Even before the Islanders tee it up with Wade Dubielewicz in goal in Game 1 tonight against the Sabres’ loaded lineup, coach Ted Nolan knows there’s a good chance decision time will be upon him soon. Does he stick with “Dubie,” the hot goaltender who saved the season with his stellar play in four straight wins that earned a playoff berth, or does he throw Rick DiPietro straight into the playoff fire after a layoff of more than two weeks to recover from his second concussion of the season?
DiPietro met with a neurologist this afternoon and was expecting to take the neuro-psychological exam he must pass in order to be cleared to return to practice with the Islanders’ full squad. The team likely will not announce the results until tomorrow. But the Isles’ top goaltender came away from his third straight individual workout earlier today feeling upbeat about his condition.
“I skated again this morning and felt good,” DiPietro said. “I’m optimistic I’m going to do well, but I don’t want to sit here and tell you one thing and then not do well on that test. It’s all dependent on the test. I’ve been symptom-free, which is a positive thing. As long as I do well on that test and can be cleared by the neurologist, then, we’ll go from there.”
Before returning from the first concussion he suffered on March 13 in Montreal, DiPietro went through one full practice and then the morning skate on March 20 before facing Tampa Bay that night. The playoff schedule is a tight one with games every other day, but it’s conceivable DiPietro could pass the test, take part in practice tomorrow, go through the skate Saturday morning and be ready to go for Game 2.
“In playoff time, anything is possible,” DiPietro said. “It depends on how badly they want me to get up there.”
If not Game 2, then, Game 3 Monday night at the Coliseum certainly is a possibility, assuming he passes the test. So what happens if Dubie stays hot tonight and DiPietro is cleared to go before Game 2? Does Nolan then have a tough decision to make?
“No, there’s no decision there at all,” Nolan said after today’s morning skate. “We’ll make that decision when [the time comes], but we know exactly what the decision will be when Ricky comes back.”
To these ears, that sounded like an unqualified endorsement of DiPietro as long as he’s healthy and handles practice without any recurrence of the symptoms. Logically, it has to be that way. DiPietro was doing a brilliant job of backstopping the Islanders’ playoff push before suffering the first concussion and even went 2-0-2 before suffering the second concussion. Against the Sabres’ cavalry of goal scorers, his athleticism and puckhandling ability would go a long way toward blunting Buffalo’s attack.
That’s not to say Dubie hasn’t earned consideration to continue, especially if he plays well in Game 1. In eight appearances this season, Dubielewicz has a 2.06 GAA and a phenomenal .934 save percentage. Nolan credited Dubielewicz with restoring the Islanders’ belief they could make the playoffs when everything was going wrong after losing DiPietro for the second time.
“You talk about underdogs, I don’t think Wade’s really an underdog,” Nolan said. “This guy has [been an AHL All-Star and was a Hobey Baker Award finalist in college]. He’s had a great career. The only thing he didn’t have is the opportunity. Now, he has the opportunity. He’s the real deal. He just loves the game, he loves the competition, and he’s a treat to be around added into the good guys we have on this team.”
Either way, the Islanders can feel confident with their goaltending, though DiPietro’s playoff experience could make the difference when this series heats up. When you think about it, Buffalo is the team that might be on shaky ground in goal with Ty Conklin and his 3.44 GAA and .879 save percentage as the backup in case starter Ryan Miller goes down. In any case, it will be interesting to see what happens if and when DP is cleared to practice.
Comments (133)
Your hillarious, man posting under one name in an isles blog multiple times. You rags fans are intelligent. Your presence here shows that you fear our team. Rightfully so considering we were 5-1-2 against you this season...sweet life
LETS GO ISLANDERS
No question, you have to start Rico when he's totally healthy. One game at a time, though, Ted. Forget about DP until he's cleared to come back. You all have a game to play TONIGHT, with the immortal Wade Dubielewicz in net, in less than four hours.
