"Wildly" Disappointing in MN

The Excel Energy Center is one a great building. With so many family members and friends of Okposo, Hillen and Jackman, there were plenty of Islanders jerseys to be seen last night. But while the homecoming for the Minnesota boys may have been pleasant, the outcome for the Islanders last night left their coach almost speechless.

"I'm not going to talk to them right now." Gordon glared at MSG's Rob Carlin when he asked him immediately after the game what he said to the team after losing 3 - 2 with only 1:07 left of the third on a bad turnover that left Owen Nolan all alone with Marty Biron.

Nolan, the man drafted the same year that John Tavares was born, was even more surprised than Biron that he was given that gift of a goal by the Islanders. It was his second for the game. Actually, I think the FIRST goal of the game was a gift by Marty Biron too.

According to NHL statistics, the team that scores first has the upper hand in winning the game. It proved true last night as the Wild were the first on the scoreboard at 11:44 in the first on a wrist shot by Nolan for his fifth goal of the season. So the first and the last both belonged to the 37 year old veteran from Belfast.

The Minnesota Wild haven't been doing as well as their sold out crowds would like, but the NY Islanders, who lost their seventh game in that building, gave the crowd of over 18,000 a surprise ending. Jon Sim had tied the game at one with his second goal of the season at 3:07 in the second and Josh Bailey, while on his knees, made it 2 - 1 at the 10:23 mark with a shot that went over Backstrom. Yep, for all intents and purposes, it looked like it was going to be Lucky Seven and the Islanders would win this game.

But this is the NHL and no lead is safe and you don't know who wins until the final buzzer. Bad penalties and bad turnovers plagued the Islanders and while the Penalty Kill is getting way too much practice killing off five on three scenarios, the Power Play isn't doing what it needs to. "We had great chances on the Power Play and didn't bury them." Gordon told Rob in the post game. But the loss boiled down to one thing, "Turnovers. That's all it was."

#NotoriousNateThompson night wasn't as huge a success on Twitter as #MightyMattMoulson night, but it was still interesting considering Nate started things off with a fight with Nathan Smith early in the first period. I'm sure the league will be happy to know Nate's helmet never left his head. Nate ended the night with 12:31 in ice time, one fight, three blocked shots, one Hit and a 56% win ratio in the face off circle.

Tim Jackman and Shane Hnidy decided to get into it late in the second which got the home town crowd even more excited. Jackman may not be the best fighter in the league, but he may be the most intense. By the time it was over, he had Hnidy face down on the ice and looked like he was doing everything in his power not to just keep going.

So for all the press about Tavares and Clutterbuck it seemed to be a non-factor in the game. There were no amazing Tavares moves last night, no brilliant goals. In all honesty, the game was a little on the dull side. Not to say that there weren't bright spots, there were.

I actually noticed Andrew MacDonald this game. Jon Sim has to be recognized for his hard work, no matter how disappointed Islander fans may be in his past performance. As Gordon said last night, Sim is "a guy, if we can get him on a roll, would be a huge asset to the team."

The Hillen and Okposo families shared a luxury suite last night for the game, sadly they didn't get to celebrate a win, but I'm sure they all had a good time anyway. Too bad the boys couldn't stick around as they are off to St. Louis for tonight's match up against the Blues.

No time to sulk over the loss. Time to just come out ready to play. This one is history. Let's just forget it.

Add a Name to the List...

Let's just add Nate Thompson to that Injury List that Jason Lockhart is keeping up on the Islanders main site. I really wish he would put the date they went OUT on as well as the amount of time they're expected out. Not that it really matters, but it's easier to do the math.

So Josh Bailey has a two point game, but a horrendous pass to no one late in the third. You owe me one Josh.

Joey MacDonald returned to the net and all I can say is, "Scotty, What the heck were you thinking?" Yann Danis was on a hot streak. What did it really gain to give Joey back the net? Joey made 26 saves, and gave up one too many.

The ice seemed to be bad in spots as Doug Weight went down and had to leave for a few minutes, and then Martinek hit the ice in the same spot. Well, it is Florida.

So much for the winning streak.

I'd like to thank Whale4Ever at SB Nation's The Litter Box for the blogger hospitality. That was fun, and Happy Birthday. And I would have never known about it unless I was on Twitter.

Remember to wear Red tomorrow for Women's Heart Health day. I was really happy that my pin and earrings that I ordered from their website arrived just in time to wear tomorrow. At least that was a pleasant surprise.

I'll mention it here too, if you'd like the Islanders to send you text message updates and recaps, you can sign up for their Mobile Squad by texting the word JOIN to 66856. You can cancel the service at any time by texting STOP to the same number. But it's worth checking out if you have a good text plan with your mobile carrier.

Adding Insults to Injuries & tomorrow's game

Is Point Blank becoming the harbinger of all bad Islanders news? I received a press release today about the Islanders doing their annual holiday hospital tour. I didn't realize they were doing it because so many of them needed the hospital themselves.

