Monthly Archives: October 2008
112 Comments later, Point Blank readers are divided in their thoughts on Scott Gordon’s comments from last night that he views overtime or shootout losses as ties. The tally as of 9:00 pm:
Agree with Gordon: 31
Disagree with Gordon: 44
Mixed: 16
Some of your comments…
The Statistical Data: “In a league that featured 272 games that went beyond regulation last year (22% of all games) and had one team gain 19 “extra points” and two teams gain only 4, it seems silly for a coach to ignore extra time. In 2006-07, the Isles earned 10 ot/so points, Montreal and Toronto each earned only 8. Without those points, there would have been no playoffs on Long Island since 2004.”
The Informative: “Gordon’s perspective on overtime and shootouts was not a surprise. When he came to the Booster Club meeting this month, he said the exact same thing during a discussion of how feels about loser points. He came two days before opening night, so it’s not something he just decided to believe recently.”
The Understanding: “I know where he’s coming from. At this point I think he’s more concerned about how the team performs within the 60 min game.”
The Flip-Flop: “This is the same coach that said at his introductory press conference that you go into each season expecting to win every game”?
The So New York: “Mr. Gordon is very lucky that Charles Wang owns the Islanders and not George Steinbrenner as he would have been fired before the sun came up this morning.”
The Gotcha!: “So if they lose in OT it’s not a loss – same applies if they win? An OT win is not a win? I guess the game in Tampa Bay was a tie”?
The Patient (as in Patience, not the kind in a hospital): “Since I have already written this season off as a non-playoff year, I’m ok with this stance. I consider this is developmental year where Gordon gets his system down and everybody gets used to playing it. I was happy with the point last night. When we’re ready to contend for something i think this POV has to change.”
(You PLAY to GET the POINT. After THAT, you either WIN in OT or that shootout thingie, or you TIE"!)
The Reasonable: “How many times have you said something and others took it differently than you meant it? Seems like a bit of nit picking to me. I would have been horrified if Gordon had made it seem like he was mad at the team. At this point in time anyway.”
A personal favorite came from “Pat,” who wrote “I think it’s not good to over-analyze it.” And then he wrote 7 more paragraphs.
Finally, one of the most astute was Comment No. 101: “Nice…over 100 posts today…CB, looks like this poll is a success anyway you look at it”!
Hey, the team had an optional practice. Not much going on, other than trick or treating. Thanks, as always, for carrying the day…CB
Oh, the irony, or coincidence. That Alanis Morrisette Ironic song still has me messed up on the difference.
Anyway, around the same time Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy wrote this opus with quotes from yours truly on the NHL injury policy, the Islanders released complete details about the Fantastic IVth’s sports hernia surgery.
At least I’m quoted saying the Islanders were showing signs of loosening up the distribution of information.
In other news, Mitch Fritz optionally practiced with the club this afternoon. Since Mark Parrish and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers have a game tonight, I would think Fritz would be there if the Islanders didn’t want him around for Saturday night, or Monday night, or Tuesday night. We shall see.
We interrupt the energetic and endlessly entertaining overtime-tie debate below with an injury update, courtesy of your New York Islanders.
Freddy Meyer had surgery today to repair a sports hernia and is expected to be out of action 2-4 weeks.
Here’s what the website Physicians and Sports Medicine says about sports hernias:
“Athletes who participate in sports that require repetitive twisting and turning at speed, such as soccer or ice hockey, may be at risk of developing a ‘sports hernia’—disruption of the inguinal canal without a clinically detectable hernia. Insidious onset of unilateral groin pain is the most common symptom.”
My word, do we hate insidious onset of unilateral groin pain. We’re thinking of you, Freddy.
Okay, back to the overtime-tie debate.
Islanders practice today is optional, but your participation in our first Point Blank Poll is mandatory.
Always going on the assumption I often get things wrong, I’m anxious to hear your take on Scott Gordon’s post-overtime loss comment from last night:
“As I told our guys, ‘Whether you lose in a shootout or lose in overtime, it’s a tie in my mind.’ The body of work is done in the 60 minutes. That’s what’s important.”
The coach seemed to more than imply – by including “lose in a shootout” – this was not just his position last night, but in general. I wrote in my game recap that Scott might want to re-consider his position. I understand the Islanders were pretty good in Philly and the coach needs to hit on the positives, but it still was the team’s fifth loss in a row. They have not held a lead since Trent Hunter’s overtime goal in Tampa Bay.
Are you okay with the coach’s stance that an overtime or shootout loss is a tie? Does this mean if the Islanders win in a shootout, he also views it as a tie?
No doubt, all of you have your view of Gordon’s motivation. Let’s hear it.
