Florida 4, New York 1

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Cue five on five, broken record. I'm tired of writing about it.

Too much Vokoun, Panthers can score at even strength and skate better, this team cannot score to save their lives at even strength beyond Moluson, who McCabe gift-wrapped a goal for, or it's another sixty minutes with nothing at five on five.

Perhaps if the second period five on three produces for Islanders, Florida opens up and makes some mistakes, but they simply outworked them for their goals, and drove to the net better.

The Islanders looked like a beaten team after the second.

Panthers with 5-3 pp looked as flawed as the Islanders when they actually are creating pressure at five on five, still early in third the Islanders had Vokoun moving and he had to be very good on a few saves, but down 4-1 this year's Islander team cannot come back from that, they knew it too.

Jack Capuano was right in his post-game, the Islanders had some passengers.

Dwayne Roloson was not/never is the problem in goal, DiPietro confirmed starter Sunday. Does it matter who starts in goal if the club only produces one even strength goal each game?

I have been giving the scoring problems some thought. Maybe the even strength goals, Park, Sim whoever scored last year, even the rare early goal Jackman chipped in, this group outside of Moulson just cannot do that, plus for what this is worth they did not bring back a player who's near even in Bergenheim.

It does seem like Park's ability to skate the puck into the offensive zone helped them create a better forecheck, I'm getting an education myself now on why maybe so many coaches fell into the trap of playing him on top lines. Before Park, Jason Blake had that ability, it was criticized in Toronto, but here it got the opposing defense moving.

Now that the pp is struggling which masked problem early, it's obvious how poor this team is in creating chances. All those dirty Sim goals last December made a difference.

Next is they go play Atlanta Sunday. For those wondering why I'm doing blog entries here on games, this looks like the end of any hope for a competitive season, this is what folks will need to remember if they cannot recover.

I don't believe this team can recover, the even strength problems have been there in every game but one, the trade it would take to alter the mix effectively, likely alters the idea to go with prospects.

Sure, I feel terrible for all of our fans, the players, management needs to take a long look in the mirror at the summer decisions they could control.

All I can add is this is the second year, don't count 582 man game lost 08-09 season, that was not building toward anything, it only surviving eighty two games with Guerin, Sillinger, Comrie, Weight not producing often enough.

Los Angeles took almost a decade, Florida is around a decade, Chicago, Pittsburgh and a lot of teams had countless poor years in a row. The years injuries dominated this organization cannot be counted as years players were developing.

This is what growing pains are, we saw them a decade ago.

On the other side of that coin, there are the Jesse Joensuu's prospects, his comments speak for themselves about how this is his time and he has to produce.

It goes directly on management if he fails.

Oh yes, tonight's loss equals the Arbour-Torrey 1990 Islanders.



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Hopefully The Final Word Ever On Chris Botta

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I went on my own little media tour Friday and sent Mr Hanikison's comments with Mr Botta's staged story link from Fanhouse to a few outlets I could find who twitted/wrote about this subject.

That would be Paul Martin's agent.

No folks, not to be vindictive, this is about our fans getting fair information, and the entire story, nothing more. If people are going to write/comment about this everything should be included, right?

I also must now also update my previous entry to include more so folks understand the complete story. Mr Botta'a FanHouse preview/staged story comment on 9/11 was no misprint here he made it very clear the Islanders efforts were a staged story, his thoughts on 7/2 confirm this completely.

His first set of comments 7/2 here had the following:

But please, to make the Islanders’ inability to recruit Dan Hamhuis and Paul Martin and anyone else about the Coliseum issue is an insult. Hamhuis went home to BC to play for a contender. Paul Martin got $25 million for five years to sign with a team led by Sidney Crosby and run by Mario Lemieux. What would you have done?

Later that day in another entry.

I thought the leaking of supposedly strong offers for Martin and Hamhuis was beyond lame - and getting agents to back them up - was sadly obvious and regrettable. But that’s old news. The Islanders are in play for a six-time 40-goal scorer now, not a pair of unfalsh defensemen. No way they do this to their fanbase.

NYIFC Comments:
Note-At the time he wrote the Islanders interest in Kovalchuk was genuine and real, as the dancing source game was in full play with media misinformation galore, so I can absolutely give a pass for his enthusiasm along with a lot of contradictions from many that day.

Obviously when September rolled around he felt otherwise, including Kovalchuk as part of his staged story comment.

