And Now a Short Break...

The Olympic Games are upon us, which means NHL hockey will suspend its season for about two weeks. Unfortunately, all the talk of the Islanders charging into the break on a strong note didn't come to fruition.

The Islanders dropped a 4-3 Valentine's Day (Sunday, 2/14) contest to Ottawa, a game they led 3-1 after two periods. It was another disheartening loss in a season full of them.

While players like Andy Sutton are still talking playoffs in the locker room, the reality of the Eastern Conference would make such a scenario an extremely difficult task, if not an impossible one. Team members will never sound a sour note, at least publicly, to the media, but a quick look at the current standings show the grim picture. Sutton, whose name has been mentioned prominently in trade talks, might make the playoffs this season, but it likely won't be on Long Island.

Time constraints following the game did not allow us to speak with Kyle following the loss. We did, however, find out through another website that he will be spending some of the Olympic hiatus back home in Minnesota. Some of the team is off for a well-deserved vacation in sunny Mexico, while coach Scott Gordon and Mark Streit are headed to the Winter Games in Vancouver (Gordon as a coach for team USA and Streit as a member of team Switzerland).

As for us, our coverage won't cease, as we plan to bring you our assessment of some off-season changes that need to be made in preparation for 2010-2011, as promised. We'll also have any Islanders news that occurs away from the ice, such as a Lighthouse project update or a trade.

The Isles will swing back into action on March 2nd, when they take on the Chicago Blackhawks of the Western Conference. We hope that you'll stick with both us and the Islanders during this period of relative inactivity.

New Career High

With his goal and assist on Saturday (2/13) against Tampa Bay, Kyle established a new personal high for points in a season with 40. He surpasses last year's 39 points (18 G, 21 A) in five fewer games. Congratulations to him, and let's hope he gets on a major roll after resting during the Olympic break.

With 20 games left post-break, what do you think Kyle's final points total will be this season? 50? 55? Can he reach 60? The comments section below is always open.

Back to Draft Watch

Unless the Isles can get things in gear really quickly, this season is going to be remembered as a tease. Garth Snow warned us all that the rebuild would be a slow and steady process, and we appreciate his honesty. But for a while it looked as if Garth's timetable was off and his team had arrived in contention ahead of schedule. Over the last few weeks reality has reared its ugly head.

The Isles have made progress. They have added pieces that will help when the team is serious about winning division titles and chasing championships. But that time is not now (we'll identify those players in a separate post during the Olympic break). Losing 9 of the last 11 games (the two wins coming via the shootout) have locked in the cold reality that 2009-2010 should again be about positioning for drafting well.

We are encouraged by the transition taking place. The end product just needs more time and better ingredients.

***
News and notes:

* Kyle Okposo is now scoreless in 7 straight games with 2 assists over that period.

* The Islanders currently sit 4th from bottom in the overall NHL standings.

* Sound Tigers defenseman Mark Katic will require shoulder surgery, joining Calvin DeHaan and Travis Hamonic on the injured prospects list.

Isles Smacked in the Mouth

The title is true both literally and figuratively. First off, our best wishes go out to scrappy defenseman Jack Hillen, who took an Alexander Ovechkin shot to the face during Tuesday (1/26) night's game. He was taken to the hospital after the incident, which you can see (courtesy of ESPN.com) here. Nobody from the team had an update on Jack's condition immediately following the game.

If you clicked on the video and accompanying story, you probably also noticed that the actual game was just as unpleasant. A 7-2 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals. The Caps scored 1:05 in, and other than an Isles goal to make the game 2-1 early on, they never looked back. It was so bad that Washington players were skating through two Islander defenders and scoring goals. Too ugly to even talk about.

If there was a bright side to the game for the Islanders, it would have to be the small accomplishments of keeping Ovechkin pointless, and Kyle scoring a nice goal fed by John Tavares. And that's about it.

After a really nice run, our worry is that the Isles are backsliding a bit. They dropped their previous game to a struggling New Jersey team, and now get blown out by Washington. Not to take credit away from the Caps, a dynamic offensive team, but this game opened a few eyes as to where the Isles really are in their rebuilding process.

