Lighthouse Hockey

Kings 1, Islanders 0: Stymied by Quick

2010-03-21T05:57:30Z

There was a stretch in the latter half of the second period where the Islanders got chance after chance but could not buy a goal. Jonathan Quick was making acrobatic saves, and the Kings defense and forwards were diving and sprawling to block or get their sticks on rebounds. Justice would say the Isles at least deserved the equalizer to force the Kings to score at least two goals to win this one. But justice and the Colin Campbell NHL don't work well together.

Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Corsi | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles

Final - 3.20.2010	1	2	3	Total
New York Islanders	0	0	0	0
Los Angeles Kings	1	0	0	1

Complete Coverage >

We were speaking of Corsi after the third-period fumbling in Anaheim? Well tonight's ledger looks totally different, as the Islanders poured it on for the final half of the second period, and continued with pressure for lengthy chunks of the third. As a result, thought shots were even 26-26, Jeff Tambellini was the only Islander finishing with a minus in that department, largely because he only got two shifts after the first intermission (three only if you count his five-second trip from the box to the bench). The forced Scott Gordon-Tamby co-existence probably can't end soon enough.

Can't say Tambellini didn't get his chance though; he just has zero margin for error. He got a few more looks with Blake Comeau and John Tavares, but his boarding penalty -- essentially an in-close check from behind -- on Rob Scuderi probably sealed his fate on this night.

Game Video (In lieu of goals: Hits)

It's tough to know what to talk about in a hard-hitting, close-fought 1-0 final where there was lots of good play but few highway-robbery saves to highlight.

It was weird though: The Kings cycled really well in the first and early second, and that play produced the lone goal, by Brad Richardson. But then they went into some sort of shell, and I'm not sure it was by Terry Murray design (he called his timeout to try to direct them out of it). We complain when the Isles sit on a lead instead of attack, but of course that is an age-old problem that afflicts every team to varying degrees.

The positives: John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Comeau, Matt Moulson and Josh Bailey all put in nice work trying to mount the comeback. Comeau slipped it to Tavares in the waning seconds, and JT made his patent-pending backhand pass from behind the net to Okposo, who got a hard shot on from in tight but Quick not only held his arm in tight, he didn't allow a rebound. Game over.

But essentially, I feel like we're watching some valuable lessons and growing pains for the kids right now. They are showing the talent to make trouble for other teams, it just takes a lot of development and a lot of reps to get it down right.

Ice Time Chronicles: Tamby and Tim Jackman brought up the rear with 5:37 and 5:08, respectively. Mark Streit led with 26:40. Bruno had another night over 22 minutes. Dylan Reese logged 15:16, while Dustin Kohn got 8:55. I sure get the feeling Gordon prefers the former to the latter, and thus far I do, too. Interesting minor acquisition by Garth Snow there.

Freddy Quake

Oh, and also: Freddy Meyer DESTROYED Dustin Brown with a Sutton-like hit along the boards on the rush inside the blueline. A perennial depth defenseman and occasional healthy scratch this season, Freddy The Fourth keeps on making a case for his next contract, and it's fun to watch:

Playoff Talk Over Too, Surely

So the Western swing ends with 3 points out of 6, which is not really even ".500" or average, because this league averages more than two points awarded per game.

The "cost" to the Islanders? Well, Carolina beat Pittsburgh in OT, Atlanta won in regulation, Tampa Bay lost but even Toronto won. So the Islanders are idle until Wednesday at the Garden, and they're just 4 points above 29th place, while being six points and five teams from 8th in the East. The Rangers will desperately need that game Wednesday, as they have a chance on Sunday to damage the reeling Bruins while helping themselves.

If ever there was a time when it'd benefit the Isles to hand it to their rivals ... I kid, I kid: Of course it's every fan's right to keep hope alive until math says no, just as it's every fan's right to secretly dream of lottery luck to help the long-germ. But no matter where you fall, there is never an excuse for tanking for the Rangers.

Islanders-Kings [game thread]

2010-03-21T02:00:24Z

Next Game

New York Islanders (29-32-10, t-11th/E) at Los Angeles Kings (40-24-5, 6th/W)
10:30 EDT | [we make paper clips fun] Center | MSG+, radio
Playoffs?! Playoffs!?!: Jewels from the Crown | Battle of California

Islanders Gameday: Back-to-back in SoCal

posted by Dominik about 7 hours ago

Complete Coverage >

Good grief this game is late. And I have a EPL watching party in the morning. Come on, make this worth my while, Isles.

Dear Kings: Thanks for Butch Goring.

Islanders Gameday: Back-to-back in SoCal

2010-03-20T20:04:05Z

If you didn't see WebBard retrieve it in comments, the Islanders season-long Corsi measure when tied or leading in third periods is, well, bad. In truth, ranking in the bottom five in this category is hardly surprising when the Islanders rank in the bottom six in just about every measure (5-on-5, PP, PK, attendance on the week of full moons...).

Corsi is a plus/minus measure of shots attempted at either net, with the theory being that over time, bad bounces and bad goalies happen ("Sure I was minus-2, but I can't close our goalie's five-hole for him!"), so this gives you another picture of who might control the run of play, score be damned. But even with the good ol' trusty measure of goals, the Isles record in the third -- whether leading, trailing, tied, or thinking about California beach drum circles -- is not good. As stat man Eric pointed out, the Islanders have been outscored 78-40 in the third this year (74-36 if you exclude empty nets).

I didn't see the post-game, but by all accounts it's pretty lame for Scott Gordon to walk out of the one-on-one after taking another question about third periods. Even if there is a brilliant explanation (and honestly, I'd take youth development as one factor), perception is reality when your coach is talking to fans. As an ambassador, speaking via the generally softball-tossing rights holder's broadcast, it's generally wise to explain your stance rather than walk away, baby walk away.

Like it or not, the third period goblin is going to be hanging over this team's head, via the media and our general fan zeitgeist, until the Isles become a better team who flops in the third less often. (And to be fair -- last night aside -- I do think they're improving.) For a coach, the more thoroughly you explain your thinking, the less likely fans are to riot for your demise a few seasons down the line when some very important game is lost through the very normal hockey occurrence of a third-period lead lost, and everyone freaks out and recalls 2008. Or 2009. Or 2010.

Aside from a post-Olympic 3-4-1 stumble (the Isles are 4-3-2 in that time), from a season-long perspective the maturing Kings are more or less a promising date with a few flaws that can be forgiven. Five-on-five their 1.03 GF/GA ratio is 13th overall. Their 20.6% PP is sixth. Jonathan Quick is decent but not spectacular (his .909 save pct. over the season matches Dwayne Roloson's), but his nicely evolving team has earned him (and my fantasy team) a lot of wins, which someone will no doubt cite as reason to give him an award.

It's an open question how they'll do (and whom they'll draw) once the postseason hits, but the good news for the Kings is they are now good enough to finally make another postseason appearance, which their play through most of the season has all but assured them.

In short: The challenge tonight is not for the Islanders shooters to beat Quick, it's for the Islanders skaters to get in position to get quality chances, from which beating Quick is not that big of a deal. Should they do that and bring a lead into the third, the challenge will be to handle it like they did in Vancouver (still outshot, but still forcing play and rarely back on their heels) rather than like they did in Anaheim (badly outshot, generally messy, and rather lucky to keep the lead until 19:28 of the period).

These teams' previous meeting in October looked close (2-1 loss), but the Kings pretty much controlled everything. The Isles could lose this one 4-2 and still show a season of progress over that snoozer.

