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.
Showing posts with label Phil Kessel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Phil Kessel. Show all posts
December 23, 2011
February 22, 2011
Late Goal Gives Leafs Win
If not for the play of goalie Al Montoya, this game probably doesn't end up as close as it showed on the scoreboard at the end.
The Maple Leafs had many quality chances on a short-handed Isles team, but Montoya stood tall and was up to the task. He made some outstanding saves when called upon, especially with a weaker defense without Radek Martinek and after losing Milan Jurcina in the first period as well.
There's one thing I have admired about the Leafs these last couple of seasons, and that's their ability to be first to lose pucks. This isn't something that has always happened during their lean years, but the last few times against them it seems to be the case.
The Islanders were beaten to many of the loose pucks. This was the plan the whole time by the Leafs and was executed very nicely. The Islanders expected to have all sorts of time to get their shots towards the net but were always met with a Leafs player immediately putting the pressure on.
Near the end of the game, the Isles seemed to realize that what they had done for the better part of two games was no longer working and that they had to try and get the pucks deep instead. That lead to a couple of nice shifts in the 3rd, but didn't produce any goals.
For much of the first period, the Isles best line was their 4th line. It seemed that throughout their first few shifts, Zenon Konopka, Matt Martin and Micheal Haley had some good cycling going on. While they didn't have any great scoring opportunities, the puck possession was very good, and actually uncharacteristic from what we have generally seen from the 4th line this season.
James Reimer stood tall as well and made several key stops against the Isles. This is another young goalie who came up and has really stole the show, and has been key in bringing the Leafs back into the playoff hunt. Phil Kessel, who has developed into an Isles killer throughout his young career, scored the winner with about five minutes left on a really nice looking individual play.
If the Isles are to sustain any momentum heading into their home-and-home with the Washington Capitals starting this weekend, then they need to get a point our two out of Philly. This is a place that hasn't been good to the Islanders at all for three years now, so the odds are stacked against them. But given performances against top teams such as Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Los Angeles in the past two weeks, stranger things have happened.
Let's hope that Martinek is healthy, not only for the good of the Isles on the ice but also for the possibility off of it (trade wise). I have been putting together a little post on what his value could be for the team, both if he stays and what he could bring back in a trade. Be sure to look for that in the next day or so.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
Check out NYI FYI's UStream and MyPodcast links to be sure you caught up with this past Sunday's show
The Maple Leafs had many quality chances on a short-handed Isles team, but Montoya stood tall and was up to the task. He made some outstanding saves when called upon, especially with a weaker defense without Radek Martinek and after losing Milan Jurcina in the first period as well.
There's one thing I have admired about the Leafs these last couple of seasons, and that's their ability to be first to lose pucks. This isn't something that has always happened during their lean years, but the last few times against them it seems to be the case.
The Islanders were beaten to many of the loose pucks. This was the plan the whole time by the Leafs and was executed very nicely. The Islanders expected to have all sorts of time to get their shots towards the net but were always met with a Leafs player immediately putting the pressure on.
Near the end of the game, the Isles seemed to realize that what they had done for the better part of two games was no longer working and that they had to try and get the pucks deep instead. That lead to a couple of nice shifts in the 3rd, but didn't produce any goals.
For much of the first period, the Isles best line was their 4th line. It seemed that throughout their first few shifts, Zenon Konopka, Matt Martin and Micheal Haley had some good cycling going on. While they didn't have any great scoring opportunities, the puck possession was very good, and actually uncharacteristic from what we have generally seen from the 4th line this season.
James Reimer stood tall as well and made several key stops against the Isles. This is another young goalie who came up and has really stole the show, and has been key in bringing the Leafs back into the playoff hunt. Phil Kessel, who has developed into an Isles killer throughout his young career, scored the winner with about five minutes left on a really nice looking individual play.
