Monthly Archives: November 2009
12:30 pm – Brendan Witt will re-join the Islanders in Minnesota. He has not skated in a few days, so Andrew MacDonald will remain on the roster and could play in place of Witt against the Wild on Friday.
On behalf of the Country, I asked Scott Gordon what Jeff Tambellini needs to do to get back in the lineup. “He has to make sure that when he gets back in the lineup that he doesn’t give me any reasons to take him out,” said Gordon. “When you’re not scoring, you have to do the little things. He got a little off his game.” For now, Gordon is happy with the crew of forwards bringing home victories and points every night. No reason to change a thing.
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11:35 am – Before the Islanders leave this afternoon for Minnesota, Scott Gordon is getting a lot of teaching and fine-tuning in. After all, this is the team’s first complete practice with the full roster since last Tuesday, November 10.
In honor of the newest New York Knick…Practice?!!! Over-rated.
The lineup:
Bergenheim – Nielsen – Okposo
Mouslon – Tavares – Park
Sim – Bailey – Hunter
Comeau – Thompson – Jackman
(Schremp, Tambellini)
Sutton – Hillen
Streit – Gervais
Meyer – MacDonald
Roloson
Biron
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Darling Nikita: Somehow, many residents of Islanders Country are filled with glee and boasting about the tribulations of Nikita Filatov, who has chosen to go home and play in Russia for a million dollars rather than reside in the Columbus press box, Ken Hitchcock’s doghouse or Syracuse. Somehow, Filatov is cast as an underachieving brat. Somehow, Josh Bailey getting 25 points last season and being a fine young man translates into a brilliant move by the Islanders for passing on Filatov.
There are several holes that can be easily punched in that argument. When you consider the Islanders got extra draft picks to pass on Filatov and Luke Schenn, it’s a fun discussion that could continue for a decade. But I would suggest that some of the natives take it down a notch with the I-told-you-sos.
Do you think Bailey would be on the 20-man roster of the Columbus Blue Jackets this season?
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Fight the Powers: There are still a lot of Islanders fans who don’t seem to understand their own power. While this blog receives an insane amount of page views, while this blog’s readers inspired a major company like AOL to keep it alive, it’s time for Islanders fans to throw their weight around.
Over the last week of the Islanders’ month-long rise, I’ve received over a hundred emails complaining about a perceived lack of respect toward the franchise in the hockey media. Some are ticked the Islanders’ don’t rank higher in NHL power ratings. Some can’t believe John Tavares was recently snubbed on some TV panel. Some think it’s a joke the Islanders aren’t getting more coverage. Some are seething that Pierre Lebrun doesn’t have Kyle Okposo on his projected roster for Team USA.
I have a few reactions:
1. The Islanders are two games over .500 in a league in which somewhere between 21 and 25 teams will finish above .500, so it’s a little early for the Rodney Dangerfield stuff
2. Okposo needs to be on Brian Burke’s list, not Pierre’s
3. Whoop-de-damn-do
But most of all, instead of writing me or Katie or any of the Islanders’ bloggers out there, take your case to the media outlets that tick you off.
Want the Islanders covered? Write the sports editor.
Some ex-player mailing it in as a broadcaster doesn’t know about Tavares? Write the network website.
Everyone is reachable these days. Just yesterday, I realized I’d misplaced an agent’s phone number. I started to reach out to everyone I know in the business for help. Then I went to Google and typed in the friggin’ guy’s name. Bam! His direct office line was in the first link.
I kid about not caring. Of course I do. But if you want to make an impact, take your beef straight to the source. You might be surprised at the outcome.
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From the PB Press Box Throne: For the second consecutive day, the Islanders have run an ad in Newsday that says they play home next Thursday. The Thanksgiving games, of course, are on Wednesday at 7:00 pm vs. Philadelphia and on Friday, Nov. 27, a 2:00 pm matinee against Pittsburgh. One theory: they included the goof on purpose to generate calls to the office. If that’s the case, I bow in awe for the genius.
Live Chats Friday and Saturday: Win or lose, they’ve been fun and increasingly more populated. The only challenge for me has been keeping up. See you then.
Chris Botta on Cam Fowler, top 5 prospects for 2010
The No. 1 Sign Your Team is Going Strong: Nate Thompson is given the day off.
Oh, Nate knows we kid. Saying some players were “banged up” – translation: “they’re injured but could play Friday so I don’t have to tell you diddly” – or under the weather, Scott Gordon gave Thompson, Richard Park, Kyle Okposo, Mark Streit and Andy Sutton the day off the ice. All were at Iceworks today for meetings, treatment or off-ice workouts.
