Famer' and he's something else to watch. I grew up watching him and he does things that no one else can do."

Parenteau, who was also stopped by Brodeur in the shootout, made some nice plays. His line was the best one for the Isles and they generated some really good chances. Offensively, the Isles wished they could have gotten more going and Parenteau accredited that to the Devils style of play.

"It's Jersey and they play a trap. It's just what they do, what they have been doing for years. You just have to approach it a little differently, and you can't take as many chances. You have to play the same game as them and be patient cause their looking for you to make mistakes."

"For a young group of guys, I thought we played really well and didn't give them much."

I would have to agree there. While the Devils out-shot the Isles by a fairly large margin, many of the shots were handled with ease by Al Montoya. It was the third period where a lot of the better chances came in.

Josh Bailey and Blake Comeau scored the goals for the Isles.

Bailey has been playing well the last couple of weeks, even when not finding his way onto the score sheet. It's no coincidence that once Rob Schremp left for Atlanta that Bailey's play picked up. He no longer has to be moved to different positions, and no longer has that threat of feeling like someone is over his shoulder. When it came to Bailey's struggles, we've talked a countless number of times both in this space and on the radio show about how one of the issues was constantly having his position swapped and playing with different line mates. One thing that you need to get is some consistency with the surroundings, and now that Bailey is getting that, his play has been getting better.

Comeau had been playing well too, and only continued that on Sunday afternoon. As fellow blogger Tony Stabile mentioned to me, "Comeau is playing like a man possessed today."

This was the effort we were hoping to get out of Blake more often than not. The goal was his 18th of the year. Two more gives the Isles four 20 goal scorers, which is certainly something to hang your hat on. Comeau's goal may have been gift wrapped for him, but there were a couple of pucks left out in the slot area by the Devils that the Isles just couldn't get to, but Comeau was great on the fore check here and once the defensemen over skated the puck, he was right there to pick up the puck and fire a wrist shot past Brodeur.

After seeing the game open up as much as it did in the third, it was a shame that this one had to be decided in the skills competition. The shootout ran a bit longer than others we have seen this season, as both Brodeur and Montoya made some nice stops. This was our first look at Montoya in the shootout, and I'd have to say he fared pretty well. Ilya Kovalchuk and Brian Rolston scored for the Devils while Nielsen had the lone goal for the Isles. Ironically, it was both Kovalchuk and Rolston who provided the regulation goals for the Devils. But Montoya did make some nice stops on the likes of Mattias Tedenby and Patrick Elias.

In the end, the Devils got their offense from two of the only guys who seem to be providing any these days, and the same two who have really carried the team over the last couple of weeks. The Isles were killed in the face-off circle thanks to the work of Travis Zajac and trade deadline acquisition Dave Steckel. This played a large part in Brodeur only being tested with 13 shots through 45 minutes of play.

The Isles stay home for the next few days, with their next match on Tuesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs still have hopes for making the playoffs, and are really close. They are no doubt upset with the outcome of this one, and now have their work cut out for them. With a chance to make a statement on Saturday, the Leafs were killed by the suddenly hot Chicago Blackhawks. They will be looking to come out in their next few games with guns-a-blazing.

NEW NYI FYI POSTED: For those who missed it live, we recorded our weekly Sunday show. We discussed a variety of topics, the main one being the lack of activity at the deadline, and what has to happen in the offseason for this team to become successful. We also talked a bit about the Trevor Gillies situation, bringing up some of the fans thoughts and providing our own thoughts on them, for what it's worth (not much, probably). We hope you guys enjoy it!

You can dowload the podcast here, or find the recording of the show on UStream.

-CH

nyifyi@gmail.com

Isles Dent Playoff Hopes for Blues

If the St. Louis Blues want to truly make up the 10 point hole they have put themselves into after a hot beginning of the season, then the task just got a lot harder.

The Blues road in their attempt at a miraculous comeback passed through Uniondale on Saturday afternoon, and it turned out to be a nightmare for them.

Generally, these afternoon games on the weekends give the Isles hard times. But Saturday afternoon felt different. It felt like it was being played by a team that knows what they have to do to win now, and was in line with many of the games they have played over the past month.

Who knows. Maybe the Isles slept better than they had been and were ultra prepared for the Blues for this one.

There were a number of instances where the Isles made the Blues defensemen just look plain silly. Despite their recent woes, that's not an easy task to do. The likes of Barrett Jackman, Carlo Colaiacovo and Alex Pietrangelo are very good at their trade. But on a couple of plays, the Isles made them look like turn styles.

