Monthly Archives: March 2010
11:20 am, Madison Square Garden: Boston won in Atlanta last night (Jack Edwards said he’d been “in louder libraries”), giving tonight’s rivalry tilt less luster than it already had. The Rangers are seven points behind the Bruins, the Islanders ten. The visitors have a chance to stick the dagger in the Blueshirts’ playoff hopes tonight. Besides that, and the 3-D debut, chances are this game might be remembered more in a few years for The Fall for Seguin and Hall than anything else.
Since the Islanders have had a consistently higher battle level than the Rangers through 70 games, I expect them to win tonight. The great unknown is whether Henrik Lundqvist has one of those incredible games where he’s pulling pucks out of his rear. Dwayne Roloson gets the start for the Islanders.
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Trevor Gillies in tonight. Jeff Tambellini is the healthy scratch (yeah, I know…I rule with the scoops). The projected Islanders combinations to start tonight:
Moulson – Tavares – Comeau
Sim – Nielsen – Okposo
Bergenheim - Bailey – Hunter
Gillies – Park – Jackman
Meyer – Hillen
Streit – Gervais
Kohn – Reese
Roloson
Biron
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Sounds from the Locker Room
Josh Bailey: “Hopefully, we can be a bit of a spoiler. We’re not too focused on where we are in the standings right now, but you never know what’s going to happen.”
Mark Streit: “The guys don’t need any extra motivation. It’s a pleasure to play these games. There’s something in the air you don’t always feel in other games.”
Kyle Okposo: “It’s fun playing these games. The fans make the difference. There never seems to be dull games between us. I like it. I love the physical games. I love getting hit. Helps me get into the game even more.”
Scott Gordon: “(The Rangers) can’t afford to have too many more off nights. I’m sure they’ll be ready to play.”
The Facts
The Islanders have a chance to make a little team history tonight if they beat the Rangers. They are 2-0 against them this season at Madison Square Garden. An Islanders club has never gone undefeated in Manhattan during a season in which they played in the Garden more than twice.
The road ice advantage has been a mainstay in this rivalry. The Islanders are 10-4-1 in their last 15 games at MSG, but are 8-21-3 in their last 32 games against the Rangers at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Scott Gordon has done well here in his brief Islanders career. Although the head coach is a combined 0-15-1 in New Jersey, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, Gordon is 3-2 at the Garden.
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The Stony Brook University roller hockey team is hosting a fundraiser on Saturday, March 27 for the family of Danielle Rosano, a six-year-old girl from East Setauket who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor.
The Stony Brook team will host a three-hour roller hockey clinic on March 27 beginning at noon for children ages 5-14 at Skate Safe America in Bethpage. The cost is $15 per person. All proceeds will go directly to the Rosano family. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
For more information, to sign up or to make a donation please email cure4danielle@gmail.com and call Harrison Last at 631.216.1539.
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Notes: Congratulations to Kings Park’s James Marcou on signing as a collegiate free agent with the San Jose Sharks. The 5-8, 175-pound playmaking dynamo had 51 points (11+40) in 36 games with the University of Massachusetts and is a two-time nominee for the Hobey Baker Award.
The big Islanders fan (his mom used to cut Patrick Flatley’s hair) attended a team minicamp on Long Island three years ago. He demonstrated the skill that has earned him an Entry Level contract with San Jose.
The NHL’s Board of Governors has approved a new rule outlawing headshots. The NHL Players’ Association? Not too sure.
At FanHouse, we have created a trio of NHL awards honoring some people who rarely get any credit. Please vote for the Best Defensive Defenseman of 2009-10 and the Assistant Coach of the Year. The third and final award will be introduced next week.
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I’m not sure what, if anything, I’ll have for a postgamer tonight from the Garden. I was asked to cover the 3-D thing for AOL and will be watching at least the first half of the game in the Theatre at MSG. Will try to come up with something. Thanks for reading.
Terrific line in the Newsday rant today. A reader wrote that even though the game is in 3-D, the Rangers will still come out flat. Funny stuff.
Comments on this post and tonight’s game.
Chris Botta on Twitter
Rick DiPietro has not practiced with the Islanders the last two days. The team would not confirm whether or not the injured goaltender skated regularly while the Islanders were on their West Coast trip last week. Scott Gordon told a pair of reporters yesterday, in the kindest possible way, “I’m done talking about that” and referred all questions about DiPietro to general manager Garth Snow.
All this can only mean one thing. Check that, it should only mean one thing. Rick DiPietro must be shut down for the rest of this season.
Yes…try, try again next season. Yes, the Islanders have to view any possible, semi-miraculous fulltime return of DiPietro in the future as very good gravy.