One can hope that the Islanders are able to pull out of this mini-slump as they now travel to Carolina, Philly, Florida, and Tampa Bay for a road trip. None of the teams listed are world-beaters, and it would be an opportune time for the Isles to pick up some much needed points.

Okie's 2 Points Can't Save Isles

Saturday (1/23) night proved to be a very frustrating night in Islanderland for both players and fans. The Isles played in front of a packed house against local rival New Jersey. Some New Jersey fans showed up to support their team. The Islanders fans showed up too, but their team was virtually absent for two of the three periods.

In the first period the Isles had good chances to strike first, but only struck Marty Brodeur's pipes. Close calls don't count in the NHL, though, and the Isles came away empty twice. The Devils had a close call of their own in the other end, as Rick DiPietro looked to be beaten by Jamie Langenbrunner, but Kyle slid across the crease and saved not only the puck, but DP's bacon. Despite an early flurry of activity, the score stayed 0-0.

Langenbrunner couldn't be held off the board for long, though, as he struck at 5:52. Travis Zajac got Langenbrunner the puck for a hard shot that whizzed over DP's shoulder and into the net. 1-0 New Jersey.

Penalties can be game changers in hockey, though, and this game changed when Colin White was sent off for boarding Sean Bergenheim at 9:15 of the second period. The We heard that Bergenheim broke his nose during the infraction, but could not confirm this after the game. Nevertheless, Islanders came alive with two important power play goals as a result. Tavares shanked a centering pass between the circles over to Okposo, who banked his 11th goal of the season. Two minutes and two seconds later, Jack Hillen's shot caused a scramble in front of Brodeur, and the puck slid over the goal line and in to give the Isles a 2-1.

Things were looking good, especially when yet again an opposing coach extended the Isles' power play time by neglecting to put a man in the penalty box during a major penalty. The Isles couldn't take advantage of this slip-up, but did outshoot New Jersey 14-1 over the full period.

The 2nd ended on a sour note though, as Zach Parise scored with just :32 on the clock to knot the score at 2. Bruno Gervais was in the box for a hook, and a really good period for New York was spoiled.

Devils defenseman Bryce Salvador broke the Isles' back with 6:49 left to play. He fired a puck on net off of a faceoff and it was redirected past a screened DP. The Isles showed little fire after that, and would up on the wrong side of a 4-2 final after an empty net goal.

After the game, both Kyle and the coach were upset that the team didn't take advantage of a Devils team playing their second game in as many nights. The loss broke the Isles' 6 game home winning streak, and drops them out of a playoff spot for the time being.

Long Shootout Nets a Win

Trent Hunter ended a marathon shootout on a high note for Islanders fans and Rick DiPietro saved 31 shots, as the Islanders escaped with a 3-2 victory over Buffalo on Saturday (1/16) night. In a game we predicted would be a real test for the Isles, they passed, but not without some drama. Here's how it unfolded:

Rookie John Tavares ended his nine game goal drought early on, as Kyle Okposo swerved nicely to avoid a defenseman, took a shot, and JT cleaned up (Buffalo goalie) Ryan Miller's rebound. There was just 5:38 gone on the game clock, but the Isles led 1-0. For Tavares it was goal #17. For Okie, assist #22.

The first period ended with little else happening, outside of two ineffective power play chances being awarded to the Islanders. The crowd would enjoy a bit more action in the 2nd frame.

The save of the night came nine minutes or so after the intermission, as Matt Moulson fed a beautiful pass to Frans Nielsen, who was waiting just outside of Miller's crease. The Dane was looking to put the Islanders up by two goals, but Miller somehow kicked Nielsen's attempt aside and kept his team down by a solitary score. It was a highlight reel save; one of the best we're seen this season.

The Isles did net a second goal at the 15:33 mark, though. Sean Bergenheim struck with help from d-men Andrew MacDonald and Mark Streit. But before the ink was even dry on the score sheet, Sabre Mike Grier answered for Buffalo. The score was now 2-1 in favor of New York, the goals coming only 21 seconds apart.

