Monthly Archives: November 2011
In this first of two segments, Pete McCarthy and Chris Botta discuss the disappointing start to the Islanders’ season.
written by Alan Avital
When Garth Snow and his scouting department decided to trade the Islanders’ two
second round picks (35th and 58th selections overall) to move up to the end of the first round of the
2010 NHL Entry Draft to select six-foot-three center Brock Nelson (30th overall), they had a
vision in mind. Nelson’s collegiate coach Dave Hakstol believed that Snow’s move was bold at
the time, yet will prove to be a franchise-changer which will benefit the Islanders for years to
come.
“Brock has great skill and tremendous hockey sense,” said Hakstol, who is currently in
his eighth season as head coach of the North Dakota hockey team. “But what makes Brock
stand out from others is that when the game is on the line, he steps up and makes plays. Brock
is always a guy who rises to the occasion.”
Nelson, who is currently a sophomore in Grand Forks, believes his current and future
success stems from a family tree, rich in hockey experience and success.
“I have a great support system behind me, “said Nelson, whose three uncles have
played collegiate and professional hockey for the better part of six decades. “Moving forward,
my uncles will always be there to help me.”
Nelson’s great uncle, Gordon Christian played hockey at North Dakota from 1947-50,
and also won an Olympic silver medal for the United States in 1956. Uncle Eddie Christian,
lettered at UND from 1980-84, and Uncle Dave Christian, played at UND from 1977-79. Dave
won an Olympic gold medal with the fame “Miracle on Ice” in 1980, before playing over 1,000
games in the NHL with Winnipeg, Washington, Boston, St. Louis and Boston. He ended his NHL
career with 340 goals and 433 assists, and was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of
Fame in 2001.
Prior to entrance at North Dakota, Nelson amassed 149 points – 84 goals and 65 assists -
in his final two seasons at Warroad (MN) High School. As a senior, Nelson scored 39 goals and
had 74 points in 25 games and was named a finalist for Mr. Minnesota. Ironically, the award
was won by Blaine High School’s Nick Bjugstad, who was selected 11 picks earlier than Nelson
by the Florida Panthers.
According to Nelson, playing at Warroad was a tremendous building block for future
achievements.
“Playing at Warroad was awesome,” said Nelson. “Warroad is a town of 1,700 people, and everyone here supports hockey. It was a great experience.”
Besides uncles Dave and Eddie Christian, who starred at Warroad, Nelson watched
current St. Louis Blue T.J. Oshie lead Warroad to two Minnesota State Class A titles in 2003 and
2005 before trekking down the 145 miles to Grand Forks to play for Hakstol and the Fighting
Sioux for three seasons, scoring 142 points in 128 games – 59 goals and 83 assists.
Nelson finished his 2009-10 hockey season, scoring 16 goals and assisting on 16 others
for Team Great Plains – a Minnesota High School select team.
As a freshman at North Dakota, Nelson had 21 points – eight goals and 13 assists in 42
games, but it was his maturity level which drew the praises of Hakstol.
“It is a very tough transition going from playing high school to college hockey. Even
coming from a great, competitive high school program, like Warroad,” said Hakstol. “But Brock
handled everything very well. He is a very mature kid, but by the second half of the year, things
started to come a little bit easier for him.”
On a deep team, which reached the NCAA Final Four, Nelson predominantly played as a
second and third line center.
“There were no expectations from Coach (Hakstol),” said Nelson, who was the recipient
of UND’s Tom Hoghaug Memorial Scholarship, awarded annually to the freshman who
demonstrates initiative, character and a sense of responsibility. “I was just looking to develop
as a player and become bigger and skate faster.”
Nelson concluded his freshman year as a member of the United States World Junior
Championship Team. He had an assist in five games, before suffering an A.C. bruise to his
shoulder, ending his tournament.
The experience was invaluable, according to Nelson.
“It was an awesome experience to be part of the junior team,” said
Nelson. “Unbelievable. It also gave me an opportunity to work on my game, heading into my
sophomore season.”
Despite his team’s current struggles – 3-6-1 overall, 1-5 in WCHA conference – Nelson
leads the Fighting Sioux in goals with five and is third on the team in points with nine.
“Brock is a key part of our young team,” said Hakstol of his 19-year old center. “This
year, he’s not just one of the guys. He has to shoulder the load in and out of the locker.
“While he is a quiet leader, he definitely gives our younger players a base of knowledge
on what to expect and the resources to handle all ups and downs of playing college hockey.”
