Bailey Day-to-Day

Center Josh Bailey did not practice and is out of the lineup for tomorrow night's game against the Capitals, according to islanderspointblank.com. He is listed as day-to-day with a sprained ankle. Nate Thompson also did not practice (undisclosed injury), as well as Mike Sillinger, who's still dealing with his groin strain.

However, the blog also reports that Mike Comrie and also Kyle Okposo practiced today, in red jerseys. Comrie might be back by the end of the week; Okposo is still listed at 4-6 weeks.

http://www.islanderspointblank.com/

Different Team, Different Day- But Result, Feeling Remain the Same

Islanders 1: Blue Jackets 3

No doubt the Islanders skated into Nationwide Arena last night knowing full well that against all odds, they needed to skate out with two points in order to stop the bleeding of a five-game losing streak.

Well, the game came and went- and so did their chance. So it goes that the Isles are eight games under .500, and remain at 22 points- tied with Tampa Bay for worst in the league.

They dropped their sixth consecutive game to the Jackets, 3-1, and went 0-4 on a road trip in which at least two games- Toronto and Philadelphia- should have been won. It wasn't an easy trip by any means, but for a team that has surprised in the past, it could have been managed better.

Red-hot rookie goaltender Steve Mason and Jason Chimera proved otherwise, as Mason made 24 saves and won his eighth game of the season, and Chimera scored what was the eventual game winner, to pull the Jackets even at 3-3-0 for the month of December and lift the Jackets over the Isles, 3-1. New York, who has been in dire need of an offensive explosion for the past few games, didn't find relief in this one.

In the first, the Jackets trapped the Isles in their own zone, shooting as many as 11 in a row on Joey MacDonald, who made 32 saves. The Isles were able to break out on a couple of chances, but couldn't get past a big, strong goalie in Mason, just as MacDonald stopped all of Columbus' shots. The Jackets couldn't solve him until the second, when Fredrik Modin parked in front of him and redirected a Fedor Tyutin shot off of his skate for a power-play tally. Then, late in the second, Chimera flew up the wing, outskating at least two Isles before making a brilliant move to put the Jackets up by two.

The Islanders got this one back in the final minute, as Richard Park was the recipient of a fortunate puck bounce through the neutral zone and into Columbus territory. He streaked up the ice shorthanded and made a pretty forehand-backhand move, slipping the puck through Mason's pads for his second shortie of the year, and fifth overall. But the Islanders couldn't score any more, despite great chances by Blake Comeau (who had a bit of a skate problem this game- he fell no less than eight times on the ice) and Sean Bergenheim, and earlier in the game when Tim Jackman broke out for a few moves that Mason saw coming. On the topic of Bergenheim, Christine said she'd been wondering where he'd been lately, as he'd had a great start but fallen into the background overall, to which I responded, "Well, no one's really stood out for this team right now." Bergenheim's rush did provoke a burst of hope on my part. Too bad it didn't happen.

In the third, a shot by Comeau went under review due to a quick whistle, but it was concluded that Mason made a great save, smothering the puck with his right pad before it got anywhere near the line. And then Andy Murray padded the lead with his fourth on the year, due to a rebound that MacDonald could not hold onto. So it ended, and so the Islanders go into Tuesday night's matchup against Washington at home, hoping that something, anything, clicks.

Notes: Mike Sillinger missed this game, having tweaked his groin once more.... with his absence Josh Bailey was the most effective faceoff player, winning 38% of draws (3-8), and Richard Park won 33% (5-15).

Islanders at Blue Jackets, 7 pm EST, 12/13/08

The Islanders, at 10-17-2, are at this point just hoping for a temporary stop to the torturous slide that they are on.

They end their road stint in Columbus tonight, facing off against the Blue Jackets, who have not had a stable December to date (2-3-0). Last time these two teams met, the Jackets almost pulled off a win, rallying back from a 3-0 deficit in the third period to send the game into overtime. However, Chris Campoli scored the OT game-winner to secure the two points.

