CAROLINA 4 ISLANDERS 1
Moulson gets his 20th, but not big minutes
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.
312 Responses to CAROLINA 4 ISLANDERS 1
Moulson gets his 20th, but not big minutes
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xander says:
what are people’s feelings on rob carlin? i find him to be very annoying
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ed says:
Everybody keeps writing that Webb didn’t help the Islanders win a playoff round in the last thread BUT they made the playoffs that year. That is the point. I could care less about enforcers in the playoffs. I just want to get there and they are necessary during the regular season grind imo
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Mjbeckman says:
Where’s Howie? Kenny Albert is calling game with Jaffe.
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kevin27NYI says:
YAY FOR TREVOR GILLIES WOOOO!!!!
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admin says:
Welcome, everyone. I might just hang out in the Comments space all night…CB
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Andrew says:
So thrilled to hear Kenny Albert’s voice again.
Or not.
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Staten Islander says:
I never thought I’d miss howie
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DingoAteYoBaby says:
Kenny Albert’s voice is reminiscent of Rush Limbo…not a good thing.
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jimisles says:
What happened to Howie???????
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eye on the island says:
bad bruno’s obviously back
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Hey CB. What do you make of Ricky so far? He’s obviously not as sharp as usual (rebounds…), but his positioning actually looks better than it ever has. Any thoughts?
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Howie has a virus, will be back Saturday. Kenny is a good pal, but it’s very disappointing the Islanders decided to not take care of their own and make sure Chris King was placed on the broadcast. It’s surprising that Islanders management is embracing having the CURRENT Rangers announcer (of 15 years) call its games, while Kinger just does updates on a simulcast on a small radio network..CB
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Joe says:
So psyched about Gillies.
People really need to watch his fights with Brennan and Yabo this year, amazing. Its going to be fun having him up, maybe Carcillo and Pronger will stop cheapshotting everyone.
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Anthony Yampol says:
Great shift by the Schremp line early… perfect pass from Schremp to Gervais for an open shot… annnnd Gervais the AHLer whiffs on it, play over.
Crappy tripping call against Bailey, he barely touched him. That’s one where I would like to see the other ref negate the call after the whistle (only if he saw it clearly of course)
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Jim Clark says: Maybe the Islanders are hoping to have a few Ranger fans stumble across, hear Albert and think the Rangers are trying a third jersey….
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Numbers65 in OH says:
We need this game!
Let’s Go ISLANDERS! -
stephen says:
I can’t wait to watch this team in 2 years.
I think it’s time our best passer (Schremp) gets a shot with a few guys who can bury the puck (Tavares and Moulson)
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rob76 says:
wow thats the worst team in the conference on the PP? If our PP moved the puck like that we would comfortably be in the 6th spot
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another pp goal w/ park on the kill. coincidence? I think not
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Is Brono gonna just watch guys take the puck to the net?
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ken says:
gervais back at it.
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Bruno needs to leave his off-ice personality at home. He is a really nice kid, but is too soft on the ice.
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Awesome for Gillies! Boo for Bruno!! WTF was he doing there just watching Staal take shot after shot on Ricky.
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King says:
Gervais sucks
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Strummer's Army says:
Bruno ya little wus step into the guy! That goal is all on you Bruno just like many others over your career.
CB, I know you may not be able to answer this tonight but what are the NHL & NHLPA rules on offseason conditioning programs? I’ve recently read about several teams that have many of their prospects and regulars there during offseason working out but other then a handful of Isles (on their own) I don’t hear it with them.
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Ya Gordon can demand guys get more physical all he wants but guys like Geravis will never do it.
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KH says:
Obviously Trevor Gillies is not related to number 9 or everyone here would be flipping out… Correct?
Kenny Albert’s voice does not remind me of Rush at all. Kenny sounds like his brothers, and all the Alberts have rousing basso sports voices.
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Donna says:
CB, I agree Chris King would have been my choice for the broadcasts ( I guess Jiggs isn’t available). Do you think Islanders mgmt had any say in this choice or was it a totally MSG decision??
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eric nystrom says:
Oh boy gervais you don’t belong in the NHL.. Wow..
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gervais again
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look like the rags last night
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kenny albert is bad karma
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Jimmy Mac says:
Carolina is starting to come around…
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Uconn husky says:
well on the brightside we can select 3rd in the draft and take cam fowler
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Jim Clark says:
DP is as bad as Roli was on Tuesday.
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MattyB says:
This team is B R U TALLLLLLL right now…..Do they know how to play any defense at all.Bruno Gervais is flat out bad
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Pretty goal. Too bad it was ANOTHER against!
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Brian from Massapequa says:
Best pressure of the game so far. JB-JT-KO
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Ethan K says:
2-0 already. This looks like the Caps game all over again. I don’t think I’m being unfair when I say that Bruno Gervais is the worst defenseman in hockey.
Honestly… if Bruno Gervais is on the Islander roster next year, I’ll root for the Rangers.
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Mike from Sarasota says:
re:eye
That was the 27th 4on5 goal against Park has been on the ice for. Tops among NHL forwards. But what the heck was Gervais doing on that play?And that was a bad offensive zone penalty by Bailey. Out of charactor for him.
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BC says:
Good to see Bailey, Okposo, and Tavares are all looking really good tonight.
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Best shift of the season by Tavares in my opinion.
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38-rolli played exceptional when he started getting regular minutes-this time share might not bode well for rolli
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Great forecheck the last 5 mins, be nice to bury one
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Strumm: The Islanders do as much as any team in the offseason. Certainly you’ve ready about the NYI prospect camps they’ve had the last decade. There isn’t a team in the NHL that has (or is allowed) a regular workout routine for its NHLers.
Some locales where players love to be – Anze Kopitar loves LA – of course see a lot more of their players in the offseason. However, they cannot line up on their guys for weeks of workouts…CB
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That was a nice 3 shift offensive run!
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Chris A says:
Shooting themselves in the foot softie goal and a o-zone penalty aside from that im satisfied
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There is a fine line between the playoffs and being a top 5 pick in the draft.
Isles have to get out of this funk.
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Hud says:
Frustrating, Ricky not sharp, team is in a rough stretch, JT has to score soon, I think.
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Gervais is not a NHL defensemen.
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Can we stop blaming Bruno for every goal and loss we give up. I have never heard so many people get upset with a 6th defenseman forced into extra playing time b/c the team is in a rebuild and has a few injuries on the blueline. there is plenty of blame to go around
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kt1567 says:
whyyy
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NYICHAMP39 says:
rob76
Explain to me how he WASNT a factor in allowing two goals tonight and we will stop putting blame on him. He plays defense, so we need him to actually defend. -
kurvers28 says:
Just have no confidence when Rick is in a game. Flipping and flopping all over.
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UIF says:
This is gonna get ugly if they keep getting dominated in front of their own net like this.
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Well that was a fun period…lol.
Very frustrating.
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Rob76 …your kidding right? When you mess up at work does your boss tell you “Oh its okay you just lost us potential money, but its okay sweety”. Those two goals were Gervais fault when you are a defenseman in the NHL (By the way that means the Pro’s which is the best of the best) you cannot make mistakes like that. Sorry but your care-bear mentality isn’t wanted this is a WINNING organization not one that is supposed promote mediocrity
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Crackhead Theo says:
Brutal Gervais at it again!
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RY212 says:
This is what happens when you unnecessarily take your MVP out of the lineup. Roloson is the starter on this team and DiPietro is the backup. Both should play accordingly.
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a REAL hockey fan says:
Bruno what are u doing? CMON Dman
Depetrieto with some nice saves
A lil sloppy in there end and yes KENNY ALBERT ANNOUNCING? SRSLY? NO MORE KENNY ALBERT, hes not a bad guy but hes a career ranger, cant we get someone else, geeez
Great job CB keep it up bro!!!
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Islesin2010 says:
rob- you can’t blame the fans for being upset. He is a professional. I don’t care he’s a 6th defenseman. He has a job and not only does he fail to do it very frequently he shows no signs of learning from his mistakes. That is unacceptable. There is NO excuse for letting the opponents best player get 2 shots from point blank range in front of Ricky when Bruno is not even a stride away. Like Gordon said, PUT SOMEONE ON THEIR ASS!
