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.

Witt Clears Waivers

In my hullabaloo about Josh Bailey and the Isles' poll, I forgot to mention that Brendan Witt cleared waivers last night and will be playing in Bridgeport. The Islanders apparently have no intention of putting him on re-entry waivers.

Witter had a couple of good years with the Isles that got overshadowed by injury, frustration, and a disagreement with the new system Scott Gordon had in place. Even so, he definitely loves the game and was a great addition to our team, and as a big supporter of his, I'm sad to see him go. As I've said before, best of luck, Brendan, and I hope you do well. Thanks for providing us with some great hits and warrior attitude. :)

Brendan Witt Placed On Waivers

Veteran defenseman and all-around badass Brendan Witt was activated off of injured reserve today- only to be placed on waivers, according to Newsday's Katie Strang. This news comes after rumors of the Isles trying to shop Witt, with little success.

The 34-year-old tough guy struggled with a knee injury and a -18 rating before being placed on IR. If he clears waivers, he will go down to Bridgeport. GM Garth Snow says that this move is more indicative of the play and development of young blueliners such as Andy MacDonald and Jack Hillen, rather than Witt's play. However, it's little secret that Witt has had a hard time fitting into Scott Gordon's system of play, not to mention keeping off of IR. No doubt frustration has also gotten the better of him.

At any rate, should Witt end up somewhere else, we wish him all the best wherever he goes. I had become one of his biggest supporters during his time on the Island, and I still think he brings his all to the ice, no matter whom he plays for. Best wishes.

Scared the Bejesus out of my Dogs, Witt to Blame

Oilers 1 : Islanders 3



About ½ hour before scaring the bejesus out of my dogs, I took this picture of Lily and Maddy. We’ve been at my mom’s while Lily recuperates from fracturing her L6 for which I am to blame – tripping over her as we were on our way out the door last week. Even though Maddy (11) is younger than Lily (14), like a Boxer she is protective over those she loves and has been by Lily’s side 24/7 – nurse Maddy as we now call her. So there they were fast asleep as I was doing this and that for work with NHL on the Fly in the background. On came the recap of the Isles/Oilers game, the outcome of the game not known prior to the recap - Ethan Moreau scores…John Tavares scores…Brendan Witt scores…

“awesome”

look up at TV for the replay

type type type on laptop type type type

Brendan Witt scores again…

WHHHHAAAAATTTTTT???

The loudness of WHAT? = Maddy jumping up to her feet and Lily jumping up to her shoulders…both looking at me as if to say “Where’s the fire?”. Would have texted Angie as she had probably already been celebrating aka tweeting about one of her favorite Isle’s accomplishment but was too busy wiping up the tea I spilled when standing up to reassure the dogs I hadn’t lost it completely – so Mr. Witt is to blame for the spill as well. If he would have gotten the hat trick quite possibly that would have warranted assigning him blame for the US economy.

Because we bloggers are of the opinion that Witt can do no wrong, rather than assign pseudo blame a Fu Man Chu is awarded instead.


As for the team, whatever is fueling ya’ll, make sure you take it with you as you shuffle off to Buffalo. Shuffle all over Buffalo.

Josh Bailey…you’re up.

LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!

Post blog note: it was pointed out to me this morning that Lily and Maddy's position sorta looks like the letter W, obviously they are fans of Witt. Yes it does, yes they are, dude you need more hobbies. : )

Oh Captain... Our Captain?

Now that yet another head of the ship has set sail for greener pastures- this one being Bill Guerin, who allowed for a trade to the Pittsburgh Penguins just before the deadline last season- there's a vacancy in the captain's quarters for the New York Islanders, and one that can be filled by one of three people, in my opinion.

If you look at this poll on Islander Mania (members only, please) http://forums.newyorkislanders.com/index.php?showtopic=21135 you can see that the fans' choice, by quite a few votes, is defenseman Mark Streit. Streit is arguably the best player on the team and one of the best offensive defensemen in the league. He was also captain of the Swiss national team in the World Championships and has shown leadership ability, as well as a way with younger players on the blueline which is particularly evident in the late-season development of Bruno Gervais. Before Chris Campoli (Streit's former D-mate) was traded, Bruno was struggling with injury and with some inconsistency. Once some vacancies on D were created, however, and Gervais was able to get some time with Mark, you could tell that it suited him- he jumped into the play more often and also improved significantly in his defensive play. That kind of influence shouldn't be ignored.

Also a viable candidate for captain is another defenseman, Brendan Witt. Witt was a co-captain when he played for the Washington Capitals, and though sometimes one to move more to the beat of his own drum, he does have charisma, admirable spirit and love for the game. The one thing that counts against him is the fact that he may clash more with the coaching staff, at least if you want to hold against him the remarks he made last season concerning Scott Gordon's "Overspeed" system. All of that aside, I do think Witt could be another good choice for the captaincy.

Doug Weight, a center, would be a surprise choice- or rather, one that wouldn't make sense seeing as he's only got one more year on his contract and is likely trade bait, meaning he stands a good chance at getting the "C." :) In all seriousness, however, were he to stay a few more years, he would most likely be my pick- he leads by example, he's charismatic, he's good with the younger players and has the experience in the playoffs and the Cup to lead a team. Still, with the length of his deal I highly doubt this would be the right pick for captain. Streit's got four more years on his contract and is probably not going to get traded either.

