Monthly Archives: November 2009
2:05 pm - Right now, although not in stone, the plan is for Trent Hunter to return to the lineup tomorrow in Washington. We won’t know until after the morning skate at the earliest who will be out.
If you recall yesterday’s practice lines…
Moulson – Tavares – Park
Bergenheim – Nielsen – Hunter
Comeau - Thompson – Jackman
Tambellini – Bailey – Sim
Schremp (wearing orange with JB’s line)
…it would not be a stretch to suggest Kyle Okposo will re-join linemates Bergenheim and Nielsen. Hunter (or Okposo) could take Park’s place on the top line, or if the Islanders want to break Trent in more easily he could play on the right side on the third line with Bailey. The checking line of Comeau-Thompson-Jackman would appear set, making the leading candidates to join Rob Schremp in the press box as Tambellini or Sim.
But we always add a rejoinder to guesswork like this: don’t dare to assume what Go-Go is thinking.
*
Some random notes as the Islanders take off this afternoon for Washington to meet the Ovechkin-less Capitals…
No Babysitting Here: While the Islanders have plenty of players who are able to bring it most every night, the inconsistency of some youngsters – most notably Jeff Tambellini and Blake Comeau – has been well-documented. That’s why I asked Scott Gordon if he believes a coach has to, if necessary, lean on his students every day of the season. From what I gather, Gordon has the same approach as the rest of the NHL coaching ranks: eventually, if a player can’t do it on his own, he’s not an NHL player.
Without speaking specifically of Comeau and Tambellini, Gordon said, “They need to have an understanding of what keeps you in the lineup, what makes you successful. It has to be an all-of-the-time thing. I want them to think, ‘I have the information. I know what I have to do. It’s on me.’”
My interpretation: You’ve had many chances, you’ve watched games from the press box. It’s getting very close to the point when you’re going to have to figure it out on your own and eliminate the mistakes.
*
Tavares Time: At the suggestion of PB reader Ari S. via email, I asked Gordon if has any plans to play Calder Trophy candidate John Tavares on the penalty kill. The fan had seen some recent commentary from coaches talking about how a team’s best players should play PK.
Gordon’s answer: not this year. Besides having plenty of good options among his forwards, “John is already getting plenty of icetime (an average of 18:48 per game),” said Gordon. “You don’t want to over-do it. I’m sure he’ll be on the penalty kill in his career and he’ll be good at it, but I don’t see going there this season.”
*
About That PA Announcement: Risking life and limb, some Islanders staffers contacted me to explain the reasoning behind Coliseum public address announcer Roger Luce declaring this season, “There’s a penalty on the ice.” To me, it all seems expansion team-like and New York Dragonian.
The Islanders believe the announcement is necessary because the Coliseum is one of the few arenas in the NHL without the capability to put microphones on referees when they make the call. The problem is a technical issue that the NHL – which is responsible – has been unable to fix.
Although I had to endure one of my best friends lecturing me about how I “sit up there on your press box throne,” (lol) I thought it fair to pass along this information in the interest of equal time and fair play.
*
(Coach and Co. have the laptops packed)
Two-Pronged Road Trip: Although the Islanders do not have another home game until Nov. 25, they won’t be on the road continuously for the next two weeks. They will take advantage of three days in the middle of the month without games to come home, practice, feed the dog and re-pack.
Trip 1: Leave today for Washington, charter from DC to Carolina after Caps game, play in Raleigh on Friday, Sunrise on Saturday against the Panthers and Monday in Boston. After spending less than 24 hours there and getting little to no sun, the Islanders leave South Florida for Beantown immediately after the game on Saturday.
Trip 2: After the Islanders land in Farmingdale shortly past midnight early Tuesday, they have ice in Syosset on Tuesday (could be a day off), Wednesday and Thursday. After practice Thursday, they will fly to Minnesota, where they meet the Wild on Friday. Games Saturday (St. Louis) and Monday (Toronto) complete the trip. The Islanders host Philadelphia the night before Thanksgiving and Pittsburgh at 2:00 pm the day after Thanksgiving.