Tonight we learned that Josh Bailey will be out of the line up once again this season with yet another injury and that Nate Thompson has a fractured ankle. If you add this to all the other injuries that the roster is still trying to recover from, the Islanders had better start looking at the front office staff for replacements.

Better yet, I know Steve Mears plays hockey and his shot is just as wide as Jon Sim's. Suite him up! What can it hurt.

But with all the injuries plaguing the Islanders people are starting to call out the training and conditioning staff. In all honesty, even though this could just be a run of the worst possible luck, there could be a case or two made for this vigilante movement.

It's not just our veterans going down with injuries but the cornerstones of our youth movement. It's not fair. Having one of the young guns out for one or two games is no big deal, losing them for weeks on end or the ever popular "day-to-day" is simply disheartening.

I'll repeat what I said last season: Get a priest, a rabbi, a shaman or whatever it takes to break the spell of the dark cloud that permeates the Coliseum. And do it quickly.

As tomorrow night will be one of the only times I will be in the coliseum this month, Islesofficial.com Doug has arranged for a live chat with members of the blog box, so join in. I can't say it will be fun, but misery certainly does love company!

I actually don't know if that link will work, but if it doesn't, check his blog for the right one!!!

Blake Watch - Leafs 4 - Isles 1/2 that

Jason BLAKE - 3 pt night.

BLAKE Comeau - 0 pt night.

If Mike Comrie was skating tonight, I would have bet even money that Jason Blake would have probably had a Gordie Howe hat trick.

Interesting interviews he gave to CJ Papa both before and after the game. Blake has always been one that can't hide his emotions. You could tell he still hurts a little when he said Long Island was "home" for seven years. And considering how poorly he's been doing in his new "home," you can guess he thinks about it often.

Until, as my husband pointed out, he cashes his paycheck. Rude but true.

Comeau, on the other hand, played hard but had nothing to show for it. Well, until tomorrow when the bruises turn a lovely shade of purple. He slid into the net and was slow to get up after smacking the post before it dislodged. He also had to leave the ice with a hand injury, but did return. He didn't look comfortable on the bench, but he was playing through it.

My boy Sean was a -2 for the evening and was called for a marginal penalty that earned the Leafs one of four. You have to stop that Sean. I can't take the taunting at my house.

I held my breath when Nate Thompson took on Ryan (porn star mustache) Hollweg. But he managed to stay on his skates long enough to get a few in before falling to the ice. The linesmen were smart to stay close and broke it up as soon as they landed.

I'm still waiting for Josh Bailey to earn his first NHL goal. I'm sure, he is too.

Not the way the Islanders wanted to start their 4 game road trip. But those are the breaks. Some times you win... some times you lose. Some times... you get used to it.

Tomorrow is another day.

Oh, and don't forget to Rock the Vote on the Blog Contest at www.yesislanders.com.

High Noon in Boston 11-28-08 (Blogging from the couch)

The number of that truck is #17. Milan Lucic, the 20 year-old 6'4" left winger is hell bent on hitting as many Islanders as he can. First he took down Colliton in front of the Isles bench and got a tongue lashing from Witt. Then he gave Jackman yet another gash on his face when he crushed him into the boards during the last few minutes of the first period.

There was no penalty called, when there really should have been. It took Jackman a few minutes to get to his skates, and Lucic waited around waiting for something to happen--anything. No penalty, and no real retaliation. He skated away satisfied with himself.

The story of the first few minutes of the game has to be Nate Thompson in his first game back from sports hernia surgery. He's been solid with no signs of rest and tallied the first goal. I was amazed as the cameras followed him for what seemed like minutes, all alone in the Boston zone.

I'm still hoping for Bailey to get his first NHL goal, and considering how well the fore checking has been so far, it's a strong possibility today may be the day.

With a penalty called on Tambellini Boston scores on the power play to even it up. Why #12 was allowed to keep poking at the puck in Joye's pads, I don't know. But he did.

I was going to say we can start a new drinking game called the "Jon Sim shoots wide" game because I think he's missed at least five really good chances. But then I felt bad when he ran to the locker room with a towel on his face stopping the bleeding from somewhere. Sorry Jon.

At 11:36, it was almost 2 -1, but the cross bar is your friend, so with SOG even up right now at 14, Joey makes a very lucky save to keep the score even as well when the puck just bounces all the way to him on some bad ice.

Tambellini takes a second penalty for high sticking because he wasn't watching what was happening behind the net.

And again, the audio levels on MSG Plus HD are variable. (I'm going deaf, no I'm not. I'm going deaf, I'm cured. FIX IT DAMN IT!!!

Boston gets 3 SOG during that penalty and they caught a break since MacDonald lost the puck with no whistle, until he finally fell on it to freeze it.

Boston's Ryder makes it 2 - 1 at 4:44 of the second unassisted. Well, actually, the assist was from the giveaway by Brendan Witt, but they can't use that.

With less than 30 seconds left of the 2nd, the Islanders go on the power play, but the SOG are now a very UNeven 23 - 16 in favor of the Bruins. Joey has been getting far too much work.

