ST. LOUIS 4, ISLANDERS 1
Talk about it, respectfully, in Comments
62 Responses to ST. LOUIS 4, ISLANDERS 1
Talk about it, respectfully, in Comments
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Brian in VA says:
8-8-7 is not that bad!
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Shoe says:
Respectfully, the team looks as though they now expect that they will win by just lacing them up. They looked even more flat than they did against minny.
In addition, their D issues really need to be addressed, that is, if the team really has any hopes of success this season.
I know we speculated that this was another toss away season, some recent success took the focus off snow, but now it is back on.
Mark Streit looks like a 3/4 dman and sutton is playing the same. Beyond that? thank the lord hillen has stepped up some, but bruno gervais, meyer — these guys are getting major minutes and neither guy is an nhl regular.
The forwards have over-achieved but without some additions to the D, tough to see this team sniffing the playoffs.
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jay dugan says:
im in costa rica right now and followed the game via you guys….pretty fun and thanks CB
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jt says:
Tons of chances….have to finish. Some of the guys try to make one to many moves…..Shoot the puck…Still think we are gonna squeak in to the 8th spot, but the conference is getting pretty crowded from top to bottom, Tor and Car even getting some wins, gonna be tight……dare I say there seems to be parity in the league.
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Shows you how percarious their situation is. NO playoffs, we got ahead of ourselves here. Let the lottery watch begin because we need like two more offensive fowards and 2 more d-men maybe one if dehaan turns out ok.
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dan from va beach says:
1/4 way into the season…
FOUR POINTS separating 3rd from 13th place,
Yes, i said 4pts 3rd-13th!
gonna be an insanely long and exciting ride this year! -
miket239 says:
I saw this coming a mile away. Long road trip showing its effects I think. Also, worst ice Ive seen this season. Maybe a home town strategy? Eh whatever. Shame too, could have put the Rags into last with just 1 pt. 2 STINKERS in a row. WHens the next HOME game??
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jt99 says:
Tamby did not look good tonight, he looked better before being scratched.
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Vas says:
3 softies by Rollie!
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Geno11 says:
#6 get your facts straight. They left LI on Thurdsay afternoon. How many teams go on a 7 game trip but spend 3 nights in their own bed? Fact is that there was no jump regardless of what arena they were in. That is probably what the coaches will be focusing on. Another very winable game Monday in TO. Let’s get 2 pts out of that before a very tough 2 game homestand in front of (hopefully) huge crowds.
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Islander says:
Rollie did not play his typical game? Some of the high goal scorers need to learn better defensive and better skating skills………
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eastonhockey says:
The blues fans are probably saying this “we won a very winnable game…now lets beat the good teams also.”
The isles don’t look ready to be a team in playoff running. You look at the 93 team, won 2 rounds, but still struggled to make playoffs with less teams in NHL. Tavares isn’t a Turgeon (yet). Okiposo right now is a guy who scores 20-25 a year. He isn’t really a steve Thomas type. Moulson maybe you can hope he is as good as KING was. The 2nd Line and 3rd line a big drop offs from the 93 team and the team defensmen is nothing compared to the 93 team. Goaltending may be better but when you look at it, if they make the playoffs its a mini miracle. -
Jason says:
Certainly, I’ll be respectful, but I’ll also be blunt. This team just isn’t there yet. “There” meaning playoffs, not Stanley Cup contention. In my heart of hearts, I believe that there will be some “coming back to earth” in the months to come. I think they will continue to be in games, but this is a young team that lacks explosiveness. The contending teams have those players; Crosby, Malkin, Jeff Carter, Marian Gaborik, Zack Parise… and that’s just in our division, which are also the teams that we see the most. This team works hard, but of the best players, only one of them is old enough to drink. I root for them to win every game, but this team is a growing team. After seeing Phil Kessel play a few games for Toronto, I would have had liked to make that trade. He is explosive.
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The New Isles GM says:
A 2-game losing streak is not that bad. Let’s see how they bounce back next week. I have confidence in them. Remember this is only year 2 of the rebuild. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves…
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John from ATL says:
Ups and downs of year two of the rebuild.
