Many people want the Islanders and Rangers to meet in the playoffs. I am not one of those people, unless it is in one of the later rounds. The game between them on Monday night, although it provided some great entertainment showed much of the reason why this is a match-up that could be dangerous for the Isles regardless of what the regular season shows.
Showing posts with label New York Rangers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York Rangers. Show all posts
February 17, 2015
October 15, 2014
Isles Defeat Rangers 6-3 in First Meeting of Rivals
The Islanders were nowhere near the best team on the ice on Tuesday night when they played the New York Rangers at MSG, but they were the better team in the only period where that mattered. It helped of course that the Islanders got great goaltending out of Jaroslav Halak that kept them in the game, allowing them to tie late in the second and score four in the 3rd to give the Isles the 6-3 victory.
January 22, 2014
Another Game, Another two goal Comeback for Isles - This Time vs. Rangers
If there's one really positive thing we can say about the way this Isles team is playing right now, it's that they never panic when they get down early in games.
Once again, the Isles found themselves in a very familiar position, and once again much to the chagrin of Sean it happened early on in the first period. But after less than stellar defensive plays by Matt Donovan, Calvin de Haan and John Tavares allowed Chris Kreider get control of the puck and find a wide open Rick Nash, there was no doubt he was scoring and the Isles were going to be chasing from behind early once again.
Once again, the Isles found themselves in a very familiar position, and once again much to the chagrin of Sean it happened early on in the first period. But after less than stellar defensive plays by Matt Donovan, Calvin de Haan and John Tavares allowed Chris Kreider get control of the puck and find a wide open Rick Nash, there was no doubt he was scoring and the Isles were going to be chasing from behind early once again.
December 21, 2013
Grabner Paces Isles in 5-3 win over Rangers
Michael Grabner chose a perfect time to snap out of his scoring slump, especially considering he's been doing many things right these days. Jack Capuano even said he was doing everything right except scoring, and I tend to agree with that statement of late. The Islanders were able to defeat their rivals thanks to Grabner's two goal performance, where he scored on a couple of breakaways to pace the Isles in a back-and-forth contest.
April 14, 2013
Isles fall to Rangers in OT but still get Huge Point
As far as 'first goal wins' games go, the Islanders and Rangers played what was one of the most exciting ones that I have ever seen. Unfortunately for the Islanders, they were the team that made the costly mistake in overtime to give the Rangers the victory. Josh Bailey lost his man after getting bumped by a teammate, allowing Dan Girardi open space to skate in and win it with a wrist shot.
The overtime point still gives the Isles a one point lead over the Rangers but the Rangers have played one less game.
The overtime point still gives the Isles a one point lead over the Rangers but the Rangers have played one less game.
March 7, 2013
With Playoff Atmosphere, Rangers Defeat Isles in OT
The real crime in the Islanders 2-1 overtime loss to the Rangers wasn't the penalty call on Michael Grabner - a stick to the midsection of a player with the puck in the vicinity will get called every time - it was the lack of many penalty calls at all, including a goose egg of calls on the Rangers.
February 15, 2013
Isles Rally to Beat Rangers 4-3 in Shootout
For a while, the outcome for the Islanders looked like it wouldn't be any different than previous games. Another loss seemed to be in the cards. But they were able to rally around one another, ultimately sealing the deal in the shootout to avoid losing their sixth straight game.
February 8, 2013
Rangers Defeat Isles as Thomas Trade Overshadows Game
While the Islanders lost their third straight game in a row, dropping a 4-1 decision to the New York Rangers, many fans were still perplexed by the cap-motivated move the team had made just hours earlier when they announced a trade for Tim Thomas.
December 23, 2011
Isles Can't Sustain Momentum against Rangers
Any time the Islanders and Rangers get together, you sort of know what to expect. A good effort from both teams, with each alternating momentum and a close score.
Thursday night was already different right off the bat, however, as Henrik Lundqvist sat in favor of Martin Biron. It was the fist time in the past 16 contests against the Rangers that the Islanders would not face the star net minder.
Thursday night was already different right off the bat, however, as Henrik Lundqvist sat in favor of Martin Biron. It was the fist time in the past 16 contests against the Rangers that the Islanders would not face the star net minder.
November 16, 2011
Isles Come Back Twice, Not a Third Time Against Rangers
Tuesday night's installment of Islanders-Rangers was a tale of two teams trending in opposite directions. The Rangers were coming off their sixth straight victory, while the Islanders had lost nine of their last 10 and had a pretty poor effort in Vancouver.
Jack Capuano said that he was unhappy with the effort some individuals put in that game, and that he would have to adjust accordingly. When asked about Nino Niederreiter coming up, he quipped that he wished two others were coming up with him.
Jack Capuano said that he was unhappy with the effort some individuals put in that game, and that he would have to adjust accordingly. When asked about Nino Niederreiter coming up, he quipped that he wished two others were coming up with him.
April 1, 2011
Isles Hurt Rangers Playoff Hopes
Thursday night's installment of the Islanders-Rangers rivalry had a lot more riding on it than some people may have thought.
Just a week earlier, the Rangers were in 7th place by a decent margin and giving the Montreal Canadiens a run for their money. But a couple of losses coupled with some wins by the Buffalo Sabres have put the Rangers in a very precarious situation as they are tied with the Sabres for the 8th spot.
Surely they would come out flying and give the Isles quite the battle, right? No, not really.
Despite an early goal from Vinny Prospal on a really nice play to Al Montoya's left, the Islanders came back and scored four goals in the second period on their way to a 6-2 win over their rivals.
The Rangers had seven chances on the power play, and didn't look good at all on some of them. For some others, the Isles penalty killers did a fantastic job.
Montoya came up big and made some really nice saves when he had to. He only allowed two goals on 27 shots, and frustrated the Rangers. The smile on his face after the game said it all as he finally got a win against his original team.
The Islanders lost a couple of players to injury during the game, as Frans Nielsen was hit from behind by Marian Gaborik and Ty Wishart suffered a shoulder injury after a collision.
Nielsen has a head injury, and it will most likely be determined that it is a concussion. The NHL failed in not suspended Gaborik for at least a game. So much for the consistency that we spoke of during the radio show last weekend.
Hopefully Wishart isn't out for any significant time. He was playing really well and moving the puck well throughout the first two periods of the game.
