Yann Get's his 2nd Shut Out - 2-27-09

**Please check www.islesblogger.com for a great photo directly from the locker room that is sure to be a keeper! Great job Mike, great job Ken R. and Doug for asking questions. Great job Ken D. for being the gentleman that you are and waiting for me in the hallway to make sure I got to my car. You guys really are the best!!!


What a shame. Andy McDonald's first NHL game and all anyone could ask Scott in the press room was "What about Guerin?" I think Gordon knew that would be the first question. His reaction drew laughter, but everyone waited for the answer.

"From what I understand they are going to talk about it tomorrow." He waited for question number two which was "What do you know?"

Scott looked at his water bottle, "I can tell you tonight the guys put in a pretty good effort. We were solid in all three zones. It's what we tried to address the second half of the year is to try to build something to carry over to next season. And I think our guys are getting a good foundation for next year."

So basically, this season is all about NEXT season and who will still be here and who fits the system the best.

"My understanding is that Garth is going to talk about it tomorrow. I haven't had a chance to talk about it."

The Islanders played very well, and Scott said "Being hard to play against a hard thing to teach. To find the areas that you have to get better in. You have to have players that want to do it and you have to figure out who is going to do it too. I would say it's been a slow process but I feel that it's been something that has been building since game 42 when we came back from that West Coast Trip, we obviously don't have the offensive fire power, but I think we're starting to make up for it with our work ethic and our positional play and commitment to defense and not just in the defensive zone but defensive play in the offensive zone. We're giving up less shots, giving up less quality chances and giving up less goals. On top of that, we're getting some great goal tending by Yanni." Yes, you have...

Yann has been a a huge surprise. He seems to be getting better every game. He even explained his positioning has improved and he's just happy to be getting the ice time. "He's done a great job in establishing himself as a number one guy."

I almost worried for a second thinking that statement may mean he could be traded.

As Sean Bergenheim had BOTH goals that won this game for the Islanders, Scott again sang his praises. "One of the things I talked about with him to get back in the line-up was his approach in the offensive zone and the things that he could do better with the puck and things I had seen other offensive players do. We sat down today and I showed him some clips (which Scott does A LOT. He keeps video on EVERYTHING.) of Kyle and why he's having success in the offensive zone and why he's getting more second and third opportunities. Bergie's done a great job at taking that to heart and going out there and doing it."

So basically, Sean has improved because he is listening to the teacher and responding in a positive manner. He was rewarded with the first star of the game.

WE spotted Andy McDonald and let him get his feet wet. As far as Jack (Hillen) and Joe (Calahan) obviously they are getting a comfort level. Joe brings a nice physical level to our team."

Gordon had some very good things to say about suspended Brendan Witt. He said he was leery not having him in the line-up for this game as he "is one of our best defenseman." Witt currently has a +/- in the double digits. But Gordon has been impressed with the improvement he has shown recently. "I think Joe picked up the pace as far as his physical play without Witt in the line up and Jack, hopefully is a guy that making the trade with Ottawa will give Jack a little more opportunity in the spotlight."

Without Guerin there will be a lack of leadership as he was so good in the locker room. Combine that with veteran Weight being out as well and the young kids really have no one to look up for. "I addressed that. I went right to the point and said, 'In this group here there are going to be two Captains. What you do in the second half is going to allow me to make that decision."

Okay, nothing like a little pressure on a room full of rookies. He doesn't know when he'll make that decision, but is confident there is a good mix of character in the room. "You develop leadership and steer the players into what's right and wrong and make them identify the things that leaders do. It's something that I tried to do when I was coaching in Providence."

Again, Scott Gordon is not just teaching them how to play hockey better. He's teaching them life lessons. And all while dressing better than any other coach I've met.

Good game for sure. More tomorrow from the locker room. I can't even see straight any more tonight.

Night all.