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NYICHAMP39, I don’t think that Gervais should get none of the blame, but as an old coach of mine once said, “5 things have to go wrong when a goal is scored”. I agree that Gervais needs to do a much better job in positioning if he wants to continue to be an NHL defenseman, but I agree that anytime he’s on the ice and a goal is scored he shouldn’t be blamed as the sole reason for the goal.
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The fact that the game is 2-0 is very heavily Gervais’ fault. Out of position, standing still, absolutely useless. The team can save money by making a cardboard cutout of Gervais and putting it on the side of the net.
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Barry says:
Don’t you hate when Jaffe is telling us how hard the Isles are outworking the Canes 5 on 5 but are STILL losing 2-0?Also can someone finish already? Geez, it’s pathetic.
Barring another look at that second goal, it looked VERY weak.
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Thanks CB.
I tell you Geravis is as bad as Kurvers was on defense. Neither is a goalies friend. Maybe Bruno will finish his career in Japan like Kurvers had to.
I get the rebuild but Snow has known for a long time Geravis, Martinek etc are not NHL d-men. If he wanted to make the playoffs this year he would have addressed the issue already. I believe what he said when he started the rebuild you have to have a few really bad years like the Pens to get fully over the top.
This team has many positives but everytime I hear someone talking playoffs I think of Jim Mora.
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Donna: Of course, the Islanders have a lot of say – just as they green-light the hiring of announcers and their contract extensions and stay on top of the broadcasts to make sure they are ultra-positive even when the team is losing. I guess they chose not to use their power and give a much-deserved opportunity to someone in the “family” who has been extremely loyal and hard-working…CB
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Down 2-0 yeah, but wasn’t too bad to watch. Some real good shifts by the Schremp line and the Tavares line. Schremp messed up on that goal against, but I’ll forgive him. That’s one he will see on tape and learn from… unless he is like Gervais, then he won’t learn from it.
(Are we allowed to make more than 3 posts in this comment space?) -
Honestly I think most fans are not picking on Gervais so much as they are pointing at a bad play. Whether it was made by the #1 D or the #6 D. Just so happens that Gervais gets more attention because he makes a lot of bad plays. Personally I like Gervais, but as an NHL defenceman he is what he is. A bottom pair/7th D who is over-exposed on the Isles.
And I don’t think it’s fair to ever blame any one player for a loss (Short of Luis Castillo dropping that 27th out pop-up).
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jimb says:
66-agreed…gervais is not progressing…i would not mind seeing him go at the trade deadline for a vet rental on the blue line at all
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Ted S says:
DP is looking a lot like a guy who’s been off most of the last two seasons. Very Very slow out there. I hope his timing improves, he is looking very very average at best.
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we need this game… this second period better pick up
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dp does look slow but it will come in time…that save with his skate blade near the end of the 1st was sick though…
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Dylan says:
CB, do you think that gillies will actually make a noticible difference? is this a good signing? I understand we need someone now to stand up for our youngsters like tavares but will this signing cover what we need for the future?
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Mike from Oceanside says:
One big “Ho Hum” on the Gillies signing. As much as I say that the organization needs an enforcer, please do not overlook the fact that multiple teams have had Gillies in their system and it never worked out for them with him. A 30 year old career minor leaguer is all he is. To date, Brett Lindros has had a better NHL career that Trevor. Just remember, it’s the name on the front of the sweater that matters…not the one on the back – regardless of whatever affection and distant memories you may have for Clark.
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Let’s agree that once this thread gets to 90, we’ll call a moratorium on the Bruno Gervais comments. So get your final ones in now! CB
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Yes, I love hearing Jaffe say, the Islanders are really outplaying the Hurricanes. Look very good out there….Billy? There losing 2-0, I don’t care if they’re outplaying them or not, they are losing by 2 goals to the NHL’s last place team, yea they’re hot, but they’re still in last
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1st goal I blame Bruno, 2nd I thought DP should have had
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Is Gillies going to look at the rafters, see #9 and think “they love me, they REALLY REALLY love me”?
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bigal says:
Ricky Ricky Ricky, when will he be back ?…out of position, and always on the ice he needs to stand up more and forget the percentage goals … should rely on his athletic abilities…..that’s why Marty B is the best
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Mikey Pants says:
Chris, Regarding Chris King/Kenny Albert, Isn’t it MSG/Cablevision that dictates who broadcasts the games? Isn’t that what happened with Joe Micheletti leaving us a few years back?? Also, I’m sure it had to do somewhat with Kenny Albert already being on the Payroll already, in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if something like that “work as a floater” is already in his contract.
Also, Please lets finally be done with Bruno Gervais! He is what he is and he’s not ever going to be the second coming of Denis Potvin or Kenny Jonsson. I’d rather see another ‘Macdonald’ type get a chance, this story’s getting old already. Bruno’s been “developing” for 5 years already and he ain’t getting any easier to watch!
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GERVAIS SUCKS!! =p
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Wooooo says:
That kid on the islanders hockey camp w/e commercial scares me
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Dylan (77): Trevor Gillies is a 31-year-old AHL journeyman with one NHL game on his resume. He’s here as a stop-gap because the Islanders have had trouble with the muscle and physical play of the Flyers. If he does ok, maybe he’ll stick around a bit. But no, the only reason it’s news is because the Islanders had thumbed their noses at the idea of a four-minute enforcer all year…CB
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Who sits on Saturday then?
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Mike 78 – If you can honestly say that you have seen Gillies play and then make that assessment then I can respect that. Otherwise you can’t honestly assume anything. I have seen him play in Bridgeport all year and have seen him play in Albany. Is he here to score 50 goals? no, but he can hold his own and has not been a liability on the ice. All of the other teams he has played for just haven’t been ideal situations for him. He has found a nitch in Bridgeport and is doing well there.
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I wonder if Brandon Sutter will try to get a hit on Doug Weight near the end of this game. First meeting since Doug put him on a stretcher…CB
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The islanders passing is just really bad
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the islanders over passing is even worst
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Weight’s passing has been way off tonight. Still, love the way the Schremp and Tavares lines are playing.
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will gillies have to go through waivers when he’s sent back down to the bridge?
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omggg DP get in the friggin net
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4theisles says:
Some commenters who are focused on our weak D are forgetting that the offensive has not been very productive lately
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I guess right now I am lucky to be stuck at work not watching the game………lol.
Hey Chris!!!!!!!!!! Vinny D say hello
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who cares about gillies getting claimed…wtf is up with this team we are not getting anything through to the net
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Forget about retiring numbers…I think this kid Trevor should have to change his last name to play…
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The Mick says:
Will Tavares score again this year?
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Despite all the praise for the Islanders’ forecheck and control of play 5-on-5, the shots on goal are Carolina 15, NYI 10. Islanders go on the power play…CB
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Okposo is fun to watch.
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what is carolina all of a sudden a cup contender again, this team is playing tight
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Flat is not the word.
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I’d love to see us pot a goal to get back into it before the period ends.
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rich says:
Why can’t Roloson be the starter. This game is 1-0 with him in there and at least I feel like we have a chance. Without him we may cut it to 2-1 but you know DP will let in a softie after that.
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this team better come out flying in the 3rd…im sick of watching gordon looking like he’s about to shed tears on the bench…how about firing em up back there and yelling at the boys a little for a weak effort
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I’ve seen a number of instances tonight of Schremp potentially “hot dogging”. I hope I’m wrong and he is just making the appropriate play.
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This is frustrating, they’re doing everything but score
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someone better kick somebody’s ass between periods. this team is playing like ass. did i mention ass.
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We are not making playoffs this year. DP does not give us best chance to win.
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19 Isle in NJ 22 says:
Still waiting for Isles to start putting guys on their ass.
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wow, i can’t believe the crap non call there
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jerry says:
these refs are pretty awful tonite.
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Tavares passing is over-rated 5 on 5. The guy constantly plays soft. Man he needs extra body weight to compete with these guys next year.