What’s your take on Gordon’s overtime-loss stance? Please keep it to just one Comment post each. We’ll tally it up and review after everyone’s done trick-or-treating.
Now I know there isn’t a website around that doesn’t brag about having a gazillion hits, but I thought you should know this: Since October 6 – at the end of just our second week doing this thing – Point Blank has been averaging well over 100,000 hits a day.
On some days – like October 14 when Blake Comeau was sent down, the Times sports editor wrote us a note and I kidded about the Islanders listing David Crosby as being very day-to-day – we blow past the 200,000 mark.
Of course, hit stats are misleading sometimes. They could just be my mom checking on me or Greg Logan seeing what I got wrong next several times a day. But the amount of unique daily users is about ten times what I thought it would be this early, and twice what I thought maybe the site would ever do.
The numbers are astounding to me, but from my old gig you’d think I’d learn to never underestimate Islanders fans. So please let me say thank you, thank you, thank you.
We’re only just getting started. No seriously, Point Blank has been around for all of five weeks. That’s why I’d like you to utilize the Comments space under this entry for ideas, criticism, whatever you got. Just NO CAPS!
Actually, that reminds me. I love the Comments area, the discussion, the eye-opening quantity and quality of posts. You know how rewarding it is to fire up the laptop before taking the kids to school and seeing dozens of Comments on my overnight articles? Sure, occasionally, it’s two or three fans giving each other the business, but not all the time…LOL.
Let’s try whenever possible to keep the discussion at a fairly high level. I understand after losses games it can get really rough in there, but still – be respectful of each other. I don’t care if you go off on me, but try to remember that 99% of the people who’ve bookmarked Point Blank are major Islanders fans. You may have nothing else in common with each other, but you have that. Be passionate, even be a little crazy, but try to be kind. Thanks.
I know what you want that I have yet to deliver: news on the Lighthouse Project. I’m trying. As I mentioned in the Comments space recently, I was told by a pretty good source that groundbreaking is still on target for next summer. But I know that’s not enough.
Trade rumors…I think you know where I stand there. It’s not an easy business. Teams are rumored to make 30 trades within a season, and often make only 2 or 3. And those are the trades not rumored. My last few years at the Islanders, solid scoops well in advance of deals were rare. Shoot, Boston icon Peter Gammons stood there this summer and said the Red Sox weren’t trading Manny – 10 minutes before he was traded. Now that I lamely tried to cover my own butt, I pledge that if I ever have anything solid it will always lead the site.
I’ll probably plug this Point Blank Night event at Gabrielle’s in RVC next Thursday almost as much as the NYI are pushing that Third Jersey. I think it’s going to be a fun night and it will be nice to meet some of you. One thing you won’t have to worry about once you get there is being sold anything.
I understand it’s logistically impossible for so many of you to get there. Our top ten hits by country after the USA: Canada, Switzerland (thanks, Mr. Streit!), Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark (you too, Frans), Japan (!), the Netherlands, China and Great Britain. If you can’t be there, raise a glass and think of us.
Again, thank you…CB
10:18 pm - Recapping the Flyers’ 3-2 overtime win, the Islanders’ fifth loss (0-4-1) in a row.
The Game: Jeff Carter’s OT power play goal with 23 seconds left gets the Flyers the second point after the visitors are unable to score on a power play to open the extra session. Andy Hilbert had evened up the game at 2-2 with a bank shot goal (off Ossi Vaananen) with six minutes left in regulation.
Shots on Goal: Islanders 36, Philadelphia 28; Power Play: Philadelphia 1-4, Islanders 1-3; Attendance: 18,227 (a sellout); Here’s your NHL scoresheet and stats.
No. 1 Story - The Islanders have not had a lead since Trent Hunter’s OT goal in Tampa Bay (thank you, Eric Hornick of MSG Plus). The Islanders have not been leading for one second in the last five games. Some games they’ve played well, they’ve played hard, carrying games for long stretches. But there’s just no positive way to look at that.
No. 2 Story: Andy Sutton made his season debut and did what Sutton does. He finished the game with 22:20 TOI, an assist, 2 shots, 2 blocked shots and 2 minor penalties. The Islanders missed him.
No. 3 Story: Enforcer Mitch Fitz made his NHL debut, playing two shifts totalling 1:27 in the first period. On his fourth shift of the game, it looked like Fritz and Riley Cote were scheduling a fight but it didn’t happen. Soon after the faceoff, the 6-8 Islander took a holding penalty. He finished with 3:32 TOI.
Post-Game Sound
Scott Gordon – “The first period was disappointing but from the second period on we started doing the things we need to do to be successful.
“Like I told our guys, ‘Whether we lose in a shootout or lose in overtime, it’s a tie in my mind.’ What counts is what happens in those 60 minutes.”