And yes, like last offseason, the Islanders will need two quality goaltenders besides DiPietro to start 2010-11. Dwayne Roloson is already locked up. Who knows – Martin Biron is going to need an NHL job again. There are going to be several other quality goaltenders on the unrestricted free agent market on July 1. Their goalie prospects are not ready.
Seems like only yesterday that I posted in late August that DiPietro was not remotely close to a return, while the Islanders felt it was necessary to line up the guns and say he would be in training camp and his comeback was imminent.
After a too-brief rehabilitation stint in Bridgeport, in which he completed only the last of his three games, DiPietro returned to the Islanders on Jan. 8 and was given a regular turn in net. Despite the stellar goaltending of Dwayne Roloson, DiPietro was handed back-to-back starts on Jan. 16 and 18. Those games against Buffalo and New Jersey were his only wins this season.
His last game was on Feb. 6. DiPietro is 2-5 with a 2.60 GAA and .900 save percentage this season. He played parts of five games in 2008-09.
DiPietro told John Jeansonne of Newsday today that this was a good year because he “proved I could come back and play in the NHL.” That may a nice personal milestone, but he has not proven enough to anyone to be posted in permanent marker on the NHL depth chart for 2010-11. The Islanders would be crazy to enter next season with just Roloson and hope. DiPietro also told Jeansonne the knee is “good” and he is in the best shape of his life. Alrighty then.
This has been sad, when you consider the immense talent and desire of DiPietro, who achieved status as an NHL all-star and U.S. Olympian at an early age and was only improving as a goaltender before hip and knee injuries derailed his career. This all happened, quite improbably, after Islanders owner Charles Wang created and oversaw the negotiations on a landmark 15-year contract with the goaltender.
In an interview with Howie Rose on MSG Plus on March 11, Islanders GM Garth Snow said he “fully expects (DiPietro) to play at some point” this season. Snow also called it “important” for the goalie and the team that he return for some game action over the next month.
If DiPietro has been unable to practice with the team the last two days, it’s now virtually impossible to make the case that his return for meaningless games in April will benefit anyone. At this point, the goalie needs to focus on getting as strong as possible when training camp opens in China in September.
The good news for the Islanders is, DiPietro’s chronic condition does not in any way prevent the team from spending money and fielding a quality NHL team next season and beyond. Last summer’s crafty, cost-effective signings of Roloson and Biron by Snow is the latest proof. Only those looking to make excuses for Islanders management see it any other way. Thoughts of DiPietro’s $4.5 million “opening up some cap space” are, frankly, hilarious.
The team is currently more than $15 million below the salary cap, has shed Andy Sutton’s $3 million and has a handful of veteran UFAs they will likely bid farewell. Snow has been on record all year saying he has the money and the green light from Wang to spend to improve his team.
While the Islanders can go about their business of getting better in year three of the rebuild, everyone can root for DiPietro’s healthy return to the profession and team he loves so much. He is just 28 years old.
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Chris Botta on Twitter
12:40 pm, Iceworks: Entering the third and final season of his Entry Level contract in 2010-11, Kyle Okposo hopes to stay an Islander a long, long time.
“I love it here, love the direction of the team,” Okposo said after today’s practice at Iceworks. “This is a great place to live. I think we’re building a strong team here, so I want to be a part of it.”
Considered the most complete player on the team, Okposo knows he needs to improve his ability to finish. His 16 goals are third on the team. As Scott Gordon noted, “With the opportunities he’s had, Kyle could easily have 30. What all the guys learn is, it’s not about picking corners. It’s about the release.”
The release is the one aspect of his game Okposo will focus on during his offseason in Minnesota. “I’ll be spending a lot of time on my play around the net,” he said. “I’ve really got to knuckle down on my scoring.”
Okposo has learned from watching his friend, the great Devils goal scorer Zach Parise, and his work habits. “Zach is so good, and yet he never stops working on it,” said Okposo. “He spends so much time in the offseason placing pucks all around the net and finishing. I’ll be doing a lot of that this summer. I know I can do so much better.”
The Islanders’ leading scorer graded his season through 72 games as, “All right. I think the best thing about it is that I found ways to contribute when I wasn’t producing. That 18-game goal slump was bad, but over time I think it may be a good thing for my career. I learned a lot about myself during that stretch, and I learned that if you’re not scoring there are plenty of other ways to help your team.”
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The Islanders are not expected to call up anyone from Bridgeport for the Rangers game. The lines at practice are likely to start the game. Just one forward – figure Jeff Tambellini or Trevor Gillies – has to be scratched.
