The Road to the Stanley Cup playoffs just got a little easier for the Islanders. Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur, who has beaten them six straight games, including three shutouts, is sitting out this afternoon’s must-win game at Continental Airlines Arena. Brodeur made the decision after talking with Devils president and coach Lou Lamoriello on Saturday and again this morning.
Obviously, Brodeur’s decision could have a major impact on the playoff race. The Islanders must win to get in as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference to play Buffalo. If they get one point or less, then Toronto is the eighth seed.
Scott Clemmensen, the man with the loneliest job in the NHL as Brodeur’s backup, gets the starting assignment. Brodeur started 78 of the previous 81 games, so, Clemmensen will be making only his fourth start of the season. He’s 1-1-1 with a 3.47 goals against average and a save percentage of .880. His last start came on Feb. 25, and he last played in relief of Brodeur for 32 minutes on March 17.
“I can’t make the decision for [other] people,” Brodeur told reporters before today’s game. “It was for us.”
Describing his meeting with Lamoriello, Brodeur said, “If I wanted to play he had no problem with that at all. But we talked about it together like we always do. We talked about just playing a little bit, playing maybe a period or two periods. Then, I was like well, it’s not training camp. It’s kind of hard to do that, get Clemmer in the middle of a game. You never know what’s going to happen and for him to get an important game like that is going to be good for him.”
No doubt, Brodeur’s decision will meet with an avalanche of criticism in Toronto. “I understand,” Brodeur said. “We all have a lot of friends in Canada and a lot of them are Canadien fans or Leaf fans and when it was 5-3 for Montreal [on Saturday] I was getting all these calls. You can’t please that, but hopefully we’ll win so I won’t have to deal with it.”
Even with Brodeur out, the Devils’ defensive style and neutral-zone trap has made it tough for the Islanders to get many quality shooting opportunities. They will have to be patient this afternoon and hope to force some turnovers of their own. As Ryan Smyth said, “They know their system; they stick to their system; there’s not a lot of mistakes being made, and they’ve got guys who can capitalize in transition. We have to play simple, hockey, basic hockey, get the puck in deep and no turnovers at the lines because they thrive on that.”
Comments (136)
WOOHOO!
Sounds good!!! But dont underestimate them. Chances are higher right now but we'll see in 10 minuts...
LETS ROCK N ROLL!!!
1-0 end of one... and now I'm headed out to dinner. Let's go ISLES!!!
Woot woot!!
Isles up by 1 after 1!!
Isles have a lot of Power Plays with no results. I'm a little worried if the Refs start to even it up.
6 minutes left in the 2nd, still 1-0 for the Good Guys.
Devils boring hockey style in a game that means nothing to them. They seem to be keeping the Isles to the outside and playing their defensive game, but no real effort offensively.
Isles are protecting Dubbie well. Maybe leaving Devils asleep at the switch is a good strategy.
Richard Park, the man from Seoul Korea!!!!
2-0, 11:30 to go.
Richard Park just scored second ... MAN, THIS GUY IS HOT!!! Counting down the minutes ... 11 minutes and Isles are in...
And Dubie with 16 saves so far ... DUBIE! DUBIE!!!
I know nobody is on right now, but
DUBBIE, DUBBIE, DUBBIE!!!
1:2 ... 4 minutes to go ... breath regularly, breath regularly ... CMON ISLES!!!
Yes, a deflection after three forwards were caught up the ice. One man in guys!
1:17 left, faceoff in Isles zone. Get your teeth in front of it!
Blocked by SMYTH! Broken stick by Smyth, stall...
pulled goalie, 36 seconds.
Last second goal!!! NONONONONONONONONO!!!!!!!
Holy Crap! .7 seconds.
I can't believe it.
2-2
0.7 sec to go ... 2:2 ... F NO!!!!!!!!!
0.7 to go ... 2:2 ... Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
I could taste it already. FRICK!
Unreal! This is so typical. I'm glad I'm not a Toronna fan today.
R u watchin it on TV? I watched first periond, now listening Isles radio ... can't believe it ... can't ...
OT to start ... John Madden will get some extra money from Leafs ... I hope not ... this is a PO hockey ... Isles must WIN
3:41 remaining in OT ... how many shots did Smyth block???
Brendan Witt had a chance to clear and he woofed it. We wouldn't be in OT if he put it hard on the boards!
Yeah Piero I am watching on TV. Where are you that can't see it?
0:30 left in OT ... Isles playing PP, Madden in box ..., OMG!
Slovakia, Europe ... I watched only 1st period ...
Dubie 3rd best goalie in AHL in shootouts ... well, good luck Dubie! You have got the season in your hands ...
This is going to be tough for Dubie. He's trying to get tips from players and they are just shaking their head against at him. Now Dubie is talking to Dunham.
Cross your Butt Hairs!
