New York Islanders: Circus or Contender?

Oh what a difference a week makes.
Going into last Sunday afternoon's home game against the Devils, the Islanders were 4-2-1, and atop the Atlantic Division. They were the owners of the league's top ranked penalty kill, as well as the number one ranked power-play.

Fast forward one week.

Now, the Islanders are 4-6-1, and in the Atlantic Division basement. The power-play has slipped to 14th in the NHL. The penalty kill has also slightly dipped, it is now 5th in the league.

We have all seen this happen before, the Islanders get off to a hot start then fade quickly in the middle of the season. Is it happening again? Maybe. Is there reason to believe that this year may be different?
Absolutely.

The past week has been a nightmare. The Islanders constantly coming out sloppy, only to fight back and come just a little bit short. Either that or they would just not show up at all. During the Super Bowl Sunday matinee against the Devils, the Islanders played well for the first 56 minutes, then the Devils broke through for a power-play goal, and added two more for a 3-0 final. Then, they played Pittsburgh two days later. Again, the visitors opened the scoring with a power-play goal. And again, the Isles could not come back. After falling down 3-0 in the third period, the Islanders ended their goalless drought at just over 103 minutes. The next goalless drought was only 35 seconds. The two quick tallies were enough to give Islander fans hope. But, as it is with the Islanders, the defeat had to be slow and painful. They never quite got over the hump, and fell to Pittsburgh 4-2. This defeat came one week after they dominated the Penguins from start to finish for a 4-1 win in Pittsburgh.

Credit: Getty Images

Then something unexpected happened, this time off the ice. Garth Snow, never one to shock the hockey world, made a trade. Tim Thomas, former Vezina Trophy winner in Boston, would be a New York Islander, at least in theory. Thomas is taking this year off from the NHL. He is 38 years old, and not getting any younger. He hasn't played a game this season, and that isn't likely to change. The Islanders would send Boston a 2nd round draft pick, in either 2014 or 2015. That pick will only go to Boston if Thomas plays this season. So, the Islanders practically got Thomas for free. You are probably wondering why would the Islanders do this. Thomas' salary for this season is $5 million. He isn't getting paid by Boston because he is suspended, and he isn't getting paid by the Islanders either. However, his salary will count towards the Islanders this year, and they need the $5 million to reach the cap floor, or minimum salary. The Islanders pretty much traded for a phantom $5 million. The Islanders could do what they did to Evgeni Nabokov a few years ago, and toll his contract so he would have to honor it next year. That option is unlikely, but not impossible knowing the Islanders. Thomas is a free agent at the end of this season, and I'm guessing the Islanders would love to have him on the roster next season as a short term solution, and if Thomas doesn't want to be an Islander, then Garth Snow would have made a good financial move to help his team in the lockout shortened season.

Hours after that trade was announced, the Islanders took the ice at Madison Square Garden to play the rival Rangers, who were also struggling, for the first time this season. They once again came out flatfooted. The Rangers scored on Evgeni Nabokov on the first shot he faced all night. After one period, the Isles were down 2-0, and they looked out of it after that. The one bright spot throughout this whole ordeal, John Tavares, got the Islanders to within one, but they never got any closer than that. The penalty kill allowed another goal, and the Islanders left MSG without a point. They head right back there this Thursday.

Credit: Getty Images

The past game this Saturday was the tip of the iceberg of Islanders frustration. They finally got two players into the lineup for the first time this season. Josh Bailey made his long awaited return from an injury he got playing overseas during the lockout. Lubomir Visnovsky made his long awaited Islanders debut after the whole fiasco he had with the KHL and his family issues in Slovakia. Both played well. Bailey registered seven shots on goal, while Visnovsky looked good with Mark Streit on the power-play and had no trouble getting the puck on net himself. The Islanders fell behind twice, but rebounded each time, as John Tavares scored in the first and Colin McDonald tallied his first as an Islander in the 2nd. After two periods, the Islanders had outshot the Sabres 29-11. The Sabres once again took the lead, but there wound be no charm for the Islanders on the third time they fell behind. Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller stood on his head, made 41 saves, not including the two that the post made on John Tavares in the 3rd period, and the Islanders lost 3-2.