Who are these guys? Isles vs. Buffalo

9:21 pm: I just have to say that it must suck to be Andy McDonald right now. The kid plays his first NHL goal and all anyone gives a hoot about is where is Guerin going. No one is even really paying attention to the game because everyone is checking their blackberry. Five minutes left. SOG 32 to 29 in favor of the Isles but we are still only up by one. This is too close. If they tie it at 2 minutes I'll have to puke and only because I want to go home to the Big Angry Man.
Is it snowing out yet?


9:16 pm: Okay so I was hanging out in section 213 with Vicki and I was wathcing the game but it's still 1 -0. I am going to pack up because we all know how long it takes me to pack up this thing. Thanks all. Post game tonight or tomorrow... Like if anything cool happens.


8:26 pm: I was calling for Sim to surprise me and score once again. He almost accomodated. The flurry of sticks in front of Lalime didn't net us another goal, but it sure was entertaining.





8:22 pm: And Blake Comeau leaves the ice as he receives a 10 minute game misconduct. Doug had to stop shoving his face with Burrito from Chipotle in order to tell me what the hell was going on. But there were two Sabres that also received penalties that will leave the Islanders on the power play for 2 minutes.

8:14 pm: Frans... Ohhh.. swing and a miss!!! And the funniest thing is everyone is coming up to the blog box asking where Billy is going. LIKE WE HAVE A FREAKIN' CLUE!!! WE DON'T EVEN HAVE AN AUDIO FEED.



8:05 pm: And I actually got to see Sean score in thefirst few minutes of the 2nd. It's about freakin' time!! The celebration was almost short lived as Buffalo made a mad dash towards joey and with room for a pretty good wrap around move almost pushed it right past Danis, and was immediately pounced upon.


7:38 pm: No score. But the last few seconds of the 1st could have been different as Callahan saved Danis from going to the dressing room down by 1.

And according to Ranger Fan John says that Billy G. has been sighted with Madonna since A Rod is no longer respectable. Just kidding.

7:28 pm. Jackman So close to a goal! As Dougie said "Now Scott can't complain that his boys don't shoot!"

7:23 pm: And Big Angry Man alerts me that Billy Guerin isn't on the bench. So how do we check the status? Why check Point Blank of course. Who else would have it first? No other source is faster than a speeding bullet than Chris Botta. So we are still pondering where, but the speculation is there.


7:11 pm: and Andy McDonald just had his first shift and almost had his first goal. Noice....





7:04 pm: Looks like it's Yann Danis in net tonight and the Buffalo booster club is at the very top of 336.

Also, Dina just modeled the really cool GREEN Bailey T-shirt for St. Patrick's day. I'm sure they're available at the team store. They are very cool to go to a St. Patrick's party in to eat cornbeef and drink green beer.... (eeeewwwwwww... gross.)


Okay Islanders fans that's your new defenseman for tonight straight from the Bridgeport Ferry. #43 Andy McDonald. And on the other side of the ice due to the unfortunate injury to Ryan Miller is this guy Jhonas Enroth. I don't know if he's playing but... there he is.





I'd also like to know where the hell Ranger Fan John is with my wine!!!


Come on! You know I have limited drinking time here! Let's go!

Looks like Joey is starting the game but with Scott you can never tell who your goalie du jour will be until they announce the line up. Well, at least I can't. But then again, we know how good I am with the technical details.

It was sad to see that there are only 10 more home games after this one for the regular season. My god... it went fast. And only a few more days until trade deadline. This is going to be a scary week. Throw in the possible snow storm on Monday and the fact that my stupid freakin' "comma" doesn't seem to be working all of a sudden and I'm basically a mess.

As we all know, Brendan Witt received a five game suspension for the same type of mishap that others have received three. Let's call it the 2 game Islanders factor. I'd still like an explanation as to why Sidney Crosby received a NO game suspension for punching an opponent in the nuts. And I'm going to ask for it until I get it. Thank you.

Scott Gordon post game Bergie Love Fest 2-26-09

I know, I was slacking last night on the updates. But you can't swing a rally towel around this Internet without hitting a blogger doing live game updates, so I'm sure I wasn't missed. Besides, everyone knows when my friend Vicki is in the building, I'm generally MIA from the box.