Moulson – Tavares – Comeau
Sim – Nielsen – Okposo
Bergenheim - Bailey – Hunter
Gillies – Park – Jackman – Tambellini
Meyer – Hillen
Streit – Gervais
Kohn – Reese
Roloson
Notes: If a simple Mikko Koskinen update leads to pointless DiPietro rants, if a fun retrospective on the Jagr draft 20 years ago somehow leads to another tired round of comments of “Wang is evil,” there’s really no point in having a blog, you know? Guidelines are there for a reason. If they don’t work for you, that’s fine. There are hundreds of Islanders message boards and blogs to go to. Please. Thank you.
Martin Biron has been back in Buffalo awaiting the birth of his family’s fourth child. With Biron out, co-goalie coach Mike Dunham put the pads back on for a one-day comeback. “That should do it for at least another three years,” said Dunham. Biron will return to be the backup against the Rangers.
With Ryan Callahan – one of the few Rangers with skill who works his tail off every night – possibly out of the lineup, I’m making the Islanders the favorites on Wednesday night. Lundqvist vs. Roloson, of course, will be the deciding factors.
Scott Gordon spent a big portion of today’s 75-minute practice today working on game situations – some specific to Wednesday’s tilt – and blowing his whistle to make sure his troops got it right.
Gordon was delighted to hear about the selection of John Tavares as the NHL’s No. 2 Star of the week. “Every shift prior to the Olympic break, he was beating himself up,” said the coach. Gordon says he now sees a much more relaxed 19-year-old player.
While trying to give an interview after practice to Chris King, Tavares was mercilessly ribbed by teammates in his corner of the room. Said one, impersonating Tavares: “Yeah, that road trip was excellent! Did you see me in Vancouver”? Another: “Ask me who broke Wayne Gretzky’s goal scoring record in junior when I was 16.”
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Louis Jankowski, 78, died on March 21, 2010 peacefully at home in Clearwater, Florida. Born in Regina, Saskatchewan on June 27, 1931, Lou was a distinguished member of the hockey community after enjoying a life involved in the game he loved.
Even though he played high school football and baseball, his love of hockey began on Cootes Paradise in Hamilton, and he won a Junior B championship with Hamilton Aerovox in 1948. He continued to the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey Association playing 3 seasons from 1948-1951. In 1950-51 he won the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy for the OHA leading scorer, a trophy that still exists today.
Lou played 122 games from 1951-1955 for the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks in the National Hockey League. From 1958-1969, he played for various teams in the Western Hockey League.
With the Calgary Stampeders he was named to the WHL All-Star Team 4 times (1959-1960-1961-1963) won the Leader Cup as WHL MVP (1961) and won the Fred J. Hume Cup as Most Gentlemanly Player (1963).
In 1972 Lou began his scouting career working for the St. Louis Blues, continued with NHL Central Scouting , Washington Capitals and 15 years with the New York Rangers.
One could always find Lou in a rink, from minor hockey to the NHL, he was a mainstay in the game. His passion for the game was noted by all of those he touched.
Lou was predeceased by mother Anna and brothers Alexander, Anthony, Benjamin, and John. He is survived by his wife Roseanna, brother Father Edward Jankowski, sister-in-law Marie, children Len (Rose Mary), Kathy (Ron) and Ryan (Tracy), and grandchildren Natalie, Nicole, Mark, Joshua, David, Jacob, Sophia and Krystin.
His son Ryan is the assistant general manager and director of amateur scouting of the Islanders.
Prayers and visitation Friday March 26th from 7-9pm. Funeral mass and reception Saturday March 27th 11:30am both at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church – Grimsby, Ontario. A memorial lunch will be held in Calgary, Alberta on April 30th.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Kidsport Alberta in memory of Lou Jankowski at www.kidsportcanada.ca
There’s this legend that’s been flying around Islanders Country for almost two decades. Recently it has been brought up everytime the discussion turns to “tank or not to tank” to try and prove a point. It doesn’t work. The myth goes like this:
Uwe Krupp scores a goal for Buffalo over Pittsburgh on the last night of the regular season in 1989-90. The Islanders make the playoffs, so they get the sixth pick in the draft. The Penguins, with the fifth pick, draft Jaromir Jagr. The Islanders – who, because as the legend states miss out on drafting the future Hall of Famer because of Krupp’s goal - select Scott Scissons sixth.
Horse-hockey.
Here’s the problem: the Country assumes the Islanders would have drafted Jaromir Jagr fifth after Owen Nolan (Quebec), Petr Nedved (Vancouver), Keith Primeau (Detroit) and Mike Ricci (Philadelphia) came off the board with picks 1-4.
That is an assumption I would not make. I was at the draft that year. With their most recent first round picks, the Islanders had drafted Dave Chyzowski from Kamloops in 1989, Kevin Cheveldayoff from Brandon in 1988 and Dean Chynoweth out of Medicine Hat in 1987. The Islanders’ scouts at the time loved their Western Leaguers. I mean, their Saskatchewan-based head scout, the dearly departed Gerry Ehman, was nicknamed “Tex” for heaven’s sake.
