Game No. 82 for the Islanders last season was the one in which they qualified for the playoffs only after backup goaltender Wade Dubielewicz poked away a shootout attempt by the Devils’ Sergei Brylin. They survived their share of injuries, including the loss of goaltender Rick DiPietro to two concussions during the March stretch run.
But when this season ends with Game No. 82 against the Rangers tonight at Madison Square Garden, Trent Hunter and Richard Park will be the only Islanders to finish with an 82 next to their names in the “Games Played” category. Captain Bill Guerin (81) and Miroslav Satan (80) will be the only other Isles with at least 80 games.
First-line center Mike Comrie might have gone the distance if a playoff berth were on the line, but an MRI on his injured hip argued otherwise and forced him to shut it down with six games remaining in the season. “I had a tear in my labrum [in the hip joint], and it was affecting my play for a month or two,” Comrie explained.
“I was playing with it, but I couldn’t compete at the level I wanted to. The doctors looked at it and kept a close eye on it. I got an MRI done. It was affecting my play. I couldn’t skate as hard as I wanted to. I couldn’t get to loose pucks the way I should be able to. It’s an injury you can play through, but once it gets to a certain point, you have to rest it and strengthen the muscles around it.”
As Comrie said, few players reach the end of a season healthy “unless they’re 18 years old.” But the thing that hit home with him was when coach Ted Nolan laced into his players after one poor game for not going to the tough places in front of the net to try to score. Comrie recognized himself as one of the guys Nolan was talking about, but he also felt his physical limitations had changed his approach.
At 5-10, 185 pounds, he’s on the small side, but Comrie has shown he can get to the net to score, and he won respect a year ago in Ottawa for making it through the playoffs to the Stanley Cup Finals while playing with a shoulder injury. But his hip injury was different.
“Once you can’t skate, you can’t compete,” Comrie said. “You start playing on the perimeter. I remember Teddy saying we need more guys [willing to go to the hard places]. But he also realized that when you’re not 100 percent, you start taking different routes, and you don’t go to the areas where you need to go to just because you’re hurt. You start favoring your injury.”
Despite the injury, Comrie will finish as the Islanders leading scorer with 49 points. But he and the Isles had hoped for much more when he signed as a free agent in July. Not only are the Islanders the lowest-scoring team in the NHL, but they also are the only one without a single 50-point scorer.
“Yeah, it’s been frustrating from a team standpoint because we haven’t generated the offense and wins we wanted to,” Comrie said. “We’ve dealt with a lot of injuries. The coaching staff has been great with the patience, but it’s hard because I don’t think anyone came here expecting to deal with the situations we’ve dealt with as a group.
“We didn’t come here to lose and not be successful as a group. On the other hand, with the injuries, you see a lot of kids getting an opportunity. I’m sure we’ll be able to figure out a lot for next year with the players here now.”
The question is whether or not the players on the current roster, when healthy, pack enough of a scoring punch or have enough skill be a serious playoff contender for 82 games. Comrie said it’s not his place to say what management needs to do to improve the team in terms of adding players who can create scoring chances and finish. But no team could withstand the kind of injuries to key players, including goaltender Rick DiPietro, that the Islanders faced and survive to reach the playoffs.
“At the start of the year, when we were healthy, we looked like we could compete every night and give ourselves a chance to win,” Comrie said. “Once you start dealing with those injuries, the offense didn’t score as many goals as we would have liked. Our power play needs to be better, needs to be more consistent. We’ve got great role players and guys who score when we have to. We’ve got a great goaltender who gives us a chance to win every night.
“When September rolls around, I’m sure there will be a few new faces. But the guys who are going to be back, we all know what we need to do to compete at a higher level.”
ISLANDERS INSIDER: To read the rest of Islanders Insider, which is posted on Newsday's sports website and includes an update on Bruno Gervais' concussion and Wade Dubielewicz's contract situation, please click here.
Comments (52)
Just wanted to be first lol
After reading Greg's last article, that pretty much confirms what many of us thought about Comrie being injured. Same can be said for Satan. I hope Gervais can come back, and be leaving a promising career like Brett Lindros.
correction: i hope Gervais does NOT leave a promising career.
Who is Mike Rose? Isn't he an editor?
I cannot wait till the Devils bounce the Rangers out of the playoffs. After the hype with free agents and $$ spent, anything less than a cup is a disaster for The Rags.