But here's where I come in handy: The post game.

So after watching the longest third period any of us have ever witnessed there wasn't the normal sense of disapointment heading down to the post game. An exciting way to tie up the game, a spirited overtime and then the stand-on-the-chair so you can see shoot out was entertaining enough to make us all forget about the loss.

Since the Leafs had scored two goals, one at the very beginning of both the first and second periods, Gordon was asked if it was difficult to not be deflated by such quick scoring. I loved his answer:

"We could have easily deflected after our extended losing streak in December. The one thing I stress to our players, we are building something here for next year. And I'm not going to stop coaching and trying to get our team to be better and I expect the same from all our players, but particularly the guys who will be here next year to get a better understanding of the system play, HOW we want to play and our team identity. It's all going to be built the second half of the season. I've said, as much as I want to win, and I know the guys on the team want to win the objective is to get better. And considering the circumstances of what we've had to go through, considering the injuries and Ricky being out all year, we've had hurdles and adversity. And one of the key areas of how we handle it is our character and not breaking away from what we want our team identity to be."

Of course, we're not 100% sure who WILL be here next year.

Gordon explained how the ref told him that Brendan Witt just got caught in an unfortunate situation which earned him a 5 minute major game misconduct. We'll have to see how the league feels about it later today.

But it was Gordon's discussion about Sean Bergenheim that made me stand there smiling quietly. Scott compared recently traded Chris Campoli to Sean Bergenheim in the fact that both of them had talked to Scott about their roles on the team. It's obvious that Sean reacted somewhat differently than Chris.

"Someone who, for me, has turned a corner is Sean Bergenheim. He didn't like his situation, we talked about it. He didn't like my conversation and a week or two after the initial discussion, we had ANOTHER discussion. I think he saw the big picture a little clearer. Immediately there was a situation that happened to him that his response was what I would have expected of anyone on our team, but it was different from what he would have had in the past. Which to me, was very encouraging."

It seems that Campoli couldn't make it work for him with Gordon.

"They're not always going to see eye-to-eye with what I see, but in the process, I'm always trying to work with them and get them to see things in a different perspective and hopefully they come around."

Chris didn't. He proceeded to say that if the room is better without him, so be it. OUCH!!

Scott continued to talk about Sean, "With Bergie, you're always going to see his physical play, his skating. He's a strong kid and for me what's changed he's challenging himself offensively to do more things. I don't mean trying to beat people one-on-one or trying to make plays which shouldn't be part of his repertoire. He's challenging himself more with the puck, to be a puck possession guy, to protect the puck better, to be deceptive, to cut back on the opposition. And as a result more things are happening for him offensively."

Jon Sim, looking healthy and happy was waiting in the locker room. He explained his goal as a "...great pass from Strieter and I just took the puck down the wing and let her rip....Everyone wants to play. You're happy when you get a lot of ice time and you're not happy when you don't play a lot. You still have to go to work and work hard."

It was very humble and he gave Mark Streit a lot of praise for his play.

We continued the Bergie Love Fest in the locker room when he came in to address the media.

"The penalty shot; I had something in mind. But he left that side open so I changed it. I was going to deke but I shot it. I wanted to lift it a little higher but it just didn't go where I wanted it. And then the goal was where I figured, I'm going to deke this time and it worked."

He should have known better as it seems that Sean and Toskala know each other pretty well. Although the comeback was encouraging, Sean's thoughts on the game were telling.

"We had a pretty bad start, but we picked it up. I think we played much better and killed a five minute major. Five on five, I think we had a pretty good game. It was good that we got the one point and we came back, it shows something about the team, but of course, we have to find a way to win these games. "

And that's what Scott is trying to teach them.... for next season.

Isles vs. Leafs 2-26-09... and here we go...

9:10 WEll, it seems it wasn't blakes' goal, but he did get an assist. And then about four seconds later, oh look!! Toronto scores again! SOB!! it's now 4 - 2

Should I even be watching this game?

