Isles Sweep Back-to-Back Matinee Games

Coyotes 2: Islanders 3

The kids are quite all right on the Island.

Jeff Tambellini scored his third goal in four games, and Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey also scored as the Isles hung on over the Coyotes, 3-2. Yann Danis tied his career-high save total with 40, and Mark Streit also had a great game.

The game opened with a goal by Scottie Upshall in the first period, and the Coyotes, who came out with a strong forecheck and some good saves by rookie goalie Josh Tordjman, were able to hang onto this lead until the second period. The Isles, who were lacking the intensity they had in the previous game against the Devils, needed to create their own energy now, and create they did in the second, as Tambellini deflected a rebound by Andy Hilbert in front at 2:44. He's been getting better and better as time goes on, and at the moment, he is oozing confidence and doing everything right.

Josh Bailey also has been doing very well. He'd only been tallying assists up to this point, but on a 2-on-1, Mike Iggulden fired a shot that rebounded off of Tordjman's right pad that went right to Bailey, who put it home very easily. It was a great goal, and also gave Iggulden three points in two games (all helpers). The way these youngsters just getting called up from Bridgeport have been performing is amazing- as though they really want to stay here. Iggulden, Jesse Joensuu- no matter who it is, they just have been working hard every shift and making it clear they want to stay here. Kyle Okposo, meanwhile, had tempered off a bit in the last few, but carried over his goalscoring touch from yesterday by putting home yet another (his 14th) off a great centering pass by Dean McAmmond. 3-1 Isles, and the crowd was now into it, as well as the players.

In the third, though, Phoenix came out ready to strike, and were given the opportunity to with a 5-on-3 power play chance (one of two today). Danis came up big, making several key stops including a wonderful pad save on Shane Doan. Although the Coyotes thought they'd scored on a goal that went in as the net came off its moorings, the play was overturned on video review. Doan did eventually get his 24th of the year late in the third, but it didn't matter much afterward: Frans Nielsen won a key draw from the best faceoff center on the Coyotes, Matthew Lombardi, and the game ended with the Isles on top once more.

Notes: Every Islander had at least one hit in this game, and the Isles outhit Phoenix 36-30... This was the last game of Brendan Witt's 5-game suspension! He returns March 10 at Toronto...Martinek, Streit, and McAmmond were once again your As, with Trent Hunter out for the rest of the season (ankle)...Sean Bergenheim yesterday was the youngest Isle to score a hat trick since Dave Scatchard! Nice job, Bergie.

Bergie Makes Every Second Count- Scores Hat Trick Vs. Devils

Devils 3: Islanders 7

Sean Bergenheim, until the very last second, worked his tail off.

Nudging the puck past Brian Rolston to himself, he streaked down the ice and, with seven-tenths of a second left, shot a laser from practically no angle that hit the top of the net and gave him his first career hat trick, ratcheting the score up to 7-3.

7-3! Can you believe that?

Neither can I, but it was largely thanks to the young players- Bergenheim, Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo and Jeff Tambellini, as well as Blake Comeau, Jesse Joensuu and newly recalled Mike Iggulden, who got two assists today (his first two points as an Islander in his second pro game). Although a veteran did start off the scoring (Radek Martinek), the kids took over. Kyle Okposo scored his first goal in quite a while on the PP at 10:59 off a nice feed from Josh Bailey. Then Jeff Tambellini made the score 3-0 (and that's his second in three games!). They did it all with speed, strength, and incredible back pressure when the Devils attempted to break out of their zone.

Although Brian Gionta dampened the crowd's enthusiasm a bit when he scored at the :29 mark of the second on a redirection, Bergenheim got them right back into it with his first goal at 1:40, flipping the puck in on a rebound by Iggulden. Jamie Langenbrunner made the score 4-2 as Joey MacDonald allowed a rebound right in front that he was able to put away. Langenbrunner, however, would also be the culprit who took the penalty that Blake Comeau scored on (and Bailey had the incredible assist on once more). They were doing everything right, and making one of the elite in the NHL, Martin Brodeur, look like mincemeat.

The third period found Kevin Weekes in net, and the Devils attempted to come back. Patrik Elias scored another PP goal, the Devils' last, and the Isles took a few more penalties in this period (including two consecutive delay of game penalties, aka the most pointless penalty in the world). Weekes, who allowed no goals, was pulled with three and a half minutes left, on the first power play, but nothing worked for the Devs. Then, Bergie powered forward and stole the show, making me jump up and down in the living room and my dog, Moby, believe I was playing with him. Hey, look at that- Bergie even makes dogs cheer for him!

