PRE-GAME: Atlanta at Islanders, 7:05 pm
The Sound Tigers win again, and some other stuff
Bridgeport won a wild one in Binghamton last night, 6-5 in a shootout, led by two goals by Jesse Joensuu - the 9th and 10th of the season in his first year of pro in North America. He also scored in the shootout.
Blake Comeau had assists on both Joensuu goals, putting him at a point-a-game for the season (4-15-19 points in 19 games). Comeau has never been pegged as an offensive star, but imagine the numbers he’d be putting up in Bridgeport if he was really thriving in the new system!
Yeah, I know I’m beating a dead horse. It’s just that, at three games below .500, with Nielsen and Okposo out, with the lineup not getting younger and the team’s inability after 25 games to execute Overspeed for a week straight - and often for 60 minutes straight - I just wasn’t feeling it after yesterday’s practice.
Here’s hoping that all changes. I expect at least some of it will, even in minor strokes, and perhaps before the Islanders leave on their four-game trip.
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None of these games are must-wins, of course, but here’s a pretty big one tonight for the home team at the old barn on Hempstead. As the .500 mark becomes ever-elusive (10-13-2), if the Islanders are to contend for a playoff berth they cannot dig themselves a much bigger hole by coming up with a stinker against Atlanta tonight.
The Islanders play 6 of 7 on the road after tonight, including the next four in Toronto (Monday), Philadelphia (Tuesday), followed by games in Pittsburgh and Columbus. Go-Go’s boys have won their last three Saturday games - two home to Ottawa, one in Buffalo - two of them after brutal losses in New Jersey and Boston.
The Islanders enter tonight’s game just 3 points ahead of Atlanta for worst record in the NHL, and the right to draft John Tavares and Victor Hedman.
Barring any last-minute surprises, here are their forward combinations:
Bergenheim - Weight - Guerin
Hilbert - Bailey - Hunter
Tambellini - Park - Sim
Thompson - Sillinger - Jackman
Not exactly the look of a rebuilding team, although in fairness the Islanders did not plan on the major injuries to Nielsen and Okposo.
As for the Thrashers, courtesy of Mike Knobler’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution blog…
Kovalchuk - Reasoner - Thorburn
Kozlov - White - Little
Armstrong - Williams - Christensen
Boulton - Slater - Crabb - Perrin
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Program reminder: Peter Laviolette, Don La Greca and yours truly on “NY Hockey This Week” today at 3:00 pm on 1050 ESPN. We should also have time to take some calls. Bring it, Islanders fans.
PB Alert I: I’ll be “on assignment” on Monday night, but B.D. Gallof will lug the mail by posting his own unique game recap and keeping an eye out for boarding, spearing, slew-footing and eye-gouging in the Comments area.
PB Alert 2: Coming tomorrow - if the Islanders do not make any moves - an explanation of my take that the NHL, PA and Sean Avery should look into whether something’s legitimately wrong with the guy. When I wrote that on Thursday, I really didn’t think they would take that step. Now that they have - seriously, good for them - I’ll shed more light on a personal memory from my time with the Islanders.
Thoughts on the game and reaction to any of the above in Comments. Have a great weekend, everyone…CB
17 Responses to “PRE-GAME: Atlanta at Islanders, 7:05 pm
The Sound Tigers win again, and some other stuff”
Please Wait
YEAH GO SOUND TIGERS!!! and comeau . idc if we lose or win to be honest. i wana win but i want to lose too. o’well i guess i wouldnt mind losing every game 6-5 with the other team getting 100 shots and our defence getting 20 block shots a game. that would be sweet. defence, goalie and offense do awsome and we still get tavares or hedman. too bad this would nver happen
That line up is a little scary. Wow, that just drove why nobody in the league takes us seriously! LOL! These injuries the last few seaseons are a crazy.
I had just looked at the Tigers box score before coming here and was gonna comment on that. Josenu now has one more goal then Smith who everyone wants to call up. I do kow Jesse is much younger but what a good sign for the organization. 6′4″ 235, he score, he fights, and he can skate.
CB will Jesse get a few games at the end of the year? Maybe after the PURGE (please let there be a purge)!
Comeau is obviously improving. I think they aren’t really calling guys from the Bridge because Snow is trying to manage his numbers a bit, until he figures out what he is going to do.
