The View from Section Blur

Ya so Angie is having computer issues so for now ya’ll are stuck with just me. Lucky you. Thing is, I’ve been uber busy so the Islanders and hockey in general this season have been a blur.

Brendan Witt has left the building. That sucks. What sucks more is too many Isles fans yapping about how #32 didn’t fit into the system (which may not have been a bad thing mind you), was too slow of a skater blah blah blah blah. How short of a memory some Isles fans have. When Ted Nolan left as coach it was Brendan Witt who was the glue that held the team together and dare I say the fan base. Everyone, meaning everyone collectively looked to Witt when Isles fans were like WTF? is with this ownership and with the future of the team? It’s one thing for a player to be a commodity to management, but it’s a sad day when someone as dedicated to this team and a lover of Long Island becomes a commodity to a fan base that Brendan Witt served well both on and off the ice.

Moving on –

Let’s see…Angie covered Andy Sutton being traded, Isles win over Chicago followed by loss to Atlanta…uh hold on….ring ring…yes this is she who is this…Satan is that you? I thought you were in hell?...oh you’re on the Bruins now?...same thing?...what? Comeau? Hat-trick? Hell froze over? Excellent. Quite possibly Mr. “six goals in two games” figured it was better to play like he is able than to be right as I suggested some blog posts ago…or not as the case may be.

Islanders lost to the Bruins 3-2, Satan came to town for real, Mark Streit earned his 200th career NHL point, Josh Bailey scored his 14th goal of the season (you can do better than that though…stickwork stickwork stickwork) and Matt Moulson scored his 23rd goal of the season, excuse me Mighty Matt Moulson as I understand him to be…the dark horse coming from behind and now in front as the Isles leading scorer.

The Isles then tripped to Philly. Let’s get the most important point out of the way –
(Getty Image)

THERE WILL BE NO MORE OF THAT MARTIN BIRON! I don’t care if you played for that team, you are an Islander now so knock it off.

Although not at the Wachovia Center for this game, I was able to watch it on TV until sometime late in the 2nd period, once the energy of the Islanders shifted, I turned the game off to avoid the outcome - although my friend AJ was more than happy to text me updates. FlyerDork. Despite the fact that the Isles started off strong with goals from both John Tavares and Kyle Okposo in the 1st period, the Flyers won afriggingain! 15 in a row. What a way to ruin a game that started out so well for the Isles with three penalties in the 3rd period causing two goals for the Flyers. High-sticking and boarding were the penalties – will they ever learn?

Was able to watch most of the St. Louis game. To sum it up – ping pong hockey ending with Martin Biron looking completely unaware he was a NHL goalie in a shoot out. Where he ‘went’, only Biron knows…or not as the case may be.

Rick DiPietro out for who knows how long, Doug Weight out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder boo-boo and to make this rainy day darker – the Flyers beat Chicago today.

My eyes burn when seeing Phoenix that high in league standings? How the h-e double hockey sticks did that happen?

Tonight the Isles host the Devils (7pm) and then host the Maple Leafs tomorrow (5pm).

LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!

ps. the WTF? is with this ownership and with the future of the team? still stands.

From Another Comeback Thriller to a Shootout Winner... That's What These Isles Are Made Of

Islanders 3 : Capitals 2 (SO)

The latest surge from the Islanders, culminating in a shootout winner at the Verizon Center last night, prompted broadcaster Howie Rose to say, "After these last five games... I have no idea what to expect from this team."

Does anyone, anymore?

After a seven-game losing streak that had the Isles all but left for dead and practically in the Eastern Conference cellar, their recent winning streak now stands at five, after a thrilling comeback from a 2-0 deficit and some feisty moments along the way that woke the team up and got the guys rolling again.

Washington would strike early, taking full advantage of the depleted Islanders defense and attacking head-on. While the D was taken aback and caught unawares, Alexander Semin made good on a breakaway chance just 2:17 into the game on a feed from Matt Pettinger. Then, while Rick DiPietro was screened slightly, Brooks Laich redirected a shot from the point on the power play to make it 2-0. The Isles looked to be out of it for a long while, and very far removed from the sharp play they were displaying in their last game, against the Sharks. Then again, they had defenseman Andy Sutton on their blueline.

In the second, that didn't matter. The Isles came out stronger and more supportive of one another, with the offense carrying more of the play and helping the D find their legs. The Capitals would not score again in the game, but it wasn't for lack of trying- though DiPietro was solid (28 saves, including 5 or 6 really sharp ones), the Caps did beat him a few times, only to hit countless posts and a crossbar.

Miro Satan would pull the team to within one in the second off of a Bill Guerin play, and then in the third, Josef Vasicek scored a puzzler- apparently aiming for center ice, he banked it off of goaltender Olaf Kolzig to tie it up. The second straight game resulting in a comeback for the Isles would get even better.