Tonight, Rick Nash is the one they need to keep an eye on- with eight goals in 13 games, he can certainly help the Jackets take this game. The keys to a victory tonight are the establish a forecheck early on- be fast, be aggressive, and challenge the goaltender. Crash the net if you need to- the past few games have shown that sometimes creativity with the puck doesn't always work. The fast break to renewed confidence is ugly but efficient scoring- then you can focus on getting the pretty goals. The Islanders have to be more aggressive with the puck, as well as on defense. Against Toronto, the defense looked very sure; it was only due to bad rebounds by Yann Danis that Toronto even got to the puck. However, last game that was not the case- the defense failed to help either MacDonald or Danis, soft goals or not. Columbus is a hot-and-cold team lately- if they come out cold tonight, it can only work to the Isles' advantage. Capitalize on every mistake and finish the play. In net, hopefully Joey MacDonald can get back to form and rebound from a shaky game (1 period, 4 GA). For the Jackets, rookie Steve Mason has been impressive (7-4-1, 2.05 GAA, .919%); but granted he starts tonight, if the Isles get to him early, he might not have as much of a chance.

The Islanders are 5-9-1 on the road, but if they find the right combinations tonight, the stats might not matter so much.

Isles Smacked, Dragged and Kicked Around in Pittsburgh

Islanders 2: Pittsburgh 9

If the title of this blog post took you aback... well, don't worry. This entire game did to me as well.

That said, with everything that people could say, write or analyze about last night's complete drubbing by the Penguins, 9-2, there are barely any original words to describe what transpired over 2 hours and 45 minutes in Mellon Arena.

This game was one in which all aspects of the team- offense, defense, and goaltending- were sub-par. As it was, only two defensemen- Mark Streit in the first (PP), and Andy Sutton in the third which made it 8-2 at that point- scored for the Islanders (10-17-2). Doug Weight also pulled to within four points of 1,000 with his 27th point of the season (an assist), but that was only a drop in the bucket when it came to the offense last night.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh found much to cheer about, as Petr Sykora and Pascal Dupuis both tallied hat tricks, and Philippe Boucher, Evgeni Malkin, and former Isle Miro Satan (making it three former Islanders in a row who've scored against their former team) all put the puck past either Joey MacDonald (4 GA, 15 svs, pulled after 1st) or Yann Danis (5 GA, 14 svs). They scored three power play goals out of 11 chances, and outshot the Isles 38-26.

The lopsided loss was enough to make Scott Gordon say, "It was an off night for everybody... I think we can just leave it at that."

Notes: Jon Sim cleared waivers and was a healthy scratch for tonight's game... Mike Sillinger led the Isles with five shots on goal... Pittsburgh goaltender John Curry made 25 saves in his third NHL start.

Sim Clears Waivers

Winger Jon Sim was put on waivers by the Islanders yesterday. As of game time, he had cleared waivers and was a healthy scratch. No knowing when exactly he will be back on the ice.

http://www.islanderspointblank.com/

Frustration Builds Along With Loss Total

Islanders 3: Flyers 4

Someone should post a sign in the locker room saying "WARNING: Early leads may cause implosion."

For that, once again, was what happened to the Islanders last night, as they faced off against Philadelphia in the second of two consecutive games in two nights. A plethora of chances went unfinished, and Yann Danis, in relief for Joey MacDonald, allowed 4 goals on 25 shots, in what was a tight game, and a much better effort than the night before. Still, Simon Gagne ended up making the difference, with his power play goal that powered the Flyers past New York, 4-3, leaving the Islanders winless in their last four.

The Islanders had a 2-0 lead in the first period, built hastily in 1:01, as Andy Hilbert redirected a feed through the slot on the PP, which D Chris Campoli and Mark Streit both helped out on. Then Doug Weight pulled to within five of the 1,000-point milestone, scoring his sixth goal of the year on a rebound by Sean Bergenheim.

