Ex-Isles: Where are they Now?

The signing of Mike Comrie to a league minimum deal with Pittsburgh made me think about the game in my head I like to play once the season starts. But as I really don't have anything going on until I meed with the team's PR people next week, let's play it now.

"Ex-Isles: Where are they Now" game now on HockeyBuzz.

Maybe some of the names will conjur up some pleasant Islander memories -- or not so pleasant ones. But it was something to do while I sat drinking coffee on my back deck in the cool of a September morning before my Sunday of Softball begins and my netbook battery dies.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Survey Says?!

It has taken me almost two hours to read only a portion of what everyone has been saying about Garth Snow's Friday night acquisition of ex-Duck James Wisniewski. So far the survey seems to say the deal was a steal.

Some thought provoking information about the roster was found at this installment of IslandersPointBlank, and I always leave it to my buddy Dom at LighthouseHockey to come up with all the useful information and web links. I don't know how he does it, but I love him for it. Dom took the time to scout out both sides to the Wisniewski signing. Like everything in life, there are ALWAYS two sides to the story.

I have personally had people come up to me and say how great a signing Wiz will be for the Isles this coming season. And I have also had some tell me of dirty hits and lack of character. I decided to contact someone a little closer to his old team and asked if there was anything I should know about James. The response I got was "He wanted more than we were willing to pay him. We have other plans."

Hmmmm...Not exactly what I was looking for, but a quote none-the-less. I was hoping for more insight into his personality or work ethic. But I see this will be one signing I will have to wait to draw my own conclusions about.

But no matter what I think, the overwhelming response has been positive. There was even a little Garth Snow Twitter love fest going on over the weekend, and surprisingly to some -- I didn't start it. But there were some great words of praise from writers and fans alike.

Does this mean that the Islanders will be play-off contenders this coming season? Who knows. So much can change from September's training camp to push for playoffs come trade deadline day. I'll just say that maybe the chances of making the playoffs are slightly higher than they were. Also, the Anaheim signing tonight of Andy Sutton to a two year deal ends the questioning about whether the big man would be back in Uniondale.

So while it seems the Isles swapping shot-blockers with the Ducks, their defense seems to be all worked out. However, I have read fans questioning who will be able to put the puck in the net. Well, some on the net do like to call the Isles GM, "Mr. August" so he may have one more trick up his sleeve.

I will reserve becoming familiar with all the names on the Islanders roster until September. But I should probably at least learn to spell a few of them, even if I can't pronounce them.

On a side note, I wandered over to the game used jersey tab on the Islanders main site. While a lot of the items are sold, I found some of the pricing a little on the surprising side. (i.e., stupid) John Tavares' jerseys are priced at $5,500. at first I thought it was a typo. Then I noticed that all his jerseys in each set were priced that way. I believe only one of them was sold. I am imagining that was John's father that bought it. Just a guess.

So... no other news to report as of yet. Perhaps another depth move this week. But other than the above, I've got nothing. I'm going to be spending the next two days working on another divisional article for another website. This one will be on goal tending. Oh... that should be interesting.

Bye Bye Big Guy

As expected, Andy Sutton has been traded. Andy will head to Ottawa for a 2nd round draft pick that originally belonged to San Jose.

At the last minute, Dustin Kohn has been recalled from Bridgeport for tonight's game.

Well, that's probably the biggest trade Mr. Snow will make this year. Unless of course he can indeed finally find a home for Jiffy Jeff, Jeff Tambellini.

Trade Freeze & Cold Wars

The Olympic trade freeze is making a mess out of the March 3rd trade deadline dealings as some rush to make deals now while others are forced to sit on their hands for the next two weeks.

In our own little corner of the NHL, we have a different problem: Our standings prior to Monday will determine whether the Islanders will be buying or selling. (Or so I've heard.)

I've also heard that weeks back, when it looked as if the playoffs were well within their grasp, plans were being formulated by the sales and marketing departments. Perhaps that was the kiss of death to the season as the Islanders then headed into a 7 game losing slump, followed by a shoot out win, followed by yet another regulation loss. Points squandered as other teams bypass them in this insanely tight race for that final playoff spot.

Personally, I don't want the 8th playoff spot if it means they'll play five games in the first round and then get tossed. As nice as it is to extend the season for another two weeks, as a fan, it's painful to get your hopes up only to have them hit the deck by game three. Yeah. Been there, done that. It hurts.