Best Game? I felt the Islanders’ win on Monday in Boston was their best all-around performance of the season. Gordon disagreed, saying his pick was the home victory over Atlanta on Nov. 7. I thought the Islanders were much more sound defensively in Boston. “We didn’t give up a lot. We didn’t create a lot,” Gordon corrected. “Neither team gave up much.”
I asked Gordon today about areas where he would like to see improvement. He expressed some frustration at giving up the 2-0 leads in Florida and Carolina. (He should have been on our live chats!) The coach pointed out that the Panthers’ two goals were “the extent of their offense to that point.”
Other than that, I didn’t get much out of him in terms of areas to improve. I knew he wouldn’t name names, but the fact is – for all the Islanders’ recent success – there are plenty of players capable of performing at a higher level.
MacDonald Stays: Even if Brendan Witt re-joins the team for this weekend’s road trip, Gordon said that Andrew MacDonald will stay with the big club for the time being. There is no update on Brendan’s personal matter or when he may return.
Kid Likes to Play: For more than a half-hour after practice today, John Tavares worked on his own with just one puck and an empty net at one end of the rink. Some time was spent fooling around, some of it very seriously. All of it was on stickhandling and his moves around the net. He’s 19, enjoys the game and on a day like today is in no rush to leave the rink. Gotta love that.
Not Runnin’ with Roloson: When I asked Gordon if Dwayne Roloson’s stellar play and knack for winning or tying – points in 11 of his 12 starts – merits consideration for No. 1 status and playing time, the coach blockered the question by saying he prefers to look at matchups and his goalies’ histories against opponents. He was very complimentary of Roloson’s play.
Yes, But There is 5-on-5 Overtime: Gordon on the shootout – “If we’re fortunate enough to get in the playoffs, there won’t be any shootouts.” The coach was making the point that he puts out the best players he can in these regular season skills competitions for the all-important second point. Other than that, it’s out of a coach’s hands.
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One Up, Own Down in Bridgeport: Kudos to Islanders prospect Matt Martin, who continues on his path to joining the Islanders in two years. Martin hits, takes names, sticks up for his teammates, fights. In other words, he gets it.
He has also contributed three goals and six assists in his first 20 games as a pro. Might not seem like much, but nine points has him tied for fifth in team scoring with second-year pro Jesse Joensuu and just one point shy of Trevor Smith. As long as the Islanders don’t rush him, fans can look forward to having Martin on their side in 2011-12. On the other hand…
Robin Figren is a 21-year old prospect with skill and heart. He was drafted in the third round in 2006 and the franchise had expectations he could develop into a top-9 forward who could score 20 goals and excel in all zones. After two seasons in the Western Hockey League, Figren went home to Sweden to play last year in the SEL. The decision – his, blessed by the Islanders – turned out badly. He did not play much for long stretches. When he did, he failed to produce.
Today, Figren is lost. He is a prospect who’s not really a prospect. In 15 games in Bridgeport, the left wing has one assist. It is time for Figren to be Trevor Smithed. Two years ago, the talented Smith was sent to Utah of the East Coast Hockey League and found his scoring touch and his confidence. If it worked for Smith, it could work for Figren. No reason why not. Right now, nothing is working for Robin Figren.
Comments on this post.
CB for FanHouse and SI.com on Ovechkin’s impact
Please read my story on Cam Fowler and latest projected top 5 in the 2010 draft on FanHouse.
The Islanders gave several players the day off from practice today. According to Scott Gordon, some are ill, some are banged up, none of the cases are serious.
For now, I’ve posted some minor notes and observations on Twitter.
Thanks, as always, for your continued support of Point Blank.
Please read my column on FanHouse, the official sponsor of Point Blank.
Adam Gretz with some FanHouse/SI.com love for the NYI
CB on Ovechkin’s return tonight
12:05 am - This is not about maybes, players possibly coming on as reliable contributors or any other uncertainties. At the quarter-pole of the season, with a few days on Long Island before the next flight on Thursday, the New York Islanders are 8-6-7 and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. They’re even winning games in regulation now!
One man’s view of the 12 biggest reasons why, in no particular order:
1. Matt Moulson is no longer the nice little surprise of the Islanders. He’s one of the ten best stories in the National Hockey League today.
2. Health. The Islanders have their injuries, but it’s more on a par with the rest of the league. They need the good luck and everything else to keep it that way.
3. Even while he still works on his finishing touch, Kyle Okposo is the Islanders’ best all-around player. Islanders Country is going to love having him around for at least the next ten years.
4. Head coach Scott Gordon has implemented a system and everyone on the current roster has bought in. He no longer has to stop practices every five minutes. With the system in place, no one has to talk about the friggin’ system anymore. The focus is where it should be – on the hockey players.
5. Oh, and Gordon also has a pair of assistants in Scott Allen and Dean Chynoweth with him every day at the rink who work and research and teach with enthusiasm. Now Gordon is the reverse-Mangini. In year two, he’s more relaxed and everyone else is starting to realize he has a clue.
