ISLANDERS at ST. LOUIS, 8:00 pm EST – Chat Tonight
Why this game is big…lineup decisions to be made
LIVE CHAT TONIGHT!
(Can't believe JD doesn't have Ice Girls in St. Louis)
Will a pre-Thanksgiving game make-or-break the Islanders season? Of course not. But make no mistake, tonight’s tilt against the Blues is an important one in the wake of tossing two points Friday in Minnesota.
I stand by my feeling that the 4-1 win in Boston on Monday was the Islanders’ best beginning-to-end performance of the season. They may not have been brilliant offensively, but for almost all of the 60 minutes the Islanders played steady and tough. A home win over the Atlanta Thrashers without Ilya Kovalchuk can never be your best game.
There is little argument that the loss to the Wild last night was the worst of the season. Not with the bar raised for these Islanders. Not with Minnesota generating little all night – including on a 5-on-3 power play. Not with the Wild reeling from poor play and injuries to a half-dozen regulars.
As stunning and shameful as the giveaway on Owen Nolan’s game winner was, it still wasn’t the reason for the loss. No, the Islanders were plagued again by their failure to put teams away – same deal as in Carolina and Florida last week (they eventually beat the Canes in overtime).
The games in South Florida, Raleigh and Minnesota had one thing in common: the home teams – and their crowds – had nothing going for them. Of the three, the Wild looked the worst. But hey, it happens.
If the Islanders take care of business tonight against the Blues - another nothing-special team – Friday night’s misery will be instantly forgotten. Even better, if the Islanders can put the heartbreaking loss behind them with an efficient performance in St. Louis, it would be another solid sign of a team growing up.
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Many of you may not know this, but Deb Placey is from St. Louis and worked one of her first TV jobs in Missouri. Look forward to seeing Deb back during the home games next week.
Behind a 47-save performance by Nathan Lawson, Bridgeport won in Abbotsford, 3-1, on Friday. Trevor Smith, who grew up an hour away in Vancouver, scored his seventh goal of the season. The Sound Tigers are now at .500 (10-10-0-1).
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We know Dwayne Roloson will be in goal. Other than that…
Will Jeff Tambellini and/or Rob Schremp return to the lineup? My money’s on Tambellini.
If he does, who sits – Blake Comeau? Sean Bergenheim? My dough’s on Comeau.
If Brendan Witt plays – 50/50 – does Andrew MacDonald get scratched, or another dman? Maybe Bruno Gervais (down to 16 minutes last night) watches a game.
With no morning skate in St. Louis, these questions may not be answered until about an hour before the game. But if the Islanders would like to send a text this afternoon, there are thousands of Islanders fans who I’m sure would like to know.
Comment Guidelines. See you at 8:00 pm EST tonight for hours of live Islanders talk.
37 Responses to ISLANDERS at ST. LOUIS, 8:00 pm EST – Chat Tonight
Why this game is big…lineup decisions to be made
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kurvers28 says:
You mean they beat the Canes in OT CB…..and yes, would be nice of the Isles to let the fans know who is playing. Insane that we need to wait 2 mins before the game sometimes to find out….
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isles99 says:
i would sit gervais and comeau and start witt and tambellini in their places. both gervais and comeau had purtid games yesterday. frankly, they don’t deserve to play at the NHL level.
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Ed says:
I thought Bergenheim has been great, so sit Comeau. Berg takes some stupid penalties but his a better instigator than Sim.
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Bob Bassen says:
Several days off…Hillen and Okposo from Minnesota…Wild missing some MAJOR players…beyond perplexing.
Without mentioning names,(and this could be said throughout all NHL teams) I wonder if the perceived option to someday play overseas (if need be, etc.) allows some borderline players to not *leave it all on the ice* when it’s clear they need to…? Hmmm…..
Anyway,
Go Isles! -
Pat says:
I think Tamby and Mac will be in with Comeau and Bruno being scratched. Mac was getting some PP time yesterday, so I think he’ll be around for a little bit. I’m sick of watching Comeau, still to me isn’t going into the dirty areas.
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Chris A says:
Couldn’t agree more CB
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Bob says:
I think all the playoff talk is a little premature. The Isles have only won 5 games out of 22 against winning teams. There is definite improvement but lets wait a couple of months and see where we are at that point.
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Alan says:
Bruno has to sit, and again, you cant tell me that picking up Randy Jones through waivers wouldnt be better than playing Bruno or Freddy on a nightly basis. CB, can you please rank our young D in our system and what they project to be on the big club
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JD (e_godard) says:
The opening image makes all of last nights pains instantly go away.
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Joe says:
Even if Sim scored, he still took a penalty that ended up costing us a goal.
If anyone comes out it should be him.
We have no one that plays physical, either bring up Haley/Martin for comeau or leave comeau in. Can’t get any more soft against a tough St.Louis team.
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Mike for Philly says:
Lets get the two pts tonight and put last night behind us.
P.S. – Love the Rams cheerleader picture!
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Jerky says:
#3, #6 and #9 – true dat
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Jim Clark says: Not one, but two, pictures today! We are blessed.
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admin says:
Friends: Brendan Witt was out for personal reasons. Unless he decides to talk about it with someone, that’s how it will stay. There is no reason to post Comments or send emails asking me to look into it any further. Thank you.