LET'S GO ISLANDERS
Rangers won because of stupid penalties in those games
I hope DP is ready, as much as i love dubie, i dont see him being able to stop all the firepower the Sabres have.
Let me see
We beat you
5-2
2-1
Then in the regular season
7-4
4-3
2-0
5-3
The the Rangers won 3 in a row - yippy
then we won 3-2
So we son 5 straight on a row and you won 3 in a row by ONLY 1 point. SO honestly we kicked the crap out of you. And we beat you when it really counted!
14 Years by the way....(if he stays healthy)
HEY RANGERS FAN.....NO SHI*.....WE WON ALL OF THE LATE SEASON GAMES THAT MATTERED TO US, RANGERS, LEAFS , PHI, DEVS......
Flash Forward to 2009.
Hi, I am Rick Dipietro former NHL superstar. I'm here today to tell you about the sale we are having here at crazy Ricky's used ford dealership in Oyster Bay. We have a wide Variety of cars and trucks to choose from at rock bottom prices. All our trucks are certified by our Master mechanic Chris campoli. I promise folks you won't find a better deal anywhere else, so come on down to Crazzzzy Ricky's and score yourself a Ford today.
Isles in 6
LETS GO ISLANDERSSSSS
But i will give yo credit if it wasnt for the rags we wouldnt be in
HAHA good one heyhogarth snow....maybe he will have a few carwashes too
DP is irrelevant right now. We have a hot goaltender who is ready to rock and roll, so let's ride it for as long as we can.
In Dubie We Trust.
3 1/2 hours....Let's remind the Sabres that they have to get through us before they can think about the Cup.
We're in for a good ride. Why Not Us?
HOw do you not understand that the Isles won 5, lost 1 in regulation and 2 in overtime/shootouts???
He doesn't understand because he is a Ranger Fan and doesn't want to accept that the Islander kicked their butts
:)
5-1-2
for you idiot rag fans out there this means...5 wins, 1 regulation loss, and 2 ot losses
standard rags fan not knowing anything about hockey...you still waititng moron
JAGR IS OUT FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PLAYOFFS!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
READ IT AND WEEP
HTTP://WWW.TSN.CA/RANGERS/HOCKEY
I've been on the edge of my seat all day. Sitting through class today was especially excruciating.
Doobie's been very solid in net, and his enthusiasm has been contagious. The locker room has to be very pumped up right now.
Once again, Isles in 6.
Why not us?
LET'S GO ISLANDERS!!!
Time to stop referring to Dubie as the third-string goalie, don't you think?
All I can say is wow. How old are all of you?
RCN sucks so much. The game is supposed to be on channel 8. And the pregame show was, until it was pre-empted by some sort of lame indi rock show.
This happens every time we're on RCN2.
Lame.
At least there's the radio.
Everytime we're on FSN2, that is.
Did anyone expect any different of a outcome tonight?
1940 - Done!
When was the last time you won a playoff game? - Done!
So what else is there?
How about when was the last time the Fishsticks won a playoff game?
Or a better one. When will be the next time they win one?
MAYBE NEXT YEAR!!!
MAYBE NEXT YEAR!!!
MAYBE NEXT YEAR!!!
Can we freaking scrore on the Power Play...damn.
Did anyone expect any different of a outcome tonight?
1940 - Done!
When was the last time you won a playoff game? - Done!
So what else is there?
How about when was the last time the Fishsticks won a playoff game?
Or a better one. When will be the next time they win one?
MAYBE NEXT YEAR!!!
MAYBE NEXT YEAR!!!
MAYBE NEXT YEAR!!!
Goodnight, Isles. An embarassing mismatch.
ISLANDERS ARE TOUGH!
WHEN TRYING TO BEAT UP ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED LINES IN THE LEAGUE!
WHAT A JOKE!
DOOOOOOBIE, DOOOOOOBIE, DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
NA NA NA NA
NA NA NA NA
HEY HEY HEY
GOODBYE!