But the good feelings ended too soon, as another former Islander- Arron Asham- fired a shot past Danis for his second of the year, cutting the lead in half, and then youngster Darroll Powe scored his first NHL goal to tie the game. After some great chances by the Isles, including a failed passing play (or two) through the neutral zone and a bona-fide shorthanded opportunity by Bergenheim which couldn't convert, Philly finally stopped missing the net enough for red-hot Jeff Carter to score his 20th of the season and give them the lead.

They would only hold it for a short while thanks to Blake Comeau, whose shot deflected off of Lasse Kukkonen's stick and trickled past Martin Biron's pads, tying it once more at 2:17 of the third. But midway through, Brendan Witt took a bad interference penalty, and Simon Gagne struck gold, putting the Flyers up 4-3 with his 14th of the year.

Over the past couple of games, however, penalties really haven't been the problem. Although the Isles have taken them, only 3 were committed by each team last night. Rather, the Isles could have run away with this game if not for the missed opportunities-other than Bergenheim's rush, Mark Streit hit the post a couple of times, and late in the game, I felt we spent way too much time in the defensive zone when there was still time for a couple of rush attempts. The defense overall has improved since last game, but Danis did leave a couple of rebounds, which unfortunately the D didn't get to in time. Overall, the Islanders have to find a way to finish the play- or at least get a few dirty goals by crashing the net more often- and preserve a lead. At 10-16-2, the desperation has to kick in some time.

Notes: Mike Richards had two assists... Doug Weight has 26 points in 28 games and leads all NHL players above the age of 33... Andy Sutton was a scratch last night, as was Nate Thompson (both with flu symptoms)... Bill Guerin has points in four straight (2 G, 2 A) as per the Isles' recap... Joe Callahan, a callup from Bridgeport, had three hits... G Rick DiPietro may be about a week to a week and a half away from returning to the ice.

Dazed and Confused... And Still Without a Win

Islanders 2: Maple Leafs 4

What the Islanders failed to do last game against Atlanta, the Maple Leafs did in decisive fashion last night on home ice, and with an ex-Isle showing his team exactly what they miss.

Two years removed from his days on the Island, Jason Blake scored a goal and notched two assists against the team he says he loved playing for, helping his current team beat them, 4-2. The loss is the Isles' fifth in six games, and provides no relief for them as they head into the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia tonight to match up against a tough Flyers team.

The Isles never had the lead in this one, and never quite achieved any sort of flow either, whether because of the penalties they took or because, despite scoring a goal on the man-advantage, their power play suffered as well. The Leafs came out buzzing in the first, and their hard work paid off with a goal by Nikolai Kulemin, who pushed the puck past Joey MacDonald (making 33 saves in his 18th straight start) off a feed by Alexei Ponikarovsky. Twelve seconds later, though, Bill Guerin tipped a garbage goal past Vesa Toskala (26 saves) for his 11th of the year and a tie game. However, the Leafs still maintained control, outshooting the Isles 8-1 and putting a lot of pressure on the defense.

The second period opened with a power play for Toronto, and Brendan Witt in the box. They took it into the zone off the bat and managed to keep decent puck movement, but thanks to some great saves by MacDonald and constant work by the rest of the PK (especially Richard Park), the Leafs only managed to score once on five chances. That PP goal came from Ian White off a nice set up by Blake and Anton Stralman. After that, a penalty to Nic Antropov resulted in Sillinger getting a redirection and his first goal of the season in his third game back. However, late in the period, Blake got the wheels going and completely threw off Chris Campoli, blowing past him and tipping it past Joey for his sixth of the year (and only his 20th as a Leaf).

Both Blake Comeau and Nate Thompson headed off the ice at separate times in the third period, Comeau because of a tweak to his hand, and Thompson due to the flu (which I sure hope he passed to Ryan Hollweg during their fight in the first period- the dude threw two dirty hits in the game, one of which could have really injured Tim Jackman). Comeau returned for action in the third, where unfortunately the nail in the coffin was driven- Jeremy Williams, in his first game on the ice this season, drove home his first of the year on another set up by Blake, to make the score 4-2.