It stayed 2-1 into the third period, when a seemingly good New York goal was waved off by one of the officials for goaltender interference. Andy Sutton was claimed to have been the guilty party on the play. The video replay shown to the fans and benches was inconclusive, but it appeared as if little or no contact with Miller was made. The fans were up in arms, and some unpleasant chants rained down on the officials. The ruling stood nevertheless, and it stayed 2-1.

Later on (9:35) Rick DiPietro allowed a second goal, this time to Drew Stafford, his 12th of the year. The teams went to overtime, with the home fans feeling as if they had been cheated out of a point by a dubious call.

Nothing was settled in overtime, so the teams went to the shootout, or "skills competition," as some announcers like to call it. The battle lasted for eight rounds, but the Islanders finally came out on top. Scoring for the Isles were Rob Schremp, Matt Moulson, John Tavares, and Trent Hunter, the final shooter. Frans Nielsen, Josh Bailey, Doug Weight, and Kyle Okposo missed on their opportunities. The final, though: Isles 3, Buffalo 2.

After the game, coach Scott Gordon thought that Rick DiPietro did a good job of controlling rebounds against a very good offensive team. DP made 31 saves and earned his first NHL win since December 26th, 2008.

Rick was more focused on the big picture, saying that he moved well and stressing that "we got the extra point which is going to be huge for us coming down to the end of the season."

The point was the Islanders' 50th of the season, vaulting them at least temporarily into a playoff spot.

Another test comes quickly as the Isles play conference leader New Jersey on Monday (1/18) afternoon at 2 PM.

Goal Barrage and A Shutout

When Matt Moulson scored just 1:11 into Tuesday (1/12) night's contest, there was a sense that this game had the potential to be different from most the Islanders play. It certainly was, as the Islanders continued to score all night and seemingly never stopped. Add to the equation the fact that Dwanye Roloson never let a puck past him, and the result was nearly perfect for Isles fans. New York 6, defending Western Conference Champion Detroit Red Wings 0.

When the coach of a team, any team, uses the phrase "most complete game of the year," it's a good thing. When he uses it repeatedly throughout the first half of a season, you likely have a team on the rise. And that's what the Islanders appear to be right now. They now have earned 48 points in 47 games, and are fighting to put themselves in the playoff picture for the rest of the season.

Using the aforementioned phrase and extolling the virtues of his team's defensive effort, Gordon was upbeat after the big win. He described the reasons for the better play out of game notables such as Rob Schremp (who had 2 goals on the night) and Bruno Gervais (who contributed a goal and an assist). But the win was truly a team effort, as 11 Islanders recorded at least a point against the Wings. Gordon was also sure to praise the fact that his team allowed only 16 shots on goal to a normally very good offensive squad.

After the drubbing, we had a brief chance to speak to Josh Bailey. He is the hottest Islander right now, with points in 9 of his last 11 games. He feels as if he has not consciously changed his game despite a move to the wing, and says that things "are working pretty well right now." He believes the team is "happy but not content" and finds it very easy to play with gifted teammates such as Kyle Okposo and John Tavares.

Speaking of Kyle, he notched his 10th goal of the year, and nearly found Bailey for what would have been a prettier score midway through the second period. That one rang loudly off the post.

The Islanders will try to keep the momentum going against Buffalo on Saturday (1/16) night, but with three full days off until then there is a chance they can lose their sudden head of steam. Let's hope coach Gordon can keep the train on the rails and have the Islanders play another complete game against an excellent Sabres team.

***
News and Notes:

- Former Islanders defensive standout Kenny Jonsson was honored with a standing ovation just before play began. Jonsson recorded 232 points in his Islander career, the 4th highest all time for an Islanders' defenseman.

- Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard was replaced in favor of Chris Osgood after allowing a goal to Matt Moulson and two to Schremp.

- An octopus was thrown on the ice at 18:47 of the second period. The Islanders held a 4-0 lead at the time.

- The Islanders have shutout the Red Wings two games in a row, as they blanked the Wings 2-0 in Detroit last March.

- The announced crowd was 12,254.