Goaltender Rick DiPietro, the most valuable Islander of all, was not in net when the second period began against Toronto tonight at Nassau Coliseum. The club announced that DiPietro suffered a knee injury in the first period and would not return. He will be re-evaluated tomorrow.
Although DiPietro gave up two goals on the first four shots he faced, there was no obvious play on which he might have been injured. The Isles came back to lead 3-2 at the end of the first period.
DiPietro was replaced in goal by backup Wade Dubielewicz, who was the victim of an 8-1 mugging Oct. 11 in his first start of the season in Toronto. This marks only the fifth appearance this season for Dubielewicz, and it’s his first since starting a 4-0 loss to Atlanta on Dec. 1 at the Coliseum. The Atlanta game was his only appearance in the past 54 days.
BLOG MALFUNCTION: In case anyone is interested, I posted the following blog earlier this afternoon, but due to a technical malfunction, it never appeared. Here it is:
“The need for Jason Blake’s speed”
Walking out the tunnel from the locker room area to watch Toronto’s pregame skate today at Nassau Coliseum, a familiar figure whizzed past the glass on his way to the net. Of course, it was Jason Blake. There was no mistaking his compact, high-speed, low-to-the-ice stride and the all-business look on his face.
It was just a morning skate, but it was hard not to reflect back to the trade deadline last February and the emotion Blake played with that night. He was relieved to still be an Islander, and he exploded with a hat trick in a win over Philadelphia. It appeared he will have that same intensity tonight in his first game at the Coliseum since signing a five-year contract worth $20 million with the Maple Leafs.
My Newsday colleague, Mark Herrmann, is working on a Blake column for tomorrow’s print edition, so, I won’t repeat here everything that was said this morning. But seeing Blake’s speed was a vivid reminder of the quality he brought over the previous six-plus seasons that the Islanders lack by comparison now.
Before he was diagnosed in training camp with chronic mylogenous leukemia, Blake complained of feeling sluggish. But based on appearances, the medication must be working.
Asked if Blake is back up to speed, Toronto coach Paul Maurice laughed and said, “If he’s not, he may be the fastest guy in the league.” Recognizing Blake’s excitement for this game, Maurice added, “I can’t imagine he’ll be able to skate any faster than he has, but he’ll be able to find another gear. Good for him. It’s special the first time home. Coming into the building is always a different reaction. He’s given the fans here a lot to cheer about. He was a player to watch, so, I’m sure they’ll appreciate that.”
It’s hard to believe that Blake has only five goals on 150 shots. Asked about facing old buddy Rick DiPietro, who sat out when the Islanders lost in Toronto, 8-1, on Oct. 11, Blake joked that he might know DiPietro’s tendencies but wouldn’t be picking any corners. “For me right now,” Blake said, “it’s just closing my eyes and shooting and hoping to God they go in.”
That got a laugh. At the same time, Blake admitted his frustration with his lack of production. He began the season on the top line with Mats Sundin but now is on the third line with Kyle Wellwood and Jiri Tlusty. He received the benefit of the doubt earlier in the season because of his illness, but still, there’s an adjustment period to playing under far greater scrutiny in Toronto.
“I don’t think his game has changed a whole lot,” Maurice said. “He’s still trying to find some chemistry with other people on the ice. At the same time, he’s had some chances, and he’s had some things that haven’t gone for him around the net. We don’t feel he’s too far off.”
ISLES FILES: I didn’t cover the Isles’ 3-2 overtime win against Washington before the Christmas break, but from my seat in front of the television, the play Richard Park made to score the overtime goal absolutely is the play of the season so far, especially coming as it did after giving up a weak goal to Alexander Ovechkin in the final minute of regulation.
Park’s mental toughness and ability under pressure came to the fore when he pushed the puck ahead to himself after winning a faceoff in the Capitals’ zone, then shrugged off a hit behind the net to maintain control before passing to teammate Radek Martinek and scoring off the return pass.
Although he was hoping to score, Park’s primary objective was just to keep the puck away from the dangerous Ovechkin and Michael Nylander to prevent an OT loss. “That was my thinking,” Park said today. “There was nothing magical about it. It was just keep the puck away from those guys.”
When it was suggested that play was the best of this season, Park said, “Hopefully, there will be bigger plays than that. Preferably not in the last game, like last year.” Of course, it was Park, who scored both regulation goals in the shootout victory over the Devils that sent the Isles to the playoffs instead of Toronto.
