KURTIS McLEAN IN! HUNTER OUT
PB on MSG pre-game show & watching game in 221
Trent Hunter out with lacerated hand. Kurtis McLean (!) should make his NHL debut today as the NYI host Ovie and the Caps. McLean is 11-29-40 in 41 games with Bridgeport this season.
The schedule for today: Point Blank will appear on the MSG Plus Pre-Game Show with C.J. Papa. The show starts at 1:30.
I’m going for a different perspective for today’s game, sitting in the stands with my kids. I’ll be in Section 221 Row H if you want to say hello. If you want to yell at me, keep it clean around my sons.
No typical recap today. Instead I’ll write something after we get home. No idea what that will be right now.
Talk about the game, within the guidelines, in Comments.
107 Responses to “KURTIS McLEAN IN! HUNTER OUT
PB on MSG pre-game show & watching game in 221”
Posting Your Comment
Please Wait
Please Wait
Chris - what is the record for man games lost in a season b/c we must be getting near it!
I will not come by Sec 221 to say hi b/c I know I cant contain my language watching this team!
Could you post a count of how many time the Isles will miss the net with a shot today? This team seems to miss the net ALOT!
Honestly…if these injuries weren’t ridiculous before, this is genuinely an absolute absurdity of proportions that I have never seen before. I thought LAST year was bad. My question…how does one get a laceration on one’s hand if you wear hockey gloves? Was this the Islander deciding to cut some apples on ice or something?
I’m glad for Kurtis. He is having a good year and deserves the shot.
How bad did Trent “lacerate” his hand that he can’t play? What’s next Bailey stub’s his toe out for 3-6 weeks?
Your kids should enjoy seeing the best player in hockey… and the Ice Girls. Do any of them babysit?
How did Hunter “lacerate” his hand? Was it game related, or was he trying to flip a grilled cheese with his hockey stick and things got out of hand?
These “injuries” are an effort by the Islander to blame the entire season on man games lost and deflect blame from the hierarchy. This is ridiculous. Either that, or the entire team is a bunch of gutless pukes that refuse to compete if they basically have a hang nail.
The Rangers have lost 10 games to injuries. TEN!! Either they are better trained or their players are just tougher than ours. It’s the truth, even if we don’t want to admit it.
Have fun at the game today, CB. BTW, any word on the goaltender situation going forward?
if the isles get john tavares i dont think hes going to come here.where theres smoke theres fire if its a rumor now its going to reality with all the uncertainty surrounding this team.i really think they have to demonstrate they want to win and that calls for at the very least a coaching change!!!
I’m probably the only golf course employee on Long Island at work today. I’m going to miss the pre-game. That blows.
My first thought reading this was “Kirk McLean? He’s gotta be in his fifties!” Time to get hooked on phonics. And another goalie
JOE RVC,
How can you possibley put what Francessa said as smoke to fire???
CB,
If you’re not sure what to right about, how about a breakdown of the Lease between the Isles, SMG, and the county, who get$ what? I’ve been searching for that for quite a while and can’t seem to find it.
CB was on Francessa and stated that Tavares has said he’ll go anywhere that he is drafted. Does he really want to pull an Eric Lindros? Look what that did for Lindros’ entire career and reputation.
Kirk McLean is 42. When the Nordiques drafted Lindros, they traded him for, among others, Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci, Steve Duschene, 15 mil in cash, and a first round pick which became Jocelyn Thibault, who was traded eventually for Patrick Roy. The Rangers offered Doug Weight, Tony Amonte, Alex Kovalev, 12 mil,and three first round picks. Good news is they went on to win eight division titles after that. Bad news it was in denver. Assuming the Lighthouse gets approval sooner or later, would Tavares refusing to come to Long Island be the worst thing in the world?
At least you can’t blame the training staff on this one. Maybe he cut it in a bar fight on a broken beer bottle? In all seriousness, where and when does it end?
Kirk McLean is 29 years old
I believe the county gets the parking, SMG gets concessions and a management fee, Isles get a leaky building with narrow hallways and too few bathrooms to play in.