NA NA NA NA
NA NA NA NA
HEY HEY HEY
GOODBYE!
NA NA NA NA
NA NA NA NA
HEY HEY HEY
GOODBYE!
TICKETS JUST RELEASED:
FOR THE FIRST GOLF OUTING!
THANKS, EXPECT MORE FOR THE NEXT MONTH OR SO!
Did the Isles throw a bodycheck tonight? And, as sad as that was, the rags were even worse gettingv pushed all around
Why are Ranger fans so obsessed with the Islanders?
We did get pushed around.
BUT WE WON!
Winning teams do that
Watch and Learn
Amazing how Rangers fans care more about an Isles loss than their own win. Go take your posts to myspace. Isles must regroup and find ways to put more pucks on net and get some quality chances. Unlike Rangers fans on here who think they already won the cup, there is a lot of hockey left. LETS GO ISLANDERS
That was disappointing.
1. Our powerplay was atrocious. We were buzzing with the extra skater during the delayed penalty. Yet as soon as the powerplay started, we lost the ability to move the puck.
2. We took far too many bad penalties, starting with Witt's failed clear (that led to a Buffalo powerplay goal). In fact, as we took more penalties, the game started to slip away. Things were pretty even in the 1st and we played a pretty good 2nd. Penalties = trouble.
3. The Bufallo defense, more than their offense, beat us. We were weak on the walls, and we couldn't get the puck into the slot. We didn't get enough shots off, and what few shots we had weren't that great.
Rag$ fans need to grow up, and stop making yourselves feel better by visting the Isles blog. Very immature, and quite sad, actually.
Plus, if you're going to bother posting hockey stuff, do try and make some sense. Doobie didn't lose us the game, and it wasn't really a mismatch (certainly not an embarassing mismatch). Buffalo played good D, we let the score start slipping away as we took more and more bad penalties, and we had no powerplay.
Oh Scotty, go buy me a shark with fricking laser beams on its head!
ITS CALLED WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND. YOU ISLE FANS CANT POST ONCE WITHOUT RANGER, RAGS, RANJERKS AND ETC. COMING OUT OF YOUR FACE.
THEN WHEN RANGERS FANS GIVE IT BACK ITS WHY ARE WE OBSESSED. THE ONLY THING I AM OBSESSED WITH IS WATCHING THE SLOW PAINFUL DEATH OF THE ISLES THIS YEAR AND THE QUIETING OF THE 10 FANS THAT GO TO THE GAMES!
RANGERS IN 5
SABRES IN 4
TAMPA IN 7
GIVE US OTTAWA!
Jagr,
First, there's plenty of good debate on this blog. Things tend to get derailed when interlopers crash the party.
Second, I don't see Isles fans visting the Rag$ blog to engage in name calling. It may happen, but I haven't visited that blog, and don't intend on doing so. So save the victimhood speech. Where are you posting?
OH SORRY, I'LL BE QUIET NOW. GO IN THE CORNER AND PLAY WITH MY TOYS...
RIGHT!
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME THE ISLES WON A PLAYOFF GAME?
WHEN WILL THEY WIN THEIR NEXT?
Just to disprove your contention - this comment was taken off a Ranger blog site, literally ten minutes ago...
Name - "Islanderfanfrvr"
Comment "You Rangers are a bunch of idiotts [sic] and will never win a cup. Why dnt [sic] you all shut up."
So your point seems mute, correct?
CJ, THE MAVEN AND RANGERS IN 2007,
THE FOUR OF US CAN BUY TICKETS ON TICKETMASTER RIGHT NOW FOR GAME 4 WEDS NIGHT AND WATCH THEM CRY IN PERON.
WAIT I'LL BE AT THE GARDEN WATCHING NHL PLAYOFF HOCKEY...
NEVERMIND
CJ and other Rag$ fans:
I'll try and limit myself to one last post.
