With tough guy forward Chris Simon set to return Saturday night in Philadelphia after completing his record 25-game suspension, the Islanders returned forward Jeff Tambellini to Bridgeport today. That was the bad news for Tambellini. The good news is that he missed the hard skate coach Ted Nolan put his players through this afternoon after their 8-1 loss Thursday night in Toronto.
Practice began with a breakout drill and just kept going for about an hour with no more than one or two breaks for instruction on the eraserboard. Whether you call it positive reinforcement or punishment, Nolan got his message across.
“Yeah, there’s a purpose,” Nolan said of the practice session. “We’re not blessed with ability to win games just by showing up. We have to work together. We have to come back together [on defense], we have to play in the neutral zone together. That’s the only way we’re going to be successful. We practiced the way we have to play.”
Nolan wasn’t blaming Tambellini for what happened against the Maple Leafs by any stretch. It was a numbers game with Simon back in the lineup, and he was the odd man out. “I thought Jeff got much better,” Nolan said. “The game against the Rangers, he played a great game for us. The other game [against Toronto], it wasn’t just him. It was everybody.”
Because the Isles are playing a physical Flyers team, Nolan also has decided to use forward Darryl Bootland, another tough guy, and scrap the seven-defenseman rotation he employed the past two games. That means a defenseman will be scratched, but Nolan hasn’t yet decided which one.
“We’ll make that decision overnight,” Nolan said. “We’re still steaming from last night, so you don’t want to make too hasty a decision. The 24-hour rule, maybe I’ll take 48 hours to really let it sink in. We don’t want to make decisions based on emotion.”
Although Bryan Berard skated with extra defenseman Aaron Johnson, Nolan said he’s pleased with Berard’s play and called him the “least of our concerns right now.” Marc-Andre Bergeron made two costly mistakes that led to goals by the Maple Leafs and might be a candidate to be scratched.
“We have to pull a ‘D’ out,” Nolan said. “I talked to the team. We’re not going to take anything for granted. You have to play hard if you want to play. It’s just that simple. If life were that easy, we’d just show up and play and not worry about anything. There’s only a few chosen people in this world that can do that. We can’t. We have to work or you don’t play.”
One player who received good news today was forward Sean Bergenheim, who has been promoted from the fourth line to Tambellini’s spot at left wing on the second line with Josef Vasicek and Miro Satan. Bergenheim should play a role similar to the one Ruslan Fedotenko plays for the top line, chasing down loose pucks and adding physical play at both ends.
“No question,” Nolan said of the comparison. “He’s one of those guys who only knows one way to play, and that’s hard. He forechecks hard. He’ll be the first guy in on the attack and try to cause some turnovers and, hopefully, get that line going…Bergenheim’s been good from Day 1 of training camp. He’s worked; he pays attention, he deserves that opportunity.”
Forwards Mike Sillinger and Trent Hunter, both of whom left the Islanders’ bench in the third period and went to the dressing room, sat out practice today. Nolan said they were being “rested,” but he expects both to play against the Flyers with regular linemate Andy Hilbert. Center Shawn Bates, who is recovering from a serious groin injury, also took part in practice, but Nolan said he’s at least two weeks away from being ready to play.
COMING SATURDAY: Following practice, Simon sat with me and talked in depth about the stick-swinging incident with the Rangers’ Ryan Hollweg on March 8 that resulted in his suspension. It’s the first article in which Simon discusses what happened in detail. Please look for the piece in Saturday’s Newsday.
Comments (67)
Why is Bergeron playing defense? He can't play the position.
He should be playing wing on the 3rd or 4th line... probably 4th. He's small and quick with good skating skills and a big shot. This way they can minimize the damage he causes on the team and leverage his strength on the Power Play. The little bit of defensive skill he has can be utilized to slow down the other team.
