PITTSBURGH 3 ISLANDERS 0
DiPietro suffers one-punch KO from Brent Johnson
9:40 pm: Rick DiPietro allowed a bad, back-breaking second goal. In the final minute, DiPietro set off a skirmish by shoving Matt Cooke as the Penguins’ agitator skated by his net. DiPietro met Brent Johnson at center ice. Johnson knocked him down with one punch. Islanders out-played by Crosby and Malkin-less Penguins. Questionable officiating, although no complaints from the Islanders’ bench. Certainly plenty to talk about. Changing servers to SNY and on assignment for AOL, so take over in Comments.
219 Responses to PITTSBURGH 3 ISLANDERS 0
DiPietro suffers one-punch KO from Brent Johnson
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Frans Dish says:
This why we, the fans, tell Ricky to stay in the net
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Joe says:
If they would have started Poulin I see that game ending differently or at least go into overtime. I use to be a huge fan of DP but watching him is depressing now, he’ll never be goalie he used to be.
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mtrico says:
DiPietro has become nothing more than a pathetic side show. If only they could get rid of him. I think it would be best for all involved.
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Joe says:
We were really outplayed tonite, DP did make some nice saves but the 2nd goal was just plain weak. we were also outhit tonite, really outhit, some players took some good hits on the isles, Hillen, Reese, Comau especially. We did not play with the same tenacity.
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Oren says:
We were pushed around like ragdolls. We need a true enforcer. I wish a respectable player on the Isles would just come out and say the DP is a joke and brings bad vibes to this team. His boyish attitude no longer endears him. I would ask him to restructure his contract to back-up goalie money and insert the more talented, younger, more mature Poulin.
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jon from nj says:
#3…could not have said it any better myself. A sideshow is being too kind, actually. What a laughing-stock.
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Brett says:
DP gave up two goals…So he lost a fight? He had the balls to drop the gloves. How often to gaolies drop gloves? I bet you dont go to work when your throat hurts…He faught when he’s prob half injured. Dumb? Yes, but at the same time somewhat cool. The Isles failed to score off of Johnson. Hats off to DP. The Islanders offense blew it.
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pete says:
Rickety D is an embarrassment!!!
Awefull!!!
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Nyisles81 says:
1-How does the SOFTEST team in the NHL not dress their TOUGHEST guy(GILLIES) for a game agianst one of the TOUGHEST lineups in the NHL.
2-How many times are we gonna watch our SMALL D-MEN(Example-HILLEN) get ABSOLUTELY CRUSHED. D-men are not supposed to take beatings like that all night.
3-It is so DEPRESSING when you put the ISLES game in picture-in-picture and watch american idol.
4-Isles could not answer the toughness tone that was set by the PENS early in the first. We are the POKE-CHECKING KINGS. -
LES says:
that was so embarassing, now i know why we are the laughing stock of the nhl. i was mortified .
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Islebethere4u says:
The only thing I can see that the young Isles should take away from this game is this is how winning teams play. Tenacious checking and big hits. Pens played without their 2 big guns and no excuse for the Isles. Bad no call on the Comeau hit by Talbot. Isn’t this the type of hit they had the big pow wow on? Hits to the head from the blind side? Hillen was abused by the bigger Pens. Tough game to pla when the other team doesn’t fear your defense men. Dp played well except for one borderline (2nd) goal, until he decided to take on the other goalie. Really? Must say again that there is no respect to the Isles from the refs.
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isles fan in boston says:
I am sooooo sick of Dipietro’s act!!!Release him and be done with it..He is an embarressment to the team and the fans!
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gary says:
hey Ricky, as Ron Burgundy said, “Milk was a bad choice….”
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James says:
Yea I have to agree with Brett, you guys make it like DP is the first guy to get KOd’ in 1 punch. I like the fact that he wanted to stick up for his teammates because he felt the officials were not calling the penalties when they should have.
On a side note, I really think for the Isles it is harder to play the Pens without Crosby and Malkin. In the last 2 games the Pens without those 2 have played a much more defensive style that the Isles have trouble with. It is the same style the Caps used to shut us down for half a game after we scored a goal. When Crosby and Malkin in; their game is more offensive and I think it is easier for the Isles to play better against them.
Last 2 meetings without 87 and 71: 0-2; 0 goals
Last meeting with 87 and 71: 1-0, 2 goals
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cbagwillie says:
ricky? wtf were you thinking!!
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Brian G says:
I have no problem with DP fighting, like Howie Rose said he was sticking up for his team that was pushed around all game. He would have fought anyone in the Philly game earlier this season…nothing wrong with playing with some heart b/c many of his teammates were no shows tonight and never stand up for themselves….Honestly guys like Talbot and Cooke were running around hitting everyone, after the hit on Comeau….the Isles forgot about it the next period and let them keep doing what they are doing….Time to give a few players a healthy scratch, bring up a few guys from the bridge who want to play with some passion….too much deadwood…this game was a waste, too much play on the outside.
Snow said last year we plan on getting more size and physical players on the roster….and did nothing
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MIKE says:
The team has no balls. Like the coach.
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Just another case of an NHL team vs. an AHL team
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cgs878 says:
Send DP down to Bridgeport and keep Poulin up. I don’t want to watch DP anymore. Butchie & Howie are saying how great it was that DP started a fight… what a joke. Islanders should tank the rest of the season and stop teasing us with good games like last night. Tonight was more the kind of crap that I expect from them. Let’s go Devils, beat them Rags tomorrow.
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JB says:
Embarrassing. Humiliating. Perhaps DP wanted to do something ‘stand-up’ but he just made the highlight reel and the worst way. This is an emotional nadir.
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how is it that the guy who drafted DP 1st overall can riducule him on VS. this team is way too soft. Pushed around by too many teams. 44 gives puck away every time a body comes near him. Matt Martin needs more ice time.
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If anyone is wondering, I believe that the no call on the high stick to Martinek is correct, contact was on the follow through of a shot and not a pass. You agree CB?
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Wow you guys must not watch the new NHL, you cant retaliate or even stand up for your teammates anymore
Had we done that, the Pens would have had twice as many powerplays as they did.
Maybe if the officials called the damn game right, the crap would have stopped in the first period. I think its more the officials lost control of the game and never got it back then it was the Isles not sticking up for their teammates
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Ernie says:
For sure the team would be better off without DiPietro.
To be good friends with the owner and G.M. is in itself not a good situation for the rest of the team.
His contract is not positive for the team.
Good or bad, he plays and is #1. That is not positive for the team.
Even though his teammates would never say it, but his cocky attitude must anoy them.
Why do the Islanders win more when DiPietro is injured? -
whortheisles? says:
the isles are in position to be a good team next season. this is what has to happen. they need to make a decision on the moving(or staying) issue. get a couple of top notch vets. and get the #1 pick
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The new isles gm says:
Funny how this punch happens one week after Milbury was on your website talking about how Ricky can be headstrong and mismanaged at times. I’m glad Ricky got hit the way he did. For once, Cooke wasn’t in the wrong. It was a bonehead play by DP. I think the DP situation is more of a distraction for UFA’s coming here then the arena. Is it possible players just don’t like him? I mean even my girlfriend asked me why it looked like none of the players even cared when DP got knocked down and looked hurt? Just another event that makes us look pathetic. I hope Snow rips into him. I’m watching the interview right now with DP and he won’t face the camera. Probably alil embaressed to show that side…..what a tool. Here’s to Kevin Poulin boys!!
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S Bennett says:
That was nothing but classic attention grabbing behaviour by our hopeless goaltender. He initiated contact with Cooke, he looked for a fight with Johnson, he was made to look like a punk.
There are other ways to get attention other than having pucks bounce off your ass and in, or getting knocked on your ass with one punch. Either way, lots of proof that DiPietro is an ass!
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Brother says:
Well, I do think DP has played very selfishly this year, like a distraction, and it’s magnified when he doesn’t even play well. Sideshow’s a good word. Do the young guys respect him the locker room?
But his Cooke hit was payback for Cooke hitting him before in the crease–if we had tougher and bigger D, Cooke wouldn’t have done that in the first place, or would have been taken to task for doing so. So DP takes matters into his own hands. Kudos for that, at least–but then he gets clocked in the fight! Very demoralizing to watch. I missed the game and saw the clip on NHL.com, and hoped DP had given us a moment to redeem the team’s dignity–boy, could I have been more wrong? Very embarrassing.
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Schultz39 says:
It’s one thing to be an inferior team talent-wise due to a sub cap payroll. It’s another thing to get tossed around the ice like little kids.
I’m so sick of this team not having toughness, both “team toughness” and guys who can drop the mitts and actually win fights. I love Z’s efforts but he’s not scaring anyone.
Not sure why Gillies is scratched in this game. Having a guy like Colliton play (career minor leaguer) is not going to put us over the edge. At least put your best fighter in there to show that even if you beat us, you won’t beat us up.
And Ricky…..you had it coming. No reason to step out and check Cooke. Time for you to step aside….
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Strummer's Army says:
When the Isles played the Pens 3 games ago I wrote before the game that Pens were loaded for war and always play a dirty game but Capuno doesn’t seem to understand it so for 3 straight games against Pit they beat up on the Isles, Capuno refuses to dress Gillies because it is so vital to the success of the team to have big time winners like Rob Schremp and Jeremy Collitton in the line up.
Blake Comeau is as soft as they come. I HATE HIS GUTS….ACTUALLY HE HAS NO GUTS. Coward is always laying on the ice. Laying down there in the fetal postition refuses to fight McCabe, laying on the ice against Dallas this year. Oh, he got up after the hit tonight and yelled at Pit…oooh that will make them stop pushing you around.