Perhaps the epitome of the Caps' frustration over hitting posts lay in their top goalscorer, Alexander Ovechkin, who was held to only one shot (yes, one shot) in regulation. Radek Martinek gains my recognition as the number-one star for the Isles in this game- wherever Ovechkin was, so was he, during his 28:17 of ice time. He also recorded five hits, including a monster one in the overtime that ensued, on the Russian superstar, who afterward, starving for a goal, powered past a hounding Bryan Berard and beat DiPietro- only to hit the post once again.

Then came the shootout, and Ovechkin's hat trick of posts, as said on MSG, as he beat DiPietro once again to hit- yes, the left-side post. Viktor Kozlov and Alexander Semin would both be stopped as well, and on the Isles' side, so would Richard Park and shootout specialist Miro Satan- but then came the ultra-soft hands of Mike Comrie, as he pushed it through the legs of Kolzig for the game-winner. Game, set, match, Islanders, once again, as they inch closer to the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. No doubt right now they are the hottest team in the Atlantic, and starting tonight, they can get even hotter.

Even with the depleted defense, who counts Andy Sutton now among its casualties- with a partial tear in his hamstring, he's down for 4-6 weeks.

Chris Simon, who is now just coming off a 30-game suspension tonight against Tampa Bay, will bring some much needed physicality to the Isles. Provided he could skate backwards, I'd suggest playing him as the 7th defenseman and keeping Jeff Tambellini as LW on the Kid Line, rather than send anyone down. But I'm not the coach, so... *shrug* The Isles will have to see what they can do, and seeing as they've pretty much dominated Tampa this season, they have a shot at adding another link onto this chain of wins.

The Comeback Kids Strike Once Again

Islanders 3 : Sharks 2

It looked all but hopeless, as Rick DiPietro got up and shook off another San Jose goal early in the third period, this one off of the stick of Joe Thornton. By no means had the game, to that point, slipped out of the Isles' reach entirely; however, judging by the way the Isles have fallen behind in previous games, it would be understandable if, just for a second, the sellout crowd was braced for a loss at the Coliseum.

But the Isles had other ideas.

Erasing a 2-0 deficit the Sharks had built over two periods (Marcel Goc scored the other goal late in the second period), Andy Hilbert scored his seventh, and Mike Comrie his 18th, and then, a little over midway through the third, Freddy Meyer, an unlikely sniper, scored what became the game-winner off of a cross-ice pass by Sean Bergenheim. 3-2, Isles, final.

After enduring a first period without Ted Nolan (he was attending to a matter that I will touch on later in the post), the Isles found their legs and also fell behind, after some strong goaltending on both ends by All-Stars Evgeni Nabokov and Rick DiPietro. Then, as they battled back to get on the scoreboard and back into the game, and Meyer scored his second goal of the season to put them ahead, the Isles played with a focus and a determination that earned them their fourth straight win, pulling them ahead of Atlanta and Washington for tenth place in the Eastern conference and one point (one point!) out of a playoff spot. It looks to be a good run, with some dark spots.

One is the potential loss of another defenseman, Andy Sutton, who had up until now filled a big spot in the already depleted defense with a physical presence and effective shot blocking. Late in the third, he went down hard, grabbing his left leg. That turned out to be a hamstring injury, once that may have been a spasm, but judging by Ted Nolan's claim that he will be re-evaluated tomorrow, it may be more serious, which is not a good thing for the Isles, who have Witt and Bruno Gervais skating but not one hundred percent, and can ill afford to lose another blueliner.

Another is the injury to young left winger Blake Comeau, who was boarded hard by Murray of the Sharks in the third period and got up woozy, helped off the ice by two teammates and the trainer. He seemed to be favoring a leg, but anything could be wrong with him, especially considering how he went into the boards (practically headfirst). Nothing is disclosed as of yet, but hopefully it's not too serious.

And now for more serious news.

Ted Nolan was missing in the first period, attending to a "personal matter", one that turned out to be connected to a terrible tragedy. Mickey Renaud, 19, captain for the OHL's Windsor Spitfires (also the team Ted's younger son, Jordan, plays for), collapsed and died today in his home in Tecumseh, Ont. He was a draft pick of the Calgary Flames and had attended camp with the NHL club this past summer. A potential NHLer, he had been progressing steadily prior to his death. During the first period of the Isles-Sharks game, Ted was consoling his son, who had taken the loss hard.

This is a terrible loss for the Spitfires and the OHL, and for everyone who is affected by this, including Jordan Nolan, we extend our condolences.


link- http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080218.wrenaud0218/GSStory/GlobeSportsHockey/home

Rest in peace, Mickey.