So long story short, he felt the agents backed up the Islanders months earlier, never mind Snow traded for Wisniewski's contract and signed Mottau for 1.6 million over two years later on when they have a lot of prospects to plug in.

All I can do is reiterate what Mr Hankinson e-mailed to this blog when I gave him Mr Botta's AOL link with full context of what he wrote 9/14:

In my viewpoint Mr Hankinson did not have to respond at all, much less go as far as he did with his information and disclose Doug Weight called also. I'm sure by that point no one in North America cared about Paul Martin's UFA offers back in July based on a season preview.

As I stated before Garth Snow was very aggressive in pursuing unrestricted free agent Paul Martin on July 1, 2010. Garth called my office more than any other NHL GM. Garth directly spoke to Paul on the phone and also had Doug Weight call and speak with Paul. Garth offered more money than any other team. It was not staged. I certainly did not have time on July 1 to waste. I did express our (Paul’s) concerns about playing in an older building when Garth replied “Paul would be sitting on the (bleeping) players bench, not in the stands.” It was not a staged story.

No infomercial from NYIFC but days later (unnamed agents) were also praising Garth Snow.

Now hopefully we move on. I have done my part on this subject. Our team has one point out of twenty two and frankly, two regulation losses this weekend is likely the beginning of the end of any competitive discussion of the 2010-11 season.

Atlanta defeated Washington Friday, Tomas Vokoun before losing to Boston has been dominating recently for Florida.

The twitter box and game coverage resumes Saturday at 3pm.

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Chris Botta Credentials Pulled By Islanders Was Right Thing To Do

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NYIFC announced Chris Botta content last here February was out at NYIFC, the New York Islanders waited nine months longer.

I debated even wasting an entry on this which is why it was released so late.

I emphatically support the teams decision to revoke his credentials for reasons I listed in February which he confirmed in September with an outright misrepresentation on the Islanders efforts to sign Paul Martin here writing general manager Garth Snow's efforts were staged, which Paul Martin's agent, completely refuted.

Our fans are desperate for coverage, but it needs honest reporting more. Never mistake one as a substitute for the other. Right or wrong, good or bad, regardless of teams record you are entitled to that much.

I know many are not getting that behind the Dolan's pay-wall, who have a track record a mile long of regulating/replacing media, which countless beat-writers have been outspoken about.

More and more Mr Botta did not give that to you, instead between his conflicting/contradicting viewpoints (which is his business) he again put his fans in the middle and you had to endure his personal complaints with the General Manager. When he had issues with Greg Logan and seemingly anyone who disagreed with him in the media the fans were placed in the middle.

Hockey did not come first, you did not come first.

Enough folks have told me of moderated comments by him, the one's agreeing with him standing, with others pulled or challenged, but it was your choice to engage in that forum and it belongs to him/sponsors.

Last March he made clear he would no longer request an audience with Snow, so last week he complained again and put his readers in the middle when he went through his AOL employer and was rejected for an interview request.

Scott Gordon still spoke with Mr Botta after being fired Monday, but the team paying him, who could have requested Gordon not do the interview, apparently had no reported issue. Mr Botta never got any thank you cards from Ted Nolan he decided to share.

Chris Botta has his media friends based on his Islander tenure over twenty years, no doubt the uninformed masses in North America media, who don't follow his blog or the hockey team will defend him (some half-hearted/others for page views on slow day) but few will write the truth because no one cares/knows about this stuff in general.

In NYIFC viewpoint the New York Islanders absolutely did the right thing by revoking his credentials, it was long overdue in my estimation. They team is far too easy a target for criticism with their current record, but where I sit this was something that had to be done if they were undefeated.

Don't tell me someone who writes Snow's efforts were staged regarding Paul Martin is providing honest journalism when the agent writes nothing was staged. Ben Hankinson does not owe anyone the time of day.

I debated the headline that day and could have wrote Botta lied in big bold letters for more attention, this blog wrote the truth and that was his claim was refuted, no more, no less.

If I wrote he lied I would be guilty of promoting the same sensationalism Botta creates, and immediately fold NYIFC.

Botta knows the standards as to when things are unfair, he used to write about them often himself here &
here when media or others crossed the line.

The continual innuendo, digs, shots, were going further and further over the line.

Mr Botta will win the PR war because it's a game the New York Islanders are not playing, nor do they have the media cache to ever play. Right now they are about their losing hockey team, but in the process what started out as an outstanding blog simply turned into something very different and unfortunate.