Currently, while all along the plan was to trade Marty Biron and keep Dwayne Roloson, reality has made that plan about as realistic as me losing 15 lbs by June. Sources on the net say the brewing interest is in Dwayne Roloson and not Marty Biron.

On a personal level, I wouldn't mind keeping Marty around to back-up Rick as he can be solid (as proven on Tuesday) and he is great on the bench and in the locker room. But I know the plan all along was to use him as a trade chip when Rick was healthy. (Hence the one year deal for Marty and the two year deal for Roli.) Luckily, it wasn't a secret to Biron either.

But the 40 year-old goaltender with the contract of $3Mil for one more year and the winning record is the one drawing interest. That is going to require a change of strategy for GM Garth Snow.

I'm guessing he's had to change plans a few times these past few weeks as veteran D Brendan Witt didn't draw any trade interest and was put on waivers. He is playing in Bridgeport and it is said the Isles are not planning on putting him on re-entry waivers. As a UFA come July 1st, it seems that Witt will be playing his last days in the organization in a Sound Tigers jersey. Not horrendous, but certainly not the best fate for an established NHLer. .*Never trust information on the web. Just been told he's signed through 2011. Okay, Now I have to go investigate this later when I am on lunch. Thanks Nicky!


While the Islanders are developing the talents of such youngsters as MacDonald, Kohn and newest call-up Matt Martin, Andy Sutton has now become a target for teams looking for a big body with established skills. Uh oh.

Sutton has been reported as saying he would like to stay on the Islanders, however if the right deal comes along, certainly they can't refuse.

I can only assume, privately, there are teams eyeing other Islanders players they feel can fill a grey area on their roster. I won't say 'hole' because for sure the only ones on our roster that are 'hole' fillers, we certainly will not part with. (Kyle is ours, don't even think about it! ANY of you!)

The Islanders play the Lightning on Saturday and the Senators on Sunday. In all honesty, if they can squeak out one point in two days, I'd be surprised. Expect the "For Sale" sign to go up in Uniondale by Monday.

Hoping the Red gets Rocked @ the Barn

Wishful thinking? Maybe.
But come on! I can hope! Also hoping that Assistant Coach Scott Allen does NOT wear a red tie tonight! Hey Scott! If I can resist wearing Red & Black when the Caps come to town, you can do the same. (Although I really do like that Boston Mafia look of yours.)

Brief (exceptionally brief) Game Preview at HockeBuzz and don't forget to check out the Islanders Website newly redesigned Game Day web page. Schnoice!

I can't get to the rink this morning, no matter how much I would love to, but I will be there by 6 pm, so stop back later.

Welcome Back Andy Sutton and Happy 49th Birthday to the Great One! (49? Wayne, Wayne, Wayne.... Get out of the sun. You're aging faster than you should be.)

Winning Streak Ends at 4 - Pens 6 - Isles 4

It was early domination by the Stanley Cup champions against the Islanders who couldn't do what they had done just yesterday afternoon. They spent most of the time in their own end.

It started with an early penalty on Dwayne Roloson for a delay of game. He fought that one for a full two minutes, but Josh Bailey still ended up in the box to serve it. There were chances, but none that could turn into a goal.

Meyer, who had a hell of a game, took a penalty at 13:21 of the first, but the Pens didn't capitalize on it. It wasn't until 18:37 of the first that Sidney Crosby lit the lamp for the first goal that would open the flood gates on Roloson. He gave up six goals on 29 shots, two on the Power Play.

Kyle Okposo did everything right... but score, even on a penalty shot. At least Richard Park finally did score. He needed that. Freddy Meyer also scored tonight and made a case for himself after being a healthy scratch for quite a few games.

Trent Hunter scored at 48 seconds into the third to tie the game at 3. But Malkin and Crosby were the show stoppers as Crosby ended the night with six points and Geno, who now doesn't need a translator, earned a hat trick with his empty netter that brought the game to a 6 - 4 Penguins win.

Jack Hillen proved again how far he has come in such a short time as he demonstrated the dying art of the hipcheck. Sean Bergenheim played his heart out as he usually does and was actually responsible for Park's goal, but they only award two assists not three, so he was kept off the score sheet.

The story that will permeate the airwaves tonight and tomorrow will be the hit that Andy Sutton laid on Pascal Dupuis that cracked his head open on the dasher boards. Roloson waived for the trainers to come out as Dupuis lay face down in a pool of blood.

