Monthly Archives: January 2010
Please read and react at FanHouse. Thank you…CB
12:20 pm - Scott Gordon – clearly under orders – would not say more than confirm that Rick DiPietro is on the trip to Colorado, Dallas and Phoenix. Asked if DiPietro would play on the trip, he grinned and said, “Maybe.”
Darn, too bad I don’t travel with the team.
Looks like the plan is for DiPietro to start one game on the trip. Figure on Dwayne Roloson for Wednesday against the Avalanche, DiPietro for either Friday vs. the Stars or Saturday against the Coyotes. All DiPietro would say was that his health is intact and his only knowledge was that he was going on the trip. When I spoke with him, it was obvious he has yet to be clued in on any plan.
The Islanders had a 60-minute practice before getting ready for their flight from Farmingdale to Denver.
Comeau – Tavares – Okposo
Moulson – Nielsen – Hunter
Bailey – Schremp – Sim
Tambellini – Weight – Park
Brendan Witt is back with his six fellow defensemen. Dwayne Roloson, Martin Biron and the first overall pick in the 2000 draft shared two goals.
Sean Bergenheim looks ready to play Wednesday, even if he doesn’t. Like Bergenheim, Nate Thompson skated in a no-contact yellow jersey.
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Live Game Chat Tomorrow: It’s been a while. Our live in-game chat returns Wednesday at 9:00 pm EST when the Islanders play in Colorado. Join fellow Islanders followers as we watch the game, conduct some polls, crosscheck from behind and go off on all sorts of tangents.
World Juniors Tonight: Matt Donovan (USA) vs. Calvin de Haan (Canada) in the World Junior Championships Final tonight on The NHL Network and TSN. Kirill Petrov and Team Russia finish sixth, but racked up lots of points against the junior varsity. No word yet if Anton Klementyev is bringing Kirill to Bridgeport in his suitcase. Stay tuned to other websites for the latest. Good kid Nikita Filatov loses his way, now has Columbus and his national program not in love with his act. Time to grow up.
Mangano Finds Eden: First, Michael Martino – the Long Island Press reporter who wrote about the Lighthouse offices closing its doors – took a job as new County Executive Ed Mangano’s press secretary. Now the latest hire by the Mangano administration is Eden Laikin, who covered the Town of Hempstead and wrote extensively about the Lighthouse Project for Newsday. Sometimes you don’t even have to editorialize.
No. 3 is No. 1: Colorado’s Matt Duchene has been named the NHL Rookie of the Month for December. I’m so proud of all of our Tavheduch boys.
Nice Job, Kid: Thumbs up to John Tavares, who handled an overflow crowd at Modell’s yesterday with poise and grace. Although the Islanders only promised autographs for the first 150 fans, more than 300 fans showed up. While we’re told the Modell’s staff wasn’t exactly Disney World-level customer relations during the crush, Tavares took care of everyone.
That’s it…for now. Comments are welcomed. Please adhere to the Comment Guidelines.
NEW: Burke says Okposo, others will still be scouted
FanHouse: Next up for the NHL Winter Classic
2:00 pm - Rick DiPietro is the story today. After playing complete games Friday and Sunday, the all-rehabbed-out goaltender practiced with the Islanders for close to two hours today. Even when the formal workout ended, he stayed on the ice and stopped pucks until the last teammate left the ice. There’s no way for DiPietro or anyone else to by anything but encouraged by the latest in the year-long turn of events.
Scott Gordon was surprised, albeit pleasently, by DiPietro’s presence on the ice at Iceworks this morning. “I did not expect him here today,” said the Islanders head coach. “I’m sure if he had any doubts, he wouldn’t be out there.” Gordon would not commit to anything else – whether DiPietro will be on this week’s Western swing, if he’ll start a game, nothing.
DiPietro tried his best not to show any glee, but it was apparent this is the most optimistic he’s been during his attempted comeback after a year away from the NHL. “It feels good to feel like myself again,” was the money quote. He also let down his guard a bit, talking about the day he was told he needed to be shut down for knee surgery and wondering when he would ever play again. I’ve known the kid long enough to tell you that DiPietro would not have said that if he didn’t think his next game was soon.
