THE AM SKATE: Season Opener, Prudential Center
Likely scratches: Comeau, Gervais
(Welcome back, Jon Sim)
12:50 pm, The Rock - The Islanders took part in Scott Gordon’s traditional 17-minute morning skate. With a primary assist from Islanders Radio play-by-play man Steve Mears, here’s the expected combinations for tonight:
Sim - Weight - Guerin
Tambellini - Nielsen - Hunter
Bergenheim - Thompson - Okposo
Comrie - Park - Hilbert
Martinek - Witt
Hillen - Streit
Pock - Meyer
DiPietro
MacDonald
In a move sure to spark some chatter in Comments, Blake Comeau is the healthy forward scratch. On D, looks like Pock has edged out Bruno Gervais for the nod tonight. In the kind of stunning news you’ll only get here, it’s DiPietro vs. Martin Brodeur in goal.
After the skate, Gordon was engaged in some discussion of which of his lines are Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4. Beyond acknowledging Sim-Weight-Guerin as “our perceived No. 1 line,” Gordon said, “other than that, I don’t have an order. The makeup of our team is different. We also want to be able to roll four lines when the time is right to do it.”
The coach also said that lines could be tinkered with during games, especially with Mike Comrie starting as a left wing. “I’m giving myself some options,” he said.
When I was on the other side, I never understood why a coach felt he had to put himself in a corner and commit to identify each lines 1-4. Now that I’m on this side, I feel the same.
ETC: The Islanders announced that Josh Bailey is out day-to-day with a “lower-body injury.”
Though the days of live blogging exhibition games are mercifully behind us, Point Blank will be blogging all day from The Rock. Please check in when you can and, if you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer. To get ahead of one popular query, I hope to have an enlightened Lighthouse update in the next few weeks.
27 Responses to “THE AM SKATE: Season Opener, Prudential Center
Likely scratches: Comeau, Gervais”
Please Wait
How did Nate Thompson edge out Blake Comeau?? Thompson has been here less than a week and Blake looked promising last year. This move just makes no sense. Even if Nate Thompson turns out to be a decent player Blake Comeau probably is our second best prospect behind KO, I thought it was time to develop players like Blake and not pick up a player on waivers taking a young guys spot.
I like Thompson between Bergie & KO tonight, event hough I don’t know much about him & have never seen him play. He knows Gordon’s system better then anyone else, hopefully that will result in some good scoring chances early for the line.
As for Comeau sitting, I don’t think this is going to be a regular thing, so I’m fine with it.
Let’s drop the puck already - hockey is back.
Blake is out but that show nothing overated clown Tambellini gets another chance………
He better be more than visible tonight, as in score!!!!
Comeau is always doing the other things you should be doing when you cant score. If Tambellini is not scoring, he is useless…
I like that Bergenheim-Thompson-Okposo line.. these are out best players. Thompson os obviously Gordon’d crony… but remember, Laviolette did the same thing when he brought in Bates, his crony from Boston. Czerkawski suffered on that onem and Comeau will suffur here. I STILL CANT UNDERSTAND THIS ANDY HILBERT ITEM, HE IS SUB-PAR. AS FOR COMEAU, HE WILL PLAY BETTER AFTER SITTING DOWN A GAME. D LOOKS GOOD, HAPPY GERVAIS IS SCRATCHED.
AS FOR THE QUERIES ON WHY WE DONT DISCLOSE INJURIES, LASY TEAR WE DID DISCLOSE THAT GERVAIS HA D A CONCUSSION/ HEAD PROBLEM AND HE WAS SLAMMED WITH LAMBER CONSTANTLY. IT S BETTER TO KEEP THINGS UNDER WRAPS, LESS NOSEY PARKERS PLEASE.
Finally! Let’s get this thing started right tonight! I’m glad Bailey is out. Let’s be honest, that whole situation is a distraction. He got a deal, a press conference and a preseason game under his belt - now let’s send him back and focus on tweaking the 12 guys into their respective lines. I could care less which youngster is a healthy scratch because ONLY ONE of the 2,000 picks we’ve made in the past 3-5 years is going to pan out (possibly two). We all know it will be KO. Tamby can’t score up here and the rest of the scraps just can’t hang. That being said, Let’s try and put the hurt on Dirty Jersey tonight! I’ve got my money on nasty Nate knocking home a rebound on the doorstep. Add another from Streit and Killa Com = a 3-2 Isles victory. Good luck in ‘08 Fellas.
1. Thank God hockey is back - Hopefully the isles will have something to cheer for other than my pittiful Mets
2. Don’t like the Comeau scratch but I will let Gordan do his thing
3. Would have loved to see Baily in between Bergy and Ok
4. DP will be displaying a new mask tonite along with a new hip
5. Lets go Isles
Comeau scratch = Embarrassing
Hey Guys here’s some food for thought.
Do you think Comeau has one of these “injuries”? You know the nagging groin, ab, leg injury?