One positive thing I saw last night was Sutton standing up for his team and fighting Belak and doing a good job against one of the tougher guys in the league. It's a nice dimension to have a top 4 d man that can also stand up to most heavyweights. Speaking of which, why not stick Bootland in there regularly, instead of Tambellini, or any of the other forwards who don't even come close to scoring each night. At least he'll bring something to the table every night, while not scoring.
previous post was a re-post from an hour ago. since it was kind of prophetic, I was looking for some credit...lol
Dubie just didn't have it against the Leafs. He was awful. He let up about 5 goals where he didn't even react to the puck. I think Bergeron and possibly Tambellini or Satan should be moved for some offense if possible.
I understand Nolan being pissed about the Tor game, but is it a good idea to push these guys so hard in practice since they looked so sluggish the night before...especially before playing philly at their home opener. Everyone here in Pa is already talking sh!t about them destroying us. C'mon boys. Don't let me down... Give me bragging rights this weekend!!!
I understand Nolan being pissed about the Tor game, but is it a good idea to push these guys so hard in practice since they looked so sluggish the night before...especially before playing philly at their home opener. Everyone here in Pa is already talking sh!t about them destroying us. C'mon boys. Don't let me down... Give me bragging rights this weekend!!!
I'm sorry for Jeff. But it will give me some reason to head to Bridgeport. I'm happy for Sean, please let him make the best of it!! Can't wait to hear what Simon has to say Greg. In light of what has come down today in the NHL with another 25 game suspension.
themass -- I agree with you. This will be their 6th game in 8 days against a physical Flyers team that has played only 3 games so far and one in the last week (while we've played 3). I rarely question Nolan, but I fear this was counterproductive.
Greg, did the Thursday second opinion confirm that Sim will need season-ending surgery?
Thx
The Isles should trade Tambellini now, if he has value. He has no future here with Nolan as coach. He'll be 24 during this season, not a prospect anymore. If he can't make the team now, there are problems.
It's funny reading the posts over the last few days. From the runnings of mouths as if the Isles were contenders after the Ranger game to the dispair after the Toronto game..... to funny. The Rangers, in all seriousness, toyed with the Isles for large portions of the game the other night, Dippy kept the Isles in it. Then 8-1 to teh Leafs??? Are you kidding me?
Guys, there really should not be a "Ranger Hangover". The Isles have to realize there are other teams in the NHL besides the Rangers.
If Nolan doesn't send a message during practice then he will lose his players. They are just going to have to play tired tonight. There were plenty of guys who only had a few minutes of ice time in the game against the Rangers and they still didn't show up. Nolan is a good coach and if he did nothing I would have been scratching my head. Tambellini didn't do much while he was here; it's not like you kept hearing his name called.
Dubie played like a dead squirrel on the LIE...he didn't move.
Bergeron looked like he forgot to attach the blade to his stick.
Comrie looked as if he was show boating for some post game Duff. (not the beer)
Blake now thinks that Toronto isn't such a bad place to be afterall.
Did you see how Nolan's body language changed throughout the game; it was classic, I thought he was going to lay down at one point and sleep through the rest of the game, much like his team was doing.
Here's too a big time bounce back game tonight.
Tonight it´s time for some old school hockey,dump and chase. Make those big swollen Philly D´s turn around and a lot of shoots to their goal. We got to have some easy goals again,look for rebounds.Go Isles!
Nothing changes, the season is 4 games old and the Isles fans are still talking about a team that is basically old, slow and .500 at best. Of course beating the Rangers suggests a Stanley Cup run. Over 80 plus games there will be no comparison between the Isles and the Rangers. Even if the Isles win every game head to head wit hthe Rangers they will still not make the playoffs. When will you learn? The talent wins the marathon, the Isles have a dearth of talent. Goaltending can't do it alone.
the rangers basically played the entire first period last night either 5 on 4 or 5 on 3 and that's the only reason they beat the caps. Maybe they should see what happens tonight against the senators, without the benefit of an entire 1st period of powerplay time before you guys start up with the "cup favorite" bs again!
Yeah, I loved how ranger fans were chanting "we want the cup" after they won their first game of the season.
