Monthly Archives: October 2010
12:25 pm: Mark Streit tells Swiss newspaper Blick, “The surgery went well” and he hopes to travel to Switzerland for a few weeks during his rehabilitation. The Islanders have sent defensemen Anton Klementyev and Dustin Kohn and Smithtown forward Tony Romano to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League. Dean Chynoweth and Jack Capuano will coach the squad playing the Canadiens in Quebec City. The Islanders have a flight out of Farmingdale at 1:00 pm. Scott Gordon and Scott Allen will run the mostly-A team facing the Devils tonight at the Coliseum. Gordon said Trent Hunter, now playing at the Coliseum tonight, was switched with Nino Niederreiter, now playing at Le Colisee, because he wanted to give Hunter more looks with the regulars. More below. Comments welcomed. I’ll see some of you at the Coliseum tonight.
11:15 am, NVMC: There is a report out of Switzerland that Mark Streit has already undergone successful shoulder surgery at the Cleveland Clinic and there is optimism for a return in February. This would not be a total shock because teams often cautiously over-estimate a player’s return so it’s a bonus if he returns “early.” The Islanders have not made an announcement yet on Streit’s prognosis.
Matt Martin skated today, but has a bone bruise on his foot and is out for tonight’s game. So is Rob Schremp (back spasms), who will be replaced by Doug Weight. Rick DiPietro starts in goal.
Here is a video message from Bruno Gervais (in French) to the people of Quebec City before the Islanders’ split-squad flew there this afternoon:
Comments. More later.
The lineups for Saturday’s games at home and in Quebec City…
vs Devils at Nassau Coliseum
Forwards: Blake Comeau, John Tavares, Rhett Rahkshani, Josh Bailey, Rob Schremp (back spasms), PA Parenteau, Matt Moulson, Frans Nielsen, Trent Hunter, Trevor Gillies, Zenon Konopka, Andy Hilbert
D: Mike Mottau, James Wisniewski, Mark Eaton, Radek Martinek, Calvin deHaan, Andrew MacDonald
Goalies: Rick DiPietro, Dwayne Roloson
vs Canadiens in Quebec City
Forwards: Jon Sim, Rob Hisey, Nino Niederreiter, Justin DiBenedetto, David Ulmstrom, Krys Kolanos, Jesse Joensuu, Dean McAmmond, Jed Ortmeyer, Jeremy Yablonski, Tomas Marcinko, Micheal Haley
D: Jack Hillen, Travis Hamonic, Mark Katic, Bruno Gervais, Anders Eriksson, Dylan Reese
Goalies: Manny Legace, Mikko Koskinen
Comments on Saturday’s games. More later.
9:25 pm: Jesse Joensuu scored 1:38 into the game and then the Devils took over, reeling off four consecutive goals – two in the first, two in the second. Matt Moulson scored on the power play, off assists by Doug Weight and Calvin de Haan, to make it 4-2 after two periods. At 11:18 of the third, Moulson scored his second of the game. Martin Brodeur made 23 saves for New Jersey, Dwayne Roloson 24 for the Islanders.
Rob Schremp left the game late in the second period. The Islanders announced that Schremp was suffering from back spasms and he would not return. Could be one of those situations where the team will have a better handle on his diagnosis by Monday. Training camp tryout Dean McAmmond left during the third with an upper-body injury.
Due to an NHL error, the official boxscore has Kirill Petrov wearing uniform No. 18 for the Islanders. Petrov played 14 minutes for Yugra of the KHL earlier today. Jed Ortmeyer wore 18.
Andrew MacDonald led the Islanders with 21:10 of icetime. Krys Kolanos led Islanders forwards with 20:27.
The Devils, who got goals from Jason Arnott, Zach Parise, Brian Rolston and Patrik Elias, primarily played their NHL lineup. Injuries aside, the Islanders will most likely play the majority of their regulars when they host the Devils at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday. Another squad will face the Canadiens in Quebec City.
Comments. See you tomorrow.
2:05 am: On Wednesday night in Saskatoon, Rhett Rakhshani played for the “A” squad on a fourth line with Trevor Gillies and Zenon Konopka. Tonight in New Jersey, he’s getting a look on a line with Josh Bailey and Frans Nielsen.