Andy Sutton is not a dirty player. He is a BIG player that plays hard. I can't judge if the particular hit was dirty or intentional. It was unfortunate and upsetting and I hope that Dupuis recovers quickly.

It will obviously be a suspendable offense. Sutton will be a loss for the Islanders. The question will be how long he will be out.

Sutton's response to the questions on the hit in the postgame:

"I just played my usual game. I played hard and tried to finish my check. I feel awful. I never intended for that to happen. Obviously it wasn't clean. I just hope that he's okay. That's all I can say."

When Sutton was asked about his feeling on the loss, you could tell that he was distracted. "We made it four - four, it wasn't that frustrating. We just tied to persevere. Ovsiouly, they have some of the best talent in the league. They can put it all together and score when they need to."

Even without taking home any points, it wasn't all bad. Unless you're Dupuis.

A Boxing Day win for the Isles

And which Islander was the first to “box” tonight? Bruno Gervais? What? How does that happen? Of course, it was because of antagonist Sean Avery. Both got five for fighting, but Avery received an additional two for un-sportsmanlike conduct. Why don’t they just now call it Avery syndrome?

The Isles didn’t manage any shots on goal during their power play.

Frans Nielsen scored the first goal off a strong feed from Kyle Okposo. Now, if the hard work and set up plays of one of the strongest youngsters in the league is worth anything, then MAYBE Kyle Okposo still has a chance for the Olympics. But, that’s Ron Wilson’s call.

Tavares missed a Moulson pass and Bailey missed an open net. Can these guys connect with the puck or not? Is this youth? Or bad ice? When I posed that question on Twitter, I laughed at the answer “Yes, because the Knicks keep polluting the building.” Okay, it was a basketball reference, but it made me giggle.

What a strange game. It took until 12:43 of the second for the MSG crowd to get into it. But the great rebound control by Dwayne Roloson kept the Rangers off the score sheet for a good portion of the game which frustrated the MSG patrons.

The strength of Kyle “Amazing” Okposo increased the Isles lead to 2 – 0 as he fought off an attacker at the boards, kicked the puck to himself and made a perfect pass to Blake Comeau going in short handed on Lundqvist. He scored and took a seat on the ice.

Brashear took a penalty, but the Islanders had a hard time even getting a shot on goal for those two minutes. The Rangers were pressuring, but the score remained the same at the end of two.

Kyle Okposo was interviewed by Deb Placey at the end of the second period. When asked about what Deb deemed one of the best plays of the year, Kyle said “I knew we were going to have a two on one breakaway if I got by that guy.” Kyle had 20 assists, but hadn’t been able to score for himself lately. As disappointed as he is, he’s a team player. “Anything you can do to help the team win is a good thing. I’m just trying to do whatever I can. Just trying to get those two points tonight.”

I was so taken by his attitude, I tweeted “Kyle Okposo has worked so hard, shouldn’t he be rewarded with a Game Winning Goal? Don’t you think?”

Within the first minute of the third, I held my breath as Dwayne Roloson was upended by his own man, Jack Hillen (who played over 28 minutes!) behind his net. Roloson lost his stick and there was a flurry of activity in front of the net. They managed to get out of that one mistake, but couldn’t escape a Dubinsky goal at 13:48 just as a penalty on Blake Comeau expired. Just before the goal, I noticed how tired the Islanders began to look. It seemed as if they gave up and left it up to Roloson who left a rebound on his doorstep a second longer than it should have been. Dubinsky just knocked it in to his left. They celebrated as if they had just won the Stanley Cup.

With a renewed sense of urgency, the Rangers started to fly!

With 8:53 to go of the third, Jack Hillen redeemed himself with Roloson by making a save in front of the crease that would have evened the score at two.
Jon Sim worked so hard around the net and takes so much abuse for it and is hardly ever rewarded.

At 7:15 to go of the third Roloson made a glove save on an Avery shot which sent Avery into a childish tantrum so he went after Trent Hunter looking to start something. I don’t believe there is any one in hockey that annoys me more than this guy. I’ve yet to find one redeeming quality in him.

Andy Sutton must have heard me as he splayed Avery against the boards behind the Isles’ net and DIDN’T get called for a penalty. Avery was angry that Sutton wasn’t called and went complaining to the refs. Again, is there a redeeming quality?
Sutton makes a big difference in the Islanders game. His blocks and hits mean everything to the Islanders defense. He is also one lucky guy as he actually got away with more than one infraction.

