Monthly Archives: October 2011
I’ll be back with a normal, level-headed game preview later. For now, here are some old highlights to get you ready for the first of six visits we’ll take to the Thunderdome this season. We’ll go with three videos in a modified Gordie Howe hat trick format; a goal, a fight and a save.
A GOAL
1984 Playoffs – The Drive for Five
The two teams met in the first round of the 1984 playoffs. After splitting the first four games, the rivals met for a decisive Game 5 at the Coliseum. The Rangers would tie the game late in the third but it would be Ken Morrow for the Islanders victory in OT.
A FIGHT
Al Montoya vs. Rick DiPietro
Yeah… Can’t let this video slip buy us today. In 2007, the teams met in the pre-season and even though the game didn’t mean anything they kept it real. With a line brawl. And this is of course the last time they’ve played in the pre-season. THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS YOU GUYS. Got to love Chris King saying at the end of the video: “every Islander fan in the building holding their breath that Rick DiPietro would not be injured.”
A SAVE
Marian Gaborik’s penalty shot
Last October the teams met at the Coliseum in the Islanders’ second game of the season. The Rangers were debuting their shiny new toy in Marian Gaborik and halfway through the first he got pulled down on a break away. A penalty shot was awarded against The Rick. The Islanders would go on to win 6-4.
The Islanders have announced Rick DiPietro has been diagnosed with a concussion and there is no timetable for his return.
Discussion on last night’s game continues below.
Box score :: AP Recap
written by Kevin Schultz
Sometimes teams have those nights where everything goes just right. When Victor Hedman opened the game by swatting a puck into his own net, maybe that was the cue. The Islanders jumped out to 4-1 lead after one period and Michael Grabner added a goal in the second to make it 5-1, a score that would hold.
The story of the game was the first line, of which Matt Moulson and John Tavares had been held scoreless through the first two games. Had they not shown up on the scoresheet again tonight, you would probably be hearing a few gripes about that from the gallery. Of course, it was exactly the opposite. After the flukey goal that Hedman batted in, the Moulson-Tavares-Parenteau combination took full advantage of a Lightning defense that stood around and watched most of the offense coming their way. The second goal of the period came from Moulson in typical Matt Moulson fashion by banging home a rebound in great position at the front of the net. Tavares would notch his second after some tic-tac-toe passing and earn an early nomination for play of the season. This isn’t one of the top lines in the league but these guys deserve to be where they are and have earned their spots.
As you can see, the Tampa defense didn’t really mind when the puck was carried right into their zone. Kudos to the Isles trio for some absolutely beautiful tape-to-tape passing. Parenteau would close the period with a slam dunk of his own, a beautiful feed from Tavares in the slot.
Parenteau and Moulson take their shots from critics but nights like this show you why those claims are mostly unfounded. This isn’t a top line with some impressive resume and list of accolades, sure. Maybe the criticism comes because the pedigrees of Tavares’ wingers aren’t like that of his own. Maybe it’s because Moulson and Parenteau were both AHL cast-offs of their former teams. Regardless, these guys are for real and there’s a clear chemistry when they’re on the ice together. They all have the ability to start and finish plays, as we were witnesses to tonight. They absolutely shredded an average NHL defense and bounced Dwayne Roloson who, to be fair, wasn’t to blame on more than a couple of those goals. The inability of his defenders to move bodies out of the crease and flat out get their sticks in passing lanes did him in.
But the great effort didn’t end with the first line. The second line of Okposo-Nielsen-Grabner was absolutely buzzing and notched the 5th goal in the second period. A bounce here or there and they certainly could have had more. Both of the bottom two lines were solid as well with Josh Bailey pulling out an eye catching spinorama.
In my pre-game earlier today, I doubted the ability of the Islanders’ defense to keep up with a speedy Tampa Bay team. Consider me proven wrong. Up and down the line up, this was a great game. The defense continued where they left off on Monday in terms of clogging passing lanes and blocking shots. To a man, they were able to isolate and shut down their opponents, the only goal coming off a deflection from Steven Stamkos. Even on that play, Stamkos was off balance and headed away from the crease thanks to a shove from Andy MacDonald.
As for the man in net, Al Montoya, well what is there to say? 34 saves on 35 shots. Montoya will surely be the starter on Saturday against the Rangers, something he certainly deserves. As the solid starts keep piling up, the leash on Montoya gets longer and longer.
The only real concern coming from this game are the liberties a few Lightning took with John Tavares. Victor Hedman had a hit on Tavares in the first of questionable timing, throwing him towards the boards at an odd angle. In the third, Hedman was back for more in a sequence that saw a few small cross-checks and Steve Downie starting some stuff. That’s just what Steve Downie does and it’s hard to say that Tavares was in any significant danger in the latter situation. For those that are concerned have no fear, earlier today Katie Strang tweeted that a Gillies return is near.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Former Islanders coach Steve Stirling is back on the bench in Binghamton after going through a quadruple by pass earlier in the year. An absolutely great story and best of luck to Mr. Stirling. (TheAhl.com) Thanks to Anthony L for the link.