It really can't come as any great surprise if MAB is sat down tonight. He has been the worst of all the D and the troubling part is there appears to be no fix in sight for his style of game. Yes, he does have a cannon but between missing the net 50% of the time and being neutralized with other teams focusing on him, it really doesn't leave much on the table. Maybe watching tonight will be the wakeup call he needs to retool his game otherwise he should get used to the pressbox coffee. I've been highly critical of Ted's defensive decisions but if he really sits MAB down, he's making great headways in being consistent with all his players and I finally applaud him. There really isn't a lot invested in MAB from the Edmonton trade so if he becomes another Freddy Meyer ( from the Z trade) who just doesn't work out, let's move him on and focus with those willing to play the style Nolan wants to see.
I'm disappointed Tambellini didn't get a longer look. I think playing him regularly for a dozen straight games with other skilled players is the only way to see if he has the potential that brought him here. Give him a real opportunity and then make a decision how he fits into the team plans.
These two situations alone can produce the surplus player(s) needed for part of a much needed trade. There are quite a number of teams facing salary cap decisions now and before year's end. A package of players and a possible draft pick would certainly give us back a young sniper in return.
Lets get 2 pts tonight boys...
hey msgisadump4ever...Where were you after the Rags game? Always an excuse. Worry about your own team and all its faults!
Hey Steady: I see it's the weekend and the kids are out of school (see 15:39 post). Is it really that hard to write an opinion using their own handles???? I'm continually amazed they just don't write their thoughts, hopefully on their own blog, but certainly using their own handles.
I'm sorry to say Miggsey that we're the only ones on this blog with anything important to say ever and we are smarter than everyone else and have the coolest handles. I think that if Garth loses his job, Mr Wang can look us up and hire us as co - GM's because we are hockey geniouses! :)
Are we overreacting a bit about MAB? It's only 5 games in, he was +5 as an Islander last year in 23 games, and he has a new defense partner. Ted will get him on track.
What do people expect from Shawn Bates when he comes back?
Yes, we were bad against the Leafs. I did talk to Ted and he's not going to let the guys watch anymore Rags games so hopefully that will end that problem.
Obviously the above was not me nor Miggsey....Just the high schooler wasting his weekend. Please see below:
NY Islanders 5 3 2 0 6 13 17 2-1-0 1-1-0 3-2-0
Philadelphia 3 2 1 0 4 14 9 0-0-0 2-1-0 2-1-0
NY Rangers 4 2 2 0 4 9 7 2-0-0 0-2-0 2-2-0
Pittsburgh 3 1 2 0 2 8 11 1-1-0 0-1-0 1-2-0
New Jersey
Thank you,
MGMT
Can someone tell satan that he's on a contract year. Please
What do Nolan and Snow see in Hilbert? Why is this guy taking up a roster spot? He doesn't contribute at all.
I cant stand satan anymore. He has been such a bust, its not even funny. The man cant put the puck in the ocean. Contract year for Satan. Maybe he'll get a nice 1 yr, 750,000 contract next year.
It makes it all the more frustrating since they maybe have 2 or 3 guys who can score, and he has just killed this team since hes been here.
AZS:
We are beyond right about this teams offense. Now that the 1st line is all out of sorts it is simply non existant.
Satan is a streaky goal scorer. He pulled this same sh^t last year!
Hilbert needs to be left at a bus station in Philly. How many more opportunities did he have last night. Teams leave him open on purpose I think :)!
I watched the game at a party last night that had the package. Was I nuts or did I hear Jiggs????
Guerin needs to get it together. Hate to say it, but Comrie looks like as advertised. Kind of a pretty boy that whines a lot. Miss Blake like I do yet??? If nothing else, Blake HUSTLED every game.
Before all the Rag ignorant posters pile on, your team is so far from the cup it is funny. Ottawa owns you. 3 Goals in 52 seconds ???? Might be worse than giving up 8 with our backup in!
I like Hilbert for what he is...a great penalty killer who is effective on the checking line. No one can deny he hustles. I think that's why Ted rewards him with ice time. I have to admit...on that 2 on 1 when he didn't pass it and comletely missed the net I was lmfao.