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Avolp55turgeonfichaud says:
didnt see the game tonight since I had another commitment. the score looks like it was a tough loss, but we all know the score doesnt always reflect the gameplay… i sure hope thats the case. im not going to let these two losses influence my opinion of the future… lets go islanders baby
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mtrico says:
A win in Toronto on Monday night is looking like something that is very badly needed in order to make this a somewhat respectable road trip.
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DonK says:
Looks like a lot of folks have gotten a little ahead of themselves. This game should be a cold bucket of realty.
The Isles are improved over last season — no question. But Garth Snow has one major failing that he has to address, soon.
Garth — your team is too small, especially on defense.
There are exactly two large players on this team: Hunter and Sutton, neither of whom are very physical. Even with Sutton (and Witt, who’s decently large but not especially mobile), the Isles’ defense is puny. One reason Streit is struggling is that he lacks a physical partner who can also keep up with him (think Jeff Beukeboom with Leetch). And if anyone thinks Freddy Meyer can be more than a seventh defenseman — well, this weekend hopefully will disabuse you of that theory.
Up front, Hunter is a useful player, but at 6-3 and 225, he’s not physical. Jackman works hard but isn’t that big (or talented), and players like Okposo aren’t going to scare anyone with their physicality.
And as the season goes on, expect more teams to do what Carolina did last week — target Tavares and bang the crap out of him at every possible chance. There’s no one to protect him.
Watch a tape of the Isles playing Washington, which had 40+ shots in both games in D.C. because they physically dominated the Islanders in their own zone. Check out the Flyers when they come in on Wednesday — expect to see most of the action in the home side’s end of the ice.
If the Hawks have to dump bodies, Snow needs to relieve them of Dustin Byfuglien. Immediately.
Garth, you have too many 97-pound weaklings. Until you get some more muscle (and skill), this team is going nowhere fast.
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Stash says:
Meyer had a solid game. His best yet!
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NYIFAN says:
Where is Mr. Goalie? Its Thanksgiving time. Been pretty quiet on that front. Maybe they meant he’d return Thanksgiving 2014.
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Flash15 says:
Is it me or has John Tavares and Matt Moulson offense declined since having Park on the wing?? Whewn Okposo was there and as he was in the beginning of the periods they seemed to have more chances…Why is Sim and Thompson still here? Would rather see Tamby in Sim’s place….
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thepolishprince says:
Isles looked real small and tentative out there last night.
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Bob Bassen says:
A couple of statements that always make me think twice are …* a game the Isles should win…* or *….is a team the Islanders should beat…* Say what?!? The Islanders were the WORST team in the NHL last season. Why are they suddenly better than many current teams? Roly? Biron? JT? I love listening to announcers of the *other* teams talk about JT…always goes something like this: * He’s not going to beat you with his skating or stick-handling but he’s got great hockey smarts…* Hmmmm…hokay.
For me, the Isles getting out-played physically stood out the most…second was defensively getting fleeced.
Heck, even Gordon was marveling at The Blues’ talent and “…can’t believe that they are only .500…”Anyway,
Go Isles! -
Billy-no-not-Jaffe says:
I saw KO take it to the net 1x tonight.
He is not scoring, and he is playing perimeter hockey.
KO has the ability to score from anywhere, but he seems to have fallen in love with the fancy-dan type game. He is our most complete player but he is not playing a strong game on the offense when we need him.
KO has to play with a snarl, not a smile. -
Mike says:
If they get a win in Toronto, that would make them 3-2-2 on the longest road trip of the year. Smile, Islanders Country. We’re in the thick of it and the games are going to stay interesting.
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4theisles says:
#20 donk- Well said! You can’t fix everything at once so let’s prioritize. Even in a rebuild-especially in a rebuild you need defense to stabalize and protect your young stars. So let’s start with a bigger defense, so to get that you have to give up something. How about trading one of our goalies for D?
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Pat says:
Agree with post 20. This team needs to get bigger and tougher especially on defense. In saying that if the Hawks need to sheed bodies because of cap space they will most likely need to dump Sharp and or Byfuglien. They won’t take on any more salary so they will look for prospects and picks which we have both of. How good would Sharp look next to Tavares and Molson. Go make a move Garth and make this team better.