Any time he has come up to fill in on defense, Dylan Reese hasn't looked great. But on Thursday night he played well, looked good positionally and even had three assists.
Trevor Gillies would score the final goal of the game for the Islanders. The fact that it happened was a perfect icon for how the game went for the Rangers.
Speaking of Gillies, the game had a lot of intensity to it but once the pendulum swung in the Isles favor, they had most of the hits and won most of the fights.
The Rangers are now left with four games to break a tie for 8th and keep the Carolina Hurricanes away, and they only trail by three points. Henrik Lundqvist was pulled in this one, but was seen limping for much of the day prior to the game after suffering an injury in Buffalo. He didn't look too good at all, and perhaps the injury threw him off a bit. The Rangers have a very tall task ahead of them given how the Hurricanes have played of late with the pressure on.
The Isles take on those Hurricanes Saturday night, when every Ranger fan undoubtedly does a 180 and roots for the Islanders. The Isles haven't fared too well against the Canes this season, and the last time they were here they beat the Isles 4-1 on a blizzardy night just before the all-star break.
NABOKOV NEWS: Believe it or not, Evgeni Nabokov's name has resurfaced again with the goalie looking for permission to go to play for Russia in the World Championships. While Nabokov admitted he wasn't talking to the Islanders directly, there were some conversations going on.
Today it was reported that the Islanders weren't returning calls from the KHL, and the Islanders haven't submitted Nabokov's permission slip. What goes around, comes around.
Good on the Isles to take a hard stance. Bad on Nabokov to not be a good soldier in the first place.
DONOVAN'S DEAL: The Islander signed defensive prospect Matt Donovan earlier in the week, which was speculated for a long time. The Islanders had to make a decision on him this year, and he has played really well for the University of Denver.
The Isles drafted Donovan out of the USHL, which has become a bit of a hot bed of sorts in the past decade when it comes to producing NHLers. The Islanders have fared well with all of the guys they got from the USHL, starting in 2006 with Kyle Okposo.
The Isles have to make some decisions on some other guys, but many of them are still playing in the playoffs. As time goes on, we'll get some more news on those individuals.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
Just a week earlier, the Rangers were in 7th place by a decent margin and giving the Montreal Canadiens a run for their money. But a couple of losses coupled with some wins by the Buffalo Sabres have put the Rangers in a very precarious situation as they are tied with the Sabres for the 8th spot.
Surely they would come out flying and give the Isles quite the battle, right? No, not really.
Despite an early goal from Vinny Prospal on a really nice play to Al Montoya's left, the Islanders came back and scored four goals in the second period on their way to a 6-2 win over their rivals.
The Rangers had seven chances on the power play, and didn't look good at all on some of them. For some others, the Isles penalty killers did a fantastic job.
Montoya came up big and made some really nice saves when he had to. He only allowed two goals on 27 shots, and frustrated the Rangers. The smile on his face after the game said it all as he finally got a win against his original team.
The Islanders lost a couple of players to injury during the game, as Frans Nielsen was hit from behind by Marian Gaborik and Ty Wishart suffered a shoulder injury after a collision.
Nielsen has a head injury, and it will most likely be determined that it is a concussion. The NHL failed in not suspended Gaborik for at least a game. So much for the consistency that we spoke of during the radio show last weekend.
Hopefully Wishart isn't out for any significant time. He was playing really well and moving the puck well throughout the first two periods of the game.
Any time he has come up to fill in on defense, Dylan Reese hasn't looked great. But on Thursday night he played well, looked good positionally and even had three assists.
Trevor Gillies would score the final goal of the game for the Islanders. The fact that it happened was a perfect icon for how the game went for the Rangers.
Speaking of Gillies, the game had a lot of intensity to it but once the pendulum swung in the Isles favor, they had most of the hits and won most of the fights.
The Rangers are now left with four games to break a tie for 8th and keep the Carolina Hurricanes away, and they only trail by three points. Henrik Lundqvist was pulled in this one, but was seen limping for much of the day prior to the game after suffering an injury in Buffalo. He didn't look too good at all, and perhaps the injury threw him off a bit. The Rangers have a very tall task ahead of them given how the Hurricanes have played of late with the pressure on.
The Isles take on those Hurricanes Saturday night, when every Ranger fan undoubtedly does a 180 and roots for the Islanders. The Isles haven't fared too well against the Canes this season, and the last time they were here they beat the Isles 4-1 on a blizzardy night just before the all-star break.
NABOKOV NEWS: Believe it or not, Evgeni Nabokov's name has resurfaced again with the goalie looking for permission to go to play for Russia in the World Championships. While Nabokov admitted he wasn't talking to the Islanders directly, there were some conversations going on.
Today it was reported that the Islanders weren't returning calls from the KHL, and the Islanders haven't submitted Nabokov's permission slip. What goes around, comes around.
Good on the Isles to take a hard stance. Bad on Nabokov to not be a good soldier in the first place.
DONOVAN'S DEAL: The Islander signed defensive prospect Matt Donovan earlier in the week, which was speculated for a long time. The Islanders had to make a decision on him this year, and he has played really well for the University of Denver.
The Isles drafted Donovan out of the USHL, which has become a bit of a hot bed of sorts in the past decade when it comes to producing NHLers. The Islanders have fared well with all of the guys they got from the USHL, starting in 2006 with Kyle Okposo.
The Isles have to make some decisions on some other guys, but many of them are still playing in the playoffs. As time goes on, we'll get some more news on those individuals.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
March 15, 2011
Rangers 6, Islanders 3
Despite how much he played it down, you had to know that Al Montoya wanted nothing else in the world but to beat the New York Rangers. Human nature dictates that.
It's unfortunate that he didn't get that chance. Many Islanders didn't play well enough to give him that chance. The on-ice officiating didn't do much to help that cause either.
All I'll say about the officiating is that they made some pretty bad calls. There were a couple that were fine, like the call on Micheal Haley and the call on Travis Hamonic (despite what Butch Goring was saying). But the hooking calls on Blake Comeau and Michael Grabner had me curious. There was a whole lot of nothing to them, and certainly not enough to give the Rangers a long 5-on-3 advantage. They used some of these chances given to them to build up a 5-2 lead. They would go on to win 6-3.
