Post Win Quotes

After sitting with my coffee and my netbook for an hour and a half, I have finally put all the quotes together from yesterday afternoon in a somewhat readable order -- I hope. Find them here at HockeyBuzz.com.

Now,the NY Post had an interesting yet brief article and the surprising shut out of NJ Devils. Here is the reaction from John MacLean who very well may suffer the same fate as Scott Gordon.

"It bothers me, just the way we lost. I'm not going to disparage the Islanders," MacLean said. "It's totally disappointing. You would think we have guys who have been through this before and would pick it up."

Falling to the Islanders, whose losing streak ended one short of their franchise's expansion-year record, put the Devils firmly in their class, one point above the Isles, having played one more game.

It has to hurt to lose to a team on the brink of matching a 28-year futility record.

"Of course it does," Patrik Elias said.


Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/devils/isles_skid_snapping_win_be_devils_YwtSmIADTOyK2Y6lTK0EXO#ixzz16UZzj7lX

But as Ricky said, "It's just one win."

Happy Saturday hockey fans!

Rick & Sim In, Hunter Out Isles WIN vs. Devils 11/26/10

And so it begins.
Rick gets the nod again, for good reason. He has been playing well. Jon Sim has been recalled to replaced injured Trent Hunter who is out with a knee injury suffered on Wednesday.

Sadly Rick won't be able to face off against Marty Brodeur as he is scratched along with Jamie Langenbrunner and Matthew Corrente for the Devils.

This game has significance as it could tie the longest Islanders losing streak or break it. I'm opting for the second one.

With 1:41 left of the third Jack calls a time out. There is an empty Devils net at the other end of the ice and an extra Devils attacker. Joensuu passes to Martin but he can't get a shot off into the empty net. The Isles keep the puck in the nuetral zone until it is forced back in where Rick has to make one final save.


Let's Go Islanders.

With three quick whistles in the first few seconds, the Islanders are the first on the board with a goal by Jesse Joensuu at 1:32 with an assist by Frans and Grabner.

That's how you start the game!

The Islanders have the first power play of the afternoon as David Clarkson heads to the box for interference. But they are spending way too much time chasing the puck out of their own zone. Nothing comes of it. They are still without a power play goal in almost 30 chances.



Colin White seems to have it out for anyone in a blue sweater. But sadly it was Bruno Gervais that answered the bell after White's hit on Parenteau. Let's talk about uneven penalties again, shall we. Bruno gets 2 for instigating, five for fighting and a ten minute misconduct while White gets 5 for fighting and 5 for boarding. The Islanders will have a short power play as Bruno headed to the dressing room with only 8 minutes left of the first.

Johan Hedberg is called for tripping early in the second with the Islanders out shooting them at 15 to 5 in front of an announced attendance of 10,897. Kovalchuk gets to sit in the box for their goalie.

With nine seconds left of the power play, Blake Comeau takes a goaltender interference penalty and the Islanders are on the PK for 1:20. Still no goals on the power play. Something isn't clicking.



With a pass from Blake Comeau to Rob Schremp, Rob manages to get the puck behind Hedberg from the far left corner. Or as Brad Kurtzberg, from InsideHockey.com, likes to call it "Schremp's Office

The shots on goal are 19 - 12 in the Islanders favor, but the hits are a staggering 21 to 9 in favor of the Isles.

With 1:41 left of the second, the clang off the post scared me but didn't go in behind Rick. Jon Sim has been doing everything that Jon Sim does naturally, but Mark Eaton has made some excellent defensive plays to keep the away from the net.


One minute remaining in the second and the Islanders manage to withstand a flurry of activity in their own zone and head to the dressing room still up by two. If they can hold the Devils off for another twenty minutes, the streak will be broken and a new day will dawn for the team.


The third begins and with four minutes gone, the shots are now in the Devils favor at 20 to 19. The Islanders defenders have done an excellent job keeping the puck away from DiPietro by giving themselves up to block. While Rick has made some excellent saves, none have been of the caliber of Wednesdays, that caused a DiPi chant -- until now when Mattias Tedenby takes a point blank shot at Rick and there is no rebound.

The third period has been all Devils. I've been watching without typing when Brad Kurtzberg notices I'm turning blue. "Breathe Dee." And I exhale as they break to clean the ice.

Reese takes an interference penalty at 10:04 and the PK is back to work. This is a turning point for the roster. If they can get past this, it will prove how much they really want it

And just as I said that, James Wisniewski takes a highsticking penalty for clipping Tedenby in the face with a high stick. Drawing blood, he gets four minutes. And the Isles are killing off a five on three penalty before they are only down one man. The game is on their sticks. Can they hold the lead?

Rick DiPietro does his best impression of Billy Smith clearing Clarkson out of his crease over and over again. With one rebound at the side of the net in a dangerous position, the Isles still manage to kill off the five on three followed by the five on four. Maybe they do want it as much as the fans who are now cheering "Let's Go Islanders!"

