Okposo will start Bridgeport Playoffs/Notables

Islanders/Sound Tigers websites & Point Blank/Mr Botta & Ct Post Michael Fornabaio in the Sound Tigers blog all report Kyle Okposo will play the opening two games for Bridgeport Friday and Saturday at the Coliseum against WBS Pens before likely departing for the World Championships.

Mr Fornabaio's report had details on today's practice.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Some players like Craig Anderson Florida turned down team USA's invitation to participate which winger David Booth also may do here. Scott Gordon is expected to leave Sunday to be on head coach Ron Wilson's staff for team USA and with Bridgeport already having enough injuries (Comeau-McLean-Colliton) on their clear day list they have enough latitude so Kyle Okposo or other players can play for Bridgeport at this time.

Having written that if Jeremy Colliton (or Kurtis McLean for example) did return they would have to play which is the significance of the clear-day list.
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Point Blank/Mr Botta: Had an excellent interview with Hall of Fame Islander general manager Bill Torrey on the draft he selected Denis Potvin and the top players in this years class.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
In my estimation the greatest New York sports executive in history for his class, grace and character combined with ability. The chemistry he had with Al Arbour is unmatched anywhere in professional sports.

Having written that Bill Torrey made the wrong call on Dave Chyzowski (and a few other top picks) but he went by the consensus draft board which is what you have to do regardless how it played out.

This is why I would have no problem if Snow drafted John Tavares or Victor Hedman and they did turn out to be a draft bust.

My point is be conventional.
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ECHL.com: Announced today Islander prospect Rob Hennigar was named the CCM ECHL Rookie of the Month for March lead the league with 17 assists and 23 points in 13 games to help Utah qualify for the Kelly Cup Playoffs.
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Newsday for now has not had an Islander blog update on Okposo which could bring more fans to Friday-Saturday games as they advertise on the Isles website but Jim Baumbach here has his latest reason to write the Islanders are a joke on his own behalf while the Cablevision owned team does not even give Steve Zipay any information at all here when they suffer an injury.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Call me cynical but I do not respect coverage double-standards. If the paper covers both teams exactly the same there is no problem here and if Mr Baumbach wrote the Rangers were a joke for announcing nothing on Drury I would respect that standard.

Lets see Jim Baumbach call out his employers teams for doing far less than Charles Wang or Garth Snow who has been far more accessible to Greg Logan and Newsday staff than James Dolan or Glen Sather has been to Newsday for years.


Updated 6:04pm:
Newsday: Mr Logan in the Islanders Newsday blog had player reaction on what they think the team needs in the draft as Trent Hunter, Mark Streit & Brendan Witt comments on that and the clubs needs. Head coach Scott Gordon also comments on the injuries and the lack of scoring while general manager Garth Snow was quoted on those subjects as he talked about what his priority is as general manager.

Mr Logan said he will have more from the general manager after tonight's lottery in a 9pm press conference among several items included in this entry.

Islander News Articles 3/19

The New York Islanders were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Wednesday with Carolina's win against New Jersey.

Newsday: Mr Logan in the Islanders Newsday blog had more from head coach Scott Gordon and Peter Mannino on his win against Chicago in his first game he got to start. Also reported, Joey MacDonald was headed back to the doctor and for now his status for the weekend is in question which could mean another start for Mannino.

It should be noted Newsday also had a brief video of today's practice.

NHL.com: Lindsay Krammer has Jon Sim's comments about playing in Bridgeport and what's ahead.

Point Blank: Mr Botta had comments from Doug Weight about signing with the Islanders beyond this season.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
As always I will provide only a small portion of Mr Botta's work here because you should visit Point Blank.

I like Doug Weight but Islanders either need a top one or two center (Marian Gaborik, Brian Gionta) who can produce at even strength or someone who understands this team will be about it's young players getting the best chances from day one next season. Only Weight knows if that's for him but given his comments in January he sounded like a man not willing to give up his spot and made his case in the media that for me came off more like an ultimatum.

Is Doug Weight willing to be played here like he was in Anaheim if others beat him out for a spot? If I'm coaching Bailey, Nielsen and Tavares if drafted/signed are my three centers down the middle. I'm not changing anyone's spot for Doug Weight and if Scott Gordon is giving Kyle Okposo the left wing powerplay point he should be there over Weight from day one.

Mike Sillinger also sounds like a man who wants to continue his career as a New York Islander and is another center who can win some faceoffs which this roster needs.

Then there is Colliton, Walter and some other players who decisions need to be made on.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio had comments from head coach Jack Capuano, Ben Walter and the teams trainers on how Bridgeport played finished 22 games in 38 days Sunday, going 14-5-0-3 to move from 11 points out of first place to one point back. Trainer John Sullo is quoted in the article with the beatwriter also crediting strength and conditioning coaches Chris Schwarz and Jesse Demers.

Tuesday Notables/Lighthouse/NYIFC

National Post/several outlets: Report Sidney Crosby left practice Tuesday with a sore groin but is still listed as
probable against the Islanders.

NHL.com: Adam Schwartz has a feature on the line of Blake Comeau, Josh Bailey & Kyle Okposo with comments from Islander head coach Scott Gordon.




Mr Botta has been live blogging from this mornings Lighthouse meetings over at Point Blank which has wrapped up, as always visit Mr Botta's blog for specifics.

If Mr Wang-Rechler does speak to the business/sports media we will have those comments.

Only Newsday knows who is covering practice and if Mr Logan or someone else is traveling to Pittsburgh today or tomorrow.
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What I can tell everyone is our trade deadline section is coming together with key live radio/trade tracker links. I will be adding more to this section in the coming days but these sites are usually the most reliable with correct information.

The two radio links in Canada usually go hockey all day at the deadline and both last year seemed to report all trades quickly and accurately.

I will add in a few more crawls to the page for updated trades.

If a live blog is done here on 3/4 it will be announced a day before on the fly because I'm just not sure I will be around, everyone is welcome to join in if we do have one.

If we do a live blog here it will be from 1pm-4pm. Last year I had a great time doing all the shows and this blog but between the shows, the blog and the game afterward it was too much.

There is no game this time.