With Martin Biron playing last night, figure Roloson to return. (And no, I didn't see starting Biron against the weaker Californian team last night as an issue at all. Back-to-backs are made for using both goalies, period. But particularly so if your backup happens to be pretty decent and your starter happens to be 40 and is the main guy you'll rely on next year.) Haven't heard of nor expect any other lineup changes -- in other words, I don't see a "Philly Flu" reason to insert Trevor Gillies back in for the Kings, but then I don't walk out on interviews, either.

Mighty Matty Mo

This is the return of Matt Moulson to the team for whom he burned his youthful years. Hopefully he scores his 27th just to give them something to think about. But honestly, acting like the Kings totally blew it is a little over the top considering their top-six forwards and the prospects they have in the system. Hopefully in a few years the Islanders will be able to afford cutting away a guy who can rack up nearly 30 goals on a bottom-five team.

Prediction: Ryan Smyth holds himself together for this one. Kyle Okposo continues his late charge to be the Isles' third 20-goal scorer.

It maybe doesn't make sense to toss up a separate game thread for a very late game on a Saturday night. But that's just how we do it around here and I'm too lazy to alter tradition. So the in-game thread will be up well after normal dinnertime for the populations who have not fled to the West to become ~~food service practitioners~~ big stars.

Ducks 5, Islanders 4 (OT): A late-night stabbing.

2010-03-20T05:55:38Z

File this under "another third-period collapse" or file this under "that's hockey." However you spin it, giving up the tying goal with 32 seconds left, then the OT winner just 42 seconds later, that feels like a firm knifing.

Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Corsi | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles

Final - 3.19.2010	1	2	3	OT	Total
New York Islanders	2	2	0	0	4
Anaheim Ducks	2	0	2	1	5

Complete Coverage >

As in Vancouver, the Islanders entered the third period with a 4-2 lead, but this time it didn't hold. Though the Ducks' third goal came on the powerplay and the equalizer didn't come until the final minute, the third period was filled with plenty of shots and close calls for the Ducks. The 14-2 third-period shot tally might be overselling it, but not by much. The Ducks spent the period loading traffic in front of Martin Biron -- who made several sight-unseen saves -- and Scott Niedermayer alone set up several should-be tap-ins.

Yet the Isles almost survived. Almost. Jason Blake saw one powerplay shot bounce in off him -- garnering a fist pump, of course -- and brilliant deadline acquisition Lubomir Visnovsky tied it with his second blast of the night through traffic, this time with the Ducks net empty. A Bruno Gervais turnover early in OT sent Saku Koivu in for a breakaway on which he beat Biron stick side.

Game Video

This and That

On the bright side, Kyle Okposo not only returned to the lineup, he potted two goals. One came after his move led him to the outside and around the net, where he banked a lucky bounce off Jonas Hiller. The second came on a powerplay squibbler through Hiller's legs, which got Hiller pulled.
Also on the bright side, John Tavares scored again, shoveling in a backhand on the powerplay after a pass into traffic from Frans Nielsen.
Nielsen got some time on the point on the powerplay, where he was able to display his finesse side with some nice passing. I could see that again. He also continued his excellent defensive work -- before the tying goal, he made a great fake and clear that I thought might have been the final momentum-killer the Isles needed. Ah, but so much can happen in 15 seconds of hockey.
Martin Biron was on for most of the game. He was hard done by with this loss. He wasn't afforded the courtesy of seeing many of the Ducks goals. His robbery on Corey Perry's redirect was my favorite.
Richard Park returned to Southern California and scored in front of his parents. It's really nice to see Park in his more typical form of late. Free agency awaits.
I'm glad Teemu Selanne didn't get his 600th goal against the Islanders, but it was cool to see the Finnish Flash still has wheels and hands.
By blowing the lead, the Isles gave back-up Curtis McElhinney the win in relief on 14 shots.
Ice Time: Mark Streit got over 27 minutes, Dustin Kohn got under 8. Dylan Reese got 16:52.

The point for earning a regulation draw ties the Isles with Tampa Bay and keeps them one point ahead of Florida and two ahead of Carolina, though each of those teams has at least one game in hand.

Next up: We do it again Saturday, this time at the other [corporate something or other] center in SoCal. The Kings should pose a more serious challenge, which is good news for the tankers.

Islanders-Ducks [game thread]

2010-03-20T01:45:19Z

Next Game

New York Islanders (29-32-9, 12th/E) at Anaheim Ducks (32-29-8, 13th/W)
10 p.m. EDT | [car of some sort] Center | MSG+, radio
Generally Fowl People: Anaheim Calling | Battle of California

Islanders Gameday: California weekend

posted by Dominik 7 minutes ago

PM Links and Islanders counting stats

posted by Dominik about 28 hours ago

Complete Coverage >

As it is well past prime time, this game thread may not be suitable for all audiences.

What the 2010 Draft MIGHT Look Like: Part 1

2010-03-19T20:06:16Z

This is a preliminary view based on likely draft order and what Hockey's Future has assessed as organizational needs for each team. Edmonton will finish last but could go down one peg in the draft via the lottery. Any of the teams on this list could shift a spot or two either way. I expect that this will be the complete list of the bottom 14 but it is possible that Detroit or Boston could slip so I have projected their likely picks as well.

1) Edmonton Taylor Hall

Edmonton's one area of organizational weakness is at right wing and drafting Hall would move Magnus Paajarvi Svensson to #3 at left wing so a trade is not impossible. In all likelihood, however, the Oil will pick Hall.

2) Boston Cam Fowler

The greatest strength in Boston's VERY deep system is at center. They have a few centers who could probably start on some other teams. On the other hand, although they have some nice defensive prospects as well, they do not have any of elite quality and Chara's deal ends next season. Plus they have what promises to be a mid first round pick and several second rounders to address the other weakness at wing. Although I put Fowler's name in there, it is certainly possible that Boston would prefer Gudbranson or Gormley.

3) Islanders Tyler Seguin

If, as I expect, the Isles pick at 3 and Seguin is still on the board, he is the guy. The Isles do need another top four defenseman, but this draft is loaded with potential top fours and I can only assume that Garth gave up all those picks for DeHaan because he wants to groom him as the team's future #1. Apart from that, although center is an area of strength for the Isles, Seguin projects to be a better center than anyone currently in the fold. The one caveat to that is that Anaheim and Ottawa badly need an elite quality center and have the assets to make attractive offers.

4) Columbus Brett Connolly

They badly need an elite quality right wing.

5) Carolina Kirill Kabanov

Ditto

6) Florida Erik Gudbranson

They don't have any glaring organizational weakness, but defense is the area where they are least strong and, happily, the best player available at this point is on defense.

7) Dallas Brandon Gormley

Even with drafting Ryan Ellis last year, they still need to stock up at defense.

8) Tampa Mark Pysyk?

They have added some blue chip talent, including Big Victor. They still, however, need a skilled puck moving defenseman. If they miss out on Fowler, Gudbranson, and Gormley, a trade down may be in order. A team with a surplus of puck movers with a late round pick might be able to move up into the top ten via trade with Tampa.

9) Anaheim Emerson Etem

At this point, neither Peter Holland or Kyle Palmieri have delivered as promised for Anaheim and they are still looking for an elite quality center to presumably plug into their second line. They also might go with Mikael Granlund, but they have had a preference for bigger guys.

10) Rangers Vladimir Tarasenko

Given the Rangers' need at right wing, their likely draft position, and their prediliction for Russian wingers, this is a no-brainer. I would almost favor the trade down with the Ducks just to see the look on Sather's face when we pick Tarasenko just ahead of their draft spot.

11) St Louis Jack Campbell

St. Louis is VERY strong at every position EXCEPT goal and Campbell is the only goalie projected for the first round.

12) Minnesota Alexsandr Burmistrov

The Wild need a top end wing.

13) Atlanta Nino Niederreiter

Waddell has been looking for talented big men up front.