Tell your friends – there’s a live chat tomorrow on Point Blank during Islanders at Capitals.
For information on this youth hockey outreach, to sign up for the next session or to become a sponsor, email michelle.winter@newyorkislanders.com or call 516.501.6764
I wrote about the Islanders Hockey Academy, a very innovative, family-friendly Islanders youth hockey initiative all the way back in March when this blog was getting its legs. I feel strongly it deserves another round of promotion.
The Islanders Hockey Academy is a creative, progressive program by the Islanders that gives children ages 6-14 their first exposure to the game of ice hockey.
Here are the basics of the deal…
You pay by selling discounted Islanders tickets.
In the Islanders’ version of Girl Scout Cookies, you are asked to sell 25 vouchers for Islanders tickets at $25 each. Considering each $25 voucher gets you the equivalent of one $60 ticket, that’s not just a reasonable commitment, that’s a great deal for the people buying from your very own Hub of Stubs. (Applicable games are weeknight games not against the Rangers).
Your child receives instruction and equipment.
Your youth hockey player gets six weekly, one-hour ice hockey sessions focused on fundamentals. But of equal importance and even greater value, you receive a complete set of hockey equipment: Skates, helmet, jersey, socks, pants, stick, all pads (elbow, shin and shoulder)
Full disclosure: Luke Botta, 8-year old son of this blogger, was a participant last spring. His equipment was Islanders-branded and top-notch. I would estimate the brand-new equipment he received from the Islanders Spring Hockey League as valued at $400 minimum. That’s if you shopped really hard and were friends with the guys at Play It Again Sports.
Add on the value of the icetime and instruction – I’d put that at an additional $300 easily for the six hours – and that’s a darn good deal for selling 25 discounted hockey tickets. At some of the sessions last spring, an Islanders coach or player made a surprise visit.
By introducing kids to the game and putting more fans in the seats – and perhaps winning new ones – the Islanders have devised a youth hockey outreach that is generous and smart. That’s good community relations and marketing. Everyone, especially the children, benefits.
If you are interested in signing up your childing for the next session in the spring, contact my former colleague Michelle at the email address below. A percentage of the tickets sold goes to underwrite and expand the program and services for next season. If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor of the program, send a note to Michelle.
If you are new to the youth hockey game, as the parent of a player I can tell you I’m not aware of a better deal in New York than this.
For information on this Islanders youth hockey outreach, sign up for the next session or become a sponsor, contact Michelle Winter at michelle.winter@newyorkislanders.com or call 516.501.6764.
Share your interest and feedback on the Islanders youth hockey program in this thread.
PRACTICE: Iceworks, 11.9.09: More Progress for DP
All quiet on the Biron front; Hunter getting closer
12:45 pm – Some updates after a 75-minute Islanders practice:
Rick DiPietro practiced with the team for about 30 minutes today and is scheduled to again tomorrow. These would be DiPietro’s first back-to-back practices.
From this view, the goalie is coming along surely and steadily but is still not using 100% of his capabilities. No question, the team and DiPietro are being cautious and will continue to add to his workload with each week. I believe it’s still at least two more weeks before the Islanders and DiPietro start to plan a conditioning stint in Bridgeport.
Trade rumors involving Martin Biron at this point are complete guesswork and not rooted in fact. Even if DiPietro returns to the NHL a month from now, the Islanders will not be in a rush to move a goaltender until the 15-year man proves his health for a while.
In addition, the time to sell high in the goalie market is not November. You saw what happened in Carolina. Cam Ward got sliced up, the Hurricanes simply signed Manny Legace. Is Legace the goalie Biron is? Of course not. But teams are not going to over-pay in November.
In all likelihood, the Biron saga will be played out over several months.