NYIFC does not do the trade rumor/gossip game from amateur sites/blogs, we only go with professional media sources for the few rumors on potential trades that are posted here. As always dead last and a hundred percent correct is my unwritten rule with reported trades.
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The Ct Post apparently is adding mega-sports content or at least took questions on media at the paper. Two gentlemen named Ted Tompkins and Jeff Busrtraan were kind enough to get together, answer my question and create what I have wanted for several years.

A Bridgeport Sound Tiger news article feed listed here which will take time to fill in because it's brand new.

I have already added the new feed on the left side of this blog where all media updates go (including Mr Fornabaio's blog) and to the Sound Tiger section of the prospects blog on the other page.

At time time I'm not sure If I will continue to add Sound Tiger articles now to the daily articles being that we now have a feed that does the work. I'm not sure how many read the out of town coverage links.

I likely will.

NYIFC Update/A few more words on prospects

Still fixing up the bells and whistles aka feeds for NYIFC, most things you click on now should give you the updated correct feeds. I'm still working on the crawl for the top of the page.

I would strongly suggest updating your bookmarks or links because if you continue visiting here through newyorkislanderfancentral.blogspot.com you will keep being asked to redirect or at some point blogger may stop doing that entirely and provide a dead link.

Lose the blogspot.

My thanks to Cory Witt from the Islanders for quickly fixing the re-direct in the blog box page, my profile on the site at some point (along with others) should be updated.

I did tell Mr Witt I have not decided on doing NYIFC beyond this season. I do tend to feel now that Mr Botta has a team sponsored blog that is excellent, the blog box may not be as necessary as it was two summers ago.

Blog box or not, I will do what I have done for a decade, whether I continue doing NYIFC beyond the season will be about what I decide to do next and nothing else.

Regardless all I can do is thank the Islanders for including me and hope my contribution helped them which was my only intention when I signed up. Based on the media and private response I know NYIFC has made a positive difference.

I promise I have made no decision at this time. I can go in any direction with content and format here.

Also my thanks to Mr Botta at Point Blank for linking to NYIFC for the Queens story despite others also providing him with it.

Point Blank: Mr Botta this morning also had an interesting entry on all the failed prospects and feels nothing will be coming from Bridgeport that will make a difference next season.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
The question for me has to be asked when you see Bergenheim making his moves to the net why is he not getting his chance beyond the fourth line, why was Comeau is Bridgeport?

I do not see Andy Hilbert making this moves.

I did my entry yesterday and made these points. I do not see Comeau-Bergenheim or even Tambellini as failed prospects but ones who at least this year have been mismanaged to a degree. Kyle Okposo is on left wing during powerplays for reasons I frankly do not see, especially when Scott Gordon said playing him as a left wing earlier with Guerin and Weight was a mistake.

Nine games to the trade deadline for those scoring at home.

Sorry Mr Botta, Our fans should always respond

Point Blank: Mr Botta makes a entry our fans should not write or respond to items like Steve Simmons article in the Toronto Sun because it gives the writer more page views which helps him with his editor.


NYI Fan Central Comments:
I think I'm starting to understand how come the Islanders all these years sat back and let their perception take a huge beating in the media with virtually no response which is how we got to where we are today.

I have no idea what part Mr Botta played in that and you have to pick your spots, but you don't sit back and ignore something when it's unfair. It's this kind of philosophy that got a Long Island label stamped on a New York team far too often that put the team in a bad spot today and limited it's fan base.

You have to stand up and hit back. A lot of articles on the Islanders are negative but fair, many others are not.

For that matter where is Cory Witt to do a little hitting back as he has done recently on a few items? If he can do it for the Avalanche he can do it for the team he works for.

Larry Brooks takes shots his shots at the Islanders viability and local presence but because he feels the Islanders should receive revenue sharing he's done a good article?

Is this how far things have fallen we give thanks for insults?

Nonsense.

Mr Brooks knows who owns Islanders marketing on television, he knows they do not get a fair shake in his Newspaper, if he wants to talk about the Islanders viability he should start at his editor's doorstep and the double-standards they set.

This is the same Larry Brooks who reported in 2006 Mike Bossy (and Bryan Trottier) were not attending the 25th anniversary without compensation, a few weeks later he had to do a retraction where he blamed his staff for giving him incorrect information.

Then he ignored the event entirely despite covering that team in 1980.

Mr Botta told folks over the summer when it came to Newsday when Mr Rieber/Mr Baumbach would write things just to stir up Islander fans to ignore them.

Mr Botta would pick his spots in his old job ripping Newsday/Alan Hahn/Glen Healy when the former goaltender starting ripping Yashin's personal life.

My point is you cannot just pick your spots, one day tell folks ignore and the next hit back.

Our fans should always respond when they think something is not fair or correct long and loud. This is how you show these writers they cannot get away with misinformation or things that are not fair, that our fans are passionate about this team and will not let misinformation or outright poor journalism pass.

Perhaps Mr Botta does not see it but the more you sit back and take it, the further the media will go until you do respond.

By then perception is created and it leads to more articles along the same lines.

Islander Notables

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio in his blog reports all three goaltenders were in Bridgeport at practice.

This means no recall of Yann Danis (or another goaltender) at this time. With Bridgeport having a rematch with Hartford Wednesday it could mean Danis starts Wednesday and is recalled to start Thursday-Saturday.

After this five game stretch at home, Islanders have an eight day break and then roughly nine weeks of games until the end of the season.

Point Blank: Mr Botta reports on practice (Newsday already has Steve Zipay's Ranger blog from practice) with head coach Scott Gordon telling him Nate Thompson and Frans Nielsen will play Tuesday with a focus on the young players getting more powerplay time.


NYI Fan Central Comments:
This is where ITV and the website has really let us down this year far too often. No practice report, no video of the coaches press conference with the media. Last year
Ted Nolan was on ITV no matter how tough it got virtually every day, Chris King and Steve Mears had ten-fifteen minutes of practice video.

This year between the sub par pre-post game articles and this it's been far worse.

Newsday: Mark Herrmann has some praise for the Devils who apparently will sign Brendan Shanahan but of course gets out his real message which is to talk about the Devils attendance and their viability in this hockey market playing their system.


NYI Fan Central Comments:
He never takes these kids of digs at the Rangers. Not now, not when they were the biggest laughingstock in hockey. What does the Devils signing Shanahan have to do with their attendance or viability?