14) Phoenix Teemu Pulkinnen

They are weakest at right wing.

Boston and Detroit have needs similar to Minnesota, Atlanta, and Phoenix. Their picks should not be very different.

Poll

Would you favor a trade down with Anaheim or Ottawa if the Islanders have a shot at Seguin?

Islanders Gameday: California weekend

2010-03-19T19:35:03Z

New York Islanders (29-32-9, 12th/E) at Anaheim Ducks (32-29-8, 13th/W)
10 p.m. EDT | [car of some sort] Center | MSG+, radio
Generally Fowl People: Anaheim Calling | Battle of California

Not sure what to make of matchup #1 in this two-game swing through Southern California. Tonight's opponent is certainly the weaker of the weekend's opponents, but they're theoretically the more desperate team -- "theoretically," because the Ducks with 72 points are actually further from a playoff spot than the Islanders with 67.

Thanks to sporadic interconference scheduling, we don't have a relevant history to point too. The Islanders are 10-6-4 all-time vs. the formerly mighty Ducks. Last season's meeting was one of those ridiculous "that's why they play the game" moments: A team that hadn't won yet in 2009 steals a 2-1 victory despite being outshot 40-14, thanks to good goaltending and a lot of luck. Yann Danis made 39 saves, J.S. Giguere allowed two stoppable goals (one being Kurtis McLean's 1st and only NHL goal), and the Islanders blocked 28 other Ducks shots.

Tonight, Kyle Okposo ~~is still out for the Islanders~~ [WRONG! Sorry for the erroneous info.], but hey: Last game without Okposo was a 5-2 win over a superior opponent! The Ducks will be without high-minute, low-hockey IQ defenseman James Wisniewski, suspended for eight games for his hit on Brent Seabrook. He'll be replaced by Sheldon Brookbank.

Teemu Selanne is one goal away from his 600th in the NHL, which would make him the 18th NHLer to do so. (My goodness, I remember when there were only four NHLers who could claim that feat. Sigh.) That goal will also put him just one behind countryman Jarri Kurri. I hope he gets at least two more, and I hope none of them come tonight. Selanne has led the league in goals three times (including a tie with Alexander Mogilny). Mike Bossy did it just twice, though the rest of his career coincided with the prime of some guy who wore #99.

If you want thoughts on Jason Blake, you've come to the wrong place. (This spot is the home of Blake appreciation on the Internet.) It's not that I didn't enjoy his time served; it's just that I've spent enough words on him in my day, I'm retired from that.

This is a late one, but the game thread will be up tonight for Friday-night hockey enjoyment, and I hope to be around.

Prediction: Jason Blake scores. John Tavares turns Tuesday's performance into the start of a big finish.

Noon Links: Islanders prospect buzz, NHL discipline fun

2010-03-19T16:17:18Z

Just some fun links for lunch, before tonight's game preview goes up this afternoon...

AHL dizziness: Michael Fornabaio has a series of links on recent rumors and efforts for franchise movement.
Ducks GM Bob Murray has a point about consistency on the NHL's Wheel of Justice. (Hilariously, Gary Bettman described Colin Campbell's approach as "having a consistency and a sound jurisprudential way." You can't make this stuff up.) More on the topic here and here at From the Rink. ... Unfortunately Murray is stuck making his point in the context of, historically, Chris Pronger (Captain Elbow-Stomp-Slash himself) and presently, James Wisniewski, whose hit was so so wrong in multiple ways: Charge. Headshot. Arms up. Left feet. Stick high. (Who taught these players to check with their stick way up in the air like that, anyway?) Even if Wisniewski is being truthful about his intent with the "but we're friends" angle, he has to see why this is a dumb, dumb hit.
Isles prospect and Denver captain Rhett Rakhshani, Hobey Baker nominee. One of 10.
We've speculated about this around here, and Chris Botta gives it more weight: Aaron Ness is interested in saying goodbye, Lucia.
Playoff Races: With between 11 and 13 games left to go for the interested parties, the 8th seed in each conference is still very much up for grabs. The Bruins' tailspin leaves Atlanta and the Rangers (who lost last night to the Blues, baby) with decent shots. It tells you something about the East that the Rangers, with a paltry 31-31-9 record, are three points shy of a playoff spot. Atlanta is 9th in the East with a record that would make them only 14th in the West.
Lottery Race: The Hurricanes beat Washington in OT last night. The Islanders are as close to 29th overall as they are to 8th in the East (a 7-point swing in either direction).

PM Links and Islanders counting stats

2010-03-18T22:13:11Z

Cheers to everybody adding FanPosts and FanShots on an otherwise quiet day. If you haven't looked around, we've got:

Hans und Franz's take on the HF Top 20 Islanders prospect list ... if you saw On the Forecheck's list of "least valuable" NHLers, you can discuss the Islanders members (three!) here ... and Freddy Meyer's hit has put Mikael Samuelsson out for an estimated three weeks. ... Meanwhile, despite missing a big chunk of the season, Travis Hamonic was named to the WHL's Eastern Conference 2nd All-Star Team.

Friday night's opponent has seen its playoff chances nosedive since the Olympics; they'll be without suspended James Wisniewski (a loss of debatable impact) Friday and for seven more games because of this hit, which Coach Q called the most dangerous in the history of the game (hyperbole much?) ... Then there's next week's Islanders-Rangers game at the Garden in 3-D. Are you excited? Will you even have the 3-D option available?

Counting Stats

And now, some quick counting stats: No Islander is going to match the 56 points Mark Streit compiled last season to lead the 2008-09 club, but the top three Islanders scorers this season -- Streit not among them (he's fourth) -- all have more points than the 39 second-ranked Kyle Okposo had last season (Moulson has 43, Tavares 42, Okposo 41). Josh Bailey's 32 points are already seven better than his rookie total; Blake Comeau's 28 are three ahead of last year; Frans Nielsen (31) is two points off his total last year and should easily eclipse that. On the flip-side: Sean Bergenheim (6-8-14) is 10 points shy of last year's output, though he's played seven fewer games.

... The Islanders had eight double-digit goal scorers last season (including Bill Guerin); they have eight now, Trent Hunter (9 goals) should be the ninth, and Rob Schremp (7) likely would've been the tenth had he not been injured. Jeff Tambellini would have been another had he ... played. Richard Park is two shy of 10 (he had 14 last year).

Speaking of Tambellini: Katie Strang reported lines from practice in California that included Tambellini on Tavares and Comeau's left wing, with Matt Moulson on Frans and Sim's left wing. She also said Okposo skated in a non-contact sweater, so I'm not taking those lines seriously. Strang also said Doug Weight's surgery went fine today.

Finally, on the checking-from-behind topic, an interesting look at the causes of neck/spinal injuries in Canadian amateur hockey in a FanPost over at Copper & Blue. Carry on then...

Two Years Ago Today: The Toskala-Davison Goal

2010-03-18T11:00:24Z

Vesa Toskala -- or "ToskaLOL" as he became known among Leafs fans who were all too happy to see him go -- has found some semblance of a new life on his third team this year. Last night he made 32 saves for his second win as countryman Miikka Kiprusoff's Calgary backup.

But two years ago today may have been the first big Toskalol moment -- a lapse in concentration (and some bad Coliseum bounces) that at the time seemed like simply bad luck for a decent goalie. The two miserable Leafy seasons that followed made it seem like something else.

It still hasn't gotten old, because it was just too remarkable, too funny. I love that it was scored by an anonymous player (Rob Davison). I love that it was scored not just from the Isles' own zone but from behind their goal line. I love that it was a shorthanded goal, too. And I love that, while often you hear a crowd's roar build in anticipation on a breakaway, this time you heard it build because the puck reached the Leafs' slot taking some suspiciously funny bounces. Some bounces that spelled trouble.

