The Islanders play with a system, on some nights it works like clockwork – on other nights it looks like pandemonium or just disarray. For anyone that uses a computer that runs ANY Microsoft operating system – sometimes you just need to hit CTRL-ALT-DEL (Control – Alt – Delete) to “reboot” the system. After the showing the team put up in a home loss on Saturday and a follow up stinker tonight in Toronto – it’s about that time.

What can they do to reboot you ask? Let’s do a quick synopsis of what I saw tonight:

• FORECHECK!!!! When it was there, the Islanders scored, when it wasn’t – well…..
• Work on clearing the puck out of your own zone. How many times during these losses has the team tried to clear the puck but throw it up the boards to a vacant position?
• Practice passing the puck. Too many passes to places and areas where players SHOULD be, but aren’t.
• Going back to the first item, the BREAKOUT – it’s not an anything out on most nights. Move the puck fast and follow it up – isn’t that the entire focus of “Overspeed”?
• How about REALLY watching some game tapes. Look at what Toronto did successfully tonight and mimic the small things. On a majority of the goals scored for them, they moved the puck beautifully. I have not seen passing from the Islanders that has blown me away or taken me back – aside from glimpses from Bailey or Weight. You have 5 players plus a goaltender – use them to move and set up plays. The last Toronto goal by Williams is a picture perfect play – and a play that I absolutely crave.
• Stay the heck out of the penalty box. Why is Bergenheim even thinking about putting his arm on a player. Sure, whoever it was (I don’t remember) fell as if he was shot – but you just DO NOT DO THAT! There were some other penalties, but nothing really to mention specifically.
• Shoot the puck – FASTER!!! I lost track, but Toronto must have blocked like 30 Islanders shots tonight. They closed lanes, kept shots wide and just kept pressure on the entire game.

I have faith in Gordon, this is not me sounding an alarm to get him out of here. He needs time to grow and adapt to the league in order to be completely successful – but at the same time, I don’t understand why the team just collapses like they do. When they are on, they are dead on – but the same holds true for when they are off.

On one hand, I am completely frustrated by their play. On the other – I hope they stay in the basement cellar for the rest of the season. The first round pick (very very HIGH pick) is just what this franchise needs to rebuild, no matter who says what.

Tomorrow is going to be interesting as always, Philadelphia always seems to play the Islanders hard – the biggest question is how will the Islanders respond?

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Tonight’s matchup features two of the leagues lowest ranked clubs – in terms of point totals anyway. The Atlanta Thrashers are 8-14-3 with 19 points and are last overall in the eastern conference, while the Islanders are 10-13-2 for 22 points and currently sit three points ahead of the Thrashers for 13th and two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning who are in 12th.

Despite Atlanta’s struggles this season, there are still players that you need to fear – two such names who are leading the Thrashers offense, Vyacheslav Kozlov (12-10-22) and Iiya Kovalchuk (8-15-23).

For the Islanders, they need to concentrate – some would say in general, but we will say concentrate on play in their own zone, both sides of the puck, the forecheck and of course – moving away from taking bad penalties. It was some of these things the other night that cost the Islanders two poiints in D.C. because they failed (yet again) to play a complete game for long stretches of each period.

So I hear

A rare occasion presented itself to me today while at the morning skate, I witnessed Islanders assistant coach John Chabot asking around about a certain unknown call-up defenseman for the Thrashers. It seems that none of the Islanders staff had any information on Boris Valabik. Present were Billy Jaffe, Jon Sim, and a few unknown faces. Jaffe gave Chabot his take on the kid and then they joked around about “Some guy named Kovalchuk – who didn’t have much of a shot, a wicked backhand and who couldn’t skate much” – to which Sim added “I hear he has a wicked toe-drag”. All kidding of course, as Kovalchuk is one heckuva player.

The funniest part about the toe-drag exchange? Mike Comrie was just walking down the hallway and looked over and couldn’t help but chuckle. When you need to know about a player and nobody has a scouting report – who better to go to than Billy Jaffe?

