Yann Danis Shuts Out Parise & Company

I watched this game from Row C of Section 222 instead of the Blog Box courtesy of the Can-Do Fondue package. They were great seats and I was treated to a great game. A full 60 minutes of well played hockey. From that vantage point my photos may not have been the best, but my view offered me new insights.

Mark Streit is really an excellent hockey player. With the exception of one bad pass that was picked off, he really impressed me. Sean Bergenheim finally scored while I was IN my seats and not out of the building, on line at a concession or yapping in the ladies room. As he said "I should have had two." But he ended up with a star for the night non-the-less for his tireless efforts.

Brand new Islanders' acquisition Dean McAmmond made his debut and looked like he had been skating with this team for months. But that is the sign of a real veteran. And with 15 seasons under his belt, there's no other way of describing him.

It was just an enjoyable, solid, 60 minutes of hockey and the first shut-out of the season and Yann Danis' shining moment. Of course in this morning's papers, the Devil's reporters are using excuses such as flu and trade deadline worries to explain the loss to the basement dwelling Islanders. It couldn't have been that they played well. No, no. The Devils just weren't the Devils last night and the Islanders came out on top.

That win sent me down to the locker room, even though I hadn't planned on it. I received a few quirky looks as I trotted through the tunnel in my WHITE Blake jersey. I immediately took it off when I entered Press Room 6 and took out my notebook. I wanted to hear what Scott had to say about the shut out against the team he was concerned facing just a few hours prior.

"It was a good effort. They're a hard team to play against." he said half smiling.

"Good effort," Scott? I'd say it was an exceptional effort. He gave Yann Danis kudos for bouncing back from the previous dreadful loss. He was also very sincere when he called Kyle Okposo a very special player and praised Sean Bergenheim for helping to set the pace. But Scott is not one to gush.

I was more than surprised that this post game chat lasted less than the standard 4 minutes and no one in the room asked Gordon about Dean McAmmond. The press core disappointed me.

The locker room needed to be cleared before we entered, but I was happy with the night's change. There was less time in between players meeting the press and everyone was able to move freely about the room. This gave us bloggers the opportunity to actually ask questions of the players without feeling like we were stepping on MSM toes or interfering with the MSG broadcast. It was a welcome change, Islesblogger.com Mike flourished in this new atmosphere. I even asked a few questions myself. (Thank you Mr. Sylvan.)

"It was nice to get a win. The whole team effort was solid today." Mark Streit is wonderful with the media. He is loud enough to be heard and will give you detailed answers to anything you ask. He is patient and will spend as much time as is needed. He is a gracious gentleman.

"They were a tough team to play against. They're one of the better teams in the east, it's big for us and our confidence." Especially after the dismal previous loss. "Games like that just happen. We wanted to bounce back as quickly as possible. We didn't pull back. We kept it clean."

As a matter of fact, they took very few penalties. Three to be exact. For me, that and keeping Parise and Elias from obtaining the puck was key to this win.

When asked about the trade of two teammates, Streit was a professional. "It's part of the business. It's tough. You just hope it's good for them."

When asked if Gordon's demeanor on the bench was different last night, he said no. And as far as Dean McAmmond goes, Mark said "We can use him."

PointBlank has a great interview with Sean Bergenheim who it seems must have spent about five hours yesterday with the media. Check it out. Wait, I'm sure you already have. Never mind.

"It feels great to beat a team like that. We need to keep on working and playing the same way. We have to work hard and play the system the way we want." Make no mistake, this win was big for the boys of the NY Islanders.

"We lost two great guys -- two great players but other guys get more opportunity to show what they can do. Every player has to believe in themselves. It's been a very frustrating season."

Yes Sean, it has. Not only for the players, but for the fans as well. We know the standings and we know the season will end the beginning of April. But at least there are these occasional bright spots and the play of young guns such as Kyle, Frans, Josh and Sean that give us something to keep coming back for and looking forward to.

This is not to diminish the play of the veterans. But they are expected to play well with intelligence and skill. Watching players develop is like watching a child take their first steps. It is always something to cherish.

Now, if they an just do something about their face off percentage. Oh, come on. We're Islanders fans. We're never COMPLETELY happy!