“There were a ton more positives than negatives in that game.”
Andy Sutton: “The first period was a blur. I didn’t feel like I had my best gaps at the blueline to make hits. Stuff like that comes with timing.”
Standout Islanders
Andy Hilbert - Scored game-tying goal, drew penalty at end of regulation and has been one of Gordon’s most consistent forwards at what he’s supposed to be doing.
Joey MacDonald - Looking like an NHL goaltender. If Chris Osgood gave a recommendation, applause for Ozzy.
Thomas Pock - 18 minutes and even. His steadiest game as an Islander.
Game Rating (out of 5 stars): 3.5 - The Islanders showed speed and perseverance, while the Flyers seemed to be hanging on. Especially for the Islanders, it was a game full of drama because it was 2-2 late in the third and the Islanders badly needed a win.
Islanders Performance: 3.0 - After the last two games, we thought the Islanders used up their style points for trying. But they did impress on the road, and it was good enough for a point.
Just Keeping it..Ya Know (Part 1): Are they the hard-luck Islanders or are they paying the price for not having any pure goal scorers? Probably both.
Part 2: Coach Gordon might really want to re-consider his public stance that he views overtime or shootout losses as “ties.” Doubt the fanbase wants to here that, and not sure that’s the message he wants to send to his team. Among many reasons, missing out on 5-10 of those second points can often be the difference in mid-April between playing hockey and playing golf.
Part 3: While respectful of the reality this is a team with a new coach still trying to come together, this whole thing about being great in the first half (Monday) or the second half (Thursday) does not get it done. The NHL provides 60 minutes plus overtime plus a shootout to win the darn game.
Just Sayin’: In the first round of the 2003 NHL Draft, the Flyers drafted Jeff Carter 11th overall and Mike Richards 24th overall. The Islanders drafted Robert Nilsson 15th, the Devils took Zack Parise 17th.
Only one 2003 first round draftee has yet to play an NHL game: Hugh Jessiman, whom the Rangers selected 12th and traded to Nashville today for future considerations.
Hallelujah Moment: Mid-way through the game, Gordon put together an energy line of Sean Bergenheim-Thompson-Park and they were a problem for the Flyers the rest of the way. Multiple scoring chances in the first shift, Bergenheim drawing a penalty on the second. Just didn’t score.
What We Learned Tonight: No pressure, kid. The Islanders need Josh Bailey to be their Mike Richards or Jeff Carter.
Billy Jaffe Analysis: (on the Flyers’ first goal, a perfect faceoff play) “You cannot diagram a play better than that”!
(on the Islanders’ first goal) “Now that’s what I call bearin’ down. That’s what I call bombs away from Bill Guerin.”
(after regulation) “A heckvua effort, a real good effort by the Islanders to turn the game around in the second half. That ability to change the game is impressive.”
NYI Prospect of the Day: 2008 2nd round pick Travis Hamonic, regarded primarily as a defensive defenseman, is showing confidence in the offensive end, too. In his first 11 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors, the 18-year old has 2 goals and 9 assists.
Point Blank is in the midst of writing a feature on everything that led up to the drafting of the kid, who called his Islanders interview the most extensive and intensive meeting of the 20 he had.
Islanders Press Coverage: from Newsday – The man they call the non-team sponsored blogger (just kidding) Logie.
Programming Note of the Night: 6:30-7 on MSG – Rangers pre-game show. 6:30-7 on MSG Plus – Infomercial for Roy Jones Jr. – Joe Calzaghe, an upcoming boxing match at Madison Square Garden. Oh my.
Next Up: Overspeed meets Just Plain Speed when Long Island boys Mike Komisarek and Chris Higgins and the Montreal Canadiens come to Uniondale on Saturday for a 7:05 matchup including the vintage Third Jerseys.
The Lineup
Bergenheim – Weight – Guerin
Hunter – Nielsen – Okposo
Fritz - Comrie – Sim
Hilbert - Thompson – Park
Pock - Streit
Campoli – Gervais
Sutton – Skinner
MacDonald
Danis
The 4-on-3 OT power play: Streit – Guerin – Weight – Hunter for the full two minutes.
Talk about the game in Comments.
1:00 pm - Courtesy of Steve Mears of Islanders Radio, we can tell you that Mitch Fritz is in. No one – especially not Scott (News Flash) Gordon, will tell you who’s out. (REVISED, 2:35 pm: Greg Logan says it’s Tambellini).
If the D pairings hold, you will see Sutton-Streit, Campoli-Gervais, Polk-Skinner. Gordon would like to find a few more minutes for Brett Skinner, who is on the second-unit power play.