First, I agree that it's dumb for Isles fans to go and post nonsense (especially poorly spelled nonsense) on the Rag$ blog. But it's equally dumb for Rag$ fans to do the opposite. I have never even visited the Rag$ blogs, and I can bet most of my fellow posters here can say the same thing.
So no, CJ, pointing to the folly of that Isles fan only reflects on your own folly. And the issue is certainly not "mute." It isn't moot, either.
Second, Rag$ fans are in no position to exult in an Islander loss. We both played the Sabres four times this season. Unlike the Rag$, the Isles actually won a game. And I think we'll win more this season.
Also, I think we were 2-2 versus the Thrashers this year, while the Rag$ were 1-3 (not counting the playoffs). So, again, don't throw stones in glass houses.
A final point I forgot:
Don't even try looking to the past, asking when was the last playoff series we won. When the Rag$ win 4 Cups in a row, and 19 straight playoff series, then we can talk history.
PLAYOFFS PAL!
RANGERS 1-0 VS THRASHERS
FISHSTICKS 0-1 VS BUFFALO
SO THANKS FOR BEING ALL MATURE
BUT,
YOU WERE SAYING?
NOW THEY DON'T WANT TO LOOK AT THE PAST?
MINUS THE EARLY 80'S YOUR PAST IS ALOT MORE PAINFUL...START FROM THE EARLY 90'S
WELL, I CAN GO ON ALL NIGHT BUT, I HAVE TO BE AT THE BUS STOP IN THE MORNING! LMAO
IT IS GREAT HOW FOR YEARS IT WAS 1940! NOW ITS 1983 BUT THE ISLANDERS ARE SUCH A GREAT TEAM.
FOR MONTHS HERE THE QUESTION OF THE DAY TO RAG$ FANS WAS "WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU WON A PLAYOFF GAME?", THEN THEY WOULD SCREAM "10 YEARS AGO!" NOW THE ANSWER IS A HOUR AND A HALF AGO. AND THEY CAN'T TAKE THE SAME QUESTION BEING ASKED BECAUSE THEY LOST THAT GOOD COMEBACK.
ANOTHER GOOD ONE HERE WAS BASHING THE RANGERS SWEEP LAST YEAR. YES, THAT WAS PAINFUL THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES. BUT, HOW WILL THE ISLES FANS RESPOND AFTER THEIR SWEEP THIS YEAR?
LETS GO RANGERS!
GOODNIGHT LADIES!
SWEET DREAMS, AT LEAST THERE YOU CAN WATCH THE ISLES WIN A PLAYOFF GAME!
DP passed the test and will have a full practice with the team 2morrow
could we possibly see him saturday night against buffalo?
My Fellow Rangers Fans,
While I too would love to see the Islanders out of the playoffs, let's get real here with what we really want for the Rangers. The bottom line is that if neither Tampa nor the Isles win their series, the Rangers will have to face Buffalo themselves (if they beat the Thrashers, of course). Granted the Rangers are a much better and deeper team than the Isles and have a far greater shot at the Sabres, but come on, who really wants to play those guys? So let the Isles have all the fun they want, a win for them is a huge win for us. After all, it's not like the Isles have a shot at actually winning anything here.
you rag fans are so stupid. you act like you won the cup after 1 win. i hate to break it to you rag fans but you did not win lord's stanley cup tonight. i bet the first playoff win since 1997 feels real good right now but let's get real for a minute (if you silly rag fans can do that which is highly doubtful)
Posted by: CJ
So your point seems mute, correct?
----------------------------
HAHAHAHAHAHAH, you do mean "moot", correct? Sorry, you can make up all the excuses you want but the fact still remains you and the rest of your high school buddies that post here are obsessed. Rangers blog = 20-30 posts. Islanders blog, over 100 posts on most articles. Sorry bud, time for you to grow up and worry about the team you are supposedly a fan of rather than a team you dislike.