The Islanders face a brutal schedule from here to the All-Star break. After playing Blake and the Leafs, their next three come against the three division leaders in the Eastern Conference at Ottawa tomorrow, home against the Devils on Saturday and at Carolina on New Year’s Eve. After a home game against Florida, they begin a five-game Western Conference road trip starting with division leading Colorado and ending in Ottawa. After one day off, they get a back-to-back at home against Montreal and then at the Devils. By the time they reach the All-Star break a week later, the Isles will have played 16 games, including 14 against teams with winning records and eight against teams currently leading their divisions.
Asked if this is the make-or-break portion of the schedule, Islanders coach Ted Nolan said: “We talked to our players this morning and said, ‘Usually, the real players show up after Christmas time. They forget what you did in November and October, but they certainly don’t forget what you did in February, March and April.”
Good news for the Islanders today from the World Junior championships in Czech Republic, where the U.S. beat Kazakhstan, 5-1. Isles prospects Kyle Okposo and Rhett Rakhshani, who are linemates, each scored a goal. Okposo also assisted on Rakhshani’s score, which was the gamewinner.
Comments (33)
From previous thread.
MC ... I can understand your appreciate for what JB did for the Isles ... even when he first left ... I was more disappointed than I was angry. I never was even angry that he left. I would off took the money too. I agreed with Snow that he couldn't give such a huge contract for a player entering his mid-30s based on what he did for ONE season. True his other seasons were good .. a 20 goal scorer... but not worth that kind of length of tems for that much money.
One thing that is going to hamstring the Isles is Yashin's $$$ going against the cap for the next 8 years .. so unfortunately the Isles are going to have to watch how much goes ... and to who it goes to.
My issue with Blake didn't beging till that post signing introduction news conference interview with TSN. I just tried to access it from this past Summer's blog but I think the link is dead... He directly insulted Islander fans by saying he looks forward to playing infront of a full house with knowledgable hockey fans .... there was more that just that ... I was just stunned in disbelief at the time... However ... here is a link to the blog site ...
This is the blog where the video link was .. courtesy of "kicked in the junk" from back on July 12th at 18:51 ...
http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/islanders/blog/2007/07/nhl_schedule_out_today.html#comments
Like I said ... I can't get the link to work with the video .. it says it is loading for minutes .... I guess the video is gone.
However ... you can get a sentiment of what was on the video by reading other posters comments regarding Blakes comments ...
Enjoy ... I don't think the reaction from other fans was because we are overly sensitive.
It's a shame he said that ... because I think most of us was willing to give him a pass on leaving because that was a lot of money and a long term deal that he wanted, but Snow refused to offer.
Re: Tonight's game so far .... maybe dubes plays better when DP is hurt?? He looked sharp in the 2nd period coming in cold.
Ahhhhhh ... that was soooo fitting .... Blake should get an assist on Comrie's goal.
Score it: M. Comrie (Park, Blake)
just got back from the game and man what a game....great effort from all the guys...and boy does cameuo(sp?) look good....i love how nolan is using him and giving him more and more chances....how weak was the officiating 2nite?? there is no way in hell you can make that call in OT....but still great win 2nite thro
on a negitive note....enough is enough already...PLEASE! PLEASE! NO MORE SATAN ON THE PP....how many times is he going to kill us out there...seems like every time we give up a shorty its with him at the point...use him down low but NOT at the point
just to clarify....leave satan on the pp but jus NOT at the point
I agree with the Satan comment "islefan 22"
The officiating was terrible but even worse than that was having to watch it on TSN Canada. The NHL network was carrying that game so they used the TSN broadcast and Direct TV blacked out the FSN NY broadcast. The guys calling that game were friggin annoying and so anti Islander. I could go on and on about this. Did anyone else have to watch it that way? I hope I am not the only one who had to suffer. So sweet to win that one!!!
Coral: I totally agree... How bitter is Glen Healy about getting kicked off the island? But you've gotta admit... it was that much better when they pulled it off.
I agree with Steady about Comrie "Dorn"(freakin classic lol) except when it comes to his shot. I can't remember the last time he didn't 'pass it' towards the goal. Its cool... not too much longer and we dont have to watch him anymore.
Dubie vs Ottawa: Sh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!t (should be an awesome one tomorrow. Maybe we see our first glimse of Mcdonald.
Why is DP injured every freakin year. For as skilled as he is... he surely isn't too durable. Now we see how much of the MVP he really is.
At least they got two tonight.... I'm hoping for at least one tomorrow.
Good night and LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
the last post was me___ themass....oh yeah
what were the chants by the crowd at the game???