Tonight’s lines courtesy of Tom Liodice:

ISLANDERS
Goaltenders
35 Joey MacDonald
34 Yann Danis

Defensemen
32 Brendan Witt – 44 Freddy Meyer
25 Andy Sutton – 2 Mark Streit
14 Chris Campoli – 17 Thomas Pock

Forwards
93 Doug Weight – 13 Bill Guerin – 20 Sean Bergenheim
11 Andy Hilbert – 12 Josh Bailey – 7 Trent Hunter
57 Blake Comeau – 10 Richard Park – 16 Jon Sim
28 Tim Jackman – 18 Mike Sillinger – 45 Nate Thompson

More when the game begins!

Live Tracker

First Period

About to drop the puck here – “4th” line to start with Park taking the draw.

Faceoff won, here we go.

7:10pm Atlanta takes a penalty :19 in Islanders POWER PLAY
7:10pm And the Islanders have an early lead – Bill Guerin with the tally from Streit and Weight
7:14pm Islanders had some trouble getting out of their zone and were forced to ice the puck, this is something that has troubled them most of the season.
7:15pm Sreit with the lazt penalty, puts the Isles down a man – Hooking
7:18pm Good Islanders kill – even up
7:18pm Great shift here by Comeau, nice play in front that was stopped then finished his checks.
7:19pm Some rough stuff from Sutton – Boulton and Valabik. Something incensed Sutton either a spear or some contact on MacDonald. Islanders on a power play.
7:24pm Great effort on the power play, a shot by Bailey, a blocked shot by Bailey and then a missed attempt by Sillinger. Islanders on another power play here. It just keeps coming – great pressure causes the opposition to take penalties.
7:27pm Islanders are now 1/3 on the man advantage – still some good chances.
7:29pm Tim Jackman just pummeled Chris Thorburn – easy win
7:39pm Great feed to Sillinger who shot it right into Atlanta’s goaltender.
7:40pm Don’t really know what happened there, failure to pick up the late man results in a Thrashers goal, it’s all tied up.
2:41pm Bailey was just hit up high, good to see his teammates come to his defense – Hilbert gets the gate for roughing, nothing for Atlanta?

Ok I can live with what I saw in that period, although I would have liked for the Islanders to get one more on the power play. It’s a new game now being it’s all tied up. Something that concerns me is the lack of a quality back check. The Islanders need to pick up the late man otherwise there is a wide open door for the opposition to shoot.

We will see what happens with the start of the second.

Second Period

The Islanders burst out of the hallways with energy and enthusiasm – should be a great second period.

8:01pm Here we go, face off loss
8:04pm Sutton very involved with his former teammates – drew a penalty and the Islanders go on the power play.
8:08pm Bergenheim with a pretty play to almost get past a defender – some seem to think it should have been a penalty.
8:09pm A rare showing of anger from Streit – that was good to see.
8:10pm Net knocked off, puck crossed the line – no goal.
8:11pm Sillinger the recipient of another great feed, couldn’t find the back of the net.
8:18pm A beautiful slip feed to Kovalchuk and the Thrashers are up 2-1
8:20pm Hunter was just having some words with Boulton – lot’s of chatting tonight, very chippy game.
8:24pm Another great shift by Bailey, two face off wins and two great scoring chances.
8:25pm Bergenheim called for a slash – Thrahsers power play
8:28pm Delayed penalty for a faux-trip – the Thrashers score again, 3-1 troubles continue for the Islanders
8:30pm Comeau just completely flattened Crabb. He is certainly making his case to remain with the team here tonight.
8:36pm Final minute, thank god.

I really don’t understand the mental breakdowns this team continues to show. No back checking continues to cost this team goals. It’s simple, skate as hard back into your zone and put just as much effort into defending as you do on offense. They are also trying to find the perfect plays continuously, just get the puck on goal and crash the net. Throw some bodies in front and screen the goalie, it worked against the Capitals, there is no reason it cannot work against any team on any given night.

This team needs to come out ready to attack – there are no excuses, they have had rest – it’s only going to get tougher here in the next few weeks.