Tomorrow, the Islanders host the Carolina Hurricanes. For the first time, I am hoping that Rick DiPietro starts in net. Evgeni Nabokov looks tired in net, and Ricky at least deserves a chance.

Now you decide, are the Islanders a circus or a contender? I'd love to hear your opinions in the comments.

Lets go Islanders!!

Final Season Player Rankings Part 1

The Islanders season is over. Another disappointing year for the Isles and their fans as we will once again sit at home and watch the postseason without the blue and orange. Once again they have a top 5 draft pick, this year it's the #4 pick.  While the standings may not indicate such, many Isles have vastly improved their games since last season. In this entry, I will rate the goalies on a scale of A+ to F based on their performance (or lack thereof) this past season.

#60 Kevin Poulin  C+

photo credit: bostonherald.com

After injuries gave Poulin the chance to play last year, he shined, going 4-2-1 in 7 starts before a fluke injury ended his season. This year, Poulin was called up quite a few times, but only appeared in six games. Part of that can be due to Evgeni Nabokov's good play, but the other part of that can be due to that when he was called up, he was rusty. He went 2-4-0 in those six starts. Both of the wins came against the Carolina Hurricanes. In those six games he posted a save percentage of .907 compared to .924 in his rookie season. Ultimately, there was too small of a sample size to accuratley grade Poulin. In the next few seasons, if Evgeni Nabokov gets traded or leaves, Poulin will be the first guy to get the call. He should be the Islanders goalie of the future, but in the present, he'll be in Bridgeport where he can excel and thrive, and try to lead the team to a Calder Cup. 

photo credit: sports.yahoo.com

#35 Al Montoya B- 
Montoya was also given a chance last year after a slew of injuries to goalies. In 2010-11, Montoya played in 20 games down the final stretch. In those games he posted a 9-5-5 record, 2.39 goals against average, and .921 save percentage. These numbers were good enough to earn Montoya a one year contract extension. This year, his numbers looked very different though. In 31 games played, he posted a 9-11-5 record, while having a 3.10 goals against average and an awful .893 save percentage. Montoya started the year as the starting goalie on opening night, and ended up winning two of the first three games for the Islanders. However, once Evgeni Nabokov started playing, Montoya was relegated to the bench. And, after suffering a concussion in Winnipeg in December, Montoya was sidelined for a little while, and when he came back, he just wasn't himself. I don't know if it's fair or not to give Montoya a B- in the rankings. He didn't have the best circumstances and once Evgeni Nabokov started playing, Montoya was not the same Montoya he was during the previous season. I don't think that the Isles will resign Montoya for next season but he has played well enough that he should find a job somewhere else in the NHL next season. 


#39 Rick DiPietro  D

photo credit: newsday.com

We all know about Rick DiPietro and his struggles. In October, a Brian Rolston slapshot got him in the face and took him out. Then in December, he had to get sports hernia surgery, once again ending his season. In 8 games this year, DP went 3-2-3 with a .876 save percentage. Not good. This marked the 3rd time in the last 4 seasons that DP has played in 8 or less games. He still has nine years left on his contract, and it doesn't look like he is going anywhere. There are three reasons I didn't give him an F. Firstly, he actually played in a few games and won a couple. Secondly, he had 2 assists on the year, giving him more than Nino Niederreiter. Thirdly, he tried to win the fans over by buying lunch for the first 5,000 fans at an Islander game at the end of the season. Too bad it takes wins, not lunches, to win over the Islanders fans.

#20 Evgeni Nabokov A-

photo credit: zimbio.com

Nabokov has had a crazy ride to Long Island. After refusing to play for the Isles last season, he came back to the NHL and his first season on the Islanders will be considered a success many people, but Nabokov himself won't appreciate his season. He went 19-18-3 with a solid .914 save percentage in his first full season in the NHL since coming back from the Russian KHL, starting in exactly half of the games during the regular season. Nabby played like the elite goalie that he was for so many years with the San Jose Sharks, even winning games by himself at some points. He will be back next season, and now, he is in line to be the Islanders starting goalie if all works out. If he plays just a little better than he did this season, than the sky is the limit for the Isles.