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Chris A says:
On the bright side this would have been 6-1 at least if this was last year maybe not exactly last year cause early wasn’t so bad but towards the end with the injuries and such
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We got manhandled by a bigger, physical team yesterday, and it looks like they ran out of gas in the 3rd….not a good effort, at all…let’s get ready for Toronto on Monday.
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jbranny says:
On a night where we needed our goalie to step up and help the boys, a well rested Rollie let us down. If he stops the softies, we get a point, maybe two.
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hey,
put me down…i don’t like to be manhandled! -
still…
again…
only four points between 3rd and 13th yo!
exciting season ahead:):) -
Larry-Saint James says:
We need to enjoy the ride a little bit. The team is doing far better then anyone truly expected. Yes there are still many pieces missing but the fact that the team is mostly healthy and showing progress is positive.
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TimQ says:
Although they have points in 15 out of 23 games, they only have 8 wins in 23 games – truly mediocre. They are hovering in a position that could just as easily turn into a very fun ride or another miserable season. Hustle and luck will make the difference, because there is not enough talent to truly carry them.
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Tony says:
Sounds like a lot of fans will be satisfied with the Isles leading the league in “moral”, not actual, victories.
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doc says:
Thought the effort was good, but the execution was poor.
The PARK on the 1st line experiment is DONE!!!
I know it probably sounds crazy… but wouldn’t Comeau fit better on the 1st line with his ability to skate WITH the puck???
DOC
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Swan says:
Way to early to think playoffs. The last two losses vs winnable teams are a good example of that. They have a decent shot, imo, but will have to be better than they are now.
In reality, the Isles are 13th in the conference. Atlanta and Florida both have games in hand, and are playing much better hockey than the Isles now. Let’s see the Isles consistently remain in the top 8 before thinking they are a legit playoff team.
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Brett says:
What did you guys expect? It’s the ups and downs of a rebuilding team. This team is still playing better than most would have thought at this stage. No matter what progress is progress. I’ve been very happy this year thus far, and I hope it continues. Will it? We’ll have to see…
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Paulyp says:
I definitely do not not like having park on a line w john and matt, Our team looked real flat today and we didn’t seem to be motivated as we have been in weeks past, lets hope this is not a continuance. Im actually looking forward to the Toronto game, Let the Media come if nothing else it will excite our team again and have them digging deep like they need to get back to each and every night
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isles316 says:
I don’t think the Islanders played a bad game last night. I think St. Louis played the best game by an opponent we had seen all year. The Isles battled for every inch of ice the first 2 periods head to head with St. Louis. Give credit to the Blues. Sometimes you play a team that is ready to play.
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hollywood says:
This team looked disinterested in the last 2 games. I’ll bet they come out and play a great game vs. Toronto. Is it safe to say that the Park experiment on the top line is over. as for Gordon, what is the point of bringing Tambellini back to play on the 4th line and with NO pp time. Wake up call.
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Staten Islander says:
Can somebody please explain to me what has happened to Mark Streit? He doesn’t seem to be the same player that he was last year. Is he playing hurt?
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valenti says:
tambellini looked terrible. He has not had the same jump since his hat trick w/ daddy dearest in the building. and honestly, he should be ashamed simmer is takin his time, but kudos to sim for putting in effort and giving this team some sort of grit, even if he does look really funny doing it.
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Hud says:
sweet goal by Perron, i watched both the Isles game and sabres game with sabres fans. They were not happy with their team last night either. Point is, can’t win em all. Tomorrow with the hated Leafs, always fun. Did I mention sweet goal by Perron?
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JoeRiverside says:
I see mainly 2 viewpoints here (1) We’re still in playoff running, and (2) we’re in year 2 of a rebuild. IMHO, we’re not making the playoffs, we’re in the beginning stages of a 4-5 yr rebuild and I hope the Isles stick to it. The fact is the Isles have played more games than most of the teams in their division and still find themselves in 11th place. Once all the other teams catch up in games they may find themselves further away from a playoff spot and maybe drop off to 13th spot. A lot of holes here, but a good nucleus. Our young players are getting good NHL experience, others are just taking up space until we acquire better talent.
I’ve send this before, I’m sure Snow & Co have a 5 year chart that shows the evolution of this team. 5-6 players are probably projected to be on this team 4 years from now. Others drop off and are replaced with FA, trades and prospects. It’s a business.
