Monthly Archives: November 2011
The ship on moral victories has sailed… This team needs a real one, badly.
Jack Capuano scratched alternate captain Kyle Okposo and his most veteran defenseman (Mark Eaton) and inserted nineteen year old rookie Nino Niederreiter into the lineup hoping to catch a spark and wake up some of the “passengers”. It didn’t look as if it was going to work in the first as the Isles were being outshot 4-1 after 6:30 of play.
What is becoming increasingly clear is that the Islander defensive strategy is not working. They are often caught with the three forwards below the tops of the circles in support of the defense. Once possession is gained, there are limited options for breakout passes, not enough speed to skate the puck out and often, there is a weak clear up the boards that is taken by the opposing defense, and the cycle starts over again. This was the calling card of a first period that saw the Isles dominated and outshot 14-5 and extremely lucky to be tied at one.
The first goal of the game found five Isles watching after a weak backhand clear found it’s way to the stick of stick of Sean Avery who worked between the lot of them for a quick shot past Nabokov. The Islanders would answer a little over two minutes later on one of the best breakouts I remember seeing in recent games. The puck was pushed up quickly by Travis Hamonic to PA Parenteau who dished off a beauty of a pass to send Frans Nielsen alone on Henrik Lundqvist. Nielsen had so much space he almost looked shocked, but he sent a knuckling wrist shot through Lundqvist’s glove for his sixth point in the last five games.
Toward the end of the period, Mike Mottau and Sean Avery were given matching unsportsmanlike conduct penalties (Avery was sent to the locker room for some reason) as they nearly came to blows after a Mottau hit and the typical subsequent Avery face-wash/chirp/glove magnet trifecta. The penalties carried over into the second, and the two went at it for real as soon as the penalties expired. (By “went at it”, I mean stretched their laundry and swung each other around a little.)
The second period was the Islanders turn to dominate play as they outshot the Rangers 16-8 in the frame, but the Rangers manged to regain the lead. Ryan Callahan worked through Travis Hamonic in the corner to Nabokov’s right and fired a cross ice pass to a streaking Steve Eminger who had somehow lost Jay Pandolfo and went undetected by Marty Reasoner to bang it past Nabokov. Again, there were more Islanders in the area than Rangers.
One of the surprises of the night was the work of the newly developed second power play unit featuring Blake Comeau, Michael Grabner, Nino Niederreiter, Brian Rolston and Travis Hamonic. They had sustained pressure, fantastic puck movement, and continued the pressure for well after the power play expired on a couple of occasions tonight. (Andrew MacDonald replaced Rolston towards the end of both power plays, and was outstanding). It is not the group of guys you would expect to generate that much pressure, but it may be interesting. Sometimes things just work.
The second period also saw a tremendous five on three penalty kill for over a minute and a half. About thirty seconds after Milan Jurcina’s initial hooking call, Marty Reasoner was whistled for a trip. Nielsen, MacDonald and Hamonic were stellar throughout the kill. They were physical, moving people from in front of the net, not giving the Rangers anything to shoot at and were on for the entire minute and a half plus. That was the most gassed I have ever seen a hockey player. By the time MacDonald was whistled for a roughing (from a tremendous battle with Callahan), the three of them could barely move.
The third period saw some back and forth battling. At 6:58 of the third on an Islander power play, John Tavares showed his vision by firing a pass through the crease from the corner to Lundqvist’s left that landed right on Matt Moulson’s tape for an easy tap-in knotting the game at two. Unfortunately, the misplay of the night is going to be Josh Bailey’s Chris Campoli-like clearing attempt that led to the game winning goal. Bailey ended up with the puck on his stick between the circles in the defensive zone, put it on his backhand and floated a weak clearing attempt that was taken by Brandon Dubinsky and quickly moved to Brad Richards who was by himself to Nabokov’s right.
The empty net goal came with less than one second in regulation off a mid-ice shot from Callahan after a furious Isles push.
Ramblings and Observations
As much as this was probably Mike Mottau’s best game this season, it is still entirely noticeable when he’s on the ice (for the wrong reasons). It tends to be worse when he is on the ice with lines three or four. It may be time to look to Bridgeport.
Blake Comeau actually looked good tonight. He was hitting, he was skating, and he also had only 10:54 of ice time. This may be his magic number.
Nino was not visible in a good way. I hope Islander fans aren’t expecting him to be a savior. His PP2 line was effective and that may be very helpful going forward.
We got a good scare tonight when Matt Martin left for a few minutes after fighting Brandon Prust with what appeared to be Islander-shoulder. The team can not afford to lose any physicality to the lineup…especially a guy who is responsible for about 20% of their hits.
The Islanders need to stop knocking opponents into their own goaltenders.