Start of the third, and 2 SOG if that during their power play. As Danno came to sit with me, he called it. "Good teams would score here. The Islanders won't." Well, they didn't.

Dan keeps calling for Campoli to get back on the ferry. Having him say that whle watching him turn over the puck made it that mjuch more painful. Lucky for Campy, Joey has been in great position. He should buy him dinner when this is over.

At 13:22 Billy Guerin gets a break away, but Fernandez gets a toe on it and it hits the boards. At 13:12, Blake Wheeler flies to the other end of the ice and beats MacDonald to make it 3 - 1. The momentum seriously shifts.

Ten seconds later, Krejci makes it 4 -1 and by 12:40, Peter Maninno makes his NHL debut. What an afternoon. It was great to see Gordon speak to Joey when he came back tot he bench, and top off the conversation with a pat on the shoulder pad and a "Good job." MacDonald has been playing very well. But he can't save them all. No goalie really can.

At 10:50, when the Bruins made it 5 - 1 Witt decides to continue his conversation with Lucic. This time with his fists. Sadly, Witt seems to get the worst of it. Not to be outdone, Jackman and Hnidy square off and that one gets quite bloody to say the least.

Once they get back to playing hockey, Richard Park adds to the Isles score on a power play. But with 8 minutes left, it's more a personal bonus than a team victory.

With the SOG now 23 - 36 with only a little more than five minutes left in the third, I'm wondering how high it can go.

Ryder beats Maninno and makes it 6-2 on the power play. Not the debut he was looking for, I'm sure.

To add insult to insult, Lucic made it 7 - 2 and Joey MacDonald blew a gasket on the bench. The defense is leaving this kid out to dry. And they did.

AS if I didn't think they'd lose a day game. Back on the bus boys. You've got a game tomorrow too. Shake it off.

Just a note: Scott Gordon said something I found to be very telling when asked how he felt about MacDonald's play of late. "He's been what every teams #1 goalie HAS to be."

Now if they can get the rest of the team to play the way they're supposed.

The Process Makes Progress 11-5-08

I wanted to bring up just a few points this morning as the sun dawns on a new, historic day for the USA.

I went to bed reviewing an Islander win and contemplating the potential presidential victory. I thought of how many doubts about our team are beginning to be shattered while doubts about our country's future loom large.

When the Islanders announced the parting of ways with well respected coach Ted Nolan, the fan base gasped in disbelief.

When Garth Snow gave Joey MacDonald a one way contract and Wade Dubielewicz left with nothing but a hand shake, the fans vocally doubted his choice.

When Scott Gordon was chosen over candidates with years of NHL experience to lead this team during a new phase, many thought Garth Snow had a hidden agenda.

The doubts continued as free agent Mark Streit was given a lucrative contract and Gordon lobbied for the signing of AHLer Nate Thompson.

Well Islander Country.... what say you now?

Of course, we are still awaiting the decision on dropping a few places in the draft and coming away with Josh Bailey. But something inside me says that too will turn out to be another "I told you so" Garth Snow decision.

So far the only decision our GM has made that I continue to doubt and grumble about is letting Darryl Bootland go. (BTW, he's doing very well with the Manatoba Moose.) And I'm even giving in on the Blake decision. (FINE! So you were right about that one too! Don't rub it in.)

Perhaps this team may not set any unprecedented NHL records this season, but in April we should come away pleasantly surprised and looking toward the future.

With God's blessing, our country can do the same. We awoke to a new day in American history. No one can discount the impact this election will have on the world. I hope this 47 year-old man and single term Senator is up to the task of leading a nation in a world of political and economic unrest.

In Obama's victory speech he used the phrase "While we breathe, we hope."

Personally... I hope we don't get our ass kicked. It is now his turn to prove himself.

What's Better than an Islanders Win?? 11-4-08

Why an Islanders win at MSG of course!

For a game that was considerably... um... boring, it had a very exciting ending.

Joey MacDonald is proving himself to be the NHL quality goalie that Garth Snow felt he was when he handed him a one way contract. Nice to see him prove himself to all his detractors that were so vocal a few months ago.

Congratulations to Nate Thompson on his first NHL goal. They say you always remember the exact play for that goal. Well, Nate will be remembering a short handed surprise for the rest of his life.

It's also nice to have the Islanders leading the NHL in something. Currently they lead in short handed goals. Thank you Richard Park! And oddly today I did send out a message calling for another one from him. So nice of the Cosmos to comply. I'm still waiting for those lotto numbers though.

Trent Hunter missed the empty net with only seconds left, but gave up his body to block a final Ranger rush. I hope he didn't crack a rib on that block.

Congratulations gentlemen. That was important to us. As I said at the beginning of the season. Those Dynasty die-hards kept telling me the Islanders could have a terrible season as long as they beat the Rangers every time. This is a start.

Rest up for the trip. Thanks for the two points.

And now we wait for the election results. "Be careful what you wish for... History starts now."

Good night Islander Country.