In hockey, the quarterback is a special teams player, but it’s no different than football in the sense that you need a good quarterback to win. Bryan Berard, quarterback of the Islanders’ power play, returns tonight against Pittsburgh at Mellon Arena after missing the past six games with a strained groin, and not a moment too soon.
Over the past five games without Berard running the show, the Isles have gone 2-21 on power plays and gave up the short-handed goal that beat them Monday in Philadelphia. In the five games Berard played before getting hurt, they were 7-for-27 with the man advantage with goals in four of those five games.
Following their 3-2 loss to the Flyers, alternate captain Mike Sillinger was vocal about the need for the Isles to establish the point shot rather than spending so much time passing around the perimeter. Berard said that’s easier said than done, but his experience should help in a game where the Isles need all the goals they can get against the offense-oriented Penguins.
Berard and Chris Campoli will man the points on the top PP with Marc-Andre Bergeron going to the press box as a healthy scratch. “I’m going to try to get my shots tonight,” Berard said. “Me and Campoli will be up there. I’m going to try to use him a little bit, use him quick. I told him, ‘Don’t be shy to shoot the puck.’ Hopefully, Billy [Guerin] and [Ruslan] Fedotenko will do a good job down low.”
Philadelphia’s penalty killing unit did a tremendous job of pressuring the points on the Isles’ power play, finally forcing the turnover that led to Mike Richards’ short-handed winner. Asked how to handle that pressure, Berard said, “It’s tough because some teams will play high and forwards and defensemen do a great job now of blocking shots and getting in the shooting lanes. Our job is to get it by that first forward that gets in the way. Sometimes, maybe you have to shoot it off to the side of the net and look for sticks.
“It’s tougher than it looks back there. I know sometimes when I struggle or think too much, I get my shots blocked instead of making those first couple of quick steps and getting down in that goal zone out there where rebounds and tips happen.”
In general, Berard wants to get to the middle of the ice to get the four-man penalty killing unit scrambling and open up his passing options as well as the shot down the middle. But first he has to beat his defender and then be decisive about shooting or passing to the open man.
“Once you get that box running around, that’s when you’re going to get the puck in the net,” Berard said. “You don’t necessarily always have to get to the middle, but if you can beat your guy with a couple steps or a pass from ‘D’ to ‘D’ and then get a shot on net, that’s when their breakdowns will happen and we can get an outnumbered situation in front of the net and score some goals.
“If the forward does a good job of following you, you can go backdoor, or you can go back to Mike Comrie on the sidewall and kind of start over. If you beat your guys with a pass, Comrie can jump and take it to the net, or it goes down to Fedotenko or Trent Hunter or whoever is down there and they try to jam the net. There’s a lot of little plays we’ve worked on the last two days that we’ve got to get back to doing.”
GAME NOTES: The Pens are honoring another great power play QB tonight, Paul Coffey, by inducting him into their Hall of Fame…Captain Bill Guerin is set to return tonight after missing the Philadelphia game to recover from his eye injury. Joking about the stitches above his right eye and the bruise underneath, Guerin said, “I feel good, but I don’t look that good. But that’s never the case.”…Center Shawn Bates, who has been out since January, has been assigned to Bridgeport for conditioning...TV play-by-play announcer Howie Rose missed the Flyers game and will sit out the next two after being called away by a death in the family. He will be replaced for the next two games by former Isles broadcasting great Jiggs McDonald.
Comments (100)
Great to have Jiggs back........he's a class guy.
That's not me, it's Asperger Boy again. Guess I made him made by pointing out his disorder. Sorry, Asperger Boy, you need treatment.
Oh yeah.........good to have BB back (and MAB sitting it out), but like KH said, if we have trouble drawing penalties, what good is it? The Isles have to skate and put the pressure on the Penguins.
Don't really like Howie as an announcer, but obviously I hope everything's OK with his family. In the meantime, it's good to have Jiggs back doing the play-by-play...and Berard back running the PP...and Guerin back leading the team...and MAB back in the press box.
THANK YOU TED.........MAB sitting up in the nose bleeds while the team hits the ice!
Scary game. Lets take Two !
Comrie is due to stuff a few in....I see a 2 goal night for him.