Del Zotto hit a post with a shot that would have tied up the game, but the clank off the post was a welcomed sound. But the Isles had too many men on the ice for what Billy Jaffe said was six or seven seconds before the penalty was called. There was confusion on line changes and once again, Matt Moulson was the one that had to sit it out. Can the Isles kill off a penalty and keep the 2 – 1 lead or not?

Gaborik kept the puck in the Isles zone, but fanned on the shot and Richard Park cleared the puck down the ice. There was 53 seconds left of the Rangers Power Play and Nielsen cleared again. John Tortorella attempts to pull his goalie, but the play was off sides and Lundqvist had to make his way back to his net.

And then it happened. With 46.6 seconds left of the third, Dubinsky tipped it in on Roloson’s right off a Callahan pass and my husband started yelling “They can’t effing finish! I knew it would happen. You could see it.”

He was right. You could see it. Again, they looked tired. They began to get sloppy while the Rangers just got hungry.

JT was pretty invisible in the third. Does this mean the conspiracy theory of JT playing hurt may have some truth to it?

Well, with one point the Isles headed into overtime. Sutton was denied by Lundqvist which would have ended the game and then Roloson made an important save in his own end. A good portion of OT was spent back and forth with neither team scoring until…

KYLE! WITH TWO ASSISTS IN THE GAME GOT THE GAME WINNING GOAL WITH 47 SECONDS LEFT IN OT!

What a fitting way to end this game for Okposo as the puck skimmed off of Mark Staal to float the puck past King Henrik.

The best medicine for a yo-yo season for any die-hard Islanders fan is to win against the Rangers, especially in MSG. It certainly makes things a little better.
Congrats to Kyle. I’m sure Scott Gordon will send some of those clips he has from your game tonight right on over to Ron Wilson and Brian Burke.

In the post game, Deb interviewed Kyle again. “Everyone on the bench was feeling a little down, but we had a lot of hope and stuck with it and were able to get two.” While so many on message boards have been calling for Scott Gordon to move Okposo on a line with John Tavares, he seems to have developed excellent chemistry with Frans Nielsen. “I curled back and passed it. I knew Fransie would find me.” He didn’t even care that it went off a skate.

When Deb asked if he had been doing anything different in order to break his scoring drought, he answered “I’ve been doing some things and they’re working now I guess. It’s just a matter of sticking with it. I’ve been playing well and it was working tonight.”

Kyle was all smiles when he was asked how he felt about playing in these Ranger Rivalry games “I love it. They’re fun games to play in and the fans get really excited and it’s a great time.”

Especially when you win Kyle -- Especially when the Isles WIN!

Note: In WJC news it was erroneously reported that the Russian Connection, Klementyev, was cut from team Russia. It was assumedthe efforts of GM Garth Snow were either in vain or not what they were cracked up to be. A little fun was poked at the situation and those involved. Interestingly enough, at 9:40 am Klementyev’s name was still on the roster and he was later on the ice at the World Juniors. So I guess whatever deal was cut was still in place and sometimes conjecture travels faster than reality. Howver, he was kept off the score sheet, but Petrov was NOT as he scored a short handed goal late in the third.

Matt Donovan got the game winning goal in the USA’s 7 – 3 win over Slovakia and Hamonic scored for Canada in their 16 - 0 trouncing of Latvia.

Off The Rush 12-11-09

So, of course the minute I uploaded this video this afternoon, I get a text message about Tim Jackman not expected to play for one to two weeks, and neither is Sean. But the good news is Andy Sutton will be in the line-up tomorrow.

Okay, lots to transcribe from today at the rink, but you can watch this in the meantime. Sadly my co-host Anthony couldn't be with me in person, but we should be back together on Sunday, weather permitting.

The PUCK Starts Here!

Our season ended in April last year. We have been through a long, difficult off season with the only bright spot being the draft party. Personally, I didn’t think we’d get here again. The off season seems to take forever – when you end it two months before the hockey season actually ends.

September 14th, 2009 and it all starts again. Our 2009 – 2010 Season will be no less difficult, I’m sure, even with the arrival of John Tavares. There are still too many open ended questions swirling around the Islanders. So, as I told Adam Proteau of The Hockey News, I’m looking forward to the new season with trepidation. But let’s focus on tonight.

