Monthly Archives: April 2009
I was tempted to write this after the game yesterday, but held off. Now, after tonight’s season finale 6-2 loss to Boston, it’s official.
These final two weeks of the Islanders’ feel-good second half were a disaster. Disappointing. Troubling.
Respectfully, there comes a point when it’s no longer about injuries, lack of practice time, the Bridgeport shuttle and anything else you want to throw into the excuse machine. That point arrived this weekend, when the Islanders showed nothing on their Fan Appreciation Days to end the season.
In support of their 30th-place hockey team in this faded arena, the crowds were surprisingly large. Under no pressure but to give 30,000 fans a going-away smile, the home team came up shockingly small.
Buffalo, eliminated from the playoffs, crushed Carolina on Thursday and creamed Boston last night. The Bruins, with nothing to play for and with Zdeno Chara on vacation, walked into the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Easter Sunday and out-worked, out-played and out-everythinged the Islanders in front of their fans. Inexcusable.
The bottom line is this: go ahead, write off April. That includes today, yesterday’s fight-free non-event against the Flyers, the 6-1 loss in Pittsburgh, 9-0 all-timer in Carolina, scraping by Tampa Bay last Saturday at home, the 5-1 embarassment to Montreal at the NVMC and 5-3 defeat in Washington on April Fools’ Day.
Fine. Pretend none of it ever happened. Tell yourself it was all about the goaltending.
And then while you’re at it, burn the tapes of 2-0 in Detroit, 4-2 in Chicago, the home wins against Brodeur and the Devils and most of the feel-good wins that came before the April storms. Look it up: were the lineups from this weekend compared to those wins markedly different?
After today’s game, Scott Gordon blockered a question about any home stretch distaste souring his team’s happy second half recap. “I’ve got some thoughts on that,” said the coach, “but it’s time to put the season behind us.”
Fair enough. Gordon certainly knows his team better than anyone else. He is very optimistic about the direction of the team, and players like Kyle Okposo, Mark Streit and Frans Nielsen give him every reason to be.
Still, many fans and observers were labeled buzz-kills for not getting all lathered up about some of those second-half wins with nothing on the line. What do we say now? Were these last two weeks all about the goaltending? Were they simply the result of a thinned-out lineup hitting the wall?
The Islanders better hope so.
ETC: After Gordon mentioned in the post-game how the return of Rick DiPietro could make a huge difference next season, I asked the coach if he’s talked to the goalie recently. “He’s upbeat,” Gordon said of DiPietro. “I don’t have the specifics of a timetable for you, but we’re optimistic. Rick fully expects to be on the ice in mid-summer.”
Non-stop Lottery posts around the corner.
Comments.
Islanders didn’t rough-house yesterday (14 credited hits, no fights), so perhaps they’ll go quietly again today. Trevor Smith is here. Mitch Fritz sent to The Bridge. Talk about the game here, Lottery in next thread. I’ll have a post-game story. Happy Easter!
Some readers freaked or looked for conspiracies when I wrote that line in my Forward review yesterday. My reasoning is simple. We won’t know ‘Til Tuesday whether the NYI get the No. 1 or No. 2 pick. Although my feelings about John Tavares at No. 1 are clear, we don’t know if the Islanders feel the same way. No one knows what the Islanders will do if they get the first pick. No one knows if they have Tavares and Hedman ranked 1-2 in either order. And as I will write about soon, if they get the second pick, anything can happen. Comments.
Are the Islanders a playoff team next season? There’s still plenty of roster-building to be done over the next five months, but teams generally don’t go from 30th overall to the playoffs in one year. If you believe Garth Snow’s contention that in Rebuild Year 2 the roster will not be dramatically different, the Islanders could be in the playoff hunt in March but will likely fall short. (See Buffalo and Florida – both with more talent than the Islanders - falling short this season).
Tomorrow, we’ll analyze the defense. The is the first part of our three-day look at who may and who may not be back on the Islanders’ roster next season.
