Monthly Archives: December 2011
Please talk about the game in this post.
Game notes:
- Montoya is starting in net tonight.
- Due to all the injuries, both Wallace and Haley will be in the lineup.
Questions of the night:
- Can the Islanders finally score some goals at home?
- Does Capuano keep going with the same tie?
- What are your names for the four new conferences?
Yesterday at practice, I spoke with the Islanders goaltender Al Montoya. He has started four of the team’s last five games since returning from injury on November 25th and made a relief appearance on Saturday night in Dallas. Through nine starts this season, he has a .930 save percentage and 2.17 GAA. We touched on playing in front of his family last Friday in Chicago, how he’s handling the workload of playing on back-to-back nights and, of course, the obligatory question about Capuano’s tie.
It’s not the morning yet, but with rea-freakin-lignment getting approved by the Board of governors tonight, we’ll jump on this one while it’s hot.
YOU HAVE BEEN REALIGNED
Oh hey, look the new super crazy realignment plan ACTUALLY PASSED. The Board of Governors approved the four conference, no division plan earlier today (with playoff format still TBD). Puck Daddy has the full breakdown, and I suggest you read what Greg’s got to say. The coverage there is always top notch, as you may know. I’m going to give you the Islanders-centric analysis of the NHL turning on itself on it’s head.
Wait, what the heck is going on? Why is this happening? I feel dizzy. In a nutshell, with Atlanta moving to Winnipeg and playing in the southeast this year, something had to be done. The only question was ‘what?’ A lot of teams had gripes here. Detroit has been playing in the West since forever and owner Mike Illitch says that he was ‘promised’ a move to the East eventually. Columbus is not fairing very well and part of the reason (it’s a very complex situation) is that they play a lot of late night games against west coast teams, prompting fans to choose sleep over, you know, the games. Washington was also never thrilled about being moved away from the Atlantic teams and into the sunbelt.
So, in a nutshell, what’s the schedule going to look like for the Islanders next year? Teams will play a home-and-home with every team in the league. This was big for the Western teams who want a guarantee that they’ll be able to advertise the Red Wings, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and more to their fans every year. Also, teams will play six conference games (more on that in a moment).
One more thing — remember the old days of meeting up with the Rangers, Capitals or whomever in the playoffs almost every year? Well, if the Islanders can find a way to the playoffs, that’s probably what’s going to happen. This part is still TBD, but we do know that teams will play a divisional round of playoffs before being re-seeded.
What’s the division looking like for the Islanders? And is it good or bad news? It’s hard to say if it’s good or bad. It won’t be that much different. For one, divisional games will be that much more important. That’s because instead of six games against each team in a five team division, they’ll now play six games against each team in a SEVEN team division. The Islanders’ division is the Atlantic Five plus Carolina and Washington. So you’ll have that much more Alex Ovechkin in your life. That sound you hear are high fives coming from the ticket sales department.
The main bullet points of this presentation…
There are four conferences, no divisions.
The Islanders’ new, currently unnamed conference looks like this:
NYI, NYR, NJD, PIT, PHI, WSH, CAR
The playoff format is TBD. But we know there will be a first-round divisional series.
You will have more of this man in your life:
Technically, this all isn’t final. It needs the blessing of the NHLPA. But it pretty much is final since the NHLPA’s opinion is just that, an opinion.
Cozy up to your neighbors, Islanders. If you want to go anywhere in the playoffs, you’re going to have to get through them first.
GETTING THE CALL ARE POULIN AND WALLACE
Late in the day, the Islanders announced that they are calling up Kevin Poulin and Tim Wallace for tomorrow’s game against the Lightning. With MacDonald and Pandolfo placed on injured reserve, the pair from Bridgeport was recalled on an emergency basis, which means they don’t have to pass through waivers in either direction (they may not have had to, anyway).
Wallace, 27, is an AHL journeyman who was signed during the off-season. He has 9 goals and 11 points in 24 games. He’s played well on a line with Cizikas and DiBenedetto in Bridgeport for most of the season. I would imagine he’s getting the call because the Islanders don’t feel the other two are quite ready. Bridgeport also doesn’t play until Saturday, for what it’s worth, so the call-up may only be a for a few days.