Satan!!! My guy from Slovakia!!! Cmon
We are IN!!! Satan and Kozlov!!!
WE ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS!!!!!
Dubie the hero... mission impossible DONE!!!
Boo Hoo Toranna.
DUBIE's a hero!
YEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!
Let's Go ISLANDERS!!
This roller coaster ride encapsulated the season in one game.
Time to go to bed ... its 20 minutes past midnight here in Slovakia ... Miro Satan refused to play at World Championships but I really dont care ... WE ARE IN!!!
Thanks Isles
The Improbable Dream comes true. Way to go Dubie. Now for old times sake, let's kick some Buffalo butt.
Thanks for being here Piero. We needed all the good vibes we could get!
Okay... how does that Smyth deal look now. Do they make the playoffs with Nielsen or Nilsson in the lineup?
Great job Charles, Garth, Ted and every Islander to lace them up this year.
Now let's go show Buffalo that they made a mistake letting Ted go 10 years ago.
Let's go Islanders!!!
The Islanders like to do this on Easter every 20 years.
anyone know if the isles are heading back to the coliseum or iceworks tonight???
Does anybody know the home playoff scedule?
they can't do anything the easy way, can they? Dear God, they're going to be the death of me yet!
HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!
what is the home game schedule? anybody
Cincy~Miggsey~Kevin T~DP ~ John ~ Merrick "with the foil on"~ and all I have forgotten..........
I wish I could talk to you guys live about this game.....WOW....Like the season an unbelievable roller-coaster! I puked when they scored that goal with .9 seconds left....What a game! What an Easter!
PROS against Buffalo:
All pressure swings from us the past 4 games to them!
We had a nice come back the last time we played them and beat them in the regular season!
Ted Nolan factor!
CONS: They are freaking awesome! LOL
BEERS ON ME at the FIRST GAME @ home.....I am in FLA with the family Thurs-Monday and then will fly from Beantown to the games...Hope I am home in time for the first one!....Tell me where you guys meet or hang before games and my friends and I will meet you!!! BEERS ON
STEADY THE MAVEN !!! lol
Just a guess..playoffs open Thurs in Buffalo, figure Thurs & Sat in Buffalo and then Mon, Wed on LI?
hummina hummina zib nobbitz yagadoogie sporkblazipingdibble
That about encapsulates it.
how about game 6?
game 1 sabres THURSDAY
game 2 sabres SATURDAY
game 3 islanders MONDAY
game 4 islanders wednesday
game 5 sabres FRIDAY????
GAME 6 islanders SUNDAY???/
DOES THIS SEEM RIGHT TO YOU GUYS?
WE"RE GOING 2 THE PLAYOFFS BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The ride and thrill of such a dedicated comeback makes it all so worthwhile. Steady said it best with kudos to all the faithful (Cincy, Merrick, Kevin, John , DP, Steady too and anyone I missed) as we hung in to grab the last spot. The tears are flowing here in "Maple Loaf" land but they didn't deserve it for a New York minute. The Isles did what they had to do and now they reap the rewards. Yes, we're ALL Islander fans.
Just got back. Dubie, Dubie, doo (sung to Frank Sinatra's Strangers in the Night)!!!
Could the regular season have ended any other way? When Parise made that great play to keep the puck in the zone with ten seconds, my mind immediately flashed to Milbury and I had a bad omen. Sure enough...But, who cares, we won.
What a weird game. The Devils can be boring when they play all out, but when they play their system with little effort to counter attack--talk about lackluster for fans. I really thought the Devils would fly in OT because they hadn't skated, but for the last five minutes of the game--but credit to our boys!
Steady, you don't have to buy me a beer, but I'll drink one with you!
Steady, now that your done with this team-STAY AWAY...
We'll win this cup without you.
So you're in the playoffs, who cares?!?!?
Rangers rule, baby!
Sabers in 4!!!!!!!!!
Don't let the door hit your sorry ass on the way out CJ. Turn out the lights ya loser, it's over !!!!
This is an Islanders blog. Win a playoff game first, before you come in here chirping. 7 years with no playoffs and 4 and out last year, you clowns do quite a bit of yapping.
For Islanders fans who are, unlike this jerk-off, in the right place, any update on Zednik, DP, Meyer, Gervais?
A GREAT ISLE WIN!!!
But can someone please tell Poti to shoot the f'in puck at the point when the opposing team gives you a wide open lane. 2x in the last :20 of OT he had a chance to blast it from the point but chose to pass off.
Oops. I'm watching a replay on FSNY now and realize it was NOT Parise who kept the puck in, but Langenbruner. Man, it's amazing how different the game looks on TV then when you watch it live.
Hey, all kidding aside, nice job and congratulations . . . as a hockey fan I tip my cap to your team for sealing the deal . . . don't get me wrong, I still hate your bush league team, but I give credit where credit is due.