Skill Forwards
To clarify, this is not a list of the Islanders’ top-6 forwards for next season. Consider it a group of players deserving of consideration to play on the top 3 lines. And oh by the way, they happen to all be under contract for next season. In alphabetical order:
Josh Bailey: Eligible to play in the minors next season. Won’t play in the minors next season. Not sure he’ll ever be a goal scorer, but has the potential to be a wonderful playmaker.
Sean Bergenheim: 15 goals this season despite missing more than 20 games. Reasonable to pencil him in for at least 20 goals next season. And still, when on his game, Bergenheim brings a lot more than goal scoring.
Trent Hunter: When healthy, should be at minimum a 20-goal, 20-assist player for the remaining four years of his Islanders contract.
Frans Nielsen: Time will tell if he can become a No. 2 center, but Nielsen’s production this season proves he’s at least a No. 3 and a lock for a regular shift in the lineup for ’09-10.
Kyle Okposo: The Islanders’ best forward in the second half, counted on to be the team’s best forward all of next season. Growing up in a hurry.
Doug Weight: One more year on the Island was the right move for him, the right move for the franchise. With Weight and Mark Streit navigating, the power play almost always looks like it has a clue.
Also: (pick one) John Tavares, Matt Duchene, Evander Kane, Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson
Grinders
Blake Comeau: Scott Gordon has utilized him everywhere, so consider Comeau a grinder-plus.
Tim Jackman: Under no deadline, the Islanders reached out and signed Jackman to a one-year, one-way contract extension. A fourth-line fixture next year, or for maybe more to come.
Richard Park: Team player who you hope is rewarded eventually with the enjoyment of team success.
Nate Thompson: Restricted free agent with little leverage but plays for a coach who (for good reason) likes him centering the fourth line. Will likely get a two-way contract, giving the Islanders roster flexibility, but expect Thompson on the Islanders next season.
Major Question Mark
Jeff Tambellini: Better in the second half, but not a successful season no matter how you look at it. A skill player with 7-8-15 in 64 games. In today’s game, the names of 7 Islanders forwards were called to kill penalties. Tambellini’s was not one of them.
One year left on his one-way contract, one more year to prove he’s an everyday NHL player for the Islanders.
Challengers
Jeremy Colliton: Restricted free agent with the same leverage as Thompson – none. Worthy of a look.
Jesse Joensuu: Best served by at least another half-season in the American Hockey League, but a star AHL postseason and strong showing in Saskatoon camp could give him a shot at a top-9 forward spot on the Islanders.
Joel Rechlicz: Needs more time on the farm learning the game, but he’s such a Rocky-like underdog it’s impossible to count him out. Gordon loves Rechlicz’s constant involvement in the opponent’s face even when he’s on the bench.
Trevor Smith: Ahead of Joensuu in development, big 2009 AHL playoff vital for the former New Hampshire left wing to make his case to management.
Unrestricted Free Agents
Andy Hilbert, Dean McAmmond: Good soldiers worthy of consideration, but not front-burner decisions.
Mike Sillinger: We’d love to be wrong, but with Sillinger coming off two major hip surgeries, the end of a terrific NHL career seems very near.
*Forward Job Openings
Franchise center
Goal-scoring wing
Heavyweight who could play at least 8 minutes
*Likely won’t all be filled by next season
Comments.
Point Blank has learned that John Tavares will be part of the NHL Draft Lottery show on Tuesday night at 8:00 pm. As they did with Steven Stamkos last year, TSN will interview Tavares via satellite (VERSUS will take TSN’s feed for the U.S.) Of course, this doesn’t mean that Tavares is the slam-dunk ultimate prize of the draft. Nah, not at all. Just that most of the hockey world thinks that way.
Perhaps the lottery winner will seize the opportunity to propose marriage to Tavares on international TV, as Tampa Bay did with Stamkos a year ago. Perhaps not.