The Isles scored their highest number of goals since two years ago (7-4 win over the New York Rangers on November 3, 2006) and had perhaps their best and strongest game this season, which somewhat dulls the bad news that Trent Hunter is now out for the season with an ankle injury. Another player down means the roster only gets younger, and for now, at least, that's great news.

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!

Notes: Jesse Joensuu was the second Islander in five years to score a goal in his debut... The Devils outshot the Isles 38-28...Iggulden got the third star of the game with 12:27 TOI and his two assists.

Isles Work Hard, But Thwarted By Rangers... And Avery "Lite"?

Rangers 4: Islanders 2

In my eyes, blogging right after a game is begging for trouble; thus, though I was tempted to stay up and pound the keyboard, I stepped away and refused to let my pent-up anger and frustration dominate.

That said, for me losing to the Rangers is like finding out your favorite love song was written about a sandwich, to quote the movie "27 Dresses." Against these guys, the Islanders always seem to either overdo or underdo the aggression- coming out either way too overzealous or completely flat. Last night, after a three-day layoff, the Isles came out strong, and played the Rangers, if not even, almost for the first two periods. But the Rangers got on the board first because of a giveaway by Tim Jackman in the defensive zone that Nikolai Zherdev capitalized on. The second period saw goals traded by both teams, Blake Comeau in front for Chris Drury (PP) after Trent Hunter went to the penalty box for tripping. As if that weren't bad enough, :49 into the third period, Dean McAmmond and Andy Hilbert collided in the offensive zone, giving Zherdev the puck. Zherdev then fed a wide-open Scott Gomez for the goal. What could go wrong had at this point for the Isles, and although Jack Hillen scored a pretty goal (the first of his career), a Markus Naslund goal sealed the deal and snapped the Islanders' win streak at home, giving the Rangers a much-needed win that lifted them higher up in the standings.

Yann Danis couldn't be blamed for this one, not that much. He did what he could, and the mistakes the Islanders made last night were not his fault. On the other end, Henrik Lundqvist in goal was as good as he needed to be, and the defense was incredibly aggressive. One thing I resent about this team: how the players who seemingly can't put up points anywhere else find ways to score on the Islanders. Chris Drury has nine points (including four goals) against us this season. He has 43 points total, a significant drop from previous years in his career. Scott Gomez scored only his 14th of the season last night as well. Lucky? Maybe, considering the errors the Isles committed. But there has to be some unexplained reason for it.

Another irksome aspect of the Rangers is their fans, and the way they permeate the Coliseum whenever their team plays. The majority of voices I heard booming around the arena last night seemed to belong to the Blueshirts' faithful, which never ceases to amaze me. That, my friends, is dedication. And granted, the economy's bad, the weather sucks lately, and the Islanders are losing big time, but have we ever been able to fill up MSG with that many opposing fans and cheer as loudly as they do? My guess is no. The jeers, singing their own goal song on a Rangers goal, hearing that annoyingly outdated "Potvin Sucks!"- in your own building? Hmm.

But it wasn't even that. The most amazing thing about this game was how the Islanders paid so much attention to a player who really was of little consequence in Avery. They hit him and hit him, and took penalties for little reason other than to say they "put down Sean Avery," it seemed. Why so much focus was on him, it's easy to say at first- of course, we all want to see whether or not he will revert back to form, and indeed we saw some of it surface as he yapped at Blake Comeau after being laid out by him. But if the Isles had focused more on scoring goals, and finishing chances, and playing their own game instead of the Rangers, they would have gotten the two points, as far as I'm concerned. It's easy to smack him around, but it's just another way of letting him get under their skin.

And because of that, the Isles skated off having outplayed the Rangers for much of the game, but with nothing to show for their efforts. And this being the last game between these two teams for the rest of the season, there really is no way to say "Better luck next time."

Oh Caption My Trade Deadline Caption

(if you can't read the bubble text, try clicking on picture to enlarge)

New York Rangers at New York Islanders, 7 p.m. 3/5/09

Well... he's baaaaack.

Sean Avery dusts off the old #16 on his Rangers red, white and blue, as the Blueshirts invade the Coliseum and clash with the Isles for the last time this season- and now, I kind of wish that we had the eight-game divisional schedule back. The Rangers also are playing Nik Antropov and Derek Morris tonight, giving the team a brand-new look after yesterday's trade deadline. The two players were acquired for a second-round and conditional pick, as well as Petr Prucha, Nigel Dawes and Dmitri Kalinin, respectively.