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steve k says:
respectfully speaking, with the utmost respect and with being reminded to be respectful they played bad.
respect, respectfully, respectful
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jethro09 says:
One word describes the game vs St. Louis: Ugh. Game got away from the Isles in the third. Can’t let Perron skate through an entire team, including your best defenseman, and score. Streit looked like a parking cone on that goal by Perron.
We knew they’d lose games this year so this shouldn’t be a surprise. Hopefully, they get a win in Toronto and stop this skid before it gets out of hand.
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MileHighIsle says:
Wimpiest team in the NHL, and that’s pretty bad since Bettman has turned this league into the No Hitting League. This team needs a couple of spark plugs (Haley & Martin). Toronto is going to be very physical with our players and we have no answer. This team has no grit. And put some talent with Tavares b/c he’s getting frustrated on that line.
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steve says:
2-2-2 on after 6 road games. we were the worst team in the league last season. take a deep breath everybody. its a progression. i am pleased with JB’s improvement. MM could, could be a find. JT certainly appears to be the real deal. did KO have swine flu, or did swine flu have KO? the guy is a horse. Hillen, hes turned into a fine puck moving defender.
rebuilds dont happen in a season, even if you throw mad money around. patience. we are staring at a 75-85 point season. thats a 10 win improvement from last season. thats insanely good. -
Matt says:
Bruno hasn’t had a good game all season. time to have him sit a few an leave Mac in when Witt comes back.
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Isles22Isles says:
To be clear we just lost 2 games at the end of a long trip (1 we were 1m away from OT, the 2nd was a Stinker). Yet only 2 loses causes a panic, the bottom is dropping out, “I told u we’re awful” is being shouted again.
Why?
All teams suffer loses, rough patches, “stinkers”.
You think fans of the penguins,red wings, sharks, and capitals react like this?
No. We have to stop this dramatic, bottom dropping out, “we are destined to fail” vibe that exists in our fanbase. Let’s evolve for the better, just like our team is currently doing..
Also to be clear, I do love our fanbase (in spite of this 1 flaw), some of the best hockey fans around…
GO ISLES!!!
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MattyB says:
College Kids will be back for these Thanksgiving break games, I one of them. Expect some good crowds for those two
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battfist says:
Doc- I agree. Put Park back on the fourth line.
I dnt agree with Blake Comeau. Personally, I think he has been one of the biggest disappointments this year. He seems lost.
As Dennis Green once said…they are who we thought they were.
Get the win tomorrow-Go Isles!
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jts brother says:
well that game was pretty bad, where the heck is dp? i thought we were given a thanksgiving deadline? im not sure if biron is much trade bait right now? maybe toronto will take him for a 4th rounder and release joey macdonald? stop shuffling lines and let these guys build chemistry
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jts brother (55): We have never been given ANY “deadline” on Rick. The reason you remember hearing thanksgiving is that for months people ask CB every single day when Rick might be back on the ice (in Bridgeport, not for the Isles) and CB has said he doesnt know, but probably some time after thanksgiving. That is not a deadline from the Isles, its an estimation from a writer. Big difference.
As far as the game last night goes, I DVRed it… but I havent been able to bring myself to watch it after someone told me the score that night even though I didnt want to hear it. First game of the season I just dont want to watch.
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cgs878 says:
The last 2 games were stink-a-roos. Oh well… hopefully a night off in Toronto helped them regroup. Look at what is happening to the Devils. Look at what is happening to the Rangers. Every team has losing streaks. No reason for panic.
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Pete DeBenedetto says:
Officially requesting you post the Jim Mora “PLAYOFFS?” video clip.
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Islebethere4u says:
Out sized, out muscled, out hit and out played. Nuff said!
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Dennis says:
Wow that power play is really clicking now that Hunter came back to take all the skill out of it.The teams leading goal scorer gets 30 seconds.Great idea.
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If they don’t play overspeed they can’t win. They must forecheck and throw the body for this team to succeed.
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Hock says:
I’m liking Hillen’s play of late, but seems like at least once a game, he get’s smashed into the boards by someone much bigger. Just wondering how long he can hold up.
YUCK!