What Mr Herrmann will have no part of it's it's practically just as bad for the Rangers whether he wants to acknowledge it or not with their viability and a defensive system that Brent Sutter's Devils do not play. I expect it will not be good Wednesday morning from Mark Herrmann whether the Islanders win or lose if he covers the game but we'll hope for some fair coverage.

Newsday: Neil Best did not tell us the New York number for the winter classic which was below top ten in markets but eleven days later Nielsen/NBC/Cablevision finally found a Ranger angle for the outdoor game by pointing out NBC said the Jan. 1 Winter Classic was watched by an average of 4.4 million viewers, making it the most-viewed NHL regular-season game since 5.4 million saw the Flyers and Rangers play on NBC on Feb. 23, 1975.


NYI Fan Central Comments:
No shock Neil Best would want no part of including game six of the 1980 finals between the Islanders and Flyers had a 4.4/17 rating here and was the highest rated hockey game on broadcast television for decades.

Game one of the Wings-Flyers final generated a 4.0 rating equal, that series overall was seen in 6.3 million homes here as the official rating number for that four game sweep which featured Garth Snow seeing action for Philadelphia.

Islander News Articles 1/10

Newsday: Greg Logan had head coach Scott Gordon's repeat comments from his post-game in Calgary on playing more young players, Doug Weight for his part does not want to become a player with a lesser role as long as he is productive.


Earlier Friday:
AHL.com: Reported Yann Danis and Trevor Smith were sent to Bridgeport.

Newsday: Mr Logan in the Islanders Newsday blog speculates that Trevor Smith's demotion means Frans Nielsen could be ready to return.

Friday's Islander Insider was pushed back to Saturday.


NYI Fan Central Comments:
Ask me again on Tuesday if this actually matters. Danis is going to have to play in the NHL soon if DiPietro cannot so I would expect he see another start in Bridgeport.

NY Post: Dan Martin has comments from Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo and Mike Sillinger on how the veterans are helping the Islander young prospects and their role.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Not sure when Dan Martin got these quotes from Mike Sillinger or the players on the road trip.

Point Blank: Mr Botta had a few words from general manager Garth Snow on Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey not being named to the young stars team.


NYI Fan Central Comments:
As always I feel NYIFC readers should visit Mr Botta's outstanding blog for the comments he produces. I will only give a short overview here.

Kind of ironic the first overall pick, Steven Stamkos has one more point (14) than Okposo (13) who has played forty games was selected. Josh Bailey has only three less points than Stamkos.

The Guardian of PEI: Reports former Islanders Bryan Trottier, Bill Smith, Bob Bourne and Cliff Ronning will be part of the Oldtimers’ Hockey Challenge Monday at 7 p.m. at the Civic Centre.

Daily Gleaner: Reported on Rob Hennigar's game winning goal for his ECHL team after being send down from Bridgeport recently.

Los Angeles Times: Diane Pucin has a few words on the KHL all-star game today (telecast details inside) which will be an outdoor game in Red Square with one squad named after former Islander Alexei Yashin.

Calgary Sun: Reports former Islander assistant coach Wayne Fleming apparently quit as coach between periods for Avangard Omsk who is captained by Jaromir Jagr.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Dave Molinary reports former Islander Ruslan Fedotenko is out four-six weeks after breaking his hand in a fight during a recent game.


NYI Fan Central Comments:
Tough break for Fedotenko. I would guess Michael Terrien has about two weeks left to turn things around at best in Pittsburgh regardless of his contract. He was fired from Montreal 1/17/03 for those looking for a connection.

Sarnia Observer: Dave Paul reports on Sarnia's shootout loss. Islander prospect Mark Katic was the number one star of the game with a goal in regulation.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
No trades for Sarnia involving Islander prospects at the deadline.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio reports Bridgeport lost 4-1 at Providence Friday, Joe Callahan who scored the lone Sound Tiger goal and head coach Jack Capuano comment.

Ct Post: Mr Fornabaio's blog does a good job breaking down the matchups and explaining where the game was lost here along with other items.

Saturday Bridgeport is home to Hartford with nothing on weather canceling the game at this time.

Providence Journal: Has coverage of Providence win against Bridgeport at home Friday.

Clarification from Mr Botta

In my blog entry regarding Mr Botta on Wednesday I wrote goaltender Rick DiPietro should shut things down for the year regardless and based my comments upon his January 2nd entry of Point Blank here where at one point he wrote the following:

Seriously, is there any case for playing DiPietro more than just every other game for the rest of the way?

Really, what would be the point of him playing any more - to get back in the playoff race, 14 points out of 8th place and with six teams between the Islanders and Pittsburgh?

Mr Botta was kind enough to contact me and clarify he meant that his line on the Islander goaltender is that, at most, he should play every other game.

NYIFC apologizes to Mr Botta for this misinterpretation and thanks him for the clarification.

Mr Botta.....All Due Respect

But in this instance you are dead wrong writing the Islanders communication was KeyStone Kops unless you were in Edmonton and present when DiPietro and Joey MacDonald were questioned by Mr Logan or around the club when this decision was reached.

The Islanders are in Western Canada getting ready for a game against the Oilers, the team takes the morning skate and it's decided at some point before or after DiPietro will not play.

The beatwriter goes to both goaltenders and reports what both had to say the following morning after the game with their quotes (only part of which could have been printed in the blog/paper) which conflict somewhat but there is no timeline and as I wrote yesterday none of us were in the room or know what the plan was or if it had to be changed.

From where I sit this was an overreaction by Mr Botta and not called for. At the very least he could have spoken to Scott Gordon at some point and gotten an explanation/answer.

This would have been a very good time if instead of writing about KeyStone Kops he intead wrote and told us how this is so different from when he was working for the club vs his past experiences in such matters.

Instead this is the kind of shock jock material Mr Botta himself would usually dismiss or tell us to ignore as he did last summer with some of Newsday's staff.

Similar circumstances a week ago when Mr Botta was in the room at Msg, he reported DiPietro would start against the Rangers only to have MacDonald get the nod because of a groin strain which the coach (a former goaltender) said is normal at this point.