After the comment Bouwmeester’s Dad made about that there shouldn’t even be a hockey team in S. FL it is apparent he’ll be leaving FL. I feel he is a guy who has never lived up to the hype. Is it because of the situation in FL? Not sure, he has been surrounded by some talent at times. I wouldn’t want the Isles to get him and give him a huge contract (that he wants despite modest numbers).
One interesting story line to watch tonight is who from the Isles can handle Exelby, Boulton, and Valabik? Will Exelby go after Bailey like he did Comeau last year? Will anyone from the Isles do anything. It is a shame we have to keep wondering if an oppossing player will injure ONE OF OUR YOUNG STARS INTENTIONALLY BUT UNTIL GARTH SNOW DECIDES TO PERMENANTLLY FIX THE PROBLEM HE HAS IGNORED FOR SO LONG THIS WILL BE AN ONGOING STORY LINE.
i think thats more then a 100 lol! but yeah i wish snow would trade for mccgratton who can actually play the game. thats what im guessing the prob with fritz is
Bouwmeister = overrated . Jesse J. is coming along and that is great news for us. Bringing some size into the line up would be HUGE for us. No pun intended.
Tambellini and Sim are dead space on NYI, Snow should put them on waivers and bringup Jesse and Blake !!!!!
haha , nice draft day scoop in JJ
the kid was ranked to go as high as 1st overall the previous year of his draft
PB Alert 2: Coming tomorrow - if the Islanders do not make any moves
Not often that CB brings up the Isles possibly making a move, Im sure I am just reading into this a little too much, right?? I know CB said none of these are must wins, but tonight is pretty important, they cant let Atlanta come in tonight and win the game. Im sure this is stating the obvious but a loss at home tonight would be cause for serious concern(unless you are one of the ones hoping for a worst in the league finish) with that said, Islanders 4 Atlanta 1.
ACCORDING to B’PORTS ROSTER…NO COMEAU AND there is a #7 JEFF TAMBELLINI
Why not giving Jesse a shot in the future? If things don’t work out with the Isles and they are out of it what’s there to lose with giving him a few games with the big team.
I think he is next…think about it Jackman for someone who can score some goals
Jeff Tambellini has agreed to a conditioning assignment in Bridgeport. Blake Comeau has been recalled for tonight’s game. Wow, this is great news in my opinion. We finally get to see if Comeau can hold his own at the NHL level, while Tambellini will get a chance to rejuvenate himself in the minors. Comeau will play tonight!
good for both players. hopefully tambs comes back wth some goals. good for comeau too. win win situation
Agreed, this was a very selfless move by Tambellini. He did not have to accept the conditioning assignment, but he chose to in order to try to help the team. He really is such a nice guy, and a hard worker, maybe he will get some luck on his side in the minors and it will carry to the NHL.
Yes I agree with these opinions, why not bring Jesse Joensuu, and Blake Comeau up to replace Tambellini and Sims. The NY Islander’s need to play the younger talent they have. This is a year they should trully be restocking the lineup. They should be playing as many younger players as they can. As a longtime NY Islander’s fan, I have liked X amount of what they have done so far this season, but I am sorry, but this team really, constructed the way they are, is only going so far, at best 500. That mite sound excellent, but if you leave this team together next year they will probably finish worse. Who are they trying to kid, this mentality is the same middle of the road mindset they have had for quite sometime. They shouldn’t worry about where they finish, in fact thats the last thing they should be worried about right now. To come back to prominance, they need to develope Big, Young, Strong, Quick talented players they can move forward with. They also should be intellegent ,and realize, overall talent wize, the NY Islander’s have probable the worst in hockey, at the NHL level. And to compete for true supremacy, the need to change that. Really looking at the true talent the Islander’s own in their system, I mean their entire system and playing them now, which should land them the #1 Pick in the upcoming draft, and than drafting Tavares, which would Point the Islander’s Right, right were all conected in NY Islander’s country want to be. CB, as aways, you work is Excellent! Thanks, Mark
SHOOT!!! I MISSED THE RADIO SHOW AGAIN!!! sigh…
UGH!! D*mn holiday shopping. Missed it too. I like it better when they run the show at 4 or 5PM.
Sorry, CB. I was really looking forward to hearing what Peter Laviolette had to say.