My only problem with that "mass" is we have to many guys that fit that mold. We already have Park for that roll. This guy has been on the ice with less than a minute to play????? WHY ???
He is a roll player. He hustles. We need a GOAL SCORER!
Our defense is surprising the heck out of me. Campoli, Geravis, Martinek, and Witt are one heck of a strong foundation.
We still cannot clear the puck. Mr. Comrie again did not get the puck out last night which led to a PP and goal for Philly.
We do not come close to teams in Face off wins. At least not when I am watching! Would like to see some stats on that.
We need a pure goal scorer. Obviously !! Maybe a puck hog that can score 40?!? Where would we get that??? LOL .....
All that aside, maybe Satan finally wakes up, and Hunter does one less hit a game and looks for the puck.
Jagr and Crosby got their first goals last night, so maybe our guys can get going soon also!
We have a lot of time to stew over this one. Schedule is ridiculous!!!! Seems like the NHL constantly screws the Isles!
Great shows on Cinemax:
"Rags dreams crushed"
"The 52 Second Halloween Nightmare"
and
"Jagr the Psychic...Not"
Now that I put the rag troll in his place, let me ask the true hockey people this......If I told you the Isles would play 6 games in 8 games to start the season. If I told you they would be against Buffalo twice (one being their home opener,) against a 4-1 Caps team, against a Rangers team picked to win the cup, against a Toronto team after playing the Rangers the night before (and Toronto being rested/ coming off a 7-1 loss/ Dubie in net,) and then end up against a revamped 3-1 Philly team in their home opener.............................Your telling me you would not sign the dotted line for a 3-3 start ?????????
I would of in a NY minute !!!!!!!!
Lets get the goal scorers hot, lets get Guerin going, keep playing tough Defense, stay healthy..................We can still make some noise!!!!
YAH GOTTA BELIEVE !!!!!!!!!1
that was a great move by the rags in letting nylander go, now jagr has gone from being just lazy and past his prime to simply INVISIBLE!! and as we all knew, gomez and drury, while being paid like superstars, are just above average role players at best.also, i guess the rags don't have the surplus of young, budding stars like i kept hearing.........see: dave scatchard.
don't worry ranger fans, maybe in a few years, the senators will get old for you, but don't hold your breath!!
rangers are now cup contenders????.....NOT!! LOL, LOL
That's what I'm talking about steady! I'm as optimistic as they come. The problem is that there is not much margin for error on this team. DP doesn't hold the post and they don't convert an easy clear:this equals a 2-1 loss. I was shaking my head that they didn't get at least one goal with the start that they had yesterday.
First of all I need to say two thumbs up to Nolan and the coaching staff for sitting down MAB because it WAS necessary. The D played extremely well last night and the youngsters will only get better with the regular ice time. The very noticable reduction in defensive turnovers was a very positive aspect of the Philly game. It appears Gerard Gallant has been an exceptional influence on the D and it seems as though Ted Nolan is giving him total responsibility for their performance. Gervais and especially Campoli are making great strides which helps confirm my belief in the youth movement. It would have been nice to see Campy and Berard on the PP together last night.
We definitely need offensive help real soon. The top line obviously can't do it every night and waiting for Miro to score is like waiting for a good government idea; it just doesn't happen often enough. I have to believe Garth talking up the other GM's in search of that proven goal scorer. We could package any combo of Miro, MAB, an assortment of grinders along with a draft pick for the much needed scorer. I think it's safe to assume the current array of forwards just isn't enough to get the job done night after night. We don't need to panic but we don't need to wait for them either because the scoring isn't going to magically appear from this cast.
For what it's worth, I'm not too worried about our lack of scoring. Fatigue (6 games in 8 days, as Steady noted above) is a factor.
And it's not like opposing defenses are shutting us down. We're getting a fair share of good scoring chances.
It's only a matter of time before the Silliner line starts to produce more, and I think Park and the 4th line will continue to add the occasional goal. Plus, Bergy looked good on the 2nd line; even if Satan doesn't pick up his game (and I sure hope he does) I at least have hope for Vasicek.