It was like watching a disturbed person walk down the street: Your senses heightened, an intuitive human instinct tells you something strange is about to happen. Watching that puck bounce in the slot, you knew it might do something crazy like put a hex on Vesa. Cue the goal horn.

The Leafs ended up winning that one 3-1, so no harm done. After Rick DiPietro's All-Star Game injury, the Islanders' playoff position faded, and they were 32-35-7 (71 pts. after 74 games) after this game, sitting in 13th place in the East and heading for the #5 slot in the draft (which they traded downward, twice, to pick Josh Bailey at #9). The Leafs were five points better (76 points) at that point, and ultimately traded up for the Isles' spot to draft Luke Schenn.

Today the Islanders have 67 points after 70 games, 12th in the East. Pretty similar spot as two seasons ago, but somehow it feels like things are pointed in a better direction. The Leafs meanwhile have 60 points in 70 games, sit 29th in the league and, well, their direction seems different today too.

Islanders mini-streaks: The thin line between win and loss

2010-03-17T19:02:15Z

Some afternoon links, followed by a theory about the Islanders since the Olympic break:

Greenberg's column on Scott Gomez dinging his former team, on a night Sean Avery took a five-minute slash at his leg (shock!) ... here's Globe & Mail coverage of that game, plus coverage of Tavares' big night. The Province on the Isles' approach here. ... Isles blog View from Section 317 was there.
In goalie news: Towering Mikko Koskinen is back and will play in Utah.
Chris Botta's post on Blake Comeau taking nutrition advice from Freddy Meyer -- and man, Meyer has played like a beast lately -- also includes the latest Town of Hempstead letter to residents.
Interesting couple of posts from Flames bloggers on Brent Sutter as coach (and by extension, his brother as GM). Before Ted Nolan was hired, I was one of those dreaming of a faux-storybook Sutter return. Sometimes I wonder if we lucked out.
If you like MLS, SBN launched a site to cover New York's team, the excellently named Once A Metro.

After the Olympic break, the Islanders stole a win from Chicago (with a bit of goaltending and a bit of luck), then promptly sandwiched a three-game regulation losing streak and a three-game winning streak around a shootout loss. As much as we talk about the clear difference in talent -- or at least the stage of talent development -- between the Islanders and many opponents, the two streaks illustrate the adjustments that can leave you on either side of the thin line between winning and losing.

After the jump, a quick look back at the last seven games, which when taken in sum show a team capable of stealing points from anyone -- as long as all 19 players are firing.

Special Teams

The easiest difference on the stat sheet is special teams. I whined about those at what now looks like the perfect time -- right before the Islanders went on a run of scoring a powerplay goal in four consecutive games and conceding zero by opponents in the last three. But I know any game could have gone differently with a slight change in luck: Dwayne Roloson could have missed a crucial PK save last night, and maybe he saves that deflection off Mark Streit's stick on the PK in Philadelphia. This stuff can change in a blink.

That said, powerplay goals conceded were the difference in the one-goal losses to the Flyers and Bruins, while keeping clean sheets on the PK were the difference in the wins over the Devils and the Canucks. Though it's a short sample, the adjustments the coaches made appear to have helped. Including the shootout loss to St. Louis (PK: 5 for 6), the Islanders have allowed one PP goal on their last 19 kills. And of course, shorthanded goals by Sean Bergenheim and Richard Park against New Jersey and Toronto were huge turning points.

As were, against Vancouver, the kind of aggressive play that draws early penalties. Canucks coach Alain Vigneault:

"We knew this team was playing real well," he said. "They had won their last two games by being what you saw tonight, being really aggressive on the forecheck, with their Ds involved in the play. I think what put us on our heels a bit were the penalties that we took in the first period. You're fighting a two-goal deficit and then you are fighting a three-goal deficit."

Effort and Execution Make Luck

The 6-3 loss to Atlanta was awful, but it was awful thanks to some very specific moments. Scott Gordon, ticked after the loss, even pointed out (and in this instance, I don't think he was practicing Coaching PR) that the Islanders' energy was there, they just made dumb mistakes. And they were dumb mistakes -- the kind so huge they almost automatically result in goals against.

You can play a "good effort" and system game for 60 minutes and ensure the outcome is the result of a coin flip or perhaps an excellent individual play. But if you make the specific mistakes (bad line change, blown coverage, bad turnover) the Isles made against Atlanta, you've taken the coin flip out of the equation. Your margin of error is gone. You end up with a three-goal loss.

Boston and Philadelphia were both better efforts with fewer mistakes, but against the Bruins came one poor turnover (and one incredibly bad bounce) and a failure to convert on a five-minute powerplay; against the Flyers came at least one bad penalty, perhaps two, that put a faltering PK unit on the ice for the winning goal. Either of those games could have swung with some better luck, but when your margin is so thin luck doesn't often come to the rescue.

* * *

So what changed in the shootout loss against St. Louis and the three wins over New Jersey, Toronto and Vancouver?

An escalated urgency throughout the lineup, mixed with smart hockey from top to bottom. These games have lacked the backbreaking mistake, and they've added a level of defensive determination and discipline that wasn't fully there the prior three games: There's John Tavares sliding to block a first-period shot last night; there's Richard Park sliding behind Roloson just in case; there's every forward determined to battle for the puck rather than chase it in the defensive zone; there's Freddy Meyer being a physical beast in all three zones. The discipline with the lead came in the form of not panicking in the defensive zone, not merely dumping the puck out at every opportunity, but actually gaining the neutral zone when possible and applying pressure on the trailing opponent when the opening was there.

This team isn't overly skilled, and their existing skill isn't ripe yet -- we know that. So wins can only come not via a three-minute flash of Sedin-like all-world skill but via goaltending like Roloson's and 60 minutes of unending effort applied to smart hockey. It's not a method that can get an understocked and underdeveloped team to win consistently over a full season -- in fact, it leads to a heartbreaking 11 one-goal regulation losses and nine more via OT or shootout. But it is a method that, when everything is clicking and even five posts against Vancouver doesn't deter you, can produce little spurts of joy like what we've seen since last weekend.

Momentarily at least, we're naturally going to get giddy after games like last night and cry in our beer after games like Atlanta. But for me the bigger picture for the rest of the season is to see how much, how often, they can bring 60 minutes like that while doing all the little things that increase your chance of success. That's what could tell me more about the players we have.

Personally I conceded the playoff chances with that final loss before the Olympics. But that's a fan looking at the odds. From the players, I want exactly what Roloson described:

"It's about being professional and realizing it's not over yet," Roloson said. "We're still in a position we can make the playoffs and we believe we can. Is it a good chance, a 99 percent chance? No, but mathematically we're able."

Oh, and a heretofore unseen spread of scoring doesn't hurt:

Islanders Goal Scorers Since the Olympics

Scorer	Goals
Moulson	4
Comeau	3
Tavares	3
Streit	2
Jackman	2
Park	2
Meyer	2
Sim	2
Bailey	1
Bergenheim	1
Okposo	1
Schremp	1
Reese	1
Nielsen	1

Islanders 5, Canucks 2: John Tavares career night, Reese's 1st NHL goal

2010-03-17T06:04:35Z

More photos » Darryl Dyck - AP

"I can see tomorrow, I can see the world to come."

Browse more photos »

This was one of those games where the 37-20 shot differential does not tell the story, because the Islanders hit enough iron (four posts, one crossbar) to blow it open at any moment, and failing that they played defensive but not on-your-heels hockey to protect a two-goal lead in the third period.

John Tavares was behind three others in rookie scoring when his night began. Five points and three hours later he'd leaped over Tyler Myers and Niclas Bergfors, becoming the Islanders' second 20-goal scorer in the process. With a hand in every goal -- and frankly, his three assists were more impressive than his two goals -- it was easily the most dominant night of 91's young career.

Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Corsi | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles

Final - 3.16.2010	1	2	3	Total
New York Islanders	2	2	1	5
Vancouver Canucks	0	2	0	2

Complete Coverage >

For anyone's lightly muffled lottery desires, it was bad news (Carolina and Tampa Bay lost, though Atlanta won). But for long-term signs of player progress, it was fantastic:

There was Tavares, but there was also another night of smart hockey from Matt "Coulson", who scored on a great JT feed and also provided the block-out-the-Sun screen on Dylan Reese's first NHL goal. Blake Comeau led all forwards with 21:06 spread across PP, SH and EV. Blueline newbs Reese (+2) and Dustin Kohn handled themselves well, while Freddy Meyer, Mark Streit and Bruno Gervais had excellent efforts at both ends. The Isles blocked 21 shots to bend, not break.

Oh yeah: And they did it all without Kyle Okposo, day-to-day with the proverbial "upper body." But there's so much more to mention.

Game Highlights: JT, JT, JT, JT and JT

Juicy Bits of Win

Dwayne Roloson was square and solid all night -- exactly the performance you'd expect from him for the Islanders to pull out a win. He resisted the oft-apparent urge to bring out the baseball swing.
The powerplay tallied once in four tries, while the PK was 100% for the third consecutive game (albeit on a light night, 2 for 2).
Trent Hunter was back and looked healthy, ringing the post on a backhand after a set of nifty moves in the slot. He had a chance to ice the game on a third-period 2-on-1, but Andrew Raycroft got the glove up.
That's right: Raycroft was in because the Islanders chased Roberto Luongo with four goals on 12 shots through two periods (plus posts by Hunter, "Coulson," Tavares and Gervais).
Josh Bailey didn't feature on the score sheet, but his smooth passing was on display (at times he had linemates who are not what you'd call "finishers"), and in one fantastic Go-Go Gordon Forecheck sequence he teamed with Sean Bergenheim and Hunter to force a turnover in the Canucks zone and create not one but two prime scoring chances for himself. One of them hit the crossbar behind Raycroft.
Frans Nielsen was gritty and Fransy, but so much else went right I can take this night off from praising him. (Although like every night, he was the best Dane on the ice.)
Congratulations to Dylan Reese on his 1st NHL goal, a smart shot from the point that will become "a blistering cannon" when he tells his grandkids a few decades from now. A couple weeks ago he was in Syracuse without NHL hockey on the immediate horizon; a trade and a whirlwind later, he's doing this.
Tavares' goals: One tapping in from his "office," the other an empty-netter to cap his night. Assists included the Meyer redirect and a great no-look pass to "Coulson" at the goalmouth. How thrilled did he look to be churning points tonight?
Nine-Teen Eighty-Two {clap clap, clap-clap-clap}

Big Picture: Great Start, Smart Finish

All individual ravings aside: As the Islanders sometimes do, they appeared to take by surprise a team that doesn't see them often. I'm not going to reference the local columnists who are always trolling for clicks and outrage, but obviously the Isles -- with their regular assortment of injuries as well as no Okposo -- came to play.

It was not the Canucks' night, but the key was that the Isles took advantage, jumping to a 3-0 lead and then answering right back when the Canucks had pulled it to 3-2. (Seventeen seconds after Alex Burrows pulled the Canucks within one, Tavares charged down the right wing boards, made a power move and banked the puck off a net-crashing Freddy Meyer to regain the insurance goal with just eight seconds left in the 2nd period. Pivotal moment of the night, that.)

There was plenty more to praise, I'm sure, much of it brought up by everyone in the game thread. (And here I was expecting a quieter one with the late start.)

* * *

Where do we go from here? Well, WebBard's positivity aside, the playoffs remain an impossibility (barring a miraculous undefeated run and/or apocalyptic collapse by at least four teams). But with a three-game win streak including two wins over good teams, any cohesive, gutsy performance like tonight in the remaining 12 games will be cause for thinking, yet again, that this franchise is headed in the right direction. I'll take it.

Islanders-Canucks [game thread]

2010-03-17T00:30:14Z

Next Game

New York Islanders (28-32-9, 13th/E) at Vancouver Canucks (43-23-3, 3rd/W)

10 p.m. EDT | [Canada Hockey/Car] Place | MSG+, radio

Where logos change like underwear (yuk yuk): Nucks Misconduct

Islanders Gameday: Here be late games

posted by Dominik about 12 hours ago

41 comments | 0 recs

Complete Coverage >

It's a bit early, but here's tonight's game thread. Kyle Okposo is out with the proverbial ~~Tank for Ta/ylo/er~~ "upper body injury." Dwayne Roloson is in. Jeff Tambellini too. Yesterday they did some curling, and Blake Comeau led the team who hustled the uninitiated. So reports Newsday's Katie Strang on all the above.

Also: Some dumb column by some button-pusher became bulletin board material, but I can't be too arsed with it: The Canucks are good and probably know how important every game is, and the Islanders are young and know not to give up. Maybe it'll be a good game.

Other items: ISS now rates Tyler Seguin as #1, and Tyler at mc79hockey had the best-reasoned response I've seen to the Caps-fan-led outrage and misdirection on the Ovechkin suspension.

Throw the NHL's discipline and Cooke's weaselly escape aside for a minute ('cause we know that's a separate topic for rage), and I'm frankly disgusted by the contingent of Caps fans who focus on Ovechkin's strength -- you're still responsible for your actions -- or on an alleged "divot/rut" in the ice -- you're still responsible for your actions -- and pretend that was a shoulder check rather than recognizing the overarching issue: A check from behind at that location (whether contact is made with the neck, head, butt, back, shoulder or ribs) is an absolute no-no -- and there's good reason for that, as Tyler went into.

Not to rant, but it's a pity that the league's discipline mess and the paranoia about treatment of Ovechkin is obscuring the more serious truth. that checking from behind has no place, and the consequence to Brian Campbell is exactly why: It's too dangerous.

Where was I now...? Oh yeah: Enjoy the late game!

Islanders Gameday: Here be late games

2010-03-16T10:15:09Z

It all depends on your time zone, I guess. Around here we have Isles fans from Nova Scotia to L.A., Florida to British Columbia. (Switzerland and the Czech Republic, too, but it's safe to say no weeknight game time is a great time for them.) But here begins the latest of road trips, with 10 p.m. EDT starts Tuesday and Friday, followed by a 10:30 EDT start Saturday at L.A.'s Swingline Center.

Time to brew your spiked coffee -- or, if you're out West, hey look: Islanders games that start after rush hour!

New York Islanders (28-32-9, 13th/E) at Vancouver Canucks (43-23-3, 3rd/W)

10 p.m. EDT | [Canada Hockey/Car] Place | MSG+, radio

Where logos change like underwear (yuk yuk): Nucks Misconduct

Whenever this rare matchup occurs, I think about the irony of Iron Mike (he's the other "mad" one) flipping fan favorite Trevor Linden to the Isles for Todd Bertuzzi and Bryan McCabe, only to (a few jobs later) flip Roberto Luongo to the Canucks for the Burnt-Out Shell of Bertuzzi. Keenan sure scarred a lot of franchises, but somehow the Canucks got off pretty good. Even his carwrecks helped the Canucks. Why couldn't Milbury have landed another GM job like that and maybe sent us a kickback or two? Forget it, I'm getting all depressed now.

So anyway: the present. The Canucks are real good-like, and the biggest question hanging over their season -- "How will they survive that epic Olympian road trip?" -- has been answered: "Just fine, thanks." They finally returned home last weekend and swept two games against Canadian teams, which if some syrup-tinted Toronto columnists had their way would mean they just beat 33% of the league.