And the guy in front of us just spilled beer all over our table. Gotta tell you, there are hazzards to geing in the blog box. I should jus pack up. No seriously... I probably should. THis isn't pretty and I'm really not watching.

9;00 pm: Once again, I was out on the concourse when Sean scored. His ninth of the season short handed no less. AH... both my blond boys on the ice. And right after sean scores, so does Blake. But the isles are now even as # 84 goes to the box.


8:28 pm: And Dean McAmmond gets his first goal as an Islander at the 5:20 mark of the 2nd to make it 2 - 1. Mike is jumping up and down. Now we get to speak to the newest Islander. Woo hoo... whooopee.

8:17 pm: And that's why I still have a 55 on my necklace instead of a 20. Sean gets awarded a penalty shot, but can't make it work.

And Blake has an assist point, although Doug made me believe it was a goal. Damn him!!!

Let's face it... I can't do this!!! I'm talking too much. BYE!
Okay 2npd 8:10 pm it's 1 - 0 Leafs with SOG almost even at 8 -7.


Yes, yes... I was down at the glass for the pre-game skate.... on the Leafs side. Nothing has changed but the color of the sweater. He still stands directly in front of me and the dance continues. At 35, he can still skate like the wind and no one can get as close to the ice as he does.





Okay, let's see what happens. Where's Tommy with my damn tissues? They haven't fallen from the press box yet. He's slacking. Islesblogger.com Mike is here awaiting to go up to a sky-box (the weasel) and I'm here with Doug, Glen Vogel and Okposo Net Ken. I would say that we are about 1/2000th of the crowd so far.

58 Perfect Minutes of Hockey

Because sometimes things just don’t work out the way you planned. Over and over, that’s what seems to happen. No matter how much I want to get something done and over with, there are always obstacles. I’m positive God just likes screwing with me.

But enough about me for now, let’s whine about the game. The Islanders game that is. I didn’t see the Rangers Leafs game so I can’t whine about that one. Although I can whine about the fact that the Ranger game was on MSG in it’s usual TV channel while MSG Plus was floating around the atmosphere and for the most part, not in HD.

Let’s just put it this way. The Islanders couldn’t buy a goal. Oh, yes, they tried. But Sean missed the net on a short handed breakaway and Martinek hit the crossbar for two of the best Islanders 2nd period chances to score.

Believe it or not, I saw Sim almost scored another one.

I watched Godard hook Jackman. Two big 28s skating side by side, trying to make something happen. Godard ends up in the box. It doesn’t really matter. The Islanders were 0 - 3 on the power play with no shots on goal for any of them. How bad is that? If you can’t score on the power play, how can you win a game?

Okposo shots keep getting blocked and Josh keeps cracking his neck.
I think the Penguins are a different team without Crosby almost as much as they are a different team with Bylsma behind the bench.

The score was almost cracked open by a Penguin bullet, but the red light didn’t go on and there was no horn as at 10:02 of the third. Various angles revealed the Penguins luck was just as bad as the Isles as another puck hit the crossbar.

Tamby took an unfortunate penalty for hooking on Staal, and Danis makes a few beautiful saves and lady luck sits with him for awhile as the puck danced around the back of his net for awhile making everyone sit on the edge of their seats. According to Jaffe, it was McAmmond that saved the goal.

Orpik levels Gervais, but no one really cares. Okay, I’m sure Bruno cares. With only six minutes left to the game, and there was still no score, but a lot of urgency.

And with 2:28 left of the 3rd, Sykora finally scores for the Penguins from the side of the net. It is his 23rd of the season. Okay, so tonight, it was a good 58 minutes of hockey. Almost perfect. But almost doesn’t count.

With 1:14 left, the islanders net is empty and Guerin’s stick snaps in half and somehow, the Islanders manage to keep the Penguins from scoring on the empty net. Whether it was the bad ice or just dumb luck, the Islanders kept the puck out of the empty net for the two minutes.
I didn’t like the spills that Okposo was taking this entire game.