I retract my last comment. There are virtually zero posts on the rangers blog as of late. The last 3 articles written have 0-11 posts on them. Gee, where are all these supposed loyal ranger fans that are so knowledgeable about hockey?
For Rags fans winning ONE game in a PO series is like winning the stanley cup. As close as they will get.
Took them TWO years to win one freakin game. Big deal. Win the series then brag. They were the ONLY team last year to lose in 4 games the first round. They don't know how to act now that they actually won a single game.
Ranger fans are so dumb, it almost makes a rational person want to cry. But its just too easy to laugh at them instead. :)
Does anyone have anything to say about tonight's Isles game? Or is it all Ranger-bashing as usual?
Man I love rag-fags.... one win... hahahahahhahahahahahahaha. Both series are far from over. Good for you guys.... on your high horse now... rags win and isles lose one and now you're here... where were you a week ago... oh, I remember you lost to us with our back up's- back up in goal.... win three more and then let me hear something, rag fags.... we beat you 1-2-3-4-5 times this year... and lost 2 in a shoot out.... hahahahhahahahahhahahahahha. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't even be in the playoffs.... lets see what you'll say on sat.... biiiiiioooooooooottttttccccchhhhhhes... have a good night. By the way... where my boys cincy, migs, stead fishler, niko, marc, merrick, and all those I can't remember at??? How can we let rag-fags take over our site???? I'm off tomorrow..... I hope some rag fags respond!!!!!!!!
if we are to have any shot whatsoever, of winning a game, we need to play a nearly flawless game...beginning with staying out of the damn box...and scoring on our PP..
isles were flat in the first, got it going a bit better in the second, slowed the sabres down, tied the game, started to get more opportunities off the forecheck, and then-
witt- delay of game...
end of game for isles..
we need to:
bang their D
shoot from anywhere
get rid of the puck a bit quicker-isles seem to hold the puck too long, unsure of the play...(poti)
keep up the good D - 5v5, only one sustained period of pressure the whole game against us (right before asham scored)
we had some offensive chances (smyth/hunter banging in front, satan post, zednick & MAB in slot, smyth break in-needs to shoot!)-need to finish!!
decent effort 5v5, but poor result due to PP goals against...i expect a closer game sat. night...
and-DP in goal!
But seriously... tonights game was a little discouraging.... it was upseting to me that we couldn't win the physical battles. I thought physical play was going to be our strength.. I hope they make adjustments, because with this game plan, game one is the best result we can hope for
Tonight's game was tough to watch, but I think reading these blogs is even tougher. Too many Rag$ fans trashing the isles, too few decent comments about the game. I can only handle SO MANY MISSPELLED CAPS POSTINGS FROM EITHER SIDE. How about the scrum at the end of the game? Ryan Smyth trying to fire up the isles with a shot after an offsides whistle, or just frustration boiling over?
Yo sneaky pete... you got it right bro... but I'm afraid that playing a perfect game against buf is an impossibility.... with the speed mismatch its impossible for us to stay out the box. We need to finish our scoring chances, and to stop missing the freakin net so much. In my opinion, dubie looked great... gave us what we needed... we just need to capitalize on our chances.... oh yeah... lets get dirty in game 2 baby
Every decent scoring opportunity the isles had (except asham's) missed the net. We have a team full of hard workers, but not enough talent. End of story. DP might have saved 1 or maybe 2 of those goals (not Dubie's fault, but a great goaltender could have stopped a couple of them) but we still only put one up on the board.
we can't win by scoring one freakin goal! hit the GD net! that witt penalty really hurt. most of the penalties came when Buff. wasn't even a threat to score. witt's first was the only one. RR, stupid ass move. doesn't he know he can't let go of his stick and grab the opposing player? then he bitches and moans going to the box. Zed's penalties were stupid as well. a lot of missed chances tonight. this game could have gone either way had we hit the net. i agree the isles have to start being more aggressive. they actually need that controlled agression. why start stuff late in the game? bring that stuff early and finish your checks. the best hit of the night came from Yashin! hopefully we can steal the next one.
it's all right. the first game of the series at a packed HSBC. Buff HAD to be pumped for this game and we played ok and had a chance. to me that says a lot. we can play with these guys, and i believe it will be another tight game Saturday. as for the ranger fans thinking the won the damn cup and cured cancer; chill the f@ck up!! you won a game great. that goalie they're playing against, the fin, is HORRIBLE!!