Then it was back to the usual routine: he feels “good.” He’s “pretty happy.” He’s “playing it by ear.” He “hopes to prove he’s ready to contribute.” “I still hold my breath.” And then, “I don’t know what the plan is, to be honest.”
I believe him on that last one. Expect Mr. Snow or Mr. Gordon to at least acknowledge by tomorrow that DiPietro will fly with the team to Colorado on Tuesday. In reality, the goalie doesn’t have anywhere else to go. (UPDATE: DiPietro is confirmed to be on trip).
The next part is the trickiest. After playing games Friday and Sunday and practicing all out today, can the Islanders really let DiPietro go more than a full week before he plays another game? How about this for a rotation – Dwayne Roloson on Wednesday in Colorado, DiPietro on Friday in Dallas, Martin Biron Saturday in Phoenix – the site of Rick’s last NHL game a year ago?
Really now…why the heck not? DiPietro has done his time in the minors, and the Islanders have to find out what they have sooner or later.
Finally, DiPietro was asked what it would mean to him to join his buddies and teammates on the road trip. “I might get homesick,” DiPietro kidded. “I don’t think I’ve been away from my home for more than a day.”
Notes: Sean Bergenheim and Nate Thompson practiced with the team today and will make the road trip. Gordon said he doubted they would both play all three games, but “I will try to work them in.” A banged-up Brendan Witt got the day off.
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Noon, Iceworks: The halftime report…
The DiPietro Suffle: Rick DiPietro practiced with the Islanders today, a sign of good health after playing full games with the Sound Tigers on Friday and Sunday. According to Islanders PR maven Seth Sylvan, he has been officially recalled from his conditioning stint in the American Hockey League. Your Islanders now have three goaltenders.
Two-A-Days: With little practice time lately and the gritty-gutties not exactly firing on all cylinders, Scott Gordon is treating today like training camp. A 65-minute practice is being followed by another workout after Iceworks man Terry Zambonies the ice. While he does, most of the players are skating on the adjacent small rink.
Citi of Hope: Charles Wang told Katie Strang of Newsday today over the phone that he’d love to see his Islanders play the Rangers at Citi Field in Queens. I would hope so, since Islanders staffers first worked on an outdoor game before there was even a Heritage Classic in Edmonton.
Unless there is going to be a doubleheader, I don’t see the Islanders getting a game in Citi Field – at least on New Year’s Day 2011. If the Winter Classic comes to New York as a single game next year, you’re probably looking at the Rangers vs. the Washington Ovies.
More importantly, I look forward to Charles’ responses about the Lighthouse Project and the future of his team on Long Island.
One Cure for the Hamonic Blues: Very sad for Travis Hamonic that he’s going to miss Canada’s gold medal game on Tuesday against the United States. On the bright side for the 19-year-old defenseman, he already proved himself to the few who didn’t know how much he’s developed since the Islanders selected him in the second round in the 2008 draft.
Although Pierre McGuire was wise yesterday to point out how the Moose Jaw Warriors will not make the playoffs and Hamonic would be available to the Islanders, he could be traded to a Western Hockey League contender. Here’s one way the Islanders can cheer up Hamonic: finalize his NHL Entry Level three-year contract.
Open Practice!?: Practice at Iceworks today was opened to the public, which was kinda sorta wacky since 95% of Americans returned to work and school today.
Today’s Equation: Writing down Gordon’s lines for a Monday practice when the name game is on Wednesday = waste of time.
Tavares at Modell’s Tonight: The 2009 first overall pick will be signing one autograph per person at the Modell’s on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow tonight from 6-7:30 pm. I’d get there early to guard against a letdown. Only the first 150 fans are guaranteed a signature. Don’t tell my kids about this event.
More to come in the next hour or so. Comments.