Penguins get the two points. The Isles get the first flight out.

Let's Talk Lighthouse Transportation.

I probably shouldn't begin to write this entry when it is so late and I have just been sitting on the couch growing roots into my laptop. But listening to the new President address Congress, my mind started to wander.

With the Lighthouse project finally making some headway, it's time to start thinking about the real possibilities that it will offer. Above and beyond the jobs and tax revenue it is sure to generate, I'm very excited about something rather small, but may have far reaching benefits.

I don't have the luxury of living in Nassau County close to the Coliseum. I couldn't afford to purchase a home in Nassau and had to move out east many years ago. But even though my residence is east, my entire life revolves around the western portion of this little island.

My doctors, my in-laws, my friends, my daughter's softball and my Islanders are ALL within five miles of the Nassau Coliseum. Sadly, they are about 60 miles from my home. I make this drive often. Sometimes twice in a day. It is time consuming and costly.

On game days I forgo driving all the way home just to head back out to Nassau. On those days, I am out of my house from 8 am to 11 pm. That's a long day for anyone. Because I am driving, which I really do not like, I can't relax and enjoy myself. I'd love to be able to take mass transit to the Coliseum. This is why the photo above captured my imagination.

I would love the opportunity to take the train to Mineola and then jump on this state-of-the-art sleek, Islanders Magic Bus for the less than six mile ride to the Coliseum. To not have to worry about driving and parking would be a great feeling for a change.

Of course something this cool would require reservations and a fee to use, but it would be like a mini Disney World trip.

The fuel savings of less cars driving to the barn would be good for the environment. Perhaps it would be more expensive for me because I'd be paying for the entire family to take the train and then the bus, but it would be more relaxing. Or at least... that's how I look at it.

Come on. Look how cool that is! I wanna ride the big blue bus!!

TOH Meeting Comes to an End

I've been sitting here on pins and needles kicking myself for not going. But I have some fires to put out at work and knowing that I'm already taking a day off this week, the difficult decision of skipping this very important event had to be made.

It did not mean that I am not 100% behind the project and those who are championing it. It just means my non-paid writer job had to take a back seat to my paying accounting job.

Kudos to those who attended such as Nick Classic. And one huge Thank You to Chris Botta and his trusty Blackberry who kept those of us who couldn't attend informed of the proceedings.

Here is the final from his blog:

1:10 pm - At the conclusion of today’s hearing, the D.G.E.I.S. (Draft Generic Environmental Impact Study) was delivered by the Lighthouse developers. I’m told the document is 1,800 pages.

Traditionally, after a scope is accepted - as it was today by the TOH board - developers take months before delivering a D.G.E.I.S. Charles Wang and Scott Rechler’s group produced it immediately.

Mind you, this is coming as no surprise as one representative told us on the 19th "What some may want to measure by pages on a calendar will actually be measured by the hands on a wrist watch."

I would have loved to have seen the looks on the faces of those sitting on the board when the 1800 page documents were handed over. Please tell me someone had their phone camera ready.

I'm really looking forward to Katrina's LightPost blog entry about this. Everyone involved worked very hard in giving progress a push. Let's hope it starts a snowball effect that ends with shovels in the ground.

Meet Me @ Hempstead Town Hall?

Just bring me coffee. This is me, caught between a rock and a hard place. Here is the message from the FaceBook Lighthouse group:

Lighthouse supporters, On Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. at Town of Hempstead Town Hall, the Town of Hempstead will vote to adopt the scope of the environmental studies for the Lighthouse project. These studies have been completed and will be submitted to the Town in a very short period of time following the adoption of the final scope. Support the project and come to this very important meeting. For more information, please contact the Lighthouse Development Group at info@lighthouseli.com, or (516) 414-5800. For more information on the Lighthouse project, please visit www.lighthouseli.com or lighthouseliblog.blogspot.com.