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forget putting ppl on there asses..put it in the back of the net..JT needs to score 1 soon!
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Chris in DC says:
I welcome Gilles in the lineup against the Flyers this Sat. I think Isles management is tired of watching the Flyers in particular push our guys around. Is Boogaard really on the market?
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“Controlling the play” does not mean we’re getting scoring chances. In fact, Carolina has limited out scoring chances very well. We look like crap.
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Did they get these refs off of youth hockey?
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mtrico says:
This team looks terribly flat tonight.
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JT is scaring me. He doesn’t beat anyone one on one, doesnt’t have a motor like KO. He has good hands but nothing that I can say WOW he is excellent. I hope its just adjustment to the NHL. Please JT by next year be the guy that dominates
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Brian from Massapequa (107): Shcremp wasn’t hotdogging at all, he made a nice move between his legs to create some room for himself along the wall (once in off zone and once in def zone). I like the way he is playing with confidence. At the same time he is making lots of mistakes in regards to where he throws the puck in the defensive zone. But at least he is noticeable out there tonight. Let’s hope he makes up for that turnover leading to the 2nd goal by potting one in the third.
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MJS says:
The refs have been awful all year in every game. It seems that someone is pointing out how they’ve blown a call in a game every night. I don’t remember it ever being this bad. CB, are there none calls or bad calls happening more often, or are they just part of the game we should live with and should everyone just stop being hyper-vigilant about the refs?
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This game is absolutely riviting
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125: I’m very happy with the way Schremp has been playing recently and tonight. No problem here at all. Just hoping it was not a sign of him getting cocky. I wouldn’t want to see that, just want to see him continue to be productive.
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JP says:
Isles have tended to dominate at least one period in a number of games this season- hope they step it up for the 3rd
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Jim Clark says:
So how does that lottery “move up four places” to increase the odds work again?
A bit tongue in cheek comment over fans (like me) to go overly pessimistic/optimistic from game to game
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Looks like were back in the lottery for draft.
Just not enough depth.
Start the Barker/Hall watch.
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Mario says:
Now people will complain that we signed a 4th liner who cant score. Were in a little rut right now. Lets have a strong 3rd get to a shootout. I saw gillies play a bunch of games in bridgeport and he can tear it up. Just give him a chance. Heres for for one reason only.
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eastonhockey says:
Ok I am going to openly admit I hoped Dipietro wouldnt be comming back this season. I enjoyed rooting for a team that plays the best goalie available rather then the “entitled” one. I will be sick the day Dipietro retires and Wang retires his number next to hall of fame players despite dipietro going his entire career without winning a playoff round.
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mario, Jeff Tambellin tore it up in Bridgeport. It doesn’t mean anything at all. As much as I wanna be in the playoffs and buy at the deadline, I wouldn’t mind trading away some vets like weight or witt for some picks.
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he should be here to score goals what we are lacking…but the islanders love 4th line players!
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#126 (steve), if you’re referring to Gilles as the “fourth liner that can’t score,” well, at least this guy will be able to legitimately knock some heads around. That will be a new ingredient that this lineup has not seen for arguably this entire season. I’m sorry to keep talking about Sat. against Philly when we’re still in a battle with Carolina, but I am sick n’ tired of being pushed around by the Flyers, and Garth did the right thing by getting a banger for that game.
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after the weak game rolli had the other night i think you had to sit him on this game
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Jimmy Mac
you mean Fowler/Hallalthough id love cam barker as well…
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John Tavares is 19 years old and has yet to have a full offseason of NHL training. It’s unfair to compare him to Okposo and other players in their third year of pro…CB
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Steve, Weight doesn’t have to give up his captaincy to get traded. The best team in hockey right now — the Caps — traded their active captain (Chris Clark) a few weeks ago to Blue Jackets for Jason Chimera (who is young, skilled a tough. A great trade by McPhee. Chimera scored that screen goal against DP last game).
Anywho, that’s how Ovechkin became their captain.
Weight can be jettisoned anytime. -
Bob says:
Gillies will only be around as long as Jackman is out. Gordon likes to roll 4 lines as much as possible, and by then Weight will be hurt again. By the way the team with the least regulation wins in the NHL …. Isles. 11 OT or SO wins.
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Bob Bassen says:
With all of the humiliating BS relating to Islanders radio broadcast and PR/media relations this season, I am now listening to Kenny Albert call the Isles!
Unreal. -
CB i agree with you there. Tavares definitely looks fatigued because he isnt used to the strenuous and rigorous schedule. However, I swear that sometimes when I see him skating aimlessly into the corner he looks exactly like a skinny Alexei Yashin (with that ridiculous looking turtle neck and all). Same kind of loafy skating that used to tick me off alot. He also lays alot of pseudo-checks on people that make me wonder why he even tries to make contact at all. Just saying.
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Jim Clark says:
Taveras has had a better first 50 games than Stamkos had last year and he’s turned out pretty good in his second year. 19 year old growing pains..it happens.
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db says:
this is easily okposos worst game of the season
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Game
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good job DP.
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Hahahahahahaha…Nice PowerPlay?….DP Clap Clap DP Clap Clap
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Terrible goal
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DP was screened by Weight on that shot, come on a lot of you seem to look to get down on DP. Like it or not he’s our goalie for the next decade.
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No pluses in this one CB.
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you go on prolonged losing streaks when you sit the only reason your in the playoff hunt in the first place
if dp continues to play half the games then garth MUST sell off any assets b/c thats saying this season doesnt matter
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Nick says:
As much as I love DP he is hurting the team right now. We gotta ride Rolo as much as we can.
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What assets. This team is ridiculously young.
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Ricky red light!!! This guy makes it so easy for his bashers.
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matt says:
DP~
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Why am I starting to get the feeling that this will be the last time we are at or above .500 this year?
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B says:
do you see the islanders making any trades to help them reach the playoffs? also who sits on saturday for gillies?
thanks
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Given the way DP’s played and the way Rolo has played since DP’s return I’d be playing DP also. They’ve both been up against tough opponents and Rolly’s just not been as sharp. I know it’s tough to admit, but looking at the last 12 games it’s pretty true. I wonder if Roloson’s confidence has been hurt by DP’s return, same thing happened to him for a spell when he was losing starts to Fernandez back in Minnesota. I think he’s a starter or a bust. He should be getting more starts for the rest of the season and Gordo can figure it out if the team makes the playoffs.
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Gordon prolly thought that DP measured-up better against the Canes than Rollie.
Game was over before that goal anyway, I guess. -
More talk of 5-on-5 domination. There was a trio of consecutive shifts in the first period. Other than that, nothing to make a big deal of when a team is losing 3-0…CB
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“assets” = Martin Biron = 3rd round draft pick
To be honest Eye on the island we have no assets that teams would actually want, except the untradeables = Bailey, Tavares, Okposo, Dehaan, Hamonic
Everyone else on this team would bring back no better than a 4th round draft pick or worse…
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89-sutton and uhhh hahaah, well yea sutton and whoever else he can get rid of, u never know
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James says:
just another bad effort
good thing for us is no one in the east is playing well and we are still very much alive.
That being said, Gordon needs to shakeup this team again I think. The magic of 2010 is officially over
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And as I type my last point DP gives one up. Still, he’s got a better SV% than Rolo since his return.
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DP has not been amazing since his return, but he has been solid. Ease up folks.
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Rolo should really be getting at least 80% of the starts the rest of the way. But it won’t matter if we can’t score.
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CB, please send a letter to mr snow and wang telling them to get rid of weight park and sim.. nothing but old slow garbage
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CHris says:
and that’s game
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Eric says:
it doesn’t matter who’s in net if your team doesn’t score.
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Yeah, Goring seems to be more pragmatic when it comes to things than Jaffe at times.
DP is Wangers boy. Once he was healthy, I guess he was going to be ushered in no matter. He aint looked THAT good, though ,imo. -
Joseph says:
Well it was nice while it lasted !!