UPDATED at 10:15 pm – With a minute left in Canada’s 6-1 win over Switzerland, Travis Hamonic was hit from behind. He will miss the next 6-8 weeks with a tear of the AC joint in his shoulder.
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3:30 pm - Shortly before faceoff for the first semifinal today between Canada and Switzerland at the World Junior Championships in Saskatoon, analyst Pierre McGuire was gracious enough to share his views of the participating Islanders’ prospects with Point Blank.
McGuire said 2009 late round pick Anton Klementyev “has really struggled” and called the Russian defenseman and Finnish captain Jyri Niemi “projects.” Added McGuire, “They’re both young and have their drawbacks. I’m not sure about them.”
On Team Sweden’s backup goalie, Anders Nilsson – the Islanders’ third round pick in 2009 – McGuire said, “I couldn’t believe how much of the goal he took up! Nilsson’s really raw. He’s going to need at least a couple of years, but (goalie coach) Sudsie Maharaj certainly has something to work with.”
Then McGuire focused on the Islanders’ top four at the World Junior Championships…
Calvin de Haan: “You have to give de Haan a lot of credit because it was really life and death with him just to make the team. His strong play in the last two tryout games won him the job.
“He gets an incomplete for the tournament because he missed so much time, but these next two games give him another chance to show how good he is. Very good mobility, composure. Moves the puck extremely well. He already has an NHL brain.
Calvin’s probably three to four years away from really contributing the Islanders, but he’ll be a good player. It’s going to come down to size and strength and handling the rigors of the NHL grind.”
Travis Hamonic: “I’m a big believer in just about every player spending at least one year in the American Hockey League. That should also be the case with Travis, but I also can’t deny that he looks like he’s NHL-ready now. Hamonic is what all NHL teams need. He can be a big part of your shutdown unit, like he is with Scandella in this tournament. He can shoot the puck through a wall. He’s a great teammate, very mature.
“Shea Weber’s play at this tournament was ahead of what Travis is showing now, but Travis is the most improved player in Canadian junior hockey in the two years since the Islanders drafted him. His upside is probably in the tier just below a player like Weber, but I mean – c’mon! – Weber is on the Canadian Olympic team.
“Islanders fans are going to love Hamonic. With Moose Jaw likely not making the playoffs, the Islanders can sign him and give him a look in the NHL or in Bridgeport at the end of this season. That would be exciting.”
Kirill Petrov: “In this tournament, he proved that he is an extremely skilled player with good speed who was saddled with being on a marginal team. This was one of the worst teams Russia has ever sent to this tournament. Just as Hamonic is the most improved player in the 2008 draft, no one has fallen off worse than Nikita Filatov. His body language was horrible and he wasn’t any help to Petrov or his teammates.
“There’s no question that Petrov is not close to stepping straight in to the NHL. If he has to find his way over the next two years in the KHL, so be it. Maybe the Islanders get a deal done and he learns in Bridgeport. Either way, the good news for the Islanders is they made a low-risk pick and Petrov has some serious talent. It’s just going to take some time, patience, coaching and, on his part, some maturation.”
Matt Donovan: “He’s got major league upside. Donovan is so much better than most scouts thought he would be. You could see on the goal he scored last night the high level of skill he has.
“Donovan is years away. What he needs more than anything else are more reps against quality opponents. When he does, he’s going to be a good player for the Islanders. That’s a real quality pick by Ryan Jankowski and his staff.”
Before saying goodbye, I asked McGuire two lightning-round questions.
Who will be the best NHL player to come out of this tournament?
“Taylor Hall.”
Who is the MVP so far of the tournament?
“It’s a close call between Magnus Paajarvi-Svensson of Sweden and Jordan Eberle of Canada. We’ll find out in the next 48 hours.”
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6:00 pm - As Tweeted by Katie Strang, the Islanders decided to not share with their media and fans that Rick DiPietro started in Worcester today. Perhaps they figured he would be better off in anonymity.
Rick stopped 35 of 39 Worcester shots as Bridgeport lost 4-3. Assuming he made it through the game okay – preliminary reports are good – he should re-join the Islanders soon.