Even though a trade seems to be the only means of securing a proven scorer, I'm confident Garth won't trade the future of the team. I'd assume most teams will want Campoli or Gervais who must be deemed untouchable at this point along with the obvious DP. Hopefully he can deal any combo of Miro, Bates, Hilbert,
Simon, MAB and a draft pick to a team in salary cap trouble. Do it Garth.
The only problem Miggsey, is why would any team want Bates, Simon, Hilbert, etc....
MAB is possible. Teams may want his shot. Satan is possible as well, except this is his walk year.
If Campoli and Bruno are really for real, we MUST keep them. It would mean for the first time in quite awhile, we have a future in house!!!! The jury is still out. One heck of a start for the two kids, but it is a long year!
Lets not give up hope on Hunter and Satan just yet. They can score in bunches!
Saturday night thousands of tickets will be giving to firefighters and their families. Last week, on Columbus Day thousands of tickets were giving to students all over Long Island. Nice jesture by a team struggling to actually sell a few tickets.
How about our Rangers Has beens??? Anyone want them? Ughh were stuck with the old men!
Shanny is older than dirt!
Steady, you're absolutely correct about the likely lack of interest in Hilbert, Bates and Simon but as throw in's to fill possible interim roles, they might just find temporary homes. If Laroque is out long in Pittsburgh, they may be looking for a Crosby body guard. Crosby was jostling with Andropov in Toronto and I'm sure they really don't want him raising a fist in anger. The other guys like Satan and MAB have some marginal history and value which again may suit some teams immediate needs.
On a more important subject, I've come up with a perfect name for our top line. It's the "Beemer Line" derived from the given names of all the members ( BMR). Greg can pass this along to his Newsday croonies as well as others on the NHL sports beat. It makes perfect sense as some will see the high price tag, luxury features/value while others may question it's value when compared to other similar models on the market.
I just heard that the isles are talking to a big name offensive player, he's a FA that isnt happy and is ready to walk, top 15 in the NHL...supposedly he's in negotiation with the Isles. I've checked spectors but I don't see anything. Anyone have any idea who this might be?
Yes, it's Yashin. We're not getting a top 15 player, let's deal with it!!
I pretty sure we CAN'T sign yashin since we bought him out. Good try though rag-fag
Logan is too busy writing fluff articles about Chris Simon and why he decided to swing his stick at the throat of another player. Hey Greg, couldn't you give Simon even more time so he could list another 20 excuses. I had a concussion, I was dazed, I couldn't think straight, blah, blah, blah. Another paragraph and Simon was going to blame his neighbors dog Sam for telling him to do it.
Great reporting, did Botta help you write it?
Even though we lost to the Flyers that game was a few posts from going the o ther way and I thought we came out strong against them. Bergenheim-Vasicek-Satan was our strongest line, looks like Bergy got Vasicek going with his energetic play. So far Bergenheim has shown he's got more willingness to race into the corners and take the puck, plus he's not afraid to shoot and made a few nice passes to Vasicek. Tambellini didn't quite do those things and I'm glad Nolan recongized that. Satan still looks to be waiting for the season to start however, haven't seen any of his usual offensive flairs. Berard seems to be an upgrade over Bergeron so far.
That first line has to wake up though, after two great games they have suddenly disappeared. I've liked Guerin and Tank's play, I think Comrie might be the weak link here.
You guys want to really laugh....Go to the Rags blog and read.
My God they are clueless. There is like two guys talking to themselves about nothing.
No wonder the high school losers come on our blog.
Jagr 1 goal
Gomez 1 goal
Shanny 1 shift !!
Nice investments LOSERSSSSSSSSSSSS
Has anyone else wondered if there's any kind of rivalry between Zipay and Logan? Zipay's incredibly pro-Rangers and Logan, while not a "fan" to the common reader, definitely seems to admire Ted Nolan and team's integrity. Has anyone detected tension between the two? The one item that I found funny was Steve Zipay's season preview, where he ranked the Islanders out of playoff contention and kept using the word "we" to describe how the choices were picked. Presumably, this was the consensus of the entire hockey staff... until Logan's prediction a couple days later that the Islanders would be in 7th.