The scoring was started by John Tavares, after he made a beautiful move around two Blues players. That goal might be one of the top five I have seen all season. It was something really cool to see. It was off of a nice pass by P.A. Parenteau, who had a bit of a rough start to the game but settled down nicely after missing an open net.

Parenteau would end his own little slump later when he got a nice pass from Michael Grabner to give the Isles a 2-0 lead. That goal was started by Tavares, who made a nice play and pass at center to find Grabner, who used his speed to streak up the left side. Parenteau went to the net hard from the right, and was in the perfect spot to tap in the pass.

Andrew MacDonald scored two goals in this one, his 2nd on a breakaway after stripping Andy McDonald of the puck on the blue-line.

Grabner got one of hi own to end a drought, and he blew past Pietrangelo to score on a breakaway of his own.

I really liked the Isles effort, but Jack Capuano didn't seem enthralled with it. He warned in the post game that they can't play the way they did and expect to win like that. I thought that while there were a couple of defensive lapses here and there, that they were few and far between.

But perhaps that's more of a statement towards how much Capuano has grown as a coach. We have seen the good, bad and ugly with him, and now we are obviously seeing more of the good. Perhaps it was his subtle way of telling the team it's never enough, a friendly way of saying "I'm not pleased" so they keep up what they have been doing. He needs them to for next season when he's here, anyway.

The test gets a bit harder for the Isles as they face the New Jersey Devils in a Sunday afternoon matinee. The Devils are one of the few teams hotter than the Isles right now, and seem to be trying desperately to do anything in their power to march to a playoff spot. It's still improbable, but anything can happen.

Martin Brodeur has been announced as the starter for the Devils. Capuano wouldn't announce his, but I'm going to guess Nathan Lawson. Al Montoya wasn't bad against the Blues, but he wasn't as "on" as he has been in recent games, so the Isles may look to give him the day off and go with Lawson off of his stellar performance in Washington.

Ilya Kovalchuk is playing like himself again, which is good for the Devils and bad for everyone else right now. He's firing on all cylinders. After a really miserable start to the season, Henrik Tallinder really settled in and is playing like the defensive defenseman he can be when healthy. This is a team you must be very careful with.

The last time the Isles saw them, it was also an afternoon matinee. It didn't go too well for the Isles as they lost 5-2. Times were a bit different then though. Can this rejuvenated Isles team take out the Devils that no one else seems to be able to stop? Would make for a great story. I'm looking forward to being in the press box for this one.

REMINDER: We'll be on live at 11 AM for NYI FYI. Make sure to join us on UStream and come with questions or comments!

-CH

nyifyi@gmail.com

Devils 5, Isles 2; Moulson; DiPietro

As has been the case with many game days this season, there was a lot of hoopla before and after Monday's matinee match-up between the Islanders and Devils.

The day started off with an article from Katie Strang (subscription required) quoting Matt Moulson, with him stating that he wants to stay with the team that gave him his shot at the NHL. We learned that there have not been extensive talks yet but that the two sides were just beginning to meet.

Later in the day, ESPN's John Buccigross left us a gem of a Tweet saying he has heard rumors that Moulson may be shipped off to the Bruins - and all hell broke loose in Islanders land.

Since we didn't have a show yet this week to inevitably talk about this topic again, I want to reiterrate my stance on what will happen with Moulson: he will re-sign here for two or three years. I felt that way all along, and I still do after the whirlwind that was today.

Bob McKenzie of TSN told us later in the day that Garth Snow had indicated to Moulson that he wants to sign him, but the negotiation stage has not yet begun. This is unsurprising to me considering that the team could only start negotiating with him after January 1. He also mentions that if he is indeed shipped out, it would not be to the Bruins.

Moulson could certainly be a hot commodity if he does go on the market seeing as he plays one of the weakest postions in the NHL, left wing. Fantasy hockey aficionados know exactly what I am talking about here. It is very difficult to find natural left wingers who play the position well as many players have become accustomed to switching between both wings, with their primary positons being on the right side. So as one of those few, Moulson can make his case to get a decent payday should the Islanders not want to offer anything close.

As far as what Snow would get in return to trade Moulson, well it wouldn't be a lot. Fans who are thinking that Boston would trade the Toronto 1st round pick need to really calm down. Would you do that for a player of Moulson's ilk? That's no disrespect to Matt, but I think many GM's are going to look at this situation and decide that a year and a half of good play at 27 isn't going to be enough for them to part with a fairly high 1st rounder in a league where players are entering younger and cheaper.