TO ALL RANGER FANS,
I know you don't have much experience and don't know that much about the other teams, except your own...so here's a little lesson:
Hockey 101
1) 1 game does not win a series
2) Even if you did get passed Atlanta, you have NO CHANCE against Ottawa.
3) Reminder: NO CHANCE against Ottawa, or The Devils or Buffalo...just keeping it real Jagr.
Posted by: TD
2) Even if you did get passed Atlanta, you have NO CHANCE against Ottawa.
------------------------------
TD, just to jump on this before one of the ranger trolls do, you mean "get past" Atlanta. I'm sure according to CJ it would be a "mute" point (hahahahahah), but you have to understand the ranger blog has zero posts and nobody is talking about them, so they need to come here.
why do that hate Miro in Buff?
Is it worth risking the long-term health and maybe even career of DiPietro for the possibility of making these games a little closer?
Before it is, isles need to stop taking stupid penalties and shoot the damn puck.
Either way I don't think it wise to mortgage the franchise goaltender's future in this series.
bummed about the game and so was Ryan Smyth after he couldn't connect on that late rush.
http://broadband.tsn.ca/?vid=6493
Wisdom:
fact is if the guy's cleared to play and is healthy, then he has to play. what is he going to do? never play again? he has to get in the pipes sometime in his career. IF and only IF he is totally cleared, should he play.
If DP is cleared to play, THAT MEANS IT IS SAFE. Why do some fans have such a difficult time understanding that? He passes the neuro exams, it's safe, it's that simple. Should he never play again just to be on the safe side? Maybe he should sit out all of next season to just to make sure he's completely better. Now I see why ranger fans think islander fans are stupid.
Wasn't Mike Richter "medically cleared" also??
Who are these Doctors anyway?? Why risk an entire career on one playoff series?
Give him the summer to rest. I don't think we're "stupid", just cautious. I don't want to lose our franchise goalie for a round one series.
Yep, very little real hockey talk on the blog today.
Ryan Smyth looked frustrated. It was tied 1-1 half way through the second. The second goal by Buffalo, Dubie made the first save and they scored on the rebound. The team knows that Dubie gave them good enough goal tending to win. It is all on the front five.
Buffalo is a power house and that's not going to change. I think bringing back DP will just take away from the adjustments that the rest of the team needs to make. And I don't care if the Doctors clear him, make him sit and steam. Maybe he'll remember that for next season.
It's a seven game series for a reason. If the Isles get it together, they can put pressure on Buffalo.
Kevin T.
What most here are forgetting is that poor goaltending was not the issue tonight.
Keeping Buffalo contained while trying to produce offense was.
Dubie played well, but too many penalties and no forecheck or hitting was a big problem.
How is bringing back DiPi going to solve those issues??
PS Good points Kevin...and good luck to your Canucks.
Stayed up way too late last night watching the 4 OT's.
I assume your in the Eastern Time Zone. Now that's dedication Mick!
Even I was thinking of packing it in. But I knew I couldn't let the Newsday gang down!
:)
Poti - 1 shot
Satan - no shots
Sillinger - 1 shot
Smyth - 1 shot
Yashin - no shots
How we would like to win when players like Asham, Bergeron, Campoli, Gervais, Robitaille and Witt combine for more than half of all shots on goal (11 out of 21).
Maybe we should get Zednik involved more, Park saved us the season and he was 5 minutes of ice time.