Matt Martin I love you but you did a horrible job tonight. You and Konopka are going to let one guy hold you off from getting at Talbot? You get Cooke down at the end pound the sucker.
DiPietro, you were not sharp tonight. You did make many quality saves but not near your usual level. I cannot fault DiPietro at all trying to show the NHL that the Isles aren’t a bunch of soft cowards (but most of them are)but damn did you have to take the one shot knock out and make the Isles look worse?
Anyone see Stan Lee’s Gaurdian Project. The Islander is a mountain of a man 6’8″ the toughest of all the Gaurdian’s etc. 1) I wish and & 2)apparently Stan Lee doesn’t watch the Isles because if he did he also would have given the Gaurdian the invisibility power that many of the Islanders posses.
So how can a guy from FL like me understand how Pit plays and Capuno and the Isles Pro Scouting department not? You dress Gillies for these games. You sit Brutal or Reese in favor of a guy like Wishart who has more skill then both combined, has size, likes the rough stuff.
Softies I want gone, Schremp, Comeau, Martinek, Reese, Geravis, Parenteau. That is for starters. Please replace them with men of high character who’ll attack their enemies, defend themselves and their teammates.
As much as Pit likes to play it rough when Isles dressed Martin, Gillies, and Riechlecz end of last year and they beat the hell out of Pit, Pit fell apart.
Pit dressed super heavy weights Englland & Godard, heavy weight Rupp and then they have a punch of guys who’ll play dirty and get involved. Isles dressed no heavy weight. Martin isn’t in that weight class and hasn’t been fighting anyone in a long time. I suspect he’s injured and maybe that explains why he isn’t getting more ice time. Konopka who is at best a middle weight (and got beat up fighting someone he should not have been put in position to) and Hamonic who has one NHL fight to his name. Rest of the Isles not named DiPietro are just chickens. Of course, Pit is going to do as they please.
Isles are the joke of the league because so many suckers (Snow and Capuno) refuse to admit how the game has been played since year 2 after the lockout. It’s a tough game and you have never prepared this team to be competitive with the right make up in so many ways in your entire time in charge Snow Job. As arrogant as you like to be you fail to ice a competitive team or even one that will hit or one will not take being pushed around.
Book has been out on the Isles for a long time. If you push them around they fold. Doesn’t happen when they have a heavy weight.
Oh, and all you so happy with Snow for signing Yablonski and getting rid of Reichlecz (who is a lot younger, bigger, better skater, excellent fighter, great balance, throws some wicked checks etc) Riechlecz has been increasing his stature. Check out his 3 fight game this year. Dominated well known guys with tons of NHL experience. Yablonski hasn’t played in forever.
Where is the Isles young enforcer they are developing? Who is the next big tough D-man they are developing? Any of you who think Nino shouldn’t be on the team next year is wrong because Isles only have a couple guys who hit and need hitters.
If any Islander players or management are reading this, look to your left, now look to your right, good chance that 2 of 3 of you at least are a soft little chicken.
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I’m not on the “I this team stinks” bandwagon just because they lost this game. I’ve seen some good signs lately and some hope. With Grabs, Okie, Tavares and Poulin! But DP just about crystalizes our faliures as an org. A lot of us have been saying this for 3 or 4 years already. DP is done. I felt embarassed. And lets not kid ourselves: Johnson could have easily hurt DP more but he didn’t. DP is talented but he is not a good goaltender. He’s a sideshow, and not just because of the fight, but I think it puts an exclamation point on his failed career. Make no mistake, the Pens were laughing at US. The contrasts of one very successful org to a faliure of an org. It really hurts being an Isles fan. It will continue I think.
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D. Meng says:
DP: It’s time to hang ‘em up.
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Anthony says:
DP is such cancer on this team. He gets what he deserves a loss and a black-eye
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rob says:
so embarrassed, not just with DP, with the total effort and guys being out muscled all night.DP cannot move lateral and cant get up on his right knee. Can someone please stand in front of the net. Colliton has no right to be in this line up. Us fans notice the boys play like they all grew 4 inches when Gillies is on the bench. If anything Gillies keeps other team honest.
btw was that ringing noise I heard a few times the puck hitting the post or the puck hitting rickys hips and knees.
rant over. -
Big Van Vader says:
Isles NEEDED a physical game like this. The young guys needed to know what its like to be through a war. Ricky made a poor decision to accept Johnsons invite to fight. However, i DO respect him for dropping them KNOWING he has a history of concussions. That takes some guts; some stupidity, but DEF some guts. Isles, as a team, especially the young guys like Tavares, will learn from this game.
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MileHighIsle says:
So we now know DP can’t fight. He didn’t play too bad, though. There r worst things to take from this game. Team got hammered and had no answer. Martin had opportunities but chose not to fight(which is common). Konopka’s fights don’t do much to inspire the team. Not sure what the answer is but I’d like to see Haley called up and Gillies in the lineup for the next Penguins game. The Pens were really laughing it up and that has to be dealt with. Overall, the Isles didn’t look over matched, just out muscled. Don’t know what else Tavares has to do to get Moulson and Parenteau goals but they are definitely not in his league.
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Stephen says:
As good as they played last night, this was completely on the other end of the spectrum. Without Crosby, Malkin, and Letestu, I think we have as much if not more talent than Pittsburgh. Terrible loss.
As far as Ricky goes, he once again gave up 2 horrible goals. Yes, I blame him on the first one too because he is too slow at this point. We’ve seen it time and again that he moves at a snails pace laterally. He had a few good saves, but nothing more. -
D in BIG D says:
!(*^#(^!(#%^*&)%!$$^!#^!$(!!)!^&!)^^#!%&%#$!!@&*(%*(%*$%&*!%@&*(@%*&@)@__@(*^@(%&^&%!@^$^#(#*^$@#)($)#@)@^&(#.!!!!!!!!There CB I edited myself for you.
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DP’s career in a nutshell: glass brain, glass hip, glass right knee, glass left knee….now glass jaw.
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Bob Bassen says:
Sort of symbolic of the Isles *Team Toughness*. Bailey and JT seem indifferent, aloof or something. Hopefully, KO can come with a little *nasty* in his game cause those two guys are way soft. Who besides Konopka and Martin play with or more importantly CAN play with an edge?!?
Hindsight or not, Gillies deserves to get a game here and there and this one was it. -
Btw John Tavares is NOT getting it done. #1 overall pick plays like a 3rd rounder. I know he gets his points and all but star players are supposed to lead teams and step up in big games not get hat-tricks against sub-par ones.
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CB-you made a great point, “questionable calls by refs”, but no complaining from the bench. When the Heck does the bench start to complain for gods sake.
We need a coach who will throw a bench or some sticks on the ice. Where is that coach. We seem to have questionable calls every night. -
Ct 1970s says:
This may be the new NHL, but it is still hockey and if Isles don’t stick up for each other they will never gain respect. I’ve commented before, “PLAY GILLIES EVERY GAME!!! We get pushed around most games because we have many small players who will not stick up for themselves or their teammates. We need Gillies,Knopka Martin, they will and they should play far more than they do. Refs let alot go against Isles, but if the other player would have to pay on the spot, with IslanderS going after the cheap short artist, the player will think twice and maybe the refs would do their jobs. So we get more penalties, we aren’t winning the Cup this year anyway. The team has to earn respect, and you don’t do it by allowing cheap shots. IF there was more immediate retaliation there would be far fewer head shots and concussions in the NHL.
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Jim Clark says: DP standing up for the team was the only good thing tonight. And unless Poutine can score a couple goals while manning the pipes, they’d have lost anyways. There are a lot of reasons why this is the 28th best team. And thrre ain’t much down on the farm as B-Port is last.
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The Isles were out classed, out coached, & beat in every facet of this game…that about summed up this season!
I’m sorry Capuano has no business being an NHL coach, he rarely make any changes to the lines,…Snow needs to step up & make some moves to correct this teams ways, get some NHL Caliber players with some toughness, leadership, and won’t take crap from anyone….that’s if Wang allows him to take on salary in a trade, but us fans know that never happens – he can spin it whichever he wants, but that is the straight truth. Good luck selling tickets Isles with all of the Gimmicks, the main thing should be worrying about fielding a Competitive NHL Roster…not young players rushed to the NHL.
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Tom D in NJ says:
Never fun to watch your team get beat physically…..DP doesnt give us our best chance to win and in my opinion, he looks washed up.
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Islesfan99 says:
We need 3 big tough dmen and 1 big forward. This team is pathetically small. Hillen, Reese, Gervais should all be in the AHL. We need a tough dmen like Sutton, Erskine etc. We are so freaking small. Gillies needs to play or trade for a big tough dmen. Most teams have 3 tough dmen. We do not even have 1!
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Justin says:
I have never been more embarrassed for this team then tonight. A one punch KO on DP is the pits. DP is such a shell of his former self and I’m still a DP optimist. I don’t think there is a more jaded fan than myself.
Puke. -
Will C. says:
This was damn pathetic. We got pushed around, Schremp is completely ineffective. Put Gillies in. DP tried to stand up for the team, good for him, and sometimes it doesn’t work out but at least he stood up for the team. DP and Martin showed some grit along with ZK. This team was spineless tonight.
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thataboy says:
Dipietro save % is as bad as Oliver Perez’s ERA. Look at the #’s he doesn’t belong in the NHL. But he is Wangs best friend so he will play another 10 years. Like Snow will be GM another 10 years.
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Staten Islander says:
Thank you Brent Johnson for doing to Roaming Ricky what I’ve wanted to do to him all year when he comes out of his net.