Aside from that, the Isles defense was very shoddy. On their first goal, Andrew MacDonald fell down. While that didn't help matters, it was compounded by the fact that Brandon Prust was easily able to get around Kyle Okposo and that Josh Bailey stood two feet away from the play and just watched as MacDonald fell and Prust shoot a loose puck into an open net.
That would be the beginning of a rather rough night for Bailey, who had been playing really well recently up until this point. I have no doubts that he'll pick up right where he left off in the next game.
Bruno Gervais also had a rough game, as he seemed to lose the puck a number of times with one of those times costing the Isles a goal as the rangers had essentially an open net. It was a bit of a freak thing however as Montoya had his pads flat on the ice - or he appeared to, anyway. The puck got past both he and Gervais to a wide open Ryan Callahan.
The Isles let a total of 47 shots get in on Montoya and Nathan Lawson. If someone watched the first 10 minutes of the game and went away for the night, they may come home to a score that is rather surprising. In the early going, both Montoya and Henrik Lundqvist made some really solid saves. As Butch Goring had mentioned, if not for them the score could have been 3-3 instead of 1-0 Rangers at the time.
The Islanders got into a 2-0 hole, but as they did last week against Boston, they quickly battled back to tie the game at two.
Jack Hillen took a nice shot, but even better than that was the play of John Tavares on the shift. He did all he could along the boards to keep the puck in deep, bring it behind the net, get it to his stick and find Hillen at the point for a one-time slap shot. The puck actually grazed off of Matt Moulson's knee to give him his 30th goal of the season. It's his 2nd straight 30 goal season, and he finally has it under his belt now. Last game he was given a goal, but that was later changed to Tavares'.
The Isles 2nd goal came on a beautiful mid-air tip in by P.A. Parenteau, who is now closing on the 20 goal mark himself with 17.
The Rangers got some goals on some nice chances. Both of Marian Gaborik's goals were from closer in, but using the defensemen as screens. On his second goal, he used the big body of Milan Jurcina and Lawson never stood a chance.
The game had a very little chippiness to it. There were a fair amount of scuffles, but as time went on things seemed to quiet down. Sean Avery didn't go through many of his antics in the 2nd and 3rd period. Zenon Konopka had perhaps his quietest game as an Islander, and contrary to what I thought late in the 3rd, he was not hurt.
Matt Martin and Michael Sauer got into the only fight. It was a spirited scrap very late in the game.
The Islanders have a couple of days off to work on their PK and overall defensive play before taking on the Carolina Hurricanes on the road on Friday.
AARON NESS SIGNING? Multiple places have been reporting possible news that prospect Aaron Ness is leaving the University of Minnesota in order to sign his pro contract with the Isles. No one is confirming anything at this time, but it would not surprise me if Ness makes the jump now.
If he does, it's better late than never. This past summer, David Toews left the University of North Dakota to play in the WHL as he felt it would be better for his career.
Also this past summer, Minnesota lost two top players within a week of each other as Nick Leddy and Josh Birkholz left early. Of course, Isles fans remember that it was Okposo who left early a few years back. The big issue there was Garth Snow's concerns over the way Don Lucia was running the program.
So here we are, four years later and as the article mentions, 15 early exits later (31 total under Lucia). Minnesota has floundered the last three seasons and their records have been unimpressive.
I do think Ness still has some talent to him and just needs to get out of the once proud program. If he does, the biggest issue surrounding him will be his size. But with many small defensemen able to make it to the big leagues these days with the emphasis on special teams and scoring, anything is possible. He'll need to improve upon his positioning to have any kind of future in the NHL, similar to the way Mark Katic worked on his game.
We'll keep an eye on this situation. But right now, all appears quiet.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
It's unfortunate that he didn't get that chance. Many Islanders didn't play well enough to give him that chance. The on-ice officiating didn't do much to help that cause either.
All I'll say about the officiating is that they made some pretty bad calls. There were a couple that were fine, like the call on Micheal Haley and the call on Travis Hamonic (despite what Butch Goring was saying). But the hooking calls on Blake Comeau and Michael Grabner had me curious. There was a whole lot of nothing to them, and certainly not enough to give the Rangers a long 5-on-3 advantage. They used some of these chances given to them to build up a 5-2 lead. They would go on to win 6-3.
Aside from that, the Isles defense was very shoddy. On their first goal, Andrew MacDonald fell down. While that didn't help matters, it was compounded by the fact that Brandon Prust was easily able to get around Kyle Okposo and that Josh Bailey stood two feet away from the play and just watched as MacDonald fell and Prust shoot a loose puck into an open net.
That would be the beginning of a rather rough night for Bailey, who had been playing really well recently up until this point. I have no doubts that he'll pick up right where he left off in the next game.
Bruno Gervais also had a rough game, as he seemed to lose the puck a number of times with one of those times costing the Isles a goal as the rangers had essentially an open net. It was a bit of a freak thing however as Montoya had his pads flat on the ice - or he appeared to, anyway. The puck got past both he and Gervais to a wide open Ryan Callahan.
The Isles let a total of 47 shots get in on Montoya and Nathan Lawson. If someone watched the first 10 minutes of the game and went away for the night, they may come home to a score that is rather surprising. In the early going, both Montoya and Henrik Lundqvist made some really solid saves. As Butch Goring had mentioned, if not for them the score could have been 3-3 instead of 1-0 Rangers at the time.
The Islanders got into a 2-0 hole, but as they did last week against Boston, they quickly battled back to tie the game at two.
Jack Hillen took a nice shot, but even better than that was the play of John Tavares on the shift. He did all he could along the boards to keep the puck in deep, bring it behind the net, get it to his stick and find Hillen at the point for a one-time slap shot. The puck actually grazed off of Matt Moulson's knee to give him his 30th goal of the season. It's his 2nd straight 30 goal season, and he finally has it under his belt now. Last game he was given a goal, but that was later changed to Tavares'.
The Isles 2nd goal came on a beautiful mid-air tip in by P.A. Parenteau, who is now closing on the 20 goal mark himself with 17.
The Rangers got some goals on some nice chances. Both of Marian Gaborik's goals were from closer in, but using the defensemen as screens. On his second goal, he used the big body of Milan Jurcina and Lawson never stood a chance.