The Islanders, meanwhile, will debut RW Joel Rechlicz, and show up in the lineup once again without Bill Guerin- this time, for good, as Billy has been traded to Pittsburgh also for a conditional pick. However, the look of the Isles largely remains the same, if a bit younger. Both of these teams have been laid off for a while since their last games, so I don't expect this game to start off with a huge physical edge. However, if Avery is anything like his former self (and right now, it's hard to say), anything can happen. And it usually does, so watch out!

LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!

Jon Sim On Waivers Once More

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/blog/2009/03/sim_clears_waivers.html

Apparently he has cleared waivers and is now headed to Bridgeport. This comes after markedly improved play over the past few games, culminating in a three-assist game Monday night against the Avalanche. However, over the season Sim had been jumping in and out of the lineup, and this move suggests that perhaps GM Garth Snow had tried to shop him but gotten no takers, therefore he resorted to waivers.

It also raises the question of whether or not Sim was one of those frustrated veterans that have been talked about lately:

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/ny-spisles016054026mar01,0,5758103.story?track=rss

It's definitely a question worth diving into. I mean, to me it seems a bit odd, only because all three of the players who have been either traded or moved in some way before the deadline are veterans. Speculation has arisen all season as to whether or not some of the coaching staff's moves, such as giving more ice time to the youngsters and holding separate meetings, was a good idea.

There's no doubt in my mind that if you build for the future, you're going to have to give the younger players more time so that they can develop. That's a moot point. But to me it also seems as though the vets are slowly being phased out... and apparently I am not the only one. The youth are the priority, but if you don't utilize the vets in a better manner than simply shunting them off to the side, they're going to feel alienated, and they're going to start feeling some pangs of resentment. Brendan Witt showed it earlier through words; Guerin, through waiving his no-trade clause.

The way I see it, I don't believe that there is any reason for the "youth movement" to happen at all. Or, perhaps it should, but not in such an extreme as to slowly phase out any veteran influence. This was what got me so irritated with the rift between Snow and Ted Nolan- one wants vets, one wants youth, but do they care about talent? Do they care about skill, do they care about a winning formula? The obvious answer is yes, but not when they're so focused on youth vs. experience.

Perhaps Garth Snow should look at what made the Red Wings so successful, both in 2008 and now. I have said this before- and I admit that the Wings are nowhere near my favorite team in the league. But there is no denying that the coaching staff utilized all facets of their team, and came up with a system that every player was comfortable with, which led them to a banner year. If the Isles want to emulate that level of success, they're going to have to focus more on the veterans eventually- because we all know the kids can't rule the school. They need some teachers to help them along.

Guerin Finally Finds A Home

The Islanders have traded Bill Guerin to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a conditional 2009 fifth-round draft selection.

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.

http://islanders.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=412244

Good luck to Billy! You were a great captain, and we wish you all the best.

Jonny and the Kids Give Cause For Celebration

Avalanche 2: Islanders 4

Islanders fans don't forget faces, especially when they're those of former players who have somewhat scorned their team. They relentlessly booed Jason Blake as he scored a shootout goal in the Maple Leafs' win over the Isles Feb. 26, and last night was no different as Ryan Smyth skated onto the Coliseum ice. Though the crowd was paltry due to the snowstorm that hit New York and Long Island, it let him know exactly how they felt.

Captain Canada scored two goals, but it barely mattered as the skidding Avs fell to the Isles 4-2. This was a game full of feel-good moments and firsts of both the season and of certain players' careers. The Isles needed to rely on themselves to get some positive energy going due to the depleted audience, and fired everything and then some at goaltender Andrew Raycroft. Dean McAmmond started off the scoring when he threw a shot through Raycroft's legs that somehow found the back of the net. That lead held until :33 of the second period, thanks to Paul Stasny's incredible pass to Smyth on the PP that converted for the tying goal. The Islanders stayed focused, though, and an NHL rookie got his first memorable moment with the big club.

Jesse Joensuu, the big Finnish forward, was called up the morning of the game to fill in for Bill Guerin (in the process of a trade to...???), and tonight he got some great help from a crease-crashing Jon Sim (who had three assists in his first career three-point game), potting Sim's rebound for his first career goal. As if that weren't enough, Bruno Gervais then came in late on the point to put home his first goal since nearly two years ago (April 2007). The lead went up to 3-1 at the end of the second period, and the Islanders were in clear control.

