THE INJURIES AND ROSTER SHUFFLING CONTINUE
Look who practiced (and who did not) today
1:10 pm, Iceworks - No Kyle Okposo, originally thought by the coach to be possible for last weekend.
No Radek Martinek, shown by The Plus cameras to be getting shoulder treatment on the bench on Saturday. Scott Gordon said after practice today he hoped to have Martinek on Thursday in Washington. Islanders PR ace Seth Sylvan said the defenseman is officially “day-to-day.”
No Nate Thompson, diagnosed as “banged up” by the head coach. Thompson is also listed by the team as “day-to-day.”
No Bruno Gervais. Five weeks after the Islanders announced he would be out 4-6 weeks, Rick DiPietro skated before practice. His return does not appear imminent.
Here are today’s practice combinations:
Fritz – Sillinger – Jackman
Bergenheim – Weight – Guerin
Hilbert – Bailey – Hunter
Tambellini – Park – Sim
Six D: Campoli, Meyer, Pock (cleared waivers, as expected), Streit, Sutton, Witt.
The NHL’s Third Star and Danis in nets.
Fritz and Jackman are emergency recalls. Gordon on the promotion of Fritz over Jeremy Colliton and others in Bridgeport: “Washington has an element of toughness…”
The coach on the league-wide recognition of Joey MacDonald, named the NHL’s Third Star for November: “He deserves it. You cannot have success as a team if you don’t have No. 1 goaltender performances on a nightly basis. Joey’s been able to perform like everyone else’s No. 1.”
Look forward to your reaction in Comments. For those of you just joining us in the mid-day, please refer to new Comments guidelines posted below. Thanks.
70 Responses to THE INJURIES AND ROSTER SHUFFLING CONTINUE
Look who practiced (and who did not) today
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UIF says:
How long is this parade of fourth liners from BP going to continue before they give Comeau a chance?
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minorleaguer says:
” element of toughness….” We had better hope Ovechkin isn’t on the ice when Fritz is, or it’s another minus for the blue & orange.
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Dan from Westchester says:
Is it too early to start being concerned about the Okposo injury?
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Islanders1984 says:
so I hear were getting gaborik now
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Joe says:
Sweet, happy to hear they made the right choice with toughness.
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Limberpete says:
Element of toughness = Donald Brashear
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Dont forget John Erksine, guy is a monster.
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Vlad from Brooklyn says:
Isles are being entertaining, you say – agreed! Any more surprizes coming our way?
UIF, I’m 100% with you on Comeau. It is time! Just check hilights from Sound Tigers: the guy is flying with the puck stuck to his stick. Plus toughness is there to. -
jax says:
There not going to bring up Comeau to play 5 minutes a night.
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Darren says:
I like Fritz but he does nothing…if he get’s in at all.
What about Comeau or Iggulden or McLean.
Come on already
Washington has a “element of toughness”.
The Islanders need a element of scoring!
I say bring one of those guys up! -
bCarey says:
fritz is a beast…i think we’re alright in that department. i would think that the reason comeau, colliton, or anyone else in b-port were left down would be because of how well that team has played. i say let the young guys stay down and play together and plug fourth-line holes with fists.
anyone going to the new year’s eve matinee?
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Vinny says:
Is Comeau done serving his time out yet? I’m willing to wait longer but not if Gordon has no intentions of giving him a shot. If he is waiting for Blake to start tearing up the AHL, he’s got the wrong idea. Just give him a shot, a game or two and lets see how he responds!
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Steve S says:
Can Martinek get through a week without getting hurt? Ridiculous.
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Akeem says:
It’s funny, because in MLB there’s a rule that if you option someone down to the minors, you can’t call them back up for the ensuing 10 days. I’m assuming that rule is in place so that teams dont cater their roster ona daily basis to their specific opponent. Wonder why that rule is not in place in the NHL, especially since the notion of a healthy scratch is already built in, allowing teams to already cater their lineup to their opponent on a nightly basis. Any thoughts?
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Strummer's Army says:
Glad Gordon is starting to get it with his intelligent recall of Fritz and Jackman for Washington.