The game had a very little chippiness to it. There were a fair amount of scuffles, but as time went on things seemed to quiet down. Sean Avery didn't go through many of his antics in the 2nd and 3rd period. Zenon Konopka had perhaps his quietest game as an Islander, and contrary to what I thought late in the 3rd, he was not hurt.
Matt Martin and Michael Sauer got into the only fight. It was a spirited scrap very late in the game.
The Islanders have a couple of days off to work on their PK and overall defensive play before taking on the Carolina Hurricanes on the road on Friday.
AARON NESS SIGNING? Multiple places have been reporting possible news that prospect Aaron Ness is leaving the University of Minnesota in order to sign his pro contract with the Isles. No one is confirming anything at this time, but it would not surprise me if Ness makes the jump now.
If he does, it's better late than never. This past summer, David Toews left the University of North Dakota to play in the WHL as he felt it would be better for his career.
Also this past summer, Minnesota lost two top players within a week of each other as Nick Leddy and Josh Birkholz left early. Of course, Isles fans remember that it was Okposo who left early a few years back. The big issue there was Garth Snow's concerns over the way Don Lucia was running the program.
So here we are, four years later and as the article mentions, 15 early exits later (31 total under Lucia). Minnesota has floundered the last three seasons and their records have been unimpressive.
I do think Ness still has some talent to him and just needs to get out of the once proud program. If he does, the biggest issue surrounding him will be his size. But with many small defensemen able to make it to the big leagues these days with the emphasis on special teams and scoring, anything is possible. He'll need to improve upon his positioning to have any kind of future in the NHL, similar to the way Mark Katic worked on his game.
We'll keep an eye on this situation. But right now, all appears quiet.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
December 28, 2010
Bad Goals Snap Streaks
Both Dwayne Roloson and the Islanders saw their three game winning streaks snapped on Monday night thanks to the New York Rangers. With their 7-2 win, the Rangers ended their minor slump and frustrated the Islanders all night.
Roloson had to face 52 shots thanks in part to an Islanders team in front of him that often seemed disinterested. Roloson did give up some pretty bad goals, and after the game he took the blame for the loss. However, the fact that the Isles let that many shots get through to him is still inexcusable, and I personally don't pin the entire game on Roloson.
Even the Isles goals were a bit fluky. Rob Schremp seemed to surprise Henrik Lundqvist on his shot, which Lundqvist nonchalantly went to glove but it nicked off his glove and ended up in the net. P.A. Parenteau made a little nifty pass to no one in particular and after Lundqvist made a save, the rebound went right to Parenteau who was crashing the net along with John Tavares.
The Rangers meanwhile, played the way they know how to play and have been playing for most of the year. They have developed a penchant for being a team that will out work their opponents, not necessarily out-skill them. In this game, they did both against an Islanders team that always seems to take two steps forward and one step back.
In a game like this, it's very difficult to point out anyone who stood out as being good or bad. When you give up that many shots, it's a team effort. As Schremp said in the post game interview, they had an off day and the Isles didn't. They hit a wall, which is inexcusable. Perhaps there is where you feel the effects of not doing any activity for two days during the holiday break.
Jack Capuano said that he plans to throw the tape away for this one. Fair enough, but it is something you should probably keep in the back of your mind. A couple of other stinkers like this, and then you'll have to ask your players which team they are - this one, or the one from the previous five games as they felt the need to point out as often as they could after this one.
The Islanders play the Penguins next in a game where I'll be in the press box for. I'm working on a fairly intriguing story for that one, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that one.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
Roloson had to face 52 shots thanks in part to an Islanders team in front of him that often seemed disinterested. Roloson did give up some pretty bad goals, and after the game he took the blame for the loss. However, the fact that the Isles let that many shots get through to him is still inexcusable, and I personally don't pin the entire game on Roloson.
Even the Isles goals were a bit fluky. Rob Schremp seemed to surprise Henrik Lundqvist on his shot, which Lundqvist nonchalantly went to glove but it nicked off his glove and ended up in the net. P.A. Parenteau made a little nifty pass to no one in particular and after Lundqvist made a save, the rebound went right to Parenteau who was crashing the net along with John Tavares.
The Rangers meanwhile, played the way they know how to play and have been playing for most of the year. They have developed a penchant for being a team that will out work their opponents, not necessarily out-skill them. In this game, they did both against an Islanders team that always seems to take two steps forward and one step back.
In a game like this, it's very difficult to point out anyone who stood out as being good or bad. When you give up that many shots, it's a team effort. As Schremp said in the post game interview, they had an off day and the Isles didn't. They hit a wall, which is inexcusable. Perhaps there is where you feel the effects of not doing any activity for two days during the holiday break.
Jack Capuano said that he plans to throw the tape away for this one. Fair enough, but it is something you should probably keep in the back of your mind. A couple of other stinkers like this, and then you'll have to ask your players which team they are - this one, or the one from the previous five games as they felt the need to point out as often as they could after this one.
The Islanders play the Penguins next in a game where I'll be in the press box for. I'm working on a fairly intriguing story for that one, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for that one.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
December 4, 2010
Rangers Sweep Home and Home Against Islanders
The Islanders and Rangers played a much different game than the one they played Thursday night. While that one may have had more of a pond hockey feel to it, this one was purely defensive for both teams.
The Rangers out shot the Islanders 20-17. The lone puck that beat a goaltender was when Marc Staal's shot from the point got through three Isles on a power-play for the Rangers. Brian Boyle would add an empty netter to give the Rangers a 2-0 win.
After the Thursday night game, I didn't really bother to go into much detail about the defensive play since the game was pure offense all around. Friday, with the Islanders offense non-existent and the Rangers offense almost non-existent, the only details to point out are really only on the defensive end.
While Thursday's game was not a banner game for many of the Isles blue-liners, Friday's game was a little bit of a different story.
Two of the Islanders biggest culprits of poor play in the first go around were Mark Eaton and Radek Martinek. I felt both of them were the most solid Friday. It was quite a change from a day ago, but a very welcome sight indeed.
Eaton did a lot of what he does best - block shots. He finished the game with four registered blocks. Throughout the night, especially on the penalty kill you could see him using his stick and making some nice poke checks and stick checks.
Martinek blocked a good amount of shots too, and got more involved with the offense. He had a couple of nice shots and even made a little toe drag move on an offensive rush. The speed he showed there was something that I don't recall seeing before.