Mike,
We’re talking abouit the Kirk Mclean who was the goalie for the Canucks in the 94 finals vs the Rangers (backed up by Kay Whitmore). He, my friend, is not 29 years old.
It’s a good thing then that i NEVER park in the coliseum lot!
Little Trent has a boo boo and can’t play. The Isles don’t like to play with boo boo’s.
THIS IS A VERY SEIOUS QUESTION would john tavares be a good player in gordons system????are there any real hockey experts on the blog that would know????
I was at practice yesterday at the coliseum. I must say this was no BS practice session. The coach worked these guys hard. Really hard. Trent got hurt during a real scrum while they were practicing. The minute it happened you could see Hunter was in terrible pain. He was bent over and holding his hand. He went over to the bench and grabbed a towel and wrapped it over his hand and left the ice. I knew immediately it was serious.
Bailey is out with a runny nose. Just announced.
Well…Hunter has seemingly been absent anyway after a quick start. I should’ve known he’d underachieve again and possibly get 20 goals…possibly.
To be fair to Hunter nething on the hand makes it harder to play since its harder to move so if he doesn’t have a lot of mobility its a no go
Tavres’ shoulder must be OK, because in his 1st back he had a hat trick
Tavares’
CB,
Speaking of Hunter - what do you make of him in general:
Should he be scoring 30 goals?
Does he fit Gordon’s system?
Is he a first, second or third liner?
Is he a future “A” or even “C”?
Is he simply streaky and uncreative?
Finally, is it me or is he the worst penalty shot-taker in the NHL?
How could a goalie NOT know he’s going to drop his left shoulder and lift a wrist shot high and wide to the right?
Terry (#13), ominous parallel you’ve drawn with the spoils of the Lindros deal and the Nords moving to Denver anyway…
Jim (#19), you obviously didn’t see Witt take a dump-in to the face last game and come back about next shift with seven stitches… or Okposo a game or two before…
Ahhh! good for you taking your kiddies to the game! that’s great! CB? Who would want to come curse at you?..I can’t imagine why anyone would.
Trents got a boo-boo too?..I must have missed that one.
I’ll try an catch the show today..thanks for letting us know!
Enjoy the game with your kids.
Nice to see K-Mac make his NHL debut. Especially since J-Mac went down. For any team to have street cred, you need to either have a “*-Rod” or “*-Mac”, and the Isles have two now.
I also see SJ have called up Claude Lemieux. Which leads me to wonder if maybe the Isles should do the same thing and check in on Benoit Hogue or Patrick Flatley? Derek King? Does anyone know if Derek King has been keeping himself in game shape?
im sure its a serious laceration. you can’t really get on hunter. that boy is one of the most physical islanders there is. he consistently lays hard, clean checks.
Shouldn’t the fact that we are condemning players because they “may not fit a system” be a glaring statement on THE SYSTEM!
Hunter has produced in the past. Mostly defensively, but he still put up very good numbers with Sillinger and Hilbert. Maybe we need to stop questioning his ability and question our expectations.
Good God 90% of Islander fans were in love with Witt before all this crap started. He was never much more than a solid shut down “D”, and now he “sucks”. Come on!
We have some good young players with varying degrees of talent. Wouldn’t you want to see how they perform in a STABLE environment?
When one factor in the team not obtaining quality players as UFA’s is a tradition of LOSING, isn’t this commitment to bad hockey a little self defeating.
I’m no hockey expert, but if it looks like crap, and it smells like crap I’d make Snow taste it before I picked it up!
Personally, I liked the way the team was playing in the losses against the rangers and Bruins. They were finishing checks, and it didn’t appear to be a Chinese fire drill in their own zone. This team had a defensive signature the past two years… now they can’t even sign a check, nevermind deliver one. What gives?
Ken #31 - Hunter does lay clean hard checks. He IS physical. So what, he cant score, cant fight and IMO is overrated by us kool aid drinking Islander fans. He should be dealt trading deadline along with everyone else except KO DP Bailey and Streit!!