Hockey in Hockeyville! Okay, so maybe it will look more like a pick-up game rather than an NHL battle as today is really only the second day of training camp. There will likely be confusion and mistakes, but we should see basic talent and vision, considering systems can’t possibly have been cemented in 48 hours.

What we won’t see is John Tavares who, as Newsday’s Katie Strang explained has been battling the flu and just started skating yesterday. (Uh, John, that better not be H1N1 and no one else better get sick!) We also won’t see Rick DiPietro, who was seen in pads on the ice yesterday as announced on Twitter.

It’s just nice to know that the roster (right now) seems healthy and ready to go. It will be nice to see Andy Sutton back on the ice again. The oft injured Radek Martinek is also currently healthy. Shall we start taking bets on how long THAT will last?

Also in Katie’s news was the tidbit of info that John Tavares is rooming with his new mentor, Doug Weight. Ahem, just another building block in the case for that “C.” (If you haven’t figured it out by now, this is a cause I will continue to promote until we actually see who is wearing it.)
Hey, JT, you get Dougie sick for the only pre-season game at the barn and I’m going to be really, really pissed at you.

Other Islanders news for Sunday was met with much joy as MSG has decided to put Deb Placey back in her original home covering Islanders games. (Hmmm… I guess that means a friend of mine may have to vacate her dressing room.) For years, Deb worked tirelessly covering the Isles for MSG. She’d be there for the morning skate taking notes and conducting interviews then eat, nap and was right back out working with the production crews to get it all down right. Welcome back.

So, 10 pm, 10:30 pm, whatever, on MSGPlus, if we can find the channel, or any other channel it will be aired on as it is the NHL’s highly publicized and heavily sponsored Kraft Hockeyville, we actually get to see our first glimpse of NY Islanders hockey for the new season.

Get out the jerseys; grab a Starbucks, fire up the laptop. The Puck drops HERE!! FINALLY!!!

They Said They'd Be Back!!!!

I couldn't take it any longer. I had looked at the calendar and noticed that I was nowhere near being able to see a live game until Wednesday the 25th. This was not doing my soul any good.

I checked the practice schedule and headed to Iceworks this morning at 11 am for no good reason other than it was calling to me.

No laptop, no camera, no ulterior motive. Just me and a box of oatmeal raisin cookies.

For some reason, many of the plastic bleachers are broken. Considering how much money they've sunk into the place, I was really surprised and saddened by that. I took a spot on the bleachers center ice and just watched.

It was so good to see Doug Weight out on the ice in a yellow jersey. That's the "Don't touch me yet!" jersey, right? But he was working up a sweat, getting back to his old self, keeping up with the kids.

It's amazing how much fun Kyle looks like he has out there. I know that he and Josh Bailey are young, but they do look like they have fun even when they are working.

Also good to see on the ice was Andy Sutton. He was NOT in a yellow jersey. You can't miss Sutton as he is at least a head taller than everyone else. But he looked good.

Also looking good, and not as despondent as I would have expected was Bruno Gervais. He was skating by himself center ice, practicing his backwards defense moves. He really does skate beautifully.

Jackman was trying desperately to get a puck over the netting to a group of kids that were there. He finally tossed it over a doorway instead. He and his toothless grin made the boys very happy.

I was made very happy but a smiling Sean Bergenheim that stopped me to say Hello. When I asked him how he was doing, he smiled broadly. "Good. I'm feeling good. I should be back on the ice soon!"

I told him to hurry up.

Scott Gordon was taking his time today really talking to them. They surrounded him in a huddle listening intently.

I took a deep breath of the cold air, and headed back out to my car to head back to work. It was just a quick fix to get me to Friday.

Hopefully. Although I really wish I had remembered my damn camera! But Newsday DOES have a VIDEO!

7th Goal at the .7 Sec Mark for me? Bergenheim Hat Trick

It happens every time since I can't post from my phone the way the illustrious Islesblogger.com Mike can. (Check out his photos of Iggulden's post game on his website. ) So I had to wait till I was home and done with dinner and such in order to post my thoughts on the end of the Isles 7 - 3 day time win.

My thoughts? I will repeat the text I received. "Who Are These Guys???"

This is a night that Sean Bergenheim will always remember as the night he potted his first NHL hat trick. I'm sure he may forget the two whiffs he made before it finally happened with only .7 seconds left of the third.