.9 Seconds. .9 Second? .9 Seconds!!!
What a game. So, no surprise to those I have been talking with here but, for those that don't know I am Rangers fan. With that said, My hat goes off to the Isles and those fans that are here all the time and the ones that are not that are REAL!
Islanders dezerved that game and to sit in the playoff picture. As many Rangers fans would hate me for it and I know I break the "rivalry" rules. I should have had an Islanders Jersey on in front of the TV today. lol, I was a fan for sure!
As for the specualtion on the schedule. The Rangers are tentatively set on Tuesday Wednesday the 17th & 18th at home. So my calcualtions were the East Coast will start on Friday and West on Thursday.
Steady (the Maven),
You weren't there today? lol
On another note I believe you owe me something?
LETS GO R_______!
Seriously though, this is great. New Season starts Thursday and it's a whole different scenario.
Good Luck to you all and the Islanders. Have fun at your games that you are going to.
I can't wait to taste the playoff atmosphere again.
I hope that I can meet you for that beer one day in the conference finals!
Guys, this has been such an incredible run. Thanks to all of you who've been there riding the rollercoaster with me and the rest of the diehards....I think I have to come back to the Island for Game 1 on Monday, and if I do I'll buy the second round after our man Steady buys the first.
Here we go now....anything can happen
LET'S GO ISLANDERS!
AND LET'S PACK THE COLISEUM!
Um, sorry....I wrote that post, apparently my computer decided to stop saving my info....seriously, thanks to everyone (Miggsey the constant Campoli supporter, Cincy the voice of reason, Steady for just being himself, and everyone else). Now I have to see if I can get tickets...
Hey all Isles fans... for most of us that hung in there and never stopped believing.... great job!... for those that were about to jump off the bandwagon.... welcome back!and for those who dove off of the ledge 2 weeks ago... I hope you are OK!
Isles in 6!
Thrahers in 6!
What a game. Poetic, in a way; perhaps that late goal was payback for Satan's 0.7 second goal earlier in the year.
We're in. WE'RE IN!
Looks like we won't be getting refunds for our playoff tickets after all. What a relief.
The momentum's on our side. The Sabres showed some weakness against Philly, and I think we would have had them last game had it not been for Dunham.
I agree, Isles in 6.
Thrashers in 4.
LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!
waaaaayyyyyyyyyy to close, but fitting i guess for a gritty team like the isles, for some reason this is the way youd think the Isles regular season would end..... i swear i was dying after the Devils scored the second goal.... but hey, everyones back to 0-0 now LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!!
I was at the game today and it was great to see a fairly large contingent of Islander fans making their presence felt.
Maybe a good playoff run will help convince Ryan Smith to sign with us-the Coliseum can rock come playoff time.
I was on hockeybuzz before reading after thoughts from fans on the game. A toronto fan said that we didnt deserve to make the playoffs and that we didnt have to deal with injuries all year. and he wasnt kidding. Some arguement he has eh?? Do they even play gold in canada?
LETS GO ISLANDERS
and that would be golf. Not gold. I dont believe gold is a game yet....yet
MY GOD, WHAT A WAY TO END THE SEASON! SO PROUD OF THE BOYS FOR PULLING IT OUT. DOOBIE IS LETHAL WITH THAT POKE CHECK! SABRES ARE GOING DOWN!
LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!!
Lot of character out there these past two weeks. Nolan(probably with help from Smyth, Sillinger, Witt and the other vets) really kept that room positive when it mattered. I hope this gets him votes for coach of the year.
CJ: Wow, you're too much. Posting under my name, quoting non quotes from me. Will a Rag stop at nothing on an Islander site??? Accepy iy loser, we're in!!!
WE CAN ALL THANK SAM ROSEN FOR CHANTING OVER AND OVER THAT THE ISLES WERE ELIMINATED...HE SINGLE HANDEDLY PROVIDED THE KARMA THE ISLES DESERVED TO MAKE THE PLAYOFFS...THANKS SAM...YOU IDIOT
INSTANT REPLAY ROSEN...YEP JAGR STILL DIDN'T SCORE
WE ARE IN!!!!!!!!!!
doobie has always been the clutch man even at third string.....
ok the BIG question to ask at this point is where is DP in with recoop??? will he be good to go at any point???
Personally, I don't think DP should come back even if he feels up to it. The key thing to avoid with concussions is multiple occurrences close in time. That's what could end his career... If he waits until next season, that's an enforced six months. DP is a franchise player -- it's not worth the risk. And Dubie's playing great, though one does wonder if he will become more beatable once other teams develop a "book" on him....
Just speechless after that game today. Nothing I can really interject but pure relief.
Like some have said before, I actually DID puke in my mouth at .9 of the third.