YAY, Berards back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whooo! :D
I apologize to all the regular users of the board for my way of dealing with the troll today. I am no expert, but I have seen with mentally ill people that the only hope of getting around the disease is to refuse to respond to the thing that they're saying that is produced by the disease and just say, "That's the disease talking." I know someone who is bipolar and when he gets grandiose, his family members come straight out and tell him that. Otherwise, you just feed into what they're doing. The only way to deal with Asperger Boy is to never ever respond to anything he "says" about hockey but to always say "You have Asperger's, you're obsessed." Then he won't get the psychic reward he wants, just frustration instead.
Again, sorry for polluting the board but my intentions are good.
Glad to see Ted recognizes the weak link...I do get concerned that he and FM IV are our first line of "defense" should someone go down. There is no way either of these guys comes close to replacing the skills of anyone with the exception of maybe MAB replacing Berard (although he is still pretty far away). I know we lost Johnson for now, which sucks, and in the past, I know I was the one harping that our options in Bridgeport were not NHL caliber, but given MAB and FM IV, I think I'd rather see one of the younger guys like Spiller.
Also, what the heck ever happened to Joel Bouchard? Did he get so banged up we kicked him to the curb?
I'm with 'Steady' on this one. This game scares me to death. A desperate, rested team on a losing streak playing in their own building. This sounds too familiar (think back to the last Leafs game - same situation).
Sure, I'd love to see the PP start to click with Berard back in the lineup. But if you think the odd-man rushes against Philly were tough, think about the same thing with Crosby and Malkin. Our boys have to play a much smarter, and possibly less aggresive, game against the Pens than they did against the Flyers. Another 3-2 win against these guy would put a big smile on my face.
But as I said, this one scares me to death.
Not as scard as some of you...we're getting two important pieces back (Guerin and Berard), and we have addition by subtraction - we lose MAB, our biggest defensive liability. Plus, they are playing more these days when comapred to either the TO or Carolina game.
While the Isles have dropped some stinkers, I just don't see tonight going down that way...
KH,
As an aunt to a young boy with Asperger's Syndrome, I find what you say offensive. My nephew doesn't have a "disease" he has a disorder. He sees the world in a different way, nothing wrong with that. I would NEVER tell him he's just obsessed, while he does have obsessions that wouldn't be the way to deal with it at all. What we do is try and re-direct his obsessions not belittle him for them as he cannot help it.
You state you aren't a doctor, so why give out advice on how to deal with a disorder???
Anyway, hopefully the Isles get 2 points tonight. Glad to see Bryan Berard and Billy Guerin back.
Oh, and someone with Asperger's is not "mentally ill" they have a neurological disorder and are usually very intelligent just lack social cues/skills.
KH: i do the same thing when it gets to a point, i agree i should not do it .
Steady: You need a name for MAB sitting in the pressbox.
Joel Bouchard was let go and was looking for a job in the NHL but i think his time is done. He is currently playing for the Bulldogs in the AHL.
We need this win tonight and tomorrow and we then will run through the garden on Monday and walk away with our points.
Anyone going to MSG on Monday?
BERARD IS BACK GO ISLANDERS !!!
Kristie: KH did not mean it like that and wasn't putting down the people affected by it. Or telling someone how to deal with it.He brought it up towards the troll. They have since been deleted so you will not be able to see it or understand the whole situation. So please do not take it as an insult or personally. We all want nothing more than talk about the Islanders and hockey.
Steady's nickname was Moron At the Blueline...pretty classic
Thanks for the update on Bouchard...I always thought he was a pretty serviceable D-man even before we got him.
Nautika,
Fair enough, I may have taken it a bit personal but to see the things my nephew goes through makes me a bit defensive about the disorder.
Now, Go Isles!!!
D-Money: Yea i know it was Moron@blueline but now he is in the box and will not be at the blue line so he will need another nickname for each position. Joel B. was trying to land a job this year, and was hurt i believe for part of last year and played with the bridge
Kristie: Thanks for understanding that it was not meant for that , I understand your point and being defensive, I agree lets go islanders
Kristie -- I did consider the point you're making before commenting as I have. It did occur to me that there might be someone on the board with an Asperger's relative who might be upset. Although I don't have a family member with Asperger's, I have friends who do and I certainly didn't want to offend anyone (except the troll).