- After being returned to juniors, Ryan Strome had a hat trick tonight. Not too bad of a start!
Tonight’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning will undoubtedly be the biggest test of the year so far for this defensive corps and the team as a whole. Of course, that’s kind of a ridiculous statement to make given we’re only two games into the season but in all actuality the Lightning are arguably the best offensive team the Isles will face until Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals come to town in November.
Tampa’s top line features two 95+ point players in Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis, easily one of the most prolific scoring duos in the league. We’ll learn a lot about the defense and goalie Al Montoya by how well they handle those two. The defense has been solid but not great during the first two games. Captain Mark Streit had a bad game and a great one while Andy MacDonald and Travis Hamonic have been a solid pair. The three veterans that round out the lineup have been sufficient but are not exactly fleet of foot. It’s a little worrisome to think about how fast Stamkos or St. Louis are in comparison but this is why they play the game. It’s the only way to know for sure if Stamkos will turn Eaton into a traffic cone or if the vet has some tricks up his sleeve.
With Rick DiPietro out at the very least as a cautionary measure due to puck-to-head-itis, Al Montoya undoubtedly should be in net at the Coliseum tonight.
NEWS AND NOTES
+ Ryan Strome has been returned to his junior team, Niagra of the OHL. No word on if that move was in conjunction with someone coming off IR.
+ Kirill Kabanov has moved to Farjestad of the SEL (Sweden).
+ Tonight’s game will air on MSG. Thank you NBA lockout for not making us search for the +2.
+ The Islanders announced an attendance of 11,278 for Monday’s matinee against the Wild. Of course the real number was lower and believe me it looked lower at the Coliseum. In comparison, last year’s Columbus Day matinee against the Rangers only drew an announced 11,748. Kind of makes you wonder why they’re playing during the day on a holiday Monday where a lot of people have to work.
+ On a programming note, I work late on Thursdays so the post-game wrap will be delayed as I’ll have to DVR through the game. There will still be a game post up as soon as the game ends, so feel free to start the discussion without me.
+ In Sons of the Isle news, the Dallas Stars acquired Eric Nystrom yesterday. Partially an acquisition of talent, partially an acquisition of cap dollars. Best of luck to Eric in the Lonestar State.
THE OPPOSING VIEW
with Damian Cristodero, Lightning beat reporter for the St. Pete Times since 2000.
KS: The Lightning were a game away from the Finals last season and watched their opponents in the ECF go on to win it all. With the majority of the roster returning, they’re still going to be a contender in the East. How far do you seem them going and what could be their Achilles’ heel?
DC:It’s impossible to predict how far a team will go after just three games. What we know is that the team is very similar to last seasons in that it is deep at forward, and has questions on defense and in net. The questions at defense got deeper this week with the news Mattias Ohlund will be out 4-6 weeks with knee problems. I think the blue line is the team’s main concern. Dwayne Roloson and Mathieu Garon should be fine in net, but the blue line, after Eric Brewer and Victor Hedman, has a lot to prove. All that said, given the team went as far as it did last season, no reason it won’t be a serious contender in the East.
KS:There’s an interesting combination of young and older stars on this team. How many years do you think the proverbial window is open for this particular iteration of the team to make serious playoff runs?
DC:This is probably too simplistic an answer, but I think much depends on how long Marty St. Louis can maintain his level of play. At 36 you have to believe he will start to fade. Replacing that kind of engine will be difficult, so whatever St. Louis’ timeline is, I believe it is the same for the Lightning, at least in the short term.
KS:Out of the five former Islanders on the Bolts’ roster — Gervais, Bergeron, Thompson, Roloson and Brewer — which one is most important to the team’s success this season and why?
DC:Has to be Roloson. He turns 42 Wednesday. How he stands up to another full season and how Tampa Bay manages his workload (he probably will play about 50 regular-season games) are the keys. If he’s solid and rested heading into the playoffs, the Lightning will be a dangerous team.
After practice today, Newsday’s Arthur Staple noted that Rick DiPietro had to leave practice after taking a Brian Rolston shot square in the mask. I’m sure some in the national media will take this as their first opportunity of the season to jump on the Laugh at the Islanders Bandwagon, which has had its fair share of riders the last few years. I’m also sure that many of us on Long Island are taking the all too common actions of laughing at DiPietro’s misfortune or venting your anger on the interwebs. The reactions today on Twitter were a mishmash of vitriol and heavily slathered sarcasm. All of these reactions are standard operating procedure given Rick’s history but don’t exactly apply to this chapter.
