What's Next For New York? More Very Tough Games

Bottom Line:
To make the playoffs in a sixteen team conference with only three top seeds guaranteed a spot, it's going to take at least ninety five points.

This means the three games under five hundred New York Islanders from this entry forward must play about eighteen games over.  

The team matched my projected wins for the month, they have played some very competitive hockey although a free falling Nashville Predators team is not the best barometer.

The Kings held a hot Devils team to zero goals on 11/15. They came here 11-6 good for only 9th place in a fourteen team conference.

Aaron Ness had the best finish by a defender this season, tying him for the team lead in five on five goals at one.

I like what I'm seeing from Nelson, Donovan, Ness. Outside of the first Kings goal in the third period, Kevin Poulin's been excellent.

The goaltender overall has not been the problem for this organization in 2013-14. 

Matt Carkner had his usual redirection/screen leading to the tying goal. To constantly put him out in key situations much less shorthanded just gives talented fast scoring forwards on other teams an advantage.

No doubt Carkner's doing his absolute best.  

Still despite the competitive play reality does not lie. Three games under, few regulation wins, so many weaknesses from penalty kill to faceoffs.

This is with three players in the top ten in NHL scoring. One (Okposo) who had four goals in forty eight games in 2013. Another (Nielsen) having a career year.  

It only get's much tougher from here. One look at the rest of this month with the December schedule likely spells the end.

The criticism will be brutal, some of it will be justified, others well over the top. A lot of it from the professional ranks will come from a place of ignorance from afar, but you know that.

No one wants this franchise to prove me wrong more than myself. 

Expecting Nothing Special From New York

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.

Matt Donovan, Nino Niederreiter Named Starters For All-Star Lineup

Matt Donovan, & Nino Niederreiter were named to the starting lineup by the fans for the 2013 AHL All-Star Game in Providence on 1/27-1/28.

Both players thanked the fans on their twitter feeds Saturday.

Bridgeport off losing a third period 1-0 lead on Friday, lost 5-0 in Norfolk on Saturday entering the break at AHL five hundred.

1/22: Niederreiter Speaks On Wanting To Be First Team All-Star

That's Nino Niederreiter speaking likely on 1/22/13. It must be noted he was named as an all-star on 1/17 so when he says he was just named to the all-star team those comments could have been recorded at an earlier point.

Niederreiter posting this or re-tweeting this on 1/22 however suggest otherwise which he did on both his  twitter/facebook pages.

The Sound Tigers website released this update on 1/22/13.

Note-The team video was released between 10am-11am on the teams twitter feed or before any other updates on Tuesday.

 TheSoundTigers VOTE FOR NINO: @thelnino25 is an AHL All Star but needs your help to make the starting lineup! Voting opens @ 12 today!

1/22/13: Niederreiter's personal twitter feed also RT this update around 10am here.

Niederreiter later added this to his Facebook page on 1/22/13
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Kirill Kabanov is getting very close to returning, it's possible he goes to Norfolk next weekend.

Player Garth Snow's Comments On Lockout Sept 2004

On 9/28/04: Locked Out NHL player Garth Snow gave the Toronto Star an interview on playing in Russia.  

USA Today's Kevin Allen on 9/27/04 had a more positive article.

Tsn.ca reported Snow left St Petersberg on 12/21/2004 in an era before there was a KHL.

On 7/29/2005 Snow was resigned by the Isles to a three year extension as an UFA.
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NYIFC Comments:  
This entry has nothing to do with the previous post about the general manager.

I felt it would be interesting to take a quick look back at how NHL locked out player, Garth Snow, saw the 2004-05 lockout.

I always remembered this interview because of his honest, candid comments at the time.

Snow before 2010 was the only recent former player who had become a general manager since the 04-05 lockout beyond brief co-gm Brett Hull with Dallas who retired in October 2005.

This has nothing to do with players immediately named gm.