Speaking of injuries,What's up with Robben Figren? I see this young kid as the next Jason Blake. If healthy next season Give him 55 and turn him loose.
Ps.
for what possible reason--other than the drunken misguided lack of intelligence of the Fans in the Coliseum, is 55 for Toronto booed?
2009 will be the YEAR OF THE ORANGE SLEEVE!!!
The Ranger board must really su ck if your on ours Mr. Mike Rose.
fromthe prev thread:
For... the real Steady.
this, in no way, is a #3 apologist statement... I agree with your comment above. I'm also going to preface this by saying I only saw the first period last night.
1. Okposo was getting hounded by Avery that whole period. He's too fast and talented to let that 4KJo (poker code) get the better of him. I think he is passing all the "can he play in the NHL" tests.
2. Down 3-0 in game 81, after witnessing the first period, i thought I'd look in the box score this morning and see, Brennan 5 mins fighting, 2 mins INSTANT GATOR, Gamis Conductus (Latin for I saw my teammate getting hounded all night, I jumped the morn who was doing it, I beat the crap out of him, and in the heat of the moment I tossed the ref that called a "making the opposing player fall through telekenisis" on satan into the boards...
I think the lack of any fisticuffs on their part has more to do with Nolan, than with the players in question. As has been posted before, I am not going to question his motives at this point. In my opinion he is getting results from the mediocrity he's been given.
If Wang let's him go he is INSANE. Wang has done nothing past keep this team on Long Island (which is pretty damn HUGE). He and Snow still have to make their marks. Much like Laviollette, Nolan has done a good job... if they make him the scapegoat there is a very good chance I'll start supporting the guys from Jersey... this is HUGELY FRUSTRATING...
AND THAT, MY FRIEND, IS COMING FROM THE GUY WHO LOOKS AT THE WORLD THROUGH BLUE AND ORANGE GLASSES.
I can't wait for Maine vs Hudson tonight... and lord I hope Glavine takes a Wright line drive to the sternum tomorrow.
PS: in response to all the get rid of Howie stuff over the past few days... I whole heartedly agree... BRING JIGGS BACK... and just take Jaffe out back and give him 30 mins with Zed. Howie is better than most, but good god, this is NY... I had 3 friends in gramma school that would do a better job than Howie... and IMHO if the MSG roaming gnome (Butch Goring) doesn't take advantage of his tremendous coaching skills, he shoudl be in the booth instead of Jaffe. His depth of knowledge far surpasses that of the ever expanding (physicaly) mr Jaffe.
I love the Islanders. I wish I could play for them. But they have that great goaltender in Rick DiPietro. Man I wish I could be him. He has such wonderful respectful fans. Islander fans are the best. Ranger fans are lowclass, first grade morons. Speaking as a player of the rangers, we just wish our fanbase could have the same respect of the game and fellow fans as Islander fans are. Ranger fans could really learn alot from them.
The Queen Henrik Lundqvist says: Lets Go Islanders (Your Fans Rock)!!
The only reason their wasn't any fights lastnight was because of Nolan. The man has way too much class for that sort of crap. Same goes for Renney. The two of them are always showing respect for one another, and each other's teams.
It shows on the ice...I only wish is would show in the stands.
Nick:
Responding to your question from a few blogs ago. My friend has been a hard cynic since I met him way back in junior high. That being said, he said the Lighthouse does have a realistic chance, but he said the way things have been handled so far it seems like the county is trying to throw every possible road block because no one really wants to take responsibility and make decisions. He thinks it will take longer than project by Wang's group.
He also mentioned something about how this deal would have been gone through much sooner if the state government had stepped in and declared the area to be an "urban renewal zone". That way a lot of red-tape and back-and-forth could have been avoided. Apparently this option was undesirable when the plan was first formulating because it features its own red-tape, but the way its shaping up now it may have been the easier option.
As you can probably tell I am no expert on how these things work and some of what my friend said may or may not have gone over my head, but I've tried to accurately reproduce it here.
You know, maybe the Islanders wouldn't have so many injuries if they weren't comprised almost entirely of grinders. Say what you want about the superstars not playing a physical game, but you can't go all-out 82 games in a row and not pay the price. This team needs more ability to go with its heart.
http://nyhockeyrivalry.blogspot.com
I hope we don't get embarrased tonight at the Garden like we did last night at the Barn.We looked like a minor league team last night.