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Team is not close to being ready. It was a mirage to think we could make it.Bettman’s point Happy NHL Fooled a lot of us into thinking we could hang. I don’t want to make the Playoffs & get pounded again anyway. Roster still has huge gaping holes in it. & lastly anyone killing JT is just asking for trouble. Remember the pressure we put on Bertuzzi to be Gillies???. Just saying it takes time. Relax on JT.
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yeyy…comeback
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Isles get 1
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So the Islanders are hitting a rough patch after a solid month plus in which they moved up in the standings to get themselves into the playoff hunt.
Yes not grabbing these points hurts a bit, but come on folks.
As long as the Islanders are no more than 6-8 pts outside, then they will be in fine shape come after the Olympic break.
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DP let in 2 softies tonight and the other one was Bruno’s fault. Three preventable goals.
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jeff says:
Ricky is costing us points. Roloson should be playing these games.Ricky can fight for his number one job next year, just let rollie carry the load……..
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Ya Ricky hasn’t had his best game tonight and I’m a bit concerned because he looks stiff in the hips but geez lay off. Some people jump on him even when he gets a shutout. Isles are blessed with a very good goaltending situation.
CB, forget Sutter going after Weight, the Isles should go after Sutter every time they see him to pay his jerk of a father back for the Nielsen and Okposo hits.
They should get Campbell’s kid too.
CB, Poulin, Hamonic, De Haan, Ness, Neimi, Rhasanski, Petrov, Ullstrom all to Bridge next year?
Joenssu, Martin, Riechlecz beating on the door of full timers next year?
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billy says:
2nd straight game that i’ve stopped watching, this game was over after the first.
I said at beginning of the year we could make the playoffs, but without hillen for 6-8 weeks and gervais proving that his career peaked in game 5 agianst buffalo a few years ago, we are in serious trouble.
We can’t depend on kohn to “munch” minutes and a healthy witt is just not the right fit. For the sake of the rebuild and even a nice little playoff taste this year, our defense is our weakest area and has to be upgraded.
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I can’t believe some people.
“The magic is over” — “So that’s it for 2010″ and on and on.
Go watch soaps or basketball if you want high drama, I say. There’s a lot of hockey to still be played. -
I agree with jimisles, lets not panic. All the teams from 6th-13th in the East are struggling; and we are still right in the thick of it
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Good Grief says:
Ricky is costing us points? Where were these comments when he shut out the Devils? The second goal was all Rob Schremp. That was one of the laziest plays I’ve ever seen in my life.
You Ricky bashers are wasting your time. He’s here for the next 12 years. Get used to it. And if you hop off the bandwagon, you shouldn’t be allowed back on.
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Chris that is absolutely not what I meant, I am just saying that the magic they showed so far is starting to fade, they are officially struggling again. They need to find a new spark
I did not by any means imply this team was done for the season.
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Roloson was pathetic in the game against the Caps. Face it: meaningful games are beginning and the Isles are replying to any playoff push with uninspired play (injuries and suspensions aside). Good effort only goes so far.
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I think DP played like garbage tonite like everyone else, but scoring one goal on the most scored on D in the league isn’t exactly going to win you a game. Kohn and Gervais aren’t NHL defenseman. One simply never will be, and one is just very young and inexperienced. Hillen is hurt, so we have to deal with it.
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Guys it doesn’t matter who the goalie is for the Isles right now the team in front of them is playing like crap!
So Gordon called out his team to the press and asked for them to “put guys on their asses”. I’m not sure I saw one Isles check tonight.
Gillies will be more of an asset then whoever he replaces, Weight, Sim, Park. 1) Seeing a fight will be more fun to watch then this. 2) No one he’s going to play for is scoring. 3) It will provide more confidence to the team to play more aggressive.
This team has made positive strides but too many nights when they don’t compete. Many of the Isles players just do not have a high battle level, that desire to win.
Doug Weight seems like a wonderful person and I’d like him to assist Trots with player development when he is done but please Doug score a goal before you start jabbering constantly about the playoffs.
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Z says:
Does anyone else notice how much praise Jaffe is giving the Isles, almost as though he needs to prove to Albert how good they have been playing? He goes on and on as if we had a Stanley Cup contender before Albert came on the last two games.
It’s a shame seeing this team struggle lately after last months success. I hope they can get a few points this weekend.
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Maybe it’s me but it sure seems that the Isles lose a lot of games to teams that played the night before! Maybe Statician Eric can find out for us.
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Jim Clark says:
Oh well..go get them Saturday, Islanders!
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4th chance to win a game to get into playoff position, and fourth loss…
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Hey, whatever, the team is going to pick it up again. If they miss the playoffs its no big deal, I’m proud to see them and they way they’ve hung in thus far. I’m hoping to see them scrape into the playoffs. Even if the team doesn’t win another game this season, they’ve far surpassed expectations.
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Julie says:
as long as Ricky gets his reps everything is fine
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gervais for a bag of pucks.
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Doug says:
Ok, I hope I’m not overreacting here, but when you’re down 2 going into the second, how do you not put more than 3 shots on goal in the 2nd period?
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Walt says:
If Bruno Gervais is such a good cook why does he get burned all the time? He looks like France when the Germans rolled through. Sorry I was late getting on the site. Bruno Bash over.
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Mike P says:
Growing pains, they played great for a while now have hit a rough stretch. Young teams have problems with consistency and that’s what is hitting them now.
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Jeff says:
Couldn’t agree more on Moulson’s TOI and PP time. Put Moulson and JT together and keep them together.
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Merrick says:
Before the Florida game last week when Kohn came up for Sutton, some of us we’re discussing that we we’re a D-Man injury away from going on a 10-game losing streak.
I hope that’s not the case, but we are thin.
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Couldn’t agree more on Moulson’s TOI and PP time. Put Moulson and JT together and keep them together. Hunter should see no PP time. In my mind, he’s a legit third liner and no better. Now, Bobby Nystrom was a third liner and scored “The Goal,” so being a third liner doesn’t mean you don’t contribute. But it does mean that you don’t see time on the PP ahead of the team’s leading goal scorer.
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hollywood says:
Maybe it’s me but I didn’t a physical game tonight. The 2 best players were Schremp and Moulson. If only Gordon would figure out that Schremp is the best playmaking center on this team. The guy creates chances all over the ice for himself and his teammates. Schremp and Tamby could be a heck of a 2nd line.
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Eric says:
To Rick DiPietro,
Thank you for coming back and ruining the Islanders playoff hopes, by:
a) stinking when you play,
b) causing Roloson to fall out of his groove, and
c) sapping all of the mojo out of the Islanders, who were confident and playing well until your return.Signed,
Please go away already -
Bob says:
I smell a 3rd top 5 pick in as many years. Might as well get Laraque too for the Philly game. Having a rookie as your only guy that can fight against the Flyers is just asking for another beating.
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Flal says:
First – Grats to Matty Moulson for hitting 20 goals. That pick up worked out so far, huh
I think people need to not get so high and low, and thru hard times, despair and rip the team. They are a young team, and this should be expected. To me, the bottom line is the team tries, and their is a future with some of these kids. And frankly, they are doing better than I had expected.
I think we should not slag JT too hard yet at all. And let me just say, I was leaning towards not taking him #1. People want to see him things do things that are really outside his game, imo. He is not going to be toasting guys one on one nor fly around the ice like Bobby Bourne. He is not a playmaker in an Adam Oates kind of way. That is not who he is. What he is, is a poacher, and in all likelihood, a damn good one. He has great, quick hands, and gets a load of close in goals due to his hands and good positioning. And probably excellent on PP where he has more ice to get open by the net. That player is not going to carry it up and do Crosby/Ovechkin type of stuff. I just never saw him that way – saw a more sniper/scorer like Luc Rubaitaile or something (sure there is a better example if I think about it). Since I don’t see him in a certain way, I am far from dissapointed. To me, he is what he is. And in time, he should be regular, around, 40 plus goals a season.
type of guy.
And call me a bad fan, but kind of hope that if we are not really going to make playoffs that we lose, closley & enetertaining, down the stretch, so we can acquire another quality piece. Pitt had like 5 top 5 picks in a row. We could use another, imo -
Bjorn Holland says:
Isles need more depth and strength. Boogaard would be great. DP is definately not the problem. Surprised he already plays this much.
