The Islanders find themselves in a little conundrum. Who should coach Ted Nolan put between the pipes tonight, to face the New York Rangers?
The face of the Islanders franchise, Rick DiPietro, has not played the last 4 days due to the death of his grandmother. But even before his leave of absence, the recent play of DiPietro has been anything but stellar. In his last 16 games DiPi has a 7-9 record and a sub par save percentage of .866. Add to that, he has also given up a minimum of 4 goals in 9 of those games.
On the other hand, Islanders folk hero Wade “Dubie” Dubielewicz has once again kept the Islanders hopes of making the playoffs alive. Dubie played like a man possessed in Tuesday nights win against the Rangers stopping 27 shots including 5 of 6 shots in the shootout. Unlike DiPietro, Dubie has played very well in his recent starts posting a 5-3 record and a .928 save percentage.
So do they go with, the face of …
As if the trade deadline wasn’t enough of an indication, the Rangers cemented Tuesday night that they are a team going nowhere. After a frustrating shootout loss to the Islanders, I am only more exasperated by the words of Journal News’ reporter Sam Weinman prior to the contest. Via Sam’s LoHud blog:
It’s very easy to look at this game against a slumping Islanders team featuring their backup goalie and think it’s a lock for the Rangers. Most of you are too smart to think that, but the rest of you should know these games rarely play out according to plan.
I do think the Rangers are a tougher, more disciplined team than they were when they lost three straight to the Isles to start the year. But the important part to remember is that with the playoffs looking less and less likely for the Islanders, it is games like tonight they will use to define their season.
Bottom line, it was only yesterday that HSNY’s trusty …
I have a doozy of a question: What does 139 shots mean? You guessed it; the amount of shots the Islanders have had in their last 3 losses. But can you tell me how many goals they have scored on those 139 shots? No, you guessed too high. Again that’s too high. Go lower. Even lower than that. You’re almost there…. Correct, they have scored 3 goals! Thats an amazing rate of 1 goal per 46 shots.
The Islanders can be summed up into 1 player: Andy Hilbert. Hilbert will put forth as much as effort as any player on the ice for the duration of the game. He will get countless opportunities to score a goal, but he can never seem to put the puck in the back of the net. That is the Islanders. A team of hard workers and grinders but no legitimate playmakers.
The Islanders yesterday, made Florida Panthers goaltender Craig Anderson look like the second coming of Patrick Roy. Throwing 53 shots at the net, the Islanders came up with less than …
So with the trade deadline ending soon…Oh wait, what? The deadline already passed? Are you sure?
So with the trade deadline ending on Tuesday, the Islanders did not add any pieces that help them, right now. Personally as a fan, I wanted the Islanders to be sellers and stockpile draft picks. I think most fans can agree that this team is not going to win Lord Stanley’s Cup. With players such as Ruslan Fedotenko and Miro Satan in the final year of their contracts, I was expecting to say “goodbye” to certain players and “hello” to draft picks. The Islanders did welcome some draft picks but the aforementioned players were not moved. GM Garth Snow did some tweaking. But before any trades were made the Islanders decided to lock up forwards Trent Hunter and Mike Comrie to a 5 year and 1 year deal respectively. Snow’s first trade of the day sent a 7th round draft pick to San Jose for stay-at-home defenseman Rob Davison. Snow then sent outlaw Chris Simon to an aptly named team, …
As I sat down in my cousin’s room last night to watch the game, I could not help but think that the Islanders had a great shot at winning. For one thing, Chris Simon would not be on the ice. Another method behind my madness was that the Penguins were missing two starters in Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen. But alas, I was proven wrong. Out-shooting the Penguins 52-21 meant nothing as the Islanders lost their 2nd straight game 4-2.
After an eventful trade deadline for the Penguins in which they acquired sharpshooter Marian Hossa, the Pens came out flat. The Islanders dominated the majority of the play in the 1st period but found themselves down 2-0 on goals by Evgeni Malkin and Jeff Taffe.
After trading away their lone power play option in the form of Marc Andre Bergeron, the Islanders power play, looked powerless. The Islanders were given 4 power plays in the 1st period including 1:34 of a 5 on 3. But the Islanders were barely able to keep the puck in the offensive zone. …
Tsn.ca is reporting that the Islanders have sent defenseman Marc Andre Bergeron to the Anaheim Ducks for a 3rd round draft choice.
Bergeron was the only threat the Islanders had on the power play this year. GM Garth Snow said he was not going to “sell” his players. I wonder what he calls this?
It is being reported that the Islanders have traded one of my favorite players, Chris Simon, to the Minnesota Wild for a 6th round draft pick.
Goodbye Chris, it has not been a pleasure
The Islanders made their first big splash, well maybe they made their first ripple.
The Islanders website is reporting the team acquired veteran defenseman Rob Davison from the San Jose Sharks for a 7th round draft pick.
Tsn.ca is reporting that the Islanders have re-signed Mike Comrie to a 1 year extension. Comrie’s name has been thrown around in trade rumors but it looks as if he is not going anywhere.
The first line center has 18 goals and 28 assists so far on the year.
Almost a year ago to the day, Islanders GM Garth Snow shook up the hockey universe by trading for “Captain Canada” Ryan Smyth. Snow showed every team in the NHL, that the Islanders are no longer the punchline of everybody’s joke. But if Islanders fans thought Snow was in a tough position last year, oh boy.
The Islanders are on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture. Currently the Islanders have 67 points and are 1 out of the final spot for the playoffs. 3 weeks ago, if a fan was asked if the Islanders should be ”buyers” or “sellers” at the trade deadline, the answer almost indefinitely would have been “sellers”. But due to their recent play, that answer may have changed. Going through a 7-game losing streak and then transitioning into a 6-game winning streak, has put Snow in one mighty bind. With the trade deadline a little over a day away, rumors are swirling about possible moves the Islanders will or won’t make.
The most popular of these rumors …