As for Poulin, I do believe we’re already acquainted. His numbers haven’t been great this year, but he’s carried a lot of the work. One example is how he started three straight nights while Anders Nilsson was called up a few weeks ago. Nabokov, despite practcing today, isn’t quite ready to go. Today at practice the Islanders had a staff member on the side as a third goaltender, switching off with Nabby when he needed a rest. If he’s skating, he should be back soon. Again, with Bridgeport not playing until Saturday, why not? Might as well have someone fully healthy on the bench rather than someone who may only be 80%.
Update: Andy MacDonald has been placed on IR with an expiration date of 2-4 weeks.
Matt Moulson has been named the NHL’s Player of the Week. He had six goals and an assist in three games last week.
Evgeni Nabokov was in net at practice today and I expect that he’ll be on the bench Tuesday.
No news on a call up today. That will likely come tomorrow on game day. No reason to bring up and pay a player for a practice day.
Per Bob McKenzire, Mark Fistric will have a hearing with Brendan Shanahan today.
INJURY UPDATES:
Nino Niederreiter, concussion: No timetable was given for his return. Expect the Islanders to be very cautious with him.
Michael Grabner, groin: Good news here as Capuano said today that Grabner is day-to-day. I would imagine he won’t miss too many games but shouldn’t be in the lineup for the next few.
Rick DiPietro, groin and Andy MacDonald: Both are being re-evaluated today.
With his hockey future in limbo, Casey Cizikas never sulked. Quite the contrary, the native of Toronto, Ontario, Canada decided to become an advocate for positive thinking. That change in attitude, along with an elevation to his gritty play on the ice, has given the 20-year old a new fondness for life – both on and off the ice. Furthermore, Cizikas’ self-confidence has some in the Islanders organization believing that their team’s future captain might be staring them straight in the face.
“The person that I am today – a positive person – I give a lot of credit to not only my family, but my junior hockey coach, (former Mississauga St. Michael’s head coach and current Ottawa Senator assistant coach) coach (Dave) Cameron,” said the six-foot, 185-pound Cizikas, who was selected with the first pick (92nd overall) of the fourth round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Islanders. “They stuck by me all the way.”
Back in 2007 in Mississauga, a then 16 year-old Cizikas participated in a friendly rugby game. Unfortunately, things turned ugly real fast.
During the match, Cizikas tackled 15-year old Manny Castillo on what was described by onlookers as “part of the play”, while others described the action as “a rough tackle” and “not part of the play.” Castillo lay motionless on the ground, after witnesses claimed that Cizikas pile drove his head into the ground.
Castillo died two days later.
Subsequently, much to the objection of the Castillo family, Cizikas was charged with manslaughter simply because it was his tackle that led to Castillo’s death. A Brampton judge deemed Cizikas’ actions as an “unnecessary force”, therefore denying the Castillo family’s request to spare punishment to Cizikas.
The facts of the case – or for many the innuendo – jumbled through the Brampton court system for the next two years, leaving Cizikas feeling helpless and dejected. Yet, he knew it was this time when an attitude adjustment needed to be made.
“I realized that I couldn’t go around being negative,” said Cizikas. “I began to smile and become more personable. I needed to be around a good atmosphere.”
In the summer of 2009, Cizikas would get that reprieve, as his manslaughter charge was dismissed. Instead, he was sentenced to one year probation and 100 hours of community service. His greatest ally to the dismissal would be the physicians, who treated Castillo prior to his death.
According to the physicians, who worked feverishly on saving the teenager, Castillo’s death came as a result of a head injury. Ironically, rampant speculation throughout the ordeal made many observers believe that Castillo’s death came as a result of a spinal cord injury, a charge which could’ve made Cizikas liable. Additionally, physicians were told that two weeks prior to the rugby game, Castillo had suffered a major concussion – a concussion so severe, that he should’ve been held out of physical contact for a year.
Cizikas was exonerated.
That ruling in Brampton came a mere 12 days after the Islanders took a calculated gamble by picking Cizikas in Montreal, a selection that Cizikas is proud to reflect on today.
“Going into the draft, I was coming off my worst year in juniors,” said a humbled Cizikas, whose 2008-09 season playing for the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in the OHL resulted in a disappointing 36-point campaign – 16 goals and 20 assists – in 55 games. Coincidentally, those numbers were a slight drop-off from an 18-goal, 23-assist rookie season the year prior in Mississauga. “The Islanders believed in me, and I didn’t want to let them down.