Another option would be to just withhold the C until a point in the season where someone steps up and shows that they have what it takes to be a leader. This would be a good move- it pushes everyone to contribute and doesn't let any blame fall on one person. However, we shall see what happens when training camp starts in the fall. Whoever it may be... God speed.

Brendan Witt Plays 200th Game as an Islander

On Thursday night against Montreal, Brendan Witt played his 200th game as an Islander. Last week on the HBO show Real Time with Bill Maher, Bill interviewed Bill Bradley, former US Senator-NJ and NBA Hall of Famer (NY Knicks). At the end of the interview Bill Maher half-jokingly asked him why the Knicks “suck”. Bradley stated:

“They make the same mistake that a lot of teams do, they draft stats and not character and you gotta draft character to put a team together.”

If character is a crucial ingredient to a team’s success then Brendan Witt is the foremost symbol of Islander success, regardless of their standing in the NHL. Whether Witt is a fan of the ‘system’ or not, his challenge is to figure out how to not stand out on the team in regards to the system while also not fit in. With his work ethic and warrior ways this shouldn’t be a problem for Witt. My hope is that Coach Gordon’s expectation of Witt will be a balance between player compliance and player authenticity, the latter being what I believe to be Witt’s greatest strength and why so many fans wear his number, including Angie who finally got her #32 jersey from Santa this past Christmas, despite being on the naughty list. : )

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!

Eyes Left Prize, But One Point's the Consolation

Islanders 3: Sabres 4 (SO)

In Buffalo, where the snow piles high and the hockey is fierce, the Sabres haven't been exactly consistent lately, and it almost showed last night. But they were able to cling to the two points, besting the Islanders in a shootout after receiving the scare of their season.

New York took the first three shots on goal and then had the first power play, which started out tight but slowly faded in the last minute after a couple of great saves by Ryan Miller. Throughout the period, they had some spurts of offense but nothing really flowed. Buffalo, meanwhile, got things cooking on the power play as Ales Kotalik passed to Maxim Afinigenov down low, who in turn hit Jochen Hecht in front for Hecht's fourth of the year.

The Islanders tied it up in the second with help from an unlikely source: Jeff Tambellini, the struggling young left wing who finally found the break in the clouds. Josh Bailey passed to Tambellini in the corner, who passed cross-ice to Mark Streit and then darted to the net to collect Streit's pass on a practically empty net, with Miller out of position. It was a well-deserved break for Tamby, who has improved his play steadily over the past few games. Jason Pominville put the Sabres up once more, though, on the PP at 13:09 of the second (Sean Bergenheim the guilty party).

All night, the Isles kept up great work along the boards and were able to get some good chances, but no finish. Brendan Witt had an improved game, helping out on offense as well as providing solid defense. Also, Kyle Okposo had a great game, skating hard and getting to the net often- the only thing I'd love for him to do is not miss the net, but as a young player with plenty of learning to do, his accuracy will improve over time. He, Mike Comrie and Blake Comeau seem to be jelling very well on a line together.

In the third period, Clarke MacArthur showed how perseverance pays off; he absorbed a big hit from Comrie, got right back up, and joined the play a few seconds later, ripping a shot from the point that beat MacDonald and made the score 3-1. Buffalo was rolling with the lead, although the Islanders led them 10-2 in shots at one point in the third. As a fan, you started to lose hope seeing the play yo-yo back and forth and the Islanders unable to capitalize on anything they threw at Miller (who had a solid game).

The momentum would change late in the game, however, as the Isles made great use of what little time was left on the clock. MacArthur took a tripping penalty late that turned into a golden opportunity for Comrie. With the extra attacker (Joey MacDonald having been pulled with a full three minutes remaining), Blake Comeau passed to Bill Guerin on the right, and then Guerin found Comrie in front, who put in his third goal of the season to make it 3-2. And then, a crazy last minute of the game in which Joey was pulled yet again saw Okposo use both his passing and his physical presence to protect the puck, and found Campoli in the slot, who wristed the puck right over Miller's shoulder and into the net with two seconds left, to Okposo's sheer joy, and that of the rest of the Islanders as well (especially Blake Comeau and Richard Park, who I saw jumping up and down like little boys on Christmas morning). Campoli has showed quite a bit of last-minute heroics this season, and despite his frustration early on, he showed good patience and placement with his shot even with only a couple of seconds left.

His goal sent the game into a frenzied overtime, in which Witt and MacDonald were the two stars; Witt had two huge blocks on the odd-man rush, and MacDonald a few great saves, as the Sabres were on the power play for the last two minutes of OT (once again, Sean Bergenheim in the bin- something is just not right with this kid at the moment). Then came the shootout, and a lesson in actually shooting the puck. Joey Mac was beaten by both Kotalik and Drew Stafford, and neither Richard Park nor Okposo got past Ryan Miller. The explanation here is easy- when you beat a goalie three times up high, wouldn't you think to go up high in the shootout, especially when he once again gives you half the net to shoot at? Not so for the Isles; both Park and Okposo elected to go low on Miller, who made two easy saves. So it goes, and so went the extra point, but nonetheless, the Isles show life now, and as they go into MSG Monday night against a floundering Rangers squad, let's hope they show that persistence once more.