Was that communication KeyStone Kops as well or were the Islanders taking no chances which would seem to be the correct move after all that's transpired? That means nothing is written in stone and things change quickly as they have with Sillinger and a lot of the injured players all season.

A few days later Mr Botta wrote DiPietro should shut things down for the year regardless which is his viewpoint and could be correct in the end.

As I wrote yesterday Mr Botta defended the trainers and for the most part pointed out Scott Gordon's mistakes but also defended him which is fair because unwritten rule is you never take any one side and keep things open-minded for all viewpoints depending on what the news of the day is.

That's the quality I come to expect from Mr Botta which makes his viewpoint one to be read and respected.

For myself I can be critical of a writer/paper one day and praise the work the next, that's what you have to do.

Mr Botta for his part does not blame anyone but writes the communication is Keystone Kops and just leaves it, he does not tell us who he thinks should be blamed after not putting it on DiPietro or MacDonald?

Now Mr Botta blogs again and tells his readers his old friends from the Islanders are not thrilled with him while he now says this version of the DiPietro saga was mishandled?

We do not read about the Sillinger saga or earlier what was the Bailey, Okposo/insert the name of the injured Islander saga.

DiPietro if many recall on 11/26 he had an interview with Dan Martin that flew under the radar here.

If I had any control in running the Islanders I would not be thrilled with Mr Botta either here, this was overdone.

A lot of fair reasons to be critical of the 2008-09 New York Islanders who sit in 30th place with no one happy about things are going and a lot of frustration on all sides.

This was not one of them.

Islander Notables

AHL.com: Reports AHL-All-Stars will be announced Tuesday and Wednesday at 2pm for each club.


Updated:
Complete list of Canadian all-stars in above link listed.

Updated:
Islanders website: Andrew MacDonald & Mike Iggulden were named to the AHL All-Star team Tuesday.

NHL.com: Announced the reserves for the NHL all-star game will be made Wednesday for the Western Conference and Thursday for the Eastern Conference.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
I'm considering doing a Newsday for both all-star games and taking a break. It will be interesting if Cablevision owned Newsday sends a writer to Montreal after DiPietro was left high and dry in Atlanta last year by the sports editor.

Islanders website: Jason Lockhart wrapped up the WJC with the final stats and summary for David Ullstrom, Jyri Niemi, Kirill Petrov and Blake Kessel.


NYI Fan Central Comments:
I was going to put the WJC links in the prospects blog but decided against it, we already have prospect updates there from the Islanders. I will keep the section up for reference until Thursday morning for everyone on the sidebar.

Point Blank: Mr Botta questioned the communication process today based upon Mr Logan's blog entry on DiPietro and Joey MacDonald's comments about when they were informed about starting/not starting.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Not to hit this very hard but there was obvious friction between Mr Logan and Mr Botta over lack of communication also a while back and this is just writing/blogging about hockey.

Mr Botta had more comments from Brendan Witt than what first appeared in Newsday where he spoke out about the defense and Scott Gordon's system. Witt then made it clear he does not want to be traded to Mr Botta. It forced Mr Logan to go back and put it in the Islanders Newsday blog.

I have seen a lot of articles over the years where the quotes are edited down and by the time an article is written it comes off different than what's intended. One paper has more, the other less.

It's not as easy with one newspaper covering the club, every quote in full will not make the paper but it does influence perception fair or not.

The communication process is a fine line with one goaltender working back from injury and the other not as sure of his starting status. I submit unless we are in the room when this happens we do not know what the communication is or if it's good or poor.

Is it really any worse than Steve Valiquette getting the call for a start on Saturday during the day when the other goalie was not able to go?

If there is a problem beyond what other clubs do Mr Botta should have told everyone who he thinks is wrong because he did not blame DiPietro or MacDonald, I guess that leaves the coaching staff or the trainers who he has defended?

He just kind of let it just sit there after stirring up perception something is not being handled properly.

I'm not sure it was necessary in this instance or he should have simply told his readers who he thinks made a mistake.

Blog Notables:
I eliminated the NY Times Islander feeder from the sidebar because it pulls out old game summaries too often. Islander website was also pulled because too much repeat content which the other feed already provides. I guess we will miss that Dave Caldwell feature ripping the club the next time but it's not worth getting three week old game updates from their feed.

I'm going to take time off on the polls or until I think up a fresh topic.

Bailey should stay in the NHL

Point Blank: Mr Botta wrote on Thursday the Islanders have made a big mistake not providing Josh Bailey the opportunity to play for Team Canada for the next three weeks and that the youth movement is on hold with Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo out of the lineup.

" One big fail? A big mistake? Three weeks of development he'll never get back "

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Seems somewhat over the top on Mr Botta's part and ironic he is calling for the Islanders to be unconventional given other clubs are not following suit and this is something they are constantly criticized for.

He knew Garth Snow said two weeks earlier if Josh Bailey was going to stay past his nine game trial he would remain an Islander and not play for team Canada at the WJC and was even surprised the gm said this at the time. That's exactly what has happened with the gm reaffirming this on Wednesday that Bailey is an Islander.

Josh Bailey will get those three weeks of development in the National Hockey League at the highest level. Whether Kyle Okposo, Frans Nielsen or any other prospect is injured should be completely inconsequential, youth never goes on hold because other prospects on a team are injured.

If anything Josh Bailey needs to play here now more than ever with the club struggling and Jon Sim placed on waivers. The WJC is a great tournament and experience but this is no longer a player in junior hockey or in the AHL.

Late Thursday afternoon Canadian Press reported what we knew earlier that team Canada would not have a lot of prospects drafted still on their NHL teams for the WJC with Steven Stamkos who did not attend summer camp (Tampa Bay), Colton Gillies (Minnesota), Kyle Turris (Phoenix), Brandon Sutter (Carolina), Drew Doughty (Los Angeles), Luke Schenn (Toronto), Sam Gagner (Edmonton) along with Bailey not playing for their respective country.

Did all of these organizations make the same big fail or mistake?

Josh Bailey needs to be a New York Islander now, the decision has been made for him to stay and the Islanders need to stick with their plan, he had assist in two straight games against Philadelphia & Pittsburgh.

There is always the World Championships for Josh Bailey later on if the Islanders are not in the playoffs.