Anders Nilsson was not given a grade because I am only grading the goalies that played in at least 5 games, he might get a better chance next season.

That's it for the goalies. Next up will be the defensemen.

Lets Go Islanders!!!

Consistantly Inconsistant

On Long Island, things are changing. Rapidly. Let's rewind to about a week ago, Monday November 14th.

On November 14, the Islanders had just gotten back after a long flight from Vancouver following a 4-1 loss. Al Montoya, Rick DiPietro, and Evgeni Nabokov were all healthy. Lastly, every Isles game jersey has had either blue, orange, or white as the main color. Oh, how things can change in 6 days. On Tuesday, the Rangers came into the Coliseum and thanks to a late flub by Josh Bailey, got a tie-breaking goal and left with a 4-2 win.

This picture pretty much sums it up. The Coliseum was packed with Ranger fans. And after the goal, you can see the presence of all the Rangers fans going nuts. The Rangers players are thrilled.

Evgeni Nabokov did everything he could do, but the Isles couldn't do anything in front of him.





On Wednesday, the Isles did something nobody ever would have expected. They unveiled a new, black jersey in a fashion show event at the Coliseum. My take on these jerseys is that they could be a lot worse, but I don't like them. Just my opinion. View them for yourself and decide whether or not you like them.

The following day, the Isles just held on long enough to squeak out a 4-3 win over the Canadiens. Jay Pandolfo notched his first goal as an Islander and his 100th career goal. Evgeni Nabokov started the game. But in the first period, Nabokov hurt his groin while saving a shot. He was placed on injured reserve the next day. He's out for about a month.
He was playing like the #1 goalie, but we all know how these things work out with the Islanders.


In theory, this solved the Isles 3 goaie situation. DiPietro and Montoya would play while Nabokov healed.

Yesterday, the Islanders were at home hosting the defending Stanley Cup Champion Bruins. But before the game, the Isles did a suprising move and called up rookie Anders Nilsson, who had no previous NHL experience, from Bridgeport because Al Montoya had a hamstring injury. After the Bruins clobbered both DiPietro and Nilsson throughly, the Isles were left battered and bruised.




















So, here we are. The Isles are already on their 4th goalie. 2 are on IR, DiPietro is the HEALTHY one, and if things go wrong from here, the Islanders also have Kevin Poulin in Bridgeport, you may remember him from last year. He played great before having his season shut down due to an injury. The Sound Tigers also have former Ranger Steve Valiquette because they needed a goalie after Nilsson was called up. I wouldn't be suprised if the old former Ranger is in the Isles crest real soon.

To Top everything off, Sidney Crosby will play in his first game since January tomorrow against the Isles. As if luck was already against the Islanders....


Lets Go Islanders!!!

Finishing October Without A Bang

Well, a month into the season and here we are again. That feeling of, "What do they have to do to win a game?" is back. This is NOT the time to hit the big red panic button.

The facts are the Isles started 3-1-0, but went 0-3-2 since then.

In their last game, the Isles were on the wrong end of a tough call in OT, which might have cost them the game. Everyone seemed to know what happened, except for the guys in stripes.

Photo Credit: sports.yahoo.com

On a positive note from this game, oft injured goalie Rick DiPietro started, and played very well, allwoing 2 goals throughout regulation. The Isles powerplay got 2 goals in the second period, and they peppered Thomas Greiss with 37 shots. Overall a great game, but just an unfortunate outcome.

Photo Credit: Newsday

The Islanders have also yet to win a road game. Their best chance came in Pittsburgh last week when, after a rare Matt Martin goal, the Isles were up 2-0 in the third period. The Penguins came back and tied it against Evgeni Nabokov, who had been playing great. The game went to a shootout, and for some reason unknown at that point, Evgeni Nabokov simply left the game and Rick DiPietro came in for his first game action of the season. Even Isles announcer Howie Rose was baffled. He said, in complete shock, "What in the wide world of sports is going on here?!?!?" DiPietro played fine in the shootout, allowing a goal to Evgeni Malkin on a move that had DiPietro sliding before the puck left Malkin's stick. Unfortunately for him, the Isles couldn't match it.


