Just got out of Greg Logan’s chat where he broke some extremely bad new regarding veteran Doug Weight.

Weight was injured in last nights game in New Jersey – this marks the third time this season that Weight will miss significant time due to injury. This time is clearly the worst.

Per Logan’s chat:

Finally, here’s the really bad news. Center Doug Weight is out six weeks with an MCL sprain. So, there goes the veteran who might have had the highest trade value. On the plus side, maybe that leads to more consideration of bringing Weight back next season.

This will certainly affect the Islanders in terms of on ice talent as Weight has been one of the most effective in almost every zone and on the power play. Another big impact this injury has is their most tradable asset is now unlikely to be traded at all – which is disheartening in a way.

For the sake of his playmaking ability, I hope he has a speedy recovery and can man the point for the Isles the remainder of the season.

Edit as of 5:30pm:

The Islanders have made this official by way of a press release – I am sure it will be up on the main site shortly:

The New York Islanders have announced that center Doug Weight will be out six weeks with an MCL sprain. Weight has been placed on injured reserve retroactive to February 11th, when he suffered the injury after colliding with Brian Gionta in the second period of the Islanders’ game at New Jersey.

Weight has played in 44 games with the Islanders this season, scoring nine goals and 26 assists to rank second on the team with 35 points. The 17-year NHL veteran also ranks second on the Islanders with 20 power-play points. In 1,175 career NHL games, Weight has scored 274 goals and added 730 assists for a total of 1,004 points. He was signed by the Islanders as a free agent on July 2, 2008.

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No, that is not a misprint. It seems that the Islanders have encountered one of the best festivals in sunny Tampa this weekend. It’s called the Gasparilla festival and it involves pirates, pirate ships, pirate wenches, beer, liquor and all things associated with such. Think of it of a Las Vegas or New Orleans environment – but on the water in a beach town setting.

If you think it is all fun and games, clear it is not if you are a visiting NHL club looking for some rest before a game. If you happened to catch Corey Witt’s blog from earlier today – the team was woken up by canons firing and boat horns blaring. He also talks about an elevator ride with a pirate and two of his lasses. Hopefully they boys do not drink before a game, it’s bad enough they get injured without being hung over or intoxicated. Unlike our Islanders team and media guys – I got to sleep in and only woke up because I was hot, being it’s about 50 degrees here today and my heat was set a bit too high.

Moving on to the hockey side of this post – a quick recap of the past few games.

Islanders vs Lighting: Win at Home 3-1

The last time that Tampa and the Islanders played was on Tuesday – think of tonight’s game as a delayed home and home. The Islanders did well against the Bolts, scoring three goals in just over three minutes and chasing rookie netminder Kari Ramo. We would see goals by Mark Streit, Trent Hunter and a player who had not scored in over two seasons – Radek Martinek. Martinek’s goal was just as strange feeling as when Brendan Witt scores his annual goal – a feat he has yet to accomplish this season, but has come awfully close. For the third straight game, Yann Danis would carry a shutout into the third period only to lose it late in the game, it’s not really the biggest deal because he has been playing very well – but it would be nice to see him get the no-no. The Islanders would win the game 3-1, but would lose their go-to defenseman in Mark Streit – whom at that point was one of only three Islanders to play in every game the entire season. Streit injured his shoulder during the second period in a collision and Tomas Pock was lost for four weeks after injuring his hand. While Okposo did not score and we saw his goal streak snapped, he did pick up and assist and extended his point streak to five games (5g, 1a). The kids continue to shine.

I wanted to give this next bit a paragraph all to itself because I felt it was really important. In the first period Tim Jackman went hard to the net and collided with Ramo whom fell over as if he was shot. Of all people to stand up and challenge Jackman – Vincent Lecavalier tried to fire his team up by dropping the gloves. The fight wasn’t really much to speak about, but it left me feeling conflicted – apparently Jacko as well. I didn’t get the chance to speak to him after the game, but it was clear he showed respect (and restraint) by not really pummeling him as he is capable of. It’s one thing when it’s two enforcers duking it out, it become something else entirely when it’s you are fighting one of the leagues superstars. Do you really risk injuring the player or do you just wrestle and throw a few punches as they wound up doing.

