Chris Botta on Twitter

I’ll host in-game Commentary throughout Islanders-Canucks starting at 10 pm EST.

Although Gary Bettman does not see the borough as a realistic option for the Islanders, Brooklyn’s new arena will have the capability of hosting hockey games and Bruce Ratner says Charles Wang’s team is invited. Still, Ratner is rooting for Wang to get his wish of staying in Nassau County.

“It’s an option,” said Ratner in an interview last week on WFAN. “It’s not likely, but it’s always an option. First, we have to hope that Charles Wang does get his arena built and the Islanders stay (on Long Island) and they have a great place to play. That’s foremost.

“It’s important for the Islanders to stay, and I hope they do stay. If there’s somebody who can do it out there, Charles is the person.”

Here’s a piece of the press release from Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment (the code word for the Nets) distributed at the groundbreaking of the Barclays Center last week. In this portion, the Nets discuss an alignment with event managers IMG:

In addition to college basketball, IMG will assist BSE in staging college hockey, high-profile tennis events and high school sports at the Barclays Centers.

“Our strategic alliance with IMG, the world’s premier and most diversified sports, entertainment, and media company, clearly demonstrates the first-class programming that is in store for the Barclays Center and Brooklyn,” said Brett Yormark, President and CEO, BSE. “The Barclays Center will have the best in sports and entertainment and will provide visitors with a memorable experience each and every night.”

(h/t to our friends at Nets Daily)

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Pop Culture Segment: The great young Long Island band Envy on the Coast plays hockey at a rink you may recognize in the new video for their song, “Head First in the River.” Check it out.

(UPDATED at 1:15 pm: Lead singer Ryan Hunter responds via email: “Hey Chris, I just wanted to shoot you a personal thanks for posting the link to the video. We love your blog and our guitar player and I are avid readers as well as big Isles fans. Artistdirect.com has the exclusive on the video today, but tomorrow we’ll be able to post it anywhere. Thanks!)

The latest episode of the late-night HBO animated comedy for adults, “The Life and Times of Tim” featured a storyline in which a guy thinks his wife is hanging out with a fictional Islanders player. The episode may not have been a laugh riot, but the visuals of the Coliseum and Islanders fans and players are sure to bring a smile. Check it out if you’re older than, let’s say 16.

The Islanders are also seen briefly in the new movie, She’s Out of My League, in a scene of a date at an Islanders-Penguins game at the Igloo. The hockey clips were shot on March 27, 2008 during a real game. I was there. The Islanders didn’t have to do anything except play. The Pens won, 3-1. According to Dominic, the Islanders fan screenwriter in LA, you see Dubie and Tamby in the flick.

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Actual Islanders Stuff: As the lone writer on the Islanders’ West Coast trip, Katie Strang of Newsday has the market cornered on all breaking team news this week. If you want to know who’s in and out of the lineup and everything else, make sure you follow Katie on Twitter. When I just looked her up for the link, I noticed she’s just a few followers shy of 2,000, so put her over the top today if you’re one of the few not getting her regular updates.

What we do know is Trevor Gillies is still with the big club and Matt Martin returned on Sunday night to Bridgeport. Trent Hunter is on the trip. Rick DiPietro - whom the Islanders have said they want to play a few more games this season - is not.

Boston lost last night. The Rangers can jump over them for eighth with a win tonight at home against Montreal. If the Islanders get two points in Vancouver tonight, they stay very much in the race.

Comments on tonight’s game and this post. See you for the late-night commentary.

Chris Botta on Twitter

Thanks to the passionate backing of scout Tobey O’Brien and the persistance and creativity of general manager Garth Snow, Jack Hillen was signed two years ago April 1.

Hillen was a late-blooming defenseman out of Colorado College who, it worked out, was fortunate to go undrafted. Instead of having little leverage as a late-round selection of one team, Hillen was a free agent with his choice of all 30.

He had a half-dozen devout followers before Hillen and his agent, Neil Sheeny, narrowed the decision down to three finalists: the Islanders, Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars.

I was aware that (Islanders scout) Toby O’Brien had watched me a lot, and I’m told he really went to bat for me with management. When the Islanders came to see me and a few other players on our team to give us their psychological testing, Toby spent a few minutes with me. There was another scout, Rob Cowie (now with Toronto), who also saw me a few times. From what I understand, Garth Snow came to Colorado for a game or two based on the recommendations. It was really nice to be wanted.