Yashin was on the ice for 13 mins (8 million dollars for this? Are you kiddin me???), Satan 15 minutes, Hunter 15 minutes, Kozlov 15 minutes...
And Sillinger played for 18 minutes. I know there were five penalty killing situations, but still...
Bringing DP back will not help us to solve this. What we need to improve is offence!!!
Just an observation for Greg Logan. Something needs to be done to actually make this a hockey talk blog. I do not post a lot, but I do enjoy reading the intellectual observations. I understand it should be primarily for Islander talk, but also for hockey talk in general. Just my observation. Anyway, as far as the game tonight, Buffalo did look strong, but I think if the Isles can capitalize on their PP chances and get a little more aggressive at opportune times, they definitely have a shot at this. As I am a huge Blake fan, I must comment that he looked good tonight. I get frustrated when I see Yasin in front of the net, his linemates getting the puck on net and Yash makes no attempt to break free. No passion there. Hopefully Saturday brings good things.
PS: Greg, if you need to start a full registration to monitor and solidify this blog, I am 100% for that.
Yep this blog is run by little kids.
My observation about game 1. Isles didn't play that badly, just didn't generate any offense. Plus they commited penalties which you cannot do against a quicker and better Sabres squad. I am not despondent however because "Rome wasn't built in a day." Nolan will get this team thinking desperation now. Game 2 I like our chances. If we get back to the Island and Ft. Neverlose at 1-1, then watch out cuz momentum could be with us. We will scare this team if nothin' else.
Later Fellas.
See ya at the Coliseum game 3! LETS GO ISLANDERS!
Buffalo is playing with intensity
Rangers get first playoff win since 1997 - only took 10 years
I don't get it, why didn't Nolan dress Smyth last night? Was he a healthy scratch or is he hurt? Why did we trade for this guy if he's not going to be dressed for our first playoff game?
My thoughts--many already stated.
1) The Islanders did not play poorly, but did not play their best. And nothing less than the best will suffice to have merely a chance in this series. I also have no problem with the gameplan and how it was executed. We were definitely a bit conservative in the first period, but still tied midway through the game. Ultimately, Buffalo made the most of their chances and we did not. End of story.
2) Goaltending: Dubie played well, but not great. However, if Dunham had turned in the exact same performance, I suspect folks here would be ripping him left and right. Btw, I'd need to see it again, but I think Drury's first goal was an example of Dubie's weakness on size. He had the left leg kicked out and extended, but it left just a few inches of open space and Drury's shot found it. Would a bigger goalie with the same talent more easily make that save?
Miller made no meaningful mistakes.
3) Bad penalties. They were excellent in playing tough D and avoiding penalties in the neutral zone--but with the exception of Witt's desperaiton slash, the ones they did take were just awful and inexcuseable for an 8th seed to win.
4) Special teams: What can be said here. Perhaps we can decline a penalty on Buffalo if given the option. If there was a key turning point in this game, it was when we got the PP after tying the game and spent the first minute looking like we were skating in mud. With absolutely no jump, we failed to create any doubt in Buffalo's mind.
5) Poti too often makes the perfect the enemy of the good. Perhaps given how much Poti has missed the net this year--he knows more than I do, but I'm tired of watching him think he's Brian Leetch who can complete pinpoint passes from the point--he can't. "SHOOT THE PUCK, BARRY!"
6) Luck was not on our side; we were the ones who clanged a post when we still had a fighting chance and also fired wide. The Islanders did capitalize on their first odd-man rush, but that was it--we failed to convert on any others.
7) Nothing against Trent Hunter, who is one of my favorites--but it was sometimes laughable at times to watch him skate in open ice compared to the Sabres. What speed was that?
On to Game Two.
First off, ain't it great to feel playoff hockey again?
I really think the Isles played a very good game last night. It was almost exactly what I expected(as I've posted B4).
They played conservative hockey, and took advantage of what they could.
They can not compete 4 on 5 for too long.