But one thing they didn't control was keeping the opponent from scoring early, and so Smyth got another goal 1:02 in on the wraparound, as Danis left the inside post open for just a moment as he anticipated a centering feed. The Isles weren't deterred, however, pressuring hard off the ensuing faceoff and keeping a good forecheck throughout. The next (and last) goal would be the backbreaker: Mark Streit rushed down center with the puck, Jeff Tambellini right with him, and chipped it to Tamby. Jeff then wristed a heck of a shot past Raycroft for his first goal in 17 games. The Avalanche tried their best to rebound, but it couldn't happen as Danis came up big late, and the Islanders played some great defensive hockey to win their second in a row on this five-game homestand.

Notes: Gary Bettman took in the game, as it was the only scheduled NHL game before the trade deadline... Streit, McAmmond, and Radek Martinek all had As on their chests as Guerin sat out and Weight, Witt and Park were all scratches as well... Trent Hunter was also a scratch (undisclosed injury), although he participated in warmups.

Sabres Crumble At Hands of One-Man Wrecking Crew

Sabres 0: Bergenheim 2

Okay, so it's unfair to say that Sean Bergenheim was the only factor in this game- that would be overshadowing the great defensive play of Jack Hillen and the incredible work by the ever-flourishing Yann Danis in net as he received his second shutout of the season. But it is hard to overlook the performance of Bergenheim, especially seeing as about a month ago, you could barely tell that he was out there.

The determined young forward scored both goals for the Islanders, who picked up a win over the Buffalo Sabres last night at the Coliseum that the Sabres actually needed badly. Trapped in a dead heat with the Carolina Hurricanes for the eighth spot in the East, they needed some separation in the standings in order to have hope or securing a position in the playoffs. But instead, they came out relatively uninspired, giving the Isles plenty of opportunities to trip them up.

Bergie's first goal came in the second period, after the first reied heavily on Danis to make some pretty neat saves. Bergie hustled to the front of the net, took a pass from Hillen and spun on Patrick Lalime, putting the puck past his right pad. After that play, tensions ran fairly high as Joe Callahan came to the defense of blueline partner Radek Martinek after Adam Mair took a run at him. However, Callahan took the penalty for roughing, rather than Mair being penalized for a "clean" hit.

Then in the third, as Buffalo started steadily gaining pressure, Bergenheim did more damage. After being foiled on several attempts in front and up the middle, he got retribution, making something out of what seemed like nothing. In the offensive zone, he fell as a Buffalo player went behind with the puck, and turned it over. Then he cut to net as Frans Nielsen picked it up and fed it to him, and slammed home his 11th of the year. 2-0, Bergenheim picking up the first star of the game, as the Isles preserved the lead with great defense in front of the net and a couple of lucky post shots.

Notes: As earlier reported, Bill Guerin is apparently MIA. Word has it that he is in the process of being traded, but where and for what has yet to be announced. It certainly generated some buzz last night, as he was in warmups and then disappeared at the start of the game, sparking all sorts of talk. We shall see what happens.

Where in the World is Bill Guerin?

At last night's Isles game vs. the Sabres Bill Guerin warmed up with the team but was nowhere to be found at the start of the game…and for the rest of the game. Quite possibly after removing the final Islander jersey he will wear, he headed back home to continue packing up moving boxes – where those moving boxes will wind up is anyone’s guess. So far the rumors include him being traded to New Jersey, Washington, Boston, Florida, Montreal, Pittsburgh…overall the main rumor is that Guerin will be heading to a team somewhere on the East Coast. If you have been following the Isles veteran saga then you were not shocked at the news. It was a matter of time before the other skate dropped and I think it’s safe to say the first skate dropped way before last night.

What I find interesting is in reading discussions about who will get traded etc… there seems to be a one sided view that it’s all about the Islanders organization and who they want to get rid of to make way for the youth that is going to set the team free from years of mediocrity. As we saw with Chris Campoli, reality may not agree with perception. My guess is, there are more on the roster who wouldn’t mind being traded…and not just the team elders.

And so to the Islanders organization I offer this quote:

The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don't play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.
~Babe ruth

and to Scott Gordon I offer this one:

The country is full of good coaches. What it takes to win is a bunch of interested players.
~Don Coryell, ex-San Diego Chargers Coach

Mark their words fellas. Re-building comes from the ground up or in this case, from the offices to the ice.