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mickeyboy7 says:
I think it’s time we had some NHL caliber coaching. How many years must we put up with these minor leaguer minimum wage coaches who think they will turn the Richard Park’s of the world into Bret Hull?
Let’s keep our offensively minded talent on the healthy scratch list so we can prove we know defensive hockey. After all we did score a whole goal once again tonite. -
doug says:
CB,
I think it’s time for a shakeup. How about getting an NHL Dman who is mobile and a left wing with some size…come on Snow do something…and trade Marty already…
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IslesRock says:
CB, good point on Moulson. I agree with some past posts regarding Boogard and Exilby. This team needs a little spark without disrupting the rebuild. I think both of these players will be UFAs at the end of the season.
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Past few games have been pretty painful to watch. If Snow is serious about being a contender for the last few playoffs spots something has to be done. And for God’s sake can someone tell Gordon to give Tambellini a game!! The kid sits and watches other people play terribly and not get punished for it. And clearly the players on the ice the past 3 games havent been getting it done. Shake it up, put in Tambs and sit Sim/Park/Comeau/Weight etc.
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NY711OT says:
DP looked awful. That 3rd goal destroyed any hope of a comeback. The kind this team has had all year with roli. Jt looked good, played with energy. Okposo did not. Great point on moulson. What gives gordo?
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Willis says:
Haha CB, PAIRS of hands, if only!
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Madchef says:
we wont win again until we rid ourselves of the rags announcer, what a joke. rather listen to ed westfall. team is in a slump, maybe the first of the year, it happens, now if it continues next week???/
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JTorBust says:
This team isn t playing for gordo , he asked them to come out and be physical , didn t happen. I counted 4 or 5 hard checks , I guess they are playing for another high pick and that is sad. Send the front office to bridgeport , if we re going to go young might as well bring up more kids and lose Park , Sim , and the rest of the dead Weight. DId you see how slow Hunter looked ?
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Jethro09 says:
I agree with you, CB. I like rolling four lines, but lets be honest, the fourth should not be playing as much as the first, even when rolling four lines.
I’d like to see Gordon start playing the best guys on the top lines. JT, Bailey, KO, Schremp, Moulson and Neilsen should be on the top two lines in some combination. The rest of the guys can find their way on the other two lines. Enough of Richard Park on a line with KO and Moulson or Hunter playing with Schremp, etc. Let the best players play together and get more ice time.
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Eric Cup says:
Someone tell Carlin that Adam Sandler hit Bob Barker in “Happy Gilmore”, not “Billy Madison”!
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Les Beaver says:
On the one hand, DP coming back seems to have interrupted the groove Rolo and this team were in – could be a coincidence, of course. On the other hand, at least DP is playing complete games and he looks healthy. His timing till come back. It takes goalies some time, better he adjust now than in March when they need every save.
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Lorne says:
Hopefully no one is jumping off bridges yet, we are in a bit of a funk and the Flyers are not the cure for it.
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rb says:
Seguin, Hall or Fowler?
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Hoser14 says:
What’s with Bruno Gervais lately? He’s a bright and personal player that you pull for, but he’s been readly brutal.
Speaking of being brutal, Red Light Ricky didn’t look too sharp either. I guess Ricky was working on his neck tan….
As for Trevor Gillies, I don’t have a problem with it. Too bad Gilles doesn’t play defense, but they do need a someone to keep them from being run out of the rink Saturday afternoon. The Isles have too many smurfs.
Please don’t put Freddie Meyer out against Scott Hartnell!
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It’s been a long time coming … the Isles have been plucking the low fruit off the tree for much of the last month and a half. In saying that I don’t mean by beating bad teams … I mean by taking advantage of teams playing badly or having injury problems.
I lost track of how many times the Isles have took the loser point or took two in OT …
Much improved over last year … but now we are starting to see the holes in their armor.
JT and MM’s slumps aside … this is a team issue … Rollie stole some points for the Isles …
Doug Weight made some accurate statements tonight … the Isles need to get back on track by the Olympic break.
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.. I hate to say but the team just seems REALLY LISTLESS at times, geeeez ive watched Isle games for 25 yrs and they are literally SLEEPWALKING in big portions of the game, i mean in 10 minute ‘chunks’ theres nothing going on, no action from the team..
.. People who complain about a 4th line grinder/checker/banger type ive got news for ya – they cant be any worse than the other 3 lines we have, holy boring – wake me when its over, SRSLY it just seems like going through motions
.. Its a rebuilding year and what we Isle fans really need is P-A-T-I-E-N-C-E!
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1972 means i'm old says:
213: I understand your long-term thinking. We had that luxury when we hit 30 and 54 points in our first two years and expectations were minimal. However, with the team’s status as a local franchise being threatened; the need for some token playoffs revenue to please Wang; the dire need for some media props in this Ranger-dominated area, it’s essential to make the playoffs. No, we’re not ready to force a “Kate Smith” desperation moment, but even if we’re one and done, it may give us a decent idea of who our future money players are and who aren’t.
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Gervais, yikes. Maybe his career won’t be with the NHL. Maybe he’ll be a chef. That’d be cool too. For now though he’s all we’ve got.
So…keep practicing, Bruno! -
Chris Mc says:
I like Bruno and I thought pairing him with Streit would elevate his play again like last year. But the Bruno from the first half of the season is back. Im going to call Two Brothers and tell them to pick up his skate blades and add it to their scrap metal.
And I know one timing a hot pass is hard to do, but JT needs to bury that MacDonald pass. That makes it 2-1 and a lot different game.
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Steve says:
ABSOLUTELY inexcusable that they lost tonight. Only 12 shots going into the 3rd against a team that played the night before 1000 miles away?
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isles316 says:
What has DP done that he deserved the start tonight? He has given up 6 softies in his last 3 games.
Just wish they rode the hot hand.
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Matt S. says:
from what i have seen Trevor Gillies looks a lot like Joel Rechlicz. no real skills but fights anyone and everyone. why didn’t we just bring Joel up?
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SeanG says:
There is no excuse for tonight. After the beating we took at home Tuesday night and given that Carolina played last night at the Garden…and won. This is the second time in less than a week that the Isles lost to a team who’d played the night before, while the Isles were waiting for them (NJD). Tonight’s effort, AND OUTCOME, is completely unacceptable even for a young growing team.
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Games like tonight are why this team will not make the playoffs.
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miket239 says:
If the Islanders want to contend they need to play Roloson in net. Roloson can lead this team into the Playoffs, NOT rickety Rick Dipietro. I’m sorry. But DPs return is messing up the team chemistry. Play him every 4th game AT BEST. He is just NOT READY to be playing in important games. This is not a good time for him to be “getting into the swing of things”. Plus he comes out of the net WAY TOO MUCH TO PLAY THE PUCK WHICH RESULTS 92.7% OF THE TIME IN A TURNOVER. Im sick of Rick Dipietro running this team. He is a mediocre goalie. PLAY DWAYNE ROLOSON IF YOU WANT THE PLAYOFFS.
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Bring up Gillies , most fans won t realize he is just another version of the wrecker/punching bag until the season is almost over. At that point we ll have a top 5 pick , prob grab the smallest guy on the board and talk about how well the “system” works.
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local25rooster says:
I heard King calling games on MSG varsity for high school hockey so maybe it was a contract thing? I dunno how that all works but maybe he was unavailable due to proir comitments
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David Volek says:
WHATS GOING ON?????? The islanders have been above average this season, yet their BIGGEST problem is the defense. Now Jack Hillen, who has played so well this season is out, and the isles are going with an enforcer?