 

My first two years in Colorado weren’t great. I had the skills, but it wasn’t until my junior year when everything started to come together for me. By the time I got to my last year of college, I knew there were going to be options. It really came down to finding the NHL franchise I thought was the right place for me.

Why did you finally decide on the Islanders?

Garth did a great job of enticing me, explaining to my agent what he was trying to build and the kind of players he wanted to build around. He really made the idea of becoming part of their organization exciting. In terms of how he outlined everything for me, I could tell they had spent a lot of time scouting my games and thinking about a role for me. I had the sense that they appreciated my abilities. It meant a lot to me.

The Islanders worked out a unique deal with Hillen. They gave him a two-year contract, but the first year was burned off immediately when he played in the NHL for the last two games of the Islanders’ season after his college hockey career ended.

Did that creative step put the Islanders over the top?

It helped that they were willing to be so flexible and go the extra mile. Florida had a similar offer on the table. Getting the chance to go straight to the NHL for a few games was tough to pass up. Playing for the Islanders in a home-and-home against the Rangers, in one of the biggest rivalries in hockey, was a bonus. By burning the first year, I was already one step closer to get out of my Entry Level contract. That put me in position to sign the new deal we worked out last summer.

 

Everything has worked out pretty perfectly for me. If you had told me when I signed the deal two years that I’d now have almost 100 NHL games (98) under my belt and a chance to establish myself, I would have been very happy.

Comments on Jack Hillen and this post.

7:35 pm, NVMC: No matter where you stand on the Lighthouse Project, almost everyone agrees the Islanders could use a new or completely transformed arena. Hurricane winds wrecked havoc all over Long Island yesterday, including some wreckage of the old barn on Hempstead Turnpike.

Turns out the Millsteins were just a decade ahead of their time. The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum really is falling apart.

Three large sections of the aluminum upper facade of the arena came crumbling down on Saturday around 5:30 pm. Although fans were starting to line up before the Islanders’ game against the Devils, somewhat miraculously no one got hurt. The only inconvenience was some traffic when the main area of the box office had to be closed.

Two of the pieces of broken barn were 2 x 18, the other 12 x 12.

Of course, you can drive to many places on Long Island to witness serious damage. I recommend Capitolian Blvd. in Rockville Centre for an awesome sight of a large tree lifted out of the ground and lying across the length of the block (no one got hurt). You can also check out the front porch of the home I thought my family was moving into this summer.

But in case there was any doubt, the Islanders need a new home. It’s dangerous out there.

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Plus: Bruins management may have loved this result for draft pick purposes, but the Islanders pull to within seven points of eighth place Boston for the final playoff berth in the East. Although the Islanders haven’t won on the road in two months, a not-unreasonable-to-expect four points on this three-game Western swing keeps them in the race.

Plus: It took some growing pains, but Blake Comeau (first three-assist NHL game) can be added to the list of keepers on the core of forwards in this rebuild. Lest anyone forgot, Comeau has a pretty good pedigree. He is 6-6-12 in his last eight games.

Plus: The rest of the confirmed list as of this date: John Tavares, Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen, Matt Moulson. Yes, nucleuses (nuclei?) can include effective third-liners like Comeau. And yep, the team needs some size.

Plus: Freddy Meyer is the perfect example of an excellent role player who is sometimes disrespected when he’s playing on a losing team. With his attitude and play, he’s a perfect 6-7 defenseman for the Islanders. No reason not to keep him around.

Plus: Matt Martin, even on an emergency recall, demonstrates how to be a good teammate.

Plus: On back-to-back games, in nasty weather, for a team barely in the playoff race, the fans came out in good numbers. That’s the definition of a strong fanbase.

Plus: Dennis LaRue with the kind of heads-up intelligent penalty call you don’t always see when Nikolai Kulemin attempted to disguise a pick-and-roll. Referees get a lot of carp, often for good reason, but smart work deserves to be applauded.

Plus: Tim Jackman is unable to fight, Dion Phaneuf wasn’t going to fight. The best the Islanders could do is make Phaneuf have to keep his head up for the entire game, know he was marked, and understand the Islanders would not forget what he did to Kyle Okposo. On all levels, the Islanders succeeded.