If the Isles are to sustain any momentum heading into their home-and-home with the Washington Capitals starting this weekend, then they need to get a point our two out of Philly. This is a place that hasn't been good to the Islanders at all for three years now, so the odds are stacked against them. But given performances against top teams such as Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Los Angeles in the past two weeks, stranger things have happened.
Let's hope that Martinek is healthy, not only for the good of the Isles on the ice but also for the possibility off of it (trade wise). I have been putting together a little post on what his value could be for the team, both if he stays and what he could bring back in a trade. Be sure to look for that in the next day or so.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
Check out NYI FYI's UStream and MyPodcast links to be sure you caught up with this past Sunday's show
February 8, 2011
Who is Ty Wishart?
It may have taken a while for Ty Wishart to get his chance to show his stuff on the Islanders blue line, but when that time came it ended up being a fairly successful first weekend.
Wishart, acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the January 1st trade that sent beloved net minder Dwayne Roloson the other way, was called up from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on January 31st, the day after the NHL All Star Game. Wishart had five assists in 12 games with the Sound Tigers after posting a 4-14-18 line in 31 games with Tampa's AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals.
In general Wishart appeared to play well - nothing spectacular, but didn't always make any glaring mistakes. The play was enough for the Isles as they decided it was the time they gave Wishart his chance. He didn't get into the Isles first two games after the break, which were both on the road. The team returned to Long Island and held practice on Friday morning, giving us our first look at the 6'4", 222 pound defenseman in person.
I headed out to practice Friday with the main goal of speaking a few minutes with Wishart in order to get to know him better as a person and a player. I feel like there is only so much you can get by reading reports and watching videos online, so what better way than to see him in action, even if it was just a practice scenario.
For a guy his size, Wishart's skating isn't the worst in the world. It's an area of his game that is still a bit raw, but very serviceable. He is pretty mobile, and his defensive awareness is very good. When he was drafted, one of the points of emphasis of his game was that he can think the game at a high level and is almost always in the right position.
After practice on Friday, I sat down with Wishart. One of the questions I asked was if he had been told when he would get in a game. All he could say was that there was some talks about playing Saturday, but there were no guarantees. He got that chance and in my opinion, made the most of his first impression.
Chris Hessel: A lot of Islanders fans since the trade are wondering about Ty Wishart. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself - as a defenseman, how you got into hockey - things like that?
Wishart: Well, obviously it was the same thing as most Canadians. You grow up with the game. I grew up playing on a little pond in Ontario and went out West and continued from there.
As far as my game, I think I'm a two-way defenseman and hopefully I get a chance to get into the line-up and show the fans what I can do.
CH: Is there a player out there you grew up watching, a defenseman, that you try and emulate yourself after?
TW: No, not really. I didn't watch a whole lot of hockey growing up so I don't really model myself after anyone I don't think. I just try to play my own game and try to do the best I can.
CH: How did you find out about the trade (to the Isles)?
TW: The GM came in after the game in Wilkes-Barre and told me I got traded and we let the guys know and I went to Bridgeport from there.
CH: As a young player, you've been traded first in a package for Dan Boyle, who was very important to his team and then you were traded for Dwayne Roloson, another important player. What does that say to you as a message of faith, in this case from the Islanders?
TW: I don't know, but I'm definitely getting a pretty good trade card going on here! It feels like they want me and that's always a good feeling, going to a team that will give up a pretty good guy for you. That's definitely a pretty good feeling.
CH: Last year and this year both in the AHL, you seem to have picked up your play from a few seasons back. What's different for you, what has changed or what has gotten better?
TW: Confidence. My first year in the league I was pretty tentative and maybe didn't see the plays that I seem to be able to make now. It's definitely a huge confidence thing.