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Isles44 says:
Anyone who gets on DP for getting into that fight has obviously never played a competitive sport in their life. Maybe he isn’t the goalie that he used to be but at least he cares.
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I also believe that Tavares needs to show us some toughness as well. Even the best goal scorers cant score every night, but you can at least play with some edge and some fight. It was something that Trottier had when he was 19 and Tavares doesn’t.
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Steven says:
Um, you all realize they didn’t score a single goal against Brent freakin’ Johnson right? And we’re blaming the goalie? Can we at least wait a beat each time Isles fans scapegoat DiPietro. Plenty of organizational blame to go around…
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lorne says:
Post 47, that is really funny. Could not agree with you more.
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Islesfan3 says:
Dp let in 2 soft goals tonight. I was and still am barely a dp fan but it just gets worse and worse. I feel so bad becaus he really does want to win. We got hit all over the place tonight. I give him credit for sticking up for his teamates and sending a message and same to konopka. He still shouldnt have fought with all the injuries. Another bad night to b a isles fan. But for real get of ricks back atleast he wants to play here unlike more then half the league. Get off his back but he is done. He played good for like 5 games in a row that he started over 3 week spand but since strain hes not the same and prob never will b.
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onesinceforty says:
At least Johnson was a gentleman enough not to beat his ass further when he was helpless on the carpet! Can you imagine if he got really hurt or got a concussion (he has a little history) ?????????? The fans would have lit torches and grabbed pitchforks.
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Mike from Sarasota says:
Always loved DP’s enthusiasm, but right now his game is just really sad. With his history, hopefully he did’nt suffer a concussion.
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Tim says:
Not a DP fan by any stretch, but good for him for stepping up and showing some heart. That game was just an embarrassment all around.
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matt from Holtsville says:
isles better bring up yabo and dress gillies next time vs pit. and send a message. First off gillies should be starting every game with at least 10 min of ice time. This is getting old now.!!! Knopka and martin are not enough to keep people from destroying our guys (BUT I DO LOVE THE HEART THEY SHOW). If people are gonna want to play here show them by letting them know no one is gonna push us around. How many years is it gonna take for this organization to realize good teams have tough guys?
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d.p reminded me of glass joe from mike tysons punch-out
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Michael says:
Fear not…it is all part of the “rebuild” which is nothing more than a BS excuse for being flat out bad. The team is pathetic and always will be as long as it is run by meddlesome owners that know nothing about running a professional sports teams and who hire backup goalies as GMs and minor league coaches for no other reason than a low pricetag.
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Where are all the Gillies haters now? He needed to be in the linup tonite. Godard, England, Rupp, Cooke, Kennedy, Orpik(or OPRICK as Goring would say). Those are all guys that would drop the glove at anytime.
We had Konopka and Martin-oh yeah-these two guys are the only fighters and guys that would throw a check on the team.
SAD. -
DP would have been perfect for the part of Norton’s friend in the Bensonhurst Bomber Honeymooners episode!
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Tom D….”hey, get a load of fatso”….lol
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to #57 Now what….We cant dress Gillies. We need a player like Schremp or Colliton to help us win these very important games down the stretch.
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mht says:
I am on board with poster #42,and I really want John Stevens{Ex Flyer coach] to be the new Islander coach come October.A great AHL resume,no shame in being fired from first head coaching job {Witness Scotty Bowman,Al Arbour,Peter Laviovette,Joel Quenville,Joel Quennville,Jacques Demers]He has coahed in the Atlantic Division and his Flyer teams always played tough and commandered respect.John Stevens for head coach !
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PotvinRocks says:
Ricky asked for it and Ricky got it!
If he his concussed because of this, do the Islanders claim Mike Smith, who might be the only goalie in the league with worst numbers than Ricky.
He can’t win any games but he can sure lose them. Too many soft goals. -
Sean Connery says:
Rick’s constant and tremendous desire to fight is one of the best examples of his selfish play.
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StevieL says:
Unfortunately these days a solid effort by DP still includes at least 1 weak goal!
DP embarrassed himself with the fight and unfortunately it will be the highlight of the night seen on ESPN and round the sports world! It just added to the laughingstock image of the Islanders. It was pathetic to see the Pens laughing at the Isles at the end.
When games get physical the Isles are exposed for what they are, overmatched weak kids!! We have not one physical strong player on any of the first 3 lines! As Butch said the Isles got beat up tonight. The chemistry and make-up is wrong and changes need to be made!! -
well, at least d.p. reminded me of billy smith… for about 2 seconds, when he challenged the other goalie. i could rant that d.p. is a joke but even though he never was or never will or can be, due to his knees, a very good goalie, i do respect him that he tried to do something to stand up for his team. the biggest joke is snow and wang for doing nothing to help the team from being pushed around like rag dolls every single night. like i have always said, as long as clown wang and his sidekick assistant clown are running the show, this team is doomed. yes we need gillies but clark gillies. a top foward who has punch scoring goals as well as giving punches. this well never happen because it takes money to get a top player to fill the isles biggest need. wang will never do what it takes to win. we are 0-11 in pitt. and when was the last time we won in philly? we are doomed as long as wang and snow clue are here.
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Steve says:
Not good…We suck, but let’s not get pushed around too. Play Martin on big minutes to help his development, and Gillies in every game on a regular shift. We need an established coach signed this summer to move forward.
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Justin says:
Why was the Isles hitting machine (Martin)not used on the top lines to balance the soft, against a team known for roughness. Enough with this pap stuff please, terrible. Jack stop giving the opp coach catcher signals who your sending out, keep your hands in your pockets and out of your nose please. If the Isles were playing in the super bowl vs Green Bay Jack would have pap/shremp/grabner/Tav on the Offensive line, go figure. last I checked Martin has 186 hits 103 more than any Isles player and he played 7 mins against a rough squad, Please explain. I have heard all the B.S. Jack do you not see he has more piss/vinegar and is the equalizer plus loves to inflict punishment on the bad guys? Never mind this points B.s. gets you off the 4th line, how are you suppose to score under these conditions(mates)The kid is more a Philly/Boston/ type player.
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P.s. forgot to mention Ranger player also.
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Colin M. says:
I haven’t posted in awhile, but I was compelled to do so tonight.
I was eating dinner fifteen or twenty minutes ago when I got a text from a friend of mine that simply read “DP got KO’d.” Already cringing, I jumped on YouTube, searched for “DiPietro,” and sorted it by most recent.
Not surprisingly, there’s already half a dozen videos of that incredibly depressing move on DP’s part. I just want to know how many ways he could possibly embarrass his team or the fans. I watched him get clocked about ten times, and cringed all the while.
What a complete disaster.
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Everyone says play Martin more-dress Gillies, etc. There is only so much a few tough guys can do. it is the overall team. They are weak and soft. There is no Team toughness. Something is not right. How can a team be so soft, I think it starts from the top. It’s not demanded why should the players do it then.
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Y2G says:
Wow. Billy Smith just threw up in his mouth watching that garbage. Whoever said that Millbury is an ass for ridiculing DP is correct, someone should just show a clip of Chara breaking the slap shot record to him on repeat until he realizes he’s a joke. Even when this team was losing 20 in a row Gillies was one of the main reasons to keep watching, the guy is a pitbull and he should be on the ice when we play Pitt, Philli, etc.
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meant to add to post 72- I played with more heart and toughness at skate safe for gods sake-and i wasnt being payed. It’s these palyers job.
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greg h says:
We got pushed around by a much bigger physical team. Two terrible goals let in by DP, he was slow on the first one and cheated on the second. Terrible Officiating and to top it off, no one had the balls to hammer home checks. Comeau was slightly ticked off after he was hit.
Oh and no one scored, hmm, where was the offense. Sloppy play. And even if all above sucked, there were 5 power plays and they netted I think 3 shots total. You cannot do do that.
Win a game, lay an egg, lay an egg, lay an egg, win a game. Recipe for drafting in the top 5.
I want a Michael Peca type player, can we get one? and then I want 5 more players like him.
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THE PORK CHOP EXPRESS says:
We really can’t get any good press. Nothing ever goes right. I give DP credit for sticking up for himself and the team. He is one of 3 players (ZK,TG) who shows emotion on his sleave. Unfortunately, an act that was supposed to show leadership has become an embarrassment. The entire penguin bench was laughing. Heck all of the sports community is laughing.
Yes Gillies should have been in the lineup but he cannot take on a whole team. The team needs to learn how to play with team toughness. That means finish your checks!!! Matt Martin is the only player that finishes his checks. Comeau goes through periods of solid checking but disappears. Actually, he plays better when he is checking. Otherthan that no one really checks. Checking and speed creates chances!! Capuano break out the film and teach these guys. Feb 12 should be interesting!!!! -
Neologizer says:
DP: better goalie or enforcer?
might be a tieMeanwhile…..
Cooke, Rupp and Godard all banging and no Gillies. -
Every player on this team would be embarrassed with that effort. The fact that Rupp and Talbot were allowed to set the tone by running around like animals is unacceptable. Play Gillies in this game! This is the toughest team in the league and yet we play Colliton and Schremp. This team is a joke. I’m sure Colliton and Schremp gave you what you needed out there tonight. Now people might understand why Gillies needs to be on this team. The entire Pittsburgh team was seen laughing at us! Worse off, the Penguins played Eric Godard and Deryk Engelland (The two toughest players on PITT) for the last minute of the game. NYI=Bad Joke
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Sean says:
Well, now you can add embarrassment to the list of reasons our Tin Man franchise goalie will miss 30 of the final 31 games.
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Game recap on Isles website says “each goalie drew one punch before ending on the ground”….oh really?