And on every Islanders Blog in the Islanders Blogosphere. Can I take the chance of sneaking out of work at 10:20 am and chalk it up to an EXCEPTIONALLY early lunch? "Sorry Leslee, I actually got up at 4:30 this morning, so I'm a little hungry."

Or do I take Bryan Berg's advice:

I think you should leave at 10:30 and leave an Out Of Office saying simply "Meet Me At The Lighthouse". Then, at about 2:30, return and tell your boss it's okay if you get fired because you were out helping create thousands of other jobs.

Anyone who lives or works in Nassau County and supports the project should attend. I will attempt it. But unless I can find a tele-porter or a body double, I have a feeling I may not make it.

Rangers Fire Tom Renney

Love Billy Jaffe on XM's NHL Live. He announced it as it came to him via text message. Talk about news travelling fast.

Everyone has the best things to say about him. Too bad for him. But that's hockey.

Should we tell them Ted Nolan is still available? Nah...

Bringing the World Together - One Puck at a Time

While complaining about having to work on my taxes, and reluctantly watching the Oscars, I heard one of the winners talk about how "art connects the world." I found myself snapping back at the TV, "So does hockey!"


No where is that more obvious than the Lighthouse International Tournament. What else would you call bringing children from Japan, Finland, China and the USA together for fun, games and friendship other than connecting the world? If not for Charles Wang and his hockey initiative, would any of these children be exposed to other cultures or see the USA for themselves? I doubt it.

For all the great photos and reports on the kids of the Lighthouse Tournament, please read the Islanders own blog featured on their website. The tournament is winding down today and will be finalized by an awards dinner. You have to give all those involved with this event a lot of credit. There will be a lot of Islanders staffers who will go to bed this week tired and happy.

On the other side of the world you have good guy, and ex-Islanders employee Adam Sherlip who brought hockey to India. You can follow his adventures in the great unknown since January by reading his blog, the Hockey Volunteer.

When you think there is no good news left in this crazy world, I implore you to look at these tireless efforts in making a difference in children's lives and making the world that much smaller. It is efforts such as these that bring a better understanding of those from far off lands and a realization that there is a commonality in all humans that can be built on to foster a more peaceful world.

Give them a read and help connect the world.

White Out, Shut Out, Shut Up.

Good Morning. Before I get into game notes from an exceptional 60 minutes of Hockey (please see next entry), I'd like to make a statement.

This morning I read one four different articles how the fan-based "White Out for the Lighthouse" was a "wash out." I agree. However, I have a bone to pick with all of you real media types.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN WE WERE TELLING YOU THIS WAS PLANNED? Did you mention it in your columns prior to, oh let's say, FRIDAY? Did you include it in anything you may have written over the last two weeks? Hmmmm... sadly, I don't seem to remember that.

But sure enough, this morning you are all touting how it fizzled in the sea of Blue. Thanks for your support.

If this was an experiment to see the power of the Internet based fan groups, then yes. It failed dismally. For that, am truly sorry. I did expect more from the Islanders' "Official" Message board and such. However, I also heard such things as "I don't have a white jersey." and "I forgot." And my favorite, "I'm more comfortable this year watching the games on TV."

Without the support of the MSM (Main Stream Media) PRIOR to such a outcry for event support, and without the support from the main message outlet (the website), it was painfully obvious that we were doomed.

I will tell you that a good portion of the Internet savvy Islanders fans who are on message boards and blogs do so because they are not locals. The Internet is the only way they have to stay connected to the team and other fans. Without the support of our local media connecting with the hardcore and prospective fans who do not need to search the web for information, a concerted effort to accomplish anything will not work.

That said, more than likely a large showing at Tuesday's Town Of Hempstead meeting may not materialize either. Those who are not working on Tuesday 2/24, should PLEASE attend. Those desperately trying to cling to their jobs may have to forgo it, even though their support for the project is there.

So thanks again Main Stream Media for reporting AFTER the fact. Oh wait... that's right. You're REPORTERS covering the aftermath of the train wreck. The bloggers are the promoters always looking ahead, the reporters supply the requiem.

The chasm is wide.

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!