ISLANDERS 2, WILD 1 SO
The Islanders got a much needed two points and confidence boost during a sixty-five-minutes-plus-skills-competition effort against a banged up Minnesota Wild team. There really wasn’t much bad in this game, save for one egregious turnover from Mark Streit. The way the game went, that really shouldn’t have even factored in. The Islanders outshot the Wild 36-21 and were in control for the majority of the game. A few bounces here or a little luck there against Niklas Backstrom who was solid in net for the Wild and it could have easily been 3-1. The team is still one point off dead last in the conference, so the hole is still deep but enjoy the win nonetheless.
KEEP MSG ON THE >>@#ERRRRR
Sorry. Not sure what happened there. Technical difficulties. Anyway, the Islanders held a 1-0 lead after two periods, outshooting Minnesota 24-9 during that time. They largely controlled the play and Al Montoya could be seen relaxing in a hammock in the defensive zone (That was one of the few questions unanswered tonight, how Montoya would respond after a couple sub-par games. He wasn’t really tested aside from the shootout and maybe overtime. He shook off the shootout attempts like they were flies, so we’ll give him the benefit of doubt). In his first game back, Andy MacDonald would notch a goal midway through the second on a laser from the top of the circle. It started like many of the Islanders chances did, with the top line getting the puck in deep behind Wild defenders and making them and Backstrom scramble to recover.
The Wild would mount a much better effort in the third, finally getting themselves together. The Islanders handled the charge much better than they have in previous games. Maybe that’s due to the lack of real weapons at the opposition’s disposal and the poor deployment of the one they did have (Dany Heatley, one shot). The Wild evened the score with 11:38 to go with really one of the only mistakes — if not the only mistake — of the game for the Isles.
TIME W@RNER HATES SPORTS()J@ND
Why the heck does that keep happening? Anyway, Streit had the puck come to him on a pass from Al Montoya behind the net. He quickly and oddly knocked it between his legs to the middle of the ice where he expected Marty Reasoner to be. Instead, it ended up on Cal Clutterbuck’s stick and in the back of the net. I think it’s safe to say he won’t be trying that again.
After an entertaining overtime period full of rushes going both ways, the game headed to a shootout and the hometown Wild elected to shoot first. Al Montoya would coolly stop both Matt Cullen and Marek Zidlicky, the first two shooters for the Wild. Frans Nielsen then skated onto the ice for the Islanders and did exactly what Frans Nielsen does — his patented deke to the backhand. It beat Backstrom and was the game winner after Dany Healthy was stopped by Montoya.
Notes:
- Someone needs to GIF the Grabner shorthanded breakaway in the second period because LIGHT SPEED.
- Another game where John Tavares did everything but score a goal. No complaints here.
- On HNL, Al Trautwig called Cal Clutterbuck’s look ‘from the gay 90s or something.’ Still trying to figure that one out.
- Did you know Time Warner and MSG are in a fight?
Let’s all come back to earth on Streit
I made this point on Twitter earlier but I’ll say it on the blog too. Let’s all stop with trading Streit, scratching him, removing the C — whatever the ideas are. Real NHL hockey teams don’t do any of those things to their captain in the middle of the season. The Islanders, last time I checked, are a real NHL hockey team in the middle of a season. Are you tired of having the Islanders treated like second class citizens in the mainstream hockey media? OK, then don’t undermine or embarrass your captain by doing any of those things. It’s unprofessional, minor league and isn’t happening.
Streit isn’t playing well right now but this team cannot afford to lose one of it’s best defenders. Pushing the eject button on a little slump isn’t solving anything and is going to make things harder in the long run. To add to that, think about how much UFAs don’t want to come here already and add “the organization embarrassed the captain” to that sales pitch. Doesn’t work on any level, really.
About Kevin Schultz
Kevin was formerly an NHL blogger for the now defunct AOL Fanhouse and was the creator of the hockey comedy blog Barry Melrose Rocks. He now covers the Isles for Islanders Point Blank. You can follow him for instant updates on the team and talk hockey with him on Twitter @schultz88. View all posts by Kevin Schultz →115 Responses to ISLANDERS 2, WILD 1 SO
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Grandma's Boy says:
They just beat the top team in the league. That’s entertainment to me.
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Strummer's Army says:
BLAH! Islander hockey is so boring and little entertainment value. I am probably watching out of habit more then anything else right now.