Along With DiPietro, Intensity and Goals Missing From Isles' Game

Islanders 0 : Panthers 1

Don't let this title fool you.

In relief, Wade Dubielewicz put forward a solid effort with 29 saves, but the only one he allowed would be all the Panthers needed, as yet again, the Islanders would come up short, even though they would take 53 shots on goal, all of which the goalie on the other end, Florida's Craig Anderson, would stop, in an anticlimactic ending to a great afternoon for the Isles.

Today was the Core of the Four ceremony, and after the 17 men who were part of the dynasty came forth yet again to embrace the crowd, the current Islanders skated out for warmups wearing their numbers- Richard Park in Lorne Henning's #10 (identical to his own), Wade Dubielewicz in Billy Smith's #31 jersey, and recently returned Brendan Witt representing #91, Butch Goring. Here's a picture link- http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=MediaGalleryPlayer&galleryId=5162 to see the awesome show of respect by the current team.

As for the on-ice product, even with the emotion of the simple ceremony, there was chance, but hardly any intensity to be seen out of the team, as they threw a barrage of shots over the three periods, and had good chances, especially some by the Kid Line of Tambellini, Jeremy Colliton, and Blake Comeau. However, it became clear by the end of the game that there were plenty of starts, and yet not enough finishes to get the Isles a goal. Billy Jaffe made a point afterward that was very evident; "There is not a pure-goal scorer on this team... a player who can finish the play."

Christine and I have had a couple of debates on this subject, and I am of the same opinion as Mr. Jaffe on this point- the Isles have drive and they have the determination to power them past a lot of teams. However, they lack the talent- the sufficiency of a player who can finish a play, or make a lot out of nothing, or produce a consistent string of goals. Last year, you might have been able to give that label to Jason Blake, who had 40 goals for the Isles; now, it's not clear who our goalscorer can be. The leading scorer, Mike Comrie, has come very close, but he needs to be simply a little more consistent. It is true that the Isles have come far with the limited supply of talent they have, and that is because they have relied on a defense-first, teamwork-oriented system that demands hard work ethic and relentless pressure. However, when that system fails, as it has recently, it wouldn't hurt to have something to make up for all of it. And yes, perhaps it wouldn't help as much as everyone thinks it would- as we all know, you can't rely on one thing to be your saving grace- but as far as I and Billy Jaffe can tell, it can only help the Islanders' cause to have a little more talent on the team.

Notes: Bruno Gervais was injured in the first period after a nasty hit by Branislav Mezei, and upon going to the locker room, was reported to have suffered a concussion and thigh contusion... Brendan Witt, in only his second game back from injury, looked to have suffered another when he slammed his right foot into the boards near the end of the first, and although he looked uncomfortable, he stuck it out and finished the game.

One New Guy + 52 Shots= Not Enough Vs. Conklin and the Pens

Islanders 2 : Penguins 4

Nearly a year ago, Rick DiPietro had a game not unlike the one Ty Conklin had last night at Nassau Coliseum. With an unbelievable 56-save performance, he stole a point and would have stolen the game last March, had it not been for that one Matt Cullen shot that turned into the shootout winner.

The goaltender really can make a difference. As did Conklin, whose 50 saves stole two points for a lethargic, not to mention depleted, Pittsburgh team, who was reeling with the loss of two players, including beloved youngster Colby Armstrong and last year's first-rounder Erik Christiansen, who are going to Atlanta in exchange for Marian Hossa.

The biggest winners in this trade deadline race barely looked it if not for their goalie- and though the Islanders, statiscally, dominated the game, they didn't dominate the scoreboard. Rick DiPietro, with 17 saves, allowed four goals once again as the defense, even with newly-minted Isle Rob Davison playing the second and third periods, was caught running around, and the power-play was powerless except for late in the third, when Ruslan Fedotenko scored his 15th with 1:17 left. Frans Nielsen (1st of the year) also scored for the Isles in the 2nd.

Meanwhile, the Penguins were slow and undisciplined, but that didn't hinder their game, apparently- Evgeni Malkin scored his 36th on the season to open up the scoring in the first. He also had an assist on Jordan Staal's 9th. Jeff Taffe and Connor James also scored. The real star here, of course, is Conklin- without him, the score might have been drastically altered.

Notes: Josef Vasicek inadvertently smacked assistant coach Gerard Gallant in the face with the puck in the first period, causing Gallant to leave the bench with "a bad headache, perhaps a broken bone," in the words of fellow coach John Chabot. Dan Lecroix took over Gallant's duties. Much luck and hope that he is okay.

More, better, news- Brendan Witt may be looking to come back from injury on Saturday. Witt suffered an MCL sprain on February 12 against the Flyers, and was projected to be out 2-4 weeks. He has been skating and he hopes to return soon- and I say, with so many D gone, the sooner the better.