I don’t know if everyone else saw the game last night, but it was – how do you say, more of the same. Or was it?

If you wish to read my ridiculously bleak and furious tone during the game, head on over to my Twitter Feed to read my list of troublesome habits and areas of improvement the Islanders need in order to actually compete this season. I took part in a healthy debate with many of the other furious Isles fans last night too – which is always fun.

Instead of listing what went wrong first, let’s list the things that actually went O.K. for the Islanders:

• The Islanders power play managed two points last night. In previous games, the Islanders were not afforded many chances with the man advantage, so it was nice to see it spring alive last night.
• Jeff Tambellini decided he was a player, scoring his second and third goals of the season in the same game last night – both on the power play.
• They enjoyed solid goaltending from Martin Biron, whom undoubtedly wanted a better showing from his previous attempt in Montreal last week.
• The fourth line continues to have scoring chances.
• The first line continues to have scoring chances.
• Franz Nielsen is storming back into action and is a game away from breaking out.
• The Islanders came from behind two seperate times to force overtime, a big difference when a team is struggling and needs to take as many positives as they can.
• The Isles centers have been on point so far, last night was not an exception.
• The Islanders penalty kill is also doing well.

Unfortunately, I have a laundry list of things the Islanders did not do well last night:

• The Islanders were often caught out of position and were flat footed in their pursuit.
• They chased Montreal around all night long and at times resembled a pee-wee hockey team.
• There were numerous times where I spotted HORRIBLE line changes. Blake Comeau gave up skating back on defense and that’s what lead to the odd man rush in overtime that lead to the winning goal. You don’t leave a play when you are one of the only players capable of getting back.
• The fourth line needs to finish their scoring chances.
• The first line, especially Tavares, needs to finish their scoring chances.
• The defense really needs to control whatever rebounds their goalies give up. I mean how many times are you going to blame bad bounces for goals.
• Kyle Okposo gets his face shoved into the glass and Matt Moulson is the only player to stick up for him? Where was the physical response to him requiring stitches?
• HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE PASSING
• Way too many odd man rushes

I am sure you get the idea at this point.

My honest opinion of what is ailing the Islanders late in games, isn’t fatigue and the blame cannot be places solely on the coaching staff either – look no further at the makeup of this team. Young players without much NHL experience. Sure, there are veteran players strewn about the team, but this is the type of game you will have with a cast of kids and AHL players. That’s what a rebuild is, and this is what happens to a team rebuilding.

When Pittsburgh and Washington drafted Crosby and Ovechkin respectively, they did not just wake up one day and decide to light the league on fire – it took time, effort and most importantly – patience. The Islanders are not a player or two from being competitive, they need serious upgrades on offense and defense in order to have an even (keyword) spread of talent across four lines.

But that’s just this bloggers opinion, so take it how you will.

With the 6-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight, coupled with a 4-2 Tampa Bay Lightning loss to the Capitals – the Islanders have “clinched” the 30th position and the best shot at the number one pick in the upcoming draft.

The Islanders can win out their final two home games this weekend and still finish with the fewest amount of points – guaranteeing them no worse than the second overall selection, but giving them the best (48.2% chance of picking 1st and a 51.8% chance of picking 2nd – nhlscap.com) chance at landing the number one overall selection in Montreal.

The Draft Lottery is being held up in Toronto next week (Tuesday April 14th) and will be televised on Versus. So Islanders fans, in less than a week – we will know for sure which selection we will receive for all of our pain and suffering this season.

I promise you this much, I want the Isles to absolutely kick the crap out of the Flyers and Bruins this weekend. I am “back” to being an Isles fan first – that’s for sure.

A brief note: There is an extremely GOOD chance that I will be attending the draft again this year in Montreal. I will know more in the next few weeks and be sure to get the news out as soon as I figure out the plan.

From here on out, it’s Tavares, Hedman or BUST!

Edit: As reactions roll in, I will be sure to post links back to those blogs speaking about the same subject.

First “at bat” is Ken Dick over at Okposo Net (Soon to be Tavares Net?). Ken and I were notorious for yelling back at opposing fans whenever they would tell us we were in last place – by saying “Tavares, Tavares”. The other fans, lacking a good comeback – would just say, you’re right.