You can see the fight as always on Hockey Fights, but here is the youtube clip:

Islanders vs Panthers: Loss on Road 3-2

The trip out to the sunshine state usually involves the fathers making the trip with their sons, this year is no different it’s just unfortunate that they opened their little road trip on a loss. The Islanders would elect to start Joey MacDonald whom returned from a groin injury suffered on January 13th and also feature two call up defenseman in Jack Hillen and Joe Callahan. They would look to extend their win streak to a season high five games and a point streak to six games.

The Panthers are another team that the Islanders have faced recently, the Cats were in town on 1/31 and the Islanders walked all over them in a 3-1 win. The game on Thursday started a little later than we are used to, even though it was only a half hour later – I still didn’t manage to stay up for the entire contest. From what I did see, I saw the Islanders struggle against a team that looks much better when David Booth is in the lineup. I am sure Nate Thompson feels the same way – Thompson took a big open ice hit from Booth and immediately left the ice in pain. We would later find out that he injured his shoulder and would miss some time. The Panthers took an early lead, going up two goals before the end of the first period on goals by their defensemen – Jay Bouwmeester and Karlis Skrastins (Scratch and Sniff).

The Islanders would get on the board in the second period on a power play goal by Josh Bailey. Bailey had gone 11 games without a goal, but would get his second of the season on a nice feed from Nielsen and fire it past Florida goaltender Tomas Vokoun low glove side. The one goal deficit would be short lived however, as ex-Isle Richard Zednik would beat Martinek along the boards and dance to the middle of the ice and OVER a sprawled out Brendan Witt, while mid air he was able to deposit the puck through MacDonald’s pads to give the Cats their second two goal lead of the game. The goal was highlight worthy, and those plays are kind of hard to be mad at – see for yourself:

Armed with another power play, the Islanders would strike again – this time Trent Hunter would find himself all alone in front of Vokoun and again make it a one goal game. On the face off that lead to the goal, Josh Bailey would lose the draw but out of desperation dive forward and chip the puck out to Hunter who would deposit it backhand past Vokoun. Hunters goal gives him points in four straight games (3g, 1a) and also Bailey his second point of the night. It was Bailey’s third time this season with a two-point game and he now has 2 goals and 13 assists for 15 points in 37 games.

I missed a majority of the third period because I fell asleep, but I saw the Islanders make a last ditch effort to get the equalizer with MacDonald pulled. It was exciting to wake up and see some good hockey – but they were unable to score. It snapped their win streak – but I was ok with the effort I saw after the first period and happy with the play of the young players again.

Tonight’s Tampa Re-Match

Tonight should prove to be a fun contest to watch as you know the Lightning will come out with intensity looking for revenge against the Isles for their performance last week. The Bolts are not too far removed from the tight Eastern Conference playoff picture should they string together a group of wins – they need tonight’s two points a lot more then the Islanders do.

Greg Logan reports in his blog today that Sean Bergenheim will replace the injured Nate Thompson – which sort of confuses me a bit. It was said in all the games that Bergy was scratched he was out with an injured “side” – to me it just seems per Logan’s blog that he was more of a healthy scratch. Whatever the case, Bergenheim, does possess more of a scoring touch than Thompson but is not a centerman – so there will need to be some line juggling. MacDonald didn’t play too bad on Thursday – but coming off an injury will the team decide to give him a rest and go with Danis tonight?

I am still really conflicted with this team – which sounds confusing. As a fan, I have accepted the fact that this team really won’t amount to anything come playoff time – I know they won’t even be close. They also had a horrible stretch of hockey that only saw them win maybe two or three games through December and much of January. It was nice to see a nice little stretch of wins – especially at home because it gives us a look at the kids progressing nicely and how they will help in the future. This is where I get conflicted, I want them to finish dead last in the league with the fewest points as I want them to have the best shot at either Tavares or Hedman. If this team finishes with the fewest amount of points, the lowest we can pick is number two – because we cannot move down any more than one position should we wind up not picking first due to the lottery. There will still be great players available in the top six picks, but this team needs someone who will sell tickets and give hope to a fan base dealing with politicians who are balking and stalling on a decision regarding a new arena and rumors that the team will be sold and/or moved.