Despite some pretty poor play lately, there are probably better “scratch” candidates than Kyle Okposo. Let’s hope this is a one time thing and he has his head right because he can do well if this team plays like it did tonight.
PA Parenteau is the Isles best puck carrying forward and is generally calm and cool distributing. The Isles may want to consider re-signing him…particularly if Okposo, Bailey and Comeau don’t start coming around soon.
Tonight, the Isles outshot AND outhit the Rangers and also had more power plays. While it didn’t bear out in the “W” column, that is the formula for winning hockey games.
Update: Kyle Okposo to sit so Nino gets in the lineup. Message sender right there.
What a difference a month makes. The high point of the Islanders season thus far was a win at home against the Rangers on October 15th. Almost a month later, the Islanders have added only one win and a bunch of not much else. Meanwhile, the Rangers are on a six game win streak and 9-3 since the mid-October meeting. The polar opposites meet tonight at the Nassau Coliseum.
Nino Niederreiter will likely make his season debut tonight although Capuano was not confirming or denying this to the media this morning. He also would not talk about whose spot Nino would be taking if he were to play (and you can be assured he is playing, given the struggles of half the roster).
Capuano was willing to talk about the goaltenders, though. Evgeni Nabokov will be in net tonight with Al Montoya backing up. In Nabokov’s six starts this year, the Islanders are 1-4-1. It’s easy to say that the team isn’t playing well in front of Nabby but that would imply that they’ve played better in front of the other two goalies. DiPietro and Montoya have a combined three wins.
My apologies for a short pre-game. Other responsibilities are taking precedence today. You can continue the conversation in comments.
As the Islanders attempt to earn their first postseason berth since 2007, they could easily look back to the 2008 NHL entry draft in Ottawa as a breeding ground for present-day and future success.
Thirteen selections were made that weekend. Forwards Josh Bailey and Matt Martin, along with defenseman Travis Hamonic have already graduated to the NHL from that draft class. Forwards David Ullstrom and Justin DiBenedetto, defensemen Aaron Ness and Matt Donovan, along with future starting goaltender Kevin Poulin all are playing in Bridgeport for the Islanders’ top AHL affiliate, with an eye on reaching Long Island by season’s end.
Forward Kirill Petrov also was selected, and continues to be the pick that teases Islander fans, yet still remains in the KHL in Russia.
Selected 36th overall, the first of the Islanders’ three second-round picks, center Corey Trivino was chosen for his offensive skill-set. He exploded onto the world scene, playing for Canada’s Under-18 team, by collecting seven points – four goals and three assists – including notching a hat trick in a victory over Denmark.
However, injuries could play a cruel trick on a professional prospect, as it has on the 21-year old Toronto native and Boston University senior.
“In my first three years (here at Boston University), I have been overcoming obstacles,” said Trivino. “I tore my MCL after my freshman season and broke my ankle at the end of my sophomore season.”
Yet, Trivino has never felt self pity. He has turned his own adversity by prospering in head coach Jack Parker’s system as one of Hockey East’s top all-around centers.
“At the end of his sophomore season, Corey was really coming into his own and was one of our best forwards,” said Parker, who is entering his 39th season as head coach of the Terriers. “And despite his injuries, he has made himself one of our best all-around players.”
Trivino had scored 56 points – 18 goals and 38 goals – in his first three collegiate seasons. Still, it was his development on the defensive end, in which Parker points out as his greatest asset moving onward.
“Corey came into our system with a big reputation as an offensive guy,” said the three-time NCAA champion Parker. “But he has become much more reliable defensively. He’s a great face-off guy and is very responsible in his own end. And now that he is a senior, he is being given much more responsibility, and is being very productive.”
Trivino netted his sixth goal of the season in Sunday afternoon’s 5-0 blanking at second-ranked Boston College. He is now tied with Minnesota Wild prospect Charlie Coyle for second on the team with 10 points, two behind San Jose Shark prospect Matt Nieto.
“As a player, I know that in order to play on the next level I need to play on both sides of the ice,” said Trivino. “I believe that I have become a two-way player who plays strong defensively against the opposing top line.”
Furthermore, Parker also credits Trivino’s development to the Terriers’ strength and conditioning coach Mike Boyle.
“Mike (Boyle) has made Corey a bigger and faster player,” said Parker of Trivino, who has gained upwards of 20-to-25 pounds since entering Boston University as a 6-foot-1, 170-pound 17-year old. “He sees the ice better, and is much more conditioned than when he started.”
Trivino himself goes back to a meeting with former Boston University co-captain John McCarthy, while a freshman, as one that kept his mission much more focused.