On the other hand, the obsession with a sports team, the posting incessantly all day and night, the complete lack of concern for social norms or cues, not to mention Newsday's rules -- all of this is consistent with Asperger's. If your nephew's obsession happened to be the Rangers and their rivalry with the Islanders and he spent all of his time disrupting an Islanders message board, to the point of effectively shutting it down, what would you do? If people on that board, after putting up with it for months, responded by telling him he had a mental disorder and refusing to interact with him on the subject of his obsession, would you feel they were unjustified?
Do you really think it would be effective in this case to try to encourage the troll to redirect his obsessions elsewhere? We are not the troll's family and we have neither the ability nor the responsibility to help him in that way. We are one small part of the social world in which he operates and unfortunately, what happens to people who engage in antisocial behavior is that they experience harsh rejection. The world does not, for the most part, modify its rules to accommodate people with such disorders. It applies normal expectations to them and their families and doctors do their best to help them adapt. In this case, I don't know if the troll is a child or not, but if he is, I suspect his mother does not know what he's doing.
If you have a better suggestion for dealing with this, I am open to it.
Kristie: now that is not KH and it is a troll as you can plainly see. He would not write that. I apologize for the troll, since he is a grown man living with his mom and works at mickey-ds. This is what i think i confused you with the posts.
Kristie: i was referring to this one on not being KH
"that's me, it's Asperger Boy again. Guess I made myself mad by pointing out my disorder. Sorry, Kristie, I need treatment."
D-Money,
I referenced Bouchard in an earlier post. I think he is in the Hab org with the Hamilton Bulldogs. He was a more rounded version of MAB without the cannon. I thought the guy was great two years ago when he added some experience to a hobbled D-corp. But if he was here this year the NIMRODs(Not In My Roster On Defense) would be calling for his head as they did two years ago. The guy isn't a defensive defenseman... and he has knees like two slinkies. One of the 2006 highlights was him dropping the gloves to defend one of the AHL call ups... he got his arse kicked, but he showed some heart... more than some other guys whose names rhymed with Trashin ever showed.
Anyway, the BB for MAB switch was expected. But getting Guerin back will help the PP just as much. Theat is usually the time he gets with Comrie, and that is when he scores.
I see that Claude raines is headed for Bridgeport. Unless he does fill in for FBA(First Base Andy), let's hope he stays there. If nothing else he will add some AHL level skill to the blossoming forwards there. Right now, judging from his performance before the injury I think he'd have a hard time saying he has more upside than Walter OR Jackman...
With Guerin back, and Bergy back, what happens to Park... who has added an offensive spark where-ever he's been. I'd like to see Walter up for the 'guins, and jackman in for the rangers... both on the fourth line... I assume, though, that Walter will get sent down, becasue the 3-4 min stints aren't really helping HIM as much as they have been helping the team. Jackman seems like he can go out for 3 minutes, hit everything and jam up the front... and cold get a goal with park getting him the puck.
But Walter will be the long term guy to fill in one of those second line spots that might open up in July...
Just a thought.
And to answer a question on a previous thread... I think it's 2 first round draft picks for an elite RFA. Wouldn't you give up the two before Okposo for a guy who has already proven his worth, and is still in his prime. Hell... throw Okposo in there also... he's still a question mark. The Isles don't even talk about him anymore...
another Scott Scissions???
the NHL entry draft is a joke anyway. Unless you get a top 5 pick you're looking at wasting 5 years of development time for a guy who MAY turn out to be a second or third line player... or nothing...or the .01% that become stars.
Nilsson, Bergenhiem, O'Marra, Okposo... need I say more...like tambellini, grebeshkov...
My original thought on MAB was that his nickname should just be "Press Box" 'cause that's where he is most valuable. "Missing At the Blueline" could also work and would cover both when MAB is on the ice or off of it.
JP: Okposo is having a slow year this year so far and i am not sure what he may be. I know a lot of fans have hyped him up but the jury is out on him. I would definitely go for giving up 2 first round picks for the offer sheet to Ovy. I just wanted to see what peoples opinions on it was since he has not be signed yet and has said that Caps have not done anything so far. I would definitely be fine with signing him to a 6-7 deal.