Also, I’m putting my money on Tambellini in for Comeau…CB
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SuffolkWillTakeISLES says:
Chris, I think it’s your job as a reporter to try to find the root of a story, if there is one. I think your answer (as #14) does that. Why do you seem so perturbed by people asking you questions? It’s not like you haven’t ever spoken aloud about controversy before.
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jim says:
worst game of the season. The Isles stooped down to the Wilds level.
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Suffolk: When a grown man like Witt asks for privacy by saying something is personal, that should be respected. It’s ridiculous that it wasn’t good enough for some people. I’m not perturbed. That is, until you decided to tell me what my job is. LOL…CB
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#15: Maybe CB doesn’t know the root of the story. And even if he did he maybe he is being respectful and by having confidentiality he can earns trust and he will be given info ahead of other reporters(?) just a thought
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Gary P says:
He isn’t having a personal matter more to do with his head having to deal w something outside the rink? Thus that is considered an upper body injury. LOL. As I stated before there t guys on this team who won’t be in the NHL in a few years.
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dan says:
COME ON BOYS. lets see what this team is made of after a loss like last night. Is this team for real? I think tomorrow and the games against philly pitt and the devils will tell us.
LETS GO ISLANDERS
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Vas says:
Can we stick with Roloson for more than 2 games! The team wins when he is in goal and Biron has to stop letting in softies!
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miket239 says:
what a STINKER last night. But the St Lou cheerleader pic is a SWEET surprise today CB! Very nice choice. I feel uneasy about the game tonight vs the Blues. Our Isles are too young to know how to hold a lead and also too young to know how to win the winnable games. We’ll see. I like that Rolo is back in goalo. ha I couldnt help that one.
Lets go Isles!!!
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CB, I still love ya and appreciate what you do here. It’s MY JOB to keep reading what you have to say!
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Tamby should be in for Comeau this game. Comeau should be ashamed for giving up the puck because of an unwillingness to take a hit. Obviously, Sim can’t sit because he had a strong game and it wouldn’t be fair, but let’s not go crazy here. It just shows we have more than one blind squirrel on the team.
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TuxTax says:
Timing just wasnt there last night, bad passes, skating and lack of hitting Plus the top two lines were invisible. They should be able to get back on the horse and shoot and crash tonight. That seems to be the way they score the majority of the goals. Lets go Islanders!
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CT Isles Fan says:
I always thought Deb Placey was from Darien, CT?
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Matt NYC says:
CB,
Can you look into the rumor that Okposo had on two different color socks after last nights game? It may mean that his mental preparation is off for these games. It is your job and you should look into it, don’t you think?
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John says:
CB… post 15 and 18… I couldn’t agree with you more on that. It’s not of my business nor is it anyone else’s business. I don’t think there is anyone of us who would want our private lives splashed all over the place. These guys have their jobs dissected daily… isn’t that enough…
Now onto 2 points tonight in St. Lou before we go show Burke and the Leafs the player they would have loved to have in J.T.
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4theisles says:
Snow get on the horn and get us D help.
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Madchef says:
Comeau and Gervais sit…Comeau was bad last night. think hillen and KO were psyched out or trying to do too much last night. A good team rebounds and wins tonight.Are the isles there yet….I think so but please prove me right
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battfist says:
Im not sure if anybody mentioned this during the live chat last night….but…
When would be the first chance the Isles could go after a guy named- Clutterbuck!
he needs to be an Islander. Former linemate of Tavares-and he plays hard!!!Big test for the Isles tonite!
Agree with CB-Witt’s personal life is his business, none of ours.
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cgs878 says:
My luck, I didn’t watch the Isles-Bruins game. Instead, I watched the Devils-Flyers game for a chance to “witness history” (and that elusive 10th road win to start the season, which is still the record by the Sabres) and watched the shocking, disappointing loss in last night’s game. I hope that the Islanders play a solid 40 minutes tonight and don’t give up 3 goals during the other 20 minutes while they’re “sleepskating through the motions” of a supposed NHL team.
C’mon Okposo… it’s about time you scored again. C’mon Tavares… you too. I want to sleep well tonight after watching the game.
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nickisles from brooklyn says:
cb – i just want to thank you for the GREAT pictures
I still like the one from the Hurricanes a few weeks back! -
Staten Islander says:
I believe that Clutterbuck is a RFA after this year. Minny, no ice girls, St Louis, no ice girls, hmmmmmmm not good karma
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John from ATL says:
Seems like everyone is in agreement that Flash will play Witt and Tambellini tonight. But, trying to predict Gordon may not be that simple.
Who I would sit: Meyers and Bergenhiem
Who I think will sit: Gervais and Comeau.
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Chris R says:
We could use Clutterbuck, but the Wild aren’t going to give him up. I’ve just realized that the guy who the Sharks picked with our 2008 7th round pick (Jason Demers) is actually playing on the sharks already and doing a good job. Why did Garth trade that pick for Rob Davison? Maybe he should of picked Demers instead of Jyri Niemi.
I love the fact that we have 2 extra NHL fowards. We need to keep the troops hungry. I expect the best effort out of Tamby when he hits the ice again.
MacDonald has been excellent.