Travis Hamonic played well once again, while his defensive partner Andrew MacDonald threw some nice checks and looked very smooth again. It's not taking him very long to get back into the swing of things.
Once again, you can't say enough about Dwayne Roloson. He was solid once again, and made a few spectacular saves.
As far as the offense goes, the Islanders had some chances to get pucks towards the net and quite simply they did not. They hold on to the puck, and take too long to make decisions. When they are going on an offensive rush, there is way too much East-West movement, giving the opposing team the chance to get back in. I understand wanting to have strength in numbers, but there are some times where you can wait for your teammates to come back into the play. Sometimes, the puck carrier has to go in by himself, get the puck in deep and go from there.
Frans Nielsen got hit in the head by an elbow from Ryan Callahan, and while he did not get injured it was still a penalty. It was the right call by the refs, and the right move for Jesse Joensuu to go after him. Joensuu is no fighter, and Callahan is much tougher than he is. I give a lot of credit to Joensuu for going after him, even if it cost him 19 minutes in penalties.
Now the Isles will turn their attention to Sunday, where they will turn their attention to the Philadelphia Flyers as they return home.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
The Rangers out shot the Islanders 20-17. The lone puck that beat a goaltender was when Marc Staal's shot from the point got through three Isles on a power-play for the Rangers. Brian Boyle would add an empty netter to give the Rangers a 2-0 win.
After the Thursday night game, I didn't really bother to go into much detail about the defensive play since the game was pure offense all around. Friday, with the Islanders offense non-existent and the Rangers offense almost non-existent, the only details to point out are really only on the defensive end.
While Thursday's game was not a banner game for many of the Isles blue-liners, Friday's game was a little bit of a different story.
Two of the Islanders biggest culprits of poor play in the first go around were Mark Eaton and Radek Martinek. I felt both of them were the most solid Friday. It was quite a change from a day ago, but a very welcome sight indeed.
Eaton did a lot of what he does best - block shots. He finished the game with four registered blocks. Throughout the night, especially on the penalty kill you could see him using his stick and making some nice poke checks and stick checks.
Martinek blocked a good amount of shots too, and got more involved with the offense. He had a couple of nice shots and even made a little toe drag move on an offensive rush. The speed he showed there was something that I don't recall seeing before.
Travis Hamonic played well once again, while his defensive partner Andrew MacDonald threw some nice checks and looked very smooth again. It's not taking him very long to get back into the swing of things.
Once again, you can't say enough about Dwayne Roloson. He was solid once again, and made a few spectacular saves.
As far as the offense goes, the Islanders had some chances to get pucks towards the net and quite simply they did not. They hold on to the puck, and take too long to make decisions. When they are going on an offensive rush, there is way too much East-West movement, giving the opposing team the chance to get back in. I understand wanting to have strength in numbers, but there are some times where you can wait for your teammates to come back into the play. Sometimes, the puck carrier has to go in by himself, get the puck in deep and go from there.
Frans Nielsen got hit in the head by an elbow from Ryan Callahan, and while he did not get injured it was still a penalty. It was the right call by the refs, and the right move for Jesse Joensuu to go after him. Joensuu is no fighter, and Callahan is much tougher than he is. I give a lot of credit to Joensuu for going after him, even if it cost him 19 minutes in penalties.
Now the Isles will turn their attention to Sunday, where they will turn their attention to the Philadelphia Flyers as they return home.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
December 2, 2010
Rangers 6, Islanders 5
Given the way the game started, if anyone told me that in the middle of the 2nd period that it would turn out to be a game of pond hockey, I would have laughed.
But that is exactly what happened.
A total of 11 goals were scored as the Rangers defeated the Islanders 6-5. For the Islanders, it was the first time they scored more than four goals since October 16th when they beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2.
There literally was not much defensively in this game from either side. It seemed that no one wanted the lead.
What was one of the more encouraging items from this game, believe it or not, was that the Islanders twice erased two goal deficits. Considering how many times this team put pucks in the net over the past month (not many) the offensive outburst was great to see.
What wasn't great for the Isles however was Marian Gaborik's hat trick. Gaborik has been in and out of the Rangers line-up all season, so for him to be able to come up huge is a big story for the Rangers. They will hope that he can use this momentum and add to the scoring of Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan.
The Islanders goals came from Zenon Konopka, Matt Moulson, Rob Schremp, Michael Grabner and Blake Comeau.
Obviously, Comeau is the least surprising name on that list given how well he always plays against the Rangers. It was great to see him get the goal to tie the game up at five though. Despite the loss, here's hoping that big goal gives him the momentum to get back on the track he was on early in the season.
Grabner scored his goal on a tip-in off of a shot by Radek Martinek, but he played so well throughout the night. It's been really nice to see him perform as well as he has. He and Moulson have really been the Islanders two best forwards over the past month.
The Islanders only had one power-play chance tonight, and they failed to convert on it. It was the first chance since the injured Doug Weight coached the units. The movement was slightly better, and shots came from area's we hadn't really seen. When the Isles get more chances, hopefully we can have a better sample size and see if it truly will pay dividends.
Rick DiPietro let in some soft goals in my opinion. I don't solely blame anyone for the loss because it was one of those games where both teams let things get away from them, but he'll have to be a bit better. However, like I mentioned before, the defense did leave a lot to be desired tonight, and in fairness that shouldn't go unnoticed.
In his post game press conference, Jack Capuano stated that Dwayne Roloson will go tomorrow night in MSG. That's the right move here.
For those of you who followed on Twitter, you may have remembered me questioning John Tortorella's decision to swap Martin Biron for Henrik Lundqvist after Schremp's goal. It turned out that it was a good move and the Rangers stormed back to get a 5-3 lead. Even though they coughed it up, for quite some time that move really turned the game around, and it wasn't even due to Lundqvist. It was a while before he was really tested with anything tough. It was more just the Rangers responding, realizing how poorly they were playing after grabbing a 2-0 lead.
I would expect many of the same players to be in for round two tomorrow night. Both Trevor Gillies and Matt Martin got into fights, and given the nature of this game you can bet tomorrow will be an equally as fun re-match.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
But that is exactly what happened.
A total of 11 goals were scored as the Rangers defeated the Islanders 6-5. For the Islanders, it was the first time they scored more than four goals since October 16th when they beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-2.
