THE PRE-GAME SHOW
4:10 pm - Get your NYI-NJD score predictions in
4:10 pm, The Rock - A few notes, a prediction and an opportunity to make your pick prior to tonight’s season opener…
The Mystery Line: Of the Islanders’ four lines tonight, the one I’m most interested in watching is Bergenheim-Thompson-Okposo. That’s a high-energy line and a young one, with the left wing and center the vets at age 24. And how can you not be intrigued by the addition of a waiver wire pickup who played for Scott Gordon in the minors, centering two Islanders’ first round picks?
But the line I can’t figure out is Richard Park centering Mike Comrie and Andy Hilbert. On paper, it’s tough to know what to expect. I asked Park to break it down:
“Andy and I will play hard at both ends of the ice and hopefully that leads to MC having time and space and getting good looks,” he said. “The thing is, the coaching staff is not asking us to do something all three of us haven’t done our entire careers.”
That’s true in terms of assignments and also in positions. Park has played center plenty in his long career and Comrie had some success on the left side in Ottawa.
MacUp: Joey MacDonald is well-prepared for the possibility of going long stretches between starts. He served an apprenticeship with the Detroit Red Wings when they carried three goaltenders. MacDonald was No. 3 to Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood.
“It was a great experience,” said the 28-year old MacDonald. “I got to work alongside two all-star goaltenders every day. I learned so much from them. Some games, I’d just take a seat in the stands and take mental notes. Of course, you want to play as much as you can but I understand my role and I’ll be ready.”
MacDonald prepared for the opening of training camp by taking one-on-one instruction from Islanders goaltending consultant Sudarshan Maharaj for a week in Toronto. “Sudsie really got me ready,” he said of the 90-minute daily sessions. “I came to camp feeling as good about my play as ever. Now my approach is real simple - I have to prepare myself like I’m playing every game. It’s all about staying focused.”
“NY Hockey This Week” set for 5:30 pm Saturday: The 1050 ESPN Radio hockey show I co-host with Don La Greca finally has a locked-in time, for this week at least. “NY Hockey This Week” will be on Saturday from 5:30 - 6:30 pm. One of our guests will be Islanders GM Garth Snow. Since Don will be in Philadelphia getting ready to call Rangers-Flyers we are recording the show a few hours earlier and will be unable to take phone calls. However, after tonight’s game I’ll post an entry where you can write your questions for Snow or Don and I. Thanks for listening.
PREDICTION TIME!
The Devils bring back Brent Sutter and most of last season’s lineup, adding Brian Rolston and Bobby Holik, and are 100% prepared to play the Devils’ Way. The Islanders are dressing two new centers (Doug Weight and Nate Thompson), a new No. 1 quarterback for the power play (Mark Streit) and working in some kids (Tambellini, Nielsen, Okposo, Hillen). All while working on a new system.
Have to believe it’s a bigger edge to the more established Devils. Even Scott Gordon admitted yesterday that in his perfect world, he could have used a few more days of training camp. An exciting game with some big hits, a scrap and good goaltending early on. The Devils get one more on the power play and an empty-netter.
Devils 4, Islanders 2.
What’s your call on tonight’s final score?
19 Responses to “THE PRE-GAME SHOW
4:10 pm - Get your NYI-NJD score predictions in”
Please Wait
isles win 5-2 2 pp goals and thompson gets into a fight. guerin scores 2, streit scores 1, comrie scores 1, hunter scores 1. okposo,sim and weigth get an assist.
Isles win 3-2 in OT. Thompson scores a dirty OT winner to silence the naysayers. Goals by Okposo and Park. Comrie and Rupp duke it out - guess we’ll see him with his usual black eye again! All in all a fun night.
5-3 Isles. Okposo gets 2, Hunter 1, Streit & Guerin get PP goals.
rick sounds good
Islanders win because I can’t watch it. But it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make for the 2pts. Have a great game guys.
Hate to say it, but I’m going to agree with Chris on this one. The Isles are terrible on opening night, have too many new faces, are playing away, and playing the Devils.
I’m going to go with it being 2-2 late into the third, before Zach Parise nets the go-ahead goal. He then nets the empty netter as well. Come to think of it, he nets all four Devils goals. After the last one, he looks up to where Garth Snow sits, mistakenly thinking it is still Mike Milbury, and gives him the one-fingered salute.
Parise scores 40 goals this year– twenty of them against the Isles.
IF DIPIETRO PLAYS LIKE A MAN:
3-2 ISLES, WE GET THE BOUNCES, STREIT SCORES ( OUR PP WAS SO BAD LAST YEAR)AND WITT PLAYS AWESOME.
IF DIPIETRO PLAYS LIKE HAS HAS RECENTLY (SWISS CHEESE IS HIS NICKNAME):
5-1 DEVS.
LOVE THIS BLOG, CB… U RULE.
GORDON SHOULD BE MORE UPBEAT. HE IS BEING PAID TO COACH THIS TEAM TO WIN AND HAVE A WINNING ATTITUDE.
… because we’re the Islanders, and its’ OUR cup!
james we crushed them last year. last year opening day we had more new faces and we won 6-4 away…..
3-2 Devils in OT A close checking game but Parise scores on the PP in OT. The Devils know their systems better at this time.
3-2 Isles. Comrie with a Gordie Howe hat-trick (fight is a rematch against Gionta). Other goals: Guerin and Streit (Streit’s on the pp). One other fight: Thompson v. Clarkson. Andy Hilbert’s contribution: zero, as per usual.
Unbelievable. Gordon likes a waiver pickup over Comeau. Says alot about the way they feel about Comeau, doesn’t it?
3-0 Devils.
Islanders dont score all weekend.
going to be a long season….
Will watch from Northern Virginia tonight on the Center Ice package—-unfortunately, I have the “WELCOME BACK pair” each scoring once, Parise once and then an empty netter…..NJ 4-1 over a hard-working ISLANDERS team.
The red headed stepchild……no HD Isles feed….what a crock
and when is the league gunna start wearing WHITE at home again?
Ebz - 717 on Cablevision
and… I’m wrong as usual.
The quality of the info is what keeps me on this site, thanks!