Comeau= PLAYMAKER
The Trottier/Sillinger Summer Centerman Camp for him
is it just me or is OKPOSO as good a skater as HUNTER?????
tonysac...
I don't know about the skating thing with Hunter, but Okposo sure looked like Hilbert on that "non-shot" on Henrik's doorstep at the end of the 2nd period.
What the hell was he thinking...
C'mon kid.....SHOOT THE PUCK....
You're a goal scorer.....let Comeau make the fancy passes.
Him not shooting was a rookie mistake ...I think we've all seen rookies in most sports look to make the pass to a vet ...I'm sure Park was saying to him as they left the ice to shoot it next time ...and I'm sure the coaching staff will remind him of that aswell ...
His skating looks pretty good so I don't know where the Hunter comparisons are coming from ...
I loved watching Comeau board Avery ...I also just love watching Client #16 always back down from fights ...what a real tough guy ...
AZS
"Him not shooting was a rookie mistake ...I think we've all seen rookies in most sports look to make the pass to a vet ...I'm sure Park was saying to him as they left the ice to shoot it next time ...and I'm sure the coaching staff will remind him of that aswell ..."
Very true AZS....all very true....
I thought I read Park's lips in a "WTF Kid?" as they left the ice.
Very classy and leaderlike of Park to immediately search him out.
Ya just gotta love Richard Park.
I think Avery would have dropped the gloves if he coulda found Comeau...Props to Fata for stepping in.
That the way smart little schmucks like Avery are.....they pick their battles and their spots. Gotta hate him....but gotta love him too.
Okay boys........have ya got 30 minutes left in ya????
Win the game tonight and two things can happen..
1/Win the Hummer Cup if the Rangers lose to the Devils... WOO-HOO!!!!!
2/The Isles can always say they won the LAST GAME they played in the 2008 season.....When the playoffs end...The Ranger's WILL NOT be able to say the same thing.
I dont know guys, he always looks like hes stumbling or tripping over his feet...maybe i should lay off the Hennessey...
POINT PROVEN....he had a chance for a 2 on 1 and tripped over his own feet...hahaha...and i only had a cup of tea in me
Who says there's no postseason for the Isles???
It's OVERTIME!!!!
C'mon kids.....win one for Dubie!!
What a pathetic display of a PP at the end of OT that summed up the season....Five forwards on the ice....more shots for the Rangers.
Guerin, Satan, Hunter, Vas, who was the 5th??
eh, doesn't matter.
They were all horrible.
Dubie...2 years in a row-- ends the season with a shootout.
Can he win this one?
A highly symbolic first 3 for the shootout.
Too bad Bergie lost the handle.
LOL...
Dubie wins another last game of the season with a POKE CHECK in the shootout.
We need to stop that trend next year.
Very true Frei...very true
Dubie MUST be resigned.
Rags beaten by an AHL team heading into the playoffs.
NOT good for them.
C'mon tonysac.....
It's the kids 1st game in the Garden!!
He's nervous...
My first night in the Garden as a vendor I dropped a tray/rack of 24 sodas...And I had to pay for 'em
At least KO came back in OT.
Just score goals Kyle.....Just score goals.
Okposo went from College, AHL to the NHL in one season. Practicly 4 months. Anyone lookin to give him crap is an idiot.
Especially in a game where he scores a goal. He grabbed 5 pts in his first 9 games.
Injuries didnyt end thee season.
It never started. freaking Isles havs a laundry list of excuses. look, we dont compete hard, dont have much talent, leadership or toughness. The tough adn compete part are tough to swallow---how the f-cuk do we play our last home game vs the rags and let it be as passionate as a practice? yea, we quit. thats why the fans quit.
Gillies, I have been asking people the same question, last night was unacceptable. Tonight was a different story, much better effort but it was to late. The game that really mattered was at NVMC on thursday and it was played like an exhibition game.
I was not giving any crap about OKPOSO...I have been very impressed with his play and i think he will have a bright future..but i was just stating my opinion on his skating ..sometimes it just seems like he gets tangled up by his own feet..its mostly when hes about to accelerate...it seems after he gets his first few strides hes good to go, and very strong on the puck, which i like...