Plus: Recent adjustments to the penalty kill have paid off. (We’ll save the needle about yet another too-many-men penalty for a different day). Coming into the weekend, the Islanders had given up eight power play goals in their last six games. They were 11-for-11 in these two games with a pair of shorthanded goals.

Plus: By raising some ticket prices and asking season subscribers to pay by April 1, by raising the cost of parking closer to major league levels, some enticing signs are there. The Islanders have every intention of spending some money (some from the Andy Sutton savings), getting out of 26th-30th-28th place and taking the next step. As much as it has been a brutal last two months in the Country, the Islanders are in position to compete next season. Should be an exciting summer.

Comments.

9:45 pm: Looks like my prediction of a four-point three game weekend is going to be short by a point. Good for Go-Go’s Gritty-Gutties for ending the four-game losing streak.

As mentioned a few times in this space, Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo, Dwayne Roloson and the rest of the Islanders young and oldish do not give a Cam about The Fall for Seguin and Hall.

If you want to know how much the Islanders are still playing for pride and expect 100% effort from each other, check the tape and watch Scott Gordon’s reaction after Ilya Kovalchuk scored to make it 3-2.

Tonight was the proof. After an iffy start, the Islanders played hard and smart and beat the Devils, who were coming off impressive wins over the Rangers and Penguins. The key moment was a four-minute power play for New Jersey in the third period in which the only goal scored was by Sean Bergenheim. Then the Islanders killed the rest, even when it turned into a 5-on-3.

As he has been for almost the entire season, short of a three-week stretch of a three-goalie rotation before the Olympic break, Roloson was superb in stopping 38 of 39 shots he could see.

You couldn’t find anyone in Devilsland who thought coach Jacques Lemaire was going to sit Martin Brodeur anytime soon. Yet there was Yann Danis starting against the Islanders tonight. Butch Goring said he hoped Scott Gordon used the sign of disrespect as motivation. “He’s saying you guys suck,” said Butch. “Now go out there and show him how good you are.”

No word if Gordon said anything to his team about the slight, but he really didn’t have to. The Islanders got the message, and the two points. The pressure is now off the Islanders, which makes them a dangerous team.

Sunday at 5:00 pm at the Coliseum is a crucial showdown with the Maple Leafs. Islanders can pull to within seven points of eighth-place Boston. I hope to be back from the road and at the Coliseum.

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Parking details finally clarified via a Coliseum source. The cost to park at Islanders home games next season will be $10 or $15. It’s only $10, if you can deal with parking in the outer reaches of the lot. The cost is $15 if you want to get a spot closer to the rink and get out of there quickly.

“Media parking is going to cost $50,” said the source, who pretended he was joking.

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Tonight Garth Snow took his play-in playoff idea to Stan Fischler on the Devils broadcast. Snow said, “Single-game elimination would take 5-7 days, and everyone would battle it out for the eighth seed. It was an idea. It was obviously talked about at length.” Snow cited the Carolina Hurricanes, hurt by injuries in the first half, as an example of a team that could benefit by the all-in tournament.

As for his Islanders, Snow said, “It’s never fun when you don’t win. Our future’s bright. There’s a lot of good things we can take from our season. Where we stand is unacceptable. We don’t like losing.”

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Best wishes to Islanders ticket sales executive Theresa Coscia, who is leaving the team this week for a management position with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL.

Theresa, whom I worked with in my last season at the Islanders, had a tough job on the frontlines working with fans on a daily basis and during some tough times. Yet, through everything, I’ve never heard anything but the highest praise for her integrity and ability to communicate with clients. Long Island loses another great one, this time a graduate of Connetquot high school.

Best wishes, Theresa. I have no doubt you will attain all of your goals.

Toronto and Florida win, Edmonton, Columbus and Carolina lose. Comments on tonight’s game, including your Plus/Minus, and your thoughts on this post. Drive safely.

Chris Botta on Twitter

11:20 am: The Islanders have announced that captain Doug Weight is out for the remainder of the season. Weight, who will undergo surgery next week after playing hurt since his return in January, had one goal and 16 assists in 36 games this season.