“John always told me and the rest of the team that it was important to work hard every day, whether it is at practice or during the game,” said Trivino, who played as a third-line center for 2008-09 National Champions.
Over the last three seasons, Trivino has showcased his talents on Long Island, scrimmaging against some of the Islanders’ top prospects.
“I see a lot of talent coming through the Islander organization,” said Trivino, a self-admitted Toronto Maple Leaf fan. “And over the last couple of seasons, I have had a chance to talk to a couple of the (Islanders) fans. I even have had a chance to invite some of them up to see a couple of B.U. games. They have told me how much they want me to success.
“Their fan base has been very supportive.”
Islander management will have until next summer to decide whether Trivino’s development is worthy of an entry-level contract.
Parker believes the choice is a no-brainer.
“I know some of the guys in the organization,” said Parker, who also coached current Islander net-minder Rick Dipietro for one season before the team selected him first overall in 2000. “They were ready to sign him after his freshman and sophomore seasons. Corey Trivino will be a viable prospect and a valuable member of the Islander organization soon.”
Only time will tell.
On the Horizon is a regular feature from Alan Avital that focuses on the best Islanders not yet with the big club. Comments on Corey Trivino and other prospects are welcomed in this thread. Talk about the big club continues in other posts.
Please read and respond at the Times.
I don’t want to be negative. I’d like to sit here and say that there was a good effort and the Islanders tried and tried, did all they could but were outplayed by a team with a Luongo, a Kesler and two Sedins. That was not the case. It’s hard to find any positive in a disappointing road trip that saw the team earn 1-of-6 possible points and get outscored 14-6. It was another loss that pushes the hole a little deeper and the confidence a little lower. It was not more spectacular a loss than any that have preceded it.
There was no shocking destruction of the defense as there was in Boston on Monday. There was also no horribly choked away lead as there was on Thursday in Colorado. It was another game that had two bad periods and one better than bad. It was another lackluster effort. It was another night where the bottom three lines and parts of the defense didn’t really do much more than show up.
Not much changed tonight. Not much has changed about the Islanders since November 20th, when they fell flat in their first road game against Tampa Bay.
The coach said it would be another opportunity to shake up the lines, probably to try and wake the slumber of some of the residents of those bottom three lines. He can’t do a lot more than that aside from what he can say to them and how hard he can work them in practice. He can only change so much. He is not responsible for who is on the roster. He is not responsible for the complacency that emanates from the roster.
At some point, someone has to be put on notice. The coach is partly to blame but that is sports. The coach will always share some of the blame for the team he is charged with leading. Every NHL coach knows that the time is now in the NHL. The tenures of NHL coaches are short and the coach knows that he must succeed soon or be ousted. Every NHL coach knows this. His postgame comments said as much:
“There are guys who need to find their game and show some will,” Capuano said. “Once again, we had a few guys take a night off. They may talk a good game to the media, but you’ve got to perform. We can’t have guys continue to feel comfortable they’ll be in our lineup every night… I wish we had three guys coming up [from Bridgeport]”
Firing the coach will not change the attitude on the team. Jack Capuano is everything Scott Gordon was not. They are polar opposites on the coaching spectrum. There is no magic coaching answer out there. A ‘hardass’ coach’s message may get lost on this bunch.
This now begins and ends with the players. With one win in 10 games, they need to be shown that their spots are not guaranteed. This is not about players underachieving or coming up short. This is about something I began to ponder on Twitter earlier tonight:
“To be fair they have cross-country flight ahead of them, but if they don’t have energy against the Rangers, when will you have energy?…I mean, when’s the last time this team played a complete game? You can’t say Washington, they took that first period off.”
The effort has not been there. It has not been there for a full 60-minutes during any of the previous ten games. Many nights, it has not been there for 40.
The players must be shown that they are accountable as well. Nino Niederreiter will return Tuesday when the Islanders return home to face the Rangers. Those are two motivating factors. You have your arch-rival coming into your house and a 19-year old who should be hungry to take your roster spot. If those two factors cannot motivate this team on Tuesday, a move must be made. A trade. A waiver. A call-up from Bridgeport. Something. Anything.
The season was not expected to be easy. These players were not expected to have exceptional successes in the standings. However, effort should not be a question. Their motivation should not be the biggest question mark through 14 games. And yet, here we are.
While you’re watching the Islanders and Canucks do battle, please have look at this video per Puck Daddy. Everyone’s favorite Micheal, Micheal Haley got into a fight with Dane Byers of the Springfield Falcons during last nights game. The fight was likely retribution from earlier in the game, as Byers had injured Calvin De Haan as mentioned in the pre-game report today. After the fight, Byers went off the deep end, throwing a tantrum in his penalty box and actually making his way back towards Haley who was in the other box. Please, you watch.