I love what the isles are doing, but can they PLEASE address the blueline??? Enough with Bruno Gervais…….nice kid, but come on. Is this just a money thing? Its obvious this kid is just filler, because to play in the NHL and not be able to take a slapshot is unnacceptable. I realize the isles are trying to put the best product on the ice for the least amount of money (i.e all the youngins), but as a lifetime season ticket holder, NOONES BEING FOOLED. Cut the cord already………we all realize he’s homegrown…………but ENOUGH. The isles dont need a Phaneuf, but make a move. Bring in some vet experience who can skate. Stop with all the 6th defensman. -
mht says:
Watching tonight’s Blackhawk-Shark game{3-1 Blackhawks in the 2nd period]it is clear for a team with serious Stanley Cup asperations as SJ does,Evgeny Nabokov is not the man who will bring them to the promised land.Garth Snow could and should be able to extract a king’s ransom for Dwayne Roloson.I really do not think the Islanders are playoff bound.so DP would get the majority of the starts to further his rehab.Marty Biron maybe brings us a 3rd round pick in return.Staying the course of our rebuild.
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I agree with DP back it has hurt the roll the Roloson was on but long term DP is the goalie and they need to get him back. The second goal was bad, possibly Weight screened him a bit on the 3rd goal. The positive is he has stayed healthy now for the first six games.
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Rich Pilon says:
The only time you can put “long-term” and “DiPietro” in the same sentence is if you’re talking about his disgusting contract. You want long-term answers in net? See the 2009 draft. There’s a reason Snow drafted all those goalies. DP isn’t going to be around forever, or even a year from now. He’s one dumb play away from retirement. Sorry folks.
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jim says:
just skimmed through the majority of the comments, so maybe its been said a bunch of times. but im really disappointed in this game. coming off a horrible loss, and called out by the coach to be more physical, and this is the performance they respond with. didnt respond with physical play at all and getting easily beat by the team with the 2nd worst record in the league. just crap!
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after reading these comments i refuse to watch my recording of the first period.
i can’t stomach gervias anymore.
i hate when we’re up against the flyers…great comments about moulson…i agree he’s being very misused. there should be some line changes…
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I think Comeau will sit for Gillies in Philly, makes sense to bring up a tough guy to keep guys like Carcillo at least honest.
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fafa says:
More Schremp please. The guy is clearly a playmaker the likes of which the Isles don’t otherwise have. What a steal he will turn out to be.
Gordon must see something in Moulson that he doesn’t like but bottom line the guy is our leading scorer he’s got to be out there more.
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Funny how a couple of losses and the re-build is a failure and every player on the team sucks(after they were great when the wins were coming in frequently) They are young inconsistent team, probably won’t make playoffs but the fact it is even still in discussion in late January is progress.
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jonsson3 says:
Most exciting part of this game was the few flashes of the Carolina Ice Girls!
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Progress is Okposo in his 3rd year rounding in to the player that will be the future captain of a contending Islander team. Bailey maybe finding his niche as a winger, we have depth at center so it’s not worst outcome in world that he might be a winger. Neilsen, Macdonald, Hillen and Schremp proving they will be at least useful Nhler’s. They need to get bigger and add probably three defenseman but year two has been success.
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Isles 316 – What hot hand? Rolly gave up 4 goals on 15 shots in his last game DP gave up 2 on close to 20. DP did a lot better in that game than Roloson, and has done better than Rolly since his return. If by hot hand you mean he’s been getting smoked, then yes, Rolly’s got a hot hand. In case you were wondering DP’s currently got a lower goals against and higher save percentage. So, I guess what you really meant to say was play DP more right?
Nevertheless, this team is a lot better than anyone expected it would be. You couldn’t know that from looking at the comments from game to game. You’d think that this team was in 35th place. Who could possibly know that this was a team that shutout Detroit, then beat Buffalo, then Shutout Jersey. The Jersey shutout was last week. Two of those wins were against two of the best goalies in the league on two of the best teams in the league. The team was supposed to finish in 30th place in the league. I know their play totally raised expectations, but jeeze even with this losing streak what we’re seeing is progress. Get over it.
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Jerky says:
CB, as you mentioned during the game, I found it ridiculous that Jaffe was singing the Isles praise all night long at how they were outplaying Carolina. They had a few good minutes in the first where they put pressure on, but were kept to the perimeter all night long and were clearly not the better of the two teams. Not sure what game Jaffe was watching tonight.
Secondly, where was all the physical play Gordon was talking about? I can’t recall one solid hit all night from the Isles. Could be a painful game to watch on Saturday, even if Gillies is in the lineup.
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isles83dog says:
Long losing streak coming. This is just the time of the season we do our swan dive. It was fun while it lasted. No way we’re winning in Philly. It seems like 20 years since we beat them. Tough games coming up. We’re gonna miss out this year.
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Mike P – We’re not considering the rebuild a failure. But this team is failing at the moment. Reason we’re getting upset is because this team is far too good to be losing games like this. We do have what it takes to make the playoffs this year.
I was getting too into it though I guess, like a lot of people. Our expectations have grown too high. I still think we can get a playoff spot, but it’s honestly not bad if we don’t. And in reality, this team has improved so much this year that any Islander fan should be excited. If these 19, 20, 21 year old kids can make us believe we can get the playoffs, imagine what they’ll do when they’re developed! Expect a slump until after the olympic break, when they start to pick it up again. These young guys aren’t physically ready for 82 game seasons yet, but they’ll get there eventually. We couldn’t expect a win from the Devils or Capitals, and tonight, they didn’t play that poorly.
The good news is that we have a core to believe in, some prospects that are going to add to that core very very nicely, plenty of space under the cap room, and an organization (well, at least the hockey side) that seems to know what it’s doing.
And yes, Schremp was an absolutely huge steal. He’s been maybe our best player these last few games, Moulson being his competition. They should be the second line.
One random question though… what is this nonsense talk about the Hurricanes making a playoff run? They would need around 22 wins in 29 games, and they’re not doing THAT well as of late.
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Oh and MHT (#242): You don’t think Evgeni Nabokov can lead a team to a cup?? Wow. I’m curious to know who you think can.
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CJCB says:
YES!!!! Finally i can watch a FULL Islanders game again!! Gilles is way way way ahead of the Wrecker as an Enforcer. Gilles has had a strong year fight wise atleast in Bridgeport while Rechlitz continues to lose most of his fights Jackman style!! Cant wait to watch the next game Gilles plays in, about time!!!!!
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Ricky T says:
I’m just happy that I can start looking at all the draft eligibles again just like last year before the draft and get some excitment from that
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Hollywood says:
Enough already, all this team needs is a little tweaking. Obviously that starts with Gordon. As bad as DP was where was the offense. I’ll bet Ward never broke a sweat or actually had to flash a pad to make a save. I’ve said it before, Neilson and Hunts r 3rd line players. Until Gordon realizes this it will continue to be a struggle to win night in night out. Sit Comeau and trade Park.
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Dennis says:
GET Hunter off the power play!!!!!!!!!!!!!.Moulson gets 30 seconds on the second unit and bailey should be with tavares and okposo because he has playmaking skill.If hunter would stand in front of the net i could maybe see it,but he doesnt even do that.We dont need him on the goal line in the corner thinking he can pass the puck.No 3rd liners on the power play!!!!.
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I agree with eric im surprised gordon is playing DP this much. I think roloson deserves th e number 1 job and not just be handed back to DP. I think DP will be a number 1 agian just not now.
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Mike says:
Can we petition Gordon to put the TKO line back together and keep it together?
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thepolishprince says:
I didn’t get to watch the game last night. Did Tavares look any better last night than he has the last few weeks?
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#211,
I could not have said it better. As soon as DiPietro superimposed himself on this team with his ridiculous, “No, let me handle the puck at all times, because I want to get an assist” play this team has tanked. DP is the guy who should be traded. At least Marty Biron is a team guy. I can’t say the same for the annointed one, Ricky.
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Can we put Schremp in the middle of people who can finish or set-up? Pleeeeease! Oh and can we put Tamby back in the line-up since the offensive well has dried up? Pleeeeease! And will Gillies beat the crap out of a Flyer, any Flyer? Pleeeeease!
Ok, they should listen. I said please.
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Moulson – Tavares – Okposo
Bailey – Schremp – Hunter
Tamby – Neilsen – Bergie
Gillies – Weight – ComeauJust a suggestion.