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Chris, I have a question for you. I know this sounds like the usual sour grapes from us Isle fans but, are the Isles enforcers and “tough” guys like Gillies or Konopka getting more additional penalties than any of the other teams tough guys do? I mean come on, every time Z gets even close to scruffing with another player, he always seems to get the extra penalty. I mean where there is smoke there is usually fire and I don’t see Z deserving even half of what the other team should be getting. I mean for instance, just how did DP get the extra penalty for the fight with Johnson? Johnson was the one that skated nearly 200 feet to make contact with DP. I didn’t see DP emphatically calling johnson out in the few seconds between the contact he initiated and his one punch KO. When do we get at least some respect from the refs when playing an elite team? Sorry for the rant. and the third post.
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TURNUPTHEHEAT says:
What a clown. At least we’re rid of this guy in about 10 years.
“ANOTHER WANGTASTIC SEASON” -
Tim Thomasen says:
Actually without trying to be a homer Rupp and Talbot didn’t act like criminals. Talbot on Comeau was a clean hit and yeah it was great that DP showed some sort of spine, it dosen’t help that he trips Cooke and Brent Johnson stuck up for his teammate and decked DP. Thats why everyone is laughing at us. And can’t blame the Pens for dressing Engelland and Godard since there kinda on a short bench with the injuries and all. Isles needs to start dressing Gillies from now on to show these tough teams that we have a tough guy and were not going to be pushed around.
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Flal says:
sad thing is, first thing I thought was DP will probably be out with a concusion now
I am not saying DP is 100% the problem by any stretch, but it is pretty clear he will not be part of the solution
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Worth noting that when Pit had the PP after the scrum, they sent out their enforcers and dared Capuno to do the same. Capuno of course, submitted and sent out noted toughies like Geravis. He had nothing on his bench to answer that, not all night but much of that is his fault for not dressing Gillies and the rest is Snows. If the team cannot answer the Pens the next time they play them (and I’m not looking for just a moral victory of a win) but totally destroying Pit physically and tearing them apart then there is no hope for these guys. Seriously, I hate Crosby but he’d join in and defend his teammates. I love Tavares, Moulson, Bailey, and Okposo but like many of their teammates they cannot be bothered to defend themselves or each other.
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terry b says:
dp is a joke,cant stop a puck stay in his net and apparently take a punch,were fighting for the bottom of the league at least dress a legit heavyweight so our small ass team doesnt get beat around,
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93Miracle says:
I am in the minority to say the Islanders played a good game tonight. 2 SOFTIES, I mean SOFTIES given up by DP in the first. He was slow on the first and the 2nd, well I dont know what to say. But, The islanders cycled the puck well, they gave a 60 minute effort, they create chances, but it always seemed like a penguin stepped up and made a play at the last possible 2nd especially in the first period. The Penguins defense and positioning was great, but the Islanders played with them, they really did! I dont think the Islanders got outplayed I am sorry folks. 2 softies and great defensive positioning for the 2nd straight time against the Islanders. Its ganna be the pens or flyers wining the cup. If the pens can play this well with Malkin and Crosby out. Maybe they add another scorer…watch out!
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The Simtuation says:
Good thing Ricky got knocked out so everyone can get on him… that way the 18 skaters don’t have to get critizised for not showing up. At least I know someone on the team cares. Some say selfish and so what if it is, maybe its time for some more players to get selfish and try to add some points to their stat line.
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chad says:
do people know the difference between a knockDOWN
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Fan since 1979 says:
1st off… DP Should Heart and a lot of it. Its easy to sit here and write all this negative stuff, but these guys have to play in this bad situation we call the Isles… Maybe if the some of the other players would play with their hearts on their sleeves this would be a totally different season.
Say what you want about DP, there is not other player in the locker room that loves this team more.. -
James C says:
Many perpetually reeling Islander fans could have done without that fight for sure. We may finish better statistically but this season is just as embarrassing as it gets.
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do people know the difference between a knockDOWN and a knockOUT? thats was knockDOWN. wow, a 6’3 guy knocked down 5’10 guy. STOP THE PRESSES!!!!
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Turgeon77 says:
HAHAHA nothing better then seeing Dipietro get his a*s handed to him… Good thing we have another 10 years to witness his poor goal-tending and GREAT fighting ability…Thanks snow….Once again
sNOw Clue -
#92 he can still play with his heart on his sleeve without getting one-punched by a 30 some year old backup journeyman goalie. Just sayin.
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jethro09 says:
DP is turning into a sideshow joke. I have been a big supporter of his over the years because I respect and appreciate his love for the Islanders and desire to be with them, but his act is getting tired.
DP has enough problems just stopping the puck and staying on the ice. He really shouldn’t burden himself with the added responsibilty of acting like a fool and starting skirmishes everytime he gets frustrated. Instead of throwing a shoulder at Cooke, DP should be focusing on staying healthy and stopping the puck.
DP got what he deserved tonight. Go looking for trouble and act like a fool, and you deserve to get knocked on your a**. Unfortunately, its the rest of the team and fanbase that feel the embarassment from it also.
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Hey Rick,
Keep up the great work and you’ll wind up in the front office too. -
lou says:
dont understand- if all the fans can see that ricky just cant go post to post any more that the organization doesnt see this and do something!. Lotta heart agreed, but isles need to really do something about his situation. restructure? I have no answers but would hope Garth has one. his play has to be disheartening to all the young guys on the team.Agree Gillies has to play every nite and Martin MUST be moved up a line for his grit. John Stephens for coach would be an upgrade absolutely.
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KaiserVanIslander says:
DP needs to work on his game in the AHL.
Really bad game on his part. I was one for sending Poulin back down but now I must say keep him up. He is more suited for the NHL and DP is more suited for the AHL. sorry Ricky but think its time you helped your team by working on your game and your health. Let him finish the season at the Bridge maybe he can get his game back.
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Tom R says:
That might have been the only shot DP stopped all night. If you’re gonna take a swipe at a player, be ready to back it up. DP could now be the most embarrassing Islander ever.
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Thomas says:
It’s funny I shut the game off after the empty net goal..looked what I missed.
I agree with the general tone..both goals were weak, and yes we didn’t score, but weak goals kill a team and his overplaying the puck is still a major problem.
Kudos to the comparison of Glass Joe, Oliver Perez and that Johnson did what all us Islander fans want to do everytime he comes out of the net..all comments that made me laugh out loud..
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jeff says:
One more sport DP shouldn’t be playing.
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John says:
DP SUCKS!! WANG SUCKS!! SNOW SUCKS!! The ISLANDERS SUCK!!!! Wang will never open his pockets and the team will be gone in 4 years anyway. I seriously can’t wait until they are gone, I am seriously done with WANG and his joke of a team.
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dudley leiwicker says:
The Islamders should suspend him for five games for stupidity, and this clown should be booed every time he takes the ice at the Coliseum. He is a disgrace.
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Mars Bonfire says:
The players are the ones who should be embarrassed not DP If this team had any balls DP would not have to stand up for these wimps. Where was Gillies? When was the last time our D had a fight . Hamonic had one . Before that it was probably Cairns. Snow, we need tough D not Hillen A Mac martineck etc
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D.P. was on his ass faster than a starving hooker! Love his passion, but I am just not comfortable with him in goal anymore….and apparently, the players are not either! Agreed, Gillies should be in the lineup, if for nothing else but the team plays with more confidence when he is in.
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Vukota says:
#94 “Say what you want about DP, there is not other player in the locker room that loves this team more..”
Give me a 15 yr 65 million dollar contract and I’ll love anything you want
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Oye Comeau Va says:
sorry to beat a dead horse but I couldn’t believe that Schremp was started over Gillies. Its that kind of move that won’t (hopefully) get you the job next season. I understand that Jurcina isn’t 100% yet but then why not give Wishart a chance? At least he’s got size. How much worse can he be than Gervais or Reese?
Maybe DP will get suspended for the next 11 years for starting that brawl? I can dream can’t I?
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Washed-Up Rapper says:
Rick: It ends whenever you want it to.
We want it to. But you have to want it also.
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Vato says:
Hey Red Light Ricky my over 40 softball team needs a catcher, since I see your catching ‘em pretty good of late..Even if they are beatings..GO ISLES..just remember payback is a muddafudda…
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Peter says:
It’s really tough to win games against a good team when your goalie lets in two bad goals in the first ten minutes. It would have been a completely different game if Poulin played.
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Post #1 James. I don’t think either goals were due to questionable calls from the refs. If they were the Isles should of beaten the Pens into the ground since their PP sucks to high heaven. Comeau wasn’t blindsided by Talbot, Talbot clean hit Comeau when Comeau wasn’t keeping his head up. James I loves the Isles as much as the next guy and I eat, sleep and breathe the team and it’s history but there weren’t no questionable officating here, even when were facing the Pens (I don’t believe in conspiracies). The fact of the matter is the Pens came ready to play and they had to with all the injuries to their top guys out and we weren’t. We had our chances (espically on the PP) and we couldn’t cash in on them and defense and tough wise, they were. Face it they were the better team tonight and we weren’t. Hope in the future our dumbass coach can realize Poulin is our guy in net and to show other teams were going to play with grit and toughness we start Gillies.
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The most alarming part of the game was the first goal when Rick either didn’t or couldn’t physically get over to stop it.
Isles didn’t play desperate or hard enough to beat them like they did Christmas week at home. -
bill says:
I just kept hearing Howard Cosell saying
“Down goes Frazier” in my head.
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Jerky says:
What more can I say about this team that I haven’t said all season long. There is no accountability from the players up through management.
How do Colliton and Schremp give this team the best chance to win? What did they do tonight that Gillies could not? Not only do they not improve the Islanders chance of winning, they don’t improve the Islanders chance to defend themselves.