*
Mark Streit was given the day off from practice by Scott Gordon. The Islanders were off yesterday. Trent Hunter says he’s much closer and working on timing and conditioning. While he looked good on a line today with Sean Bergenheim and Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo will likely have that spot Wednesday in DC.
Kyle Okposo practiced in Streit’s spot today, but he’s not going to be a defenseman.
*
11:35 am, Iceworks: Mark Streit has the day off. We await further word whether he’s banged up or resting and ready for game action. Kyle Okposo is practicing as a defenseman in blue. No, Kyle will not be playing defense 5-on-5. Figure it’s just part of his education as a versatile hockey player.
With Trent Hunter about to return, probably Wednesday in Washington, the hockey team from Long Island really starts to take shape. Your lineup at today’s practice:
Moulson – Tavares – Park
Bergenheim – Nielsen – Hunter
Comeau - Thompson – Jackman
Tambellini – Bailey – Sim
Schremp (wearing orange with JB’s line)
Sutton – Hillen
Witt – Meyer
Okposo - Gervais
Roloson/Biron
Please read the Comment Guidelines. Thank you. Live chat on Wednesday when the Islanders play against the AO-less Capitals.
Near the end of the Islanders’ morning skate in New Jersey on Friday, Scott Gordon had some advice for healthy scratch Blake Comeau. “Scott told me I should focus as much as possible on Zach Parise,” said Comeau, “and how he drives to the net.”
Parise may have gone point-less in the Devils’ 2-1 victory, but from watching the New Jersey star bolt straight for the Islanders’ goal every opportunity he had, Comeau got the point.
And on Saturday, in his first game back in the lineup after six straight on the bench, Comeau scored a goal, added an assist and was named the game’s No. 1 star in Islanders’ 6-3 win over Atlanta.
“More than his goal,” said Gordon after the game, “I really liked the play he made on Jack Hillen’s in the first period. After Blake made the pass to Jack at the point, he went straight to the net. In the past, his instinct sometimes has been to make the pass and stand there and watch the play.”
With both Comeau and Nate Thompson in front of the net on a 4-on-4, Hillen’s blast blew past a bothered Ondrej Pavlec and gave the Islanders a 3-1 lead.
To his credit, Comeau did not sulk or waste any of his half-dozen nights as a healthy scratch. I asked him about his routine during those games when he was out of the lineup.
6:55 pm - The 23-year old right wing would not arrive at the Coliseum until just before gametime. “I’m going in for a hard workout,” said Comeau, “but I think it’s important to give the guys playing their space.” When the Islanders hit the ice a little after 7:00, the workout begins.
7:05 - Under the direction of Islanders strength coach Jesse Demers, Comeau and his fellow scratches – the last two weeks included Rob Schremp and Freddy Meyer – go through a high-tempo lift and cardio workout. “We do everything in short bursts,” said Comeau. “Jesse believes it’s good to simulate a 40-second shift in a game.” While Comeau and company run, jump, lunge and lift, they keep an eye on their team playing on the many TVs displayed around the Coliseum weight room.
8:00 - As the sweatfest ends, Comeau is anxious to watch the game. During the first period, the extra players are informed where there might be an available Coliseum suite. “Watching the game from that perspective up top is very useful,” said Comeau. “It slows down the game a bit and you can see the entire ice surface. You take a lot of mental notes up there.”
When the Islanders are on the road, the extras don’t have the luxury of a home team’s training facility. Instead, they lift and bike after skating hard for the final 15 minutes the Islanders have the ice at their 11:30 morning skate. Said Comeau, “You draw the line between working hard and completely wiping yourself out. Sometimes you get the surprise call at 4:00 to be ready because one of your teammates may be sick or has an injury. You don’t want to blow everything you’ve got at the morning skate.”
While the players in the lineup head back to the team hotel for lunch and an afternoon nap, the extras have the day to themselves. On Oct. 30, before the Islanders played the Capitals, Comeau, Schremp and Meyer toured the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. “If you have the time and can do something worthwhile like that,” Comeau said, “you should do it.”