It’s a rough time to be a fan of the Islanders for sure, but it’s sadly an exciting time in a way.

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Well this is unfortunate, yet not completely unexpected news.

Center Mike Sillinger, who played in only seven games this season will not be returning to the Islanders for the remainder of the season following a second hip surgery completed today. Sillinger had two goals in his seven games and never really looked completely healed and/or comfortable once back with the team after a brief AHL conditioning assignment. Sillinger is in the final year of his three year contract, should he decide to return for 2009/2010 – there is no guarantee that the man we call Silli will don an Islanders crest.

Best of luck in the future Mike, thanks for the memories.

Here is the official release:

The New York Islanders have announced that center Mike Sillinger is out for the remainder of the 2008-09 season after undergoing hip resurfacing surgery in New York on January 26th. It is the second surgery Sillinger has had on his hip in the last year. Sillinger also missed the final 29 games of the 2007-08 season and first 24 games of this season recovering from microfracture hip surgery.

Sillinger played in seven games with the Islanders this season, scoring two goals. Drafted by the Detroit Red Wings with the 11th overall pick in the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, the 37-year-old center has appeared in 18 NHL seasons for a record 12 different teams. Sillinger has played in 1,049 career NHL games, scoring 240 goals and 308 assists for 548 points. In 141 games with the Islanders, Sillinger has tallied 42 goals and 45 assists for 87 points – the highest total for any team in his career.

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Breaking news here, the Islanders just called a press conference regarding the status of goaltender Rick DiPietro. He has now been shutdown until next season – hopefully giving him ample time to recover and reach 100% by the start of 09/10. Here is the press release:

The New York Islanders have announced that goaltender Rick DiPietro will miss the remainder of the 2008-09 season. Team doctors have referred to the decision as precautionary due to swelling in the knee that DiPietro had arthroscopic knee surgery on to repair a meniscus injury on October 31st. DiPietro is expected to resume skating this summer in preparation for the 2009-10 season.

“After extensive consultation we feel this decision is in the best interest for Rick and the team,” said Garth Snow, New York Islanders General Manager. “This will allow Rick ample time to make a full recovery for next year.”

Added DiPietro: “This has been one of the most frustrating situations I have ever had to deal with, but this is the right decision for me and the team.” “I am confident this will allow me to make a complete recovery, be ready in plenty of time for next season and compete to my highest ability for many years to come. I’d like to thank Islanders fans for their patience and I look forward to playing in front of them next season.”

DiPietro, an NHL All-Star starter last season, has played in five games this season and has a record of 1-3-0 with a 3.52 goals against average and a .892 save percentage. Drafted by the Islanders with the first overall pick in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, DiPietro has played in 273 NHL games and has a record of 117-112-8-24 with a 2.79 goals against average and a .905 save percentage

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What a crazy night tonight, first it starts with a little news from Greg Logan about DiPietro seeking a second (or is it a third?) opinion on his swelling surgery repaired knee. The discussion shifted about the now real possibility of shutting DiPietro down the remainder of this season. Shortly after that, news hits the wire (once again, Greg Logan) about ex-Islanders Wade Dubielewicz in possible talks with the Islanders about a return, now having been bought out of his Russian KHL contract. If you are still with me it get’s even better….

Around the five minute mark of the first period against the Rangers tonight, MacDonald somehow injured his groin and could no longer continue. In his place Yann Danis jumps into the game. Now the curious case of who will serve as backup to the backup in case something should happen to Danis. Howie and Billy joked when the camera went to the skybox where both Dunham and Garth were sitting that either would be more than capable. Seems someone in management was listening, because Dunham disappeared and would be named emergency backup – you know, just in case.