"That's the second time in a few years that I scored in the last second. Made it a little tight. I'm happy it was one second before and not one second AFTER." Sean was swarmed by the media.

"When you play you learn. Maybe I know how to position myself a little better right now. I think a lot of individuals are playing better and we are playing better as a team." He made sure to say that didn't speak badly toward anyone who is no longer on the team.

He continued "Jack Hillen chipped the puck up pretty far, I couldn't backhand. I had to get a better angle. I knew there wasn't much time. I knew I had to shoot it. It worked out well."

Yes it did. But was he thinking about it when it was happening? "I think, sometimes when you do something on the ice you don't think too much, you just do it. That's what happened. I didn't have time to think of anything. I just needed to get it to the net."

Sean was asked what was different about this team. "I think everybody is pretty comfortable now. We're young, we have a good group. Right now we're kinda glued together a little bit better on the ice. Maybe it's because we're young and we know each other."

Since we had discussed the empty netter, Sean was asked to describe the first two goals of his hat trick. Goal number one; "First goal was a great play by Iggy there, we battled the puck in the corner and he took it and tried to wrap it around and it came to me. It was a great pass. I had an easy job."

Goal number two; "I got the puck to the middle. Frans Nielsen was in front so I don't think Brodeur saw too much. Kind of a little bit of luck there. The shot wasn't the best one or it hit somebody or something."

"I think maybe Marty had an off day today. He's a great goalie. Their defense wasn't that good today because we had good pressure. It was more US being good today."

I'm wondering HOW good. As I was leaving, GM Garth Snow was leaving Scott Gordon's office. I'm hoping that he wasn't in there saying, "Scott, I know the system works, but enough with the winning! Stop it already!"

You know that's a joke... right??? Joke!!

Kudos to Scott Gordon for proving that his much maligned "system" seems to be working both in Bridgeport and Uniondale.

I also passed gargantuan Andy Sutton in the hallway. He was looking good. I just wish he'd be looking good on the ice instead of a suit and tie. Too bad we have now lost veteran Trent Hunter with an ankle fracture. Maybe Andy can tell him how to pass his time while he's recovering.

The NY Islanders injury "bug" must be the size of Mothra.

Puck Poise & Patience 11-13-08

That's what Scott Gordon had to say in the post game about Josh Bailey after the Islander game in Ottawa tonight. I suppose the kid is making a case for himself to stay with "his" team.

I had a feeling the Islanders would be able to win this one, and it was nice to see that feeling was right for a change. I'm always hopeful, but it was different tonight. Then again, the odds were with me. They can't lose EVERY game; it's just not possible.

While watching the first period, I noticed little things that I liked about Sutton, Hilbert and Weight. Was it actually possible that this could be a good team with just really bad luck?

I watched Bailey set up some very nice plays for his second NHL game. And then Okposo scored off Bailey and Campoli and I had to smile. Not just because Josh had his first NHL point (and Okposo finally had a new goal for the highlight reels) but because it was the spark they needed to get them going.

When Hunter scored with his back to Auld, I thought about the dreaded "lead" that leads to loss. But after checking the NYIC board, I told myself and the other members to just have faith.

I kept hoping that Sean would make it three, but as hard as he worked, the goal wasn't his. But I'm sure he'll take that assist point on Guerin's goal as it was a decent set up for his two veteran line mates.

Puck Poise and Patience. Could that be the winning recipe to start putting some numbers in the win column of the stat sheets? We've seen Sutton have great patience with the puck, and Weight too. Perhaps this is something Gordon can teach all of them. But for now, his youngest pupil seems to have a pretty good head start.

Congratulations Josh. Guess you won't be heading to Windsor any time soon.

The "Third" Story 11-8-08

"I've seen this movie before. The Islanders lose."
That's what Big Angry Man said to me as we were well into the third and the Islanders had ZERO shots on goal for the period. The stats were actually 18 - 0 before Tambellini finally broke the drought at 17:46 of the 3rd.

Uggghh!!! As I opted to stay home with my husband to watch this game, and since I don't have a valid Internet connection in the house right now, I watched the game and took notes. Ten pages of them to be exact. It certainly is different watching a game on my big screen with B.A.M. and being able to hear Bill Jaffe's commentary. I actually paid attention and noticed all sorts of things I probably would have otherwise missed.