When the road games start, Comeau makes sure he’s in the press box before the opening faceoff. Asked about his favorite game-time snack, he earnestly said, “I try to stay away from the stuff in the suites and in the press boxes. You start digging into the chips and it could really be dangerous.”
Instead, he devours every aspect of the game. “Of course, you want to be playing,” said Comeau, “but we don’t waste our time up there watching. There’s always something to analyze, something to learn. Friday, it just turned out Scott wanted me to watch Parise. Great player, one of the best in the league. He shoots from everywhere, never stops working and takes a straight line to the net.”
On Saturday, Comeau did the same.
Comments on this story.
9:35 pm - Scott Gordon started the game with these lines…and they finished, too.
Bergenheim – Nielsen – Okposo
Moulson – Tavares – Park
Tambellini – Bailey – Sim
Comeau – Thompson – Jackman
Sutton – Hillen
Gervais – Streit
Witt – Meyer
Roloson
*
Time for some interactive Post-Game Plus/Minus, or as the kids call it, PGPM.
Plus: Big step up in entertainment value from 24 hours ago. If this NHL thing doesn’t work out for Scott Gordon and John Anderson, I’d invest in a league where they coach every game.
Plus: When the Islanders skate and execute, they can make just about any team looking like the one playing back-to-backs.
Plus: Islanders out-shooting Atlanta 36-21 after two periods – a legitimate 36-21. Just ask Ondrej Pavalec, who didn’t know what didn’t hit him.
Plus: Courtesy of Kinger – the Islanders’ 21 shots in the first period were a season high. In their previous six games, they only managed single-digit shots in the first period.
Plus: The goal scoring hands of Andy Sutton.
Plus: More impressive on Sutton’s goal, the remarkable playmaking skills of John Tavares. That was the equivalent of a Larry Bird dish across the lane between three defenders. Gorgeous. Holy heck, the young man knows how to play hockey.
Plus: Sean Bergenheim couldn’t miss that one. His first of the year, earned the old-fashioned way.
Minus: Islanders PA announcer Roger Luce directed to say, “There’s a penalty on the ice.” Okay, thanks for the heads-up. I always miss the referee raising his arm and the player skating to the penalty box. (You know it’s bad when fans are emailing bloggers from their Blackberrys and iPhones during games).
Plus: Blake Comeau and Nate Thompson causing havoc on the 4-on-4 for Jack Hillen’s first of the year to make it 3-1. Comeau and Thompson with two-point games. Hey, who’s going to break it to Blake that he’s sitting for Hunter on Wednesday? (j/k)
Minus: Atlanta five-minute man Eric Boulton abusing Tavares to near-injury the shift after Boulton was rocked by Brendan Witt. When Tavares racks up points in the first two periods, we may see a lot more of this.
Plus: To Islanders scout Anders Kallur for finding a possible No. 2 center in Frans Nielsen in the third round in 2002.
Plus: Thrashers appearing unmotivated to stand before Dwayne Roloson on a third period power play with Andy Sutton lurking.
Minus: Before Pavel Kubina’s big mouth cost the Thrashers, big chunks of that third period brought pangs of nostalgia from the NYI days of October, 2009.
Plus: Joshua Bailey with the wicked wrister, capping a dream night for the boys in royal blue.
Plus: Congratulations to Steve Yzerman, Brian Leetch, Luc Robitaille, Brett Hull and Lou Lamoriello on their induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday. Leetch was so superb on the ice and decent off it, even Islanders fans never seemed to work up a healthy hatred for the redhead. Congrats also to John Davidson for winning the broadcaster’s award and Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on receiving the Elmer Ferguson Award for journalism. Dave is one of a handful of veteran writers I’ve tried to learn from and he has been a good friend while I’ve been on both sides of the press box.