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John Tavares may only have one goal and one assist in the five games since the Olympic break, but his coach is pleased with the 2009 first overall pick.

“The improvement in John’s play since the break has been night and day,” said Scott Gordon. “Not everyone may see it, and the numbers may not bear it out, but I’ve seen a big difference. I’m very happy with the way he is competing and the way he has been getting to the puck.”

In the five games, Tavares has an even plus/minus rating while averaging over 17 minutes a game.

Short-term Goal: Asked what he’d like to see from his team in back-to-back games this week against the Devils and Maple Leafs, Gordon said, “You can ask me the same question after we get back from the road trip and I’ll probably give you the same answer. I just want to continue to get better as individuals and as a team.”

Try Nassau Community College: A report from a highly-reliable source on the invaluable fan message board Islandermania said that the Islanders - now in charge of the lot - are more than doubling the price of parking at the Coliseum next season to $15. Islandermania is the team’s official message board and no one on the team has shot down the report.

Early Friday I ran this report by a team source, who denied it but could not announce what the new price will be. Coliseum staffers are confirming that they have been told the price for general parking at the arena for hockey games will be $15. Islanders season subscribers will be offered a discount, but the price will still be a lot more than they are used to paying.

UPDATED at 10:15 am - Team sources continue to insist general parking will be raised to “more like $10 and $15 for VIP.”

We await official word from the Islanders, who now receive the revenue from parking after out-going County Executive Tom Suozzi brokered an eleventh-hour sublease to benefit the team.

If the price is indeed $15 to park at the Islanders’ legendary dump, here’s hoping fans take safety measures making the walk from nearby Nassau Community College. (Then again, don’t be surprised if the Islanders take measures to work with NCC to ensure that’s no longer an option). UPDATE: Readers have written in to report they have recently been nailed with expensive parking tickets at NCC.

Without question, the Islanders will be quick to point out the crazy cost of parking at Yankee Stadium and countless NHL rinks. Like comparing the Islanders to the Devils, however, this is apples and oranges.

Comments on this post and tonight’s game. Have a good week, everyone.

Scott Bowman Speaks

12:30 pm, Iceworks: Islanders head coach Scott Gordon is extremely comfortable with the direction of his team.

Asked by a reporter after today’s optional practice about the differences between the Islanders and Saturday’s opponent, the New Jersey Devils, Gordon - while respecting the Devils’ championships and annual competitiveness - said it’s a case of apples and oranges.

“The Devils are re-tooling. We’re trying to rebuild with a master plan of winning a Stanley Cup,” said Gordon. “We’re not re-tooling. We’re still trying to find the tools.

“With all the changes in coaches and managers here, there hasn’t been a stretch of continuity. We haven’t deviated from the plan. Garth (Snow) hasn’t traded any players in a panic. We haven’t given up something that we’re going to miss.”

Gordon has seen improvement in the core of his team’s approach from last season to this season.

“I see a level of consistency,” said the coach. “The power play and the penalty kill…there’s no question we’ve got to get better. Five-on-five, we don’t give up a lot. With a young team that could use a lot of practice time, and in a year with a condensed scehdule where there hasn’t been much, I’ve been happy with what I see in our work.

“You have to remember, the roster didn’t change a whole lot - except for the goaltenders. Now, for me, it’s about finding a few missing pieces to fill in.”

Finally, Gordon was asked if the Eastern Conference standings board still hangs in the locker room like it did in mid-January, when the Islanders were still in the playoff hunt. Affirmative.

“Look at the standings and know what a lousy feeling it is,” said Gordon, referring to his players. “Remember this day.”

Comments.

Chris Botta on Twitter

9:42 pm - In an interview with rightsholder MSG Network, Islanders general manager Garth Snow said his team’s future is bright, he is building a “consistent contender” and the team’s goal is to make the playoffs next season.

After defending his play-in playoff proposal - “There were 16 teams in the playoffs when there were 21 NHL teams, and now there are 30 teams and there are still only 16 playoff teams,” he said, dead seriously - Snow was asked by Howie Rose about his team. Here is an unedited transcript:

This is clearly Year 2 of a rebuilding program. Where are you right now relative to your expectations?