How do Reese and Gervais give this team the best chance to win? They call up 6’4″ Wishart but don’t play him? At least Wishart can be a physical force (any wonder why the team plays better when Jurcina is in the lineup?).
Once again, Martin and Konopka are the only two players finishing their checks and standing up for their teammates. Lack of effort was apparent for several players again tonight, and it’s not solely their lack of talent.
As far as DP, his play leads me to conclude he will be a capable backup for the next 11 years of his contract, nothing more. His getting into a fight … I appreciate the passion but he wouldn’t need to do that if the rest of the team would stand up for themselves. Okposo should NEVER be compared to Iginla again from either a talent or leadership perspective. Too much softness throughout the roster season after season and it’s getting really old.
I hadn’t made up my mind about Capuano until tonight. He does not deserve to be back next season.
Credit to the Penguins tonight. They played like a team who wanted the “automatic” two points from the lowly Islanders, unlike the Thrashers the game before.
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Uncle Deuce says:
Here is what needs to be done in order:
- Play Wishart and see what he has. Gotta be better than Gervais and Reese.
- Put Schremp in the minors.
- Play Martin with Tavares and Okposo and bench Comeau until he hits and plays with consistency. Same for Bailey.
- Hire a coach that brings instant credibility and loves a robust rough high energy style, y’know the way hockey is supposed to be played. And he should be a name coach, a hard ass like Andy Murrray.
- Construct a front office by hiring a Team President first with even more credibility (whomever would come here). Someone needs to run a hockey team, and Garth Snow is not doing it enough.
- Hope it works out into some wins to show that you don’t need a building, you need meat and potatoes hockey that is competitive and not solely reliant on kids. A competant and reputable front office will do a better job of finding and convincing established talent to play on LI.
Wang will not sell the team, so he should do this. Sure Snow can make trades and still be GM, but he needs heat from a hockey mind that has credibility and experience not a businessman.
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geduffer says:
I guess Ricky should have suckered Johnson the way Staal suckered Prust the night before.
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sadsadfan says:
does this year get any worse??? what is DP doing??? he needs to focus on his game and stopping some pucks….and for a guy who is injury prone and had several concusions….what a great freakin idea to start some lil kid squrmish with less then a minute to go in a 3-0 game….i dont even kno what to say anymore!
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DonK says:
This had better be a wakeup call for Snow and Wang — your team cannot or will not compete physically in the National Hockey League. The Isles played a team missing FOUR of its top 9 forwards (including 2 superstars) and were beaten — and beaten up — in every facet of the game.
Kudos to DP for his work in making it back — he could have taken his millions and joined Mike Bossy as a greeter/ambassador. However, at this point he is not a winning NHL goaltender. Not sure if the first goal was his fault, but the second one sure was — and it took the Isles right out of the game. DP cannot, at this time (and maybe ever) be a No. 1 goaltender at the NHL level.
But worse was watching the Penguins spend the night banging the crap out of every player in a white jersey. Snow has built a puny defense and the most non-physical team in the NHL. The word is out — hit the Islanders and you’ll have no trouble beating them.
The lack of size on the blue line is especially incredible. This is all on Snow, who seems to abhor size and physicality. It’s open season on everyone is an Islander jersey — opponents can have every confidence that there will be no reprisal.
Giving Gillies more time might help a little — except for the fact that he’s not a usable NHL player against most teams. Konopka is a volume fighter but doesn’t scare anyone (his faceoff value should earn him another contract, though).
Capuano has simplified their systems and made life a little more pleasant than Gordon, but he’s in over his head.
If Snow and Wang look at this game and say “Gee, we only lost 2-0 on the road to one of the best teams in the NHL,” it’s going to be a long last 2 months. This game was as bad an indictment of a team’s willingness to compete as I can imagine.
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Staal didn’t sucker punch Prust, if anything Staal was stickng up for his teammate after Prust was pestering the Pens all night and Prust embellished the punch, look how he went down for example. Staal deserved a penalty that’s for sure but nothing more. He punched Prush but it wasn’t a sucker nor a big KO.
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IslesHostage says:
When Rick went to fight, the rest of the team was in the corner…..fighting/scrapping/shoving. “Sticking up for eachother” as one would put it. It was pointless. As for before that?
You fight back against the Holy Crosby’s you end up in the box. The Isles took a beating because they were trying to win.
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They were trying to win? really? can’t say they played their past when they were blanked by a 30 year old back-up and a team that was without all their top scorers. Sorry man i’m angry my team lost to one of our rivals that’s for sure but i’m not going to drag up conspircies to make myself feel better. The isles lost because they didn’t play to win like they did the night before in Atlanta and the other team did.
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Matt says:
I’m officially done with DiPietro as an Islander. Buy him out.Let him go play in Europe. If he hasn’t grown up by now, he never will.
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P.S.
You know things are bad when Islander fans are happy to see one of their own get knocked down with one punch.
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Anthony says:
DP is a joke in net, enough of him already.Why is a guy like Colliton, who has never done anything and never will be an NHL player on this team and we dont play Gillies.Pitt was just taking runs at our players all night.Hey Snow, Jack how about some size and toughness before another one of our players gets hurt.What a joke!!!!
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rick says:
some of these comments are crazy. if dipi had gotten some good punches in, everyone would be loving that he fought. The 2nd goal was 100% his fault, but everything else that happend in that game was in no way his fault. he played pretty well the rest of the time for a goalie with no team in front of him. you cant blame all of a teams problems on 1 person just because he’s an easy target. poulin is not at an nhl level yet, he would get rocked if he were to play 60-70% of the season.
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Mike P says:
This fight just about sums Rick up. Burns my ass to see the ENTIRE Pens bench laughing after he got dropped. My HATRED for the Pens is reaching my hatred for the Rags level. The Isles got pushed around all night ( Max Talbot running wild ? LOL Really ) without any retaliation. Next game at the Coliseum the Isles better show some balls and send a message by dressing Gillies and get some payback otherwise the league’s laughter at them is well deserved.
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Bill C says:
I used to be one of DP’s biggest defenders, even to my wife who can’t stand him. Rick does not deserve to be on this team. He looked like a spoiled brat last night, and got what he deserved, a spanking. Of course Charlie and Garth will be kneeling in front of him saying ” Good boy Rick, we love you.” DP should be benched for his actions. I thought this guy would grow up but our youth is laughing at him behind his back, and I don’t blame them. How much more do I have to take from this spoiled fragile brat!
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Mick Vukota says:
Both goals tonight were because DP just can’t move quick enough sided to side anymore. He’s physically unable to compete at the NHL level. This team would be a great midnight hockey no check team but they are too soft for this league. Embarrassing to watch. Someone is going to get hurt out there. You would think management would want to protect some of their investments with tougher players. Z and Martin must feel like they are the only guys to drop the gloves and I think Martin has become gun shy after that big punch he took at the end of the fight with Glass. A 21 yr old shouldn’t be the guy a team depends on for toughness anyway. Feel bad for these guys
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brian says:
Yet another sad moment in the Isles last 20 year of futility. Dipi getting his butt kicked led ESPN. Only embarrassing Isles moments lead ESPN.
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David G says:
One of the best teams in the league meeting one of the worst, this was a possible outcome. I think it was great that we managed to win against them last time. Let’s face it, the current roster can’t win that many games in a row. Game could have been different with Poulin though. DP is the perfect role model for him, you just have to do the opposite.
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Islander561 says:
This just in.
Islanders have announced that Rick Dipietro is out of the lineup until 2014 with what is described as an “Upper Body Injury”,
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Quagmire says:
Watching all the pens players, coaches, trainers, etc. just laughing at DiPietro and the Isles at the end there really was mortifying. So embarassing. Is Snow embarassed too when he watches that? We get pushed around and just take it all game long, no fire from the coach to the refs for awful calls or missed calls. This team is a total doormat and it is just truly embarassing. How much do we have to take before we can watch a quality product on the ice? So depressing…..
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DP let in 2 very soft goals. A couple of bad calls, the boys didnt skate that bad. DP is noticeably slower pipe to pipe than Poulin. My wuestion is, why did we draft all these goalies. We are stuck with DP. Last night was embarrassing. He hit Cook. He called down Johnson, then got knocked out. Mark my words, we will end up trading Poulin. At least we will still have Wang’s best friend in net. What a joke.
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By the way, Hillen was on the ice for both goals. It’s time to get rid of him and Gervais.
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Everyone needs to really relax. It was bad what happend lastnight. If dp landed some punches people wouldnt be going that crazy. Its called a rebuild. We need to be patient. I dont want to win alot of games i want the top pick and then trade it for a big time player. Last night people were so excited ppl we played atl hang in there it will be our time but thank god we have poulin.
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JT says:
Ricky Gervais! Poulin is probably telling Ricky Gervais some encoraging words but in reality he must be jumping out of his skin cause now he will be getting the starts for the next couple of weeks! What a CLOWN Ricky Gervais has become!
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Jeff says:
Now there are 2 things Glass Hips cant stop
1) a puck
2) a punchoh yeah, now we can also add glass jaw to his glass hip and paper knees !!!
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BattFist says:
At least DP showed some heart…
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Isles66 says:
Meathead move to get in fight if you’re made of balsa wood especially w/ Lawson going on injured reserved. Guessing Roloson shook his head when he saw get dropped like Mike Tyson was the Pens goalie. And I’m sure Smitty puked in his mouth.
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CJCB says:
LOL! My God dress Gilles already! LOL! That was great, miss that stuff in the “NEW NHL”.