Comments.
9:40 pm - A shootout victory saves the Islanders in the league where some games are worth two points and some are worth three.
Plus: The Islanders did what they had to do – beat a struggling (0-6-1 in last seven coming in) and tired (sixth game in eight days) team that still hasn’t won in regulation in over a month.
Minus: They took what should have been a laugher and – especially after Witt-to-Hunter provided a 4-1 cushion in the second – played perhaps their most embarrassing stretch of the season.
Minus: The Thrashers have a lot of firepower, but the Islanders coaches must take their fair share of the blame for not coming up with solutions to protect 3-0, 4-1 and 5-2 leads against a beat and broken team.
Plus: Matt Moulson’s first goal in 11 games.
Plus: Josh Bailey with another Turgeonesque first assist, this time setting up Jon Sim’s goal to make it 2-0. Later on, an attempted pass turns into a Bailey goal for a 5-2 lead.
Plus: Bailey thanking the fans in his postgame interview.
Plus: Richard Park scores his first goal in 15 games.
Plus: When Sim and Park score in the same game, you should win.
Plus: Nothing wrong at all with Andy Sutton putting the lumber to an opponent who had just scored two goals. That’s the NHL.
Minus: Watching Sutton’s victim, Maxim Afinogenov, hobble to the bench inspired spirit-free Atlanta.
Minus: Poor Jeff Tambellini. He gets involved physically, and is whistled for an interference penalty mid-third and Ilya Kovalchuk scores on the power play to tie the game at 5-5.
Minus: As abysmal a full two-minute 4-on-3 power play in overtime by the Islanders as you could draw up.
Minus: A rough night for a pair of very good Islanders – Sutton and Kyle Okposo. Not as bad as Christoph Schubert, of course, but not good.
Minus: I only saw one replay of the Tim Jackman incident, so here’s all I know: Jackman was punched in the face a few times by Matt Carkner before he knew he was in a fight. The Islanders chose not to respond to Carkner or anyone on the Senators. The NHL chose not to discipline Carkner beyond the two minor penalties he received for the infraction. So far Garth Snow has not publicly revealed disappointment that the NHL chose not to suspend Carkner. Only Islanders fans seem mad about it.
Minus: Kirill Petrov and Team Russia were eliminated, somewhat miraculously, 3-2 in overtime by Switzerland. When Petrov and Russia were not running it up and padding their stats against patsies like Latvia, they lost against their only tough opponent (Sweden) and lost to the Swiss tonight. Now they’re in the Fifth Place game. Petrov’s stock remains the same: he’s a very skilled prospect with a lot to prove whenever he gets to Bridgeport.
Minus: For some reason, the Islanders’ official website has ignored the team having seven prospects in the prestigious World Junior Championships. Some PB readers think I’m off for excluding Jyri Niemi from my top prospects list. Niemi is captain of Team Finland and his NHL club is not even acknowledging his presence at the tournament.
Thought the Islanders were all about the future, all about building from within. Nothing on Ryan Jankowski and his staff’s successful draft picks. Nothing on Petrov, whom many fans are salivating over. Nothing on having two of the seven defensemen on Canada’s blueline. Wonder what it all means. It’s one thing to not over-promote your prospects. It’s another to ignore them.
Comments on this post and your Plus/Minus. A live game chat or two next week.
UPDATED at 12:40 pm - Tim Jackman will miss 3-4 weeks with broken orbital bone. Sean Bergenheim skated this morning but is only a maybe for next week’s trip. Rick DiPietro could play Sunday in Worcester.
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Turns out Kyle Okposo played on New Year’s Eve in Ottawa with the deep disappointment of his exclusion from the U.S. Olympic Team on his mind. The Islanders right wing told Point Blank tonight that Nashville GM David Poile, a member of Brian Burke’s management committee called him two days ago with the news that he was not on the USA roster.
“Obviously, it was tough, a disappointment,” Okposo said. “I feel like I have played well this season. But like they have said, they wanted to put together the best 23-man team in their eyes. It just wasn’t my time.”