The bottom line is, the Isles are not playing badly, they are just not winning. Their penalty kill ins #8 in the league. The power play is #10 in the league, both solid numbers. If these numbers continue to stay the way they are, the Isles will be fine. There is no reason to panic.

For the first time in 15 years, the Islanders host the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, and that should make for a great game as last year the Islanders and the Atlanta Thrashers always played close, competative games. It's early, and eventually this will all work itself out.

Lets Go Islanders!!!

Studs and Duds

Well, here we are again, off to a fast start. The season is in full swing, hockey is back, and the Isles have shown plenty of promise through the first 5 games. There has been a share of highs and a share of lows. Now let's take a look at some of the players and their impact on the Isles 3-2-0 start.

Studs: 

John Tavares-After a quiet first 2 games, Tavares just exploded in the next two. Against Tampa Bay, it started with a fortunate bounce, and it ended with another goal and two more assists after one period. A couple days later against the hated Rangers...


Hopefully this is a sign of what things will be like the next few years on the Island. If he can continue at the pace he is at, then the sky is the limit for the former top draft pick.

Mark Streit-The captain is back. The Isles really missed their captain last year and his presence was felt quickly. In the game against Minnesota, Streit made a beautiful pass to set up a Frans Nielsen goal. He is the leader of the power-play and as you can see in the video above, he is responsible for most of the chances. He's completely healthy, and hopefully he will get back to the All-Star form he was at a few seasons ago. Welcome Back Mark Streit!






Jack Capuano's Gut- Apparently Jack Capuano knows something that we all don't. On opening night, he suprised everyone by naming Al Montoya starter. He stuck with the hot hand for the first 3 games, and Montoya allowed only 4 goals, winning 2 of his first 3 starts. Then, when everyone thought Montoya was going to get the start against his former club, his gut feeling changed. Was it what he ate for lunch, or was he on to something? Evgeni Nabokov, who hung up on Garth Snow, got the start and played like the Evgeni Nabokov from San Jose, stopping all but 2 Ranger shots and leading to an Islanders victory.


Duds: 
The Entire Third Line-On paper, the third line of Josh Bailey centering Brian Rolston and Blake Comeau looked pretty good. But except for a couple Brian Rolston power-play assists, this line has been very ineffective. In fact, Comeau has been a healthy scratch the last two games to give Trevor Gillies time in the lineup. With goal scorer Comeau, veteran leader Rolston, and Bailey in the middle, this line better figure something out otherwise head coach Jack Capuano might need to jumble up some lines.















Rick DiPietro-I really hate to be mean like this, but I am really starting to become less of a Rick DiPietro fan. From a side note, the most productive thing Brian Rolston has done so far this season has hit DP in the mask with a shot during practice. This gave DP a concussion, and he has yet to play this season. Hopefully, his case can be like Sidney Crosby's, with many setbacks and problems. With Nabokov and Montoya healthy, why even waste time on DP?



Only 5 games into the season, it isn't a lost cause yet, and there is still hope. Things are starting to get back to normal, especially since DP is injured again. My guess, Evegeni Nabokov starts tomorrow in Florida. But, with Jack Capuano's changing gut, you never know. Let's see how this goes.


Lets Go Islanders!!!

The Entire Season In One Photo

This pretty much sums up the whole season. 

Lets Go Islanders!

The Faces of Frustration

I am not going to say any words of my own. Only a quote from announcer Howie Rose that pretty much sums up the last 20 games. He said this after the Atlanta Thrashers took a 5-3 lead in tonight's game. "The frustration level could not appear to have been capable of going any higher over the last couple of games. Somehow, it has just gone right through the roof." Now I leave you with some images of frustration. A picture is worth a thousand words, and I don't feel like typing millions of words. So, here are the faces of frustration.

(Yes, that is me.)

There you go. The faces of frustration. It can't get too much worse. Lets see  what happens.

Lets Go Islanders!