“I wanted to pay them back.”
Cleared from a manslaughter charge, Cizikas returned to Mississauga for the 2009-10 campaign with a huge weight off his shoulders. Statistically, the center iceman shook off the expected jitters and took his game to a new level.
Cizikas nearly doubled his previous season’s numbers, as he posted career highs in goals (25) and assists (37) and co-led the Majors in points with 62. He also posted a team-high +32 rating, while leading the Majors into the Conference Finals before bowing out to Barrie in five games. He scored a team-high 14 points – seven goals and seven assists – in 16 playoff games.
Cizikas earned the team’s captaincy at the start of the 2010-11 season – his fourth and final in Mississauga – and made the most of that opportunity.
“When I got to Mississauga, I learned a lot from our older players,” said Cizikas. “They showed me how important it was to take care of my body and eat right.
“As a captain, I tried to show that same leadership to our younger players. Working hard is the key.”
Cizikas built off his prior season’s resurgence and set new career-highs in goals (29) and points (64), while posting a team-best +43 rating.
He led the Majors to the OHL Finals, where it would eventually fall to Owen Sound in the deciding seventh game. Still, Cizikas added a career-high 19 points – five goals and 14 assists – in 16 playoff games and had a +11 rating.
Cizikas’ 2010-11 year also included an honor bestowed on a select few, as he was named by his junior coach and Canadian World Junior head coach Cameron to the Canadian World Junior Championship team.
Instantly, Cizikas became a YouTube sensation.
During a 6-3 preliminary victory over the Russians, Cizikas singlehandedly killed a Russian power play, as he played keep-away with the puck in the Russian defensive zone, much to the delight of the Canadian faithful at HSBC Arena in Buffalo.
“I was hoping to just hold onto the puck, and eat it in their zone,” said Cizikas. “I needed an oxygen tank after the kill. It was an exciting moment, but it was also kind of strange having a big crowd of reporters surrounding me after the game.”
Cizikas would score two goals and add an assist in seven tournament games, but the Russians would exact their revenge in the Gold Medal game. They erased a 3-0 Canadian lead, by scoring five unanswered third period goals to secure the tournament title and sending the whole country of Canada into a depression.
“We weren’t able to calm ourselves down,” said a dejected Cizikas. “After they scored the first goal in the period, we weren’t able to stop their momentum.
“It was very frustrating.”
Cizikas’ rebirth gave the Islander brass all the proof they would need, as he would sign his three-year entry contract to play on Long Island this past May.
“I remember when I was being scouted, (Islander scout) Tim Maclean was the only person to see me play,” said Cizikas. “He talked to me briefly, but there was never any indication that they were going to draft me.
“And now I am an Islander.”
Cizikas quickly made his way to Uniondale and participated in his third summer scrimmage in front of the Islander fans.
“It is always great to get the support from the Islanders fans,” said Cizikas. “They deserve the best from us and they want a winning team here so bad.”
Cizikas impressed the Islanders coaches, but was summoned to AHL Bridgeport to get some valuable seasoning under first-year Sound Tiger coach Brent Thompson.
Thompson would soon become Cizikas’ ardent supporter.
“Casey Cizikas is a blue chipper,” said Thompson. “The X-factor to his game is that he wills himself to win battles.
“He will definitely be a long term player in the NHL.”
In his first 24 games at the “A”, Cizikas is tied for second on the team in points with 16, with five goals and 11 assists.
He also has provided a leadership that makes Thompson believe that his rookie will surely be donning a letter on his jersey, not only in Bridgeport, but on Long Island.
“Casey is a throwback,” said Thompson “For Islander fans, he reminds me of a young Brian Trottier. He’s a leader, a workhorse and a character kid.
“I was actually debating putting either an ‘A’ or a ‘C’ on his jersey this season, but as a rookie, I thought it might be putting too much pressure on him.”
Thompson’s assessment of Cizikas has surely not lessened his intensity to reach his ultimate goal – a one-way trip to the N.H.L.
“I believe it is necessary to give hard work on every single shift,” said Cizikas, who has always admired the play of Detroit Red Wing left winger Pavel Datsyuk for his tenacity on both ends of the ice. “I try not to be beaten on any single shift.