Speaking of Stamkos, amazing how it’s now fashionable to poke holes in the kid and his selection first overall last June. To recap, the teenager joined a franchise in freefall – the trading of Dan Boyle for almost nothing, ownership controversy, the Melrose hiring and firing. The Lightning finished 29th in the league. Stamkos, who turned 19 in Febuary, has 22 goals and 23 assists in 78 games – similar numbers to what Tavares could post in the NHL next season.
Steven Stamkos is going to be just fine. Drew Doughty is fantastic – some say he’ll be better than Hedman – but every team would love to get their hands on Stamkos.
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Updated (11:17 AM): Joel Rechlicz and Mitch Fritz have been recalled for today’s games. Andy Hilbert and Kyle Okposo are both expected to play.
Would be surprising, disappointing, if the Islanders do not close out the season with two wins at home over the weekend – no matter what the lineup is.
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Despite my regular posts to the contrary, the chatter in Comments on this blog and in the rest of the blogosphere continues the dream of Long Islander Matt Gilroy signing with the Islanders. From this corner, we see it as fantasy. I guess some readers don’t want to believe me, which is perfectly fine. I’ve been wrong before.
I’ll say it one more time, before he signs in the next few days. I’d be very happy to be wrong on this one, but for a while now my information has been that Gilroy is not signing with the Islanders. Nothing has changed over the last 24 hours and I’m sticking to it.
Look for him to ink a deal by the middle of next week not only not in New York, but likely not even in the United States of America.
If Gilroy does sign with the Islanders, I’ll lift the Comment Guidelines for one post so you can kill me as much as you want. I’ve even received some emails from supposed FOGs (Friends of Gilroy) saying it could happen. I’m sticking to my guns, standing by my sources. Don’t see it happening.
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Bridgeport beat Springfield last night, 4-3, to move into a tie with Hershey for first place in the Eastern Conference.
Jesse Joensuu scored his 20th goal – a strong first full season in North America for the 6-4 Finn – and added an assist. The other Sound Tiger goals were scored by Micheal Haley, Jon Sim and Junior Lessard. Nathan Lawson had 23 saves for his 17th win of the season.
Bridgeport is now 48-23-3-5. When you consider how all the Islanders’ injuries affected the Sound Tigers’ lineup on a nightly basis, Jack Capuano merits serious consideration for American Hockey League Coach of the Year.
The Sound TIgers host Lowell tonight in the season finale and play their first two home games of the playoffs next Friday and Saturday at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Point Blank will have coverage of the two games on Long Island and follow Bridgeport’s postseason to the very end.
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“NY Hockey This Week” with Don La Greca and the Point Blank staff is on today from noon – 1:00 pm. Then it’s the train to the car to the game, where we’ll have a story from the Islanders’ 2:00 pm matinee against the Philadelphia Flyers. Would be so much easier if the NVMC had a train stop.
Looks like I’ll be part of News 12 Long Island’s newscast on Tuesday night. I’ll be on at 8:20 pm, replayed at 9:20 pm and could be part of their late broadcasts. I’ll also blog all night from the studio. I hope Bill Daly announces the lottery results by 8:20. Please, Mr. Daly.
Comments. Talk about today’s game here.
Whether he’ll be at the games or watching on his laptop while with Team USA for the World Championships, Islanders head coach Scott Gordon has a keen interest in the AHL playoff games of his team’s affiliate in Bridgeport. The Sound Tigers play two playoff games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum next Friday and Saturday.
Gordon said the AHL playoffs provide players with both invaluable experience and an opportunity to open the eyes of management. The coach said there was no doubt in his mind that players could win jobs at the NHL level with strong showings in the American League playoffs. “There’s a long list of players all over the NHL who made their mark by coming up big in these games,” said Gordon.
There’s also a list of players who did the opposite, who played in the AHL postseason like they could not be bothered and often are never heard from again.
“Those guys write their own ticket,” said Gordon.
Three years ago, I watched most of the exciting, opening round 7-game series between Bridgeport and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Islanders had several scouts in attendance, plus a future general manager by the name of Garth Snow. But even to these untrained eyes, it seemed obvious to me that a few of the Sound Tigers players were not giving close to 100%.