The Devils called a time out and left their net empty when they returned to the ice. With an extra Devils attacker on the ice it became a tense situation. The Islanders managed to keep the puck in the nuetral zone but couldn't manage to get it in the empty net. It didn't matter. With the clock ticking down the last two minutes, then one minute of the game, it was clear that the streakwould be broken. The Islanders would win this game 2 - 0 and Rick DiPietro would once again earn a shut out against the NJ Devils.



After the on ice celebration in net, Deb Placey spoke with Rick on the ice. He addressed the fans and thanked them for all their support during this terrible losing streak. He meant every word. The fans that were behind him today are the ones that mean the most to him.

In the dressing room he talked about this only being one game. And while he and everyone else was glad it was a win, they know there is plenty of work to be done.

"Four points in three games. It's a start." Matt Moulson told me before heading off. Rick told a another reporter with just this win, there was no way they should start getting cocky.

They won't. But they needed a good place to start. Today was day one.


Coach Jack Capuano with his first NHL win has a reason to smile and gets a few days to plot and plan before facing the dreaded Rangers in home and home games Thursday and Friday.



Locker room quotes to follow.

Loss #14 - But Getting Better

Yeah, I know. It took me 24 hours to get this out into the world. But hey, I sometimes have a life. Not very often mind you, but occasionally.

Rather than coming straight home last night to write a new entry I went to see my husband's friend Eric (he's an Islander fan too) and his band Miss Alibi at the Garage in Bayport. I had not seen his band and they were actually very, very good. Got the crowd jumping.

Then is morning I had to bake for today and then the family came first as the Jersey contingent came for the Holiday. So I wrote part of the entry in the car and just finished it now -- 24 hours later.

Notes, Quotes and my very inadequate translation of Bruno Gervais's interview with me here at HockeyBuzz.com.

And Note To Garth: with the possibility of Trent Hunter being out with some sort of lower body injury (yep, that's what we figured yesterday.) can I say two words? Darryl Bootland. Odessa Jackalopes. One of your ECHL teams and he's been here before. I'm just saying.

Isles vs. Blue Jackets

*Also tonight I got to meet a friend of a friend. Because the world is the size of a walnut. There is an Islander fan in Columbus who is close friends with Bob McElligett, one of the Blue Jackets broadcasters. We had a nice chit chat and I just had to get a photo. It's a little soft, which is good for me!

In an intimate setting with a few thousand of my closest friends, I am here along with some Blog Box buddies I haven't seen in awhile, like -- Voice of the Islanders, Frank Trovato!

Now, I was actually here tonight to see Filatov after hearing some interesting things about him this morning on Canadian radio. Guess who CBJ scratched? Filatov. Also scratched tonight (again) Doug Weight with continuing back spasms.

7:59 left of the first: With a miserable hit on John Tavares by Jared Boll, Trevor Gillies more than took offense and took it out on Boll's face. They both get five for fighting but Trevor Gillies gets an extra 2 for instigating and a 10 minute misconduct.

Trent Hunter sparked by the energy of Gillies remembers that he does know how to score and popped one over Garon's right shoulder.



Too bad Matt Martin was called for boarding on Andrew Murray (who was very shaken up, sorry to say) the Isles were down a man again. To make matters worse, Zenon Konopka was called for delay of game for closing his hand on the puck in the face off circle.

Rick DiPietro was seriously tested with the five on three power play and did exceptionally well -- until -- one goal by Antoine Vermette and then another when Dylan Reese looked the wrong way by Chris Clark.

Sadly 2 - 1 with SOG now 17 - 8 in favor of the Jackets. But there is plenty of hockey to be played.

Fifty-one seconds in and Michael Grabner scores a magical goal with Trent Hunter parked in front of Garon and it goes in a the smallest of spaces under Garon. Just a few seconds later, it's Free Wendy's Chili time! John Tavares gets one flukey goal past Garon on the left side of the net that seems to bounce like a baseball into the back of the net.

Well, that didn't last long, RJ Umberger (with cheese as my husband likes to call him) scores to tie it at three and Travis Hamonic, making his NHL debut, gets to sit in the box for cross checking, but at least he wasn't alone. The Jackets were down a man as well.

In honor of Thanksgiving, the lucky puck shuffle was under digital cranberry sauce. Very cute

Matt Martin is not having a very good game. At 16:50 of the third, Matt gets called for tripping and there is no whistle and Garon leaves the net for an extra skater. The Isles touch up and the Jackets who were 1 for 2 on the PP go on the attack.

Bruno Gervais who is playing like his life depends on it skated up ice with the puck with Blake Comeau on a short handed attempt. But Comeau slowed down and bruno went offsides. Comeau's fault. They end the second still tied at three with the Blue Jackets still leading in SOG at 26 - 18. Twenty minutes of hockey still to play and a chance to end with two points tonight. Still feasible. Still hoping


Start of third and Umberger gets called for tripping PA Parenteau at the blue line. This is only the Isles second PP and with only 12 seconds left of the penalty, they have one shot on goal.