THN: Ken Campbell reports Nikita Filatov who has played only four games with Columbus along with Maxim Mayorov who are both playing in the AHL were given permission to play for team Russia at the WJC who will open camp 12/18 in Kingston Ontario by gm Scott Howson.

Boston 7, New York 2

Associated Press & Sports Network: Recaps New York's 7-2 loss against Boston Friday afternoon.

Newsday: Greg Logan has the early recap of Boston's 7-2 win against the Islanders on Friday.

Updated:
Newsday: Mr Logan in the Islanders Newsday blog had head coach Scott Gordon on why he pulled MacDonald with the Islander goaltender not happy with his forwards for not coming back forcing the defense to make longer passes.

The Islander coach was also not happy with the officiating.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
That early boarding against on Islander not called was brutal and something I should have brought up below. He was not turning, he was square to the board and got drilled from behind. I can see where Gordon was coming from with Tambellini's second penalty.

MY Point Blank : Mr Botta had a post-game blog that had a lot on Jeff Tambellini's play suggesting it's time for a conditioning stint for him at Bridgeport as part of his game update.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Scott Gordon did not have Joey MacDonald finish what he started.

Not sure if MacDonald was upset about being pulled but his reaction after Lucic's goal with 2:20 left where he was pointing and visibly upset left no doubt he was not happy with the teams defensive play in front of him.

On the 7-2 goal Tim Jackman got caught as Lucic drove the slot making him look like Malkin as the Islanders went to one man and left the middle wide open.

I pointed to this stretch of games for a reason last week, this group of clubs has the speed and skill to blow a team out of a game and that's exactly what happened when it got to crunch time today. Buffalo gave up a four goal lead to Boston and have the ability to run any team out of the building.

This was not all about the Islanders but a very good team with speed and skill that has learned how to win.

Islanders hung in and did not have a bad half of a game but even at 1-1 when Boston was not finishing they were flying with skill and the Islanders had to pay a big physical price at times to move the puck. What Wheeler did to Streit was no fluke in the second.

Tambellini's second penalty the Bruin player raised his stick, no doubt a lot of folks will not want to read that but we cannot put the third period and what happened on any one player.

MacDonald was good in this game and again gave the Islanders every chance. Sutton, Witt, Martinek, Meyer and Campoli all struggled with the Bruins and all of them had a few very costly turnovers.

Ryder, Savard, Lucic, Wheeler, Krejci & Kessel at times were dominating.

Witt giveaway led to the 2-1 goal, Campoli deflected in the 3-1 goal on the cross ice pass. Meyer-Sim got caught in center ice for a goal. Sutton almost deflected in a few others. Sim got badly beat for a goal by Krejci who powered past him, Jackman the final goal.

Mannino had little chance in what became garbage time. Witt, Jackman did what they could in the fight department.

Islanders hung in and did better than the final score will show but do not have the speed, skill or players with hands who can finish at that level with the Islander powerplay much slower. A few good rushes at the net but nothing to get the Bruins out of their game.

This was not an Islander team that came out and mailed in the effort which some may think if they did not watch this game, not even close.

Colliton had a nice pass off the boards for Thompson's goal. Guerin took a hit from Chara early and went right back and pushed him down and the Islanders tried to stand up for themselves but simply put faced a deeper, better club with a record that does not lie.

Some shots and a few rebounds for New York but few high-quality chances, maybe if Guerin finishes it's different.

This is why they needed the Devil game and all those other games they had a lead, a team like Boston is as tough as it gets.

Now they face a club that will remember what happened a few weeks ago. Will be interesting to see how MacDonald reacts.

ITV had the postgame up with Scott Gordon's comments in record time.

Islander Notables: Danis, Fritz, Mannino

The Islanders released the weekly prospect watch today which was archived on NYI Fan Central Prospect Blog with all weekly updates.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio in the Sound Tigers blog reported Mitch Fritz will be called up to replace Kyle Okposo and Yann Danis was sent to Bridgeport. Peter Mannino
was recalled to the Islanders.

Bridgeport does not have a Friday game.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Peter Mannino follows Wade Dubielewicz path to the NHL getting his first recall earlier than the 03-04 night Dubie came into a huge game in Philadelphia and won.

On paper it seems a good plan that Yann Danis gets two AHL games and comes up to play in Montreal on Monday night, but the way things have gone for Mannino it's fair to wonder if he will rewarded with a start if Danis does not play well? It's also fair to write at some point MacDonald is going to have some downs to go with all the great play.

Media Blog: Corey Witt in his media blog also had an excellent feature on Mitch Fritz.

Newsday: Greg Logan in the Islanders Newsday blog also reported on the moves and will have a state of the Islanders from general manager Garth Snow on Friday as part of the Islander Insider.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
It's been very quiet from the general managers corner this season which is a good thing. Many general managers rarely speak at all which may be the right practice for a job on the Islanders that draws more attention than virtually anything.

Test: Name the Giants, Jets and Nets general managers.

Point Blank: Mr Botta along with the earliest report on Mitch Fritz recall had an interview with Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Appreciate the hard work from Mr Botta to contact Mr Suozzi/Mr Bettman and provide information but the backlash from this only produces speculation in local and out of town papers the Islanders could be moving here and accomplishes nothing. Now we have Jim Riggs the commissioner of the EPHL on the future of the Islanders here.

In short, this is becoming a distraction and were getting nothing from the key players in the Town of Hempstead approval process.

Mr Wang sat front row with Chris Dey (and what looked like Garth Snow) for a Dragons playoff game last spring in Philadelphia and was rooting as hard as the fans. Four days later the announcement came the Dragons were sold to a local businessman but there were blurbs in articles Mr Wang was looking for a buyer over a year before a sale happened.

Newsday: Anyone else notice that new NHL blog supposedly written by Mark Herrmann has had virtually nothing on the Islanders with Mike Casey now in there selling Rangers?

I think other than Mr Herrmann's quick blub speculating the Islanders win last Saturday would be their high-water mark this season we have read practically nothing back to the 11/1 opening entry on Mitch Fritz in a so-called blog that is supposed to provide extra information on the Islanders along with the Cablevision-owned team and the NHL?

Islander Notables/Quick Hits

Point Blank: Mr Botta reports center Mike Sillinger will go on a three game minor league conditioning assignment and make his debut for the Sound Tigers this Sunday which Michael Fornabaio confirmed here in his Ct Post blog.