Park has really impressed me so far this season. I know everyone is talking about it right now and they should. His effort and leadership by example makes him a close second if not the most valuable Islander along with DiPi. He is inspiring and coming through in so many small but collectively huge ways. Go Parkie, nice steal tonight! You made it happen...
kicked -- Chants were a sing-songy "Raaaaycrooooft.... Raaaaycroooft.... You Suck!" Also "U-S-A!" (silly since most of the Isles are Canadian themselves), and "If you know the Rangers suck clap your hands," etc. I'd like us to get a little more creative. I proposed chanting "Brave-heart!" when Brendan Witt does something good, but there was no response on this board.
By the way, I took my brother, his brother-in-law, five nieces and a nephew to the game tonight. None of them had been to an NHL game before, and all of them LOVED it. Definitely a good game to make converts to hockey and the Islanders. The most surprising reaction was from my brother, who had never shown any signs of having the sports-fan chip, so to speak. He just never has been into it, except a very mild interest in the Mets. Well tonight, at the end of the game, he looked like a little kid who'd just got a new bicycle as he turned to me and said, "That was unbelievable!"
is anyone else having trouble posting?
KH - That was definitely a good game to take hockey newcomers to. It was an amazing atmosphere after the Isles killed that penalty in OT...with Dubie making three consecutive amazing saves. The crowd went crazy.
Man, that schedule Logan listed really is brutal. It'll be that much tougher if DP is unavailable as well. I guess the good thing is that it's not his hip or his head...although at this rate he'll be called "Them Bones" Ricky by the end of the contract.
The D's gonna have to step up, which brings me to Marty...what's wrong with him? Is it long-term?
On Blake, the crowd handled it fine. They cheered after the video tribute, and booed him during the game. Basically they said, "Thanks, we appreciate what you did while you were here, but now you're there...with good ol' Darcy Tucker."
Last night ranked up there with Arbour 1500 and the 3-2 win over the Rangers for the best game to attend this year. The crowd was holiday break raucous with a good sprinking of Leafs fans to keep the atmosphere charged throughout the contest--even well play was slow in the 2nd. Also, with the game hinging on every shot for the last 25 minutes, it continued to be electric! And when Comrie potted the game winner--the Old Barn rocked as loud as any night in the past!
It's also amazing how a game can turn on a dime. If Toronto converts the great PP rebound chance they had to make it 3-1 in the first period, do we battle back? Instead, shortly after it's 2--2 and 3-2 Isles after one.
If I were Toronto fan, I'd be pulling my hair out. They show flashes of great talent, but were extraordinarily careless in their own end. How many turnovers/takeaways did the Isles get in the Leafs zone????
Which leads me to another thing. Rather than playing a trap, the Isles are at their best when they can establish an aggressive forecheck. With Dubie coming in to start the 2nd period, they played more traplike--and lost a lot of energy on the front end--albeit, successfully limitting the Leafs' chances. In my view, having a fourth line pick up a lot of extra minutes is immeasurably valuable to the aggressive forecheck on every shift.
On the downside, if only Dubie were bigger, he'd be among the best! And if Sillinger can bury that one (two) in the last minute, we take a big point away from the Leafs.
I agree with what 19Isles said earlier ...I gave him a polite clap after the video tribute, because I appriciated the hustle and effort he put forth while here ...but, once the puck dropped that sentiment was gone ...he's no longer wearing the Islander crest - and while I'm not mad at him for leaving, because $10 mill more is a lot of coin, but his comments after he left were a slap in the face of anyone who's spent their hard earned money to go to a Isles game.
I'm not gonna sit here and bash on the guy, because there's no point in it ...but he feels that we weren't smart hockey fans? Well, I think we all were smart enough to see Blake cough the puck up while trying to be the hero only to have it bight him in the bum ...
Steady ...we're cheering for Comrie? ;-)
Hope everyone's X-mas was outstanding!
PS - Tamby with 2 more goals last night ...
I completely disagree with anyone booing Blake last night.
This guy did nothing but play his heart out for the Islanders and he actually is one of the few guys that voiced his opinion on the Island being a great place to play.
He scored 40 goals last year and represented the team in the Olympics.
I understand he is on another team now but he is not Alexi Yashin. Every single one of you would have left NY and taken a 20 million dollar contract. And I am extremely happy for the guy for doing it. He earned it.....
I agree Andrew ...anyone of us would have taken the extra $ ...but if it is "only business" for the players why can't it be the same for the fans??
In this day in age of free agency as a fan it's very difficult to get emotionally invested in individual players anymore. You root for the crest on the jersey. Like most people I respected Blake while he was here, but he's not here anymore and I'll boo him ...remember - it's nothing person "just business" ...