It appears as if the Islanders will be giving many fans their wish if DiPietro is indeed shut down. In a pregame interview with Billy Jaffe, Garth Snow admitted concerns over DiPietro and insists that his best interests and safety are in mind with any decision. He also admitted that there may have been errors made in their decisions with DP in years past.

Shut him down and allow him to FULLY recover for next season, this way we don’t have a repeat – or should I say THREE-PEAT?

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Thank goodness it’s the very last day of 2008 – it’s not been all bad mind you, I just want to move past all these injuries.

In what is now a daily trend, the Islanders have announced several injuries and players recalled from Bridgeport to serve as replacement for said players. Here is what we know, thanks to Islanders Point Blank:

Trevor Smith has been recalled to replace Mike Sillinger who finds himself back in a familiar place – Injured Reserve with a hip injury. No word if this is an injury to his surgically repaired hip or to his “good hip”. It’s a shame too, because he has been pretty good for the Islanders in between missing time with that groin strain and all.

Trent Hunter is reportedly sore, nothing major after that scary hit at the Garden on Monday. If Hunts cannot go – Botta says to expect Sim to take his place.

Sean Bergenheim will likely dress for Mitch Fritz, Bergy is the better choice providing he can find a way to remain out of the sin bin.

The question at this point is why is Yann Danis recalled once again so soon after he was sent back down? Will he serve as backup for a returning DiPietro or will he backup MacDonald. The tricky part about this situation is how Joey Mac took a shot up high off the neck during yesterday’s practice. This is something to watch for sure. The last time I checked everyone thought that DiPietro would be today’s starting goalie – who knows at this point. I know I don’t profess to know or understand anything anymore.

No live blog again today, my apologies – if the mood strikes me I may do something from my phone while in my seats. Follow along with the live tracker at the bottom of the post for all those stuck at work!

Enjoy the game!

Vote for Islesblogger!

Today is the very last day to vote in the Yes Islanders 2008 Best Blog awards!

I know I did not really push this too much, I honestly don’t expect to win – but Yes Islanders is a great community and deserves an extra plug here and there. Head on over there (click the banner below) and sign up to vote – it’s free and easy!

Live Tracker

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Well, in what is becoming a regular update, we have lots of new injuries and injury updates to talk about.

New Injuries

Josh Bailey is day to day with an ankle sprain. Hopefully it’s not of the dreaded “high ankle” variety that keeps players out long stretches. Last I checked the team did not know if he would play tonight. UPDATE Chris Botta reports from the morning skate that Josh Bailey is all systems go for tonight! This up and down stuff is crazy!

Nate Thompson (or should we call him “yo-yo”) is down again, this time with a fractured ankle that will keep him sidelined 3-4 weeks.

Injury Updates

Rick DiPietro is skating in full equipment, practicing with the team and is said to be going on the mini road trip this weekend. He should get some game time in the coming week.

Mike Comrie is coming along, it is said he should be back in about a week.

Kyle Okposo is doing well, no timetable just yet, although he is very close.

Mike Sillinger is still suffering from discomfort in his groin and is currently day to day.

Greg Logan has broken some callup news:

Center Ben Walter has been called up from Bridgeport by the Islanders to replace Nate Thompson in the lineup against Washington tonight at the Coliseum. Thompson reportedly is out 2-4 weeks with a fractured ankle suffered Saturday at Columbus.

In 16 games with the Sound Tigers, Walter has five goals and nine assists for 14 points. He’s likely slated for fourth-line duty but has played for coach Scott Gordon in the past and understands the system.

And yet another twist, Mike Fornabaio claims that Jeremy Colliton was recalled as well:

Ben Walter and Jeremy Colliton were missing for the good reason, called up; word is, though, that at least one of the two is himself sick. Now, does somebody else go, too? Good question. You are informed as I am informed.

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You may have noticed that I have fallen silent here since my last post, it’s hard to really do anything when the team is in a funk like this. What’s more, is that you don’t have to look far to know that the opinion I would add has already been beaten to death everywhere. I don’t have a problem being negative when it’s necessary – such as 9-2 losses when it looks like the team was composed of pee-wee’s. What exactly was pee-wee-esque?