Radek Martinek should have been traded in between his last injury and this injury. His value is only diminishing with each injury. His body is broke and will no longer hold up for a full NHL season.
The Ice Breakers do you have to tip them? is there a 2 drink minimum? LOL Just kidding around, I know a lot of other teams are using off ice dancers too.
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jon says:
adding fritz just means colliton’s 10 minutes will be spread over the remaining 11 fwds. It’s a smart move, given the 12th fwd they want to replace.
I love Comeau but he’ll have to come up to take a top9 job, likely Tambellini.
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They said they’d recall Comeau as soon as he showed he really “get’s it”. He’s making progress, he’ll be back before the year is out but I prefer he stay down until he really gets it. Once he does he’ll never play in the AHL again.
I too am a bit concerned Okposo isn’t back yet.
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Akeem,
Perhaps because injuries are more frequent in the NHL, necessitating the emergency call-up?
But it is a 23 man roster, right? That would leave 3 “spares”. I suppose when you have at least 3 injured, you dip down to AHL. Or something…….
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No Comeau makes me wonder if he will turn into another Tambellini…
No Okposo, make me nervous, that he is not ready for Thursday and that the injury may be worse than we were led to believe…
No Martinek makes me think he will be in his last season with the Isles, enough from the man made of glass..
No iminent Dipietro return makes me think we will only see him come January… -
JPinVA says:
I don’t think the “parade of fourth liners” is going to end this season. It might be overshadowed by a parade of third liners… but we don’t have any first liners and one pretty solid second line that doesn’t need fixing.
I’m JPinVA, and I approve this mesage!
————————————–
<50 words… and people with short attention spans can gloss right over it without spilling their latte. -
Willis says:
Hold on a minute. There’s a comment about why Martinek isn’t there. And why Thompson isn’t there. AND why Fritz IS there. You mean to tell me no one asked why Okposo wasn’t there??????? Cmon now!!!…:)
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What I mean by “parade of fourth liners” is the types of players recalled. You have your scorers, playmakers, fourth line grinders, fourth line enforcers etc. Walter is a “playmaker” even if he may or may not ever turn into a top-two line player. It’s just the style he plays. Everyone we call up is just another grinder, and we dress almost two full lines of that on many nights. I don’t mean to be controversial, but I really don’t see much difference at all in the types of players Gordon favors compared to those Nolan favored.
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Chris H says:
right now all I care about is that the guys playing on Thursday (and every other day) come out and play a full 60 minutes. when they do they win regardless of who has been up, down, injured or otherwise. Go Isles!!!
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doc says:
It’s been said a thousound times… but geeezzzz…. no Comeau???
What does the guy have to do. If there was ONE or TWO players that I was looking forward to seeing this year it was a full season of Comeau and Okposo.
DOC
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DINO says:
LOL the isles are getting Gaborik…LOL let me guess…..Okposo Bailey Comeau Campoli and our First this year for Gabs and he wont sign here long term LOL
All jokes aside…wont happen in a million years unless they give him to us for Comeau Tambelini and a Second Rounder…Which wont happen Either
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blitz says:
Based on the lines provided, it appears Sillinger will receive limited ice time – a smart idea.
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The Mick says:
Not sure where this Gaborik rumor comes from because as DINO said, the Isles just don’t have the assets to secure this guy and why would he give up a run a free agency.
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JLaMonica16 says:
Okposo is the only player i can score with on NHL 09
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andy says:
we’re just not looking good for this thursday. the toughness is there, sure, but the skill is what is needed. i just hope it won’t be a blow out.
i just checked vegas…ho ho…let’s just say you’ll be making some serious dough if the Isles make it with the over. Just saying.
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303Joe says:
Minn. isn’t gonna get alot for Gaborik especially if he’s not signing a long term deal. They would get a decent roster player 2nd and 3rd rounder that’s about it. He’s set to become a ufa this is gonna hurt what the Wild can get in return for him
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Chris A says:
Can Martinek stay healthy for a extended period of time?? and I would be pleasantly surprised if Gaborik heads here don’t know how it’s going to happen without losing someone important.
