Monthly Archives: March 2011
Minus: Marian Gaborik deserved a five-minute major and game misconduct for his hit from behind on Frans Nielsen. Doesn’t matter what the intent was. Bad hit.
Plus: While Nielsen was sidelined for the game with a head injury, the Islanders got off the mat and stood up for their teammate’s honor by blitzing the Rangers with a four-goal second.
Plus: Radek Martinek blasted a goal by Henrik Lundqvist in the second period to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead. If it was Martinek’s last goal as an Islander, it was a good one.
Plus: Congratulations to Michael Grabner and his girlfriend on the birth of their son, Aidan.
Plus: Soon after @grabs40 tweeted that @grabsignificantother gave birth, the Islanders couldn’t stop scoring.
Plus: Travis Hamonic.
Plus: Sean Avery is the latest veteran to be unaware that Micheal Haley is one of the best middleweight fighters in pro hockey. Now he is.
Plus: Brandon Prust and Zenon Konopka (one bad knee, one bad ankle) engage in a long, spirited fight late.
Plus: After Haley and Konopka have their fights, Trevor Gillies scores a goal to make it 6-1.
Plus: Three assists and a fight for depth dman Dylan Reese.
Plus: Quality goaltending by Al Montoya.
Plus: The third period move by John Tavares that led to Matt Moulson’s 31st goal of the season.
Plus: The Rangers’ power play was bad, but a lot of credit goes to the Islanders’ PK. And that’s without Nielsen, Grabner and Andrew MacDonald.
Plus: Before suffering a shoulder injury, Ty Wishart played a strong game.
Plus: The Islanders can be proud of making their rivals sweat out the playoff race until possibly the last game of the season.
Plus: The Lottery Watch takes a night off. The Islanders needed this win. The Country deserved it.
Comments and your Plus/Minus on tonight’s victory. We’re taking a DiPietro break in the thread. Please respect it. Thanks.
Thanks to Darren Pang for taking part in SNY Point Blank TV’s Islanders-Rangers preview. As always, excellent insight from Panger. Comments on his thoughts and tonight’s game.
by Kevin Schultz
If you turned off the television because you couldn’t sit through the beginning of this game, I don’t blame you. The Islanders were in New Jersey for a hockey game tonight, sure, but there really wasn’t much going on for the first 50 minutes. The Devils took an early lead and were not threatened for the early part of the game, making it look like another low-scoring snoozer in the swamp. A hockey game did take place in the final 10 minutes, however.
The Isles sleepwalked through much of the game and found themselves down 2-0 halfway through the third when Marc Katic went off for a very questionable four-minute high sticking penalty. Frans Nielsen scored his league leading 7th shorthanded goal and the Islanders didn’t allow a shot on that PK, looking as if they had started to wake up. Nielsen would score four minutes later to tie the game in a scrum inside Marty Broduer’s kitchen, that goal serving to apparently wake up the Devils. A little over a minute later Andy Greene regained the lead for New Jersey and despite some chances for the road team in the final minutes, that would be all.
Two minutes into the first, Zenon Konopka exacted revenge on David Clarkson for the perceived slight toward coach Jack Capuano last time these teams met. According to pre-game reports from the venerable Kate Strang the Isles had no hard feelings and didn’t expect any retaliation. Clearly, there was at least one person on the roster who felt otherwise. Matt Martin also fought New Jersey’s Jay Leach, making it two games in a row the Isles had two fights early in the first period.
For those keeping score, that’s now three divisional opponents the Isles have made – or at least tried to make – retaliatory statements against. The Devils tonight, the Flyers last Saturday and of course the Penguins. It will be interesting to see what happens on this front next season and the next time someone takes a cheap shot at an Islander.
I don’t want to over-hype the significance of one player – let’s be clear, there was a lot going wrong tonight – but with Michael Grabner out of the lineup we got to see how this team looks without his speed and energy. It’s not a pretty picture and would have helped some messy looking penalty kills early in the game. When Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo had some offensive chances on the PK in the third period, the difference without Grabner’s blazing speed was obvious.