Hunter’s checking has been less apparent this season. He was always at the top of the leaderboard in that category, yet I don’t see it on a game-to-game basis this year. I like him…yet, maybe he is just as good as we think, or as vital as we think.
i don’t get it. it’s not all of you but u want the team to lose and have a shot at the first pick and yet you whine when u get what u want. players hurt… rookies in… seemingly good but you whine. we lose which is good… but you whine. back up back up goalie… should be happy… but u whine. there’s not much hockey talk here… it’s like 60 percent whining about the same thing over and over again and 20 percent old/ bad jokes to show how clever and self deprecating islander fans can be. it’s sort of pathetic.
I love when people on a blog, sitting warm at their desks with a doughnut at arms length call ANY hockey players soft.
Ya knw?
I don’t have a problem with supplementing injured players with guys from the farm. Do they have to be the 28 y/o career minor leaguers though?
Bentevoglio has been down in Bridgeport for two seasons now. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to bring him up so he gets an idea of where he needs to be? Just a taste of what the play is like up here could go a long way.
He doesn’t have great numbers in Bridgeport but that’s whats expected for a guy that was signed out of college and adjusting to pro hockey. Besides, this guy has the speed to maybe have some successs in Gordon’s system.
I think bringing in a 28 y/o is just a waste of an opportunity. What’s the point?
GREAT INTERVIEW BOTTA KATE…GIVE US THE GRREN LIGHT!!!!!!!!
Nice job on the pregame CB, you are the man!
Going downstairs to watch this game on the CAPITALS network here in Northern Virginia………Joe Benadati (spelling??) is the play by play guy (he does a lot of VERSUS games too)—he was in the NVMC on 24 May 80, so he is always looking at things from a positive side, but former CAP winger CRAIG LAUGHLIN will make me furious today when he mocks the ISLES……..but since I’ll be working out while watching the game, I’m sure he will help my conditioning. I anticipate a 6-1 loss as WASH is NOT going to allow the ISLES to steal this one, regardless if it’s Smitty, Chico, Kelly, Rollie the Goalie, DP, or EITHER K. McLean!
Interesting Bridgeport plays the exact same system for 60 minutes and doesn’t have the same amount of injuries. Tells me it is the training, medical, and conditioning staffs.
It is sad they have called up Mclean. Is this where this season has gone, they are calling up guys who aren’t actually legit Isles prospects? Smith could have gotten another shot, Collotton is very deserving and so is Walter.
I don’t midn the losses because I want that first pick it will do more for the franchise then anything. I do mind when they don’t show up and I do mind when I see things in the organization that they just don’t seem to get.
they are going up against Brashear and Erskine with nothing! Gordon is an idiot on this issue. They have had three years to find an enforcer, apparently they don’t think there is a need. I hate watching sissy hockey. There was no justice against NJ? What kind of franchise just bends over and takes what the Devs gave them? They wanna talk about the pride of wearing the Islander crest why woud anyone have any? Most of them are soft, cowards, who don’t give full effort.
Great job on TV, CB! Way to go!
for those of us that are stuck at work today, what did chris say during the pre-game?
geat job on the pregame Chris!
Is it just me or does anyone else see that more than half of Hunter’s checks are 80% boards 20% body. Sure its great that he attempts to hit people but he is so slow that he constantly misses and takes himself way out of the way cause he has to then readjust his helmet after he just destroyed himself. And the other reason Hunter is constantly on the leaderboard for hits is called hometown statistician. Anytime he hits the boards it counts as a hit.
Next time you want to play a drinking game take a shot anytime Trent falls or shoots high or wide. Good chance youll be in the hospital by late in 2nd period.
However even with all my issues with him on the team, he still works harder than everyone else on the ice he just lacks the skill be to a top 2 line forward. Not worth it to trade him, hes signed for cheap id wait until we can fill out the team with some ufa’s and draft picks and stick him on the 3rd or 4th line getting 3rd or 4th line minutes.
Trent has been really tough this season, barely missing any time even though he could have. Heres hoping the hand is better sooner rather than later.
So Hunters out. Campolis out. Bergie still out? Not to mention all the other guys who are already out. The qualtity of injuries this season is simply unreal. Unreal!!!
Since 72,
Laughlin has made me sick for 12 years… I enjoy going to caps games because Ovechkin is awesome… but I have to turn the sound off when he’s on.