These guys played there hearts out the last four games and have a little magic going into Buffalo. I'm a realist here so I can't be too pumped about our chances of taking the series, but these guys ain't going to back down.
Kinda funny how Ryan Smyth was in a similar situation last year with Edmonton. 8th seed playing the President Trophy winning Wings and beating them last year. I ask you this. Whay can't we? There's something to say about the way we finished this season and I can't help but think we have as good a chance as anyone of making some noise. It's pretty simple, we are complete underdogs with nothing to lose. Miracles happen.
Anybody know whether Martinek is close to coming back? He'd be a HUGE help to us in the playoffs.
GRAVY!
There are a few of us who would have been happy with a solid effort down the stretch. Well.. they had a really good season, and the playoffs are GRAVY...
Now.. anything can happen.
Dubie earned himself the corner seat on the bench next year, but let's not forget who got us to the dance...
Any news on DP? Will he be back in time for the home games?
I've already got tix for games 3 and 4. NLCS last year, and now this... I'm a very happy guy!
Let's Go Islanders!!!!
BTW: If the Isles can win in 6, Simon won't have to sit next year.
DO IT FOR CHRIS!!!!
DDDDDOOOOOOOOBBBBBBBBBBBIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!!!
alright!!
i am back on the bandwagon!!
hey - i thought we were dead last week...but all the stars became aligned, and we made it!!
i thought we had no shot - too many variables - who knew that montreal would lay down and die!! (especially with carbonneau as coach...)
holy $hit- what a game today - after giving up the tying goal with 0.7 secs left...to win in a shootout, where we have been snakebitten all year...poetic justice against toronto!!
what a gutsy week - hill, hunter, poti. even witt have been tremendous...
what can you say about doobie...the guy has been beyond belief...
let's rest up, regroup and get ready for the sabres...and make the old coliseum ROCK!!
LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!
Beers are Beers MERRICK...I buy first round you got second :)!
Still do not believe the wave of emotions today from 3:30 ~ 6:30pm.....Unbelievable. That is why this game is so great!
Isles have a herculean task ahead of them, but hockey upsets usually happen in the first round. The point is to win the cup anyway, so why not start with the best team?!?
A deal is a deal....May the hockey Gods forgive me, but I promised DP that if the Isles made it to the playoffs I would post the following.... letsgorangers!
LOL....Man of my word...Sorry! :)
Look forward to seeing the coliseum rock again!
From the Isles site.
* With Deron Quint's
eligibility up, Bruno Gervais will be back in the lineup for the Islanders when they take on the Buffalo Sabres in the opening round of the playoffs
OK, fine, if Merrick gets Round 2 I'll get round 3....Screw school, work, and everything else, I'm coming back for the first playoff game (haven't been to an Isles playoff game since the Bates Penalty Shot Game....let's hope the good mojo continues!).
This was one of the top-5 games I've ever seen, and let's hope the magic doesn't end yet. We'll show Ryan Smyth what a packed playoff Coliseum looks like, and let's BRING HIM BACK!
Good night tonight, guys...sleep well, we earned it
Congrats to the Isles and all you Isles fans. That was unbelievable today, I couldn't believe the tension.
Lets meet up in the conference finals! Would be outstanding hockey and great for NY Hockey.
Has anyone tried watching any baseball so far? I don't know if it's because NY hockey has been so great and tense lately, but it is so friggin boring to watch baseball. You leave a hockey game and put on the Mets or Yanks and it's, ....ball one, batter steps out, the pitch....foul....look at those snowflakes in April.....ball two......foul.......foul......it sure is cold out.......ball....ground out to short.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Hockey rules people!
I friggin love it!!!!!!!!!!
Gotta agree with you there Jim on how lame baseball can be. i love the Metties, but right now it's hard to watch a full game without falling asleep. Reyes is awesome to watch though.
The schedule is out. See y'all on the 16th.
Thursday, April 12 8:00 p.m. NY Islanders at Buffalo
Saturday, April 14 7:30 p.m. NY Islanders at Buffalo
Monday, April 16 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at NY Islanders
Wednesday, April 18 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at NY Islanders
* Friday, April 20 7:00 p.m. NY Islanders at Buffalo
* Sunday, April 22 7:00 p.m. Buffalo at NY Islanders
* Tuesday, April 24 TBD NY Islanders at Buffalo
Richard Park hardly ever gets mentioned by anyone on this blog... and yet he has been instrumental in many Islanders wins in the last month. He gets my vote for least appreciated.
Glad to see that the Rags fans have disappeared from the blog.
UNBELIEVABLE......... LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!!!!!!
Ok, so I'm hammered, scared half the restaurant when I screamed like a freshly deflowered virgin after doobie's shootout save, and just listened to WFAN's highlights to the tune of, doobie, doobie, doooo
Man, what a night!