There literally was not much defensively in this game from either side. It seemed that no one wanted the lead.
What was one of the more encouraging items from this game, believe it or not, was that the Islanders twice erased two goal deficits. Considering how many times this team put pucks in the net over the past month (not many) the offensive outburst was great to see.
What wasn't great for the Isles however was Marian Gaborik's hat trick. Gaborik has been in and out of the Rangers line-up all season, so for him to be able to come up huge is a big story for the Rangers. They will hope that he can use this momentum and add to the scoring of Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan.
The Islanders goals came from Zenon Konopka, Matt Moulson, Rob Schremp, Michael Grabner and Blake Comeau.
Obviously, Comeau is the least surprising name on that list given how well he always plays against the Rangers. It was great to see him get the goal to tie the game up at five though. Despite the loss, here's hoping that big goal gives him the momentum to get back on the track he was on early in the season.
Grabner scored his goal on a tip-in off of a shot by Radek Martinek, but he played so well throughout the night. It's been really nice to see him perform as well as he has. He and Moulson have really been the Islanders two best forwards over the past month.
The Islanders only had one power-play chance tonight, and they failed to convert on it. It was the first chance since the injured Doug Weight coached the units. The movement was slightly better, and shots came from area's we hadn't really seen. When the Isles get more chances, hopefully we can have a better sample size and see if it truly will pay dividends.
Rick DiPietro let in some soft goals in my opinion. I don't solely blame anyone for the loss because it was one of those games where both teams let things get away from them, but he'll have to be a bit better. However, like I mentioned before, the defense did leave a lot to be desired tonight, and in fairness that shouldn't go unnoticed.
In his post game press conference, Jack Capuano stated that Dwayne Roloson will go tomorrow night in MSG. That's the right move here.
For those of you who followed on Twitter, you may have remembered me questioning John Tortorella's decision to swap Martin Biron for Henrik Lundqvist after Schremp's goal. It turned out that it was a good move and the Rangers stormed back to get a 5-3 lead. Even though they coughed it up, for quite some time that move really turned the game around, and it wasn't even due to Lundqvist. It was a while before he was really tested with anything tough. It was more just the Rangers responding, realizing how poorly they were playing after grabbing a 2-0 lead.
I would expect many of the same players to be in for round two tomorrow night. Both Trevor Gillies and Matt Martin got into fights, and given the nature of this game you can bet tomorrow will be an equally as fun re-match.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
Islanders Begin Home-and-Home with Rangers
After five off days, the Islanders finally get back in action tonight as they take on the New York Rangers.
Andrew MacDonald and Jack Hillen have been taken off of IR, and MacDonald will definitely be in the line-up tonight. Hillen and Bruno Gervais are the healthy scratches, meaning both Dylan Reese and Travis Hamonic are playing.
Doug Weight remains out with the back spasms. He has spent the last two days helping out to coach the power-play. There is something to be said for that, but I'll save that for the coaching candidates post that will hopefully come soon.
Rick DiPietro gets his 4th straight start in net, and he deserves it. However, part of me wanted to split this home and home up and have DP go in MSG, where he seems to always play very well. Jack Capuano is riding the hot hand for however long. If DP plays well once again tonight, then he most likely will get Friday's game at MSG too.
Matrin Biron gets the start for the Rangers against his former team. Biron has become an Islanders killer over the years, so this is not good news for the blue and orange. He has looked strong this year.
The Rangers provide a tough test for the Islanders despite some of their scoring problems. Their defense has surprisingly been one of the best in the league, leading the way in blocked shots. Marian Gaborik has been in and out of the lineup with some injuries, which is one of the main reasons for the scoring issues. Both Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan have picked up a lot of the slack this season, and both always play very well against the Islanders. They will surely be ones to watch.
From the Islanders side, Blake Comeau always has excellent performances against the Rangers, and I would expect this to be a two day outburst from him. Will it last longer that these two games though? One would like to think so, considering he only has one point in his last 10 games. But at the same time, we have seen this act many times before. We can only hope that this serves as a wake-up call for him. If practice lines from yesterday are any indication, Comeau will be on the third line tonight with Rob Schremp and Jesse Joensuu.
Trevor Gillies most likely will find his way back into the line-up tonight seeing as it will be an intense game. The Rangers are angry from losing their last game to the Penguins, where Sidney Crosby had his alleged "slew foot." I would expect this one to get chippy.
Get ready for a fun one.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
Andrew MacDonald and Jack Hillen have been taken off of IR, and MacDonald will definitely be in the line-up tonight. Hillen and Bruno Gervais are the healthy scratches, meaning both Dylan Reese and Travis Hamonic are playing.
Doug Weight remains out with the back spasms. He has spent the last two days helping out to coach the power-play. There is something to be said for that, but I'll save that for the coaching candidates post that will hopefully come soon.
Rick DiPietro gets his 4th straight start in net, and he deserves it. However, part of me wanted to split this home and home up and have DP go in MSG, where he seems to always play very well. Jack Capuano is riding the hot hand for however long. If DP plays well once again tonight, then he most likely will get Friday's game at MSG too.
Matrin Biron gets the start for the Rangers against his former team. Biron has become an Islanders killer over the years, so this is not good news for the blue and orange. He has looked strong this year.
The Rangers provide a tough test for the Islanders despite some of their scoring problems. Their defense has surprisingly been one of the best in the league, leading the way in blocked shots. Marian Gaborik has been in and out of the lineup with some injuries, which is one of the main reasons for the scoring issues. Both Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan have picked up a lot of the slack this season, and both always play very well against the Islanders. They will surely be ones to watch.
From the Islanders side, Blake Comeau always has excellent performances against the Rangers, and I would expect this to be a two day outburst from him. Will it last longer that these two games though? One would like to think so, considering he only has one point in his last 10 games. But at the same time, we have seen this act many times before. We can only hope that this serves as a wake-up call for him. If practice lines from yesterday are any indication, Comeau will be on the third line tonight with Rob Schremp and Jesse Joensuu.
Trevor Gillies most likely will find his way back into the line-up tonight seeing as it will be an intense game. The Rangers are angry from losing their last game to the Penguins, where Sidney Crosby had his alleged "slew foot." I would expect this one to get chippy.