No doubt whatsoever the New York Islanders have taken the correct action. Mr Botta can play page view game, which he was very conscious of here he can go on every hockey program and make himself the story but it does not deflect from the facts, and that is his blog, one he claimed was because of your support, but became more and more about his issues with the New York Islanders.

Full disclosure: Mr Botta placed this blog in the Islanders blog box program for it's initial season under my guidelines of how I would do things. We shared contact via e-mail enough times during that time (also beyond) as a team employee he never told me what to write and was a first class individual.

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Tampa Bay 4, New York 2

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Time Warner, New York did not show pre-game or switch to game until well into first period.

One point out of twenty two, eighteen games, eighteen even strength goals.

What can be written that I have not been writing for a while, one more even strength goal off Zenon Konopka's hard work to Moulson and that's the even strength offense against a struggling Tampa team that easily could have had five or more, and were hardly impressive themselves, that did not even have LeCavalier or Gagne.

Sure Hunter's post could have gone in or a few others for the Islanders, but so many rushes where one player had to beat three or two had to beat four. Nielsen beat three players to get off one shot in the second, but he simply cannot score.

Hunter took a lazy offensive zone penalty, he was not the only one.

Sure seems like this team is going to live/die based on Doug Weight, who is seeing far too much ice on a pp now failing, plus was out with the goaltender pulled.

The pk did not get the job done tonight, neither did the pp again.

In the context of one game, it was a reasonable loss, in the context of eleven games and one point out of twenty two, it's a disaster with no solution in sight based on current roster.

Why not put Grabner and Schremp's offensive skills together, now that Gordon is not the coach why not play Schremp on a wing or move Nielsen to a spot where he can play defense and not worry about goals?

Best moment of the game was Bailey's pass to Comeau, even if he missed that's the offense you try and generate.

Bergenheim had some great chances, Thompson hit the open net but 3-1 stretch leading to the goal was terrible.

Martinek, Wisniewski and defenders played well, cannot complain about that effort.

Dwayne Roloson is reminding me more and more of Gerry Desjardins circa 72-73, this is beyond goaltending.



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Final Thoughts on Islander Changes Behind Bench/Notables

Several Radio, ITV interviews with Garth Snow, Jack Capuano and players were added to twitter feed.
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Today I wish to present some final thoughts on coaching changes made, and some other items.

Butch Goring was in this spot a decade ago, with more first-hand experience than anyone on the subject because he lived it. His opening words a week ago asked why are Josh Bailey and Blake Comeau being moved around between wing and center this much, and flat out said it's hard enough at this level at one position. (paraphrasing)

Say whatever you want about the Dolan's contract to plug in the television booth to save money on Billy Jaffe, but he was absolutely correct in my viewpoint. Did it lead to only seventeen even strength goals this season? Maybe, perhaps not.

Hunter, Nielsen even strength performance absolutely also have to go on Scott Gordon, along with a ton of minus players.
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I find it interesting how so many who did not want to give Scott Gordon any kind of fair chance when he was hired because he replaced the popular Ted Nolan now feel he was such a big part of the answer moving forward?

Always seems when a coach is hired here it's a terrible move because he is inexperienced but when he is fired or moved to another spot, the perception is they just let go of the next great coach like Peter Laviolette, who was not a popular hire at the time over Ted Nolan?

I hope for Scott Gordon he goes to another club and wins a Stanley Cup sooner than later, but it would not shock me to even see him rehired as coach of the New York Islanders next summer if he does have a good working relationship with Snow.

Having written that, one out of twenty points in regulation is going to seal the fate of most coaches, especially one with the longest tenure in in division.

I guess now Gordon can host the Dolan's Saturday night show being that Pat Flatley is never there to represent the club because full-time Islander personalities cost more money for Msg.

I suspect Lou Lamoriello will be coaching again very soon so he will not be available.
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Memo to Don Lagreca: No one in New York is talking Rangers or Devils anywhere either, don't make it only about the New York Islanders in baseball/NJ football's town. That's the true reality, you are not doing our team any more favors than you do the other local teams by interviewing Snow.