Said Gordon, “If you don’t show up to play Game 7 in the AHL playoffs, you’re not going to show up for Game 41 in the NHL.”
There’s plenty of truth in that. The most apparent slacker in Bridgeport three years ago was Robert Nilsson (one goal in 7 games), who was traded a year later and still seems to be trying to figure it out.
So Messrs. Joensuu, Smith, Colliton, Hillen, newbies DiBenedetto and Katic and even an unsigned sparkplug like Micheal Haley…somebody’s watching you.
ETC: Kyle Okposo (groin) took the full practice today at Iceworks and skated hard from beginning to end. Gordon said he would meet with the team’s medical staff before deciding whether Okposo would play in either or both home games this weekend to finish the season.
The coach said Andy Hilbert will likely return to the lineup for tomorrow’s matinee at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum against Philadelphia.
Repeat after me: Joel Rechlicz, Mitch Fritz, Mike Iggulden and Jesse Jonesuu have been returned to Bridgeport. University of North Dakota slickster Ryan Duncan makes his pro debut tonight for the Sound Tigers, likely on a line with Trevor Smith and Robin Figren.
Gordon was asked after practice today if his first NHL season went by quickly or slowly. He said the last three months “went by like a month and a half. It was fun.” How ’bout the first three months, Coach? “Like two years. No, make that three.”
Point Blank Media Alert: I’ll be live in the studios of News 12 Long Island tonight at 8:20 pm for a brief segment with sports anchor Jamie Stuart mostly on the Islanders and a little on the Rangers. It will be repeated at 9:20 pm.
Comments on this story, the current squad and the weekend’s games here. Draft Lottery talk continues in next thread.
John Tavares is the consensus best player available in this year’s NHL Draft. Since he was 15, he was projected as the best player in the class of 2009 and as one of the league’s next great players. Despite the pressure, he justified the hype – which, cautiously, has been somewhere on a level between Steven Stamkos and Sidney Crosby.
In 56 regular season games this season, Tavares led the Ontario Hockey League with 58 goals and 104 points. In 9 playoff games so far with London, he is 6-8-14.
If the Islanders are lucky enough to have their 48% come through at the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night, they should immediately declare that John Tavares is their man.
There are several reasons, but two stand above all. In ascending order of importance:
2. The Islanders would be giving themselves an extra 72 days – during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, no less – for the world to know John Tavares will wear an Islanders uniform when the season opens in October.
1. If you’re going to ask Tavares to spend at least the next 15 years on your team and in your community, illustrate your commitment on Tuesday. Let him know you didn’t even spend a second thinking about anyone else. He deserves that.
You can say he’s just a hockey player who wants to be in the NHL and isn’t owed any promises, that he’s a kid who’ll go wherever he is assigned. That approach would be a monumental mistake.
John Tavares is a franchise hockey player, and the New York Islanders are a franchise with so much on the line. To say this is a special case is an understatement.
Take the leap of faith with him…immediately.
If a decade from now it turns out Victor Hedman or Matt Duchene or Evander Kane or Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson or Jared Cowan have a better NHL career, so be it. With the exception of Hedman, you can’t find a scout to tell you anyone else comes close to matching the upside of Tavares. Please spare us the brilliant tactic of patiently surveying if a team will over-pay for the No. 1 while you grab Hedman or Duchene and a few extra picks. Really.
After everything the Islanders and their supporters have been through for large parts of the last two decades, do they really want to be the team that passed on Tavares? He could get at least 20 goals for the Islanders next season and climb the ladder from there. He would be the first offensive star the Islanders have had – and could keep for the entire prime of his career – since the legends of the dynasty.
The difference between the Islanders naming John Tavares as their cornerstone player on April 14 vs. June 26 is more than just two and a half months of moving a few thousand ticket packages and the Lighthouse conversation along. It’s about doing right by a young man the Islanders are going to merely ask the world of.
Coming soon: What should/could happen if the NYI get the No. 2 pick. Comments. Guidelines. No exceptions.
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