Bob Clarke was hired as gm by Ed Snider of the Flyers upon his retirement after 83-84, who was fired by Jay Snider before becoming gm in Minnesota, Florida before returning to Philadelphia as senior vp, then gm, which he held until 2006 when after being fired, he again was named senior vp in Dec 2006. 

Ray Shero was a long-time assistant in Ottawa/Nashville before behind hired by Pittsburgh in 2006.
Dave Nonis was gm in Vanvouver from 2004-2008. 

Among the current general managers:
Steve Yzerman was named Tampa's gm in 2010, his final NHL season was 2005-06.
Former Islander/new Montreal gm, Marc Bergervin's final NHL season was 2003-04.
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Fun Story Of The Day: 
So in September 2001 Vancouver gm Brian Burke wanted to claim Garth Snow off waivers? 

Funny on 1/6/2001 the all-knowing Vancouver media has Burke's comments on Garth Snow's goaltending vs Felix Potvin after Snow left. 

Sorry gang, Snow's 2000-01 stats in Pittsburgh did not scream he had improved. Chris Osgood was  claimed off waivers with DiPietro being left in Bridgeport. 
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Bridgeport Win/Loss:
Nino Niederreiter scored two goals in first period, took a stick in the face, returned but only took one brief pp shift in second period on Wednesday in Sound Tigers 5-2 win. David Ullstrom has three assist, one ENG. 

Nothing on Travis Hamonic or Brock Nelson close to returning.

A Few Words From Garth Snow

Tweet

NY Post: General manager, Garth Snow, had a few comments regarding his team within the last day, where he spoke on a variety of subjects.

New York Notables/Prospect Camp/NIFA Meeting Updated 7/14

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Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio is reporting UFA Jeremy Colliton will return on a two-way contract. Confirmed by Sound Tigers website.

Updated 1pm:
Writing the NIFA meeting will be live here Thursday at 4pm may not be correct.

NIFA meetings are archived for viewing. It may have been a bit presumptuous on NYIFC part, that automatically (like Nassau) the NIFA meeting would also been shown live at 4pm via live web cast.

We apologize in advance if the meeting is not live-streamed at 4pm.

NIFA will be Meeting 7/14/2011 at 4pm from Charles Wang's Marriott Hotel, where they are expected to comment on the Coliseum referendum in their agenda.

Like Nassau County all NIFA meetings can be seen with no media spin. NIFA had it's Jan-April meeting (likely others) at the Marriott, so there is nothing to be read into that.

Many past NIFA meetings are available for viewing, most are only a few minutes with none of the debate/lobbying you see in County meeting process.

NYIFC 8.1.11 section (right sidebar bottom of page) has all available information, including all Stadium/Arena referendum outcomes since 1990.
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New York Islander Fan Central twitter on side-bars & special section set up for rookie camp, has had plenty of coverage.

7/13: ITV had video interviews with Ryan Strome, Calvin deHaan, Anders Nilsson, among others.

7/16 ITV: will show Blue vs White Live Saturday at 7pm.

NYIFC Comments:
Only expectation I have from prospect camp is no players are injured. The Devils, Adam Larsson, and several prospects have sustained injuries in their camp this week here.

Eric Boguniecki : signed by Bridgeport as as assistant to new Head Coach, Brent Thompson.

NYIFC Comments:
This is somewhat of a surprise given the club has a lot of folks, who have had brief appearances on the Sound Tigers bench, Matt Bertani was retained as an assistant.

Seems management felt a need to add a second assistant or Thompson was permitted his own hire?
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New York Notables:
1. Funny how Charles Wang is spending the same forty million he was before there was a cap floor or ceiling, and not one person writes about it? Roloson/Wisniewski were traded with no replacements and the New York Islanders did not go below the floor, which means they were at least four million above it.

But why go there?