---
ISLES TAKE ON LEAFS: Wishart and the Isles prepare to take on the Maple Leafs Tuesday night at the Coliseum. The Leafs are a team that has struggled overall this season, but have played better of late in front of young net minder James Reimer. There is potentially some off ice problems going on behind the scenes with Phil Kessel and head coach Ron Wilson, but both have come out and denied that. Brian Burke meanwhile has said neither of them are going anywhere. Kessel has not registered a goal in 10 games, and has been pointless in the last five.
The Isles need to come out hard here and not take anything for granted. Kessel has good career numbers against the Isles (8-5-13 in 16 games) and this could be his opportunity to break out of his slump.
MISSED OUR SHOW? If you missed us live on Saturday for our latest installment of NYI FYI, you can catch up by going to our UStream page or, as always, the MyPodcast site.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
Wishart, acquired from the Tampa Bay Lightning in the January 1st trade that sent beloved net minder Dwayne Roloson the other way, was called up from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on January 31st, the day after the NHL All Star Game. Wishart had five assists in 12 games with the Sound Tigers after posting a 4-14-18 line in 31 games with Tampa's AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals.
In general Wishart appeared to play well - nothing spectacular, but didn't always make any glaring mistakes. The play was enough for the Isles as they decided it was the time they gave Wishart his chance. He didn't get into the Isles first two games after the break, which were both on the road. The team returned to Long Island and held practice on Friday morning, giving us our first look at the 6'4", 222 pound defenseman in person.
I headed out to practice Friday with the main goal of speaking a few minutes with Wishart in order to get to know him better as a person and a player. I feel like there is only so much you can get by reading reports and watching videos online, so what better way than to see him in action, even if it was just a practice scenario.
I watched Wishart fairly closely from the end where I was sitting. Seven defensemen practiced, with Wishart often running drills with Bruno Gervais. There were a couple of instances where he screwed up, like making a bad pass, and he would show frustration. Others weren't as animated as he was when making a mistake.
For a guy his size, Wishart's skating isn't the worst in the world. It's an area of his game that is still a bit raw, but very serviceable. He is pretty mobile, and his defensive awareness is very good. When he was drafted, one of the points of emphasis of his game was that he can think the game at a high level and is almost always in the right position.
But this is something many Islanders fans have figured out by now after finally getting to watch Wishart in his Isles debut. Wishart played just over 15 minutes against the Senators on Saturday, registering two assists and a couple of hits.
 |
| Ty Wishart has his chance now. Photo by C. Hessel |
Speaking of first impressions, when I went up and introduced myself to Ty I could see immediately why he was named Norfolk's "Man of the Year" after this past season. A great kid with a great personality. Hopefully, things work out for him and he develops while he's here.
Chris Hessel: A lot of Islanders fans since the trade are wondering about Ty Wishart. Could you tell us a little bit about yourself - as a defenseman, how you got into hockey - things like that?
Wishart: Well, obviously it was the same thing as most Canadians. You grow up with the game. I grew up playing on a little pond in Ontario and went out West and continued from there.
As far as my game, I think I'm a two-way defenseman and hopefully I get a chance to get into the line-up and show the fans what I can do.
CH: Is there a player out there you grew up watching, a defenseman, that you try and emulate yourself after?
TW: No, not really. I didn't watch a whole lot of hockey growing up so I don't really model myself after anyone I don't think. I just try to play my own game and try to do the best I can.
CH: How did you find out about the trade (to the Isles)?
TW: The GM came in after the game in Wilkes-Barre and told me I got traded and we let the guys know and I went to Bridgeport from there.
CH: As a young player, you've been traded first in a package for Dan Boyle, who was very important to his team and then you were traded for Dwayne Roloson, another important player. What does that say to you as a message of faith, in this case from the Islanders?
TW: I don't know, but I'm definitely getting a pretty good trade card going on here! It feels like they want me and that's always a good feeling, going to a team that will give up a pretty good guy for you. That's definitely a pretty good feeling.
CH: Last year and this year both in the AHL, you seem to have picked up your play from a few seasons back. What's different for you, what has changed or what has gotten better?