The boys over at Hockey Night on Long Island have put up their take on securing the 30th position.

Voice of the Islander Fans has his hilariously real take on things as always.

Chris Botta tells us there is “No reason to Vic around” and gives a whole list of reasons why we should announce our intentions to pic Tavares right after learning if we get the number one pick overall right after the announcement of the Lottery next week.

Dee Karl (Aka 7th Woman) gives us her “Unique Perspective” as the she always does – and goes on to say that Garth Snow should just call in sick the day of the lottery – just in case he has any ideas.

James Mirtle goes all statistical on the Isles locking up the best chance at the number one pick and talks about the other teams filling in spots 29-25.

My buddy Dominik over at Lighthouse Hockey presents his case on the Tavares front and then completely blasts picks apart Botta’s PR-esque post in a secondary post.

Gary Harding joins the fray, he gives us his reasons behind why we should draft the one we call JT.

Things are getting interesting, yes?

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What a game!

Kyle Okposo just scored his fourth goal in four games for the second time this season to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 in overtime. It was Okposo’s 16th goal of the season.

No matter the outcome, I still have a problem with being conflicted with the Islanders play as of late. I have a constant eye on the standings I’ll admit – so with each solid game and each point earned in the standings (7 in last 4 games – eeeek) we creep further out of the league basement and make the Tank for Tavares almost a thing of the past. (Note: The Lightning have also won tonight, so the Isles maintain their four point lead cushion in the standings for the bottom (ie: LAST PLACE)).

I always want to see the Islanders do well, especially when the drive is being led by the team’s future. Players like Jesse Joensuu, Mike Iggulden, Blake Comeau, Jack Hillen, Frans Nielsen, Jeff Tambellini, Sean Bergenheim, Kyle Okposo, Josh Bailey et. al. make this season really exciting because we are witnessing a glimpse of our future. We are able to see our team grow and learn with each other, sometimes with really exciting results.

Last week I was asking everyone if Okposo could reach the 20 goal plateau this season, his first full NHL season. Now, I am starting to wonder if I should be asking if he can reach the 30 goal mark – he is doing THAT good lately. I know, let’s not get ahead of ourselves – but it’s certainly a very bright spot in an otherwise tough season.

The Tavares Hunt will continue – it’s still a long, yet short road trip against a group of tough teams.

Friendly reminder, if you don’t see a steady stream of updates here – head on over to Lighthouse Hockey as there is a good chance I already posted something over there.

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About to call into the conference call to hear everything that has or has not transpired today.

I am going to record the call with my fancy device that allows me to do so with my digital recorder. I will either transcribe it or post the clip in it’s entirety.

More in a few!

Update: Well there were technical difficulties in the call. I think I heard Garth Snow say three of four barely audible words. Guess I have to wait for the press release – nothing went the Islanders way today, clearly.

Update #2 Per the Islanders official press release:

The New York Islanders have traded Bill Guerin to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional 2009 fifth round draft selection. The team has also activated defenseman Thomas Pock and center Nate Thompson from the Injured Reserve while reassigning winger Jon Sim to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League.

The conditions of the Guerin/Pittsburgh trade are as follows: If Pittsburgh reaches the playoffs, the draft pick is upgraded to a fourth round selection. If Pittsburgh advances past the first round and Guerin plays in 50 percent of those first round games, the draft pick gets further upgraded to a third round selection. The fifth round selection originally belonged to Tampa Bay.

“The entire Islanders organization has the utmost respect for Bill Guerin and we sincerely thank him for his time on Long Island and as the team’s captain,” said Islanders General Manager Garth Snow.

Guerin recorded 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 61 games with the Islanders this season. Since signing with the team as a free agent on July 5, 2007, he played in 142 games and recorded 39 goals and 41 assists for 80 points. Guerin was the 11th captain in franchise history.

Pock has played in 41 games this season and has scored one goal with two assists for three points. He missed the Islanders’ last 13 games with a hand injury. Pock was claimed off waivers from the New York Rangers on September 29, 2008. In 100 career NHL games, Pock has scored eight goals with nine assists for 17 points and 51 penalty minutes.