Man….Tim Wallace on the third line ahead of Martin and Nino really makes Isles look smart.
No excuse for Streit on the turnover.
Most of us here have known for years what the Isles need but sadly we are not Snow/Wang.
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Isles44 says:
Hey, you are allowed to be happy after a win. Also, time to get over the Snow/Wang. They are not going anywhere.
If you don’t like this team, I heard the Knicks are back.
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Joe says:
the knicks are back, but hockey is 10 times better to watch. Basketball is by far the worst sport to watch, there is a foul every time someone goes to the hoop.
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goose says:
please go crawl into a hole and die.
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Bababoey to ya'll says:
Isles fans, here, hate on them, even when they turn in a great effort and win on the road…Why call yourself a fan and just relieve yourself of the misery?
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Jon in Chicago says: One of their best efforts of the season, dominated for stretches albeit against a team missing most of their top players. Still disappointing to only score one actual goal, but wins are so hard to come by for this team, it still feels good.
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since 74 says:
Outplayed the wild all night. They deserve the 2 pts. Nice job
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Dk says:
1-0-0 hot streak!!!
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giz says:
Team played well against Wild expect for Streit turnover. Jets an Rangers coming up gonna be tuff to watch.
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claude says:
Tavaras and Hamonic looked great. Was that Mottau I saw on ice in overtime,. God I hope not .Think it’s time to start shopping the captain.
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rangers suck says:
I think tonight proved Staios, Pandolfo and Rolston should all watch from the rafters. Enough with the 38 year olds.
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since'72 says:
They outplayed Minnesota most of the night and got a well deserved win. If teams don’t bring their A game against the Islanders they risk getting stung. Isles still gotta start burying more of their scoring chances.
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JT gets so many opportunities, it would be nice if he could start finishing them. I thought Okposo, JT, Nielsen, Hamonic, AMAC, and Jurcinia had really good games. I still don’t understand why Nino is on the fourth line. They drafted Nino to be a goal scorer/power forward, they didnt draft him to play on the fourth line and barely get any ice time.
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CW says:
Let’s all chill with Nino, he just came back from a concusion & before he was injured, he didnt produce all that much albeit it was only a small sample. I agree that at some point Nino should be moved up a line or two but right now he needs 2 show he can play at the NHL level even if its on 1 of the bottom lines
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Your going to kill his development playing with 4th liners. Are you kidding me? He can definitely play in the NHL level, he never played on a good line yet.
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Whaaaaaaaaaaaat says:
Just like oveckin, Malkin, and kovalchuk’s development was killed playing two mins a night in Russia right?
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Tedge77 says:
Streit had a serious injury and missed a whole year. lighten up on the guy and give him time. Big mistake to trade the captain now. remember McCabe.
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I think his shoulder is bothering him, he never takes slap shots any more. He always fakes the shot and then passes it.
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I agree. He will be fine. To trade him is crazy. He will turn it around after the All-Star break.
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Paul says:
Right, all because you say so. lol
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ablesser88 says:
Finally, we beat a good team. Hopefully we can build momentum on this win and get some victories.
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dan says:
Great win! especially on the road. They need to keep this momentum going for a few more games.
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2015 for isles fans who see games on msg will come in 2 weeks. just saw tonight during the game time warner cable will drop msg on jan. 1st. since the isles are the only team in pro sports not to be on a real radio station that you can actually listen to thanks to cheapskate wang, put that together with zero newspaper coverage, it will be just like 2015 when clown wang sells and the team moves to canada. when you think about it, not being able to watch, listen, or read about the isles may not be such a bad idea after all. at least i can watch the mets on sny in the spring. too bad sny cant be removed from time warner as well.
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Wes says:
Never understood tge fascination with Howie Rose a former Ranger’s announcer. Jiggs should never have been let go. He is much more colorful.
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Jeff in Oyster Bay says:
More Jiggs please!
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Isles fan says:
Excellent defensive effort by the Isles in all three zones tonight. They totally outplayed the Wild and they deserved the two points.
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PuckDaddy99 says:
How about the Isles outshooting them 36-21?
Good job tonight, boys.
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Frustrated Voter says:
Taken together with the news of Milbury (The Village Idiot) making a fool out of himself once again, this was a satisfying evening.
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Nice one on one moves by JT and KO, would love to see them bury those some day.
Streit is looking awful. Can he be stripped of the “C”. Something is not working…I would love to move him at the trade deadline. I think Hamonic is better suited for captaincy.
