Monthly Archives: January 2010
Chris Botta on Twitter
In the paranoid, police-state Country of Islanders, where even an honest, straight-forward discussion of facts that aren’t shiny-happy is met with disdain from the rulers, you might not hear about the following these days.
The Islanders have the 28th-ranked power play in the NHL.
They have the 28th-ranked penalty kill in the league.
The Islanders are 28th in the NHL in goals scored per game.
They are 23rd in goals-against per game.
Trent Hunter does not have a power play goal in 19 games and has done little 5-on-5. John Tavares has no power play goals in 25 straight, yet the coaching staff continues to place the 19-year-old on the first unit. It’s tough to point out most other slumps because you cannot expect too much of many of the players – Doug Weight, for example.
On Sunday the Islanders had a brief 5-on-3 and a long 4-on-3 in the third period and Tomas Vokoun did not have to stretch. Rob Schremp had a telling line about the opposition goalie before the third: “If he is standing up all the time, we’re not making him work hard enough.”
The talk from coaches about how the Islanders “out-played” a team in this period but not in that period, or “had the better of play 5-on-5″ or “played three games in four days” is getting awkward. It’s time the bar was raised.
For reasons we can argue til Thursday – the sidelining of MVP Dwayne Roloson, the lack of depth on defense, the over-reliance of young players – the Islanders have temporarily lost their mojo. Coincidentally or not, it began two weeks ago when the organization started thinking big and hanging up the playoff standings in the locker room.
They had a heartwarming run in January until then. They’re certainly capable of having another one. The way the bottom of the East is playing, the Islanders will be in the playoff race at the Olympic break no matter how they fare the next two weeks. (There will be no draft watch – not when they’re a lot closer to the playoffs than one of the three worst records in the league).
The Islanders are just one of five teams in the league that are below NHL .500. They have won 23 of 56 games. Of those 56 games, the Islanders have won just 12 in regulation.
For now, they are what their record says they are.
Please review the Comment Guidelines before posting.
Please read and react at FanHouse.
Read the news, provided to Sportsnet of Canada. Point Blank has confirmed the story, in case you had any doubts. Tough to fathom another NHL team joining them for exhibition games, but Global Gary Bettman will probably use his influence. Comments.
CB on FanHouse: David Booth back after 45 games
You know how people say, “Last year’s team would have…”? My take on Saturday’s game is that the Islanders of early January would have found a way to at least get this one to a shootout.
Boy, do the Islanders need a win somehow, someway. Badly.
A brief position-by-position, weekend-at-the-half look at the Islanders, who fell to one game below NHL .500 on Saturday after their 2-1 loss in Philadelphia…
Defense: A combination of injuries and lack of depth has led to a shortening of the Islanders’ bench. Perhaps not coincidentally, the Islanders have lost four games in regulation in a row. Dustin Kohn played 8:42, hardly at all in the third period. Freddy Meyer played with some vinegar in his game, but for only 12:48.
Andrew MacDonald has been the latest in a long line of positive surprises for the team this season. However, now he has been upgraded from a fifth defenseman to a player so relied upon by Scott Gordon and Dean Chynoweth that he receives top-pair minutes. On Saturday he played a team-high 24:52.
In the five games since Andy Sutton was suspended for two and Jack Hillen suffered a fractured jaw, MacDonald has averaged more than 24 minutes a game. He continues to play well, but it’s fair to wonder if this is too much too soon for his development over the long haul.
If the Islanders do not acquire a defenseman this week, Brendan Witt is on the trip and could return Thursday in Tampa Bay.
Goaltenders: Rick DiPietro watched the game in his suit on Saturday while Martin Biron backed up Dwayne Roloson, who was solid. DiPietro will almost certainly get the start against the Panthers on Sunday.
Since DiPietro’s return, he and Roloson have been okay, but nowhere near the peak of their potential. Who’s going to be the Islanders’ No. 1 goaltender? All the competition comes down to now is who earns two points. If DiPietro beats Florida on Sunday, he’ll get the start Thursday in Tanpa Bay.
Forwards: Blake Comeau, along with Jeff Tambellini the team leaders in Paying the Price, was sent to the press box to make room in the lineup for Trevor Gillies. The enforcer played 3:16, all in the first half of the game.