“I know that in order to get on the next level, I need to get stronger and work on my face-offs. Still, no one will have a better work ethic than me.”
Off the ice, Cizikas, who will turn 21 on February 27, enjoys playing basketball and just “chilling” with his buddies Mark Katic and Calvin De Haan on the balcony of their Connecticut home.
“There is great camaraderie on our team,” said Cizikas. “We have a very positive locker room, and we just enjoy spending time with each other.”
While there is no immediate timetable to when Cizikas will be a full-time Islander, Thompson believes the team’s patience will pay off huge in the long run.
“It depends on the needs of the Islanders, maybe Casey will get his chance to play later this year,” said Thompson. “But he will be an NHL third liner, who will provide that offensive flair.”
To some, Cizikas’ make-up sounds eerily similar to an NHL captain, who plays his home games on the Island of Manhattan.
Islander fans could mull that one over.
As first pointed out by robb_hock, Jack Capuano has been wearing the same tie as far back as Tuesday night’s game in Buffalo, possibly further back. Is this tie A reason for the Islanders current hot streak or is it THE reason for the hot streak? Science may never know the answer.
The following pictures were captured from my non-HDTV over the past two nights. On the left, Friday night’s game in Chicago. On the right, Saturday night in Dallas. While the colors may appear different, I can assure you that is only due to my crappy television. On the screen, they look the same.
Capuano has been wearing this tie since at least Tuesday in Buffalo, if not earlier. The reasons for this are currently unknown. There are many questions. Does the equipment staff not do laundry on road trips? Does the tie bite when one tries to take it off? Does it have a magical ability to make hockey players in its direct vicinity score lots of goals (it appears so)? These are questions we need answered.
UPDATE, 4:45pm: Thanks to intrepid reporting from Rob, we can now place the tie at the Prudential Center for the Devils game on November 26th. THE TIE WAS THE BIRTH OF THE TURN AROUND.
THE PERFECT GIFT FOR THE HALEYAHOLIC IN YOUR LIFE
What the heck did we do before the internet? It sure wasn’t “find all the interesting stories for the day on Twitter.” Here’s another gem from the Instant Reaction Cloud known as Twitter.
What you’re looking at is a Micheal Haley Christmas ornament. It’s full of grit and determination but can only be displayed on your tree for six minutes per day. It also may or may not protect all the really nice ornaments on your tree from squirrels and raccoons.
A FINAL THOUGHT ON FISTRIC
One last point before I close the book on Fistric’s hit from last night (at least until a suspension decision is made). A lot of people on Twitter and blogs have been trying to excuse Fistric from leaving his feet on the hit because of some variation of the phrase “he left his feet after making contact” or “he was in the air because of the collision.” I’m not sure why some folks are trying to excuse Fistric for not having control of his own body. If he leaves his feet at any point, that responsibility rests on the player and he cannot be excused of it — unless, of course, he gets undercut by another player or the like but then it is obviously not due to his own actions. Regardless of how fast the speed of play is or how quickly decisions are made, players and responsible for their bodies as much as you or I.
There is a way to hit another player without leaving your feet. Mark Fistric did not choose such a way. Regardless as to whether or not it was before or after he made contact with Niederreiter does not excuse him one bit for being responsible for what his body is doing.
Wow, what the heck was that tonight? That was a real roller-coaster ride of a game. I think we got all of the primal Islander fan emotions out of that one: excitement about taking a big lead, remorse and sadness about giving it all back, Rick DiPietro frustration, anger over a head-shot and a win in the end. That’s really about as many different emotion-inducing events as you might expect out of a whole week or month of a season, not one game. There’s so much to cover here, I’m just going to get abstract and break this post-game up into sections. We’ll tackle each game story individually (and in case you missed it earlier, the Nino concussion is in its own separate post).