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#140 why we should be patient? This team has been in total suckatude for years we had the worst management for years and watching out team play in a vertial shithole. What I saw was not a rebuild but a epic embarassment. I’m tired of listening to the apologist telling us to hang on and be patient.
#131 sorry to break it to you but the Pens were laughing at us for a good reason. It’s hard to keep a straight face when out shit talking injury prone goalie tripped up the biggest pest in the league then engages a fight with a 30 year old journeyman back up and one punches him to the ice. I’m a Isles fan and I was laughing because if youwant to act tough you got to back it up and he didn’t so he gets embarrassed. Yeah the Isles get pushed around because the Isles didn’t dress Gillies and we have very little big guys. The Pens are the opposite as last year they beefed up their D and got guys that are going to rough up the opponent. Something the Isles need to do. No sir they got roughed up because we have few players that can do the roughing.
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Sean says:
Anyone know why other contracts like Kovalchuks first devils contract was voided, but DiPietro’s contract was allowed?
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BTW I don’t think you can hate the Pens more than you can hate the Jags from Manhatthan I know I can’t.
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Sean I know it’s Wiki but rgarding DP’s contract:
“On September 12, 2006, DiPietro signed a 15-year, $67.5 million contract with the Islanders, topping former teammate Alexei Yashin’s contract signed before the start of the 2001-2002 season of 10 years.[1] Newsday reported that the team offered him a 15-year contract in September 2005, but the league discouraged this; instead, he signed a one-year offer. During the 2010 off-season the New Jersey Devils attempted to sign Ilya Kovalchuk to a 17-year contract, but it was rejected by the NHL on the grounds of salary cap circumvention, leaving DiPietro’s as the longest contract likely to be signed under the 2005 CBA.”
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Ike Snowden says:
Why not give Haley another look. Cannot be any worse offensively than Colliton or Shrimp and he plays with heart. Not a big guy, maybe like an Asham, but comes to play and is not afraid like 70% of this team when it comes to a hit.
Watch these guys get off the puck when the possibility exists that they may get hit.
Gillies alone cannot provide the toughness. It has to be a team deal.
Try Haley the rest of the way and see what he does.
Worth a look, no??? -
claude says:
Pittsburgh has this whole different gear. I thought the Isles tried and believe they could a least beat half the teams in the show with that effort but in the end, men against boys.
Three passes and the Pens are in your offense zone Meanwhile the Isles keep circling back in their defensive enabling the other teams defense time to set. DP kept throwing the puck up the boards away from his incoming defenseman keeping the play alive in the defensive zone to the point where AMAC was yelling at him not to touch it. Gotta laugh’ DP is one entertaining “train wreck’.
Bailey,Collitard ,Gervais and Reese belong in AHL.
I like Jack Hillen’s offensive set , except the part where he gets pushed around like a rag doll. I say move him to forward
Hamonic is going to be awesome
We should win next two -
isles71 says:
DP-one punch wonder!!! Just make Poulin our starter, Ricky is our career back-up and move on. 1st two goals were ECHL level bad!!! DP not truly an NHL goalie because HE hasn’t PROVED he can be one. Use him for the cap floor and call it the day….and yes, the Rangers suck more!
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Jim Clark says:
#144: Kuryakin’s first contract had decreasing salary over the last few years. Gary Bettman felt the salary wasn’t realistic to what a player would sign for and was designed to lower the cap hit. DiPietro’s contract is for a straight $4.3 million for 15 years. No salary cap number games.
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#140 everyone agrees its a rebuild,doesnt mean we have to be a laughing stock or punching bag,this team has a long history of pride and toughness(and cups),we all see the checkbook is closed,but,mabe get some legit toughness, a big mean d man(cairns),and a 4th line that keeps teams honest,bet the fans would love it as much as the kids would…
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CG says:
How much more humiliation can an Islander fan take. Nothing like watching the opponent laugh at your favorite team. DP better stay in the net. He was an embarrassment tonight. Thanks to Johnson for showing mercy on our pathetic goaltender.
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Hud says:
I keep forgetting Bailey is on this team, does he do anything anymore, Detlef too, where has he been? JT, though has been playing well, looked kind of bored and not interested tonight. Ricky was just being Ricky.
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Anth says:
The Isles def need to start taking the body more… seems like the only player on the team who will hit some one is Martin and Z seems like the only player that besides Gillies who plays once in a blue moon that will drop the gloves! End of the day it does not matter who was in net or what the D did! They got shut out! Can’t win hockey games if you don’t score goals!
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Joeshmoe says:
The fight was an embarrassment but only because of the result. If DP had won the fight, we’d only be hearing about how the team couldn’t score a goal AGAIN against Ptt.
For those who claim DP called out Johnson, I beg to differ. Watch DP on the video and you can see as he’s skating back to the net he looks over and gives Brent a ‘why not’ shrug. Johnsons obviously asked Ricky if he wanted to go. His biggest mistake was anticipating that Johnson would punch righty rather than lefty. This is why DP tied up Brents right elbow and angled himself perfectly for Johnsons left haymaker.
UGLY. -
JD says:
You can blame Rick for a lot of things but I can’t get on him for trying to stand up for his team last night and that night in Philly against Carcillo. Gillies needs to be dressed every night since Matt Martin and Kenopka don’t intimidate anybody. As far as the actual game goes, I have seen enough of Schremp. Guys like him who dazzle in the warmups but don’t compete in the actual game don’t belong in the NHL. Bailey plays like a boy among men and JT looks like he would rather be anywhere but here. At least you guys who were alive during the glory years have some great memories of this franchise. All I know is the garbage.
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Besides getting back in shape and play goal in the NHL, Snow needs to teach his buddy DP how to fight….some moves need to be made to stop the bleeding, they need to go in a different direction
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bcarroll25 says:
1- dipietro initiated contact with cooke
2- did anyone see M.A. Fleury laughing at dipietro
3- chris please call one of your old contacts in the front office and get them to tell butch that he sounds like an ass defending dipietro’s actions. blaming johnson for the fight, and excusing the knockout because johnson is 6’3″ is just pathetic. be a homer not an apologist. -
rob(staten island) says:
It’s great to play with a cocky attitude but DP CANNOT back it up with his play; both goals were WEAK
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why is schremp even playing? this team has bailey a top 10 pick playing out of position for this guy? bailey, far more than schremp is tied to the long term future of this team.
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jeff Speight says:
Wow, I’ll bet the players know their great fans will always have their back!
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Nick NYC says:
And that one punch sums up this entire sorry season! It’s embarrasing how bad we’ve been over the last three years against teams in our division.
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Stumpy32 says:
Jesus…give DP a break. Yeah, it was dumb to fight, but the guy was sticking up for the team. I hate being the resident DP backer here, because I’m not, and would be thrilled if he and his contract were gone tomorrow. But some of the comments here…its as if you’re looking for reasons to bash the guy. Give it a rest.
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Lance79 says:
If we had Poulin in there instead of DP the result would be the same as before, a 1-0 loss. Pens would have somehow found a goal and we still wouldn’t have scored.
Tonight vaguely reminded me of any of the games in Toronto during the 02 playoffs. We were physically manhandled, got jobbed by the refs a few times and just looked inferior.
Playing Gillies for 3 minutes out of 60 is not the solution. We need our own Max Talbot/Gary Roberts/Erik Cole type(s). We have one potentilaly in Nino, can anyone say Landeskog?
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Cyclones15 says:
Dropped DP like a wet noodle. What was he thinking! He is done…Poulin & Koskinen are 1-2 in the system…And to have Fleury laughing like he was is embarassing and that shows what this franchise has sunk to!!!
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Tedge 77 says:
Is anyone else tired of seeing Capuano’s blank expression on the bench? They should be dressing Gillies every night. We are in last place it’s not like that one spot on the lineup is going to vault us ahead of anyone. What if someone runs at JT? is Colliton or Schremp going to step up? Konopka and Martin are the only ones with balls on this lineup.
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#166 is DP would of been a ass and got one punched then Fleury wouldn’t of been laughing. Atleast they got someone who can play goalie, can’t say that for the rest of the group sans Poulin.
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Go-Go-Go Goring somewhere else! He is the WORST in the NHL Color Broadcasters!!!!!
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Larry F. says:
I fully understand the criticism of Ricky and agree with it. I wish he would just focus on stopping the puck, but DP has never been that way. His recklessness has contributed to the injuries that have derailed his emerging into the elite goaltender we were starting to see after the 2006 Olympics. And I too, have cringed at some of his antics. But for me, the bottom line is that Ricky wants to win more than ANYBODY. I think that when there is something wrong he feels he has to take it upon himself to rectify it. That’s why DP says, “Let’s beat the Rangers,” to the media. That’s why DP makes agressive but risky plays hoping to make a difference. That’s why DP drops the gloves when it’s obvious that his team has been pushed around and no one else is standing up. His abilities may have diminmished, but his heart has not. I too, wish the rest of Islanders showed as much tenacity and emotion. Regardless of how bad things get, I will still be cringing, but I’ll still be rooting for Ricky. You should be too.
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It would be interesting to hear Bylsma and the team in the locker room ala the 24/7 series as to what he would think of the pathetic Isles!
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IslesFan in Da'Burgh says:
At the game last night as I was the previous week. The Penguins are an elite team, no doubt about it. Missing Crosby, Malkin and others they still run deep. Brent Johnson is one of the most underrated goalies in the league. While he isn’t a superstar is he a top notch backup and has the stats to prove it.
The Islanders last week played them toe to toe in a goaltending clinic (Poulin vs Fleury). This game the Isles where asleep at the wheel and a backbreaking goal by Dippy (#2) deflates the team. I was second row behind the penalty box and you could see it on the players faces.
