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!!!

Lost on an Island

I'm sure you all know what is going  on right now. Let's just hope this is not turning into last season. I'll just leave it at that.


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!!!

My First Game

Right now, I'm going to break away from my normal blog entries and focus on a story that came back to me earlier about my first Isles game.

"Welcome to the game." An usher greeted me, handed me my ticket, and I was standing inside Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum for the first time. 

The actual ticket from my first game

It was October 28, 2001 and my father and I were going to an Islanders game, my first one ever. Since I was only 7 years old, I didn't really have much of an idea of what hockey was or who the Islanders were. It was the beginning of what would become a life-long passion. 

After an usher showed my father and I our seats, I sat down and got my first glimpse of the Coliseum ice. For a 7 year old kid, that sight was pretty mesmerizing. When warm-ups began I sat in my seat fixated on the team wearing the cool green jerseys. Not knowing any better, I thought those guys were the good guys. Later on, when they entered the ice for the game, I started cheering. Only then my father told me I was rooting for the Islanders opponent, the Dallas Stars. (They do have a good jersey though.) Then, my father explained to me that the team in white jerseys was the good guys, they were the New York Islanders. (Plain, traditional jerseys, I personally like the new ones.) From then, I was an Islander fan. 

Most of the game is a blur to me, but I do remember some of it. I remember that when the Islanders scored, a loud annoying horn blasted and everyone in the stadium went crazy. I remember being annoyed by the horn, and I also remember at my next game a few months later, I knew the words to the song perfectly. 

The game went by, and the score was 2-2 going into sudden death overtime. Remember when there were ties? I sure do. If nobody scored in the overtime, the game would have ended 2-2. But then Islanders captain Mike Peca ended it quickly. The Isles won it in overtime 3-2 and the place went bonkers. (Don't believe me, the box score is right HERE.)  

On my way out, an usher, who must have been told by my dad that it was my first game, handed me a puck. Now looking at it, it is nothing more than a blank black puck with an Islanders logo sticker on it, as you can see. It was a great souvenir to end a great day. 

That day was nearly a decade ago, and that season was a big year for the Islanders. They made the playoffs for the first time in a while. In the playoffs Shawn Bates delivered one of the most famous moments in Isles history. Everyone on that team no longer plays for the Islanders, and current GM Garth Snow was sitting on the bench watching. 

Now, a decade later the Isles are facing an uncertain future, but one think is for sure, there will be hockey RIGHT NOW on the Island at the Coliseum. Let's go win one for the team a decade ago that just couldn't. 

Lets Go Islanders!!!! 

First Of Hopefully Not Too Many

If you have been watching the Isles rookie game tonight against the Bruins rookies on the Islanders website, you probably noticed 2 things. 


1. There is a new logo on center ice. Not just the same Islanders logo that's always been there, but a newer logo to commemorate 40 years of Islanders hockey, similar to the logo seen below, which will also be a patch on the Islanders jerseys this season. 

2. Rhett Rakhshani, who appeared in a couple games for the Isles last season, left the game with a concussion and will be re-evaluated tomorrow. Let's hope he is fine, and doesn't have setbacks like superstar Sidney Crosby. Get better Rhett, the Isles may need you soon. 





Lets Go Islanders! 

What Now?

Alright, August 1 has passed, and we all know what happened. But what happens now? If you are an Islander fan, what should you be looking forward to?

As owner Garth Snow has said, the new arena dilemma now will not be the top priority for him and for most of the Islanders staff. Their new priority is on this upcoming year, and the future for the hockey season has never looked brighter than it does right now. Let's put the facts out there.

• Infamous goalie Evgeni Nabokov says he WILL report to Islanders training camp in September. This said, he will have a chance to compete for a job with the Isles, although Rick DiPietro (contract for life) and Al Montoya (great job last year) look to have the spots on the Isles locked up. This means that he could be worth more in the trade market than as a goalie. Whichever way this goes, the Isles should improve because of it. 
• The Islanders improved their power-play by trading for veteran forward Brian Rolston. He has one heck of a slap-shot, and he should be ready to unload it. Brian also can provide some veteran leadership to one of the youngest clubs in the NHL. 
• After missing all of last year due to a fluke injury in a inter-squad game, veteran defenseman Mark Streit is coming back. We all know what he can do, and hopefully he can be a leader on and off the ice. In my mind, Mark Streit is the next captain of the New York Islanders.

This may not be something to look forward to, but if you have not heard yet, and I can't confirm if this is actually happening, but the Islanders may be getting new sweaters, as you can see below: 

I don't know what to make of these, but if the Isles win while wearing then, so what? 

Training camp is around the corner, and you can't have a good season without a good training camp. Let's see how this all plays out, and for now let's focus on what happens on the ice. 

Lets Go Islanders!!!