Let's start with MSG Plus first. What the heck is the problem with the volume on the HD channels? What is it? Mime? But oddly the commercials are blasting when they're on. And BTW, this no pre-game show for the Islanders while the Rangers and Devils have one is sheer and utter BS. If the evil Dolan empire wants to say there is no interest in our pre-game show then prove to me there is interest in the Rangers telecast.

Also, there is now some sort of High School Sports portion during the first intermission. Now, while I'm all for high school sports information, why is it airing during my hockey game? MSG already cut out my pre-game, they jump right into their Hockey Night Live thing as soon as the game is over, and now they added High School Sports info too? Are you begging me to go to Satellite service? Are you? And PS, adding Butch Goring to your round table after game discussions does not make this a post Islander game broadcast. (Although I will say I do enjoy watching the guy who looks like Bon Jovi. But then again, anything sitting next to Ken Daneko would be handsome.)

Okay, enough bitching about MSG. The good things about the broadcast were Stan Fischler's subway token tie and the fact that CJ Papa has found his broadcast comfort zone, just as I knew he would.

BTW, the wine at my house is much better than that at the Coliseum (cheaper too) and the Chicken Parm Pizza on the second level is to die for! But I digress.

This was undoubtedly Andy Sutton's best game. He was a pleasure to watch all evening. I did notice one little thing early in the first period that I couldn't get an answer on because it seems no one else saw it. But I watched a linesman grab Sutton's jersey as he was skating past him. I wish I was in the Blog Box with IslesOfficial Doug to ask him what that was all about. There was no call, no whistle and play didn't stop, but he was slowed up a little by that move.

Also, I noticed Crosby's stick sweep up over Sutton's head and knock his helmet forward, again no call. If you can get a stick up to big Andy's head, shouldn't that be a call? Again, where's Doug when I need him?

It's painfully obvious that B.A.M. hasn't been watching many games this season yet as he turned to me a few times asking who was wearing what number. "Who's number eleven?"

"Hilbert." I said wondering if he was just testing me, but he wasn't. I'm scared. He remembered him when he scored that back-hander while in the paint to make it 3 - 1.

Congratulations to Tim Jackman on his first goal of the season and third NHL goal of his career. He was a big part of this game tonight. Okay, the pleasant parts that is.

Doug Weight was proving that he's definitely not too old for this league and Jon Sim seemed invisible. Did he actually play tonight? The stat sheets says he played 12:26, but I didn't hear his name called ONCE by Billy or Howie. He was invisible.

No disrespect to our star goalie, but I am enjoying watching Joey MacDonald thrive. There are no antics in the crease, no theatrics and no wandering. Just saves. I just wish the rest of the team wouldn't let him become one big target every time they get to the third period. Is this what Joey actually signed up for? I think not.

The penalties were another story to the game. Some of them seemed marginal and infuriated Scott Gordon behind the bench.

For two minutes, let's put aside the fact that the team seems to fall asleep in the third period until there is under a minute left. I'd like to just mention that it seems the ice conditions in the Coliseum play a big part in these games. The puck bounces all over the place and won't settle down. I watched three players hit the ice without any help from the opposition and with only 35 seconds of the third left Sabourin went down behind his own net.

I've been in that building during the day when there are very few people in there; I've been in there when it's packed to the rafters. It's too damn WARM. When I can sit comfortably in a long sleeve shirt and never once look for my fleece, there's a problem. Ice conditions are a specific science. People spend years perfecting methods for optimum conditions. The Coliseum doesn't seem to have the concern other arenas have for this important part of the game. More should be done to improve ice conditions at the Coliseum which will not only improve the game but also protect those who play it.

I'm surprised that Sean Bergenheim didn't score a goal tonight since I was not personally in attendance. I did panic just a little when he absorbed impact with Hal Gill and went back on the bench in considerable pain. I'll admit, my heart raced a little. We seriously can't afford more injuries.

Sidney Crosby didn't seem like his usual amazing self this evening, and Okposo seems to be trying to do too much. Nielsen and Tambellini played their hearts out but this wasn't the outcome they were working for.

Everyone seems to be complaining about Gordon's shoot-out choices, but let's also remember that our old Mr. Shoot-Out didn't score on MacDonald. But yes, perhaps next time they wander into the shoot out forum, let the young guns have a go and leave the old work horses watching from the bench.

There seems to be a three goal, third period curse going on here. Bring in an exorcist and a Starbucks concession in the locker room. Some thing has gotta give or some one's head is going to explode soon. And it won't be pretty when it does.

Nite all.