Because I just can’t see any other reason to sit this kid tonight!
Did you guys miss Botta’s post that indicated Comeau has gone through the same thing that Campoli did a couple years back when Nolan came in? Everyone is blaming Gordon, and was blaming Nolan back then, but maybe Blake just didn’t show the same stuff thinking he was a ‘lock’ on this team? So, maybe he’s partly to fault for being tonight’s healthy scratch? Or maybe he is slow to pick up Gordon’s system. During camp, preaseason, etc. this guy did nothing to make the “headlines” at the time, so I think everyone needs to chill, not overrate this guy, and see where he ends up. Yes he may be a casualty in the end, another Nilsson and O’Marra who don’t fit the new coach’s vision, but let’s see how it plays before jumping on the new coach.
I’m excited for tonite!! I know the game is on TV but for all other games NHL center Ice (if anyone’s interested) is now showing games for a free preview til Oct. 15th.
When it comes to lines? I don’t get why they do it, a coach has his reasons, but I always felt if you find what works..don’t break it up.
How is Comeau scratched, I’m really not getting this at all. The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is he is hurt. This kid has the goods, what has Hilbert or Tambellini done that Comeau has not??? I thought we were going younger?
Comeau being scratched is a Freaking JOKE !!! Lets be honest guys this is another Prospect that has potential that will be ruined by our Franchise to then be moved on and turn into a very good NHL player. This is the crap we put up with every freaking year- when does this crap stop ?
Its not like we are scratching him for Kariya-Selanne-Sakic or some all star- Lets look at this clearly Islander fans, we are scratching this “KID” for the likes of Hilbert-tambellini-Thompson . The latter who has been here for no more then 36 hours- WTF !!!!!!!! When will we stop being the “MICKEY MOUSE” Team of the NHL ?
Stop with the injury excuses …he has none .
He suoted up in FLA , and practiced all out yesterday. Put a end to the excuses for this “IDIOTIC” Franchise
I have no problem with Comeau being the healthy scratch–everyone seems to forget that that wakeup call certainly paid dividends with Campoli. My question is, what is Comrie doing on the 4th line and not playing between Bergy and Okposo? Part of me thinks that he may be on the block…after all, wouldn’t a draft pick and Comeau developing in the lineup be more valuable than a $4.5Million finesse guy on the 4th line??? Please shed some light on this big issue that has gone largely ignored.
I don’t know… Comeau and Gervais scratched in favor of two scraps thrown away by other teams who have been here for about ten minutes. Just how bad were Comeau and Gervais in camp, anyway? Throw in Comrie on the wing, plus Hilbert anywhere in the lineup, and call me skeptical already. I’ll still be watching, anyway, so go get ‘em, boys.
Comeau is scratched because he played like crap in the pre-season games. He probably assumed he had a spot on the team and got a nice, welcome news flash. It’s fine with me as long as it doesn’t become a regular thing.
Sigh. Well that was unexpected. I hope Bruno and Blake play tomorrow night. Unless Pock and Thompson put on a clinic tonight.
“Comeau is scratched because he played like crap in the pre-season games. He probably assumed he had a spot on the team and got a nice, welcome news flash. It’s fine with me as long as it doesn’t become a regular thing.”
How would you know? They weren’t even televised??
CB…What’s with the “traditional 17 minute pre-game skate”?
the games are all on ITV at this point.
so pumped for tonight game and this season … the young guns will shine .. im sure comeau will be back in the lineup, i was at the one pre season game and he didn’t really do much , i am sure this is just a wake up call for him and bruno … regardless enough with any negativity lets see how it plays out and support our team because lets be honest no one else does…. lets go islesss babyyyy
I think the Comeau thing is nothing to be concerned with. The Devils have some grit, and some fighters.. maybe Gordon was planning on putting in Thompson to bring more of the physical edge up the middle we would lack with Comeau. Devils are big up the middle.
Let it play out.
No comeau is intriguing, but his camp was conspicuous by his “under the radar” existence. Nevertheless I believe he’ll be in regularly this year. I also believe that after fans see Thompson’s brand of play they’ll be disappointed when he’s NOT in the lineup this season, particularly when mgmt decides they’re not calling up Fritz to insert into the lineup as they have tonight. He’s no heavyweight but when things get nasty you’ll always see him engaged and his skill level certainly matches Hilbert’s!
Hilbert over Comeau - Enough said …
How many times tonight will hilbert fan on a shot with a wide open net tonight ?
Send Comrie somewhere, anywhere…and play Comeau
How was Comeuas camp “under the radar”? The guy tied for the team lead in shots. I dont agree with the scratch only because its in favor of a guy who didnt play a preseason game with the Isles. I dont like that fact that Thompson plays just because Gordon knos him. Because guess what? The Islander fans know Comeau. The Gervais scratch blows my mind even more.
And Im not knocking the guy because Im yet to see him play…but how awesome can Thompson be if got waived just a week ago