Hamonic is also better suited for the pointman on PPs.
Tell me why Fransi mans the point?
He can’t do his backhand shootout move. He doesn’t have an accurate, booming shot (hamonic)…and everyone waits on his passes.I believe the PP can use Martin or Nino…someone with size that can do the right thing w/ the puck and take up some space.
Glad they got the win but would love wallace to be sent down, bring up real toughnee, and see what we can get for Streit
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Nielsen- He is the best defensive forward on the team, thats why they put him on the point. He has more offense to his game than Hamonic. His job on the pp is to pass. I wouldn’t mind Hamonic on the 1st PP, playing left D so he can get 1 timers at the net. The good thing about Hamonic is that his shots get to the net.
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Isles4cups says:
Got tickets to see the Isles in Winnipeg next Tuesday, here’s hoping they can deliver me an Xmas present with a victory! The Winnipeg arena is filled with electricity…hope it’s a good one.
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Winning says:
Streit was never a “very good ” dman before the isles. Montreal often made him a foward. He was never A # 1 defensman. Sure in his entire career he put up 2 great seasons. So did jason blake. So did aj burnett (toronto). Streit simply never was a true # 1 d man like pronger.
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Everybody take a chill pill. I agree with Kevin. Mark Streit ain’t going anywhere. All this talk of removing the “C” is insane.
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ed says:
I think at least not listening to what the offers are or a 34 year old player regardless of his captaincy is idiotic. If Flyers come in and offer Carle and Schenn for Streit, you wouldn’t do it? Not saying Isles should shop Streit, but not listening to a desperate team who may over pay is crazy. We know this is JT’s team and also maybe Streit wants to play in the playoffs as he only has a few years left at best. To me, making a stand because he is captain is lame because Isles are a last place team with a 34 yr old captain. Do you think not trading him will bring in free agents?? That is nuts
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I agree with Ed here, he is 34 and the core is 22. I have no idea of the dynamic in the locker room but the perception I am sure I share is that he is way too passive and if the captain was going to be a vet, one with obvious fire. Otherwise I would make JT the captain, it is his team. I tell you NJD winning that lottery was a big deal. Strome is a really nice looking player but having Larssen would have been big. Anyway if they had a solid defense corp we are talking probably 3-4 more wins. Even so if they are done by the deadline, I am looking to trade Streit if there is a market for him.
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If the flyers offered carle and schenn, they would do it in a heart beat(I hope).I can’t see the Flyers offering those guys for streit though. I really like Coburn, highly unlikely though.
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Why are all my comments awaiting moderation? Does Wang run the comment board now?
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EJ1SINCE40 says:
Nice W on the road. Isles outplayed the Wild for most of the game. With the exception of the Streit back hand flip pass in his own zone AND to the middle of the ice, not a bad effort.
AND did ya see who the recepient of that pass was??!! AHHHHAHAHAH, yep, our boy, good ol’ Marty “REASON’s unkown why still in line up”!
OK, let’s enjoy the 2, take ALL postives from this, as the Peg is playing some great puck right now and the Rags are right around the corner. Plus, my liver needs a break..
Looking ahead to next week,I wonder if Dolan and Co. imported NEW rats with the renovation @ M$G?? Torts must of shined up the horseshoe last night before the game! Did you see how they won AGAIN??
You could see the extra step in KO tonight, playing in his back yard. Now just bottle that and REPEAT vigoursly on a nightly basis..
AND yes as stated by some already MANY MANY times: SIT THE OLD GOATS, BRING UP HALEY, DEHAAN AND WISHART!!!!!!!!
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Immediately if not sooner..
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Jack says:
Streit missed all of last season with a major injury! Anyone who expected him or just about any other player to step on the ice in allstar form knows as much about hockey as Charles Wank.
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Are you saying his physical injury from last year is affecting his ability to make decisions?????
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Pain in the body will alter his play and his focus.
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He was on the decline before he got hurt.
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Chris says:
Very happy with this win. Great game….. My only gripe, and he does this all the time….. PA’s turnovers. With 3:50 left in ot he sits with it at the blue line, doesn’t get it deep, and promptly loses it, then with 3:30 left he doesn’t cover his point man, he skates right by him, and it was almost all over. But the solidlay fornthe full 65 was so refreshing. And it was nice to see someone who may not have been as familiar with frans’ top shelf back hand as an eastern conference goalie. Great win.