Park is centering the 4th line with Jackman and Simon tonight.
And Bates going to Bridgeport,i hope he is there for a while. He is only going to be on our 4th line if he comes back up. Or he might surprise us but i do not see it all with that pirate.
Missing@blueline works
JPofVA - I think Walter was sent down to the AHL yesterday.
MAB in the pressbox.....
Anyone got any salt for my crow?
KH? wanna pass some over to me?
Nolan rules....
Whatever it takes...
JUST WIN BABY
eric - Thanks for the inside info on Avery. It's always good to get the objective perspective on a NY player. And I suppose there is an upside to having Avery on your favorite team. It's just that I would never be able to get rid of the feeling that I had to take a shower after every game.
Hope NHL Center Ice carries the Islander feed and not Pittsburgh's.
I cannot remember the last time I heard Jiggs do a game.
What a pleasure that will be.
No offense to Rose, I like him...but Jiggs?
Wow, talk about a flashback, I may have to put some Dead on and dig out some brownies.
505 -- I didn't eat crow, I just apologized (without prompting) as a courtesy for something I felt was unfortunate but necessary.
If you meant re MAB, then I would just say that, though I gave him kudos for better play against Pittsburgh and the Rangers, I also did post that I thought he was the single biggest culprit in the loss to Philly. I have no problem with seeing him benched. Guess you'll have to eat the crow without salt! (Better for your blood pressure ;-) )
Steady - if I ever meet your brother I'll just shake his hand ...I don't know how either of us would feel if I hugged him ;-) ...point well taken by the way ...my bad ...
505 - Jiggs did a couple games last year, not sure about this year, and it is a nice throwback. Wish he'd come out of retirement completely!
By the way, save some of those brownies for Jan. 5!
My prayers go out to Howie Rose and the entire Rose family.
On a positive note, big 4 points on the line tonight and tomorrow.
KH,
Really no worries, the only part that really upset me was saying those with Asperger's are mentally ill. When in fact many of the worlds smartest people have Asperger's. I know being mentally ill doesn't equate to being dumb either. You know what I mean, and no I don't think you should try and re-direct the troll's obsession by any means, just that you stated that the best way to deal with someone is to just tell them they have a disorder. I think the best way to deal with the troll is ignore him don't respond to any posts don't mention his name.
Sorry to have taken this blog so far off topic. Really, I am.
Hoping for a strong game tonight!!! Go Isles!!
505- I'm pretty sure center ice has both feeds like they did for the devils game saturday.. Check 768 and 769. But once again no HD :-(
505...
We all eat crow every now and then....That is why we spout our opinions. No one is right all the time, except the troll of course :)
AZS: All good kid. My brother shoots ducks and fishes. He is banned from Isles games...I call him the jinx. Every time I bring him, they have lost !
Berard and Guerin....Can it out weigh the desperate stars of Pitt? Ughhhhhhhhh. Still do not like this game tonight!
MAB in the press box....MOVED ABOVE BLUELINE (Kind of weak, but I tried :) !!!
that was a bad goal let in by the rangers.1-0 flyers.
I think that they could have ALL the penguins on the ice and the refs wouldnt notice.....
Couple of quick grips about certain things that I've been thinking about ....
1) I don't like Guerin on the 3rd line. Total waste of a goal scorers talent having him on a line with Sillinger and Hillbert. Put him back on the 1st line or on the 2nd line ...
2) Can anyone handle the puck under pressure? Tank, Vasicek, and MAB the other night and Witt tonight ...DP has been great but gets hung out to dry too often
3) The PP is looking sooo bad (obvious statement I know) but there's no reason they shouldn't be able to atleast enter the zone ...they get out worked (which is funny because they're supposed to be so gritty and hardworking)
4) The Isles need to continue to focus on drafting young scorers ...was watching the Flyers and while they braught in some vets this offseason they have some great young talent ...we really don't seem to give our young guys a chance ...I mean I'm going to type the following in caps because ...well....I'm furious ....WHY IS IT THAT THE ISLES REFUSE TO GIVE ANY YOUTH A REAL CHANCE TO PLAY FOR THIS TEAM ...WHY EVEN GO TO THE DRAFT EACH YEAR?!? WHY HAVE AN AHL TEAM?!? REGARDLESS OF WHERE A GUY WAS DRAFTED HE'LL NEVER GET A SHOT HERE ...THE ISLES WOULD RATHER SNEAK INTO A PLAYOFF SPOT AND GET BOUNCED THAN TRUELY TRY AND BUILD SOMETHING. WHY DO WE HAVE TO WATCH SO MANY 3RD LINE PLAYERS?? GOD, IT'S SOOO FRUSTRATING ...ok, I'm better now ...
