Expecting Nothing Special From New York

New York Islander Fan Central | 11/09/2013 10:42:00 AM | | | | | | | | | | |
I kind of laugh when some are complaining about the Islanders power-play going 0-30/something.  

This is not the 1980's. 

A power play at thirty percent levels off, which was never a good mix of distributed scoring that was sustainable to begin with. Even successful teams don't operate at that number any longer for a season with the equipment goaltenders/players wear. 


Entering Matt Moulson's final game against Philadelphia the unit had ten goals (one 5-3 perimeter goal against Phoenix from Tavares) but was operating at 30.3 percent, while getting virtually nothing from it's defenders.  


Overall the numbers were more anomaly then fact, nothing built to last. Expecting Nielsen or Okposo to keep up their offensive pace was/is not realistic based on their career trends.

Bottom line until this team leans how to win low scoring games, and play some defense, it has no chance. 

Twenty nine other teams are always looking for quality defenders. That kind of player is only available as a pending UFA rental if they waive a NTC/NVC because all of them have this clause.  

Garth Snow's experienced enough by now, and has seen this movie here with Steve Staios, Mike Mottau, Mark Eaton & Milan Jurcina. The team played better without them  because the defense was faster.




No, it's not the goal-tending/Evgeny Nabokov,  except for those people who only go to Islander playoff games.   

The goals Nabokov allowed in Washington were about a hot team quickly exploiting a weak defense shorthanded. One of the teams positives has been it's penalty kill, not so much this season. 

The face-off problems are also becoming another alarming trend.

Management made the right call bring up Aaron Ness. They should bring up Calvin deHaan or someone else with him because Matt Carkner/Radek Martinek are never going to be the answer beyond a spot game. 

Carkner & Boulton can go on waivers if Bridgeport wants to give Jon Sim some veteran company during his PTO. 

I have never seen Martinek misread plays or coverage like he's done in some recent games. 

Offensive players see Carkner not with his stick/body in the right place on the ice, exploit his skating, and pass right through him but that's what he did in Ottawa too which led to many frequent benchings. 

Jack Capuano's wearing down Hamonic, and MacDonald (approaching UFA) quickly.

The best of this team so far as been around five hundred even with the scoring which means they are well out of the playoff mix. (and they have had every break in a mediocre division or they would be ten points out of that third seed already)

Too many other players eat ice time, and provide nothing but at best an even shift. If your fourth line is full of minus players that is not a good unit.  

Donovan-Ness were both plus players on a terrible defensive team in Bridgeport together last season, I would put them together.

If Boston can give Dave Scatchard sixteen million dollars, and ship him to Phoenix without a month or two, Garth Snow can correct his mistake with Cal Clutterbuck, and move him to another team so 1st round selection Brock Nelson has a permanent spot here off the Sound Tigers rookie scoring record a year ago while improving another weakness.

That laughter in the background is from Edmonton when Snow offers him up for Nail Yakupov which is why Nino Niederreiter is never traded at that age unless it's for a similar prospect coming off an All-Star development season in the AHL.

Please stop writing Niederreiter demanded a trade, there is no such quote anywhere. He had a binding contract for 2013-14 to be a member of this franchise with the club owning his rights for years after that. 

The only silly quotes are coming out of some Minnesota media going back to 2007. 

So let's go back to 12/21/07 entry and remind everyone Don Lucia decided to discuss the Islanders, and Snow responded.