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Damn spell check— * solid play for the
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Bob says:
Glad you see the big fault in PA also Chris…he is a turnover machine…a lot of players would rack up assists playing with JT and MM. PA is WAY overrated.
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PA is under rated if anything. But I would like to see KO with JT
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danfromouteast says: Islanders wins are starting to remind me of a womans menstrual cycle – once a month
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Don says:
Yay. Danfromouteast is back with his whiny, yet witty humor. Dan, go away.
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danfromouteast says:
Are you having your period don. Ask your hubby to pick you up some pads on the way home. See I don’t like to argue with fellow fans but you sound like a d***
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danfromouteast says:
I also have to make light of the situation my favorite team is in. You don’t like my comments don’t read them. Don’t be jealous because I made a joke and you didn’t come up with it. Plus I’ve been a diehard fan since the seventies dong or don what ever your name is. I think dong fits you better
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Dan – while I admire your dedication, it always seems that your posts are just whining. Even when they win you still whine. And the fact that you are a fan from the 70s says a lot about you than you think. You are probably about 35+ and still using 13 year old humor.
I have no doubt you are a fan, and an anguished one as we all are. But try posting something positive – or if you are going to criticize, do it with some class.
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Phil L says:
agree with Kevin about Streit, he’s our best D man and was our best player in his 2 full seasons before injury, people should lay off. But Kevin, the Islanders a “REAL NHL TEAM”, are you sure about that, lol
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Streit? Best D man? Are you serious? The best Dman on the Isles is Travis Hamonic. Not Streit who is a defensive player who scores pts but is a liability in his own end. Hamonic is a defensive player who goes out everynite and plays to shut down the other teams 1st line and if he gets a pt. here and there its a bonus. If I were a forward playing against the isles i would rather play against Streit than Hamonic. Hamonic is tougher stronger and smarter
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The New Isles GM says:
Kevin, with all do respect…..your wrong. Mark Streit needs to go for two reasons. (1) He deserves to play on a playoff team and if playoff bound teams hear he’s on the chopping block, the return could be a rostered player in return. (2) This is John Tavares’ team. He’s the only one that creates any sort of excitement for this team, plays determined and is serious about being better and better. He’s the guy that should wear the C. This is his team. If we can’t attract free agents then start trading while guys have value. Your whole arguement about free agents not wanting to come here means very little Kevin because they are NOT coming here anyway. Here’s a way…..force them by trade.
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Islanders Fan in NJ says:
Disagree on Streit. His turnovers have nothing to do with missing a year of hockey. Bad decisions are bad decisions. He made a blind pass between the legs right out in front of his own net. Not sure what he was thinking. He has trouble coming out of the zone, and can’t seem to find the open guy at times. He has good hands and skill, but just isn’t very consistent. He’s always had these issues, even in his good years. It’s just more noticeable this year because he’s not producing as much offensively. I’d love to see him snap out of it. Just because he’s captain, doesn’t mean he’s above benching. What’s the harm in having him sit a game or two?? I’m tired of everyone holding this guy on a pedastal. He ain’t all that.
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danfromouteast says:
Good point. Making a bad play has nothing to do with the injury at this point. He’ll gary roberts came from neck surgery
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Oooops…misspelled pedestal.
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Justin says:
Four things, one the hit counter at Minn wouldn’t give us our hits, two Okie stays out too long on shifts cruising and not laying the body, three enough with these soft lines, Four coaching?
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Mike says:
FIRE that TOOL BAG trautwig!!!!!
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I second that
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Somebody please tell me what Snow and Cappy see in Reasoner. He is projected to score 0 goals with 15 assists and +/- of -49 this year. And we have him for another year. Konopka is projected at 9 goals 6 assists and a +9. He also costs half as much, is a leader in the locker room, takes face offs, and adds much needed toughness. Snow blew this one big time!! Reasoner’s only plus? His salary keeps us closer to the salary cap floor.
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Snow saw ?
Cappy sees Snow telling him to play him -
No you can’t multiply plus minus
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TimQ says:
Was at the game at the Xcel last night and for almost 60 minutes I was proud to be an Isles fan. I really expected them to fold after the Streit brainfart but they came back strong and had several good shifts in the offensive zone during the last few minutes. Nice to see a solid effort.