The real question is...WHERE ARE THE TROLLS? I guess there excuse is, were in the playoffs, this game didnt matter to us anyway!!!
Well now its all about Monday...A few prayers to the Hockey Gods and maybe we get the first pick!!!! LETS GO ISLANDERS@!!!
Just watched the game b/c I was out and all I can say is HAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!
Someone tell me why the hel l is Satan at the point on the PP????? Why not put in Hillen in to see what he's got?
#3 has to work on his legs on the off season he was thrown around by Gomez!!!!!
Wait, Naples. Our season is over and you're laughing??? Get a clue guy and keep your fingers crossed for Monday. And if #3 is on this team come September than we're all in trouble.
An Islander win is an Islander win pal. I understand that Monday is important to us so take it easy.
I've been out of the loop on here but I can imagine the stuff posted on here .... I'll have to catch up with the posts later....
Leaving in a few minutes for game one of the tournament.
Last night's skills competition was lots of fun ... team Isles came in second behind team Devils in total points... 105 to 100 ... team Everyone came in third with 91 and team Rags came in 4th with 84... I came in 1st in shot accuracy and 2nd in shot speed ... I didn't know I still had it in me .... Thank You new hockey stick.
I met our goalie for the first time last night... he's the cousin of one of my regular teammates ... he's 25 originally from Williston Park in Nassau living in Brooklyn now and his name is Ryan .... so maybe someone on here knows him .... he won the individual goaltending competition.
The goalie representing Devil fans is my regular team's goalie and he came in second place .. plus I know his tendancies so our game against them should be interesting.
We are playing the Ranger fan team first at 7am ... so taking off for now.
Looking good for the Caps if they beat Florida tonight they are in Carolina in the same position last night lost to Florida. If the Caps do make it I think their coach deserves coach of the year.
Props to Dubie- he played very good last night and made the many, many saves he needed to.
He outta be resigned and made #1 - its not like Isles have a solid #1 who is healthy for a full year, right?
Hey Sam,
Shouldn't you be studying the Jersey's lineup for tomorrow's game? Ya know, memorizing the numbers and players names so you can sound like a real announcer when broadcasting?
The Isles season is over. done....finis...
Continuing to obsess over here is like continuing to go into your fridge to catch flies so you can pull the wings off of them.
Rangers have another game tomorrow and then the playoffs.
Change your focus a little bit, big fella
Devil fan here adding my two cents. I came here to kind of scout out the Ranger Islander game from last night since we are playing them tomorrow. Important game to see who gets home ice.
I thought Ranger fans were bad to us? They come across as total tools on this place. Maybe they are cowards when it comes to us because we've owned them for the last 13 years. This year they took it to us in the regular season, and we've had our share of problems with the Islanders this season too.
Good luck in the lottery Isles, you guys didn't do yourself any good taking as many points as you did the last 10 games, and your guys did it with half a team and a backup goalie. The Isles deserve a bit more respect for not chucking it to get a better shot at the #1. It's hard to say whether or not it was the smart thing to do.
Okposo looks like the real deal. He's only 19 and he's not going to make the adjustment in 9 games. That coumo (sp) guy looks pretty good too.
Ranger fans here shouldn't be sticking out their chest just yet. They are one point behind us and we really aren't proud of what we accomplished yet, so I don't see what they are boasting about. In all likelyhood they are facing us in the first round, and it ought to be a battle. I fear the Pens, Caps and Habs more than anyone in our conference, and I wouldn't dismiss the Flyers or Bruins either.
Good luck in the lottery Isles fans, and if you don't win it, no problem, I hear the next 6 or 7 guys are all NHL ready blue chip prospects.
Hey guys remember me from the summer?
I just wanted to come back as promised to remind the regulars that you were all WRONG!!!
You said Ranger fans would be disappointed and calling for Renney and Sather's heads by January. You guaranteed that the Isles would finish ahead of the rangers despite all the $$ we spent on FA's. You guaranteed that we would miss the playoffs. And I do believe that one of you promised to post a youtube video of yourself eating your hat if we finished ahead of you. So when can I expect to see the video?
So I am holding to my promise which was to come back after we finished ahead of you guys and made the playoffs. The Rangers got off to a slow start, agreed. Drury did not put up the huge #'s that some expected, agreed. Gomez and Jagr did not mesh as most expected, agreed. But either way...WE ARE IN THE PLAYOFFS AND YOU ARE NOT!!!