Get ready for a fun one.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
October 11, 2010
Isles vs. Rangers (1 PM) Pre-game Notes; Podcast Posted
3:50: The Isles have come from behind to defeat the Rangers 6-4. More coming later, with a write-up.
2:03: Isles are leading 2-1 after 1 period. Comeau and Bailey scored the goals for the Isles, Dubinksy for the Rangers. New Isles goal song is "Live is Life" by Opus, according to one of my Blog Boxers. Can't say I know who that is, or what it sounds like. Will have to check it out when I'm at home, by a computer with sound.
Konopka and Prust had a long fight, Avery up to his usual antics. DP apparently looks strong. Lets hope it stays that way.
12:52 PM: Konopka, Jon Sim, Sean Avery and Brian Boyle apparently all exchanged words during the pre-game skate according to Katie Strang and Rob McGowan. Looks like the fun has started already.
11:20: It took all of eight minutes for me to be wrong about something. Rick DiPietro is starting today, as per the team.
11:15: The Islanders will be wearing their white uniforms today. Also, they have announced that they have a new goal song for today. The players, Zenon Konopka in particular, have requested a change. Very interested to see what they choose.
11:12 AM: The Islanders and Rangers waste no time going at it, with the teams facing off with each other in each teams 2nd game of the season.
Unfortunately, it appears that the Coliseum will not be sold out, and might even be the lowest attended Isles-Rangers game since the 1970's.
The Rangers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-3 on Saturday night, with rookie Derek Stepan scoring a hat trick. He'll be one to watch out for. He was already coming into the season highly regarded and his performance only added more fuel to that.
The Islanders will be without John Tavares for this one as he is going to be re-evaluated today for his concussion. Yesterday he was said to be in good condition, only feeling some pain in his neck and performed off ice workouts. I think it's a wise move to keep him out of a game like this one. But this is good news, as it appears he'll be back by the end of the week.
No official starter has been announced yet, but I'm assuming Dwayne Roloson will get the start in this one based on the set schedule for Rick DiPietro. Josh Bailey will move up to JT's spot on the first line, while Michael Grabner makes his Islanders debut on a line with Doug Weight and Nino Niederreiter. Weight and Bailey were two of the best Islanders on the ice in the home opener on Saturday. Look for them to have strong games. Blake Comeau always seems to elevate his game against the Rangers, so it's a safe bet that he will pick up where he left off on Saturday night and have a strong game as well.
The Islanders special teams were a strong point the other night as the powerplay went three for eight, while the team successfully killed off six of seven penalties. The Islanders need a performance like that again in order to really be successful in this game. They need to cut down on their penalties as well though - the Rangers offense is slightly more established and stronger than Dallas. You can't give them too many chances.
The Islanders need to shoot as much as they did against Dallas in order to create some opportunities for the offence. Without Tavares, it is the best thing they can do.
PODCAST POSTED: Our latest podcast is now posted for your enjoyment. It was nice to finally talk about actual game action, and we were able to get some thoughts from a Dallas Stars fan as well. Be sure to check it out.
That's all for now. As we get some updates about Tavares, or the game I'll try to post them here or on our Twitter account (unfortunately for us, Columbus Day isn't much of a "holiday" in the working world). So be sure to check back for that, but definitely come back tonight for the post game write-up.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
2:03: Isles are leading 2-1 after 1 period. Comeau and Bailey scored the goals for the Isles, Dubinksy for the Rangers. New Isles goal song is "Live is Life" by Opus, according to one of my Blog Boxers. Can't say I know who that is, or what it sounds like. Will have to check it out when I'm at home, by a computer with sound.
Konopka and Prust had a long fight, Avery up to his usual antics. DP apparently looks strong. Lets hope it stays that way.
12:52 PM: Konopka, Jon Sim, Sean Avery and Brian Boyle apparently all exchanged words during the pre-game skate according to Katie Strang and Rob McGowan. Looks like the fun has started already.
11:20: It took all of eight minutes for me to be wrong about something. Rick DiPietro is starting today, as per the team.
11:15: The Islanders will be wearing their white uniforms today. Also, they have announced that they have a new goal song for today. The players, Zenon Konopka in particular, have requested a change. Very interested to see what they choose.
11:12 AM: The Islanders and Rangers waste no time going at it, with the teams facing off with each other in each teams 2nd game of the season.
Unfortunately, it appears that the Coliseum will not be sold out, and might even be the lowest attended Isles-Rangers game since the 1970's.
The Rangers defeated the Buffalo Sabres 6-3 on Saturday night, with rookie Derek Stepan scoring a hat trick. He'll be one to watch out for. He was already coming into the season highly regarded and his performance only added more fuel to that.
The Islanders will be without John Tavares for this one as he is going to be re-evaluated today for his concussion. Yesterday he was said to be in good condition, only feeling some pain in his neck and performed off ice workouts. I think it's a wise move to keep him out of a game like this one. But this is good news, as it appears he'll be back by the end of the week.
No official starter has been announced yet, but I'm assuming Dwayne Roloson will get the start in this one based on the set schedule for Rick DiPietro. Josh Bailey will move up to JT's spot on the first line, while Michael Grabner makes his Islanders debut on a line with Doug Weight and Nino Niederreiter. Weight and Bailey were two of the best Islanders on the ice in the home opener on Saturday. Look for them to have strong games. Blake Comeau always seems to elevate his game against the Rangers, so it's a safe bet that he will pick up where he left off on Saturday night and have a strong game as well.
The Islanders special teams were a strong point the other night as the powerplay went three for eight, while the team successfully killed off six of seven penalties. The Islanders need a performance like that again in order to really be successful in this game. They need to cut down on their penalties as well though - the Rangers offense is slightly more established and stronger than Dallas. You can't give them too many chances.
The Islanders need to shoot as much as they did against Dallas in order to create some opportunities for the offence. Without Tavares, it is the best thing they can do.
PODCAST POSTED: Our latest podcast is now posted for your enjoyment. It was nice to finally talk about actual game action, and we were able to get some thoughts from a Dallas Stars fan as well. Be sure to check it out.