The Cablevision Garden are announcing their sellouts which more and more media are noticing despite thousands of empty seats here.
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Requirements for being an Instant Media Expert on Everything Regarding NYI:
1. Just check the payroll/cap/DiPietro's stats.
2. Ignore the prospects signed to max contracts.
3. Ignore the players signed to long term deals. (Nielsen/Hunter)
4. Ignore Comeau/Moulson's production at end of last season.
5. Ignore you can only have nine players on top three lines.
6. Ignore horrible UFA market for forwards less Kovalchuk last summer.
7. Ignore Agents claim Snow offered most for Paul Martin.
8. Blame Wang for not going bankrupt, claim you know what he does daily regarding hockey operations when none of us know anything along those lines and it's not our business, then claim he's only in it for real estate to contradict yourself.
9. Ignore Nassau/TOH role in arena issue.
10. Ignore NHL's oldest dump in Manhattan, & it's taxpayer exemption for life.
11. Bring up Milbury, DiPietro, Yashin, ignore the four playoffs/five years.
12. Rinse, repeat.

13. Submit resume to Espn or SI/THN where there is no local professional media outlet to challenge how our updates are served up for sensationalism first and foremost for page views.

All I ask is our fans is to tune out the rhetoric, see the players for how they perform on the ice, how management makes it's decisions on performance, and what they claim to be building towards as a franchise.

I maintain Garth Snow got on a stage and lied three summers ago about his working relationship with Ted Nolan. I'm not going to pull punches for anyone on anything regarding the New York Islanders. There are more then fair questions on why Trent Hunter has a spot or how long before Frans Nielsen starts having final value of Petteri Nokelainen as he was force-fed powerplays or what realistically can Doug Weight do at five on five?

Jon Sim outscored all three last season.

How come Joensuu or another prospects is not brought up and given same chance Jack Capuano now has?

These all go directly on the general manager, who can always made a trade to change his mix, tough trade market or not.

As I wrote recently I don't do alarmist game here at NYIFC, this was easy to see coming, which Scott Gordon noted when the team was a 4-2-1. Frankly, I do not see the current roster as it's constructed capable of producing at five on five based on what I have seen over seventeen games.

Do Jack Capuano's coaching tweaks change this because he comes in as a new voice who was failing in the AHL with an impossible three goalie system that also goes on the gm?

I'm very skeptical.



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Jack Capuano's First Day, More from Snow, Weight Speaks.

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Islanders website: Had more from General Manager Garth Snow, comments from Interim Head Coach, Jack Capuano, along with team Captain Doug Weight.

Assistant coaches Dean Chynoweth and Scott Allen will remain on staff in their current capacities. In Capuano's absence, Sound Tigers assistant coach Pat Bingham will assume head coaching duties.

NYIFC Comments:
Doug Weight did not throw Gordon under the bus, and acknowledged the players are responsible for this, however he did not sound like a man who disagreed with the decision to make a change.

Scott Gordon for his part was first class, and showed a side of himself as fans we rarely got to see. I do believe Snow-Capuano comments were genuine about how they liked Gordon. Only the gm knows if Gordon will be an active part of things or will find himself an assistant to the gm, who has the job in title only.

As for Jack Capuano's long-term status, he could be here a week or less, another coach could be hired quickly. It depends on whether the general manager is permitted to hire another coach or does this set the stage for a housecleaning next summer that includes Garth Snow?

I will add this on Capuano, if he's been teaching Scott Gordon's system for over two years, what's different that he can bring to the position?

Bottom line, this team does not start winning soon at six games under five hundred soon it's not going to matter who the coach is. They have to produce at even strength, they have to go on a winning streak.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio has comments from Pat Bingham who takes the role as Sound Tigers head coach.

Misc:
Did you really expect some media shockjocks to do anything but blame Wang because they could not count how many max rookie contracts or forwards were already here with long-term contracts signed? They are not interested in the contract offer made to Paul Martin or others, it's not Pittsburgh or Chicago/Toronto or a market where they will give the teams all benefits of the doubt because those clubs are important to their businesses/status. The only thing most of them they have proven is their knowledge, information and viewpoints are irrelevant/obsolete.

There is no excuse for the New York Islanders losing streak, there is even less excuse for such lazy, outdated media coverage.



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Scott Gordon Fired As Head Coach, Jack Capuano Promoted on Interim Basis

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Islanders website: The New York Islanders announced today that Jack Capuano has been named interim head coach, replacing Scott Gordon. Gordon will remain with the organization as an adviser to General Manager.

“We believe we need a change in direction and, with the majority of the regular season still ahead of us, our goal remains to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs,” Snow said. “Scott has made tremendous strides with our team the past three seasons and I look forward to continuing our relationship in an advisory capacity.”