I am cming down for the game on Saturday with some friends....Anyone going ???
would like to put some faces with the writing! :)
How long is DP out ????????
The Blake is gone, long live the Blake.
Besides, we got a new Blake to hitch our wagons to, Blake Comeau. He lugged the puck up ice at one point in the 3rd period last night and I had a flashback to Bob Bourne.
Steady, good for you bringing "hockey neophytes" to the game last night. I have done it many times (how often did you explain icing?) and there is no greater feeling than seeing "fresh excitement" about the game of hockey.
"would like to put some faces with the writing! :)"
Jan 05, Avs game, 5 rows up from the AV blue line, to the side of their bench, I'll be the fat guy with an antique Islander cap and jersey on.
Correction
'"Steady, good for you bringing "hockey neophytes" to the game last night"
Whoops, make that "KH", good for you for bringing hockey neophytes..
Are their HEY YOU SUCK chants coming from the crowd after we score? Its something that my school (UMass) and many other colleges do, but i've never heard it at an NHL game.
I just have to shake my head looking at articles about us playing division leaders 8 out of the next 16 games and then having Ricky get hurt. If we get out of this stretch .500 this team will have me thoroughly impressed.
AZS,
I see your point with taking "its a business" approach.
I still wouldn't boo him only because of the good energy he brought to the Collesium every night.
CHRIS CAMPLOI SHOULD NOT BE SHOOTING- AT ALL! HE SHOULD BE PASSING, NO MORE SHOTS, CHRIS. YOU TAKE TOO MANY SHOTS AND YOU MISS ALL OF THEM, PLEASE PASS FROM NOW ON- FOR THE GOOD OF THE TEAM!!
Don't sugar coat it ...tell us what you really think about Campoli
;-)
From the Islanders web site....
The Islanders announced today that goaltender Rick DiPietro and defenseman Radek Martinek are out day-to-day with injuries.
DiPietro is out with a knee sprain suffered last night in warmups before the Islanders’ 4-3 overtime victory over Toronto. DiPietro played the first period before leaving the game. DiPietro could return when the Islanders host the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at 7:05 pm at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
___________________________________________________
This worries me. A sprain usually implies ligment involvement. If so, the "day-to-day" status is way overly optimistic. Probably to preserve ticket sales by holding out the possibility of a match-up with Brodeur.
kicked, I was in section 313 last night and heard 2 different chants:
- "Raaaaaycroft . . . Raaaaaycroft . . . you suck!"
- "Blow Leafs Blow... Blow Leafs Blow..."
Bryan, the answer is yes... during the goal-scoring song, the crowd is adding a "YOU SUCK" after each "Hey" - it was much louder last night than in previous games that I've been to.
Steady, I'll be in 313 on Saturday vs. the Devils. Where are your seats?
I thought that the 12/22 game vs. Capitals was one of the more exciting games that I'd seen... that is, until last night. Wow. The games with 15,000+ fans in attendance are great!
- Chris S.
Great game last night, a couple of points.
1. Richard Park is this year's Blake. He's getting an opportunity (a little late) and he's making hte best of it. How ironic that the new blake should steal the puck from teh old blake to win the game. Viva La Park!
2. Booing blake got to me a little. Nobody gave more to the team when he was there. I understand that he has a reefer leaf on his chest now... but I bet he'd come back in a heartbeat... $20M is tough to pass up for a guy like Blake... but good for him. And a speedy recovery. That being said... PLEaSE DON't MAKE ANY DEALS FOR BLAKE... if you're goign to do something stupid, get St. Louis!
3. Coral... I feel your pain brother. Watching the TSN broadcast was painful. I likened it to watching the giants with any one of the ex-cowgirls (Aikman or Moose) doing the color. To hear them talk about Eli is like listening to a cow point out the favorable aspects of being a vegan.
Not only that, but the comments between periods had me doubled over in laughter. When asked what the worst event of the 2007 season was Mad Mike stuck the dagger right in the back of Mr. Wang... "By far the worst event was Simon II. How many chances is this guy going to get... and stomping on a player with your skate is a huge no-no." (I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea)... This from a man who beat a FAN (albeit a ranger fan, so it's not like he did it to a human being) with his own SHOE!!!
4. 222, another vote for getting Satan off the damn point. this experiment didn't work last year. that's why we sent a potential PP QB to EDM for MAB... Now we have Berard (who is in the damn game) and MAB(in the press box) and Nolan still thinks that Satan at the point is a viable option. Well, having an ineffective PP is one thing, but having a PP that is minus 2 with the guy ont he point... that's a seriously poor PP. Please end the insanity. If you don't want to repard MAB or Berard for shotty defensive play, USE SUTTON... the guy has a cannon...