That's all for now. As we get some updates about Tavares, or the game I'll try to post them here or on our Twitter account (unfortunately for us, Columbus Day isn't much of a "holiday" in the working world). So be sure to check back for that, but definitely come back tonight for the post game write-up.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
May 30, 2008
Where we Stand; R.I.P. Luc Bourdon
The Islanders season obviously didn't go as well as we all would have hoped, but that happens. In all honesty, I felt they were a playoff team and they had some real good chemistry in the early going. As the season rolled on, their inability to score goals began to hurt them, not to mention a lack of creativity on the powerplay.
As things stand right now, those are two of the glaring needs staring the franchise right in the face. Being that nothing can be done with this until the Stanley Cup Finals are over, we'll have to wait to see how that plays itself out. To a lesser extent, another problem for the team is a lack of prospect depth. That is something that the team has addressed.
Two games before the end of the season came, the team announced the signing of Jack Hillen, 22, out of Colorado College. Hillen was thrown into the fire immediately for the two games, both against the Rangers and really played well for someone who had only just been playing with other kids his age. Weeks later the team announced the signing of Rob Hennigar, who was the CIS player of the year this past season at 25 years of age. Hennigar was a very effective playmaking winger at the University of New Brunswick. Although these guys aren't being highly touted or anything, its great to take a shot on guys like these, especially for a team like the Isles which has a farm system that's thinner than that of many other teams.
The Isles also seemed to luck out with many of their picks from the 2006 NHL draft. The first rounder from that year, Kyle Okposo left the University of Minnesota mid-season to begin his pro career. Kyle was effective in his 9 games for the Isles. The teams 2nd round pick from that year, Jesse Joensuu, was also signed to a contract and played in only one AHL game for Bridgeport, but looked pretty good in that game. The Isles also signed their 3rd rounder from that year, Robin Figren. Figren had played with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL. Figren shined at the world juniors, and upon coming back to Edmonton he continued his hot play and received some nice words from his coaching staff, when they hinted that he would be signed by the Isles. Figren will spend next season back home in Sweeden before returning to North America to play with the organization in 2009-2010. Finally, the team also signed their 4th rounder, Tomas Marcinko. Marcinko played last season in the OHL, and averaged about a point per game. It is not completely clear where he will play next season, be it here or back home in Slovakia.
Again, none of those players appear to be anything special right now, but they have all had some good success where they have played. Maybe the Isles lucked out with some of those players from the later rounds. Okposo is going to become a great player in this league, and he'll have a running mate in 3 weeks when the Isles select 5th in the 2008 NHL draft. There are a number of players at the top of this year's draft who are going to be excellent, and many can step in immediately to help NHL clubs. So that should be fun to watch. In the coming days I'll give a better rundown of where I would rank the '08 draftees and talk in depth about some of the players.
The Isles have taken advantage of their ability to only sign people with the playoffs still going on. You can't go wrong with the moves they have made. As far as solving the problems of the NHL club, we'll probably start to hear more rumors and such once trading can begin again. Should be fun when that happens.
R.I.P. LUC BOURDON
As many of you have heard already, the hockey world lost one of their top prospects yesterday when Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luc Bourdon crashed his motorcycle into a tractor trailer near his home town. Bourdon was 21. As someone who has really followed prospects a lot, Bourdon really appealed to me and once I got to see him a bit more he quickly became one of my favorite d-man prospects in the league. Last season he got a taste of NHL life and he seemed to do well with that. He was only going to get better and would have lived up to his top 10 selection in 2005 very quickly. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. I can only hope that we don't have to hear something like this again.
As things stand right now, those are two of the glaring needs staring the franchise right in the face. Being that nothing can be done with this until the Stanley Cup Finals are over, we'll have to wait to see how that plays itself out. To a lesser extent, another problem for the team is a lack of prospect depth. That is something that the team has addressed.
Two games before the end of the season came, the team announced the signing of Jack Hillen, 22, out of Colorado College. Hillen was thrown into the fire immediately for the two games, both against the Rangers and really played well for someone who had only just been playing with other kids his age. Weeks later the team announced the signing of Rob Hennigar, who was the CIS player of the year this past season at 25 years of age. Hennigar was a very effective playmaking winger at the University of New Brunswick. Although these guys aren't being highly touted or anything, its great to take a shot on guys like these, especially for a team like the Isles which has a farm system that's thinner than that of many other teams.
The Isles also seemed to luck out with many of their picks from the 2006 NHL draft. The first rounder from that year, Kyle Okposo left the University of Minnesota mid-season to begin his pro career. Kyle was effective in his 9 games for the Isles. The teams 2nd round pick from that year, Jesse Joensuu, was also signed to a contract and played in only one AHL game for Bridgeport, but looked pretty good in that game. The Isles also signed their 3rd rounder from that year, Robin Figren. Figren had played with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL. Figren shined at the world juniors, and upon coming back to Edmonton he continued his hot play and received some nice words from his coaching staff, when they hinted that he would be signed by the Isles. Figren will spend next season back home in Sweeden before returning to North America to play with the organization in 2009-2010. Finally, the team also signed their 4th rounder, Tomas Marcinko. Marcinko played last season in the OHL, and averaged about a point per game. It is not completely clear where he will play next season, be it here or back home in Slovakia.
Again, none of those players appear to be anything special right now, but they have all had some good success where they have played. Maybe the Isles lucked out with some of those players from the later rounds. Okposo is going to become a great player in this league, and he'll have a running mate in 3 weeks when the Isles select 5th in the 2008 NHL draft. There are a number of players at the top of this year's draft who are going to be excellent, and many can step in immediately to help NHL clubs. So that should be fun to watch. In the coming days I'll give a better rundown of where I would rank the '08 draftees and talk in depth about some of the players.
The Isles have taken advantage of their ability to only sign people with the playoffs still going on. You can't go wrong with the moves they have made. As far as solving the problems of the NHL club, we'll probably start to hear more rumors and such once trading can begin again. Should be fun when that happens.
R.I.P. LUC BOURDON
As many of you have heard already, the hockey world lost one of their top prospects yesterday when Vancouver Canucks defenseman Luc Bourdon crashed his motorcycle into a tractor trailer near his home town. Bourdon was 21. As someone who has really followed prospects a lot, Bourdon really appealed to me and once I got to see him a bit more he quickly became one of my favorite d-man prospects in the league. Last season he got a taste of NHL life and he seemed to do well with that. He was only going to get better and would have lived up to his top 10 selection in 2005 very quickly. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family. I can only hope that we don't have to hear something like this again.
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