Of course, I say this fully acknowledging that I have said numerous times in the past that Moulson can definitely play in this league and has done enough to prove to me that he is a consistent 25-30 goal scorer just based on the way he plays the game and where he gets his goals and chances from. Just not sure what other GM's are thinking.

In the end I think all of this discussion will be moot and Moulson will remain an Islander like he and pretty much every fan wants. I would be shocked if I am wrong on this one, but I just don't see it. It is certainly a different situation than trading away James Wisniewski or Dwayne Roloson. Moulson is the most identifiable Islander player not named John Tavares. If Snow ultimately trades him, it will be of his own fault. I do not see Moulson getting crazy with his demands. He knows his place and more importantly knows where he wants to be.

Before I jump to another topic, I would like to endorse the wise words of Chris Botta from earlier today. Those are indeed the folks you should be listening to when it comes to rumors and hearsay. I know there are others in the rumor business out there that people like to read, and that's fine. I choose not to deal with them, especially those who have been wrong more times in the past month or two than I can count on my hand - and that is specifically only on Islanders related rumors. But again, it's totally up to you.

Meanwhile, the Islanders did indeed play that game against the Devils although I'm not quite sure if they realized it or not.

I was one of those who were included in the working class today, while 13,000+ got to go to the Coliseum and watch live hockey.

I'll keep this one short. I watched some of the re-play tonight and was completely underwhelmed. Two guys stand out to me: Michael Grabner and P.A. Parenteau. That's all I got for today as far as the positives.

The other day in this space after the Isles lost to the Ottawa Senators I wrote that they had two games coming up: one that they could easily win (Buffalo) and one that they should win (New Jersey). The fact that they should have won this game and didn't is upsetting. Yes, the Devils are better as of late and yes they still have Martin Brodeur, who played well today. But that doesn't help to explain non-existent defensive coverage. No matter what the opponents record, if you're coming out with an effort like that in a professional league you are going to get smoked. Plan and simple.

The reffing was another issue all to itself. Quite frankly, it was downright awful. There are games you watch where you are so frustrated enough with the effort that the last thing you needed was an equally bad effort from the refs but we had that here. They missed some calls and calling back the 3rd Isles goal was wrong, but in the end does it change the outcome of the game? Doubtful.

The good news for now is that the Isles have a few days off before going at it again on Thursday vs. the Capitals.

Finally, the game was overshadowed once again with the status of Rick DiPietro. I say 'overshadowed' because for some it was the story. For me it wasn't. This is to be expected. The moment Jack Capuano said the other day he was going to keep all three goalies up for "a little while" I knew that more of the same was going to be in store.

I fully expected DiPietro not to suit up for this one. They are still going to be very cautious here. I'm not saying that it's right or anything, but it's what is going to happen. Perhaps I have just accepted it for what it is right now, but for some reason I am not as bothered by it. Maybe it's because we got to see first hand how bright of a future Kevin Poulin can have for us. Either way, this is the way of life for the Islanders and their fans as of right now. I do not think that there is anything to this at this time and he was truly getting another day off - just as they have been doing all year.

Considering different stories seem to be flying fast and furiously around here lately, I'm sure there's going to be more things to address. Hopefully, some of it is better news.

-CH

nyifyi@gmail.com

The Streak Ends

On a Friday afternoon after Thanksgiving, with a crowd of 2,000 more than they had averaged in the previous three home games, the Islanders put forth one of their better efforts in a while.

By the time all was said and done the fans, myself included, had seem something they haven't since October 16th - a win at home.



There were a number of standout performances in this game, the best obviously coming from Rick DiPietro. He made a number of key saves, especially in a hectic 3rd period to preserve the shutout. His movement was once again really good, and his reaction time super quick. This was his 3rd game in a row since the Islanders ran with Dwayne Roloson for eight straight, and it's a welcome site to see some constant play from DiPietro. One of the key things to point out here is the lack of wandering from the crease. That keeps him on his game the most, and has to happen for him to continue to be successful. Hopefully, he remains this way.

One thing I found cool was how he thanked the fans for sticking with the team after the game. Love him or hate him, you have to tip your hat to that for the amount of times he has acknowledged the fans all these years. If you watch his post game press conference, he pulls no punches talking about the teams the Islanders have had in the 10 years he's been around. Quite frankly, it's refreshing to see a player be so honest about what has been making it's way on ice for the last decade. Good for him.