The top guy coming out in this next draft is Steve Smakos and is supposed to go #1 and is a can't miss guy ...part of me hoped that the Isles might be able to draft him but they'd probably pass over him for a 4th line winger to play on the PP ....WHY IS SILLINGER OUT THERE ON THE PP INSTEAD OF VASICEK?? I LIKE SILLINGER BUT HE'S NOT A PP GUY!!!! I LIKE HEART AND GRIT BUT WOULD IT KILL US TO PLAY GUYS WHO CAN SCORE?
I HAVE AS MANY POINTS AS HILLBERT WITH A BETTER +/- ....
I'm not saying that I'm not happy with the team's start because I am ...but there are some things that are too frustrating and will only get worse once Sean "Master" Bates comes back ...
oh and one more thing ...can someone please explain to the Isles that IT'S CALLED A "DUMP AND CHASE" NOT A "DUMP AND WATCH THE OPPONENT GET THE PUCK" ...IF YOU CAN'T GET TO THE PUCK THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD TRY AND CARRY IT OVER THE LINE ...
PLUS, WHILE CYCLING THE PUCK IS GREAT SOONER OR LATER YOU HAVE TO GET TO THE FRONT OF THE NET ...THE ISLES TAKE THESE MEANINGLESS SHOTS FROM THE PERIMETER THAT DO NOTHING ....
KH
"505 -- I didn't eat crow, I just apologized (without prompting) as a courtesy for something I felt was unfortunate but necessary."
Nope, you didn't eat crow. But wasn't it you that I ranted at length with about MAB? and me saying that Nolan would not bench him?
Ergo, asking you to pass the salt.
And after watching the powerless play again tonight....well....
I've modified my thoughts again. Still wanna see Comrie centering Park and Bergenheim with Berard and MAB on the back.
Was it me or did Satan get very little ice time tonight? Or was he simply invisible?
Uh, I love Witt, but that was his giveaway for the gamewinner.
Right out of the MAB book of sloppy puckhandling.
And for DP to get beat by Laraque of all people??
EEEE-UUUUUU
Themass....
No Jiggs for me tonight. Local provider only has one station for the game, it was the Penguin feed. Thoroughly enjoyed their play by play guy, "staggie?", he was complimenting the Isles all night, "hardest working team in the league". Paul Coffey (it was his night in Pitt 2night) sat in the 2nd period and was pretty damn entertaining. I tried real hard to dislike him, but couldn't. Their color guy Bob Errey (remember him?) needs to find another job.
D-money.
I only started watching after the DET game in Jan. If Jiggs did any after that, I missed the game.
"By the way, save some of those brownies for Jan. 5!"
Extra fudge???
;)
Now we gotta play NJ, who, like Pitt tonight is in desperate need of a win.
If these road trends keep up (played a "desperate" TOR,played a "desperate" PITT, playing a "desperate" NJ) the Ranger game is looking like a soft spot on this road trip. Uh-huh.
Any chance the NHL can schedule Dallas before we play the Rangers?
Well my worst fears of this road trip are coming true. I cannot see a win until the Boston game. We now go into a rested Devil game with the best goalie of our generation due for his 500th win. On top of that they feel they owe us for the last game. Then we go to msg where we know the Rags are playing strong. I felt bad at the start, and I feel worse now......I sure hope I am wrong!
This team plays hard. I really like the character of the team. I think our defense is very strong. With that said we need some major help on offense. If I see Hilbert, Park, or Sillinger with one more goal scoring opportunity, I will puke! I actually really like Park and Silly, but come on !!!! Guerin on the third line???