With an eye towards the NHL, Nelson is confident on what he needs to work on and on
what he can build on.
“My strengths are definitely my hockey knowledge,” said Nelson, who patterns his game
after Los Angeles King forward Anze Kopitar, based on his responsibility on both ends of the ice
and his ability to score in the clutch. “I definitely would love to become a quicker player, and
become more physical.”
Since his arrival at North Dakota, Nelson has gained upwards of 15 pounds, and hopes
to add 10-to-15 more pounds of muscle before heading onto the pro level.
Hakstol believes Nelson’s transition to the pro game should be seamless.
“In my opinion, I believe Brock is a three-year college player,” said Hakstol. “I’m not one
for predictions, but he is a top-6 player on the next level.
“Similar to (Zach) Parise, (Travis) Zajac and (Jonathon) Toews, Brock will have a
significant role on the NHL level.”
Nelson had the opportunity to play in front of his future professional fans this summer
at the Islanders’ Blue-White scrimmage, and relished every moment.
“There are a lot of die-hard fans there,” said Nelson of the Islander fans. “It will be really
good to build with the other younger players, and in a few years, we could be a great team.”
Tonight the Islanders defense got exposed for what it is: slow, not physical and not very good. The Bruins and their talented offense — which is now officially and certifiably clicking after a rough start — ran roughshod up and down the ice all night long in what was a fast paced game. The Isles defense would have been less exposed doing a Playboy centerfold.
The first goal was a terrible misplay in their own zone. Milan Jurcina sent a pass off the boards behind the net to Mark Eaton who wasn’t on the other end. Instead it was the Bruin’s Pouliot on the receiving end who got the puck past what may have been a sleeping Nabokov. It didn’t get any better after that. I counted one goal that didn’t leave the goaltender out to dry (the second). From Steve Staios getting absolutely roasted by Milan Lucic to Jurcina/Eaton not getting within five yards of Nathan Horton’s parking spot in front of the net at 5-on-5, it was a rough night. That’s not counting two gimmies the Bruins shot into the side of the net during the scoreless second period.
So what happens now? It’s time to say for sure that this doesn’t cut it. For much of the season, the Streit/Staios combination has been serviceable, nay solid, with Streit coming to the aid of his training camp signee partner. Tonight that did not happen. The Jurcina/Eaton combination is not working. Mike Mottau, a healthy scratch again, would not be an improvement. The problem is that these are veterans with contracts that do not allow them to be sent to Bridgeport. If you part with them, you’re parting with them for good. Not a problem if there are guys on the Bridge who are ready to go. There’s no Travis Hamonic banging on the doors this season — at least not yet. There’s no one in Bridgeport that is ready to go. De Haan, Donovan and Ness are not ready. With all due respect, Dylan Reese is not a significant upgrade. The Islanders are now stuck between a rock and a hard place when it comes to their defensive lineup.
NABOKOV’S FAILED AUDITION
If the Islanders started Evgeni Nabokov as an audition for potential suitors in tonight’s nationally televised game, it went about as bad as you can get. He gave up three goals in the first period on 12 shots. As previously mentioned they were not all of his own volition but he still looked like he was among those not ready for the puck drop tonight. CB reported on Twitter earlier today that Snow’s asking price is and has been a 2nd round pick. Good luck getting that now.
#TEAMMONTOYA
We had an Al Montoya sighting tonight as Coach Capuano called the hotline (1-800-BIG-CUBANO) after Nabokov’s troubles in the first. Montoya came in and made 24 saves on 22 shots, a solid performance behind a porous defense. If not for a Staios’ glove save and a few missed nets by the Bs, he would have given up a few more even though it would have been hard to blame him what with all the odd-man rushes buzzing around him.
SWISS CHEESE IS AN APT ANALOGY
The Bruins, the Defending Champs and the Beasts of the Northeast showed us most if not all of the Islanders flaws tonight and placed them front and center on the dinner table. Composed as this team currently is, it’s hard to imagine them going very far. As you can see, I’ve written almost 500 words without mentioning the forwards. We’ll give them a reprieve for a night where they were a story, not the story.
CAPUANO CALLS EM OUT
Not specifically, of course. But the coach who usually doesn’t have a whole lot to say positive or negative, had some sharper opinions than usual on the players tonight.
“We just had some guys that didn’t show up. I was real disappointed in some guys’ work ethic tonight…I’m not going to name names… But that’s why some guys were -2 and -3.”