Third Period

And we are off

8:57pm Blake Comeau continues to be a one man wrecking crew, leveling anything in white.
8:59pm On breakouts, the Islanders are remaining stationary in the neutral zone, this cannot continue. You need to move around and give the passer a good target – it also keeps the opposition on their toes.
9:03pm And the Islanders just got called for two separate penalties – both on Hunter, two tripping and two for high sticking. Joy to the world
9:05pm Delayed penalty, they score – one penalty was over on Hunter – one ends. Two minutes on Sutton slashing and this game is over folks.
9:09pm With some Paradise City playing, yes – please take me home.
9:14pm Two consecutive posts….what a night. To make it even better, Atlanta comes back and scores to make it 5-1.
9:16pm Islanders power play, if there is any power left.
9:22pm Comeau just missed a breakaway – as Gary Harding says “Sums up this game in one, little, tap.”
9:23pm Islanders bench minor for unsportsmanlike conduct – someone slammed the bench door for like the second or third time.

Ok, well I don’t really expect anything much more exciting happening tonight. I am going to take this opportunity to pack up my laptop.

What a game…..

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Just got back from the morning skate at the Coliseum, Tom Liodice and I filmed an interview with Josh Bailey for Islanders TV which should be up soon. That WAS the news of the day – but I have some breaking news type stuff.

Blake Comeau has been recalled from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and Jeff Tambellini has been sent down. This is all per Mike Fornabaio of course!

Details behind Tambellini being sent down aren’t there just yet, but we have to assume it is the rumored conditioning stint that enables the club to make this move (Tambo is on a one way contract and would be subject to waivers). Blake Comeau has been on fire the past several games and is currently at a point a game (4-15-19 points in 19 games) so it’s great to see him get his “second” shot with the Islanders.

The other story today is that Nate Thompson was out on the ice and will be playing tonight against the Atlanta Thrashers. Between Thompson and Jackman, this is the element of toughness the Islanders need as they are both pests who can put the puck in the net. As always, Jon Sim will add his antagonistic element to the mix, as well as Bergenheim.

One more bit of information, Mike Comrie was skating with the team today – he looked like he was laboring a bit out there – so he is getting closer but in no way ready to return just yet. Other sightings (in street clothes) Bruno Gervais and Frans Nielsen – each of those players look “ok”.

Updated!!!

The Islanders just announced the Tambellini-Comeau swap:

The New York Islanders have announced that left wing Jeff Tambellini has agreed to a conditioning assignment with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League and right wing Blake Comeau has been recalled from Bridgeport. Comeau will be in the Islanders’ lineup tonight when they host the Atlanta Thrashers at the Nassau Coliseum.

In 23 games with the Islanders this season, Tambellini has recorded two assists for two points. In 102 career NHL games, he has scored four goals with 15 assists for 19 points. Tambellini was acquired on March 8, 2006 from the Los Angeles Kings in a trade.

Comeau has played in 19 games for Bridgeport this season and has scored four goals with 15 assists for 19 points. This will be his third season appearing in games with the Islanders. In 54 career NHL games, all with the Islanders, Comeau has scored eight goals with seven assists for 15 points. Comeau was drafted by the Islanders in the second round (47th overall) of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.

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Injuries happen all the time in sports, sometimes they can be attributed to conditioning, others times the playing surface conditions (football is turf, for hockey ice naturally) and still other injuries are just bad luck, accidental or the result of deliberate acts.

For the New York Islanders injury “situation”, I would venture to say that it is the result of bad luck. I know that one of my fellow blogger brethren B.D. Gallof blames it on ice conditions – but I disagree. The ice is bad league wide (as it is early in the season every year), I don’t really beleive that the injuries we have seen this season can be attributed to ice quality and here is why; maybe two out of all the current and recent injuries can POSSIBLY be blamed on the ice. Let’s break down player injuries CSI style -up to this point:

• Rick DiPietro: Knee surgery following off season knee and hip surgery (and returning too soon).
• Mike Sillinger: Just returning from hip surgery).
• Mike Comrie: Out after returning too soon from hip surgery.
• Andy Sutton: Missed time due to a hand injury requiring surgery.
• Josh Bailey: Missed time due to a “lower body injury”. It was speculated groin – but could have been anything below the waist.
• Kyle Okposo: Out with an arm injury – wrist sprain.
• Nate Thompson: Day to day “banged up”, the latest is “leg-ish”.
• Radek Martinek: “Glass Man” missed time with a shoulder injury, returned only to go down again.
• Bruno Gervais: Out with a leg injury.
• Chris Campoli: Missed the start if the season due to a separated shoulder.
• Freddy Meyer: Missed time with a sports hernia that required surgery.
• Brendan Witt: Missed time due to a knee injury.
• Frans Nielsen: Out with multiple leg injuries.

Now, let’s discuss these injuries in detail.

Brendan Witt suffered his knee injury the result of a knee-on-knee collision October 23rd against the Dallas Stars. Hard to attribute that to ice conditions, no? Not really sure it was a dirty deliberate attack though, we will chalk it up to a normal hockey injury.

Kyle Okposo injured his wrist. Now this could be blamed on the ice if he fell on it – but I clearly remember the play in which Okie was injured. He collided with a player during the Islanders 2-1 win over the Canucks and grimmaced in pain. This is another injury that “just happens” and has even happened to myself. It’s unfortunate, but I say it’s bad luck – “Thems the breaks!”.

Andy Sutton injured his hand during a preseason game September 25th against Philadelphia. This injury could have happened in a scuffle or blocking a shot. This isn’t something that happens often and injuries to the phalanges don’t really happen because of bad ice. Sorry, to say – this is another bad luck injury.

Josh Bailey injured his “lower body” during the preseason. We don’t really know specifics, but we have speculated it was his groin based on what we knew from news reports. This is a possible candidate for ice conditions, but without more information it could also be the result of a young player not prepared for the rigors of the NHL. To me, this is the something more related to conditioning.

Freddy Meyer has “Sean Bates” style bad “groins”. This is an injury that could have started at any point in his career and gotten worse over time. Meyer could also just have a different physical makeup that leaves his susceptible to this type of injury. Could it be aggravated by bad ice – yes, but this is something that could be hurt anywhere anytime.

Chris Campoli is another player felled to injury during the preseason. His shoulder was separated by a massive hit that some found questionable during a preseason game against the Bruins on September 23rd. It is another one of those situations that always seems to happen to the Islanders.

Frans Nielsen was injured in a game against New Jersey that was the result of a high hit by Mike Mottau. As Nielsen went down his skate caught a rut in the ice and rotated awkwardly. Mottau was suspended because of the play, but the injury would not have happened if he was not hit. Sure, the ice was the main culprit – but it was a perfect storm. No hit and you don’t see that leg injury.

Nate Thompson has been a solid pick up since the Islanders claimed him off waivers from the Bruins. Nate has been banged up as of late, it’s hard not to understand why – he can fight, skate, and play the body. He also spends a ton of time on the penalty kill and blocks shots all over the place. Thompson missed some time with a lower body injury and now it appears he has some sort of leg injury. With his style of play, it is hard to blame whatever his ailments are on anything other than that.

Mike Sillinger hurt his hip sometime during the 2007/2008 season and it required season ending surgery the tail end of 2008. Sillinger rehabilitated his hip and worked on it all summer long, although unfortunately he had a tough time with the recovery and needed injections to help the process. Sillinger returns tonight against the Capitals after a conditioning stint in Bridgeport. At 36 years old, he has had a long career and it is likely that his age caught up with him. Because this injury goes back to last season – there is not enough evidence to really blame this on any other specific cause.

Bruno Gervais has been one of those up and down players. It seems no matter how many times his game begins to turn around, he suffers a setback and it takes him a while to get back in the groove. Somewhere along the last week, Gervais suffered what is described as a “leg injury”. Knowing Gervais has a history with ankle injuries – I would venture to say this is in that area. Not really seeing a play, this is one of those injuries that could be blamed on the ice – but without proof, could be anything.