Jesse Joensuu had a strong game in my eyes. He scored the first goal of the game about a minute and a half into the game, and the Islanders held the lead for the rest of the 58 and a half minutes. He was going into the corners a lot, and layed out a couple of hits. One problem I always had with him was his reluctance to use his size to make his way to the front of the net or battle for those loose pucks in the corner. When he was called up, Joensuu spoke about not having many more chances and knowing that he has to prove his value pretty quickly. This stint is going pretty well so far.

Travis Hamonic once again was one of the Isles better, if not the best defenseman on the ice. I am amazed at how well he is playing as a 20 year old who doesn't have much professional playing experience. There was one play that stood out to me when the Devils came into the zone on a rush, and Hamonic positioned himself perfectly to stop short, and push the Devil off of the puck. Hamonic picked it up and play went the other way. It was refreshing to see an Islanders defenseman so strong on his skates to make a defensive play like that. He's the type of defenseman this team will need for the future.

One guy I did not like, once again was P.A. Parenteau. He gets knocked off the puck very easily and is very soft. He just doesn't have the strength to cut it at this level, and on the power-play refuses to shoot off of the pass. Despite his recent early season success, most of which was on the power-play, he hasn't done much and has often been invisible.

While I am thrilled that they were finally able to end this losing streak, there are still some areas of concern. I know some people are probably saying "oh, give them a break" but I can't. They are still 1-11-3 in their last 15 games, all of which were in November. One can't see the forest for the trees.

The Islanders struggled once again on the power-play, and they are now 0 for their last 31 with the man advantage, which covers the span of nine games (they scored on only 1 of 6 attempts in that 9th game, against the Flyers). They scored two goals against a very poor Devils team that has had a number of problems of their own, and throughout the losing streak the few times they have managed two goals they have not fared very well.

One thing that has been consistent, aside from the goaltending, is the penalty kill. The Islanders have fared pretty will when down a man, and that continued here against the Devils as the Isles killed off a long 5-on3 in the closing minutes of the game.

I'm not taking anything away from the team. A win is a win, and this one was huge for them. I am hopeful that a number of these problems just stem from the losses mounting, and that they will fix themselves now that the biggest monkey is off their backs. But these are things to be mindful of. We can't let this win make us forget everything that is still wrong, because it won't. The players know that, and most likely would tell you the same.

The team now has points in three straight games, and is only eight points out of a playoff spot. They now prepare for a home and home with the Rangers on Thursday and Friday.

-CH

nyifyi@gmail.com

NHL Wins, Kovalchuk Contract Voided

Well it took a little longer that we all would have hoped for, but it appears we finally have an answer on the Kovalchuk situation. Teams will once again get to speak to the star winger as he is a free agent.

After the NHL rejected the contract, the NHLPA filed a grievance and it went to an arbiter, who today ruled in favor of the league in a little bit of a surprise move.

This is sending some shock waves through the media as some people are beginning to wonder how this will effect the league when the next CBA needs to be negotiated in a few years. Here's a hint: it's not necessarily all that good. Couple that with the fact that the league might be planning to go after other extensions that haven't kicked in yet (Luongo, Pronger and Savard), the NHLPA is not a happy group. Donald Fehr is supposed to be taking some sort of leadership role with the PA, and many of you baseball fans might remember him as the guy many credit with "ruining" baseball in the 1990's.

Sure, the league might have appeared to win when the current CBA was negotiated in 2005, but think about this for a second. The salary cap was set at $39 million for 2005-06. The 10-11 season will have it's cap set at 59.4. That's $20 million over just five years. This is a league that has had a decent rebound since the lockout, but is still on life support in many areas. They can't afford another work stoppage. If they do, it's over. Don't get me wrong: the league is absolutely right in going after contracts that are blatantly created to circumvent the cap and I fully support them for this. But they need to tread very carefully as the players association thinks they aren't making enough money and fix that by circumventing the cap.

At any rate, not to take this on one of my in-depth state of the league rants (if you couldn't tell, I'm not optimistic about it - we'll save that for another day), Kovy is a free agent again. I'm sure the Islanders will be talking to his camp once again on that short term deal. The Los Angeles Kings will surely show interest again. The Devils will probably offer a new deal shorter in term with dollars allocated differently and some players gone. I would figure the Devils are still the favorites for him if he chooses to stay in the NHL. The KHL offers (blank checks) are still on the table, including one for 17 years.

So we wait and see...again. As much as I was tired of dealing with all of the speculation last month on where he would go, I almost missed it...almost.  Either way, this will not be as long and drawn out as the last time. Devils for shorter term.

E-mail us at nyifyi@gmail.com

-Chris