The funny thing about Beninati is he is more pro Islanders than Jaffe on Nuetral sites such as VS and the NHL Network. It would be cool to have him do games insted of Howie.
Laughlin is just another a-hole ex-jock with a really unappealing voice. He makes denis Potvin sound like wolfman jack.
I hear you Tom (# 35) - we have been just barely good enough to make the playoffs in several seasons lately and what has it gotten us?! A lower 1st round pick, a quick playoff exit, and the illusions we may be good next year! Accept that this team is not good right now but is doing the right things to be good in the future! We are not going to win more than 24 games (if that)and there will be many games that look bad.
My opinion on why the Islander’s have so many injuries; Part of the Islander’s game plan is to go out and initiate play, that fine when the players delivering the hits are big players, hitters, checkers, the NY Islander,s are way to small. Probable the smallest team in the NHL. I like the young nucleus they are putting together, you can deffenetly see their potential. But they need to bring in some quality deffencemen with size. That can deliver the hits. great work Chris, Mark
nice work on the pre-game show Chris!
enjoy the game with your family
I love Tim Jackman. I wish someone could finish all the chances that boy produces.
“Accept that this team is not good right now but is doing the right things to be good in the future!”
Can you list those things… because I’m an idiot.
Is it blowing a whole season to draft one player. They only have a 48% chance of getting Tavares, and if you dropped JT in this pile of crud right now they’d be back where they were three years ago. Wha-effin-hoo. If you rushed hedman to the NHL next year you could create the biggest #2 bust in this century.
Is it the exciting brand of hockey they’ve displayed all year. I know I love watching a team pinned in their own zone for minutes at a time… ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S THE ONE I’M ROOTING FOR.
Is it the player movement orchestrated by the over-achieveing GM. So far his legacy consists of Streit, Bailey, Guerin, Weight and JMAC. I’m not saying he’s done a terrible job, but it’s not like he’s turning the hockey world upside down.
I’m just curious, maybe you can change my opinion… what gives you confidence that this team will even be comptetive in two more years?
You think that this team is “blowing their season to draft one player”? You actually believe that???
That’s actually been his line for weeks now, that the “strategy” the GM and coach are employing is to tank the season in order to get a top two pick…
Also, I don’t think I’ve read anywhere else (from real, actual hockey people and journalists) that Hedman would not be ready to step into the NHL next year. Perhaps someone could correct me if I’m mistaken.
Good period, sucks that Brash pushes everyone around.
Maybe Bailey will actually score his second goal of the year today. That’s not too much to ask for, considering our Host has him in the HOF.
Here’s a question - I’m trying hard to compare this team to the mid-90s teams. For whatever reason, to me, it seems like we’re far more competitive now than we were then. It seemed at the time like we were so far worse than the 29th-best team (or however many teams there were at that time pre the latest rounds of expansion). This season, there have been a few too many clunkers, but on most nights, its not like we’ve had our doors blown off. More often than not, its of the 4-2 or 3-1 variety. Obviously, at the end of the day, our records will be comparable.
Thoughts?
For those who missed Chris on TV, he didn’t say anything that he didn’t say on this site. He basically talked about the same stuff that he did on the Mike Franscessa show (Kansas City/Okposo). Did a good job!
Stumpy;
I think the difference between this team and the 90’s rebuild is the effort. Those guys would quit on games to easily and was obvious that it was a collection of personalities that just didn’t meld. We had guys with talent but didn’t have it together upstairs.
Guys like Bailey, Okposo, Bergenheim, Comeau and Tambellini have their talents but they also are not quitters. This is the most resilient group of young prospects I’ve seen here in a long time.
They get their scoring opportunities as well. It’s just a matter of time till Bailey’s and Tambellini’s opportunites start going in.
Would have loved to hear the interview. Some day we’ll get a feed in the box… ahem… ahem…
Gordon should call a time out here.
Too many scoring chances agaisnt. I don’t know what the deal is but Danis has actually played very well today.
This team is ridiculously snake bitten when it comes to finishing, and they’ve had some beautiful chances. I hope this doesn’t become a habit.