I imagine that if Greg responds to this, it'll be with the classy and uncontroversial "Steve and I work well together in a professional environment", but you have to wonder what's going on behind the scenes.
By the way, this was sparked by nothing in particular. Just something I've wondered about and there's three days before the next game.
I honestly think Logan is a Rangers fan who hides it fairly well for the sake of professionalism.
Didn't catch the game vs. Philly. Was it close as far as chances or were the Isles asleep again like in Toronto? From what I've read, it seems like Biron earned his pay in the 3rd. Had to expect Philly to come out swinging in their home opener, but one goal in 60 minutes (and two in 120) isn't going to win you a lot of hockey games. I'm not too worried about the offense though. Guerin will score, as will Satan, and if Sillinger's line keeps playing the way they are, they'll put in a bunch too, so we should get some scoring from the top three lines. One thing I'd like to see is Guerin carry the puck a little more. He dishes to Comrie all the time because of Comrie's speed, but since the Buffalo games, the other teams have caught on and are starting to double up Comrie as soon as he touches the puck. Someone else has to step up in order to create some more room for everyone on that line. Looks like the D tightened up a bit since Toronto at least...was that the case, or was it just having DP back in there? I'm definitely on board with sitting MAB for a while.
I love the new name miggsey came up with for our top line.....the "Beemer Line"...... Bill, Mike , Ruslan.....too funny, too clever
Antwon | October 15, 2007 16:47 I love the new name miggsey came up with for our top line.....the "Beemer Line"...... Bill, Mike , Ruslan.....too funny, too clever
**************************************
I hope they run like a beemer - so far its like dodge - week on the road - couple days in the shop!
Gallant is looking after the D so I'm delighted with how he's got them performing and the results to date. He's a positive influence on the play of Campoli and Gervais. I'm not sure who tkaes the heat for the offence????? The Beemer Line ( BMR) needs a bit of a jump start but hopefully they'll kick in soon too.
The "Leftover line" has how many more points than the Ranger Line of Jagr and Gomez ?????????
We may not be Beemers, but we did not buy the used car either.
Can you say LEMON ???
THE LEMON LINE on the Rags....LOL
This article about Dolan and plans for a new MSG is interesting:
http://www.nysun.com/article/64401
Logan is a Ranger fan. Most hockey fans in this area are. That's why the Isles are forced to hire die hard Ranger fans like Howie Rose to call their games. They want that Ranger fan enthusiasm. The only time you see excitement at the Mausoleum is when the Rangers visit. The Isles hyperventilate during these games that they can barely function in their next game (see "the Ranger Factor", LOL...what a sad joke). Good day.
The Beemer Line has enough veteran influence to get over this mini scoring drought. Another way of getting them going is to have the other lines contribute some offence of their own. A total relying on Bill/Mike/Ruslan (BMR) has the otential for teams to easily shut us down which has been occuring lately. Teddy needs to sit down Miro and give him a wake up call. Hunter and Sillinger need to add a few goals to their checking portfolio too. One line of Ted's type players ( grinders) is more than enough for this division. Invariably we need to trade for that proven goal scorer and with any luck that will occur sooner than later. The points at the beginning of the year count as much as the end so trade deadline deals can create a panic rush. Although we're not super deep in talent, we do have a mix of proven vets, prospects, checkers and a possible draft pick that would secure a real scorer. If it's decided not to pursue that avenue, there is still a guy like Jason Allison who could relieve us of one grinder for a proven point getter/PP specialist.
The "BMR" line thing has got to go. They have not been together long enough or produced enough to be given a name at this point. That name is as dorky as Howie Rose (the key master). Why does the line even need a name?
Coral Springs: The Key Master? Lol - that's perfect.