• Chasing the puck. The entire team was guilty of bunching up and all going after the puck carrier. This type of coverage leaves the rest of the opposing team open and leads to goals, lots of them
• Penalties, penalties and more penalties. Sure, some of the penalties called on the Islanders in Pittsburgh were questionable at best – but when you take three or four consecutive penalties on the same shift, things need to be addressed. You don’t skate, you are bound to take penalties – correlation 100%.
• No back checking. It seemed as if the team were spectating their own game, there was no sense of urgency and almost no energy.
• Passes. Once again passes were to areas where there wasn’t a player or too far ahead of behind. I don’t know how many giveaway’s the Islanders had the other night, but it sure did seem like a lot.
• Shots. Sure the team started to shoot more, but when you have prime scoring chances put the shot on net for once. I don’t know how many times someone would shoot and it would be high, wide or hi and wide. I was getting sick of Howie Rose sounding like he was announcing a baseball game – “Just a bit outside”.
• Forecheck. Comes from a lack of skating, for a system that purportedly benefits from a forecheck – it’s not really a surprise that they failed miserably.

What I like about this

I know it’s hard to like anything about the past several days, but I am digging how Scott Gordon is responding to the teams dismal performance. In the past the Islanders coaches would not push the team hard in practice following a nasty loss – but I was hoping Gordon would give them a bag skate and he totally did. The critics all say that the practice before a game day should never be as tough as it would be during a bag skate – but I disagree. If your team is not playing as they should, they should know that a practice so tough it makes you puke is about to be thrown down.

Greg Logan had a great interview with Scott Gordon about the practice:

“You say, ‘I don’t want to kill them in practice and not get it in the game,’” Gordon said. “Well, now I’m at the point where it doesn’t really matter. This needs to be addressed, and it probably should have been addressed three games ago. The goals that are going in are because of our lack of awareness and our lack of effort without the puck coming back into our zone. There’s not a system in the world that’s going to cover your rear end if you don’t have awareness and you don’t have a commitment to get back to your zone.”

“It’s been an ongoing situation where we have not backchecked with awareness and purpose,” Gordon said. “We have to play with more desperation and more purpose all the time. When you’re not doing that, you become easier to play against. That’s not what we want our team identity to be.”

In his blog, Chris Botta talks a bit about the bag skate as well, and has this to say about the two quotes from Gordon to Logan:

That’s completely fair on the coach’s part. But if the Islanders get out-skated tonight, Logie has his angle (and most of his story written) by the end of the second intermission. From what I’ve heard, that skate in Columbus was no moderate bag skate, but Hefty baggy.

If they get out skated. The entire hockey world is one big IF, I am sure Gordon isn’t the first coach to put his team through a rigorous practice the day before a game, I just hope they learned something about not showing up for a game because of it. I don’t even care if they seem tired, a tired team playing the system is better than prepared team not playing the system any day – history has already proven this in past losses.

Sillinger out, Sim back in

Greg Logan also has a blog entry today that claims Mike Sillinger has tweaked his groin and will sit out until he is 100% to avoid the risk of hurting his surgically repaired hip. In his place, Jon Sim who was recently placed on waivers (only to go unclaimed) will find himself getting another look and an opportunity to show the team he can contribute. However, at this point Sim appears to reach his previous point totals if he finishes the season with the Islanders – but there is obviously a log-jam of similar type players (Thompson, Bergenheim, Jackman, Fritz).

Not really sure what to expect exactly tonight, but I know it should be a better effort. We will soon find out.

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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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One great thing about blogging, if you can’t think of a witty title for your post – pick a bunch of your main ideas or points and let it fly!

60 Minutes

No, not the TV show – we are talking a full 60 minutes of hockey. The Islanders squeaked by Montreal and got out of dodge with two points all without playing a full sixty. They cannot get away with stuff like that tonight against the Penguins. The Pens are sitting in fourth in the East with a record of 12-5-3, should the Islanders win tonight – it would bring their record to 9-9-2 – .500 for the first time all year (much to the surprise and angst of every analyst).