WELCOME TO INJURY CITY, POPULATION: A LOT
Rick DiPietro, groin: The goaltender was replaced after the second intermission by Al Montoya and the team noted that he had been pulled due to a groin injury. As for the conspiracy theories, sure it’s a ‘nice’ way of pulling DiPietro. But let’s remember his injury history and that this team has been very cautious with him over the last year and a half. I wouldn’t read too much into his being on the bench for the third. We have no idea what the severity of the injury is – again, I’m guessing more precautionary than deathly serious – and it obviously wasn’t anything that required work in the dressing room. DiPietro doesn’t need his feelings massaged; he’s taken more lumps than anyone else over the past decade. I’m sure he doesn’t need a ‘soft pull.’ (Update: Furthermore, after watching the second period on DVR, he got tangled up with Ott in the second along with going down for a save awkwardly at the 9:20 mark, acknowledged by the broadcast team as well. Could be related.)
Nino Niederreiter, concussion: I’m going to skip the guess work on this and not use words such as ‘potential’ or ‘possible’. Anyone watching Nino stumble to get up after Fistric’s hit knows that he was woozy as the result of getting his bell rung. Hopefully that’s all it was and he has a safe recovery. Hits to the head are always scary.
Michael Grabner, groin: The speedy winger left the game during the third and the team confirmed after the game that he had also suffered a groin injury – was the ice horrible in Dallas? Losing Grabner for any extended period of time would be a tough shot to an offense that was really starting to find its groove.
MATT MOULSON MATT MOULSON MATT MOULSON MATT MOULSON
Congratulations to Matt Moulson, who became the first player in the NHL this season to record four goals in a game. During his first intermission interview with Peter Ruttgaizer, Moulson said of his two goals that he “probably could have had a few more.” He’s a hockey prophet!
Moulson now has a four-game scoring streak with seven(!) goals and an assist during that time. He also leads the team with 13 goals and is the first into double digits.
OUT OF NOWHERE, A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL ROAD TRIP FOR THE ROAD WARRIORS
The two horrible blowouts two weeks ago and the waiving of Blake Comeau must have woken this team up. They’re now 3-1-2 in their last six with eight of a possible 12 points during that span. On the four game road trip they finished 3-0-1, with the only missing point being the one that was lost in the shootout against Chicago. Now, they need to be able to keep up the solid play at home. They’ve got three home games in the coming week, all against tough opponents: Tampa Bay, Chicago and Pittsburgh.
THEY’RE NOT SAYING WHO IS #1, BUT WE KNOW
There was a lot of buzz in the last 24-hours about Capuano skirting the question of whether or not Al Montoya is officially the team’s #1 goaltender. That’s all it really is though, is buzz. It’s fodder for blogs like this one to talk about and fans to discuss. At the end of the day, we don’t need to be explicitly told that Montoya is the #1 netminder. He’s been the #1 for the last week.
As soon as Montoya was healthy and ready to go last week, he was in the net for back-to-back games against the Devils. He played four straight until getting a deserved day of rest after what had to have been a physically and emotionally draining homecoming in Chicago. Al Montoya is this team’s go-to goaltender and it’s been shown by how he has been used over the last five games. The only reason there’s a bit of controversy is because he hasn’t been giving the top spot explicitly. If you look at what’s been going on, he’s been given it implicitly.
WOO WOO MODANO AND STOCK ARE ALL ABOARD THE HATER EXPRESS
The internet was made for trolling and on Saturday, Mike Modano used it for such purposes. The following was released from Mike Modano’s twitter account, @9modano, Saturday presumably with an emphatic slam of an enter key somewhere in Texas.
@9modano Mike Modano
Milbury is awful doing hockey on TV!! HNIC can him.. Please..
I think he made a few friends on Long Island with that.
In a somewhat related note, if only because it was someone going off the handle in the media, PJ Stock had the following quote on Hockey Night in Canada (per @ehornick).
PJ Stock on #HNIC (after showing Moulson goal)… “If we’re going to show another #isles highlight, how about a DiPietro injury highlight?”
At this point I would post a PJ Stock highlight but journeymen with five career goals don’t have those.
A few pluses and minuses…
+ Travis Hamonic being smart and under control, not engaging with Steve Ott.
- The attendance in Dallas is something awful. The announced was over 14,000 but you could hear a pin drop for most of the game. There may have been a crowd there, but it was hard to verify such rumors. LHH had the low-down on this in pre-game if you’re interested.
+ Dylan Reese: not trying to do too much and being invisible in a good way.
+ Three assists for John Tavares.
+ #1800BIGCUBANO
+ Howie Rose continually ribbing Butchie about Las Vegas is pretty funny.