5. Mike Comrie is making me seasick. The first ten games he had me thining, "wow, this is gonna work out". Then the next twenty, "holy crap, he refuses to play inside his own redline... he's gotta go..." Last night he looked pretty good. You could make an argument that he was to pblame for one goal (along with Meyer), but he was doing all the right things with the puck. I think he likes having a solid forechecker on his line to shorten the ice. If that's what it takes... Don't break them up!
6. Dubie. "If dubie was bigger"... yeah, and if the queen had balls... Dubie is what he is... but he's our Yoda! and he's come up HUGE when we have needed him most. But if DP is going to be down or any extended period.... work those phones Garth... work those phones. You've got one in the AHL that is pretty hot, and the kovalchuk of the AHL... make sure this season isn't a total bust in January.
Chris S.- Sorry dude, with the exception of the last five minutes and OT, the Caps game last week was one of the worst to watch this season--matched only by the first Caps game!
Steady, let's try this again. I'll be there in 322 and also behind the Isles bench before the game in an Orange (third jersey) Kenny Jonsson (29) jersey.
Cincy, I think sales are good for Saturday already. No need to hide anythng on DP for that reason.
Something good I noticed last night, in addition to the many things already mentioned here...
Park began the night on the 1st line with Comrie and Guerin, but Nolan had Comeau take shifts on that line after the Isles had to kill a penalty. It allowed Park to exert full energy on the PK without burning himself out on his regular shifts. And we all saw how well Comeau played. Without looking back I forget who mentioned it, but Comeau's solo rush in the 3rd did indeed evoke memories of #14 from yester-year.
Did anyone take particular note of Berard's play last night. If not, we're in the same boat. I didn't either. Which is a very good thing. First game back after sitting out a fist-full should mean the guy has to concentrate on defense first and stay rock solid in his own end. Period. The less one notices of a defenseman usually indicates how well he's playing.
Cincy,
I think they need to make a decision on MAB or Berard. The more meyer plays the more the fans are going to be lulled into a false sense of mediocrity. One of those guys needs to step up to be Sutton's full time partner and a part of the PP. The more I see Meyer, the more I see satan on the point... and the more I feel as though this team will never give their goalie a two goal cushion.
Earlier this year somebody suggested that the other team was taking penalties just becasue they knew that was two minutes they didn't have to worry about the Isles scoring... now it's worse. taking a penalty against the Isles is almost as good as going on the PP. All you have to do is force the puck to Satan on the boards and have somebody pick it up in the neutral zone.
He needs to be in the slot taking shots, not the point defending the blue line.
JP -
I think we all agree that Miro is best down low on the PP. And one look at last night's 1st period confusion among the shuffled back lines proves the point that full-time pairings are imperative to defensive success. MAB isn't perfect, but he's part of the hand we have to play with right now. His bad plays are out of stupidity and bad effort. Meyer's bad plays reflect his lack of necessary talent. He's by far the weakest of the back-7. Freddie should sit.
Kettle,
I just scrolled through the previous thread. Thanks for the comments. To clarify my "no fly zone" rule, my intent would be the effect on team personnel.
if you had a a crease that was an arc 9 feet in diameter and a rule that state one foot = two minutes, you'd have a lot less scrums.
But the best part about that rule would be that teams wouldn't feel such a need for hulking 240 lb defensemen that can't skate. Guys like Campoli would be the norm of mediocrity...
That was pretty low on my priority list. Probably the most important thing on that list was the goalie equipment. They are safer and lighter than ever before, that doesn't mean they should be bigger.
When Dubie stands up he looks like Spongebob Squarepads... a goalie should be a little more "rectangular" in stature. It reminds me of an old foghat song. [Wide Boy]... "five feet from shoulder to shoulder and four feet from the ground..." If the NHL wants to increase scoring, then that should be their first issue next year.
The second could be going back to the two minute power play. I believe it was that way before Montreal was so dominant they would score 3 goals in a 2 minute PP. Much liek a major penalty is now. That would keep a guy in the box for 2 minutes regardless of how many goals were scored. teams would be less reluctant to pull a guy down when it could mean more than one goal... or in the isles case, they would commit more infractions because that means more opps for Shorties.
Pot
PS: actually got through that one with just one bathroom break. the key is eating just before i start reading... I'm getting better at this. :-)
...and that wopuld be "less apt" or "more reluctant" there must have been something clogging the drain and the meat went down the veggie hole.
Thanks a lot bergy