Great stuff from Katie Strang, who quoted Flyers terror Daniel Carcillo laughing at the thought of teams calling up a fighter specifically for one game – just like the Islanders attempted to do last year with Mitch Fritz. Carcillo may be a bit of a sideshow (an act the likes of which the mild Islanders could use), but contrary to what Billy Jaffe said about his penalty today, he’s not “dumb.”
For one more game, John Tavares looked liked he has for the last six weeks. Doug Weight must be feeling some serious shame for his retaliation penalty late in the game.
There is no excuse for how the Islanders came out for the first 30 minutes of each of the last two games. Coaching, leadership, self-motivation.
Let’s end on a positive note. Well, kind of. Kyle Okposo is so spectacular, think about it: what would this team look like without him?
Comment Guidelines.
Chris Botta on Twitter
After four months of nose-thumbing in and around Islanders Country about how their team was too good to enlist a heavyweight, the Islanders have signed AHL journeyman enforcer Trevor Gillies to help them get through a game against a division rival. How times change when you lose a few games and lack any kind of physical presence.
Make no mistake, the 6-3, 220-pound Gillies is here one game at a time. If he earns the confidence of Scott Gordon – his coach for a brief stint in Providence – he’ll get on the plane for the game in Sunrise on Sunday. If he doesn’t serve and protect and help the Islanders avoid falling below .500, Gillies could be gone until the next game Gordon requests a cop.
Although the Broad Street Brawlers employ plenty of fighters, I wonder who will drop the gloves with Gillies. Arron Asham is a great boxer, but he resides more in the middleweight division. Ian Laperriere is a little wacky, but not crazy enough to go with a big boy like Gillies. Daniel Carcillo takes on just about everyone, but is also not in Gillies’ weight class. Heavyweight Riley Cote has not been in Peter Laviolette’s lineup since Dec. 21. Gillies, who has one assist and 123 penalty minutes with the Sound Tigers, will have to prove he can play.
Of course, this Saturday matinee in Philadelphia is about a lot more than Gillies, who turns 31 today.
The Islanders need a win to stop their slide, having lost of three of four after a terrific run.
They need superb goaltending, since Rick DiPietro still has some rust and Dwayne Roloson has lost a bit of the magic since DiPietro returned and taken half the starts. (Remember Roloson’s early-season remark about how the more he plays, the better he plays?)
The Islanders need to play physically. To put it mildly, they didn’t quite answer Gordon’s call before the Carolina game to step up the body contact.
Another subplot to follow: which forwards are scratched? Jeff Tambellini has played twice in a month. Nate Thompson has already played three games in the week since adding some physical play and faceoff victories to the Lightning.
Despite getting plenty of icetime, Blake Comeau is 1-2-3 in his last 15 games. In 13 games since returning from injury, captain Doug Weight has five assists and is goal-less on the season. Richard Park had two waved-off goals in the last week, two goals that counted since Thanksgiving. Sean Bergenheim has no points in his last six games, Jon Sim has zero points in his last ten.
Based on the effort in the first two periods in Raleigh, there are plenty of candidates for Gordon to choose from.
The Islanders are in this to win and make the playoffs this season. As odd as it may sound, that’s why they have called up Trevor Gillies.
Talk about the game here. I’ll check in mid-way and after.
John Tavares has just two goals and four assists in his last 22 games. What’s more startling is the regular first-unit center does not have a single power play goal in those 22 games.
Cause for concern? The short answer is not really. For more detailed analysis, please read me on AOL. Tavares warrants coverage at the mothership.
Read my view on FanHouse, including some thoughts from Steven Stamkos. React on FanHouse and/or Point Blank. Thanks.
Comments.
Chris Botta on Twitter
9:25 pm - Matt Moulson scored his team-leading 20th goal in the Islanders’ 4-1 loss Thursday in Carolina. The Islanders might want to consider playing him more.
In the Islanders’ last 13 games, Moulson has played more than 15 minutes only once. Primarily since he was taken off the team’s “top” line, Moulson has averaged around 13 minutes a game – in other words, Nate Thompson-type minutes.
Tonight, the Islanders’ leading goal scorer played 1:02 on the power play. On the other hand, first power play unit wing Trent Hunter saw 2:16. In his last 16 games, Hunter has two goals and four assists.
Shootout heroics aside, Moulson has just seven points in his last 20 games. But with his pair of hands, his willingness to get to the net, even without penalty killing responsibilities Moulson deserves more than third-line ice time.
h/t to reader Michael M. Comments on Matt Moulson and the Islanders’ loss in Carolina.