Just a non-Isles rant about the league in general - these penalties are insane this year. 20 of them in the Detroit Anaheim game last night. People really want to see this? The most exciting hockey I've seen in a while was the back and forth goal scoring between Toronto and Buffalo late in the third last night...when the refs LET THEM PLAY. There was minor stickwork there that I've seen unnecessarily called in other games, but the refs kept their whistles down, and it didn't infringe on the speed of the game at all. To the contrary, I got whiplash trying to keep up with those teams. Extended 5 on 5 creates a nice rhythm to a hockey game. While calling nonstop 5 on 3s every night will inflate scores and the NHL can toot its own horn for "bringing scoring back," or whatever, the games themselves are boring. 5 on 5 players are out of sync because they're barely on the ice, and those that have to constantly kill penalties are exhausted. It destroys any flow to the game until they call more penalties (usually to "even things out" for making initial weak calls) and more powerplay goals are scored. I can understand calling the open ice stuff that slows the game down, but they have to ease up on the stuff along the boards at least.
Anon:
Why not create a moniker for yourself? Anyways, I am in complete agreement with your above post. What frustrates me also is the inconsistency in the penalties. You will have games like you described where players are whistled down for looking at another player and then the next night a game where almost anything goes. That makes the player more hesitant and further disrupts the flow because he can't be sure whats going to be called and it frustrates the fans for the same reason.
The Leaf /Sabre game was very exciting in the third period. Lot's of free wheeling and lots of scoring. Yes, it was nice to see old time referee's just letting them play.
The reason we have the BMR line is to give our team another identity in the NHL. Comrie has the potential to be a star every game once he fully matures while Bill and Tank can only augment his play.Their start was tremendous and with some more hard work they could become a force to be reckoned with. A valid point was made about Miro. He will hopefully start to step up but for now he's been a huge disappointment. Maybe another line mate????
The most positive thing about the whole team is the overall D. Campoli has been an A+ and Bruno has been a solid B+. Marty and Witt have been as advertized while Sutton has suffered the MAB blues. With Gallant setting down MAB, the tone has been set for a revitalized D in front of DP.
Nolan's favorite checking line of Silinger-Hunter-Hilbert has managed only 1 goal all year, and NONE since Hilbert was returned to that line. In addition, they have a combined plus/minus of -9. Nolan I think it's time to break up this dynamic trio. How about giving Tambellini a fair shot at sticking in the NHL, aka, something more than 5 minutes of playing time for let's say 8 games?
http://blueorangeblood.blogspot.com/
It's nice to see Candyman and I agree about Tambellini. He needs a long term chance to show what he can do. And yes, we have far too many grinders / role players.
Did Logan get fired? Or is he just sleeping? No blog for 3 days ... amazing.
what's going on with Bates? is he going to be back against Washington? what about the d situation? are bergeron's days over? who's going to start scoring for this club? after 6 games the questions are building up. we need to beat Washington Thursday.
You can include Bates amongst the available players in our fire sale. He sure won't be replacing anyone on the Beemer line. We already are loaded with third line "Nolan type players" so get garth to add Batesy's name to the for sale list.
You ever go to a garage sale and see a bunch of stuff that's not all that terrible but you also know you don't really need any of it and it'll probably just wind up being thrown in the attic or the basement if you do buy it??? That's the Isles right now ... good luck w/ the garage sale Garth. We need to buy new, not used. DOES ANY FREE AGENT IN THE NHL WANT TO COME HERE AND RESURRECT THIS FRANCHISE???
thursday game with caps will show the real isles - as is - i am expecting slovaks finally to show up and play...
I think the loss of Sim was bigger than people think. He was a sparkplug for the Silingener-Hunter tandem and seemed to be meshing perfectly with his physical play but also with his creativety with the puck. He has better hands and sense then both Hilbert and Asham, so of course he gets hurt for the year.
Bates is not the answer. He's got natural talent and he flashes it at times but he's too injury prone and is too inconsistant when he's actually on the ice. I also don't like how he always seems to have an assumed spot on the roster every time he comes back from an injury. He's not a bad player but sometimes you just have to move on.