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The New Isles GM says:
I wonder how Garth will approach the trade deadline if we’re in the same position we’re in today. As quick as we can should get into playoff position, we can stay out of it and drop to the bottom of this tight division. Does he trade Weight, Biron and Sutton? Does he try to package Witt and Gervais as a package deal to a team that believes in those guys. Maybe Gervais needs a change of scenery like the Latendresse/Poulett trade
It’s going to be an interesting deadline…that’s for sure. CB – maybe you can write about your opinion on Garth’s approach this deadline. -
znatokhokkeya says:
forget about playoffs, not because they lost to Carolina, but because this team doesn’t have a killer instinct, doesn’t have an urgency, lack of skills is not helping either.
Also, for the #1 overall pick JT is ridiculously slow. I am starting to worry if that was the right choice.
I know, I know… he is only 19, he needs some time… but still. Duchene impresses me much more. -
hale78 says:
is it just me or is comeau clueless offensively?
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terry b says:
post # 239,,very funny but sadly true,too many hockey pacifists here,some should go watch the ice capades instead,hope trevor doesnt step on another players foot,or some of these fans will banish him to russia…
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dose says:
roloson probably does give them the best chance to win a given game right now, and if you only care that they somehow make the playoffs THIS year, then yeah, you
want roloson in there over DP every night. but the g.m. isn’t one of us fans. he HAS to know what DP’s got. he has a trading chip in biron sitting around until it’s clear if DP is back, and how far he’s back. snow is handling this exactly the right way. before the season, it was assumed this team was playing entirely for draft position, lottery position at that. getting into the playoffs would be fun, but if they miss even by 1 point, i think the way snow is handling DP right now will still have been the right way. -
Smitty031 says:
I think Gillies will be good for at least one game up here,cause some havoc.The most hitting i saw out of the Islanders last night was when Roloson was giving Butchie the business on the sideline.So much for “knocking someone on their ass”.
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i should have said how snow AND gordon are handling DP, but the overall plan is the g.m.’s
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Lee says:
Chris Dey screwed Chris King when he fired him and Mears and hired him back. Worst than Vince McMahon on Bret Hart!
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Matt Brosseau says:
I don’t see why Snow should wait and see what DiPietro’s got before trading Biron, if he’s convinced he can send Biron (clearly packaged with someone else) to another team for a useful part and not just a draft pick.
If DiPietro is capable of being a 1-A the rest of this season (and it seems that he is), great; if not, and you get rid of Biron, then you’re basically in a situation that the Rangers and Devils, among other teams, find themselves in, with a clear #1 goalie and a slightly-above-AHL-caliber backup. Roloson can handle a Lundqvist or Brodeur-like workload the rest of the way, especially with the Olympic break.
This would seem to indicate that there either hasn’t been much interest in Biron or Garth is playing it close to the vest and waiting for other teams to become desperate for goalie help.
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John says:
You know… still 2 points out of 6th…. yet if season ended today the Isles hold a lottery pick.
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ton loc says:
Nothing like kicking the team when they are down. We all need to relax a little, are the results of the last 5 or so games that suprising? I think the whole season has been suprising. No one thought this team would be sniffing a playoff spot in the second half of the season. And DP is not the reason the team is up and down right now. Like Flash said, they are not as good as they sometimes think they are. They will bounce back in my opinion and DP will be a part of it. No one was complaining when he beat Buffalo in the SO and blanked the Devils the very next game. We are all Islanders!!
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josh says:
So it seems to me that Tavares’ upside is that if he’s standing in front of the net with no one covering him he can score most of the time. But he doesn’t seem to be able to carry the puck through traffic, win the battles on the boards, play tight defense, or much of anything else for that matter. So my question is why exactly were so many Islander fans pushing Snow to pick this kid over Duchene and Hedman and when are we going to start hearing fans blame Garth for the pick?
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paulyg says:
im starting to sense the beginning of that long slide downnnnnnnnn
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Cary says:
Josh 279 – make that: if Tavares is standing in front of the net with no one on him AND HE GETS A PASS RIGHT ON HIS STICK he can score SOME of the time.
Honestly, he’s one of my least favorite players on this team.
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Tim says:
Tavares is barely out of high school. Give the guy a break. He’s not going to be busting through NHL defensemen and winning most of his board battles right now. Give him some time. Tavares is the least of our worries. Cary, I assume Jon Sim and Trent “Big Game” Hunter are your favorites?
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JP says:
My answer to comment #279. Its hard to put the puck in the net and do the little things, when you have to worry about getting cheap shotted and knowing you have no one to defend you. Anyway Tambs sat again while Richard Park doesn’t miss a shift. Amazing…This team is a 1 dimensional non-hitting,non-fighting, decent skating team. The reason they played so well from Dec 29th till last week was because they met Western teams that were not used to their run and gun offense, they caught a Devil team that seemed to be in la la land in that 4-0 blowout. Snowy it’s time to pull the trigger and move the dead wood along for a few role players.
Lastly I don’t know if there is a standing order in that locker room but it’s disgusting to watch the liberties teams are taking with the OTB line and no one has to answer for their actions. Gillies could be a nice addition to the top line with a healthy Jackman back on the 4th
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Jzimm says:
I’m so glad that we’re all a world full of experts. It’s great that everyone know everything, and no one’s ever wrong… until later.
Charles Wang and Garth Snow did not dub John Tavares a savior… the fans did!
It was well documented that John Tavares is a specialty player. Everyone who read reports knew that he was not going to be an end-to-end guy or even a main puck carrier. And it was made clear, at least to me, that he was not going to single handedly turn a franchise’s fortunes around. This is not Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin. That was made quite clear.
I don’t care if John Tavares wins rookie of the year or not. Even with his recent struggles, he still leads all rookies in goals. He needs a player to compliment him. A player who will be able to contol the puck and the play. Kyle Okposo is not that guy. I think Okposo is a better winger for Bailey than he is for Tavares. Perhaps Tavares should be moved to the wing and play with Schremp. Regardless, this team is still incomplete. Once again, it was well documented that Tavares was not going to wow you with spectacular visuals, but he will score goals… which he has.
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purify says:
some of you guys crack me up. riding tavares the way you do. the kid is 19 yrs old. go back and look how you where at 19. the kid has alot of growing to do to get his “man strenght”. not one bad word about him in the first half of the season right. nothing like bailing on him when things get rough. so much for loyalty and support. only for the now i guess. thank god I dont depend on people like you for your support. remember before the season this kid steped up publicly and said he would have no problem coming to our joke of an orginization. tavarese supported us and it time to support him. its easy to support someone when things are going the way we want, its when things get rough is when support is needed. the biggest growing period occurs after a rookies first season. adjustments and proper training will happen and experience will lead to great success.
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MileHighIsle says:
I really think having Gillies up is going ignite some energy to the team. As long as he doesn’t do any senseless things it could create a better atmosphere on the ice. The team has young talent. They need to be able to play their game without some jerk headhunting them. Honestly, I don’t think there is a guy on Philadelphia that would fight Gillies. They don’t play Cote so I think Gillies might do a good job keeping them honest. Asham might step up but that’s about it. Gillies has had some of the best fights in the AHL. His fight with Yabo this year was the best of 09/10. He did get knocked out by Boogaard a few years back but nothing wrong with that. And if we go to a shootout…look out! Good luck, Trevor!
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JPinVA says:
The warm fuzzies are starting to wear off. This team is better than the results last night, but not much. Losing Hillen is bigger than anybody mentioned above, which goes back to the lack of DEPTH created in the off season. To be that far below the FLOOR and to not have something better their bottom four is tough. Maybe we should blame Marty for being FRAGILE.
They can give more ice time to Moulson and Comeau if Park or Weight sits. More importantly; Getting a guy like that on the ice at the right time has been a challenge for Flash. -
yup. the euphoria of the last 6 weeks was a bit out of line and we’re back to reality. that doesn’t mean they suck. when they play their best against all but the best few teams they’ll win their share. and they’ll steal a couple here and there. that makes them about a .500% team. i think that’s fine, way better than i expected this year. the best thing is they’ve made strides and built a core without the few key pieces we hope they’ll add down the road (but not too far).