Rakhshani, at his first Islanders training camp after four years at the University of Denver, can do the math. He’s appreciative of the fair chance he has been given to make the team.
“I feel good about my camp so far,” said Rakhshani, who had two assists in five regular season games with Bridgeport last season after Denver was eliminated from the NCAA tournament. “The coaches are playing me with NHL veterans – tonight with a pair of really skilled young players who are on the team. Now it’s up to me to make the best of it.”
Today, Rakhshani’s stall in the Coliseum locker room was between Gillies and longtime NHLer Dean McAmmond. After the morning skate, he spent a good deal of time listening to his experienced teammates.
“I’ve been like a sponge the last two weeks,” said Rakhshani. “Any time you get a chance to listen to advice or pick the brain of someone who’s been around a while, I feel like you have to take advantage. You have to remember, this is my first training camp.
“This is another step in the process for me. In the AHL last year, I realized how you have to make decisions so much faster than I was used to in college. With that experience behind me, I felt like I was ready for this camp.”
The 5-11, 190-pound forward entered camp seemingly on the outside looking in for an NHL job. His speed has caught coach Scott Gordon’s eye, and now Rakhshani has put himself in the conversation heading into the final two days of exhibition games. This is all the 22-year-old forward asked for.
“I came into camp with the attitude that I was going to reach for the stars,” said Rakhshani. “If they tell me I need more time in the minors, I’ll understand it. But I’m am optimistic person and my goal this month was to reach the highest level. When you get an opportunity, you have to make the most of it.”
Tonight in New Jersey, Rakhshani has an opportunity.
Notes: Frans Nielsen and new Islanders D Mike Mottau had a brief and amicable discussion on Thursday about Mottau’s hit that cost the center a big chunk of the 2008-09 season. The new teammates are moving on. “Glad to have him on our team,” said Nielsen. “He’s a good defenseman.”
As is preseason custom for home teams, the Devils are playing a strong lineup tonight at The Rock. The first line of Parise-Zajac-Kovalchuk is in, as are Jason Arnott and Patrik Elias. Martin Brodeur is starting in goal. New Jersey will rest a lot of regulars on Saturday.
Expect the Islanders to play a large majority of their NHLers when they host the Devils at the Coliseum on Saturday night. Among them will be John Tavares, Rick DiPietro (starting in goal) and Mottau.
Katie Strang reports that Matt Martin is wearing a walking cast on his left foot today after blocking a shot in Saskatoon. Martin says he’ll try to play tomorrow. Sounds like the weekend off might be a good idea for the big forward prospect, no?
Devils play-by-play announcer Matt Loughlin will have the call of tonight’s game on wfan.com. Neither tonight or Saturday’s games will be televised.
The good people of Quebec City are not getting the Islanders in 2015, and it’s doubtful they’re getting much of a semblance of them on Saturday night.
Comments.
FanHouse: Why I like the Redden-AHL cap loophole
10:25 am: The Islanders are conducting a morning skate at the Coliseum for their exhibition game in New Jersey tonight. The Devils, as is usually the case with the home team in preseason games, are playing their A lineup – including Parise – Zajac – Kovalchuk. The game is not televised. Here is the lineup:
Niederreiter – Schremp – Moulson
Bailey – Nielsen – Rakhshani
Joensuu – Weight – Kolanos
McAmmond – Ortmeyer – Gillies
Defense: de Haan, Gervais, Hamonic, Hillen, Jurcina, MacDonald
Goalies: Roloson, Legace
GIAMATTI ROCKS TAVARES JERSEY ON “30 ROCK”
Throughout last night’s episode of “30 Rock,” the great Paul Giamatti wore a John Tavares vintage blue Islanders jersey. Among his many references to the team, he said the Islanders should trade “that clown” Matt Moulson. One of the writers of the Emmy Award-winning show is from Long Island and a big Islanders fan. It’s also worth noting that Moulson when to Cornell and Giamatti went to Yale. The actor’s father, the late MLB commissioner Bart Giamatti, was the president of Yale.
Thank you to P. Bedell of Merrick.
Comments. More later.
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