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UIF,
There in “LIES” the problem with the organization. Nolan got slammed for playing these type guys, but don’t you think he’d have liked to have a Roberto Luongo and Dany Heatley instead of say… Rick DiPietro. -
Gaborik? Not a chance. We’ll deal for him and then he’ll bolt on out of here, overspeed? Lets stay away from that this time around…
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FIsles says:
It is moderately interesting that Pock wasn’t sent down. He would have had to clear re-entry waivers if called up again, and if claimed at that point, the Isles would be on the hook for half his salary. Pock is now eligible to be sent down at a short notice without having to clear waivers. This is what the Red Wings do regularly with McCarty, they put him on waivers every month so that he can be sent down pronto if needs be. Pock is in a tough spot: If he gets sent down, he won’t be coming back, and if he gets a chance to play now, he has to play at the absolute top of his game to have a chance of sticking. That hit to Shannon’s head was very costly to Pock.
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Pock has been bad, I saw one or two plays where he looked decent, otherwise, I think he’d even be mediocre in the AHL.
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jbranny says:
Gaborik is Minnesota’s version of Martinek. A very good player who is constantly dinged up.
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Im sure Minny would want Okposo, at the least, the fans would love the hometown boy playing there Im sure.
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I hope that Pock is never sent to Bridgeport. They don’t need them there as they have 8 quality defensemen who have much higher upside than what Pock have proven.
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I don’t think you will see Okposo with the Wild under the current regime. The Wild don’t like to put Minnesotans on their squad. LeMere and Riseborough don’t want the pressure of having to play a hometown boy(s). They don’t have one kid from Minnesota on the squad yet Minnesota has more kids in the Pros than any state in the union. The Wild are missing a big marketing opportunity with this policy.
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Big Dog says:
Erskine is probably out Thursday – concussion. Plan accordingly.
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bcarroll25 says:
cb,
how did gordon manage the almost week off? did the team skate every day? and can you or someone else diagram/explain the difference in this system as opposed to others? -
I believe Gordon and Snow picked up Pock because he’s an offensive D-man who could jump into the play, pinch and support the forecheck in Gordon’s overspeed system. Theoretically. I think Pock makes dreadful decisions in the defensive zone. He has had very admirable offensive numbers in the AHL (over 100 pts in about 140 games), but he often looks comical in his own end. In my opinion, he is the worst defensive D-man on the team, but I still cling to the hope he might settle down and start to play smarter. He does have NHL potential because of his offensive ability.
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CB,
I know its laughable…
but is there any substance to this Gaborik rumor?
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Swan says:
FIsles,
Good comment on Pock. He definitely has a role on a NHL team. People shouldn’t kill him because he isn’t N Lidstrom. He is a depth defenseman, a injury stop-gap. Perhaps he still develops into more as he is entering his prime. He deserves kudos for helping to hold the fort when the 5 of the Isles Top 6 were out with injuries and he certainly hasn’t been significantly worst defensively than Gervais. At least Pock will take the body.
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Swan,
couldnt agree more…
I’d rather have a juiced up Sean Hill finishing checks than a Tambellini sized Gervais bouncing off forwards -
JLa,
You don’t need to be a huge defenseman to be effective. There are plenty of smaller defenseman in the league who get it done with positioning and hard work. Kris Letang comes to mind, who’s a real up and comer. Like I commented regarding Tambellini/St Louis, I’m not comparing Gervais to Letang, just saying he can still be effective as an undersized defenseman.I think the whole defense has to improve. Witt and Sutton have been putrid the last few games. Let’s hold back our venom from Gervais and Pock until it’s clear that they’re the ones who are costing us to the exclusion of others.
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I still say forwards missing assignments in the 3rd makes the job of the D almost impossible. Put any team’s 6 you would like out there – if the forwards simply let the other team blow through the neutral zone with speed and numbers, goals will be scored. Sillinger should help a bit there.
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mrlbem says:
The website that shall not be named also said that we’ve been going after Sundin for the past two weeks. Really doesn’t seem to have any credibility whatsoever.
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Fritz and Jackman are a good idea. Although Erskine is more of a “player” now, we all know that Donald Brashear loves to push us around. We dont need that nonsense.