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dynasty23x4 says:
the best part about this tight conference race? we can probably finish one point out of the playoffs (sayin oh we were so close, right on the doorstep; a major step foward in the rebuild) and still end up with a lottery pick. its win-win! jk- LGI!
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LNOF says:
MJS #253 – perhaps the hot hand that Isles 316 was referring to was that before DP returned, Roli had a 2.77gaa and .914sv% and that was maintained over 29 starts. Are you comparing that to the 2.62gaa .901sv% DP has maintained over 5 games?
Since DP has returned they have each played 5 games. Roli stopped being played as starter after the DET shutout in spite of the fact he was on a 7-0-1 roll. Since DP’s return Roli is 3-2-0 3.13gaa and .882sv%. Don’t you think perhaps no longer being played as a starter might have something to do with that decline in numbers?
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#279 – you nailed it – bingo.
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bob l says:
i love the jt hating, the kid’s hit the post over a dozen times this year, if only 1/3rd of those go in he’s our leading scorer…
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Why would anyone even waste their breath with DP trade talk, no one in their right mind would take on that contract , EVER. JT is too young and is still a boy playing among men , no fault there. Gillies will play 1 or 2 games max with the club, its a pathetic high school coach move to try and motivate players on the cusp to play more physical. The problem is this team is too small and it is not part of their game. It is an unreal expectation and the blame has to be put on the GM. You have too many of the same guy , like the old Nintendo Ice hockey game, we have a team full of the little skinny guy , can t expect the team to go knocking everyone over. Trade anyone outside the untouchables that will get any type of young player or draft pick as we are still in the infancy of rebuilding.
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Bob, this is not the JT hating, this is the big concern about if that was the right choice
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Is it just me? Or are there a lot more posts on threads when the Isles are in a losing trend?
***
Regarding whether or not draft choiced are the right choice… We cannot rush to judgement on any player … for good or worse until after 3 years after a player is drafted … that is the only time you can see a player’s progress in development.It’s like judging the tasted of a hamburger when you first throw it on the grill … before you can even smell it. (Can ya tell I’m hungry?)
Anyways … CB said this all last year … and so have other hockey analysts. JT, MD & VH are all going to be world class players. We wanted JT … we’re going to love him.
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Brian says:
Rollie gave up 4 goal’s in the 1st period on Tuesday, how in Zeus’ butthole is he the “hot hand?”
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Lets starting rooting for an Isles win in Philly
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Dominick from Wake Forest, NC says:
I was at the game and for post #292 not too much to add. There was not a solid hit thrown the entire game and the Isles forecheck pressure was absent. The bright spot of the game: I was sitting 5th row behind the Isles bench and the first puck to fly out of play landed in the Isles bench at Mark Streit’s feet. He picked it up and lobbed it over 4 rows of Canes fans directly to me! No win, but at least I got a puck!
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felix says:
# 296 nice reference to “The Rock”
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What’s wrong with you Isles fans? Last week everything was great, now everything sucks. We simply just have 2 HNL D-men: Streit and Hillen. Now Hillen is out, the D is too poorly to get any results. Besides that, players like Sim, Weight and Park don’t bring it. What’s wrong with another top 3 pick. Yes, Seguin Hall or Fowler!!
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RD says:
Is it me or is Bruno Gervais on the ice every time a goal is scored?
Why is he here? What is his special talent? He doesnt shoot that hard or accurate. He isn’t a great passer or skater. He isnt tough in front of the net which quite apparent last night. We can’t do better than Bruno Gervais? I don’t get it.
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i wish i could quote what some of these folks who are hating on JT were saying about him about 20 games in?
Let’s beat the damn Flyers curse tomorrrow! I live in Philly and I am tired of these fans riding me cause my team stinks (at least against them the last 3 seasons)
LETS GO ISLANDERS!!! -
Dwayne Roloson is, at this time, a MUCH better netminder for the Islanders than Rick Dipietro. BUT, the thing DP has over Rolo…A FRANCHISE CONTRACT that probably forces Wang, Snow, Gordon, the ENTIRE organization etc, to HAVE TO PLAY rickety Ricky D. And it may make business sense, but not making the Playoffs costs money as well. I’d let Rick be #1 in Bridgeport the REST OF THE SEASON. Let Rolo get back to being the backbone of this Playoff team before jellyfish DP ruins everything.
Lets go Islanders!
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Spartiarti-RVC says:
i agree, when you stuggling you give more ice time to the guyst hat are getting it done. Trent has lagged. get MOULSON some more PP time.
Last night was sad. This is too crucial a game to be getting DP back in game shape.
He is the single reason why we lost game last night. 2nd and 3rd goals should of been stopped. No excuses.
Game should of been 1-1 going into OT.
Now we have to beat the Flyers. We cant do that at home, what makes me confident they can in philly. They are angry from blowing lead against atlanta. so extra incentive to give us a beat down.
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terry says:
Gillies will do for a while. boogaard is a ufa this year sign him over the summer and players like jt,jb, ok wont have a bad injury like nielsen had last year (gordon is mostly to blame for no retaliation on that play)will happen.JT lost teeth and an elbow to the nose without any payback. Hopefully they survive till the end of the year
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Wess says:
Stop with the Moulson love. Yes, he leads our team in goals. However, if he doesn’t score a goal, he is useless. Has no defensive awareness, cannot carry the puck through the neutral zone, has no passing ability or vision, and as for his great hands that people brag about, he constantly gets stripped of the puck when under pressure because he cannot stickhandle very well. Moulson is having a hot season and nothing more. With his skill set, he is likely to never again get 15 goals. Just remember Jonathan Cheechoo. I am fine with playing Moulson those minutes.
By the way, how dare you compare Moulson and Hunter. Hunter had been a solid contributor for this team for years. His puts a mark on every game with his all around play. You cannot say that about Moulson. And I’m sorry, Hunter deserves the power play over Moulson. He has a better shot, is a better passer, and can actually move with the puck. -
Hockey1919 says:
Matt Moulson scored last night, but if memory serves me correctly it was Trent Hunter that drew two players to him at the front of the net to leave Moulson alone for the Nielsen pass. Hunter is not the problem.
I was not in the draft JT camp, but I still can’t understand the quick negativity around him. He looks exactly as expected and advertised, a potential 40 goal scorer that plays best below the faceoff circles. What is the revelation that contradicts what we are seeing? He was a solid pick and his career will not be made in any 40 game stretch.
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Gervais was a -3 last night. Yet he never misses a shift.
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MIkey Pants says:
#307, you’re the lucky guy to whom I could direct my issue with J.T.
Except for a game or 2 in the first quarter of the season John Tavares hasn’t dominated a SHIFT let alone a Period or even a GAME.
When I saw Duschene here a few weeks ago, the guy dominated and played similar to Okposo.
John Tavares needs to pick it up a little bit, get more intense, he’s the Bobby Abreu of Hockey!
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hd says:
why is everyone giving weight a hard time. im not 100% sure but if weight was gone, they would not have 1 player with a stanley cup. Every team needs a veteran, especially a young team.
i still cant get over why DP did not change his number to give a great fellow american his number. -
Regardless of how JT turns out compared to Duchene or Hedman, I won’t blame Garth for drafting him. I’m just glad that he drafted the guy who was pretty much the consensus #1 pick heading into the draft. Will I be pissed if Duchene turns out to be the better player over the next 10 years? Of course, but not for a minute will I blame Garth for drafting JT.
With that said, the kid is only 19, and he doesn’t have much talent surrounding him, so let’s cut him some slack.
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# 296 Definition of hot hand and why most teams don’t mess with it.
Roli was 7-0-1 and had started 8 of 10 games posting a 2.03gaa & .934sv% culminating in a shutout vs DET.
Then he sat for 6 days and DP has started 4 games and Roli has started 3. After the PIT game against the defending cup champs he was given the opportunity like most starters are given to bounce back and he did vs FLA holding them to 1 goal. Then he sat for 4 days before facing the top team in the conference. After the WAS game, he was not given the opportunity to bounce back. If he doesn’t play tomorrow, but gets the Sun game, he’ll have sat another 4 days.
Hot hand cold.
gillies =)