So now, the Isles go to Philly to meet up with Christine's favorite team to cheer against, the Flyers, and they look to find, hopefully, some Christmas magic to pull off a W. NOTE: THIS GAME IS ON VERSUS TONIGHT, NOT MSG PLUS.

Notes: Mike Sillinger hasn't lost his touch! He won 9 of 12 faceoffs... Josh Bailey was able to play in front of numerous members of his friends and family, in his first game in Toronto... Rick DiPietro is reportedly going to be back on the ice "very, very soon." Hmm... we'll keep an eye on that.

Shortcomings on "O" Lead to Another "L"

Thrashers 5: Islanders 1

This time, the Islanders got the fast start that they wanted. With an almost immediate power play in their hands, it couldn't have been faster- a sharp goal in the first minute of the game.

And then they simply stalled.

In the end, Bill Guerin's goal at :51 was all the Coliseum crowd could cheer about, as Joey MacDonald was lit up for 5 goals (through limited fault of his own) and bad offensive shifts outweighed the good ones, resulting in the Isles' fourth loss in five games, a 5-1 drubbing by the visiting Atlanta Thrashers.

Atlanta, coming off of a losing streak, had been outplayed for much of the game, but despite the lopsided shot totals (only 17 shots to the Isles' 29), struggling Ilya Kovalchuk and Co. slipped five goals past MacDonald (12 saves) for the win, after a frustrated head coach John Anderson vowed; "If we're going to be a doormat, I want us to be an ugly doormat... We're not going to be an easy mark anymore."

The first period was a good one for the Isles, as they got the first goal and were creative with the puck early on. The feistiness was very evident, as a lively scrap between Tim Jackman and Chris Thorburn transpired. The second period, however, was all Atlanta, as they scored twice on three chances- Kovalchuk slipped a flukey shot past MacDonald, who was already committed, at 10:04, and then Eric Boulton scored on a wrist shot at 15:23. The team that had been regularly outscored by a wide margin in the second period managed 2 goals against the Isles, and went into the third hungry for more; Kovalchuk confirmed to CJ Papa, "We need one more."

They got two more before the night was over- Eric Perrin and Thorburn both capitalized, showing that quality was and is much better than quantity, as the Isles shot everything but the kitchen sink at Johan Hedberg and could only manage a couple of post shots (both Mark Streit and newly recalled Blake Comeau manage to hit metal at least once). Comeau's callup came with unlucky Jeff Tambellini being sent down on a conditioning stint in Bridgeport, and he seemed to thrive on it, showing himself in the play more often than he had been last season.

However, besides that, no one really stepped up for the Islanders, and no one was able to finish off any chances that were made available. All they could do was show frustration in the closing minutes, and out of the two teams coming into last night's game to make a statement, only the Thrashers could get the job done. For the Isles, it's back to the drawing board.

Notes: Brendan Witt led the Isles in hits with 8, and also recorded 5 blocked shots, including 3 in a row late in the third... Doug Weight came within seven points of reaching 1,000 with his secondary assist on Guerin's goal... every Isle recorded at least one hit save for Streit and Mike Sillinger.

The Tragedy of the Pink Jersey, Part 2

Tragedy, comedy, horror story- however way you spin it, it's all bad for us female hockey fans, and fans of sport in general.

Observe. A couple of weeks ago, I read a post on Islander Mania by billch89, directed at the Isles' staff, regarding women's jerseys: "I have a few female friends who would love to buy an islanders jersey. They all would prefer the white away jersey, however it looks like the "womens" jerseys only come in home colors and in pink. Unfortunately the largest child size is too small and the smallest male size is too big. I was just wondering if it is correct that there are no away-style jerseys for women and also why pink ones take preference over official ones?"

The response by one staff member was that he would see what could be done within retail and merchandise to get women a white away jersey. The truth is, there should not have had to be anything done to achieve that.