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Johnny Islander says:
This may be the weakest lineup we have put out this year. Looks like another 20+ minutes for Park and Hilbert making up for all the minutes that Fritz DOES NOT PLAY.
Enough of the AHL goon already
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I am glad the Isles have Mitch Fritz. Not into sissy hockey, seeing players hurt, or the Isles beat up.
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Islander505 says:
If anyone cares, it’s been reported by one of the managers at Newsday that Jiggs McDonald has made it out of Thailand safe and sound and is on his way to Hong Kong to connect to a flight home to Canada.
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If anyone cares???? If it’s true, WELCOME HOME JIGGS!!!
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brian says:
so whats the story with pock??…he cleared waivers but hes back up because of martinek…idont get it??
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and whats with the rumour for gaborik…cause hb seems pretty serious about it
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jLamonica,
Juiced up is the right description of Sean Hill. He was awful for the Wild last year after serving his suspension for steroid use. Don’t think you will ever see him again in the NHL.
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Pride-N- Passion NYI Hockey~ says:
Look who they called up Jackman & Fritz!! Touche’ to those who still can not grasp the concept of the Current game!..
NHL Hockey, Play it or Go Home!
Or buy the dish I hear Frolunda& Jokerit are playing a Finn Sweed back to back euro style game tune in!
The NHL Stanley Cup will again become the most difficult Championship to win in all the Professional Sport Leagues!
Guts, Determination , Sacrifice & Passion all for the Glory to carry the most Beautiful trophy in all of Sports!The NY Islanders Garth Snow, knows more then most on this board, Im very happy for the fans & the Club he has made the right Choice!
Lets Go Isles… -
If Fritz could “grasp the concept of the NHL game…” he would get more than 2 minutes of Ice time.
If it came down to “play or go home” Fritz should have been home a long time ago… he certainly doesn’t “play”
Either way, he’s here for another minute till KO comes back
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johnny JO .. Garth Snow % Gordon Made The Call you have been effecrtively muted!
Lets Go Isles! -
*effectively*… hey theres a certain element here that wants nothing more then to cause a chaotic, antagonistic type rift between the fans… C’mon people The
NHL is what it is right now… If you like Basbeball spring soon…
Football.. Go watch NOw
Soccer Euro Channel ESPN Now
BasketBallOn NOw …
etc.. stop busting on Fritz hes a better athelete then 99.9% who view & participate on this board!Toe the Line, Support the choices that are logically correct!I think Garth Snow Is a Better GM then any wanna be’ on this board… that includes ME!
Lets Go Isles!P.S.#49 Hard years in The AHL… deserves a full chance play him more then 2 minutes lets see what we got!
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Good night all!
lets Go Isles! -
Ryan says:
Jackman should be here fritz should not unless they plan to play him more then 2 mins a game
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So I guess at this point I’m not supposed to address the inflamitory and immature posting by someone who resorts to kindergarten name calling to make a point because that would violate the “comment guidelines”.
We’ll put it this way then. Snow & Gordon made the decision to call up Fritz, and because they do so, I am supposed to blindly support it and agree that this is the logical decision. Of course these are the same two that continue to play Tamby, so I guess that is the logical decision too.
Keepin it under 100! -
Bob says:
Jackman should never have been sent down to begin with, but FRITZ sitting on the bench is not tough. If Gordon is not going to use hime when one of your best players gets run and injured why bother….
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Jackman being sent down was a money saving move. They don’t have to pay him NHL money for the few days he’s in BP. It’s nothing that hasn’t been done before. That’s my limit for this one…see you in the next thread, unless the mute button starts working.
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Ryan Tendrup says:
Even though I like Colliton.. I’d rather have Fritz around. Some one needs to keep Brashear in line. I like Gordon’s decision.
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Miket says:
Put Jackman on a line with Park and Sim. Bring up Comeau and have him play with Sillinger & Tamby maybe the young kids will learn something
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Tom says:
The only I can continue ask…What in God’s name is Tambellini still doing in the line-up?
Oh & pride-n-passion. Please read the new guidelines. Basically…have more pride, less passion or display your passion in 50 words or less. Thanks.
I wonder how much longer Joey will have to “perform like everyone else’s #1″ before our supposed #1 returns.