2nd Period2 0:11 Shot missed by Bill Guerin(Wide of Net)
2nd Period2 0:13 Shot missed by Bill Guerin(Over Net)
2nd Period2 0:22 Shot missed by Bill Guerin(Wide of Net)
——–
Just a microcosm of the season, eh?
Guerin missed the net about 7 times today.
CB where r u im at 221 i dont see you????
This is a bit off topic but I have the game on the radio here at work and keep hearing the Lighthouse commercials during the breaks. I really haven’t seen or heard many others on other outlets, but isn’t it a bit silly to advertise something to Isles fans during the game that the majority of them are obviously in favor of? How about making a push with the advertising on much bigger outlets.
a like the fight this team has
what a call on Brendan. Yeah, he really pummelled him on that one.
Crossbars, weak calls, this team just has no luck. None.
Thank god we lost…..good showing by the kids, thats all that matters. KO has really turned up his game.
for a second there i thought we had a chance at two points thank you mr.Offical for that wretched call
I really wanted to be happy today about the effort, and KO, but the way it ended doesn’t allow for it.
We can thank the officials for helping to lower Witt’s trade value another notch. What a horse$@#! call.
Awful…
Witt in the box for both goals.
Can’t really get on the guys for this one. They had no business getting a point out of this with all the injuries on this roster.
Give em credit for the effort. This was not a good win for the Caps. It was a good OT loss for the Isles.
Tambellini looks like he’s starting to turn the corner. His game has improved by leaps and bounds. Just a matter of time till those shots start going in.
The chemestry needs to work but this team batteled in this one.
Stop saying “just a matter of time” with Tamby, his skill level is obviously nowhere near where everyone thinks/wants it to be.
75 Chris S on Jan 19th, 2009 16:46:19 said:
We can thank the officials for helping to lower Witt’s trade value another notch. What a horse$@#! call.
How do you think that today “lowers Witts trade value”? The only time the Caps were able to do anything today was when he was off the ice on two weak calls!!!
19 Jim on Jan 19th, 2009 12:10:36 said:
“Little Trent has a boo boo and can’t play. The Isles don’t like to play with boo boo’s.”
Oh come ON. Give Trent a break- look at the slam he took into that open PB door at MSG, they were ready to put him on a stretcher and take him to the ER but the guy missed what- a game or two? I guess the Isles should be puting guys on the ice that are going to open up cuts on their hands as soon as they grip their sticks because this game is THAT important!
I think the injuries are making everyone a little bat****… but there is nothing wrong with sitting out a guy for a game for something like this. If the Isles were throwing guys out there in that condition that would be a problem.
Who cares at this point? 29 points! Let Trent have a day or two off, cant hurt.
…..Give em credit for the effort. This was not a good win for the Caps. It was a good OT loss for the Isles…….
I wonder if the team, like the fan base, is taking bows for losing to a team with a losing record on the road?
I read posts like this and I wonder if this team will ever be held accountable for anything on this site.
I’m sorry, but I’m convinced the person who wrote this is somehow paid by the Islander organization. Pom Pom waving for losing in OT? To a team with a losing record on the road no less.
Just got back from the game a few minutes ago. I can’t fault the Isles for their effort, and I’m seeing some improvement from the younger guys. Danis also had a solid game, and maybe it could lead Snow to ease off the panic button on finding a goalie (though I’d still kick the tires on Sabourin and Sanford sooner rather than later). This was the same story as the past few games - they can create chances but they don’t have anybody who can reliably finish those chances. KO is getting there, but they will need guys who can finish and more guys who can make a play.
This team looks like it misses Doug Weight quite a bit.
all things islanders disappoint - CB was nowhere to be found in section 221. probably up in the capitals suite auditioning for a job.
RE: Brian
Yes, while the caps have a losing record on the road, they have 12x the NHL ready talent the Islanders have. They are also winners of 11 of their last 15 games, including 4 of the last 5 on the road. Terrible team they are.
It’s funny Nick, Gordon basically ripped Danis in the post game. “What does it matter if you made some good saves if you don’t stop the ones you should.”
He was referring to the last 4 games and basically giving up bad goals deflate the team. He is 100% right.