Now for my nightly Comrie rant....He did his famous skate around the whole rink with the puck(while his head is down) and he fakes the shot and pass! The guy has skill. Fine, I can admit that! But he is no first line player!
With our lack of goal scoring prowess, we need to play a perfect game every night. DP looked very strong in net, but how much can one goalie handle?
We won at the start of the year b/c of a good power play and we stayed out of the sin bin. Now we cannot score on the PP and we take way too many stupid penalties.
Alright I'm done venting. To add insult to injury the Flyers got a point tonight also. I hate the shoot out more than anything.
Off to bed.
One bright note:
How good is Martinek ??? He played Syd brilliantly. If he stays healthy it will be a big plus.
Alright...Now off to bed!
Always tomorrow night! Just got to hope for the best!
It would have been great if the Rangers had won in regulation, but no!!!!
Glad Martinek is fine, I admit that I was scared for a minute there.
Berard looked good!
Unfortunately, Brendan Witt looked like MAB tonight... which is VERY unusual!
Glad it was so close right to the end, its not like the Isles are getting blanked out.
And man, were the calls bad tonight! Or in the Islanders case, the calls that WERENT called- like three too many men penalties that were ignored!
I saw some of the Ranger game int he intermissions and saw a call on Avery that was total crap- he didnt even touch the coaltender and got called for GT interference.
These refs need to get it together... seriously.
That's a perfect example of Avery getting called for a penalty just because he's Avery. If he keeps his mouth shut and just plays hockey, that doesn't get called but he built himself a reputation. Right now the positives outweigh the negatives, but there will be a time in the future where he just won't be worth it and it'll be time for him to move on again. The people in LA got sick of him, as will the Rangers eventually.
Bill you are way off base. He has been used on the PP and gives the puck up more than he gets his shot on net. He is a liability, not an asset.
To prove it is not just us fans that think so, did anyone see Campoli's inteview before the game? All he talked about was the importance of Berard being back. Spoke very highly of Berard as a mentor and a QB for the PP. If our bright young players feel this way, and make no mention of wanting or needing MAB, than I tend to believe it is true!
I do not see how we win tonight without a perfect effort. We simply cannot go back to last years ways of not clearing the puck, poor turnovers, and inept scoring.
COMRIE....Take the bleeping shot when you have it and stop show boating. It is like he wants the perfect highlight reel shot, instead of the easy goal. Stop auditioning for more money and put the biscuit in the basket!
I'm off to do some fishing in MTK. Any of you going to the games? Only game I will be at is the lovely Jets and their1-8 record! Let me know how the new ROCK is !!!
Bill, I disagree (naturally...haven't been a MAB fan since last year). The PP was fine...in fact better...with Campoli and Berard on the point before Berard went down. "Misses the net?" He never hits it, and hasn't since everyone in the East found out his game...telegraph and shoot. He scored when he first came here because he wasn't well scouted by Eastern teams. But it's not hard to adjust to a one-trick pony, and the other teams have. Nolan didn't make MAB indecisive...he's ALWAYS been indecisive. Did Nolan make Edmonton trade him for that same exact reason? I also don't think it's fair to give MAB a zillion more chances, but crucify Berard for one sub-par game coming off an injury and declare he's not the answer...when his early play is the only reason our PP still has a respectible ranking. Was it Berard's fault that MAB couldn't hit the broad side of a barn for the last half month while he's been out of the lineup?
As for last night...the problem that I saw is that they're trying to play like a skill team. At least three times that I saw, a player had the puck in a shooting lane, and tried to make a cutsie pass instead. They're not going to win with fancy moves and skill. They'll win by working hard, flipping the puck on net, and crashing for rebounds. It was a bit confusing that they'd try to make impossible passes through traffic against a goalie who at the moment would have trouble stopping a beach ball and who kicks rebounds out in front of the net like it's his job. More shooting, less dipsy doodle. And plenty of lazy plays last night too...not enough skill here to take shifts off. They shouldn't be tired tonight since they didn't really skate last night, imo.