Let’s rein it in a bit.
The news is unfortunate — a man took a puck in the head — and, of course, not entirely unexpected as said man has suffered many injuries. However, this isn’t your standard Rick DiPietro Injury Circus featuring surgeries, year long rehabs, failed comebacks, etc. At least it shouldn’t be. He’s likely looking at a concussion here, if anything. Of course, to speculate on the severity of an injury, if any, is not what I’m going to do having no knowledge of the situation. We’ll surely learn more soon.
The point is that taking a puck in the face is a standard occurrence in hockey although it always feels like a freak occurrence because it’s so rare. This certainly isn’t the first time he’s taken one in the mask and might not be the last. It’s part of the job.
“Of course this craziness would happen to Ricky, is he cursed? What a jerk,” would be the sort of thought I’m referring to. But random chance being what it is should not be just cause to put Rick or the team in the pillory of the village square. Two years ago, it was Jack Hillen quite literally taking one in the chin, resulting in a broken jaw. Fortunately for DiPietro, he’s got a full cage to protect him. Unfortunately for DiPietro, it’s more than a potential injury and another hill to climb. It’s extra gasoline for the haters’ fire and another uncertain future until there’s a diagnosis.
For now, let’s all have a little bit of heart for a guy who, while as fragile as they come, has worked hard to get back to the point where he seemed 100% and ready to go when his number was eventually called. This could have happened to any goaltender in any practice today. Unfortunately for Rick and to a lesser extent the Islanders, it happened to the one who will face the most vitriol for it.
KABANOV’S HOCKEY PURGATORY
Our editor emeritus CB may have said it best yesterday on Twitter:
No one doubts Kirill Kabanov means well. But he has fired at least 4 reputable agents, incl another last month. Doesn’t help his rep.
Yesterday’s reports on Kirill were certainly a mixed bag and CB’s right, you have to take the good with the bad. Kabanov is a kid who’s not black or white but a whole bunch of shades of gray. He’s been a handful for every agent and junior team he’s been with but, as some of you have experienced in person, he’s been roses since joining the Islanders and getting his entry-level deal. Despite his reputation being what it is, it’s not hard to see that his quotes were quite possibly taken out of context or perhaps lost in translation.
To sense some frustration in Kabanov’s comments, misquoted or not, is understandable and completely relate-able. He seems to be locked in some kind of junior hockey purgatory and apparently serving a sentence of a year in Sweden is the only way out (not that there’s anything wrong with Sweden).
The unfortunate part of getting the cut at camp and being a year away from getting out of his QMJHL obligations is that Kabanov is now caught in a very murky gray area. Unless the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada cut him loose, he can’t come to the Islanders and spend the year in Bridgeport. That would without a doubt be the best scenario for his development. Kabanov also can’t spend the year with the Armada, they are said to already have met their quota of two foreign players on the roster. The KHL isn’t a guarantee — he’s burned a lot of bridges there — or even the best place for him as the other Kirill in the organization may attest to. So all that leaves Sweden, which is where the rumors suggested today. It will certainly be interesting to see how this saga plays out.
YOUR CAPTION CONTEST WINNER
Keeping with the DiPietro theme, on Tuesday I posted this photo of DiPietro kissing Montoya’s mask. There were a lot of great captions, and in hindsight one really poignant comment but there can only be one highlander winner.
The victor is Stevie L with a Godfather reference:
“Al! I know it was you! You broke my heart! You took my job!”
+1 to anyone else who had a Godfather reference.
P.S. I’ve been moderating comments loosely over the last week. I hope this post about The Rick doesn’t change that.
Earlier today, Igor Orenko of sports.ru in Russia had an interview with Kabanov and reported that he may be loaned to a team in Sweden because his team in the QMJHL has reached their quota of two international players. Dmitry Chesnokov of Puck Daddy tweeted the following from the 2010 third round pick.
Kabanov was quoted as saying:
“Everyone [in Russia] kept saying ‘NHL, NHL.’ You get there and will be famous.. As a boy I had an impression [the NHL] was paradise. But when I came here I realized that the made-up image and reality are different things… Perhaps I made a mistake that I didn’t stay [in the KHL] and went [to North America] hoping I’d be the number one pick”
He had 11 goals and 17 assists for Lewiston last season.
Neate Sager has a great breakdown at Buzzing the Net.
Update, 2:30pm: More from @hockeybreak on Twitter:
“Kabanov says he did not say he doesn’t like the NHL. He meant at the time, before the draft, he may have made a mistake going to N.A. He says he is proud to be apart of the NHL, and to not always listen to the media because reporters may change interviews. Kabanov is very upset that a comment he made was taken out of context and this is all a misunderstanding.”
Please read and respond at the Times.
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