Somehow I find it hard to believe that these pink jerseys are in such high demand, seeing as only a minority of females that I see from my TV in the Coliseum wear any jersey at all, much less the pink and white ones that the league and organization foist onto us. Billch confided to me as well that he did not understand why jerseys not in the team colors would be offered in the first place. The league might think that they're popular, but all I see is the degrading aspect of wearing a jersey of a team that I live for in colors that not only are not theirs, but colors that I have not worn since I was, let's see, around six years old.

Why the NHL believes that women would willingly want these jerseys- and why women would buy them either way- is beyond me. As fans, and fans first, we expect the same as would be offered our male counterparts, and that is both road and home colored jerseys. Plus, we would love it if the merchandising staff of each team would take care not to treat us as though we are lesser than simply because we are women. I can assure you that I am perfectly fine with wearing blue, orange and white- those are the Islanders' colors, and I will wear them proudly. Never will I walk into Nassau Coliseum wearing a pink jersey with impunity.

The Isles thought they'd do something nice for us with "Hockey and Heels Night" in February, with the same effect. In fact, the Isles-Flyers game that took place on that night was the day after my birthday, and I refused to go because of the blatant gender roles that the marketing team of the Islanders thought I would be perfectly fine with. I was fine with the cheap tickets. I wasn't okay with the condescending feel of the fashion show and makeover, and I trust not many other female fans I associate with would be, either.

The truth is, when it comes to things like this, I can't help but get the feeling that women aren't represented with the same level of respect that men are as fans. Pink jerseys are not the way to show respect to the women who come into the Coliseum to cheer on their favorite team. The organization can try to paint it with another spin, but I can still see the ugly pink and white underneath.

A Comeback In the Making Falls Short

Islanders 2: Capitals 5

The Isles do have ways of psyching out their fans.

After falling behind 2-0 on goals by Alexander Ovechkin and ex-Isle Viktor Kozlov, the Isles staged what one would think would be a dramatic comeback, as first Mark Streit (PP) and then Trent Hunter scored to hush the crowd at the Verizon Center before the second period ended. But last night's result showed that even the proclaimed "Comeback Kids" couldn't find it in them to seal the deal, and instead Donald Brashear (of all people) scored the game-winner in the third, poking it past sprawled goaltender Joey MacDonald, who, fresh off his 3rd star of November, made 42 saves but allowed 4 goals.

The Islanders usually start out well in the first period, but quickly got lost in the speed and effective play of Washington's offense, while their defense shut down any chance of a forecheck by the Isles until the second period. Once again, the Islanders went on a penalty parade (although the Caps would join them later), and Washington was able to capitalize twice on the resulting power plays. With a depleted squad coming into last night's game, the Caps held their breath as their superstar Alexander Ovechkin skated off the ice with what looked to be an arm/shoulder injury during the second Washington power play of the night, but he came back and looked to be fine- actually taking a penalty for boarding shortly afterward. Brent Johnson (27 saves) caught a break during the second, in which he dove for and missed the puck coming from the neutral zone on an Isles PP, resulting in the puck going in; however, the puck banked off of the referee's skate, making it a no goal. Otherwise, the usually-embattled goaltender had a strong showing against the Isles, helped out by his defense as well, while Joey Mac ended up being hung out to dry.

The Isles hung on until late in the third, when Eric Fehr scored another PP goal on the backhand, making a 3-2 lead, 4-2. Then, with MacDonald pulled, Ovechkin made a selfless play to give the puck to Nicklas Backstrom for the empty net goal. It was an exclamation point on top of the exclamation point, adding insult to the uninspired Islanders loss.

Notes: Radek Martinek is injured again, re-tweaking his shoulder in a collision with teammate Andy Sutton during practice. He will be out 2-4 weeks... Mike Sillinger appeared in his first game of the season, and first since February 2.

Other News: Sean Avery has been suspended for 6 games following his comments about Flames D Dion Phaneuf and his current girlfriend (Avery's ex), actress Elisha Cuthbert. The two games he missed during his time in limbo count towards the suspension... the Stars officially want nothing more to do with him, so they now have four games to decide what exactly they are going to do.