Mikael "Team Sweden can go f**k itself" Samuelsson is on a tear (which reminds me I should probably check that fantasy team I got roped into last fall. I probably had him benched.). That's a bummer because when you're game planning about how to stop the Canucks' firepower, the former Red Wing isn't at the top of your list.

This game could be the toughest of the trip, although that second night of back-to-backs in Southern California looks scary. The Islanders have had modest success against the West this year, but with the exception of the 6-0 annihilation of the Red Wings, it hasn't really come convincingly against the West's better teams: The win over Colorado was a nail-biter, the win in Phoenix was a shootout aided by that epic major Tippett powerplay, and the Chicago win was on 2nd Annual Chicago Toys With Us But We Win Anyway Day.

That's not to say I don't think the Isles have a chance -- it's NHL hockey, unless you're Edmonton you always have a chance. But if they're going to pull off the upset, it's going to be in a way that has me slamming coffee and pacing grooves in the floor in the wee hours of the morning. And it might involve a breakaway drill. Like last time.

Pertinent Notes

Matt Martin was reassigned to Bridgeport after his emergency callup, so presumably Jeff Tambellini's groin will be good to go. (huh huh, huh huh)

Also ready to go: Trevor Gillies, subject of an "enforcer character" piece at the official site. It sounds like Scott Gordon likes having him around for now:

"He is able to deflect a lot of attention that would normally be focused on other guys in our lineup onto himself," Gordon said. "The opposition doesn’t have time to pay attention to punishing other guys to get them off their games because he takes it upon himself to absorb it all."

I'm sure his teammates like having him around, too. At this point in the season, I'm not bothered by Martin getting all-around experience in the AHL while Gillies gets a taste of the good life at age 31 for a few minutes a night. I like that he hasn't gone picking fights just for the sake of showing, "Hey, I fight," either. Subject to change, of course.

Some Pertinent Reading

The Ovechkin Suspension/Cooke Non-Suspension: The what-it-all-means take from Eric Duhatschek, and the just fire Campbell already take from Chris Botta. Two very different tones, but each reflecting the mess that the NHL has made for itself. (By the way, I found Ovechkin's shove of Campbell from behind at that distance to the boards reckless and deplorable, but not malicious like some headshot assassin like Cooke.)
Heads up from Hans und Franz's FanShot: An updated Isles prospect ranking from Hockey's Future with some curious choices.
Gary Harding of View from Section 317 is road-tripping to take in all three West Coast games.
Okposo Net talked F1 racing with Sean Bergenheim. Those Finns and their cars, man.
Mike Modano made it this far in his career before his appendix gave out. Yikes.
This was posted later yesterday, but if you haven't seen it or weighed in I did a little comparison of Garth Snow's roster from two years ago to now, to check how the rebuild is coming along.
If you have DirecTV, you probably heard you finally get Versus back. Details here. Sounds like NHL playoffs and MMA made DTV finally blink. Hooray for corporate tussles!

By the way, you should check out SBN's Nucks Misconduct. Not only did they just do a nice charity drive for the Canucks' charity, but one of their writers, "Yankee Canuck," roots for a team on his opposite coast. (I know, right? Who would do such a thing?)

Prediction: Canucks fans shout "Loooouuuu" even after routine saves. Which is not half as annoying as sitting next to a hyperactive adult who shouts, "Come on Bobby Lou, that's my Bobby Lou, you got it Bobby Lou!" for two uninterrupted hours. You don't even want to know.

3.5 Years In: Garth Snow's team taking shape

2010-03-15T21:45:13Z

More photos » Paul J. Bereswill - AP

"Keep smiling, but are those expectations I see on the horizon?"

Browse more photos »

Hardly a day goes by when Islanders fans don't think of the team in the context of the word "rebuild" -- even if that's not a word GM Garth Snow likes to use.

But that's what's happening for the past two seasons, and a comparison of the roster constructed by Snow for 2007-08 to the one we see at the tail end of 2009-10 gives us a glimpse of how Snow course-corrected in early 2008 and put his stamp on the team.

The 2007-08 roster is a good comparison not just because it was the first season for which Snow had a full summer to tinker (Neil Smith signed several of the 2006 free agents), but also because it was the final season before Snow concluded -- and convinced Charles Wang -- that the franchise needed to pull back to scratch rather than continue grabbing stopgap free agents whose collective ceiling was yet another one-and-done 8th playoff seed.

Through the draft and a few select free agency signings, Snow is building a new core for the Islanders. With more pending free agents likely to exit and another draft (with a pick possibly high enough to help in 2010-11), this summer should bring about the moment where Snow can say, "This, this is the team I've been working on."

2007-08 Roster: The Post-Smyth Push, or Mediocrity's Last Stand

When Snow famously flipped some inherited assets he found expendable for a run at the playoffs with Ryan Smyth, it was with the idea of coaxing (and extending) Smyth to fall in love with a second Blue and Orange franchise whose heyday came when only Mr. T could be B.A. Baracus. That flirtation wasn't enough to woo Smyth, however, so Snow reverted to a Plan B with second-choice free agents like Bill Guerin -- immediately named captain to replace the bought-out Alexei Yashin -- and Ruslan Fedotenko.

But Smyth's rejection, the Islanders' bare prospect cupboard, and the realization that stopgaps like Mike Comrie as #1 center isn't going to get it done, helped Snow swallow the hard pill the Islanders should have swallowed years ago: A proper rebuild.

The main components of the 2007-08 roster are a good picture of that moment of transition. Virtually all of the free agents Snow added were stopgaps now departed, while the inherited pieces he's hung on to are either cheap, impossible to trade, or part of the core going forward:

Inherited	Acquired	Outcome/Status
Miro Satan	Inherited (FA)	Walk
Trent Hunter	Inherited (trade)	Signed 12-13
Mike Sillinger	Inherited (FA)	Retired (injury)
Sean Bergenheim	Inherited (draft)	pending RFA
Andy Hilbert	Inherited (FA)	Walk
Blake Comeau	Inherited (draft)	Signed 10-11
Jeff Tambellini	Inherited (trade)	pending RFA
Chris Simon	Inherited (FA)	Trade (6th - DiBenedetto)
Shawn Bates	Inherited (trade)	Walk (injury)
Radek Martinek	Inherited (draft)	Signed 10-11
DEFENSEMEN
Chris Campoli	Inherited (draft)	Trade (1st - share of de Haan)
Bruno Gervais	Inherited (draft)	Signed 10-11
Brendan Witt	Inherited (FA)	Waived, but signed 10-11
	SNOW ADDITIONS
FORWARDS
Added	Acquired	Outcome/Status
Mike Comrie	FA	Trade (MacAmmond, walk)
Bill Guerin	FA	Trade (3rd-flipped)
Josef Vasicek	FA	Walk
Ruslan Fedotenko	FA	Walk
Richard Park	FA	pending UFA
Jon Sim	FA	pending UFA
DEFENSEMEN
Andy Sutton	FA	Trade (2nd-2010)
Bryan Berard	FA	Walk
Marc-Andre Bergeron	Trade (Grebeshkov)	Trade (3rd-Petrov)
Freddy Meyer	Trade (Zhitnik) *note: 1-month 2007 PHX waiver sojourn	pending UFA

2009-10 Down the Stretch: The Transition is Here

Fast-forward two years and two drafts, with a new groom 'em young coach and ~~two~~ [edit] three top-10 picks in the lineup, and you have a different picture.

Obviously as a GM's tenure gets longer, he's going to have fewer inherited players than when he started. But today Snow doesn't even have much of what he gave himself that first full summer: Just two depth players (Park and Sim) remain from the free agents he himself signed before the transition, and the only inherited players he still has were either existing young prospects or two long-tenured Isles (and formerly Snow's teammates) who Snow signed to long extensions to be a lasting part of the core (Hunter and Martinek).