I think there are a lot of bright signs for the future when you look at our team. Kyle Okposo has taken a huge step in the right direction. Josh Bailey…when you see the difference in him after a summer of training, he came in and looked like a man. John Tavares is gonna benefit from a summer of training.

I don’t think people realize that after a player is drafted, the emphasis when the season ends is to get in shape to do well at the (draft) combine. That’s not necessarily getting in shape for a hockey season. It’s no fault of any player. It’s just the way the system works…and obviously, leading up to the draft, there’s appearances, commitments made, whether it be in the media or certain markets.

Then as the player enters into the market he is drafted by, there’s a lot of commitments and time that takes away from training. There’s an added benefit for John to get a really good summer of training.

Do you feel (Tavares) needs to get significantly stronger to take the next step in his development?

He’s going to get stronger just because he’s a 19-year-old kid. Sometimes we lose sight of it.

What about from a technical standpoint, in terms of skating and an ability to stay on his feet…does that comes with more weight and more bulk?

I can tell you from my own experience, when you’re 19 years old or 20 years old and playing against men who are 28 and 32 years old, there’s a big difference. And not only in strength and conditioning, but what you find works maybe in college or junior might not necessarily work in the NHL.

Those are lessons I know are sometimes frustrating for our fans, but things are going in the right direction. We have a great group of young players. We have a good nucleus. We have solid leaders in that locker room. It’s going to be fun watching this team evolve and grow up.

Will Rick DiPietro play again for the Islanders this season?

Yeah, we believe so. The swelling has gone down and he’s been skating with Sudsie (Maharaj) and Mike Dunham, our two goalie coaches. I fully expect him to play at some point.

What happens as you get into the summer if there are any lingering questions whether he can carry a big load next year? For the sake of this conversation, we’ll assume (UFA Martin Biron) goes somewhere else. Do you then need to find another veteran goaltender as you did with Biron to pair with Roloson?

You know what happens when you assume, Howie. With Rick, with what he’s gone through and the way he’s rehabbed, this is why for us it’s important for him to get in games now.

Well, then if he comes back and plays ten games (this season) will that satisfy for you that you have no issue with him going forward? Or will there be that lingering doubt that he can play a significant number of games?

The one luxury we have is Dwayne Roloson, who’s under contract for next year. He’s obviously a goaltender who’s played extremely well for us and he’s carried the load. It’s a luxury that we have.

When you got to the trade deadline, you were five points behind and you made the decision to trade Andy Sutton. Andrew MacDonald got hurt the first game back after the Olympics and you brought up Dylan Reese, an inexperienced player as opposed to trying to get Brendan Witt through recallable waivers. What’s the thinking there in terms of going young or with a veteran to make that last playoff push?

For me, when I was looking at the situation, that Ottawa game (before the Olympic break) was a big game for me. We were up 3-1. We win the game and we’re four points out of a playoff spot. There’s been several other games I would classify in that category. For us, we did a premptive move, moving Greg Moore for Dylan Reese. We felt he could be a depth defenseman. We have the luxury of recalling Brendan Witt. We felt we had depth in that area. (Bridgeport defenseman) Mark Flood, although he’s been hurt, he’s playing this weekend.

I would say the big positive in all this was the emergence of Andrew MacDonald, Jack Hillen and Dustin Kohn. In the weeks leading up to the deadline, they performed at a level we felt put us in a position to win hockey games.

From my standpoint, the goal is to bring the consistent contender to Long Island and win a Stanley Cup. If the opportunity presents itself, that we can make a move that helps the long-term and the short-term, we’ll do it. For me, it’s pretty easy. We felt that we were gonna make moves to help us bring a Stanley Cup back to Long Island.

What would your report card read for Scott Gordon’s work?

I think he’s done a great job. If you look at the way Andrew MacDonald and Jack Hillen emerged on the blue line, the development of Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo, John Tavares, Frans Nielsen - one of the most underrated players not just on our team, but in the league - I think he’s done an excellent job.

Looking toward the summer, what would you identify as your biggest need?

We obviously want to improve in a few areas. We’d like to add a couple of defensemen.

Is size an issue?

Yeah. In a perfect world, we’d have six 6-foot-7 defensemen, 250 (pounds), that could skate like the wind. We’ve had some success July 1 - Mark Streit, Dwayne Roloson, Doug Weight, Matt Moulson. We feel we can go out and improve our team. Our goal is to make the playoffs next year.