6. Andy Sutton is not back to playing like he did in Atlanta. Sutton is playing the best hockey of his career.
7. An improved power play, brought to you by John Tavares. Watch the respect even the league’s best defensemen show Tavares on the power play when he has the puck. Pretty amazing for a 19-year old. He’s going to score 30 goals this season.
8. The Islanders have earned points in 11 of the 12 games Dwayne Roloson has started. His best may have been last night in Boston. The perfect July 1 signing for this team.
9. Quietly, two 20-somethings most of the rest of the league has not heard of – Frans Nielsen and Jack Hillen – have developed into reliable, every-day, all-zone NHL players.
10. Mark Streit may not be at the level he was last season, but he’s still been a top-pair defenseman and outstanding leader. In 21 games, he is 4-7-11, plus-3 and averaging almost 26 minutes of icetime. Imagine if Streit really starts to click.
11. Role players are excelling at their roles. At the top of this list are Richard Park and Nate Thompson, who have given their all to each challenge the coaching staff has thrown them.
12. Garth Snow’s acquisitions of Moulson, Roloson and Martin Biron. Including Mark Streit last year, the GM is 3-for-3 in UFA signings – with Moulson as the off-the-charts golden bonus. Charles Wang should have confidence that if he allows Snow to dig deep into the wallet for skill and character at any point over the next two years, his GM has a darn solid batting average.
Because this is the endless NHL season, the team has a long way to go before converting any other believers outside of their locker room and the Country of Islanders. It was around this time a year ago that the Islanders were 10-12-2, before injuries, some dissent and the roof caving in. They’re a better team this season, but they’re currently a few wins out of the top spot in the East – as well as a few losses from landing out of the top eight.
The challenges continue. The wonderful news is that it looks like this is going to be fun.
Comments. Comment Guidelines.
Chris Botta on TwitterFanHouse on Scott Gordon’s “Beanpot Trot”
CB: “The Hammer” Enters the Flyers’ Hall of Fame
POST OF THE WEEK: (today, after I declared this a Sim-free zone:)
From Healy: “Nice long read CB. Its great how —ply reading this blog gives us a window into the past and present of the islanders. I am happy there is a place I can find coverage for my favorite team that is —ilar to the coverage provided for the big 3. —ultaneously, I am —mering over Newsday’s descision to cut their reader base even further by restricting access and reducing content. Doesn’t seem like the paper can sustain itself that way, its like its being run by a bunch of —pletons. Anyway, gonna be on the road this evening so I’ll have to listen to the game on the —ulcast.”
Hockey Talk Tonight! The Point Blank chats continue to bring in ridiculous reader and participant stats, so thank you very much for that. We’re at it again tonight while the Islanders play in Boston tonight. See you at 7:00 pm.
Andrew MacDonald was recalled last night from Bridgeport to replace Brendan Witt, who is excused from tonight’s game for personal reasons. MacDonald will likely play with Freddy Meyer.
Dwayne Roloson starts tonight for the Islanders, Tuukka Rask for the Bruins.
Josh Bailey’s one-night-only scratch by Scott Gordon on Friday has the desired effect. Good on the coach, good on Josh.
With offensive output not the problem lately – although 5-on-5 it’s far from perfect – look for Gordon to go with the same forward lines.
No, I will not be able to emotionally handle another 24 hours of fascSIMnation in Comments and during tonight’s chat over which bottom-six forwards the Islanders scratch tonight. In fact, it just isn’t gonna happen. Plenty of message boards if that’s all you got today. Thanks in advance.
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Gay NYI Fan Requests Equal Coverage
Since I started posting Ice Girl photos with Point Blank previews of road games, I’ve received several comments and emails reminding me that not all Islanders fans are heterosexual males. Although I take all into consideration, the most fascinating appeal I received was from a transplanted Long Islander in LA who’s working on his second motion picture:
Hey Chris,
My name is Domenic Siclari. I come from Farmingdale but live in Los Angeles right now and I’m working as a writer. Warning: if you Google me, don’t try to see my first movie…trust me.
Your blog has been a windfall for my Islanders-addiction and a great distraction from my writing. You may not be surprised to know I first got into the Islanders around the time Pierre Turgeon joined the team. The biggest rush I’ve had as a fan so far was when all of my buddies in Farmingdale watched David Volek score the goal in Game 7 to beat the Penguins in 1993.
I’ve followed you for the last year and it’s been so much fun following the team through your eyes and the other readers. You have a terrific personal touch to your blogs that make it feel like I’m back home, hanging with friends and talking hockey. The moment I moved to LA, I ordered Center Ice so I could get the games. Whenever the Islanders play here, I bring a large group of friends to the game. Sometimes we go to Anaheim, too. Los Angeles is not exactly hockeytown USA, so this blog is fun to read. I have a small request.