A brief list of players who were -2 or -3 tonight:
Mark Eaton
Brian Rolston
Milan Jurcina
PA Parenteau
Frans Nielsen
Both the Islanders and Bruins come into tonight’s game with struggling records and recent big wins. The Islanders are 4-5-2 after a win Saturday night against Washington and the Bruins, the only team worse in the East, are 5-7 after picking up wins over Ottawa and Toronto last week by a combined total of 12-3. With all the ups and downs of the NHL’s regular season these two teams on a downswing meet after some uplifting wins over the weekend. Take all that for what you will. It’s certainly not easy to pinpoint which versions of these teams will show up tonight.
On the Long Island side of things, the game presents another challenging road tilt. The Islanders are 0-2-1 with the most recent loss being a squandered 2-0 lead in Pittsburgh two Thursdays ago. These are the defending champs they’re going up against and a tough team both physically and talent-wise. So it’s another tough road test and another small measuring stick with which to evaluate them with.
After Saturday’s game coach Capuano said he would likely leave the newly formed lines intact for at least one game because, to paraphrase, there’s ‘no reason to change things up after a win.’ We’ll get another look at the new arrangements and see if the team can carry over the positive momentum from Saturday’s win. If Matt Martin continues to go hard to the net, he’s got to get more than fourth line minutes, no?
OH GOD, NO, STOP, MY EARS ARE BLEEDING
As Chris Botta wrote at the Times yesterday, Mike Milbury will be in the Versus color commentator seat for tonight’s game. It’s an obvious pairing given Milbury’s long association with both teams. Versus was proud of themselves about the decision, spamming promoting the lineup change to bloggers via email earlier in the week. Here I am taking the bait hook, line and sinker. If anything, it at least takes the focus off the two subpar (thus far) teams on the ice and puts it on a shoe thrower running his mouth in the broadcast booth. On entertainment value alone, it could be interesting but for all of us on the Islanders side of the game, it is likely an exercise in finding the mute button.
IF YOU’VE SEEN AL MONTOYA, CALL 1-800-BIG-CUBANO
Evgeni Nabokov will get the start in net tonight. With the game on national TV, if he is being shopped, this is about as good a product showcase as you’re going to get.
However, if you have seen or have any info regarding the whereabouts of Al Montoya, please call the hotline at 1-800-BIG-CUBANO.*
The Islanders will face the (statistically speaking) lesser of two very talented netminders in Boston tonight, Tusken Raider Tukka Rask. Star Wars and other miscellaneous sci-fi references welcomed.
CAPTION CONTEST WINNERS
Thanks to all the participants in our Marty Reasoner caption contest last week. Your winners are as follows. Please allocate your bragging rights appropriately.
Jay:
Looks like Sloth from the Goonies made the team this year.
+1 to anyone else who had a Goonies reference.
Joseph:
Marty Reasoner just realized tonight’s powerball jackpot is TWO HUNDRED AND FOURTY-FIVE MILLION DOLLARS!
Brian F:
Looks like Marty accidentally watched the video from the ring
UpstateIsles:
Marty to Thomas Greiss: “HEY GOLDBERG! I BET IF THAT PUCK WAS A CHEESEBURGER YOU’D STOP IT”
* – Don’t actually call that number. Unless you want to call China. Also, Montoya will be the backup tonight.
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Aside from an exciting come from behind win Saturday night, there were a lot of interesting things going on at the Coliseum as part of Military Appreciation night. Probably the most memorable moment was the opening puck drop. Staff Sgt. Matthew Zimmerman of the Air National Guard rappelled down from the rafters right on top of Alex Ovechkin and Mark Streit to drop the opening face off. It was certainly the most interesting puck drop I’ve ever seen and as you can see in the video below, Ovechkin got a kick out of it as well.
Al-MON-TOY-A
Those were the chants raining down from the crowd at the Coliseum last night during the first period, as the Islanders got out to a nasty two-goal deficit to open the game. The man in net for the two goals was Rick DiPietro and he would only allow one goal after the first, enough to earn a win on the night. As we’ve seen so far this season, it was hard to target any specific player for the team’s poor play — the forward corps has been responsible for many subpar efforts — but DiPietro via an Al Montoya chant was the easiest to target and has been the most maligned for a while now.