TW: Confidence. My first year in the league I was pretty tentative and maybe didn't see the plays that I seem to be able to make now. It's definitely a huge confidence thing.
---
ISLES TAKE ON LEAFS: Wishart and the Isles prepare to take on the Maple Leafs Tuesday night at the Coliseum. The Leafs are a team that has struggled overall this season, but have played better of late in front of young net minder James Reimer. There is potentially some off ice problems going on behind the scenes with Phil Kessel and head coach Ron Wilson, but both have come out and denied that. Brian Burke meanwhile has said neither of them are going anywhere. Kessel has not registered a goal in 10 games, and has been pointless in the last five.
The Isles need to come out hard here and not take anything for granted. Kessel has good career numbers against the Isles (8-5-13 in 16 games) and this could be his opportunity to break out of his slump.
MISSED OUR SHOW? If you missed us live on Saturday for our latest installment of NYI FYI, you can catch up by going to our UStream page or, as always, the MyPodcast site.
-CH
nyifyi@gmail.com
October 18, 2010
Battle of the Surprises: New York Islanders @ Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 PM
The Islanders (2-1-2) Take on the undefeated Maple Leafs (4-0-0) at 7 PM tonight. In the hockey world, this seems to be an anticipated match up, with differing view points across the board.
Despite what others around feel, be it about how good either of the teams really are or what have you, this is a huge game for the Islanders.
These two teams aren't the same ones that have skated the past two years. Brian Burke, believe it or not made some good additions to his team in the off-season. Meanwhile, their stars are actually playing like stars. Phil Kessel has gotten off to a very strong start (4 G-2 A-6 P in 4) while Dion Phaneuf looks like the Phaneuf of three seasons ago, the captaincy not phasing him at all. J.S. Giguere is a good goaltender, who fell on hard times the past couple of seasons, but also looks like he did a few years ago and is off to a hot start of his own (3-0-0, .914 SV %, 1.98 GAA). Add in some good supporting guys such as Colby Armstrong and Kris Versteeg, and you can see how this Maple Leafs team is better than the previous editions.
The Islanders announced that Dwayne Roloson will be in net tonight, with Scott Gordon pointing to the 58 save performance from last season. One would hope that, with an improved defense, Roloson doesn't have to come anywhere close to that tonight. This is the right decision as far as I'm concerned. Sean and I disagreed on the podcast last night (more on that later) about how much leeway Rick DiPietro should get. I feel that this will be a very long, drawn out process, as it should be for someone who had played 13 games the previous two seasons. He was beat up pretty good in the Pittsburgh game, most of it courtesy of Matt Cooke.
Trent Hunter did not make the trip and won't be in the lineup once again. Blake Comeau, who didn't play in the 2nd half of the 3rd period on Saturday after blocking a shot (we could hear it cleanly all the way up in the press box) will be playing.
Josh Bailey and John Tavares both had strong performances against the Leafs in Toronto last season, the team both have listed as the one they grew up rooting for. With the way Bailey has started this season, look for him to have yet another solid performance. Tavares seemed to still be getting his legs going during Saturdays game after missing the previous three with the concussion. I'll assume he needs another couple of games before we see the real Tavares show up, but don't put anything past him.
The power-play looked much better on Saturday with Tavares and James Wisniewski returning to the lineup. Not having their creativity affected the team in Washington and Pittsburgh. Toronto's PKers have been performing at a sky high rate of 93.3%. They have some excellent defensive forwards on the roster, which might make Wisniewski's job a bit tougher. That is where Mike Mottau and Andrew MacDonald will have to be on their games.
Toronto's power-play is middle of the road for now, but you always have to be concerned about the big guns of Phaneuf and Kessel. This is an Islander team that has generally been disciplined, but when they do go on the PK it seems slightly disorganized, despite having some success the last couple of games.