DiPietro on Injured Reserve: No, silly…the Islanders didn’t announce it. But the information can be found on the official team site, where once again eagle-eyed Point Blank readers snooped those two asterisks next to Rick’s name.
Doesn’t really mean a whole lot, other than the league office makes those roster changes automatically and the Islanders don’t want their fans (and teams without scouts or those new DVR things) to know.
Waste of Time: “Hmm…hey Islanders! You need a goalie, eh? Whadaya say you give us $4 million in salary, we’ll give you Khabby, plus we’ll throw in the kid we took with our third overall pick a couple of years ago! Deal”?
Folks, even if DiPietro was lost for the season – and I’m fairly certain he isn’t – you never have to email me to see if the latest fraudulent rumor du jour has any validity. I might not get every scoop – and that site’s bound to get one out of every hundred right – but if I ever have anything legit, I promise to post it as the lead item on the site.
Your Back Pages: Thanks to their reincarnation as (The Hockey) Newsday, Long Island’s newspaper has granted your Islanders a lovely run of back covers since the start of the regular season. That could come to an end now that the New York Knicks are back in action, and because our hoops team may be fun to watch again.
If the Islanders can adjust their game schedule to play games on Knicks off-days – as is the case for the next week – it could be a back-page bonanza.
(Rein bar at the Garden City Hotel, in case they want to comp us some night)
On the Streit Where you Live: Defenseman Mark Streit cherished his time in Montreal and now is enjoying his life on Long Island – although the two situations could not be any more different.
“In Montreal, I was there maybe a few weeks and it seemed like everyone already knew who I was,” said the native of Switzerland, off to a strong start to his Islanders career. “Here, you have some more time to yourself. I live in Garden City and have probably been to just about every nice restaurant in town.
“It’s been wonderful, my time on Long Island. I find the quality of life here is very high. With the city and the Island, you feel like you have the best of all worlds. I’m really loving it.”
Net Worth: Forbes released its annual look at the value of each NHL franchise. The magazine estimates the Islanders’ worth at $154 million, which puts them 29th in the league. (Picture the scene in the editor’s office: “Boss, I want to write the ultimate dissection of our country’s disastrous economy”! “Sorry, kid, but can you poke around and uncover how much the Columbus Blue Jackets are worth”?)
What the Forbes article means is simple. Even if the Islanders were 6-2 and the team was averaging another 2,000 fans at the gate per game, that $154 mill will not grow – and could even continue to fall – until the Lighthouse Project is not just approved, but significant progress is made.
Bossy on 1050 ESPN Radio: Islanders Hall of Fame right wing Mike Bossy is one of our guests on “NY Hockey This Week” on Saturday from 5:30 – 6:30 pm on 1050 ESPN Radio. Don La Greca and I will talk to Mike about the Islanders and get his take on some NHL issues, including the Brandon Sutter incident.
The Devils Pre-Game Show: For the first time this season, my 10-year old and I watched the Devils pre-game show on MSG Plus before they faced the Leafs last night. We only watched because Aidan is still a Blakey fan (unlike Ron Wilson), but kudos to producer Roland Dratch and his crew for reminding Islanders followers what they are missing.
In 30 minutes they covered a whole range of topics, from Brent Sutter providing a positive update on Brandon’s recovery, a one-on-one between Stan Fischler and Wilson (including the coach on Blake’s benching), a look at Jamie Langenbrunner’s return from injury, a preview of the NHL debut of Devils forward Matt Halischuk and some insight into the play of Leafs rookie dman Luke Schenn. All from a cast of five: Fischler, Steve Cangialosi, Doc, Chico and Ken Daneyko.
Neil Best of Cablevision-owned Newsday advanced my story of the Islanders not having a pre-game show, pointing out the imbalance but unable to find a reason for it. Two weeks later, there are no signs that one is coming.
SCORE-O!
Despite the perception of some dysfunction because of the DiPietro injury and other injury-related issues, fact is you can’t detect a whiff of nonsense around Scott Gordon’s practices. This is a happy, determined-to-get-it right squad that’s due. Plus you got a Flyers team that may be over-pumped in front of a hysterical and hung-over crowd after last night’s World Series triumph. Doesn’t always work that way.
ISLANDERS 4, FLYERS 3
Point Blank record for ’08-09: 6-1
One Week from Tonight: Thursday, Nov. 6 is Point Blank Night at Gabrielle’s Brasserie and Wine Bar in Rockville Centre. Join me and Sound Tigers coach Jack Capuano for an evening of conversation, a few surprises, wine tasting and watching the Islanders and Thrashers in a game of ice hockey on the television. Click here for more details. If you’re able to make it and haven’t RSVPd yet, please let us know in Comments. See you next Thursday.
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