As long as this team works hard down to the final game, I'm satisfied with what I have seen to bring back virtually the entire team for next season, along with the head coach.
But were not down to the final game or have any idea what Garth Snow thinks of his interim head coach.
Having written this hard to remember the last time this team had a bad night or were out of a game early so it's not just about wins and losses but maintaining a high level of performance, which they have demonstrated better than any Eastern Conference team besides Boston since middle of December.
That's more than a hot week or two.
The team is loose, and have nothing to play for is the latest spin from outside media that cannot name more than five players without a scoresheet? Non-sense, many of these players are working for their future in this league. Last year they went 9-8-3 in March/April and were much closer to a playoff spot.
A lot of fun to watch these games as they took the play at Boston, Toronto and they have a speed factor that goes beyond Grabner. If only Nielsen got hot at even strength and Okposo got on an overdue scoring run.
New York keeps working hard/playing very competitive hockey (not so much at Newark vs trapping Devils style) but not gaining the kind of ground it will take to leap over all the teams in front of them to qualify for a playoff spot, plus they don't have the games in hand.
Nassau Coliseum West against the Rangers (hopefully the Islander fans help Msg announce a legit weeknight sellout for a change) or in Carolina, who cares? For this segment it's about making the playoffs with every game now virtually a must-win before they become elimination games with the number tonight starting at thirteen.
The Dolan's shifted the Islander coverage to Msg2 tonight for first time all season so the Garden's franchise team (Knicks) could have Msg and Cablevision's hockey team can have Msg+. The minimal newspaper for hockey coverage will be brutal win or lose because the Islanders don't have professional media covering them exclusively not owned by Cablevision.
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As for our interim head coach and respect factor, his team has won some games.
Nielsen getting a misconduct was a joke, along with no powerplays vs Devils. You let both teams play/hit or neither. If an official has a problem with some teams or has obvious trends where he pads his numbers vs one team, he should be out of a job or have good explanation why those games produce an imbalance of calls.
Teams have film sessions and break down plays, no reason officials cannot be called on carpet and shown films of their calls which no doubt happens often when a complaint is filed.
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Funny how Kenny Jonsson in the 2002 playoffs got his head smashed into rock-hard glass at Air Canada center in Toronto via Gary Roberts charge/hands to head and they did not threaten the league to withdraw sponsorship or contact the Leafs and take the name off the facility or refuse to pay for naming rights.
Even more comical to read Mike Murphy (another former Ranger in the Colin Campbell-Frank Brown-John Dellapina-ex Ranger club) make comments on Chara about his past conduct being a factor when that should have nothing to do with anything.
Yes, the league got the call correct. The Habs owner should stop complaining about an arm or push and stop writing letters to the other owners and not have a glass encased box between player benches. He had no complaints and wrote no letters when Max Pacioretti threw the exact same hit to Eaton in December with his arm/body as Chara threw.
As usual the game goes on with spin provided by sponsors, ad agencies and now the companies that have a vested stake in the product? Those sponsors need the local papers that cover the teams and in many cases the beatwriters/salesman of those teams to sell whatever the management is telling them.
What's next Comcast (Flyers owner Ed Sinder) and Little Caesar's determine league punishment. Bad enough the NBC-Comcast merger seems to put Ed Snider's team center stage as often as possible.
Of course for the New York Islanders, it's exactly the opposite as we saw against Pittsburgh. I guess Michael Haley should have been suspended because he was challenged to two fights and won them before Johnson was at his blueline as Koskinen stayed in his crease?
Mario Lemieux wants to impress everyone? He should have suspended Dan Bylmsa himself regardless of what the league decided as soon as Eric Godard left the bench.
Same old game, all about laundry and sure the Islanders are just as guilty as anyone, only with less sponsors/media spin to sell their side.
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Brendan Shanahan is now an equipment expert? Should be fun watching the NHLPA agree to protect players by having them wear less body armor for their clients which is a big part of the reason for many injuries and goes beyond any one person as technology improved to make players bigger and equipment better/stronger.
I got a nice rule, how about all these NHL employees (outside of Bettman and Bill Daly) can only serve for three years and all thirty teams must be represented in the NHL front-office in some major area on a rotating basis and the public receives a list of what teams are represented where?
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Weight, Streit and DiPietro keep practicing, at some point do they actually return or are they shut down for the season?
I don't see the final Coliseum game against Pittsburgh as a contest to dress Doug Weight and use a roster spot that may be needed for Gillies, despite the warnings that will be going out days before the contest.
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Has not been a great chance for Nate Lawson to showcase himself this year. He got called up when Roloson got traded, was quickly injured, then when he returned Montoya beat him out for the majority of the starts. Will he get another look if DiPietro does return because given depth chart (including Nilsson/Nabokov) I don't see a place for Lawson next year.
Montoya is an RFA, it may not mean anything.
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One final thing, Aaron Ness was ready to go to CHL a year ago and leave school, later on his father insisted he is going to college. He can sign with the Islanders but until the teams website/Gophers site confirm it's usual source game to be ignored.
No law Ness cannot sign and return to school, his father, Jay Ness comments a year ago said a lot here.
The Islanders have a senior or two they need to make decisions on when they graduate also.
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