+ JT, KO, Frans, Hammer, AMac
- Streit, Mottau, Reasoner
+ Finally got a win after regulation
- Now getting outscored something like 41-17 in 3rd period
+ Won a game without our goalie having to stand on his head-
Funny I had to watch the MN broadcast and going into the 3rd the guy is saying how great the Islanders have been because he had the goal differential backwards. Makes you think do these people even take a look at the papers or standings…
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Merrick says:
I had to watch the MN feed and their color man made me think Butch was a standout.
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Tom D in NJ says:
Our big off-season pick up Marty Whatever, another minus and no goals last night. Brings his season stats to an impressive
0 Goals in 27 games and minus 16.
But he’s a big hitter and good fighter.
Oh sorry, he’s none of those either. -
Dreu Theran says:
Gay 90′s is a reference to the 1890′s decade. It is not a homosexual slur. Either way, Trautwig’s a tool.
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quez says:
For all of the criticism of Garth Snow and the way he runs the team, I thank the stars above that it is not being run by some of the posters on this blog. I mean, trade Streit? Really? 1/3 of the way through the season? Really? Coming off a major injury? Really? I ‘ll admit, his giveaway last night was one of the worst that I’ve seen, but he’s wearing the “C” for a reason and he should get the benefit of the doubt.
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What is the reason? Where is the leadership. Maybe they should just hold him till he has no value. Sounds like you are related to Snow.
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you all realize nino is minus 7 in 7 games, right. just a point to you plus/minus fans.
trading streit for what exactly? more forwards and less defense. why, cause we have so much defensive depth, that we need more minutes from staios, mottau and reese?
this team is short a top 4 defender and and a nasty, PRODUCTIVE forward, like say Cal Clutterbuck. thats clearly on the GM, although the top 4 defender is a tough get these days..
The team needs to keeping rolling montoya and nabby out there, score more then 2.2 goals a game( nearly last in the league) and send Rick to Bport(8 games 3.75 gaa and .876 save%). thats eight games tossing the team under the bus.
a win is a win, and its even better when its on the road. half their was missing, welcome to NHL hockey. these things happen, and you have to take advantage.-
He’s playing on a line with reasoner, who is a -15! He shouldn’t be on a checking line he should be playing with guys who can feed him the puck. Hamonic is by far the best defenseman on the team and he’s a -8, does that mean hes bad, nope.
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Even if the Isles beat the Houston Aeros 2-1 via a shootout I will take the 2 points..don’t know what is up with Streit lately but some awful bonehead play is hurting them…pretty bad when he is in the category of Mottau and Reasoner…yikes!!
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Nycisles says:
More jiggs please
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I always have a good feeling when Jiggs calls the games. He seems to genuinely want the Isles to win (unlike Howie the rag fan, who does more faking than women and orgasms)!
Good win, no complaints, keep going boys!!!
Always supportive of a good effort! -
eric says:
Jiggs rules and someone please give Goring English lessons or just take the damn Marbles out of his mouth! They better call up Haley for the Rags series or first sign of toughness and the Isles crawl into there shell it seems.
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Just bench Streit for a game or two. Maybe he’s burnt out from working so hard to come back from injury. I don’t think he’s a lost cause. Too much upside. He just needs to see where he’s going wrong.
Great tweet from @kupkrazy last night…”That shot by Reasoner was was him telling the Wild that he wants a faceoff in that end”
Can someone tell Jiggs it’s not the “icing line”? It’s the goal line.
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John says:
So, does Trautwig think Dugay’s look is “a look from the gay-70′s”? I would think so.
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D in Big D says:
Positives they won the game(barely) against an injury plagued team missing key players.KO actually looked inspired but if I were GM/coach or owner I’d be more upset w/ KO in that he seems very selfish.He played well ’cause his mommy was in the stands..are you friggn’ kidding me.Grow up KO you have many fans(I’m not one)that pay to see you bring it like that EVERY night,not when you feel like it!Trade KO to Minn for Clutterbuck(they,Minn wouldn’t do it).We could use that guys energy every night.He also has 9 goals.Throw in Franz while your @ it.I guess all the Franz lovers didn’t read my comments about him ’cause if u did he played word for word.I do not understand the love affair w/ these guys.Both are getting MAJOR minutes & NOT delivering.I guess Franzys turnovers(& there were many)didn’t get noticed.You guys want to talk stats take the players around the league(on top 8 teams-afterall isn’t the playoffs the goal?)& compare them to your boys.Keep in mind the player types,lines,minutes,penalties,fights,hits etc to get an objective view of how far off these guys really are.KO would no doubt have better results if he played w/ that kind of energy on a more consistant basis.Franz has hit his potential & he probably is being used in the wrong role but even if he was moved to the 3rd line I for one want a much more physical player w/ defensive skills as my checking center.Big Al looked refreshed,Streit doesn’t look the same & I agree Garth must @ least LISTEN to offers that include established players.No picks!!He shouldn’t move him for the sake of doing so but c’mon if we could get a 3rd or 4th physical stay @ home d-man you do it.DeHann can replace Streit easily.Now lets run off another 4 wins in a row & then I’ll feel better about this team.Go Isles!!Sell Wang!!!Great job Jiggs!