AZS: "I don't like Guerin on the 3rd line. Total waste of a goal scorers talent having him on a line with Sillinger and Hillbert. Put him back on the 1st line or on the 2nd line"
Absolutely. Comrie needs a scoring winger. Hunter and Tank both play similar roles. It seems redundant to me to have them on the same line while Comrie's skating back and forth for 10 minutes looking for a finisher.
not much to say about last nite, we should have won the last two.but i do not understand Bergie getting that penalty for Fleury which he could not get out of the way, then when the play was away, Sidney hits DP ,no penalty called and they score like a minute later.but we should of won power play or not
WE ARE CONSTANTLY GIVING UP THE PUCK IN FRONT OF THE NET. CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHY. AND CAN WE AT LEAST HAVE SOMEONE CARRY THE PUCK THROUGH THE NEUTRAL ZONE.
Its early so we can work it out but i do see that we need SPEED desperately, so we may need to make a trade with some one who has great speed and is a 1st line player.
i would like to see MAB and Berard play on the PP and see how it goes.They both are shooters and will throw off the other teams PK unit. Its early so we can work things out and see what happens
I think a lot of good observations have been made, but I'm surprised nobody has mentioned anything critical of DP.
The difference between being 9-6 and 6-9 is as much a function of how well DP is playing as well as all the other things. He didn't have a bad game last night, and he had a couple of nice saves, but except for perhaps one play--I don't recall many members of the Penguins shaking their heads. Let me be clear, I'm not blaming DP, but there have been a few wins this year where we're all happy about the team's play but the victories could have easily been losses if Ricky had not made some outstanding saves. For all the "grit" this team has--it still requires DP to be a premier goalie almost every night in order to win. In my view, last night, he was outplayed by Fleury.
As for scoring up front, I went to Bridgeport last week and Tamby worked his tail off and seemed like the best player on the ice. For all Hilbert brings on defense, is Tambellini that much of a drop-off for his superior offensive skils? I just think he deserves a long-term chance with real minutes. Btw, the blue-line remains very thin in the system--at least on the offensive/playmaking end. In fact,Nielsen and Tamby manned the points on most PPs because that was their best option.
Steady, I'm now definitely going to Boston with all of my kids on 11/23--any parking tips downtown?
Actually, tonight begins my stretch of personally seeing their next 10 games over 17 days ( thanks again schedule maker). I guess there are are some benefits(???) of divorce (take note, Mass). I'm looking forward to seeing the Devils new arena tonight--but hope Marty is stalled again looking for 500.
Peace,
Good parking around the TD Banknorth Garden?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Seriously, don't even dare consider it. Wherever your hotel happens to be, either take the Green Line or Orange Line on the T (Boston subway system) to North Station....walk outside and the Garden is right there, absolutely no need to park.
Tonight, the team needs to come out with a little jump. I sense a bit of complacency among them, and we need to regain the hunger and seize this game from Jersey. Brodeur will not get 500 on us!
MAB can you please shoot like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KzrW0VLh70&eurl=http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=442951
If you are staying over night than leave your car at the hotel and take a cab. This is a town not a city and will costly you short $$.
If you are driving up and then heading home.......Park in the garden. Cost $20, but well worth it. You get in and out!
IF it is a nice day, you could park in Charlestown and then do the short historic walk to the Garden....That way the kids can see the monument, water, etc....... Not bad at all and beautiful in the day time.....NORTH END right there also for an early lunch!!!! emmmmmmmmmmmmmmm emmmmmmmmmm good Italian food. Like our little Italy before it turned into Little China!
Very true. My personal favorite is Piccola Venezia, right on Hanover next to Modern Pastry (Mike's Pastry is the best, by the way). Kid-friendly, reasonable prices, and big plates of good food. Can't beat that. Go down the street for a cannoli or lobster tail at Mike's, you won't be disappointed.
Steady - you're making me hungry, man.
Piccola is good stuff. OR take the kids to Il Paninino Express and get a chicken parm hero and a salad......Off the charts for lunch!
Well I'm off to hit the high seas fishing....Might be nasty out! Let's get two tonight boys.......TAKE TWO !!!!!
Merrick Re: Tambellini - I always thought that he's sometimes a little too easy to push off of the puck at the NHL level when the games get somewhat intense. I don't know, but could he be one of those players who could dominate at the AHL level but not handle the increased strength and size of defenders in the NHL? Admittedly, I haven't seen much of him to really say that with certainty, just my initial impressions. And I think they should bring him up in games against teams like Buffalo, where the physicality is not so high and his speed would be a huge asset.