Minus: I’m convinced that if the Islanders score six goals a game, continue to tweak the edits and stick with it for, say, about 200 more home games, they really will have something with this goal song – now in its second season of bewildering the home crowd against their wishes.
Even: Can the 6-6-5 Islanders, unlike last season, survive November? They are on the road throughout the month, but the schedule and opposition are not overwhelming. If this team is any good, if they are going to be in the Eastern 7-8 conversation at the Olympic Break, they should be able to play close to .500 hockey for the rest of the month.
Your comments and Pluses and Minuses are encouraged. Thank you for the big support these last few weeks. Enjoy the 60-degree weather on Sunday.
UPDATED at 6:00 pm – Blake Comeau in for Doug Weight, Freddy Meyer in for Radek Martinek. Rob Schremp a healthy scratch. Scott Gordon on losing Martinek, out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee: “It’s a huge loss for us. To me, he’s one of the best-kept secrets in the NHL. I feel so bad for him. He was doing a great job matching up against other team’s top lines.”
On Comeau, the head coach said he’d like the wing to take his strong physical play on the perimeter also to the middle of the ice and to the scoring areas.
The Islanders say there is no word yet on defenseman Radek Martinek, who appeared to suffer a lower-body injury in the third period during the loss on Friday night in New Jersey. The oft-injured Martinek will be evaluated today and the Islanders may have an announcement later.
*
After last night’s game in New Jersey, the Islanders did not have a morning skate for their regulars today at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. No doubt extras Freddy Meyer, Blake Comeau and Rob Schremp plus the recovering Trent Hunter got in a workout.
Meyer will be in for Martinek, Comeau could return to the lineup for any number of struggling forwards. Jon Sim is 1-1-2 in 14 games. Doug Weight has no goals and just three even-strength points in 11 games. Tim Jackman has one goal and no assists in 16 games. 2008 first round pick Josh Bailey may eventually break out and exceed the 20-point season he’s currently on pace for, but a game watching from a suite would not hurt him.
Dwayne Roloson is expected to get the start tonight against the Thrashers.
Flukey: Just a month into the season and the Islanders have played 16 games while the Thrashers (6-5-1) have just played 12.
*
This is hockey. Now that the Islanders have lost two in a row after winning four straight, that 5-6-5 records reads like they’ve won just five of 16 games this season.
Even without Ilya Kovalchuk, Atlanta should be a formidable opponent and a fun watch. Check out youngster Zack Bogosian on defense. At forward, 27-year old Rich Peverley has been the waiver wire pickup of the last two seasons (Kyle Quincey the best waiver dman). This year Peverley is 7-9-16 in 12 games.
Ondrej Pavelec has his shaky moments but has stolen some points in goal for the Thrashers.
*
Two notes off last night:
Rangers, Devils and Knicks post-game shows – especially on the road – are almost always much longer than the ones provided on The Plus for the Islanders. Last night it was particularly jarring when the Devils stayed on the air for 37 minutes after the game, about 20 more than the Islanders’ broadcast.
Example No. 4,783 why Lou Lamoriello rules. Patrik Elias makes his season debut Friday night after groin surgery. In Devilsland, it’s not even a question about doing the right thing. Jacques Lemaire was adamant – as was Lamoriello, of course – that Elias, although okay, was not getting on the plane for their game Saturday night in Ottawa.
*
Score-O!!!: We haven’t done this in a while, but I think tonight’s big home match against Atlanta calls for it.
In Comments, tell us who will win between the Islanders and the IK-less Thrashers?
Predict the score and talk about this post and tonight’s game in Comments.
UPDATED at 10:45 pm - The Islanders say there is no word yet on defenseman Radek Martinek, who appeared to suffer a lower-body injury on Friday night. Martinek will be evaluated on Saturday and the Islanders may have an announcement then.
Go here to read tonight’s live chat during Islanders-Devils.
← Older postsNewer posts →