The rest are Snow's brand: His picks (Bailey, Tavares, Martin), his free agents (Streit, Hillen). This is truly shaping into his team now, and this summer's picks and free agents will all but complete the transition to Snow's Team -- though obviously not complete the "rebuild." [Edit: Obviously Asst. GM and Director of Amateur Scouting Ryan Jankowski is a HUGE part of this equation. That's implied when I refer to Snow's regime, but probably shouldn't be left out.]

Inherited	Acquired	Status
Kyle Okposo	Inherited (draft)	Signed 10-11
Frans Nielsen	Inherited (draft)	Signed 11-12
Blake Comeau	Inherited (draft)	Signed 10-11
Trent Hunter	Inherited (trade)	Signed 12-13
Sean Bergenheim	Inherited (draft)	pending RFA
Jeff Tambellini	Inherited (trade)	pending RFA

DEFENSEMEN
Bruno Gervais	Inherited (draft)	Signed 10-11
Andrew MacDonald	Inherited (draft)	Signed 13-14
Dustin Kohn	Inherited (draft)	pending RFA
Radek Martinek	Inherited (draft)	Signed 10-11

	SNOW ADDITIONS
FORWARDS
	Acquired	Status
Matt Moulson	FA	pending RFA
John Tavares	Drafted 09	Signed 11-12
Josh Bailey	Drafted 08	Signed 10-11
Richard Park	FA	pending UFA
Rob Schremp	Waiver claim	pending RFA
Doug Weight	FA	pending UFA
Jon Sim	FA	pending UFA
Tim Jackman	FA	pending UFA
Matt Martin	Drafted 08	Signed 11-12
DEFENSEMEN
Mark Streit	FA	Signed 12-13
Jack Hillen	FA	Signed 10-11
Freddy Meyer	Trade (Zhitnik) *note: 1-month 2007 PHX waiver sojourn	pending UFA
Dylan Reese	Trade (Moore)	pending RFA

There is one position I've left out of this, but that's because it's a whole different animal. With Dwayne Roloson signed through next season and Rick DiPietro's health an open question, that's a topic for another day.

As for the other positions, many of us have our complaints in terms of the team's construction for games this season (e.g. "Why was the blueline left untouched last summer? What of an added scoring winger for this year?"). But for the bigger long-term picture, it's clear Snow has been sticking steadfast to the plan he shifted to at the end of 2007-08: Develop the prospects who were here (Okposo, Nielsen), add or identify/extend internal pieces for the core (Streit, Nielsen), draft character players (Bailey, Martin), and start to lock up core pieces as they emerge (Nielsen ... MacDonald?). [Edit: Did I really just list Nielsen in all three categories? You bet I did. I reserve this space as 100% pure Danish kool-aid zone.]

This summer will be interesting not just for the draft and the free agents added (two defensemen have been promised), but also for how Snow handles contracts for guys like Moulson and Schremp, who last summer were not in the picture, yet now appear to be Snow's biggest steals of the year. In the past, he's extended Nielsen, Hunter, Martinek and MacDonald to longer term in exchange for lower salary. Will that trend continue? Will he add size via free agency?

Occasionally I profess that the first stage of a rebuild is easy: Aside from the discipline required and a thick skin for the ridicule you take through your team's growing pains, tearing a rotten foundation down is a no-brainer really. It's the second stage that's really challenging: Making make-or-break decisions with actual players who might not pan out or, if you're cutting them, might actually prove you wrong at their next stop. That's the stage that's now coming into view.

Similarly, I always say the hard questions about Snow's performance will start to come after this summer. Again, we can quibble about the roster construction the last two seasons, but it was never a secret that stocking a contender through free agency wasn't in the cards, so we were quibbling over the scraps of a young, underdeveloped and understocked team.

Now, however, playoffs for next season is the stated goal. There are real openings that free agency can fill. There is a core of young kids emerging who need supplementing. The question at the next few trade deadlines will be what Snow did to get the Isles into the playoffs, or deeper, rather than what did he do to salvage value for expiring assets.

Soon, the real fun starts.

Islanders 4, Leafs 1: Comeau-ver the Leafs

2010-03-15T01:24:42Z

Blake Comeau piled up three well-earned assists with deft passing, Tim Jackman and Richard Park continued the weekend's "Look Who Scored!" theme, and Matt Moulson just keeps on chipping in goals. A fun game (though frequently interrupted by penalties), with a nice Martin Biron performance, a late powerplay tally by Moulson and another(!) clean sheet by the PK unit.

Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Corsi | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles

Final - 3.14.2010	1	2	3	Total
Toronto Maple Leafs	1	0	0	1
New York Islanders	2	1	1	4

Complete Coverage >

But you can't help thinking this year's Maple Leafs have a way of making every team look good, including the Bruins come June 25. A tough Western trip will be a better gauge of how the Isles play out the string.

My oh my the Leafs remind me of last year's Isles -- a firesale-depleted and well-deserved entry to the league's outhouse. There are bits of light here and there mixed with confounding moments of fail or stupidity. A bright light: Phil Kessel's shot. A flip side: Phil Kessel's decision-making.

Where oh where did the concept of "take a number" disappear to? Son, your team is down by two in the third, and you have you have just received the opportunity you need to get back in the game. Now is not the time to cost your team a lengthy 5-on-3 -- and put your greatest powerplay weapon in the box (that's YOU) -- by chopping at Freddy Meyer's foot in petty retaliation. Once again, kids: Take a number, and exact revenge at the next opportunity that works for your team. Extra credit if you exact revenge through a legal hit. (But who am I kidding? Nobody does that anymore -- that requires patience.)

Of course that calls to mind the Leafs' other failings: A powerplay that made the Islanders PK look great, even when Mark Streit was in the box. Maybe Kessel knew what he was doing after all.

Game Highlights

The Evolution of Blake Comeau?

It must be said: Blake Comeau had another very solid game, and he made heads-up plays for three assists (Frans Nielsen is the only goal I didn't mention) in all three phases (SH, PP, EV). We've seen him play this well in the past -- though for shorter stretches and with more frequent spurts of perimeter play -- so could this be something else? Could this be Comeau turning the corner? We won't know but with time. But it looks good. Said Scott Gordon:

"The way (Comeau) has played in the past 3-4 weeks, you see flashes of things you get excited about as a coach and an organization," Gordon said.

That sounds right.

Oh Look, Courageous Dion's in the East Now

Speaking of Vengeance, NHL Distorted Versions Of: Dion Phaneuf -- he who took out Kyle Okposo's head during a preseason game before the Flames dumped him -- took a high run along the boards at John Tavares that mostly missed. Matt Martin was right there and boarded Phaneuf, taking a penalty, that most Isles fans would gladly accept.

Just like that night last September though, someone else stepped in to take care of Dion's needs. This time Jamie Lundmark challenged Martin, with Martin ultimately ready to go but first indicating, "Um, shouldn't the head-hunting Frankenph'neuf fight his own battles, or is he still above that?" The officials jumped in to prevent a full-on fight (perhaps also offended that Lundmark wanted to fight for Dion?), and nothing came of it. The rest of the game was chippy-ish, but mostly in a calm way. No fights ever emerged; I doubt one had anything to do with the other.

If you missed it, here is video of the sequence. I notice Phaneuf's forearm-first checking technique (when he misses Tavares, he hits the glass elbow first) is, um, well it's not how I was taught to bodycheck -- but then I'm not sure "bodycheck" is even a term anymore.