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mikeg says:
I don’t understand why we let jack Hillen go and then sign Steve Staios. Hillen could skate like the wind man! Staios can skate like Jaba the Hut, and always takes a penalty at a crucial time.
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reply says:
Although Hillen is a good skater, he is a softy on D. Do you notice when Haley was being gangbanged Johnson and another Pitts player and Hillen looked like he was scared to help Haley. see it on youtube again. We dont need even more wimps on D. Snow needs to address the D in the off-season like a real GM should
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chris says:
they won..big deal…the wild had an off night..lets not get excited….this is an AHL team..peroid!!!
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lol lol lol lol lol.. tru tru tru
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I was wondering, Is Al Arbour the only coach to have won a playoff round with the islanders?
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Really Kevin?
From what I recall the Capitals traded their captain last year
or prior can’t exactly remember, made Ovi captain and have had no problems with backlash and or free agency.
The reason why free agents don’t want to sign here is because our reputation of being a cellar troll year in and year out.
That’s why sub par journeymen like the reasoners and Mottaus fill the roster.
In the end this is business. If we obtained a premium player that improved this squad and put asses in the seats for Streit . Believe you- me, he and his captaincy
would soon be forgotten-
Striet is not Captain material but is our best player. Streit is arguably more imported in the line-up than JT is. It’s not Steits fault that he D partner is a 7th Dman.
Snow should have acquired or front-loaded Erhoffs contract incase Striets regressed from his injury.
It’s not fair to bash him just because he is having a couple of bad weeks.
Take your frustrations out on Wang and his girlfriend snow. -
dork says:
Striet is not Captain material but is our best player. Streit is arguably more imported in the line-up than JT is. It’s not Steits fault that he D partner is a 7th Dman.
Snow should have acquired or front-loaded Erhoffs contract incase Striets regressed from his injury.
It’s not fair to bash him just because he is having a couple of bad weeks.
Take your frustrations out on Wang and his girlfriend snow.-
I think Streit is very similar in personality and demeanor to Kenny Jonsson and Kenny struggled with the role of captain. What would have helped him a lot would have been keeping Konopka here who was the vocal leader in the room. But of course there is no room for an outgoing leader, great teammate, scrapper, that won 58% of his face-offs when you had a stud in Marty Reasoner out there for almost twice his salary.
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Battfist says:
Good win last night.
But the gay comment was uncalled for…. -
rpchief2 says:
I was one who said to trade streit in a comment yesterday. I didn’t mean now because he is not playing well. It came from his age and where the isles are at. To think we are close is foolish. In order to get what we need a trade is the only way. In order to get something they need to trade more than Bailey and eaton. Maybe streit will bring us back a tough crease clearing dman. Then dehaan donavan and Ness will be ready to go.
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sm says:
if you trade streit, who replaces his minutes on the blueline? we have nobody currently in house capable. if hes playing as poorly as many of you think, why trade him when his value is low? we need more defense, its a weakness. yet your saying lets make our team even weaker on the blueline. MAKES NO SENSE. you deal from strength, kinda like the flyers did in the off season.
the isles can trade both nabby and montoya near seasons end, if they wish, because they have a replacement in poulin. if they want to deal PAP, they have replacement in nino.
for example: if strome was ready next season(he wont be), they could deal Franz. strome plays second line, bailey plays third. you need to deal from strength, not from weakness.
the isles are a cap floor team, they can’t make big money mistakes. jason bay on the Mets, a big money disaster. if the GM is spending big money on a player, its got be near zero risk. anybody want kovalchuk from the devils? that might cost them parise this offseason. think fellas. move with a purpose, not just to move. -
Streit has one year left at a very modest cap hit, he should bring some solid assets back in a trade. I like Streit as much as anyone, but he is 34 years old, and IF this rebuild ever happens, he won’t be around to see it anyway. Lets face it, other than JT and Moulson, there’s no one else who is even tradable.