Scott Scissons, who played two games in the NHL, was from Saskatoon. Twenty years later, I’m here to tell you the Islanders would have taken Scissons over Jagr in 1990 even if Uwe never scored and they had the fifth pick.
Or you can consider what a prominent member of the Islanders’ scouting staff told me at the draft table in 1991 after they selected a dipsy-doodlin’ scorer from Europe early in the second round. “Kinda early for a Czech-o-slo-va-ki-an, don’t ya think, kid”?
The draft pick was Zigmund Palffy.
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1:50 pm, Iceworks: When the next opponent on the schedule is your biggest rival, talk of The Fall for Seguin and Hall is put off for at least a few more days. When the Islanders face the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, both teams will be in position to knock each other out.
“It’s a big game for a lot of reasons,” said Islanders defenseman Jack Hillen. “It’s always exciting to play in the Garden. We’re playing the Rangers, our biggest rival. There are a crucial two points on the line to stay in the playoff race. But even if you throw out all the math and all that has to happen for us to get into the playoffs, this is a game for pride. I doubt it’s going to be difficult to get us ready to play Wednesday.”
The Islanders, of course, fell almost completely out of the playoff picture by not scoring in their last four periods (plus overtime) out West while Boston beat the Rangers and Atlanta defeated Philadelphia twice. They are now eight points behind eighth-place Boston, and the Bruins have a game in hand. The Thrashers, winners of four straight, are seven points up on the Islanders. Boston and Atlanta play each other on Tuesday.
In other words, if the Islanders do not win on Wednesday, it will be the last big game for competitive purposes left on their schedule – and The Fall talk can begin in earnest. (The Rangers visit the Coliseum on March 30 for their final meeting of the season). The Blueshirts are five points back and will lose more ground when the Bruins and Thrashers play the night before they host the Islanders in the 3-D game.
“I’m looking forward to Wednesday,” said Scott Gordon after his team’s hour-long workout at Iceworks. “These are almost always great games, and this one is important for both teams. The guys aren’t going to have any trouble getting geared up for this one.”
Local Schedules
Rangers, 71 points (3 home/7 road): March 24 vs. Islanders; 25 at New Jersey; 27 at Toronto; 30 at Islanders; April 2 at Tampa Bay; 3 at Florida; 6 at Buffalo; 7 vs. Toronto; 9 vs. Philadelphia; 11 at Philadelphia.
Islanders, 68 points, (6 home/4 road): March 24 at Rangers; 25 vs. Calgary; 27 at Columbus; 30 vs. Rangers; April 1 vs. Philadelphia; 3 vs. Ottawa; 6 vs. Montreal; 8 at Pittsburgh; 10 at New Jersey; 11 vs. Pittsburgh.
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Notes: Kyle Okposo, Mark Streit, Bruno Gervais, Dylan Reese and Martin Biron were given the day off the ice. Richard Park filled in on defense.
Three lines: Tambellini-Nielsen-Sim; Moulson-Tavares-Comeau; Bergenheim-Bailey-Hunter; Jackman-Gillies.
More than 45 minutes after practice ended, as many players had already left Iceworks, Trevor Gillies was still on the ice with assistant coach Scott Allen.
In case you missed it below, John Tavares was named the No. 2 Star of the Week in the NHL. His seven points (five in Vancouver) led all scorers.
In Bridgeport, Trevor Smith is out with an “upper body injury” after getting run over in a game against Springfield yesterday. Smith is out for the Sound Tigers’ next game on Wednesday and, according to coach Jack Capuano, “It could be a while.” Bookmark Mike Fornabaio of the Connecticut Post.
The nav bar on the Islanders’ team website says “Schremp Signs.” Turns out Rob is just signing autographs at the Broadway Mall on Tuesday at 6:30 pm.
My deepest sympathies to Islanders scouting boss Ryan Jankowski, on the passing of his father, Lou, early Sunday morning. Mr. Jankowski is a former NHL player (mostly with the Blackhawks) and a longtime scout in the NHL.
He also was obviously a heckuva dad. His kid Ryan turned out better than all right.
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Pekka Rinne was named First Star. 600-goal man Teemu Selanne gets No. 3.
Excellent news for the Islanders and their hip-rehabbing goaltending prospect, Mikko Koskinen. The 2009 second round pick won a pair of games in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies in Stockton, CA this weekend. On Friday, the 6-5 goalie stopped 36 shots in a 6-2 win. Koskinen followed it up with a First Star performance on Sunday, making 37 saves in a 5-2 victory. For his first game action in more than four months, Koskinen was said to be extremely sharp.
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