All told, I was happy with how the Islanders treated Phaneuf in their first encounter since The Preseason Hit. With guys like Martin hopefully around for the future, I trust they'll know how to handle Phaneuf's headhunting since, well, it's not like Dion's going to fight, NHL "police themselves"-style.

This and That

Right after I praise Moulson for scoring 20 of his 23 goals at even strength, he goes and notches numbers 24 and 25 on the powerplay. Might I interest you in some stock advice?
Martin Biron was good. Locked down the Leafs for 59 minutes (and seven Leafs powerplays) after the opening-minute breakaway goal by Kuleman.
The line of Tim Jackman, Richard Park and Trevor Gillies produced a hard-work goal. That's what you hope for from a fourth line every now and then, particularly on teams like the Leafs. The grin on Jackman's face through his cage was priceless.
Atlanta lost a shootout, Tampa Bay lost in regulation (after idiot Steve Downie tried to snap Sidney Crosby's leg), the Rangers trumped Philly. The West Coast trip could easily change things, but right now the Islanders aren't playing like they want an easy route to the lottery:

	GP	Record	Pts.
Edmonton	68	21-40-7	49
Toronto	69	23-34-12	58
Carolina	67	26-32-9	64
Columbus	69	27-31-11	65
Islanders	69	28-32-9	65
Florida	67	28-29-10	66
Atlanta	68	28-29-11	67

Man, it sure looks like Boston's getting a star or two come June.

Up Next: Vancouver Tuesday, followed by back-to-back in Anaheim and Los Angeles Friday and Saturday night. Some good tests ahead. That's a long flight: ~~Does Martin's emergency recall end, or~~ will Jeff Tambellini be ready to go? Update: Botta says Martin goes back to Bridgeport. (h/t Hans und Franz in comments)

Islanders-Maple Leafs [game thread]

2010-03-14T20:45:12Z

Next Game

Toronto Maple Leafs (23-33-12, 29th) at New York Islanders (27-32-9, 28th)
5 p.m. EDT | Nassau Wind-Swept Coliseum | MSG+, radio
Employers of the other Kessel: Pension Plan Puppets

Islanders Gameday: Matt Martin called up for the Leafs

posted by Dominik about 5 hours ago

Complete Coverage >

It's a tank-tastic afternoon! Regulation loss, and the Leafs are within three points for 28th. Regulation win, and the Isles are closer to 21st than they are to Leaf-land. Not to get all gallows on you, but other than seeing the kids grow up, that's the sort of context that's on my mind.

If you missed the noon game, the Capitals came back from 3-0 down on the Hawks -- and Alex Ovechkin was ejected for a hit from behind on Brian Campbell. I'm sure a contingent of Caps fans will say it was Sidney Crosby's fault, and Ovechkin was framed or something. But it's pretty simple, really: Don't check from the behind, don't get thrown out.

Note: Rumor has it the addicts from Leafs blog Pension Plan Puppets will be visiting en masse during the second period. So be cool and have fun and all that. If you don't like trading marbles with opposing fans, maybe you sit that part out.

I'll probably be late, in and out (huh huh), here and there. After much inspection, I find my roof isn't going to fix itself.

Islanders Gameday: Matt Martin called up for the Leafs

2010-03-14T17:50:07Z

Woe, the ballad of Jeff Tambellini. I don't want to say Doug Weight's decision to have surgery finally gave Tambellini another chance -- because "chance" in purgatory is relative here -- but it's just too fitting that that spot opens up and now Tambellini has to sit out with a groin injury. The flip side is now we get to watch Matt Martin (emergency recall), and watching Matt Martin is just plain fun.

Toronto Maple Leafs (23-33-12, 29th) at New York Islanders (27-32-9, 28th)
5 p.m. EDT | Nassau Wind-Swept Coliseum | MSG+, radio
Employers of the other Kessel: Pension Plan Puppets

In a weird blip, the Islanders have actually converted on five of their last 16 powerplays (31%). Add finally keeping a clean sheet on the PK last night against the Devils, and the game-to-game highs and lows almost beg one to ask, "Should I still be whining about special teams?" Probably, yeah.

But when the season has shifted to taking little joys from things like lottery watching and keeping the Devils out of 1st place for a moment, you take what you can get.

With the Leafs five points away from the Isles' 28th spot, and the Isles five points away from the Rangers' that's-not-how-you-tank 21st spot, tonight's game has ... lottery repercussions. (Though the lottery race obviously has double the gallows humor for the Leafs. Their lottery guy also scored twice last night.)

Still, last night's 6-4 Leafs win over the Oilers proved, these lottery battle royales can be entertaining. When these teams first met in November, the Leafs were nine points behind the Isles. So progress for them, I guess.

The Leafs' PK (72%) has been and continues to be historically awful. Their powerplay (16%) is just a tick better than the Isles (15.8%). One of these teams' special teams units is going to leave tonight thinking, "Hey, we did well!"

Doug Weight Interview

The gang looked alright without the captain last night -- obviously, his injury-saddled contributions had been reduced to a minimum. But I'm still going to miss that guy. Here's his typically wordy and thoughtful interview about fighting through the injury, planning to aggressively rehab after surgery, and having no regrets no matter what happens:

(About six minutes in, he really gets into the details of playing through the injury and the toll it took outside -- trouble sleeping, taking (implicitly) painkillers to get ready to play each night, etc.)

Prediction: These teams put up 72 shots between them.

Reminder: This one's a 5 p.m. start, and worse, you were supposed to change your clock and stuff last night. I don't really know what time it is right now. I don't shower much.

Nassau Coliseum: A fixer-upper

2010-03-14T17:05:44Z

More photos » Kathy Kmonicek - AP

Oh, as if this doesn't happen at your house every now and then.

Browse more photos »

The actual, snarkless AP caption for the photo above:

Tim Beach, Vice President of Game Operations and Events for the New York Islanders and Media Intern Josh Mevorach hold an 18 foot piece of aluminum flashing that fell 50 feet from the roof of the Nassau Coliseum due to severe weather. A 12 x 12 foot piece of aluminum flashing also fell during an NHL hockey game Saturday, March 13, 2010, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Kathy Kmonicek)

A bit from the Post, under the heading "Nassau Coliseum Falling Apart":

Strong winds brought down two pieces of the aluminum façade that goes around the entire building at approximately 5:30 yesterday -- about 90 minutes before the Islanders hosted the Devils -- near the box office. The larger piece was 10 feet by 18 feet.

The jokes write themselves, what with the age of the building, the squabbles over the lease and a replacement venue, and the tales of locker room plumbing problems of yore.

But the nostalgic sap in me always come back to the acoustic purity of stuff like this:

While succeeding in modern NHL hockey requires the "enhanced revenue streams" and other assorted inflationary non-hockey mumbo-jumbo* a new venue provides, the act of watching hockey doesn't require any of that.

*This $5 pizza? Now magically an $8.50 pizza! Just for you! Progress! How 'bout a $12 beer with that? We'll even tell you when to cheer!

I've been to the glitzy new arenas with their shiny glass exteriors, plush seats, unfortunate sound-absorbing surfaces and special sections for corporate donors. I've also experienced some of the now-extinct old barns. Very real and overdue reasons for a new Islanders venue aside, when an intense NHL game is on the line and the crowd is there for hockey, I know which place I'd rather be: I'll take the frills-free noisy old barn, every time.

(Of course if I need to get to the bathroom or need a mid-game sushi, well that's another matter.)

Grapes purees Cooke. Also saw last week's CC. He is excited about the Sutton deal from Ottawa's...

2010-03-14T10:26:41Z

Grapes purees Cooke. Also saw last week's CC. He is excited about the Sutton deal from Ottawa's perspective. He thinks a lot of Andy and thinks Ottawa got a great deal...and by implication, we did not.