Mr Botta did not know if any announcement would be made regarding Kyle Okposo's injury status.
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NYI Fan Central Comments:
A return of Mike Sillinger sets up a lot of questions.

Will Sillinger or Comrie be dealt because from where I sit it would be a mistake to move Frans Nielsen off that line with Hunter and the way Doug Weight is producing you leave him alone or Tim Jackman and Josh Bailey go to Bridgeport/Windsor?

Since the summer I have been writing something has to give, Blake Comeau was one surprise, another is going to have to happen.

Tomas Pock's suspension ends in three games along with Brendan Witt's likely return something else has to give on the backline. Skinner has done a very good job on the backline.

One thing that almost can be counted on with this group is injuries. If everyone is healthy Garth Snow has some decisions to make because not everyone can stay.
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If the Islanders want to talk about a demotion it should be for Yann Danis because to ask MacDonald to play the full schedule with what is coming up will be asking for a lot for someone who did not sit this long in Hamilton.

Six games in nine days are upcoming which include a day game in Boston a week from Friday.
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I'm just going to write this and let the chips fall where they may.

Without Joey MacDonald robbing players virtually every game starting with the home opener against the Blues no one is taking about Scott Gordon's system and instead are talking about a club that may not have more than two wins at best and a coach who could have lost his players.

Not counting the Buffalo game Joey MacDonald has been one of the best goaltenders in the NHL and to date has done the impossible in replacing Rick DiPietro.

DiPietro, Luongo, Brodeur at their best could not have given the Islanders much more than MacDonald has on a team with this many injuries, it's been that impressive.
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Almost as big as MacDonald's play is the blocked shots and increased scoring on what's been a roster decimated again by injuries along with Weight's numbers despite how many shots deflect off players from other teams for goals.

If only Tambellini, Okposo, Nielsen & Bergenheim break out with some goals.
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That version of Tim Jackman we saw against Vancouver is going to score some goals for this team, he created most of his own chances and was faster, will be interesting to see if this scorer in the AHL can bring that to this level.

Scott Gordon is giving him minutes with the results.

Islander News Articles 11/18

Newsday: Mr Logan's post game article has comments from Frans Nielsen about his shootout goal and the play of Joey MacDonald while the Islander goaltender talked about the matchup with Roberto Luongo and the shootout.

Mr Logan also reported Kyle Okposo could not participate in the shootout because of an injury according to head coach Scott Gordon.

Newsday: Mr Logan's other article is more from Roberto Luongo while the beatwriter once again goes over the history of the trade.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
I can understand this a bit from the Vancouver media because it was his first visit since his trade from Florida to Vancouver but why is this a story at all for Mr Logan considering the countless times Luongo has played at the Nassau Coliseum since he was traded in 2000?

Daily News: Mr Botte submitted a second draft of mostly the same article but this version had comments from Nielsen, MacDonald and a quick work from head coach Scott Gordon on Okposo.

Note:
Mr Botte's earlier version had no quotes and only the history of Luongo with a two paragraph recap of the game and I was critical of the poor content from Mr Botte who's work should be better than this anyway.

NY Post: Dan Martin recaps the Islanders 2-1 shootout win with comments from Joey MacDonald and head coach Scott Gordon.

Point Blank: Mr Botta did a fantastic job getting reaction from the Vancouver Canuck players, coaches and media on the Islanders win and head coach Scott Gordon's system.

Vancouver Sun: Iain MacIntyre recapped the Islanders 2-1 shootout win and blamed the Coliseum ice for the Canucks sloppy play from their defense with a later article quoting Joey MacDonald about playing in the NHL & Frans Nielsen about playing against his friend and Danish teammate, Jannik Hansen here.

Vancouver Sun: Elliott Pap had a game blog with updates on the loss.

Vancouver Province: Ben Kuzma in his game recap has Roberto Luongo's comments about his brief time with the Islanders, credited Frans Nielsen for his shootout goal and what happened on Weight's goal and a game recap here.

A blog in the Province about the game was also written by Mr Kuzma here.

Vancouver Province: Mr Kuzama also had an interview with Doug Weight where he talks about head shots on players and what must be done to prevent them while talking about Brandon Sutter and Thomas Pock.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio has the Sound Tigers weekly where he had comments from Mike Iggulden & head coach Jack Capuano on the game in Houston and five questions with Trevor Smith.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers at San Antonio Rampage
WHEN -- Tonight, 8
WHERE -- ATT Center, San Antonio
ON THE AIR -- No radio; Webcast and Internet pay-per-view at www.soundtigers.com

San Antonio Express News: Covers the Rampage.

New York 2, Vancouver Canucks 1 Shootout

USA Today/AP: Recaps the Islanders 2-1 shootout win.

CBC.com/CP: Also recaps Monday's shootout win for New York.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
MacDonald was the difference again with several big saves and fantastic in the shootout.

Never saw a player go as wide as Demitra on a shootout, never saw anyone take out another play by knocking the net into the end boards which was a heck of a check by Hilbert.

It all started with MacDonald and ended with some good plays by the defense getting in the lanes like Hunter diving to block a puck at the end of the second.

Defense bent a few times but MacDonald did not break, Vancouver has some very fast young forwards to go with the Sedins and all night long it seemed like Canucks had four players around the puck because of how well they skate.

Vancouver's speed gave the Islanders trouble from the opening drop of the puck and led to mistakes in the neutral zone and in their own end. A turnover led to Demitra scoring the opening goal and creating other chances that could have put the game away early. Scott Gordon was very upset with the opening goal.

Islanders did not generate much and nothing dangerous before Bergenheim's second period chance, they did not do a bad job in the trenches and a few pucks were centered in the first period but a few blocks by Vancouver or soft shots.

All of a sudden after Bergenheim's chance the gates opened, the Canucks slower defense did have some troubles and the Islanders started getting some good looks at Luongo with Bailey on the powerplay, Jackman driving past players (drawing a powerplay) and did everything but finish (one off a great pass from Hilbert) who had a dominating night and worked to create.

That's more than I have seen from Tambellini in any single game, Okposo worked for a chance or two, his high sticking call trying to tip a shot with Luongo out seemed a poor call.