I would play the same game tomorrow. The one hook on Zednik was definitely because he was out of game shape... he just stopped skating. The other one I didn't understand. He anticipated the puck coming up the boards, and both players were going for the puck. I thought that could have gone either way. The rest of them were just bad plays and they were penalized. If they can curb that, they are in the game in the last 5 mins, and that is all you can ask against a team that has that much talent.
PROS:
Yashin played one of the better games of his career. He was a real hockey player last night.
Dubie kept them in the game. He's an NHL goalie. They really could have used DP's puck handling ability, but DUBIE was stand up all the way. If he was the #2 guy we'd be playing Atlanta.
The team stuck to what they needed to do. They finished their checks whenever they could. They forechecked conservatively but took advantage of opportunities... they just didn't get enough of them to the net. Their backcheck seemed adequate, but buffalo moves the puck well all over the ice.
If Miro's shot hits the inside of the post instead of hitting it flush the result may have been different. That's 1/2 an inch away from a totally different game.
Campoli and Gervais were better than I expected... even on the PP... but they might need to be more aggressive on the PP and let Campoli play with a forward (this might sound silly, but ASH has a cannon, and it might be a good spot for him) on the second unit.
CONS:
Skating with buffalo and killing penalties had them worn down in the third. I think they needed to get Zednik(8mins), Hilbert(5mins) and Park(5mins) more involved... but not together. I still like my lines for tomorrow... they HAVE TO ROLL FOUR.
Blake-Robby-Ash
Hunter-Silly-(Hil or Tambo)
Zed-Koz-Miro
Yash-(park/Blake)-Smyth
In summary, I am not discouraged by their performance. Of course, the result was not the best. But the team competed, and played with heart and passion. I can't wait until tomorrow night!!!
Extra point:
I can't understand the Miro booing. I thought fat chicks dug skinny europeans. As a center ice customer I only got the buffalo feed. Even the announcers put Miro down. I don't think Miro had a great game last night, but he was in the play. They took every opportunity to show his shortcomings... the guy isn't mario lemeuix...but he was one of their best players... him and hatcheck. I wonder if they murder him too. They also talked up Blake. I wouldn't be surprised if after being forced to lose two of their players top players, they try to replace them with a cheaper option in Blake... DON'T DO IT JASON...YOU'RE AN ISLANDER, BABY!!!
Another point about the broadcasting team... the play by play guy is retarded. He made about three wrong calls and kept calling 55 "ROB BLAKE". He once said that Dubie was one of the best "poke check" goalies of all time... the snow must really effect these people.
LET'S GO ISALNDERS!!!
WHY NOT US?
Merrick,
we must be on the same sched...
I like the hunter line.. I definitely agree... the same goes for Yash and Kozlov... Maybe I'll replay the game tonight and FF when those guys are carrying the puck.
Excellent point about Poti. He's getting 2 strides when they rotate because they are worried about Bergeron... They got Smyth to push rebounds in... give him a chance.
After the two shorties in the last game they looked way too tentative on the PP. But Buff is so aggressive... there were times they had 3 players behind OUR goal line on the PK... the isles need to take advantage of that.
I don't know, after watching the way Ottawa came out at home in game 1, you had to expect the same from Buffalo. I figured the first game would be the hardest. We had chances, but completely missed the net by healthy margins when we had Miller down. Zednik's miss in the low slot when Miller had no idea where the puck was with the game tied at 1 was the biggest, I thought. If that goes in, it's a very different game. Buffalo's most dangerous move seems to be that triangle play coming into the offensive zone. Hopefully the "Xs and Os guy" can draw up something to counter that.
I'm not worried yet. I think this series will look a lot different when we get back to the Island, and if we can get to 1-1 before we get back, all the better. The shot margin doesn't worry me either. I'm sure we put a comparable number of shots towards the net. What worries me is that no one can hit the net when we do shoot. Some of them aren't even close. Miller's going to look very good on the stat sheet when every shot that beats him sails wide.