Both teams played the previous night on the road and traveled (Pens @ Ranger$) though clearly the Isles had the tougher assignment (longer travel, playing again on the road). Why Cappy didn’t swap goalie rotation is beyond me given how successful Poulin was last week.
I was never a Dippy hater, but certainly down on him. Give credit for his resilience to keep trying to come back and clearly has a heart of blue and orange, but now I can’t do anything but pity him. He has no business being an NHL goalie anymore. His reflexes are off, he’s slow up+down and laterally, and generally will let up a softie per game. Him stealing a game are a few and far between. Granted the defense in front of him is suspect but seeing Lawson, Poulin and Rolly still seem to track the puck a whole lot better.
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Tony says:
I’ve been an Islanders fan since 1979, and although there have been many cringe-worthy events over the years, I have never been more embarrassed and humiliated to be a fan than when DP got one-punch KOed last night.
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rich says:
Who was doing the broadcast with Howie last nite? Do either of them know NHL rules?
The Kunitz goal was a shot, thats why there was no penalty for high sticking. On the followthru of a shot its legal.
And when the Isles knocked the puck into the crowd in the PENGUINS zone, they were saying the Isles dodged a delay of game call. Does anyone know the rules in Islanderland?
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@146, Kovy’s tried to avoid the salary cap with the last years at less than a million. DP’s deal is a flat salary/cap hit all the way through… it pays him the same every year, not 10, 10, 10, 9, 9, 9, .5, .5 etc
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NYI FAN says:
If DP could stop the puck as well as that fist, we would be in the playoff race! I guess after a nice win, you get this.
I am starting to wonder if the Isles will ever be a playoff team in my lifetime, let alone a Cup winning team. -
Oh, sorry for the second post, was wondering if Johnson got credit for a Shutout, leaving the game with a few seconds remaining. Maybe DP didn’t think the guy would fight because of this, just thinking out loud.
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Scott says:
DP is pathetic! Nabakov wouldve worked Johnson. DP dropped the gloves cuz he knows he was terrible-tried to save face and failed miserably. Just another chapter in the dismal Isles fairy tale.
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Hollywood says:
Thoughts from last night.
Yes, Ricky gave up a terrible second goal but enough with the bashing. Kudos to him for his shove at Cooke and answering the bell vs Johnson. I don’t give a shit if he got laid out with one punch. At least he showed his frustration. The continuous bashing of Ricky is moronic. The guy missed 2 years due to injuries so this year has been a bit rocky. I’ll bet next year he plays extremely well and most of u who have ripped him will be praising him.
I’ve said this before, why isn’t Gillies dressed for EVERY game. Colliton sucks.
Funny how they decided to move Schremp to wing but on the 4th line. This team can’t generate offense with the best playmaker on a line with Konopka, Martin.
Has Martin had a fight since he recieved that shiner a couple of weeks ago? Is Konopka the most overated fighter in the league! -
Brian $ says:
The only thing missing from last night was Ronnie from the Jersey Shore skipping away yelling “One Shot, Thats One Shot Kid”
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NYI Fan. No because Johnson was ejected from the game along with DP Johnson dosen’t get the SO. It gets credited in the books as a team SO.
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Any coach who stiffs his tough players on ice time then puts them out on the ice the last 20 seconds to inflate times, just shows he is a minor league punk. He will get no respect from his players, Play them when it counts captain Jack, Garth please get a coach!
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#170 very well said. Dp’s contract is what annoys people and that Wang pushes him to play and we have to be subjected to this because of it. We dont hate Dipietro and his will to win and be an Islander. Its a sad story with all the injuries and we should of never had Dipietro to begin with but did because of a bafoon named Mike Milbury. But its Ricky who did come out and say “lets beat the ranger$.” He trully loves this team and has heart, just does not have the quickness post to post and that showed last night.
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Does anyone know what happened to Yablonski? He only played 17 games for the Sound Tigers and has been gone for a while??
Hurt, released, MMA?? anyone know? -
BanGarth says:
You can’t fault DP for dropping the gloves, nothing to do with a sideshow and everything to do with being a leader and standing up for his team. I would rather have a guy who gets knocked out than a guy who doesn t stand up for his team. This falls on Garth , who is not a real GM. Our toughest guy on D is a 19 year old , hinders development when a kid like that can t focus on his game and is worried about trying to be physical. No one has cleared the front of the crease and this is a big reason DP’s career is going to come to abrupt and sad end soon. As a former goalie you think that moron would get big guys to protect the goalie but he goes in the opposite direction every year and gets smaller guys. The league should step in and force the team to hire a real GM who is not in it just to collect a check form an eccentric millionare.
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Bob E says:
A new Low for DP. Not only was the 2nd goal digusting, but they you challenge Brent johnson to fight and get knocked out with one punch.
Not a great follow up game after great night in atlanta. -
moonshine says:
if dp stays focused and makes those two saves, it’s 0-0 after regulation and we’re talking about a great isles effort against a very tough team.
and who knows, maybe in ot you sneak one. -
Scott #179: Nabokov wouldn’t have been in that kind of situation..Brent Johnson did us all a favor.
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Gene F says:
what a joke DP has become. 2 bad goals and KO from one punch. Embarrassing!
Hey, Garth, why did you trade Roloson instead of extending him for one more season? Just look at his stats with Tampa. -
Al says:
Snow, you must do something about this goalie situation! DP is not the answer.
It’s sad how much we get pushed around. This team is too soft and why the hell wasn’t Gillies in the lineup? Spend some friggin money and get some leadership on this team!! These are the results of being cheap…crap doesn’t last long and falls apart. -
TEAM TOUGHNESS is a necessity to winning!
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anthony says:
What do these isles want to do for the rest of the season? I heard that this upcoming draft is the weakest at the top in yrs. After the 2nd pick the player potential REALLY drops off. they can do 1 of 2 things.
1. Play Dipietro or Lawson when he gets back every game and lose many to essentially tank the season and get a top 2 pick which is GOLDEN to FINALLY use in a draft day trade for a scoring forward cause we know this is a WEAK FA class after Richards and dont dream we are getting him. GARTH NEEDS TO TRADE!!
2. Play Poulin a lot and win games more often with him than the other 2 and try to show FA”s what the isles can do when healthy BUT as i said after Richards there are no forwards that will really make a playmaking difference.I say they gotta somehow get that top pick and deal it for a top forward to play with JT and MM. that will bring out more in JT cause he is the ONLY guy other teams gameplan for.
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BillStar says:
Although DP’s heart might of been in the right place, that was the most embarrssing moment as an islander fan since Spano.
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Billstar. Sure DP getting one-punched was embarrassing but comparable to John Spano? Not even close. DP was just a idiot doing that. John Spano was a total fraud and a criminal who put not only Isles fan in a black eye but the entire NHL to boot. I still can’t believe he almost bambozled the NHL.
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Wang better lower tickets more than 25% for this doormat of a team. He thinks thats enough-haha
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Reality Check says:
embarrassing….pathetic….
seriously, no joke anymore- DP must go- enough is enough- cut your losses. hes a joke!! when the players find out DP is in net their mentality cant be the same when poulin is in, so they are already starting from behind before the puck is even dropped. DP is slow- he tries to make average saves look like highlight reel saves. he is slow. the first goal was EASY to save, he was just TOO SLOW!! he couldnt get to the post. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!
butch goring is painful to listen to….he reminds me of john sterling because he is the because homer; but at least john sterling has legit reasons to be a homer (this is coming from a HUGE anti-yankee fan). he MUST go immediately.
i cant blame anyone for laughing at the islanders- hell, i was laughing at DP last night also; he is pathetic!!! this team has so much dead weightDP, PAP, Schremp, Comeau, Reese, Bruno, weight, hunter, hillen….get rid of them all!! gimme some muscle.
move aside boys, this is a mans game!
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Mikamakela24 says:
NO matter who snow drafts, or trades for, the payroll still has to be the lowest in the league. Essentially already eliminating isles from playoffs next season already. And the season after. Hoping a team with the lowest payroll can ever make the playoffs is asking for a minor miracle. Once in 10 years on a normal tesm. Once in 40 years with a team yhat plays a goalie with worst #’s in nhl like dipietro save %
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What was DiPietro doing? He went over to Brent Johnson non shalant, like ho hum, lets pretend I’m going to fight & then waits to the last second to even bother taking off his helmet as Johnson is winding up for a punch. It was like DiPietro didn’t expect Johnson to throw a punch. What the heck was he thinking? The refs were clueless this game! Martinek gets high sticked in the face on the Pittsburgh Goal, which shouldn’t have counted. Comeau gets a total cheapshot to the back of the head(which the NHL is supposedly trying to cut out) and the ISLANDERS get a Penalty! Then Pitt gets that cheasy PP Goal. Both Goals by Pittsburgh shouldn’t have counted. But both Goals were weak goals let up by DiPietro. How weird is it going to be next year for DiPietro & his 60 million dollar contract to be the back up for Kevin Poulin and his $600,000 contract?
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Laurie says:
I watched DP in Bridgeport; players didn’t like him there – said every bus ride required two seats for DP, one for him and one for his ego. He spends too much time wanting to play the puck. Put a fork in him, he’s done.
Poulin has the potential to be a good goaltender; he’s needs a bit more seasoning in the AHL. Neither Nathan nor Mikko are the answer either.
NY Islanders are more AHL than NHL. Time for Wang and Snow to wake up and smell the coffee. Either sell the team or move it! The Islanders History deserves better than it has been getting.
It’s sad that they spend so much time showing history on their website, but they have to because there is nothing current to be excited about. -
Rich 55 says:
Ricketty again played the whole game on his knees. Awful goals against. Cappy should have yanked him.