Finally a good screen and a Canuck tip of a Weight shot had the Islanders on the board.

Islander powerplay did not do much but the penalty kill dug in and made enough plays to keep the game tied with MacDonald solid.

Guerin made a very nice move to center ice in the third and showed his speed/shot, Hunter, Nielsen had some very strong plays in all three zones and Luongo had to be very good on some late shots by Hunter. Defense tried to join the rush with Streit a few times. Campoli, Gervais in overtime looked hungry for another ot goal. Sutton had to work very hard in this one to stay with the Canucks fast forwards.

Skinner keeps making steady plays and mistake free hockey.

A few times the Islanders over extended shifts and you could see Park get a chance but had nothing left so he shot.

You get into overtime against Luongo and wonder if it's best to take a chance and go all-out for a goal than play for the shootout? Late in overtime Vancouver again turned up the pressure so when the Isles did clear they had little left to go for it on offense.

Nielsen scored in Toronto a few years ago in a shootout, he built no momentum just standing at center ice but made a great move. The rest was all MacDonald who looked like Dubielewicz on the game winning save.

I was surprised Bailey got a chance in the shootout.

A well-earned three days off for the Islanders, considering what's ahead combined with the standings they had to have two points here.

The possible return of Witt makes this coming Friday's game feel like opening night # 2 in Newark.

Was that actually our announcers who were critical of someone's media? I did not know Billy Jaffe had it in him.

Now if we can only have them get on the local media.

Classless ad by Msg afterward with a Friday preview claiming playing the Devils with Kevin Weekes is like playing against a team with an open net from the company that shows their games. Weekes has played for all three local clubs and has been a class act.

Overspin on Bettman/Lighthouse, Bailey

Scott Gordon has Overspeed, New York Islander Fan Central has Overspin which how I see a few things reported Saturday and this week.

Point Blank: Mr Botta had an interview with Gary Bettman Saturday on Espn1050 and blogged on it with the commissioner's comments ground must be broken next summer.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Great of Mr Botta to have Mr Bettman on the Espn Ranger/NY Hockey show and he did a good job trying to get information but I'm afraid all Mr Bettman's comments will do is stir up Islander fans/sportswriters who will only kick a team when it's down about poor attendance who play the usual speculation game on the club moving.

How many of these articles do our fans have to endure which is the end result?

Are the Devils going to be doing any better if the club starts losing for a few years in Newark after drawing flies to the Meadowlands for years on weeknights?

Anyone take a good look at the Msg stands on weeknights or look beyond the announced sellout and look at the empty seats in soon to be oldest building in the NHL once the Pens open their new arena? This is a tough weeknight market for hockey and the Islanders moves have tuned out some fans who would normally go along with an avalanche of negative coverage.

Outside of football all New York teams play in front of a lot of empty seats sooner or later. Mets in the seventies and early eighties, and for a good part of the nineties pre Piazza. Yankees in the eighties, nineties and late sixties. Msg was empty for a good part of the eighties for the Knicks and Rangers and the Nets have had attendance problems almost all of their history.

Those no-shows during football season when the Jets and Giants struggle are noticeable too.

Already some of the things I read after Monday's Newsday article were worthless as some accused Wang of not spending to the cap, ignored the roster spots needed for the prospects to get an opportunity while other media decided to look at Forbes for information that is simply guess work, meanwhile Witt, Streit received contracts/ extensions.

I understand what Gary Bettman is trying to do here and that's lobby for one of his owners and put on some long-overdue pressure but this is not how you solve anything or go about it. Maybe he is not aware but it seems most Islander fans support approval of the project so he telling the wrong people.

Mr Bettman can go meet with the Town of Hempstead, Monday he did not even know Mr Wang's financing for the project when asked.

Bottom line Mr Wang is going to do what he does but no Lighthouse approval does not mean the club leaves. Mr Bettman lobbying in the media solves nothing.

The Islanders have an out in the lease if the project is not approved but still have a Cable-Smg lease that runs until 2030/2014.
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Next up the Josh Bailey will he or won't he soap opera in Newsday's Islander blog Saturday by Mr Logan here where Scott Gordon gave some background and Mr Logan did a good job going back to comments from camp with game circumstances Thursday but it seems very premature to make any determination until he plays more hockey at this level.

Bailey just played his first game Monday, he has shown some good passing/faceoff skills and some maturity when he is not taking penalties but the Islander roster likely will determine the final call if Sillinger is as close as the announcers speculated in the pregame Saturday and Comrie or Nate Thompson returns sooner than later.

Robert Nilsson was one of the best playmakers too for a while, it did not earn him a roster spot here as he kept bouncing up and down before Ted Nolan was hired.

Tim Connolly had a very tough first year here when he was not demoted. Sticking around did Taylor Pyatt no favors long-term when he played seventy eight games here and had four goals before he was traded.

For the next week or so let's just watch.

New York 3, Ottawa 1

Islanders website: Joshua A. Bernstein has the recap of the Islanders win with comments from head coach Scott Gordon on a sixty minute game besides the penalties that made it tough on themselves in the third. Gordon also felt the system, skating and work ethic is becoming is more instinctive as he praised his players and singled out Josh Bailey for his poise with the puck.

Bailey talks about his first NHL point.

Sports Network: Has the recap of the Islanders 3-1 win in Ottawa against the Senators Thursday.

AP: Has the recap of the Islanders win along with the Canadian Press here.

Point Blank: Mr Botta's blog talked about the win and the youth movement moving forward as it related to some of the efforts tonight.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Highest marks to Joey MacDonald who had a great game, kept the rebounds in front of him with solid positioning and did not allow the Senators a lot of second chances.

Sens get buzzing down low coming it's tough to contain.

Islanders as badly as they needed a win made this much harder than than it should have in the third period with those penalties. Five minutes for an elbow on Pock and Sutton-Spezza raising sticks together? Very questionable calls especially after someone hit Streit in the second after he hit someone for a penalty and no retaliation?

Sure seemed like officials in Toronto was reaching with that goal replay in the final minutes, no one came close to reacting like that puck was in.

Ottawa had the speed and the chances but Islanders got in the lanes and did not make it easy, seemed most of the game the Sens looked for that point shot which got them the lead very early after a good opening minute by Bergenheim-Weight-Guerin.