We have now had a decent sampling of each of the team’s three netminders so far this season. Last night was DiPietro’s third start, while Nabokov and Montoya have each had four. Here’s a quick look at the stats so far:
Al Montoya: 4 starts, 2-2, 2.02, .930
Evgeni Nabokov: 4 starts, 1-2, 2.23, .927
Rick DiPietro: 3 starts, 1-1-2, 2.67, .904
The reason for the discrepancy in starts and W/L record for Nabokov and DiPietro is the Pittsburgh game where DP was brought in for the shootout. That’s part of the reason why a goalie’s W/L is irrelevant to their overall performance (among other reasons is a complete lack of offensive support).
From the above, we get an idea of how each has fared so far this year. Small sample size applies to all as three and four starts does not make a goalie but we’re starting to see some separation. DiPietro for what it’s worth hasn’t been particularly bad and he hasn’t been particularly good either. His counterparts have produced better numbers and with the Islanders heading out on the road and facing a tough schedule this month he’ll still get some playing time. There’s a stretch of 8 games in 14 days later in the month, a spot where a three goalie rotation will really benefit the Islanders. They’ll be able to always have someone fresh in net and it’s worked well so far. They have gotten solid work from all three of their netminders and it has yet to cost them a game.
That being said, the time to win is now. DiPietro should be allowed to get reps and should be given starts as mentioned above. However, the time to go with your best netminder is now as the team heads out on the road and the going gets tough. With, so far, two better options in Montoya and Nabokov (health slightly questionable at the moment) they should be given a chance to carry this team until they falter.
SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON
The Islanders head to Boston for a game with the Bruins on Monday night and this seems totally appropriate.
This game is a tough one to make sense of. 20 minutes into the game, it looked like the same tired team we’ve seen for the last few weeks. The Islanders were down 2-0 after one period, one goal that DiPietro should have had and one that wasn’t as much his fault. During the first intermission I was racking my brain trying to figure out what, if anything, the big picture move was going to be that could hopefully wake this team up and turn it around. That would have been an easy post to write. A failing team continuing to fail is easy to criticize and write general negative hyperbole about. When they start winning, however, it throws us all for a loop. Somewhere during the first intermission, the Islanders solved the problem and figured things out for themselves.
Frans Nielsen scored two minutes into the second, making it look like they might make a game of it. The goal was a bit wonky with Frans backhandedly chopping a rebound past Vokoun. The Islanders would play well the rest of the period, waking up from the slumber of the first but didn’t accomplish anything to make it look like the rally would be on and sustain the pressure that helped create Nielsen’s goal.
However, with five minutes to go Brian Rolston found some open space just inside the Capitals blue line and fire a long shot past Vokoun, easily the Capitals’ netminder’s worst let in of the game. But the rally was now on, heading to intermission with a 2-2 game. Even if they didn’t get the tie with flying colors, they got there and it was a 20 minute game.
While the goals in the second were arguably a bit fluky, the two in the third that got past Vokoun were a combination of getting shots on goal and hard work up front. What the Islanders had been lacking in previous games was the ability to get to the front of the net and capitalize on their rebounds. They’ve been getting shots on net but the goals from Matt Martin and PA Parenteau showed what you can do when you go to the net rebounds created by those shots on goal. Martin’s goal was a big one, putting the Islanders up 3-2 early on. To their credit the Capitals would tie on a power play and press very hard the last ten minutes of the game. With just under two minutes to go, Parenteau got the clutch goal that the Isles were looking for. With his team on a line change, Parenteau carried the puck into the Capitals’ zone 1-on-4. The puck would eventually find its way to Milan Jurcina at the point who fired a shot on net. Vokoun could not control the rebound and Parenteau, sitting all by himself on the far side of the net, grabbed the loose puck and slammed it home. 45 seconds later John Tavares scored on the empty net and the Islanders improved to 4-5-2.
With two goals in the second and two more (plus an empty netter) in the third, the Isles were able to turn a backbreaking loss at the end of a homestand into a win and something to build off of. The shuffled lines weren’t the be all end of the win but it was certainly time to change things up. As we’ve seen, the majority of this team’s success continues to be about the effort the team puts forth. Matt Martin, for one, continues to show up every night and tonight he was rewarded for it. Other players are more hit or miss, but with a bit of luck and shaky opposing goaltending in the second, the Islanders capitalized in the third and made some excellent plays. By following their shots and going to the net in the third, the Islanders were able to come out on top.
Up next is a Monday night match up against the defending — albeit struggling — Stanley Cup champs in Boston. Hopefully they can carry over the momentum of a great come from behind win to Monday and the two road games that follow.