I thought Danis played fairly well but the first goal went right through him.
that was bad call
Guys, believe me when I say I’m a long time islanders fan. Watching the game today, it occurred to me that the Islanders are committing the ultimate sin in professional sports. They are a BORING team to watch. I don’t mind a rebuilding program, and I believe Snow and Wang are correct to rebuild from scratch. But be honest guys - how many chances did the Islanders generate that put you on the edge of your seat. Forget about the lack of finishers on the team for now. How many quality passes and plays did you see today? By my count, not that many. It could be the poor ice surface (on that point, is there a reason the NVMC ice is so bad?), but I’ve noticed the same lack of excitement when I watched them on their West Coast trip. Yes, Okposo is developing quite nicely. He shows grit and fire. I appreciate that. Bailey shows solid potential too (although he needs to bulk up - it looks like other teams have already caught on that he can be muscled off the puck). But how many other Islanders seem to play with the fire and intensity to compete in this league?
From my vantage point - the Islanders and Rangers are actually quite similar teams. Without a heart. I don’t know what is the root cause of this problem, and I won’t pretend to have enough knowledge to offer a cure. Simply saying it’s the coach, or the players or the owner is not a serious response. It seems to be the culture this year, and as a fan, that is unacceptable.
I expect them to lose for several years in the rebuilding phase, and I’m fine with that. But please try, just TRY to be entertaining in the meantime. Is that too much for a fan to ask for?
Question for CB - Having spent hard earned cash to take your kids to the game today…did you think the entertainment value was worth it? If you were an average fan, do you think you’d lay out 200 bucks (or more) for some tix to the game? In other words, do you believe the Islanders generate enough excitement for the average fan to lay out the money to see the game?
my brother dropped the puck btw. he got mvp. got comrie’s jersey and it was signed. he said guerins hand is massive. exciting game tonight. it was good. disappointing at the end yes, but still an excellent game
also cb, were you in the marriot at 1 o clock? across from champions. we were trying to figure out who it was.
borednow;
Not for nothing but it’s hard to take you seriously given that you are someone who has posted before under another ID. Ya know, considering that your name is not in blue clickable type.
Just saying.
who are you talking too? me? anyway, i think the isles played a great game but they did screw up puckhandling wise. why didnt they show the puck drop on tv?
The Isles don’t have anyone that can settle the puck down and carry it in the offensive zone with confidence. Comeau does to a point but I’m trying to get at the fact that Doug Weight was that guy. He settled things down and that carries on through a team. Now they get the puck and seem to throw it off their stick quite quickly.
Young players looking like players though at least.
crap i forgot. i was outside of champions when ovechkin came and walked by. i didnt go to him but 3 guys came over and said they asked him for a picture and apparently ovie stuck out his hand and said no. what a jerk.
LOL - I promise I have never posted on this board before. I don’t even think I have posted at Newsday before. I am a long time reader of Newsdays blog though, and I’d say I started reading this site over the past 6 months. I think CB publishes interesting posts, especially for the fan trying to become more interested about how the Islanders work in general. If you tell me how to get my name into blue clickable type, I’ll be happy to comply.
That being said, I will fully admit that I am not the most knowledgeable person about hockey tactics, although I would say I know more than a casual fan. I was simply making an observation about the game today, and unlike many on this board, I thought the Islanders didn’t generate too many chances. And I thought back and realized it’s been a problem for at least 2 months. I don’t know what the problem is. And I’m not going to rip anyone on the team or in management. It’s not the lack of winning, it’s the lack of generating chances that put me on the edge of my seat. I just want to know your opinion on the matter. Fair enough?
Im trying to not be one of those retard fans who says shooooot every time it goes to the point, but they need someone other than streit to start taking shots with confidence…i love watching ovechkin and how no matter where he is on the ice he is a threat to unleash a bomb…KO played great but there were acouple plays were i wanted him to unleash the fury mitch…solid game by tamby too, he needs to start getting PP time and not sim
Just back from the game. . Actually a really exciting one - as the Isles go. Crowd was pretty into it for most of the 2nd and 3rd. . too bad game had to end the way it did with the bogus call on Witt.