So all the Nolan Type Players did what exactly? And why did Comrie get another contract? I told you all that Comrie was all skill and no heart which in the NHL means you will not produce. I told you all that Vasicheck was despised by his past teams fans with names like "Uselesscheck" but you all said "oh no, Nolan will get the best out of him"...and now you are all calling him your own names. You are all doubting Comries heart. Etc etc etc etc...all I said came true and you guys will be worse off next year and we will continue to improve for the next decade with the likes of Gomez, Drury, Staal, Dubinsky, Callahan, Dawes, Prucha & Lundqvist and all the FA's that will be scrambling over each other to be part of what we have. Meanwhile you have Okposo and what you hope to be another high draft pick. Do you think FA's will sign to play with one unproven player and a bunch of has beens in a building that is not even 1/4 full on most nights?
So now you guys are all hoping for a high draft pick and the hummer cup. And you are saying that anything but a cup for the Rags will be a disaster. So in the summer it was that we would not even make the playoffs but now anything but a cup is a disaster? How does that make sense to anybody but an isle fan?
Enjoy your summer and best wishes for the draft...I know Hamilton is hoping to get some good players when the team relocates!!
And one last thing...the contracts that Gomez and Drury signed look a whole let better now that we see the salary cap ceilings rising. The estimates are that top notch players will be signing for about 9 - 11 million per year over the next few years. So I think these two guys for about 7 per aint too bad. And it leaves plenty of room to sign all the support we need like that big d-man.
Outstanding Work There Islander Joke.
Brilliantly written analysis supported by facts and accentuated by self absorbed logic.
One question...
How did you come up enough time to develop and write this landmark when you are holding down a day job as Chairman of the Philosphy and Logic Department at Columbia?
Next time have the geeky freshman with the twitching head in the last row of the Logic 101 class write something for you.
Oh, and to answer the question you posed in the 1st sentence?
NO.....
Maybe next year.
Jeff,
Nice post.....
Good luck to the Dev's.......I'll be rooting for a clean win tomorrow...(Would be nice if The Isles salvaged a Hummer).
I look forward to the Dev's fans chanting "We CAN beat you".
Islanders505,
Fact: all the isle fans on here over the summer went on and on about how you were going to end the season higher in the standings then the rangers
Fact: The rangers are higher in the standings then the isles
what are you not understanding? How is this self absorbed logic?
http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/Spector/2008/04/02/NHLs_200809_Salary_Cap
I believe these facts support my argument.
Anything else you would like me to clarify or support?
http://community.foxsports.com/blogs/Spector/2008/04/02/NHLs_200809_Salary_Cap
I believe these facts support my argument.
Anything else you would like me to clarify or support?
You have an extremely well rounded argument there Mr. islander joke.........
So well-rounded, it's pointless.
I.E. Who cares?
I'm actually excited to see what Bridgeport can do over their last six remaining games. We haven't had a team this deep down their since 2001-2002 and they went to the Finals and lost the final game in double OT to Chicago. Back then Hunter, Krog, Toress, and DiPietro were on that team. If they make into the playoffs, they could really make a splash, and would gain some big experience.
I'm pulling for Bridgeport too naturally ... this could be a great growth experience for the kids....
At my tournament today I had some great convos with lots of guys .... 1 is a Northeast OHL scout .... he said the buzz about Wang is is that he injects himself to much into hockey ops instead of sitting back and letting the hockey people do their jobs. Wang creates more operative turbulance by trying to "Help" ... and that he should concentrate more on the Lighthouse and his business. But he said that Wang wants to be in on everything and said that is why he setup the committee ... and he said it isn't inovative ... it's inhibitive ...Toronto did it in the late 60s thru early 70s ... and it doesn't work. A GM needs to have autonomy.
gonna enjoy watching the devils take out the mighty rangers next week...many of the ranger wins this year vs NJ were in shootouts if i remember correct. well nigel dawes wont be getting any breakaways in overtime, and the rangers will have to get one by Brodeur in OT from here on out to get the win....it aint happening....and a top D pair of Girardi and Paul Mara aint winning a Cup, i dont care how clutch Drury is. Bottom line is we took you again head to head, and you have one banner in 68 years and you act like hockeys chosen franchise....you are not the Yankees you tools.,.. you dont win squat. Go Devils.....