A few weeks ago the Isles had two hard fought losses against a red-hot Devils team. Tonight’s game was the complete opposite as the play of both teams has cooled off considerably with the playoffs fading and the end of the regular season coming into view. In the end, the Islanders didn’t really test Marty Brodeur outside a few minutes in the second period and the second half of the third. This was, until they started scoring, very nearly the opposite of a complete effort. On the other side, the Devils didn’t get a shot and gave up Nielsen’s SHG on a four-minute power play in the third and feebly surrendered a two-goal lead before taking back the lead.
With five games to go in the year, the Islanders handed the team directly in front of them in the standings two points (in regulation, no less). Given that, it may be time to look ahead towards the draft lottery. Currently, the Isles are tied for fourth with the Florida Panthers who are winless in their last six and host Ottawa tomorrow night. The Islanders will host the Rangers tomorrow night at 7 PM. Each team has five games left to go.
Comments on tonight’s game in this thread.
Can’t make this up. At 11:45 am today, I’m at SNY interviewing Denver coach George Gwozdecky about Matt Donovan, his superb play and the decision Matt has to make about turning pro or not. George mentions during the interview that the Islanders have made an offer to Donovan. Two minutes after we’re done, the NYI announce the signing of Donovan to an Entry Level Contract that will begin next season. He’ll start now in Bridgeport on an ATO. I will still run the interview this week because Gwozdecky had some fascinating insights into Donovan’s development, his decision and the role of an NCAA coach.
3:00 pm: Just before the NYI signed Al Montoya today to a one-year, one-way contract, Kevin Weekes suggested in this SNY interview that they should reward Montoya with a one-year, one-way contract. Here the analyst for HNIC, NHL Net and VERSUS talks Montoya, explains the magic of Maharaj, sings the praises of DiPietro, lauds the potential of Poulin and offers advice for Nilsson. Comments.
Our picks for UFA, the No. 1 goaltender, next captain, where prospects rank, where the NYI will finish next season (playoffs?!) and much more. Your reaction to this commentary, taped last week, is encouraged.
UPDATED, Monday at 11:00 am: The Islanders have unveiled their pricing and perks for 2011-12. The current team website story does not provide specific details on cut prices and added benefits. Here is the chart with prices and privileges. Feel free to discuss in Comments whether the changes spark your interest.
Sunday, 12:40 pm: For the Islanders’ upcoming announcement regarding ticket prices, Point Blank has been told that fans can expect the following, among other initiatives:
- The recent 20% reduction of over-the counter prices, instituted after the Islanders’ early-season swoon took them essentially out of the playoff race by early December, is likely to remain in place for the 2011-12 season.
- Season ticket pricing plans will be significantly discounted. Contrary to a theory posted here on Saturday night, it does not appear the franchise will ask buyers to put down money early this spring in order to get the best prices. Good.
- After seeing their benefits reduced over the last few seasons, Islanders full season subscribers can expect a menu of highly creative and enticing goodies to choose from if they renew or sign up.
- Additional fan-friendly ticket plans and promotions are also in the works.
The Islanders will likely release details on ticket prices and promotions for 2011-12 on the team website and via press release by early Monday afternoon.
After making $20 tickets available in prime locations for so many games this season, the Islanders are faced with some challenges to put fans in the seats while creating more revenue in 2011-12. Team executives also face stiff competition from secondary ticket markets like StubHub, which since October often offered movie-level prices for NHL games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
Despite the obvious improvement in the team’s play during the second half, there is also the challenge of overcoming the stigma of finishing in 26th, 30th, 26th and (around) 26th the last four seasons with nary a playoff push. When all is said and done, there is no better marketing campaign than having a winning team.
Nevertheless, combined with the development of key young players and an upgrade of the roster over the last year, Monday’s announcement figures to be very good news in Islanders Country. The phone number is still 1.800.882.ISLES.
Comments on this welcomed.