What the team needs to do (say it with me now), establish their forecheck, skate skate and skate some more, play gritty disciplined hockey, shutdown Crosby, Malkin and Satan, support Joey MacDonald and allow him to see shots and for Pete’s sake (Who is Pete anyway?) – take the biscuit to the basket! Not all impossible tasks, but they need to stay focused and knock off each of these tasks to succeed.

Freddy Meyer IV

Well what do you know, the Islanders revolving door has just swung inwards instead of outwards. Defenseman Freddy Meyer who went down with a sports hernia is ready to make his way back to the lineup for tonight’s matchup. Word from Greg Logan is that he will be paired with Campoli, Pock fresh off his five game suspension and Bruno Gervais will be the odd men out (aka – healthy scratches).

Coming Tomorrow

Coming tomorrow, (I don’t think I have ever done a “tomorrow” announcement before) but I will be posting a story I have been working on the past several days taking a look at Josh Bailey and why I feel the Islanders should keep him up with the team instead of returning him to juniors. Stay Tuned

As an added bonus I spent last night working on a nifty statistic table system so I can post stats at will without much hand coding!

Game Tracker

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Just got a press release on the status of Frans Neilsen – he is out 8-12 weeks with “Multiple leg injuries”.

This isn’t good, from what I could tell Frans suffered a possible knee injury and a nasty high ankle sprain. The injury bug strikes again.

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Just browsing the headlines this afternoon, I came across a few interesting tidbits on Mike Mottau’s hit on Franz Nielsen last night in New Jersey. I was a little annoyed last night because there really wasn’t any information at all regarding the hit or subsequent review. If this would have involved Canadian teams the media would have been all over it….. I digress. In case you haven’t heard, Mottau has been suspended for two games.

First take a look at the hit:

After viewing the video, do you think that this hit is worth two games, or more like five (thinking back to Pock’s hit on Shannon)? Do you think the NHL has any real rhyme or reason to determining their suspension handouts? Are you happy that Mottau was only given a two-minute elbowing penalty for this hit, a hit that left Nielsen with head and leg injuries? I know I am not happy, especially with some of the comments from the Devils last night. In case you have not seen Greg Logan’s blog entry on this from this morning – it is definately worth a read. Just to give you a taste, this part in particular:

nterestingly, Devils coach Brent Sutter wasn’t so sure. During his postgame scrum with Devils beat writers, Sutter said he didn’t check a replay after the game. Explaining his impression during the game, Sutter said: “[Mottau] came across and [Nielsen] was in front, so, I don’t know. He got the two-minute minor penalty on it. If the player didn’t get hurt, his ankle or the bottom part of his leg, that’s what it is. It’s a two-minute minor penalty. I didn’t see it after the game, so, I can’t really say.”

Coming from a guy who was incensed about the knockout blow the Islanders’ Doug Weight delivered to his son, Brandon Sutter, in a game earlier this season, it was a rather remarkable about-face. In that case, Brandon Sutter put his head down and Weight did his best to keep his elbows down for a clean hit that wasn’t even penalized. The next day, Brent Sutter criticized Weight for hitting a vulnerable player.

In this case, Mottau was beaten by Nielsen, and he crossed the line with a clear elbow to the head to stop the Islander. Suddenly, Brent Sutter develops a case of myopia. It’s that kind of hypocrisy that allows such dangerous plays to continue.

That wasn’t the only interesting entry on this subject today, Ken Rosenblatt on Islanders Outsider has some photo evidence taken from the videos that clearly show Mottau leading with his elbow, while off his skates.

In the end, I guess a two game suspension is supposed to suffice – but let it be known that should Nielsen be gone any longer than a game or two with his “injuries” that there will be the need for a stepped up response from the Islanders enforcers the next time these teams meet. Chippy is not a word that will describe what I want to see – bloodbath sort of sums it up more.

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