A brief, frustrated point about Hilbert:
Isn't it upsetting that Georges Laraque has better hands?
Let's see if we can come back tonight. Go Isles!
anyone bothered by the fact that we can't score (yet again) and Zednick netted his 7th last night for Florida? he wouldn't have cost us much and obviously, he has a scoring touch. Just sucks that we have to "fight our balls off" to get more than 3 goals in a game.
WE NEED A FIRST LINER WHO CAN SKATE AROUND PEOPLE
How about the first place Islanders!!........Oh wait,that was weeks ago.Where are we sitting in the standings right now? Good thing we're off to that fast start.And I love how our boys are playing so well on the road.We have more road wins than the Rang.....er ,wait a second,the Rags have more road wins than us?
Wow,wish we could go back in time so I can crow about our club.
We were a lock for a playoff spot.Too bad the season didn't end after 8 games.Oh well,there's always next year.GO ISLANDERS!!
Bri, nobody could have called that for Zednik. I agree we need a first-liner. Does anybody think Glen Murray would be a good pickup, or is he too similar to Guerin and Hunter to add anything to our attack? I'm on the fence though leaning toward the latter. Otherwise, who could we acquire?
I dont kow. Hmmm- well, Garth could send someone to Slovakia to wave a one-year NHL contract under Ziggys nose- that couldnt hurt! ;) Guys only 35 lol!
Many thanks for the Boston tips. I'm driving up in the morning and we're staying in Newport that night (my hockey OCD requires me to be back in NY for Saturday night's tilt). The short historic walk on a nice day sounds like the best option--especially since we'll have a few hours of daylight after the game. I'm hoping it will be less crowded the day after Thanksgiving.
As for Tambellini, I'm well aware that AHL success does nto necessarily translate into the NHL. However, I don't think anyone can say Tamby's time up here was a disaster and he seemed to hold his own in his limited minutes. It just seems like something else is at work here.
Why was Walter sent down and the skating pylon Jackman still with the club. We need OFFENCE not another pylon. Simon is enough muscle. Just don't get that one.
Not to whine but the too many men non-calls were BULL. Also if you breathe on that little female dog Crosby, it's guaranteed to be a penalty.
Steady & Upstater,
Going back to MAB, I have to agree with Bill's post. It's no coincidence that MAB has struggled at times this season, and this mostly has to do with Nolan destroying his confidence. This all goes back to a horribly played game by the entire Isles team against Toronto. Yes MAB had 2 poor turnovers, but Dubie was terrible and the rest of the Isles were non existent. After that game, Nolan benched MAB for 3 games (which was for 2 weeks).
How can you expect a guy to play well if he has one poor game and is benched for 2 weeks! Also, let's look at the Isles record since Berard's injury. During Berard's 5 game absence, the Isles were 4-1, the one loss coming to a Carolina team that dominated us (and hardly had anything to do with MAB).
What does Tim Jackman bring to the table? Is their a point in dressing him AND Chris Simon? Why bother having a 4th line at all?
Nolan should have scratched Jackman and dressed 7 D last night. There is 100x more upside to MAB than Jackman, and I fear by continuing to punish MAB we are going to destroy a promising defenseman's confidence for the long haul. How quickly we forget how MAB saved the Isles season last year, or how he won us the first game against the Rags this year. If used correctly, MAB can be a very effective contributor to this organization.
Lastly, Silinger on the PP is a joke. Silinger is a checking line center and a PK specialist, NOT A PP CENTER. He turns the puck over constantly on the PP and is rarely in a position to contribute to the offesne. Nolan continues to look like an amateur coach everytime Silinger sees the ice on the PP.
I agree as you have read about Jackman. I also agree about Silly. The guy does turn the puck over. I think they should play someone with a bit more skill on the second PP unit. Problem is, who the hell has the skill????
kicked,
Take your pick out of these top 6 forwards for the PP: Guerin, Comrie, Tank, Satan, Vasicek, Bergenheim. I'd rather see the Isles stick Simon in front of the net than see Silinger out there.