Based on comments from Leafs head coach Ron Wilson, his team won't be taking the Isles lightly as they seem to fly under the radar. They have a lot that they are playing for - defending their home turf and trying to get to 5-0-0 to start a season for the first time since 1993. The Islanders, meanwhile, will be looking to get to three wins and start their long road trip (10 of the next 12 on the road) with a statement win, while trying to take sole possession of 1st place.
This should be an interesting one.
New Podcast Posted: Sean and I recorded and uploaded our latest podcast late last night. For those of you not subscribed yet, it can be found at the NYI FYI podcast site. It's another long one, one and a half hours, but we talked about some good stuff without making it sound too boring. Hope you guys enjoy it.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
Despite what others around feel, be it about how good either of the teams really are or what have you, this is a huge game for the Islanders.
These two teams aren't the same ones that have skated the past two years. Brian Burke, believe it or not made some good additions to his team in the off-season. Meanwhile, their stars are actually playing like stars. Phil Kessel has gotten off to a very strong start (4 G-2 A-6 P in 4) while Dion Phaneuf looks like the Phaneuf of three seasons ago, the captaincy not phasing him at all. J.S. Giguere is a good goaltender, who fell on hard times the past couple of seasons, but also looks like he did a few years ago and is off to a hot start of his own (3-0-0, .914 SV %, 1.98 GAA). Add in some good supporting guys such as Colby Armstrong and Kris Versteeg, and you can see how this Maple Leafs team is better than the previous editions.
The Islanders announced that Dwayne Roloson will be in net tonight, with Scott Gordon pointing to the 58 save performance from last season. One would hope that, with an improved defense, Roloson doesn't have to come anywhere close to that tonight. This is the right decision as far as I'm concerned. Sean and I disagreed on the podcast last night (more on that later) about how much leeway Rick DiPietro should get. I feel that this will be a very long, drawn out process, as it should be for someone who had played 13 games the previous two seasons. He was beat up pretty good in the Pittsburgh game, most of it courtesy of Matt Cooke.
Trent Hunter did not make the trip and won't be in the lineup once again. Blake Comeau, who didn't play in the 2nd half of the 3rd period on Saturday after blocking a shot (we could hear it cleanly all the way up in the press box) will be playing.
Josh Bailey and John Tavares both had strong performances against the Leafs in Toronto last season, the team both have listed as the one they grew up rooting for. With the way Bailey has started this season, look for him to have yet another solid performance. Tavares seemed to still be getting his legs going during Saturdays game after missing the previous three with the concussion. I'll assume he needs another couple of games before we see the real Tavares show up, but don't put anything past him.
The power-play looked much better on Saturday with Tavares and James Wisniewski returning to the lineup. Not having their creativity affected the team in Washington and Pittsburgh. Toronto's PKers have been performing at a sky high rate of 93.3%. They have some excellent defensive forwards on the roster, which might make Wisniewski's job a bit tougher. That is where Mike Mottau and Andrew MacDonald will have to be on their games.
Toronto's power-play is middle of the road for now, but you always have to be concerned about the big guns of Phaneuf and Kessel. This is an Islander team that has generally been disciplined, but when they do go on the PK it seems slightly disorganized, despite having some success the last couple of games.
Based on comments from Leafs head coach Ron Wilson, his team won't be taking the Isles lightly as they seem to fly under the radar. They have a lot that they are playing for - defending their home turf and trying to get to 5-0-0 to start a season for the first time since 1993. The Islanders, meanwhile, will be looking to get to three wins and start their long road trip (10 of the next 12 on the road) with a statement win, while trying to take sole possession of 1st place.
This should be an interesting one.
New Podcast Posted: Sean and I recorded and uploaded our latest podcast late last night. For those of you not subscribed yet, it can be found at the NYI FYI podcast site. It's another long one, one and a half hours, but we talked about some good stuff without making it sound too boring. Hope you guys enjoy it.
-Chris
nyifyi@gmail.com
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