NYIFC Comments:
I cannot put this on the head coach, however when you cannot change all the players, you have to change the voice in the room. Having written that when a team struggles this long offensively, the coach usually takes the hit unless it is a true partnership (see Nashville-Buffalo) many sold (not Garth Snow) when Gordon was selected as head coach.

Was it fair to Scott Gordon inheriting the NHL's most injured team his first year or losing another 250 man games lost last year, or having no Okposo-Streit this season? Absolutely not.

This is a results-oriented business with a bottom line, this team accumulated one out of twenty points in it's last ten games.

Too many players on this roster were struggling. Gordon had the most tenure of any Atlantic coach, John Anderson was fired in Atlanta and came in around the same time as Gordon with far more talent.

When the team captain employs the word pathetic with regard to the players work ethic something is going to change.

As for Jack Capuano, Bridgeport is tied for last place, and by record did not merit this opportunity even on an interim basis.

This also suggests the general manager's tenure is on shaky ground and must produce improvement he felt the team must make this season.

Do I think a coaching change will fix the offensive struggles at five on five? No, this goes to the offensive resume's of the players at even strength, however it's Capuano's opportunity which will likely be just for this season with his time in Bridgeport ending.

Of course interim can also mean a game or two before another coach is hired.

What happened today goes entirely on the general manager, he made the decision to keep or resign some veterans in Hunter-Weight, he signed Parenteau, gave Nielsen a four year contract and built a large majority of the roster.

Scott Gordon was also Garth Snow's coaching choice.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio reports no announcement at this time on the status of Pat Bingham, Jack Capuano's assistant in Bridgeport in terms of a replacement or promotion.



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Does A Coaching Change Solve Offensive Problems? NO

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Seventeen games, seventeen even strength goals, despite the hard work in many games it's not happening offensively, and the captain is using the word pathetic and questioning the work of the players.

Doug Weight is frustrated, however the problem is not going away as long as Nielsen, Hunter, Comeau and many other cannot finish chances. Konopka for his hard work is not going to produce many even strength goals, he was pinned to the ice when Schremp's shot beat Quick for the Islanders only goal Saturday.

Very easy team to defense at five on five. Even when they generate chances you see Grabner and Tavares battling one another for puck, combined with a forecheck they cannot sustain to draw powerplays, which has had Frans Nielsen getting a bigger look with the man advantage.

Nielsen has not demonstrated he can produce at five on five, when he does take the puck and skate he usually is an easy target.

The Islanders looked painfully small, slow and lacked offensive skill vs San Jose and the Kings, players looked unsure where to be and many shots were poor percentage area's which a defense will block.

On defense against San Jose they were dominated but gave them virtually nothing in terms of rebounds.

Sure they wore down in the third against the Kings, five defenders and three games in four nights against a hot team will do that.

Replace Scott Gordon?
A lot of teams in this situation make such a move because you simply cannot change all the players. Bailey went back to center, Comeau to left wing, Grabner has been used with Tavares, so what line combination has not been tried that a new coach will attempt?

Doug Weight is no offensive answer at his age for this team at five on five.

Is bringing up the last place Sound Tigers coach in Jack Capuano on an interim basis going to all of a sudden made Frans Nielsen score at five on five, or make Hunter move faster, or turn Parenteau into a reliable five on five player? Is it going to help Bailey or Tavares finish a few chances?

Don't see a coaching change here as the solution, if one were made it would simply be for the sake of changing the voice in the room.

What's next?
This team has played five games at home, outside of one contest they have not demonstrated an ability to score at five on five in their own building.

Something is going to give soon, either the gm has to shake up his mix in some manner or make a change behind the bench. One thing for sure is Garth Snow brought back Comeau, Weight, he signed Nielsen, Parenteau and did not move Hunter after some poor/injured seasons.

Matt Martin offensively has not been visible beyond his goal against Montreal.

Also his last place team in Bridgeport has had three years of waiting on Joensuu, three years (first in Sweden) or Robin Figren/Marcinko.

Make no mistake, this has gone from three games over to six under. One point out of a possible twenty in the standings. Another two weeks of regulation losses or the eighth seed cut off reaches ten points/ten games under five hundred.

In short if that happens.you are looking at what becomes a fifty plus exhibition game schedule because the realistic part of playoff contention is over.

The general manager went on record that his team must take next step, on record that they should be able to overcome the injuries to Streit, Okposo.

It must also be noted Nashville has less goals than the Islanders, they are over five hundred.



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