You’ve got fans who are patient. You’ve got others who are disgruntled. What’s your message to them?

We’re gonna build this the right way. Our goal is to bring a Stanley Cup back to Long Island, and we’re just gonna execute that plan.

You are cordially invited to discuss Garth’s remarks and submit your own Plus/Minus from tonight’s game.

Toronto, Carolina and Columbus all win one-goal games - the Leafs and Canes in overtime. Holy crap.

Predict the homestand: Three home games in four days. Three winnable games. I say the Islanders pick up four out of six points. What say you? In Comments.

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You’re Never Out of it: At the general managers’ meetings this week in Florida, the Islanders presented a proposal to improve their chances of qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs in future seasons.

The Islanders’ concept - delivered by GM Garth Snow - was for a “play-in” mini-tournament in which the teams at the bottom of each conference would square off against each other to qualify as the eighth seed.

After playing 82 regular season games, teams 8-15 in the East and West would still get a shot at making the playoffs. Wouldn’t matter if you were essentially out of the hunt before Christmas, as the Islanders were last season.

The Islanders, who appear poised to finished 26th or worst in the 30-team NHL for the third consecutive season, apparently did not receive much positive feedback. The Columbus Blue Jackets pushed for the removal of the “loser point” for teams losing in overtime or in the shootout. That proposal was also dismissed.

The story of the Islanders’ idea was first reported by TSN, Sportsnet and the Canadian Press. One journalist in Boca Raton said the best aspect of the concept was the laugh it brought to all of the hockey people and media at meetings predominantly focused on rulings on hits to the head.

When asked by Point Blank about the merits of the team’s proposal, a National Hockey League source replied, “The chances of it happening are the same as it being taken seriously - zero percent.”

Here’s what I want to know. Let’s say, as they did last year, the Islanders play 82 games and finish last in the league. However, they win the play-in tournament and get swept by Washington in the first round.

Would that mean, because of the round robin, they would lose the top pick in the draft? You’d have to think so, which would really make a person wonder.

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Future Watch: The special edition of The Hockey News is out now, with Calvin de Haan (28) and Travis Hamonic (61) the only Islanders placing in the top 100 among prospects not in the NHL.

As many readers have mentioned, the Islanders’ overall grade of B+ (up from C+) is skewed a bit because all players 20 and younger are included when grading team performance. For the Islanders’ grade, John Tavares and Josh Bailey count. According to The Hockey News, the Islanders are eighth in the league. The top five: Los Angeles, St. Louis, Colorado, Chicago and the Rangers.

Among the locals, the Rangers - with former Islanders scouting boss Gordie Clark running the draft the last few years - placed three players ahead of de Haan: Derek Stepan (16), Evgeny Grachev (21) and Chris Kreider (22). The Devils’ most recent first round picks made the list: Jacob Josefson (37) and Mattias Tedenby (40).

The magazine polls 23 NHL scouts to establish its rankings.

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Tonight’s Tilt: The Blues, who will start Chris Mason in goal, have not played a game since Saturday. St. Louis is an impressive 18-10-4 on the road this season, fourth in the NHL. Only elder statesman Keith Tkachuk is out with an injury.

As reported by Katie Strang, the Islanders are not recalling anyone for tonight’s game. This means Jeff Tambellini has a chance of getting in.

As reported by Mike Fornabaio, Josh Bailey will likely make his American Hockey League debut if Bridgeport qualifies for the playoffs. Bailey, along with current Islanders Andrew MacDonald, Dustin Kohn, Dylan Reese and Trevor Gillies, has been placed on the Clear Day list for the Sound Tigers. John Tavares, although eligible, was not put on the roster by the Islanders.

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The Plan: Garth Snow on “NHL Live” on Tuesday: “The future is bright. We’ve just got to stick to our plan and make these young kids realize how important these wins are down the stretch.”

On the trade deadline: “There were a couple of offers for our other free agents. But we were five points out from a playoff spot. For me, it would have sent the wrong message to that locker room and to our fans. These games down the stretch are so valuable for our younger players.”

At least two wins in these three games. Your prediction, and thoughts on this post and tonight’s game, in Comments.