Mike Comrie is another one of the Islanders who went down with a hip injury last season. Comrie had his surgery at the same “hip specialist” as DiPietro and Sillinger, yet he is also having issues with recovery. It is my belief that Comrie returned entirely too soon and reinjured himself in the process. This injury falls on the responsibility of the training staff, who may have been persuaded by Comrie to let him jump into action too soon.

Rick DiPietro is another player I feel rushed back into action way too soon. Undergoing hip surgery towards the end of last season and then knee surgery during the offseason – coming back into action cold without much time for rehabilitation was just plain stupid. Once again, DiPietro likely talked his way back into action instead of doing the right thing and taking as much time as he needed. When you are the “franchise player” who is also signed to a mega deal, you really need to think about your health and well being a bit more. Unfortunately for us Islanders fans – DiPietro is forever known now as being “injury prone”. As if the people mocking the ridiculous contract needed any more reason to mock the team.

So what is the root cause of all of these injuries? BAD LUCK, very very bad luck specifically. Injuries happen all the time in sports, like I mentioned earlier – even moving into tonight’s match up against the Washington Capitals – they are without several players. I don’t think the blame can be placed on any one specific area after looking at the injuries in depth. Could it be the strength and conditioning coach Chris Schwarz, or head trainer Garret Timms? Surely both of these guys have a large stake and responsibility in the health of their players – why do these things (especially hip injuries…) keep happening?

The answers are out there, it’s up to the Islanders to find out what is causing the amount of injuries the last two seasons. I am not gullible enough to chalk it up to coincidence at this point.

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Johnny Z, a true blue and orange fan if I ever did see meet one – setup a site called Yes! Islanders over the summer. Yes Islanders is his Islanders blog and Islanders Community website – but with a twist. Yes Islanders is an RSS aggregator – meaning it pulls the latest updates from various blogs and links back to those individual websites via their RSS feeds. It helps drive traffic throughout the blogging community in a sense.

A few weeks ago I had gotten an email about the 2008 Best Blog Awards. Here is your chance to vote on your favorite New York Islanders Blog! Voting goes from today up until the end of the month and a winner will be announced on New Years Day (January 1st). The winner will receive a banner to display on their website as well as a pair of tickets to an Islanders game.

There is only one catch (Hey, this IS New York…), you need to sign up – but it’s free, easy and only takes a minute!

The voting implemented is a positive Digg style voting mechanism (no minuses “-” or “bury”), which allows all visitors to vote for all their favorite New York Islanders blogs. Every visitor can contribute one vote per blog for as many NYI blogs as they like. The blog that gets the most votes is declared “The best blog”.

This system of voting isn’t perfect and it is subjected to some biases, and yet – we’re only doing this for fun and the promotion of the New York Islanders blogosphere. We trust that our fellow bloggers will do what they can to play fair.

Best New York Islander Blog Awards notes

* Blog Awards are great for promoting link-love between the NYI blogs. If you write a blog and you like a certain blog then link to it asking your readers to vote for it. Link-love between the NYI blogs helps promote the whole NYI blogosphere and NYI related content on the web.
* This is the first time Yes! Islanders is running the Best New York Islander Blog Awards. Any suggestions, comments or ideas are very welcome.
* Voting starts on December 1st and end on December 31st. The winner will be announced on January 1st New Years Day. You cannot vote for any blogs before or after these dates.
* There are two professinal blogs out there, Greg Logan’s “On The Islanders Beat” writing for Newsday, and Chris Botta’s “Islanders Point Blank”. Because they are paid and also have access to priveleged scoops, they will be counted in a seperate category so there will be two awards, one being “Best Professional NYI Blog” and the other being “Best NYI Blog”.
* After further contemplation, there will be only one blog award and the “professional” blogs will be excluded from voting.
* Please help suport the awards so we can get a great turnout and bring more attention to the Islanders and NYI blogging.
* Winners will get a banner displaying their victory for their site! Sorry I can’t afford more than that, maybe next year though. Donations are welcome to give to the winner(s). Contact me if you want to be involved. Also, the New York Islanders have graciously donated two tickets to any non Ranger game this season to the winner of the 2008 NYI Blog Awards.
* You can vote on any of the blogs listed.

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