2. It's already 7/13, how dare the Islanders not sign Bryan McCabe for three million, Alexei Kovalev/Zherdev for another two million and subject us to actually seeing if Calvin deHaan, Nino Niederreiter can make the club out of camp?

At least replace Godard and Mike Rupp? We have no one to stand up for John Tavares. (wrong Atlantic team and era)

2A. It's not 1998-2008 for Bryan McCabe or Kovalev anymore. The right wings in the system may be a lot better than Zherdev now. Kyle Okposo will likely be back with Tavares and Moulson on the first line, with Parenteau going down a line or two.

3. How are the Islanders going to compete with a defense that has Eric Brewer, MA Bergeron, Bruno Gervais and Matt Gilroy?

3A. Victor Hedman is a very good player, spare me about the rest being better than the Islanders or most other teams at this time.

4. Make an offer sheet (insert star player name) what are they waiting for?

4A. Matched.
End of story.
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How Low Can You Go Department:
1. I watched the Nassau County meeting Monday which included spending four million dollars in repairs to the Nassau Coliseum, it quickly and quietly passed, but those needing to create a story out of nothing (beyond selling themselves) did what they do best for their own selfish purposes.

1A. Not like the Nassau Coliseum had to cancel an Islanders home game because of asbestos issues, but those same folks would not dare write one word on that and retain a credential.

1B. Instead let's interview some former players to whole-heartedly, without question and from a completely honest place support the Islanders staying, while in the background, it's kept as negative as possible in the owners paper, which contributed greatly to the teams attendance/coverage issues since they started pulling games off television in 1998.

1C. What's next the Islanders refused their Metro Ice Challenge Winnings, or a pregame a few years ago because their TV partner is so wonderful? That the Islanders do not even want preseason games televised/or preseason specials? That the team does not even want our great partners to be burdened with live web-casted preseason games to help interest? Just place all the games on an insulting channel named for Madison Square Garden and hold the HD/ratings, while spamming Msg teams across every telecast.

1D. Anyone have a bridge to nowhere to sell cheap beyond the one going up at a renovated Msg? This end game is all about October 2015, quietly riding in as the good guy while saving hundreds of millions.

Since 1998, the history reflects the truth.

2. PHWA President, Kevin Allen, has no answers on what to do with blogger vs writer credentials issue here beyond letting the teams decide or who vouches for individuals in markets where there is less coverage?

I personally like Kevin Allen's work, but his answer seems to be pass the buck or stay above it as association president. Perhaps he's too smart to take a stand?

3. Beyond comical the same article reports the NY Times, does not allow it's hockey writers to vote for NHL awards? You may recall this was the same publication demanding transparency last November on Islanders media policies? NYIFC called out this hypocrisy once again on April 5th.

4. Yes folks, it's 2011. Hockey information has regressed so much we have comedy sideshows playing insiders on teams finances, with select professional media outlets so cheap and lazy they use them as actual resources.

Then those same publications, call out the teams for not spending enough?

4A. Where's X-Ice when you need them with long memories of Islanders earliest website versions.

5. Maybe we can get some of these comedy sideshow kiddies to publish the salaries of all the professional North American hockey writers? Then we can see which editors, publishers, and owners are the real hockey coverage problem?

5A. Will be fun to see the NY Post calling out Rupert Murdoch (NEVER), which needs to save a little money these days, firing Larry Brooks/Mark Everson and replacing them with AP coverage which would be a dramatic improvement for New York hockey credibility at the Post.

6. Let's end on a good note-Type the words Fort Neverlose into Google maps.
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Niederreiter/Cizikas Updates Available in Sidebars

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Feeds for St Michaels Majors with Casey Cizikas & Portland WinterHawks with Nino Niederreiter have been added to sidebars and crawl to follow both prospects in the OHL/WHL Championships.

Mississauga St. Michaels Majors lost game two in overtime Friday, Cizikas had an assist. Niederreiter had a first period goal for Portland in WHL final.

No twitter, OHL draft going on so too many updates.



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