Okposo said the conversation with Poile was very positive and confirmed what Burke said in Boston today that he was told he’s in the mix for openings if there are injuries. “I guess anything can happen,” said Okposo.
The 21-year-old Minnesotan was heartened to hear the decision was based on lack of experience. “I was happy to hear it was not about my play because I’ve tried hard to give my best to the Islanders. No regrets.”
So now Okposo is all Islanders for the next four or more months. “I don’t think the uncertainty affected my play at all,” he said tonight, “but getting home, watching TV, it would enter my mind. Now I have closure on it. I’ll be able to move on. I appreciate being considered.”
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Rick DiPietro allowed 3 goals and made 25 saves in Bridgeport’s 4-2 loss in Providence on Saturday night. The Bruins came back from down 2-1 at the start of third, out-shooting the Sound Tigers 12-2 in the period.
The game-winner was scored by Providence’s Trent Whitfield with 3:52 left when he took the puck from defenseman Mark Flood and slid the puck through DiPietro’s legs on a wraparound. Providence added an empty-netter with one second left.
Bridgeport got goals from Jesse Joensuu (his sixth) and Sean Bentivoglio (12). Robin Figren was a healthy scratch.
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Score-O: Predict the winner and the score of Saturday night’s home tilt with the Thrashers. Atlanta lost in Buffalo in overtime on Friday night after taking a 3-0 lead late in the third. (You have to admire the Sabres’ work ethic).
Ilya Kovalchuk, who scored in Buffalo, makes his season debut at the Coliseum. 2008 fourth overall pick Evander Kane, who scored his tenth goal of the season in Buffalo, is really starting to come on over the last month. After Kovalchuk, the Thrashers’ leading scorers are free agent signings Maxim Afinogenov (13-22-35 in 39 games) and Nik Antropov (10-24-34 in 39).
Thoughts on this post, Saturday’s game and your game predictions in Comments.
6:15 pm, Boston: Brian Burke’s comments from Fenway Park are below. My reaction:
The first thing you realize about Team USA’s decision to pass on Kyle Okposo is that Scott Gordon clearly had no say. For the last 100 games, Gordon has played Okposo in every situation and in just about every position except goal. The Islanders are not world-beaters, but Gordon coaches Okposo like he’s world-class.
I’ll just say what I told several writers on press row after the USA announcement. I’m a big fan of David Backes and Ryan Callahan. However, it is completely impossible to have watched Okposo, Callahan and Backes play this season – as Brian Burke said his committee did dilligently – and determine that Okposo was the player to keep off the team.
On the positive side for the Islanders, this will make Okposo a better and more rested player this season and a better player for years to come.
You can count on Okposo to be extremely polite in his response later tonight. That’s the kind of young man he is, and it’s also smart personal marketing. Although I don’t think he will be the first forward Burke calls if one gets injured, he’s probably in the top three.
Last thought, separate from the Okposo argument. I don’t see Team USA challenging for a medal with this lineup, even if Ryan Miller makes miracles.
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5:30 pm, Boston: Brian Burke comments:
- On Kyle Okposo: “I think Kyle Okposo is going to be a very important player for USA Hockey for years to play. He’s a big player, skilled player, very coachable. No minuses. Just not experienced enough at this point.”
Burke cited RW Ryan Callahan for his foot-speed and said he was top-five in the NHL in hits.
- “It’s critical that guys who were left off play hard and stay in the drug-testing program. There will be guys injured and they need to be ready.”
Burke said his committee contacted all players who have been on the Olympic team before or were a part of the evaluation camp were contacted and told to keep their heads up and continue to play their best.
- “Chris Drury was picked because he is Chris Drury.”
Burke added that USA wanted five centers. He called Joe Pavelski “a Swiss Army knife as a hockey player.”
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4:20 pm, Boston - Chris Drury is a center and he has scored plenty of huge goals in his career, so don’t make this about him. I have some thoughts and will share them after I get through all this Winter Classic stuff.
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