Thompson has played in 28 games this season and has scored two goals. He missed the Islanders’ last 12 games with a shoulder injury. Thompson was claimed off waivers from Boston on October 8, 2008. In 32 career NHL games, Thompson has scored two goals and registered 42 penalty minutes.

Sim, who cleared waivers earlier today, has played in 49 games with the Islanders this season and scored nine goals and six assists for 15 points. In 51 career games with the Islanders he has scored nine goals with seven assists for 16 points and 44 penalty minutes. Sim was signed by the Islanders as a free agent on July 1, 2007.

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It’s amazing sometimes what happens when you subtract a few players close to the deadline. It seems that it really unites the remainder of the team and they support each other even more – as well as give a solid effort, if not the most solid effort of the season.

This was clear last night as we saw an awesome effort from Sean Bergenheim from the puck drop. Bergy had jump in his step and almost scored right in the first minutes of the game. Devils backup extraordinaire Scott Clemmensen made a marvelous save, and it gave me the impression he would have one of his normal outings and do everything he can to keep the Devils on their hot streak. However, Mark Streit would find Bergenheim streaking down the right wing and he would beat Clemmensen this time to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead.

The Islanders would play well the remainder of the first, but the Devils kept up with their pace – often times getting numerous scoring chances themselves. At one point I remember looking up at the scoreboard astonished that the Devils had around 24 shots in the second, shots that I really didn’t remember them having. In my ever present restlessness during the game, I bounced around from my seats in section 309 and spent the second period in the Blog Box in section 201. I think I do this because I get to see the Islanders attack in all three periods honestly – as my seats give me a good view during the first and third periods.

The Islanders would put good pressure on for parts of the second period, Jon Sim intercepted a clearing attempt and beat the lone Devils defender deep and score on a backhand fivehole to give the Islanders a two goal lead. I literally had to rub my eyes when I realized he was the player to shoot as he has scored goals in consecutive games for the first time this season. It was good to see him get on the board again because I felt he would be more active in the points department but have been pretty disappointed by him. As Dom from Lighthouse Hockey says – if anything it increases his trade value with every point he notches. Dom even says he wishes he would go on a tear so we can sucker a playoff team into giving us “at least a 6th round pick for him”. He has one year left on his contract at an affordable $1 Million dollar – chump change I say.

During the third period the fun would continue – the Devils David Clarkson would sit for 4 minutes for high sticking and the Islanders got set up on their power play. Not long into the first half of the power play – Blake Comeau fed a nifty pass to Kyle Okposo who one-timed it past Clemmensen for a three goal lead. With the Islanders still on the power play, Brendan Witt would take up his new position in front of the net and Bill Guerin fired a point blast past Clemmensen for their fourth goal of the game and second of the powerplay. This time when I looked at the scoreboard, the Devils had been out shooting the Islanders by about 8 shots – again surprising me because I just didn’t feel like they had that many. Call it disbelief because Yann Dannis would have a solid game stopping all 40 Devils shots and actually achieve his shutout for once. He has flirted with the no-no several times this season, but a late goal would always spoil his bid. Dannis is really coming into his own as a goaltender – I actually like his play better than that of Joey MacDonald who seems to allow a bunch of flukey goals or become victimized by deflections off his own men. Now that Campoli is gone, maybe he will fair better as it always seemed to go in off of his leg and/or skate.

The shutout was the first shutout by the Islanders ALL SEASON, and really seemed to put an exclamation point on things here as the season is winding down. The game last night really proves how effective the Islanders can be when the team works together and executes Scott Gordon’s systems properly. Dean MacAmmond would make his debut last night and fit right into the team. Dee Karl aka 7thWoman – claims his seemless fit is due to his 15 year career – but I actually think he fills a void for the team. As a veteran center – he won key draws for the Islanders last night and looks to be Mike Sillinger-esque in that area winning 7 of 12 faceoffs and playing a respectable 13 minutes 8 seconds. MacAmmond also wasn’t shy last night – Jon Sim would continue to play the role of antagonist and cause a scrum in front of Clemmensen. MacAmmond would jump in the pile and take a huge elbow to the jaw for his new teammates – that is the true definition of a veteran and hockey player. It was good to see honestly.