The collective body language shows that the team has no faith in Ricketty and Ricketty shows that he knows his best days are long gone. The “fight” only brought more embarrassment to an organization that is already disrespected by players, league, fans, media and local politicians.
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Hey BanGarth, Looks like DP went out of his way to get Cooke and the he himself got COOKED!!! By Johnson….DP is hurting this team!!!
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Hishutzi Skorz says:
This just in!
Isles announce that NVMC has a corporate sponsor!
It will now be named “Charmin Coliseum!”
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#37 – +100000
i’ve been clamoring for haley for a year and a half now
he NEVER would have allowed what happened last night to happen
he’ll take on ANYONE even though he’s only 200 pounds. and he usually destroys whoever he fights. one tough son of a biatch. and he can play some too, he has at least 12 goals the last time i checked. haley should be here NOW
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Chris18 says:
And in this cornerrrrrr, Ricky “Glass Jaw” DiiiiP-ahooooooole!”
Johnson winds up a 2nd time then looks down at DP like “really? That’s it? I skated all the way over here for 1 punch?” The cynic in me wishes he got a concussion and was forced to sit out for a long time.
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Albuquerque Mike says:
Next time DP wants to fight he should hide behind an ice girl. This guy is an embarrassment both in net and out. Wang should get him to play in China. He could visit him there for the next 10 years. Also, it’s one thing to keep losing, but does the play of the Islanders have to be so damn boring?
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19 Isle in NJ 22 says:
I haven’t heard this much fuss about Brent Johnson since sometime in early 2000 when a teammate of mine was hoping, and declaring that Brent Johnson would be the perfect replacement for Mike Richter.
As far as the Matt Cooke thing goes … I just watched my DVR again (a few times) … before that I was all ready to slam DP… However after looking at it again … I think DP was more in the way of Cooke from going to Reese who had the puck. DP really had no where to go. Cooke’s left skate cut right through DP’s crease as they made contact.
I’ve played and watched the game long enough to be fairly certain that Matt Cooke fully intended to BUZZ or clip DP, while DP was going back towards his crease.
DP looked like he hesitated when he saw he had no where to go, then realized who it was, and at the last minute thinking he may get run, put his arm up and Cooke ran into it …. I’m not saying it was Cooke’s fault 100%. I’m saying DP took on Cooke’s high speed, aggressive buzz attempt, then got his arm up, as anyone would do to protect themself.
DP didn’t step into Cooke with his arm. He just put it up and let Cooke’s forward momentum do this rest. Cooke was intentionally interfering with the progress of DP returning to his crease.
That was a classic test of hockey sense for Cooke… On the fore check (as Cooke was attempting to do) … he was pursuing Dylan Reese who had possession behind the net and had his momentum going forward towards the other side of the net.
In that case as a fore checking forward coming off the weak side of the puck you slow down the progress of, and reduce the defenseman’s ability to skate with speed from behind his own net and make that first pass by going across the grain and meeting the defender with the puck on the other side of the net (or force him to hit the breaks and turn the other way)… You don’t chase him behind the net, when you’ll cetainly get beat, and be behind the play. That is Hockey Sense 101 … and if any coach was testing him … Cooke would of gotten an “F”!
Cooke didn’t get to the NHL by being stupid. That was his late game, nothing at stake last chance to take a shot at DP. However, looking at this clip it wasn’t spun that way. The Pen announcers made it like DP was the antagonist. DP was standing on the side of the net, and saw Cooke coming at him, and didn’t back down. Good for you Rick!! That is what this team needs … They gotta push back, and at that point in the game it wasn’t going to hurt their chances to win.
Now DP didn’t do himself any favors in the fight. LOL! Aside from the fact that DP gives up a few inches in reach … I’m pretty sure as an inexperienced fighter he wasn’t expecting a nice left like that.
Johnson probably is going to get a slap on the wrist supplimentary discipline for leaving the crease and evading the Ref who emphatically tried to prevent him from engauging in the fight. It may fall under failure to obey the direction of an official … unsportsmanlike. If that does occur … then you can bet dollars to donuts they will slap the same thing on DP just to even things out.
BTW … What happened between DP and Cooke probably happens at least a few times a night during a typical NHL schedule. I think Cooke didn’t expect DP to be ready so he wiped out after DP got his arm up because DP was braced for impact.
If you don’t agree… Watch the repeat on MSG+ … The end of the 3rd period should be on between 2 and 2:30…. Purge what the Pen announcers said from your mind and keeping an open mind, watch the entire series of events in context.
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Cold Spring Harbor says:
#43, we do have a coach who will toss sticks on the ice, Kevin Colley in Utah, last week. Looks like Ricky takes his fighting lessons from “One Punch Bruno”. I think watching the Penguins all laughing was the worst part. No class Penguins even came down and started shooting on Poulin with 10 seconds left and a three goal lead. Team needs more guts then relying on the goalie to fight its battles. They better show some fight a week from Friday.
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Diane says:
Yikes, as embarrasing as it was to watch at the time, this comment section is even more embarrasing.
We need to remember that these guys were getting pounded and probably verbally taunted the whole game. How the heck do you think they are gonna feel, the frustration over not being able to score, letting in soft goals, getting knocked off pucks, questionable hits, lots of blocks, even seeing some of their own teammates taking it easy, what do you think they are gonna feel like? I’d be pretty fired up too and I’m not even a guy. They’re human, they’re allowed to act that way from time to time.
Its over. Lets all move on and get back to hoping they get some skill and size and keep developing. Things like that.
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ny711ot says:
I give credit to anyone who is willing to throw but how appropo that Ricky Gets Leveled.
The effort from JT and Moulson was pathetic. In my opinion they have taken way too many nights off. I would really consider moving Okposo. We have overvalued him for too long. A power forward that is unwilling to hit and mix it up is worthless.
Hes not talented enough for the first line and not physical enough for the third….i think grabner can give more offense on the second…. -
Isle be a Fan says:
Anybody who buys season tickets for next year if DiPietro is going to be a Goalie getting more than 15 Starts is an Fool ! I’m sorry, but this is a JOKE !
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50 in 50 says:
Folks are going to talk poorly about the Islanders if they win or lose. The referees did not determine the final outcome of this game, many a night the officiating is “1 way” You have to be a winner to earn the respect from the officials and the league. I must admit however that it seemed to me that this was a make up for ending Cindys point streak. Pittsburgh is the 1970′s Flyer team and the league turns a blind eye. Just a reason to dislike them even more.
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Five for Fighten says:
I’m very disappointed in last nights game. From the coaching to the officiating. Tell me how Coach Cap can sit Gillies and send Schremp out on a 4th line against a team like Pittsburgh. With Goddard, Rupp, Cook, Ekland (? their tough “D” man) etc in that line up. Plus their team is as physical as any in the NHL and right at the top with fighting majors. We were banged and pushed around all night. Its a miracle that no one was injured. It was a complete embarrassment. Ending with the most embarrassing knock down I’ve ever seen. Ricky you put the cherry on top of the evening, YUCK
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black ice says:
Where to start?
How about for five years the Isles have needed a rugged forward, and Snow has produced nothing.
How about Capuano dresses as he couches: minor league. (Di Pietro should have been pulled after the first goal. If that’s how long he takes to get from one side of the crease to the other then he doesn’t belong playing professional hockey, let alone in the NHL.)
How about Rob Schremp should never suit up again.
How about we put Jush Bailey on waivers. How ’bout Blake Comeau joins him.
How about Matt Martin doing more than huffing and puffing.
How about size and speed, size and speed.
How about a cocktail?
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JSExpress says:
So if DP winds up missing a few games, who backs up Poulin?
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rob says:
yahh well leave DP alone, least he stands up for the team.
he must be pissed considering during the offseason he trains by boxing
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Spittin'chicklets says:
Say it like it is.. regardless.. they got outplayed, out hit, out face’offed, out worked and out scored us. Usually, without a lot of guys who can finish you can see the Isles getting out scored..but out worked? That should never happen with a roster the Isles have, if and when it does, well you’re gonna loose most nights. Dipi? Watched every game he’s played…the problems clearly are behind and in between his ears. Physical problems aside, (which no one will ever really know about lets face it) ..he’s never played with an obvious appearance that shows him, “Putting his team and teammates first.” You say he jumps in a fight here and there, that is NOT putting your team first…in fact it’s quite the opposite. He’s in love with his own ego..Sure, Ricks a great team guy in the locker room and on the bench..and on the plane..etc.. BUT on the Ice? …nope, he’s allll Rick..and his game shows it. His in quote in Newsday was something like,”When you loose, you wanna loose hard.” WHAT THE EFF?!? That has got to be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard. Yeah, I believe Rick has more problems then just his body folks..and they are more severe then any knee/Hip surgery he’s ever had. Not to mention 1000 times more difficult to diagnose or fix. Arm chair shrink.?? Yeah ok maybe but that doesn’t make me any less.. “Wrong.”
Go Isles !!!! -
terry says:
Last night shows why the isles have to play Gillies he brings an element to the team nobody else does. Love the heart of Zenon but he is a middleweight fighter.If the coach and Gm dont see Gillies must play they wont have to worry about resigning the young guys because they will all be hurt and wont be playing,when your team is this bad how much worse could one guy make it.Sit JB he looks lost and uninspired.A real coach would help.
Very questionable officiating led to both Pens goals;
Blindside hit on Comeau completely missed by the officials and somehow we end up short-handed.
Martinek hit in the face with Kunitz stick after his shot on the 2nd goal
Both obvious calls, both horrible misses by the officials, but when you play in Pittsburgh you have to deal with playing against the refs as well.