Loved the #1 PP unit being KO, Bailey, Neilsen, Comeau and Streit. They actually played well together. Kyle is developing into a very exciting player right before our eyes!
Comrie on the other hand. .
And no CB in 221?!
kevin on Jan 19th, 2009 18:43:10 said:
crap i forgot. i was outside of champions when ovechkin came and walked by. i didnt go to him but 3 guys came over and said they asked him for a picture and apparently ovie stuck out his hand and said no. what a jerk.
That doesnt make a player a jerk. Maybe the guy just had something to do? Have you ever been doing something and not answered your phone to talk to your friend because you were busy doing something else? Of course you have, everyone has. And these werent even his friends- see what Im saying? If he said soemthing rude or mean that would be one thing- but just the idea of not stopping every single time someone asks you to doesnt make you a jerk.
Get rid of Brenden “nit” Witt Now,
Once again a so called veteran on our roster cost us another game today. How this guy can take such a pathetic neutral zone penalty in OT is inexcuseable. I went to the game and watched as this dinosaur chased a retreating Capital out of our zone into neutral ice slashing at least 5 times before being called. First of all his career is definitely in it`s twilight.He can`t keep up on simple 2-2 or even strength plays. His so called toughness has been non existant at least 2 years now. AND HE HASN`T WON A FIGHT IN AS MUCH TIME. Get rid of this bum now and give a kid a chance.
I have been watching the islanders all season long and have been to 9 games so far this season. I understand and have played hockey since I was 5 so I understand that you cant always hit the net but Bill guerin missed the net at least 5 times today, and seems to shoot high and wide (very wide) all the time. Has anyone noticed this throughout the season?
I also went to the game today and was not at all impressed with the number and types of chances this team generates. Basically their idea of offense right now is to wait until a crowd builds in front of the net and throw one in that direction and hope it bounces in off of somebody. On the scoresheet it will look like Ovechkin beat us, but both goals were Danis’ fault. He also got really lucky on that other clusterf&%$ of a play. KO looked good at times, but Bailey needs to bulk up his body and his confidence. Yeah, yeah I know he’s only 19 but until he gets bigger he’s not going to be able to compete at a high level. The defense in general is just a mess. Bruno looked lost again, and any day now you can put the minus sign on Witt’s jersey to match his season (-32). Thank god I only paid half price for the tix.
Not to throw Gordon under the bus but his post game comments didn’t impress me. “we had a good effort” “we didnt give up chances” “Danis isnt stopping ones he should stop”
How about. “We need to win and this isn’t good enough!”
Nope. Also I thought the defense was all over the place as well. Washington had many chances and Danis isn’t great but he is good positionally so a lot of pucks hit him. Agreed, the first goal went through him, both goals in Boston game were brutal and the Devils game he gave up 2 bad ones.
That all deflates a team.
I guess Gordon is going for the youth is more important thing but I’d like to see him upset about a loss.
well it was mean to stick your fingers in the guys face and say no rudely….
Snow can do almost anything: he can trade Okposo or Bailey, he can give Sim another 3 years contract, he can take Nazim Kadri as #1 overall, but please, just please Garth: DON’T RE-SIGN MIKE COMRIE…
what are they doing right this time you ask? They are letting the kids play but keeping some veterans around to mentor. In past years, it was kids on the 4th line w/ 3 minutes ice time. I mean c’mon we all know this season is over, so let them play, gain some experience and hopefully out of 10 kids we will find 5-6 who are NHL players. Go back to the early yea
sorry post 106 cut cut off - go back to the early years of this team - the kids played but you had vets that led by example and taught. Ask Potvin about Dave Lewis, Bert Marshall, and Gerry Hart - not flashy but smart and respected. Ask Trottier, Nystrom, and Gillies about #18 (Westfall), JP Parise, Jude Drouin. This is why if im GM, I hang onto Weight, Park, Hilbert, Witt, and Sutton. There is a light out there at the end of the tunnel and I actually had fun at the game today watching the kids play hard and show some flash. Maybe I’m an optimist but after many dark year in the late 80’s, mid-late 90’s and last few years, I am happy that there appears to be a plan.