The Postgame Interviews

I don’t know what got into me last night, I generally don’t ask many questions because someone normally beats me with what I wanted to ask or I give the main stream media it’s chance to meet their deadlines out of respect. When Mark Streit was done talking to the likes of Dan Martin and Greg Logan, I jumped in there and asked him a few questions of my own.

I asked Streit how important it was to come out and get a big win after some player transactions and he had this to say:

Well I mean, it’s obviously nice to get a win, but it’s part of the business. You feel bad when you lose teamates that you have been working with for a while, especially a guy like Campoli whos been here his whole career – MC too, they are both really nice guys. It’s tough, it goes fast, you don’t see them from one day to the other and just hope the guys are doing really well. It’s good for them and hopefully it works out for them and you’ve got to move on and just focus on the game, try to get a win. It’s great for Danis too, his first game after and he gets a win – it was certainly sweet.

I followed up with asking if there was an extra sense of urgency to get the win for the coach or some of the other guys this close to the deadline that would maybe save some jobs. Streit gave me another great response:

Everbody in this league wants to win every game. Nobody in this league goes out and says OK we are not playing tonight, you don’t do that. You want to play hard and then some nights you play a team that plays really well, and they get a little lucky. They work hard, maybe you have a tough night and then you lose. You know NOBODY wants that. I think the important thing is you don’t let your head hang and be negative about it. You have to turn the page, come in the next morning work hard and you know, focus on the next game and just try to do your best out there and try to win. There is nothing else you can do, if you are mad about it and your grumpy the next day, and negative it doesn’t do anything. You have to turn the page and move on and just try to do better and learn from it.

It was really the first time I got to speak with Streit at length, he is such a well spoken and positive guy. It makes me so happy that he chose to sign with the Islanders for such a long period – we really need a guy like him. It’s even better that he is having such a great year, it has been a long time since we had a player like Mark. I topped off my little interview with a “Danka” – knowing he is fluent in German, I think I caught him off guard but he replied with a “Bitte” and smiled. Just had to plant the seed for later I guess.

Having finished up with Streit, Sean Bergenheim strolled into the room and we joined the scrum in front of him. I waited patiently again as the main stream guys did their stuff and once the area cleared out I asked Bergy a few questions of my own. I wanted to get his opinion on the same things I asked Streit – but these were more important because of the way Bergenheim has struggled and found himself in and out of the lineup and the subject of trade rumors himself.

I started with the same question on the importance of a 4-0 win the day after player transactions and if there was a sense of urgency because of them:

Yea, we lost two great, great guys from the team. They are two great players and I hope they will do really well there, but at the same time we have to continue to do what we can here. Some guys may get more ice time than others, but this is a chance for other guys to come in and show what they can do. Certainly, I think many of the guys wanted to show that they could play more minutes. With these guys gone now, we can show we can play them [more minutes].

My follow up question seemed like a natural one because he focused a bit on the extra playing time afforded to different players in the wake of the trade of Comrie and Campoli. I asked if personally being in and out of the lineup and not getting as much as a chance this season, if he felt affected the day after the transactions and caused him to come out with more of a spark which lead to his strong game. I asked him if his spirits were lifted and if it sent a message that says “I deserve to be here and deserve a shot”. Sean replied in a way I wasn’t expecting – and I was really impressed with another player who just plays the hand he is dealt and carries his head high

I don’t really think that way, because I think every player has to beleive in themselves. I beleive that I do belong here and this trade did not affect me in any way. As far as me being in and out of the lineup this year, it has been a really frustrating season. Right now, what I am focusing on is just to play my game, and play the way I thought I played last year during the last part of the season. I have just been feeling more comfortable out on the ice and lately it has feet much better.

I know this much about Bergenheim – if he continues to play the way he has been playing, he will not be going anywhere for a long time. Home grown players don’t exactly grow on trees in Islanders country. Once he figures out what his game is (and I feel he is on the road to finding himself) he will be the force he was at the end of the season last year in which he referenced. We are getting glimpses of the future of what Garth Snow is looking to accomplish, and the future looks pretty good.

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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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