This Just In...

MSG Plus 2 sucks.

No, like, hardcore sucks. I don't know what was more annoying last night- the terrible audio or the flickering, discolored picture. I had to keep flipping channels to get the original picture back, often to no avail, and I could barely hear Howie and Billy between stoppages of play. Add to that another Islanders loss, 3-1, and it made for an overall terrible experience.

In what I could see of the game, Frans Nielsen was the lone Isles goalscorer (shorthanded), and youngster Andrew Peters got a win in his NHL debut, in relief of goalie Cam Ward (back problems). Jussi Jokinen and Brandon Sutter scored for the 'Canes, and Joni Pitkanen sealed the deal by capitalizing on an Isles turnover and catching Rick DiPietro out of the net as he tried to get an extra skater on the ice. The Islanders had some good jump, but unfortunately their offense is still not working out. Don't know what it is, don't know what needs to be done to fix it, but it's frustrating to watch.

And a note to MSG Network: Fix MSG Plus 2. It may not be HD, but it doesn't matter; that channel is just painful to watch. There's no excuse for it. Do something.