An unfortunate tripping penalty by Robbie Schremp puts the Islanders PK back in business. The Jackets PP is a thing of beauty. The passing was picture perfect. Luckily, enough effort was put forth by the Isles to keep them from scoring. Rob Schremp out of the box takes the puck and holds it until he can pass it to Wiz at the point. Too bad Garon saw it all the way and flashed a glove save.

8:11 left of the third and they are still tied at 3. SOG are now 20 to 30 in teh Jackets favor. They need to get that go ahead goal. Hamonic almost had it for them as there was a scramble in the crease and Garon covered.

(PS: I really like the fact that the jackets goaltender's name is so short. I can teype it without looking.)

Trent Hunter seems to have hurt himself on his own check. Just great. He tried to get out for another shift, but left the ice and headed down the tunnel with 3:02 left of the third. The game has become a little more exciting in the final minutes and has me standing. Rick DiPietro has been excellent and I've only had to hold my breath twice when he went behind the net to play the puck.

Overtime was short and bitter. When the puck went behind Rick into the net, he stayed prone in his crease for a few seconds not believing how hard they tried and to not come away with the two was just heart breaking.

But there are good things to come from the game. Many good things. It's a matter of capitalizing on them and moving forward.

I have a lot of interview tape, but chose to go out tonight after the game instead of writing. Now that my eardrums are blown and I'm exhausted, transcription is not happening tonight.

"Roll In The Heavy Artillery" The Blue Jackets Are in Town

That "Heavy artillery" line is from the Columbus Blue Jackets website. I'll confess, the Blue Jackets are my second favorite team. Probably more for the city and the arena than what actually happens on the ice.

Four straight wins precede the Jackets as they head into Uniondale. They are riding a high right now and Rick Nash, the face of the franchise, has a six game point streak and made media rounds yesterday. On Monday he scored his 13th goal of the season in their 2-0 win over the Nashville Predators.

You know what happened Sunday to the NY Islanders. An overtime 2-1 loss was a better showing, but not the reward for the effort they put forth. Heavy artillery is indeed recommended for tonight.

With the loss of yet another Islanders defense man, young Travis Hamonic will be making his NHL debut tonight. Not exactly the ideal situation for the hot prospect that everyone has been waiting to see. But I'm sure he will give it his all and the bonus for Travis, he is very familiar with coach Jack Capuano.

The Blue Jackets have 26 points right now and they are rolling along. They want to roll over the struggling Islanders and hand them their 14th loss. I'm hoping the Hockey Gods see fit to put a wrench in that plan.

I am assuming that Rick DiPietro will be the goalie du jour. But Jack said he doesn't like to announce his goalie choice. Sounds familiar, right?

Let's see if the streak can end HERE and a new streak can begin. One that puts points on the board and no one else on the IR.

What Pierre McGuire Said About the Isles

WOW! Say one thing on Twitter that Pierre McGuire said some positive things about the NY Islanders and everyone want s to know WHAT! Geeze guys, don’t you have XM Home Ice? ;o)

So while driving to work this morning listening to my favorite show with @HTMBigCountry and Rossi, Pierre McGuire gave an accurate account of the Islanders. He said that without Streit and Okposo what did we expect. Seriously, the Isles are down three of their top defense and now may be without Mottau for awhile. He also said that a good man lost his job and it was a shame, but that’s what coach’s sign up for in the NHL. They know that is what happens when things go wrong on the ice; they are the ones who end up unemployed. Shame, but everyone knows the drill.

Now while McGuire DID say some negative things about drafting and “management blunders,” I’m pretty sure he’s not worried about an Islanders task force placing a hit on him. No, he was honest in his accounts and echoed past history that we have all discussed as business decisions with negative results.

Thing is, that even with this devastating losing streak, the tide is turning. It’s a matter of keeping the young, growing talent in the right frame of mind as they get through their growing pains. He said look out for this team next year, the year after and the year after that. They are going to be GOOD. And if they continue to make the right player decisions, such as sending Nino back to juniors, they will be really good.

I DM'ed Shawn from XM Home Ice’s Hockey This Morning to see if they have the audio clip of McGuire’s morning appearance, if he posts it on Facebook or the like, I will link it.

All I’m trying to say is that as bad as it is to be an Islander fan right now, we can’t throw in the towel and walk away. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Pierre said. But when it was built, it was pretty damn impressive.

A Point & A Loss in Atlanta

Well, it was better. Or at least Jack Capuano feels it was better. But they didn't get rewarded for the extra effort. Post game thoughts here at HockeyBuzz.com

Howie's mishap on air yesterday cause a Twitter-storm of questions "Will Howie Get Botta'd?" Congratulations CB, you are now a verb. However, it would be smart if everyone remembered that veteran announcer Howie Rose is an employee of MSG not the NY Islanders.

Howie did offer up an apology on air, and rightly so, but really. It's not that big a deal.

Last night I was a guest on Sports Radio NY on WGBB AM. It would have been great if we had a win to discuss, but that wasn't the case. But we did have plenty as this week in Islanders Country was jampacked! Here's the link to last night's @icecreeps show also featuring @hockeyden, and paulies islander song!

I haven't listened to it yet. But hey! At least I didn't curse on air!