Reasoner way be the worst Islander in history, and thats certainly saying something. We’d be better off playing shorthanded in lieu of his shift. The guy is -15 despite playing only 11 min a game on the 4th line. I mean, thats epically bad. Is there a record for worst +/- per minute played or something?
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somebody mentioned the Caps? really, the Caps.. so much talent, so few results…
you think signing Semin for $7million was a good idea( 12 points)? joel ward from the preds, he has 12 points. hamerlik has a SINGLE POINT!
leino and erhoff in buffalo, 15 points, -8 and 10 points and -7.
betcha the Caps miss fleischmann ( 30 points and wee bit less then $7million/year)
reasoner is awful, but there were mistakes made by many teams, and reasoner isnt a long term disaster.. hes a fourth line player
konkopa has 5 points. he hasnt been lighting it up either. sayings hes better then reasoner. my grandmothers dead, shes been better then reasoner. -
It’s not the fact that Snow signed these ‘vets’, but c’mon, learn how to cut your losses. Don’t keep playing the guys. Waive them and put in guys who can do the job.
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jersey steve_ agreed, but replace them with whom? haley is a fan favorite, but hes been unimpressive at Bport.. ullstrom has been okay, but its a short sample. dont forget bsiley, the poster boy for “brought up too soon”. our defense is a man short, but theres nobody down at bport ready to ply first or second line minutes. so why screw up de haan, donovan or anybody else not ready, and repeat the bailey mistake? when in doubt, draft or buy defense depth. which the isles actully have in large numbers. sadly, its all 5/6 level guys. and each nite, one of them is askedto play #4 defender minutes. the GM has tried, but hasnt gotten it done. even he sees the problem, but hasnt fixed it despite his efforts at martin, erhoff and a few others the past few off seasons.
now that our goaltending seems resolved, being one defender short is killing us. give streit 22 minutes instead of 26 minutes a game, and he will get much better. yes, travis, striet, amac and 1 more top four defender playing 45 outta 60 minutes/game. we’d be a lot better record wise. look at tampa, all offense, no defense..-
I know, it’s slim-pickings, the reality being that there were better options available when Snow signed these guys but he seemed to be the only person unaware of this.
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RICH L says:
Possibly this would have helped, but then again, with this team who the hell knows…
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Pap is not a good player, points or not, he has far more negatives than positives. Points are blinding.
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Many fans on this thread are always lamenting about the D on this team, well the O, is not tearing it up either, they have played 30 games and have scored 69 goals to date that figures out to be about 2 1/3 goals a game,and they are also 28 goals under the GF,vs GA mark, now where is the so called vaunted offense that was supposed to be on this team? Know where it is, it is on other teams, due to the totally moronic moves, and trades by two of the dumbest nit wits that G.D ever punched an ahole into, and I do mean mad Mike Wilbury as in [wilbury this team] and Garth Snowjob, here is a brief video which should allow some to enjoy immensely, Nystrom vs Milbury…
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THE PORK CHOP EXPRESS says:
This win shows you what type of players that we have. We have players who do not know how to play every game, every shift as their last. They pick and choose. Other than a couple of players our players don’t play every shift and I can’t understand why. It is not like they are a stanley cup champion who can afford to take a shift off. JT is our most talented and most determined player on the ice by far. You would think the other players would pick up on it and play harder.
Overall, the team needs a mix of players and not the same type of soft players. Once you have a good mix you will see better results. This is the year to make some moves and acquire some quality for quantity. If I was GM, I would keep JT, MMoulson, MMartin, Hamonic, Montoya, MG and Streit (unless some team offers you the world). Then I would see if I can package the rest to get better talent.
Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is one of the following: Bobby Ryan, Evander Kane, Cal Clutterbuck, Ryan Suter,
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kingdm9 says:
big 2 pts against the wild .. i’ll take it on the road. ko is playing better and better..
what was worse the al pass to mark or the drop pass for the game tying goal?
thought jack would have called a time out after goal. to kill momentum , and to tell the troops to just keep playing the game that they have been playing and to keep checking.
isles got scared stop hitting and wild took over.. isles were lucky to make it to a s.o.
whats the deal with players today . no one can do a back hand. jt and grabs need one bad. just watch video of mario . you tuck it under the crossbar ..
snow is not committed . 5+ year of rebuilding and it looks the same ..last place no playoffs .. and the d has sucked since.
taking c away from mark is like telling him your out.
one last thing why couldnt isles bring back bergy ? he scores big goals was great for tampa in playoff’s .
bench reasoner . its long over due . play wallace at center. he has brought nothing………………………………..
jets will be a nice battle ..
isles if you check and play smart your a solid team. if not you look like dumb asses ..
good night.. and LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!! back to getting to 500 and thinking about playoff’s
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Ray Kaats says:
NHL makes a big deal out of trading captains. But Brent Sutter was traded mid-season and he was captain a longer than Streit has. Plenty of captains have been traded in season.
Streit gave the Isles a great year, a good year, injured year and right now is playing below average. He’s been below average most of the tear. Right now he is at his worst.
Two main problems in dealing Streit: Who runs the PP and you are sending the signal that another year is over.
I believe the season is over so I would deal Streit if the right deal came along. But, Snow/Wang can’t give up on this season and probably won’t make any big moves until after the season if then.
I give Snow a lot of passes, but the last two seasons, he has told us that the goal is the play-offs. He was not blowing smoke on this even though most picked the Isles to get a lottery pick both years.
On a normal team in any sport a GM who did that would be on the hotseat. Not with Wacky Wang. What we have to worry about is if Milbury gets canned by NBC/Versus will Wang hire him back here.
Don’t discount that. Wang still thinks Milbury is the 2nd best GM of all time. Who does he think is #1? Well, Wacky Wang himself, silly.
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Guys, I know you’re young but you shud know this. The Gay 90s were not the 1990′s. They were the 1890s.
The word gay meant happy until deep into the 50s & early 60s. Actually that is still the primary meaning of the word in most dictionaries.
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Onesinceforty says:
Nino should have been sent to Bridgeport for his two week conditioning stint. It is called player DEVELOPMENT !
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twocents says:
All the talk about Streit and the C on his sweater is silly. If a guy is a leader he leads whether he has a ‘C’ on there or not, and we have no idea how Streit is with his teammates away from what we see. Gotta say though, his game is a long way from where it was before the injury. Yikes.
If Kyle Okposo needs motivation from playing in his hometown in front of family and friends in order to be his best, then I’ve seriously misread and misjudged that guy.-
Have you heard of any team meetings, or him making a statement on the bench or ice? He is another pansy.
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upstateIsles says:
TWO VERY IMPORTANT THINGS:
1) Alright PEOPLE CMON!! Even the kids I coach know that wearing the C or an A does not mean your the best player on the team or necessarily have to be in order to earn the right to wear that honor…You lead by example, sure! I believe Streit, other than his latest slump, has best exemplified the traits of a Captain as adequately as any other Captain in the NHL. He has always been a steady player and an excellent QB on the PP. He is as professional as they come and a great teammate from the impression I get from the other guys. He will get through this slump, and the team will be noticeably better when he does…but SO QUICKLY you forget (and take granted for) the #BEAUTY passes that were so refreshing to see early on this season, and so greatly missed last season. Let up a bit, you guys are starting to act like Philly Fans for crying out loud #TheyBOoSantaClause!
2) TIME WARNER YOU SUCK , I LIVE IN SYRACUSE AND IF I DONT START SEEING SOME ISLES GAMES on MSG+ IM DROPPIN YOU IMMEDIATELY!!….SICK OF STREAMING GAMES VIA HIGH SPEED HDMI FROM MY SMARTPHONE TO TV-sucks, but Droid Bionic on Verizon kicking butt in that department luckily (Former Apple Iphone user…no longer)
@MitchSticks22 ..gimme a follow there Schultzy..all I do is talk NHL/Islanders puck and a little sports smack all in good clean fun
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BanGarth says:
Reasoner is a joke , he is invisible every single night. Solid move Garth , you moron.
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I was honestly excited about Marty…he seemed like a more practical version of ZK..turns out hes just a soft version and probably not half as vocal…who cares if hes a vet if he doesn’t voice himself like Konopka did.not saying keeping ZK was the solution..just saying Reasoner was not the solution.
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Real hockey team? The Isles are a freaking joke, and Streit is an embarassment to the team.
nice