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!!!

Just a Small Chance

The Islanders are starting to run out of time to make a move in the playoff hunt, but if there was a time to make a move, it would be now. The Islanders can thank these three stars, that are not named John Tavares, for the late season push.

Third Star: Timly Scoring from Defensemen 
Islanders defensemen have scored a total of 13 goals this season. That is not a good mark by any means, but when the Isles have to have a goal, don't be suprised if it is a d-man putting the puck in the twine. In the past few weeks, the Isles won two games in overtime thanks to the defensemen. The first OT winner was scored by the least likely culprit on the Islanders, Mark Eaton. But why would he not score? It was only his 600th NHL game and he was heading down the ice with Milan Jurcina, another unlikely culprit.

The second OT winner was scored by none other than the captain, Mark Streit, and his goal was a beauty. He went right through the entire Los Angeles Kings team and buried a backhander past Matt Moulson's brother in law, Jonathan Quick. He also did it on a day the Islanders were honoring a defenseman, Kenny Jonsson.




Second Star: PA Pareteau's Emergence


Over the past couple weeks, PA Parenteau has showed everybody that he deserves a raise from the 1.25 million bucks he is making this season. He has scored goals at timely moments. He has also been the guy to make the perfect pass to set up a goal. He is currently 6th in the entire NHL with 42 assists, and even when he was moved off of the John Tavares line, he continued to produce. When Parenteau heads into free agency this summer, the Isles need to make it their number one priority to resign him for next season.




First Star: Nabby Saying No
Let's face it, Evgeni Nabokov has been the Islanders best player over the past month or so. He single-handedly won a game that the Islanders had no business winning, making 45 saves in Philadelphia through overtime, then making two more in the shootout to somehow give the Islanders a 1-0 win. When games have gone past regulation this year, Nabokov hasn't lost. He has provided something the Islanders have lacked over the past few seasons, stability in net. There are talks that the Islanders might trade him, but then they would be giving up on this season. Garth Snow needs to make a significant effort to re-sign Nabokov for next season because Al Montoya has been shakey and Rick DiPietro is well....Rick DiPietro. Nabokov's 15-14-0 record so far this season is solid, especially since he missed a few weeks earlier in the season with an injury. If Nabokov leaves, then the Islanders will have no goalies that have any experience in big games. 




Now, I know what you are thinking, Where is John Tavares? He is not on this list because everyone in the NHL knows that he is just the best player on the team. Also, over the past few weeks, it has been these three things leading the team. The time to win is now or never  for the Islanders. Will it happen? Let's watch and see. 


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!!!