On behalf of all the gay Islander fans in the multiverse, I am requesting equal time. While the blog photos of pretty young Ice Girls (I’m very proud the Isles invented them) are a delight no doubt for a majority of your readers, a few photos of shirtless, toned NHLers would be a delight as well to some of us.
Maybe a naked Chara from his recent photo-shoot when we play Boston? Or a shirtless cover boy Crosby? Malkin? They are out there waiting to be copied and uploaded.
The number one priority is obviously our Islanders winning and the sport itself, but it’s also great to have something nice to look at now and then – as your blog pics clearly demonstrate. So please consider this idea, certainly not on a regular basis but as a treat for the female and un-closeted proud gay hockey Islanders fan demographic. Thanks so much.
Peace,
Dom
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(Zdeno Chara, as photographed by ESPN The Magazine)
Sure, Dom. No problem. This pic’s for you and all the women who also have lobbied for consideration.
A Zdeno Chara story. One morning, about ten years ago during training camp in Lake Placid, the Islanders strength coach called me over to one of the stationary bikes. I didn’t know why at the time, but he asked me to start peddling.
I couldn’t. I mean, I couldn’t even move the pedals an inch. I told the coach he must have the lock on. He said no. He challenged me again. I tried with everything I had, and keep in mind I was younger and at least a little bit fit at the time. The pedals would not budge.
It was only when, as a joke, I got off the bike and used my entire body that the wheels began to turn…ever so slightly. I asked the coach what the point was.
“Z just rode that bike hard at that resistance for 20 minutes,” he said. Resistance? I thought the thing was broken. And this was after a two-hour hockey practice.
The man is a machine and was one of the best people to come through the Islanders organization in my 20 years there. I’m thrilled for his success and wish he, his wife Tatiana and their young family all the best.
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NHL Ticket Deals All Over
The Toronto Sun recently spotlighted some of the many deals NHL teams are offering to entice more fans to attend games. Here are a few:
Anaheim: Two tickets, two hot dogs and two beers for $21.
Columbus: The same deal for $60, plus if you bring binoculars you can watch Nikita Filatov in the press box.
Detroit: Sad, amazing and all but true (for understandable reasons), the Red Wings are selling $9 seats upstairs for most games.
Tampa Bay: The Lightning have a Holiday Pack for $96. I’m surprised they don’t offer to pick you up at the house. For the $96, you get a pair of tickets to three games of your choice, a $10 food voucher and one signed hat from Victor Hedman.
The Islanders are offering up a pair of deals – one’s a Holiday Pack and the other is called “Turkey with Tavares.” They start at $119 and $249, which may not be the way to go during the holidays and with the economy still “in recovery.” That said, the deals have lots of perks – some great stuff and some unnecessary fluff – and are very detailed, so go here if you want all the information.
Last I knew, the Islanders also offered Family Fun Packs, but they are hard to find on the official team site.
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Great Game for JJ: Bridgeport beat Portland 5-4 yesterday in overtime. Veteran AHL defenseman Mark Wotton scored with two seconds left in OT. Potential Islanders cult hero Micheal Haley had a goal and an assist. Best of all, Jesse Joensuu had his best game in weeks – scoring a goal and dominating most of his shifts.
Bluesday: The surging, surprising Islanders have a game tonight in Boston. The 1-9 flatlined Knicks play in Indiana. In today’s print edition of Newsday there’s a story on the Knicks, nothing on the Islanders. Not even a Brief about Brendan being away and MacDonald called up. No article on line today either. Newsday, which now charges readers for web content if they don’t subscribe to Long Island’s newspaper and has shut out Islanders fans outside New York, is owned by Cablevision, which owns the Knicks and Rangers. On the other hand, lovely piece by Katie Strang in Newsday on Sunday on Matt Moulson.
Kallur to Henning: Islanders dynasty member and current European scout Anders Kallur says hello to Lorne Henning’s son Brett in the Comments section of Point Blank. Very nice.
FINALLY, SO FAR…
Sure it’s early, but one quarter into the season look who’s in the running…
John Tavares for the Calder Trophy. (Small advice, JT: Smile briefly at the out-of-town writers at the morning skates. They vote.)
Matt Moulson for the Masterton. (Dwayne Roloson also merits consideration as the team nominee).
Scott Gordon for the Jack Adams. (Joe Sacco – who once had three goals and zero assists as a forward in a full season with the NYI – is the leader in the clubhouse).
Kyle Okposo getting serious looks for Team USA. (51% chance as of today).
The Islanders for a playoff berth. (Use 10% of that cap space and add a defenseman to give the boys some help).
Comments on tonight’s game and this post. For the benefit of my health and many others, this is a Sim-free zone.
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