On the Islanders side easy goal for Okposo but nice hands and composure for Bailey to find him in the right spot for his first point. This kid has the soft hands and you see the passes have a touch and timing which is a level above.

Just as impressive was Okposo finding Bailey at the end of the Islanders first powerplay at the top of the slot that drew the next powerplay that led to the Isles first goal, Tambellini put the puck into Nielsen's skates at center ice before that.

A lot of gutty play from the club overall. Sim drove the net and when you see a player come out quickly from an angle and crash the crease you know it's him.

Bergenheim again had a very visible game finding Weight early and almost scoring shorthanded at the end of the second period. Hunter did what he does best, dive and block shots and drive the net, he's doing what he has to do and it's paying off with hard-working goals. Very nice play lifting Kuba's stick and slamming the puck in for the 2-1 goal.

It's not 03-04 but it's a player with a hard shot getting in the tough areas and making plays in all three zones. Nielsen's speed is good for him.

Guerin again too many low percentage shots but Weight found him for a high percentage chance, begs the question should Weight play forward with the powerplay?

Nielsen even when he is not in on the scoring is always visible and doing something with his backchecking or keying a rush and more confident with every game, tonight his hard work drew powerplays by skating. Streit had his chances, Campoli took the point shot for Okposo's goal. Skinner just stays in position and makes plays without costing the club, Pock outside of his elbow made a lot of big clears shorthanded as did Gervais. Sutton had some big hits and was solid.

Islanders had some speed working too in this one against three players as fast and
skilled as the come in Alfredsson, Spezza (who was going for the perfect play) and Heatley.

Kuba also looked very effective and the Islander forwards took the punishment from Volchenkov. That one chance on a bad change where Nick Foligno almost beat them is unacceptable and a very bad trend.

Like how Gordon got animated with a few players and Weight with a few smiles and exchanges with the young players. I would keep Okposo and Bailey together.

Howie Rose seemed a little too excited to remind everyone about the Islanders third periods and did not react to a few big saves or shots both ways and just kept talking over the play or simply note a save.

Islanders can skate with that team, they can skate with anyone. Sloppy at times for both sides but what a difference from the Coliseum ice.

Game two of the home and home is Saturday, are they really going to suspend Tomas Pock with a straight face?

Islander/Sound Tigers/NHL Notables

Islanders website: Jason Lockhart has the weekly prospect watch.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
All Islander Prospect Watches back to last season are archived on NYI Fan Central Prospects Blog by date order.

NHL.com: Released it's voting page for the NHL All-Star game, seems a bit slow to work on day one.

Newsday: Greg Logan has Doug Weight's comments in the Islanders Newsday blog about Bailey learning to play at this level and the youth movement while pointing out the significant injuries this team has had while at the same time now allowing it as an excuse.

Mr Logan points out some may accuse the club of playing for a lottery draft pick this season, but to do so disrespects the effort they've given while fighting to overcome injuries but at the same time felt the club didn't play their youth enough last season to determine and might as well do so now in the case of Bailey.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Mr Logan is correct on injuries but he barely writes about them himself unless it's to complain about league/team policy.

I'm not big on excuses for losing myself but few clubs in this league could sustain the loss of it's starting goaltender, Witt, Martinek, Meyer, Sillinger, it's number one draft pick, now what seems like Comrie and the earlier loss of Sutton-Campoli to start the season that does not even include Bergenheim-Tambellini both hurt in camp.

Not even Nate Thompson could stay healthy, the injury list has been long in Bridgeport too.

Still this team has been in position to win almost every game outside of the Buffalo game and they have been outscoring last year's club.

Folks want to claim they are playing to lose, I disagree because they have done everything but finish games, many nights the Islanders are the better club for a good part of the night.

Are they a flawed club? Absolutely on a lot of levels, but terrible teams get blown out every other night 5-1 or are usually not in the games, so far that is not this group or close.

Regarding last year I have no idea what Mr Logan is talking about not giving the prospects a chance. Last year with all the injuries everyone got a look from Colliton to Matt Keith to Ben Walter along with Comeau. I cannot think of anyone who did not get a few games or more from Bridgeport.

Scott Gordon/Garth Snow not only demoted Comeau but the coach put down his contribution last season which seemed over the top when he gave his initial comments about what he saw on film last year. That is not consistent with what the general manager had to say earlier in the summer.

Newsday: Mr Logan also had more from Gary Bettman on the Lighthouse Project where he does not know about Mr Wang-Rechler's financing on the but urges the green light now. Mr Logan claims Charles Wang said in a meeting with Newsday's editorial board early this year that his financial well is not bottomless and denial of the project might force him to consider selling.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Funny but those comments did not make the paper at the time Mr Wang meet with Newsday's editorial board or the sports pages?

Point Blank: Mr Botta has more on the arena subject/Mr Wang's patience as well as a blog entry here on coaches and young prospects submitting past examples in his experience where a coach benched a prospect for a reason that did not seem to make sense along with a few words on Scott Gordon-Kyle Okposo-Jeff Tambellini.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Good stuff from Mr Botta, but he needed to put the Comeau-Gordon issue center stage because it looks even worse than the disconnect he felt between Ted Nolan and Robert Nilsson.

At some point I suspect if Garth Snow's coach has no use for Blake Comeau, Garth Snow will be forced to move Comeau as he did Nilsson when Nolan had no use for a player. Big barometer in the gm-coach working relationship is to agree on young players and move the ones the coach does not feel is part of the answer.

National Post: Howard Berger reports Jason Blake was furious after being scratched by Leafs coach Ron Wilson for Tuesday's game with the former Islanders comments.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
There is nothing short of re-entry waivers and the Leafs taking contracts from the Islanders in another deal that makes this feasible. Ron Wilson is doing what he was hired for and it's working, if Jason Blake does not like being scratched or placed on a fourth line he has to work harder.

Journal Pioneer : Jason Simmonds has more on the Sound Tigers-Senators game in Summerside PEI on Tuesday.

Islander News Articles 11/11

Newsday: John Jeansonne had Tuesday's Flyer preview which included the coach on Radek Martinek, Josh Bailey and Mike Comrie as the Islander defender talks about his injury while the coach discusses what's different about a day-game routine and why Mike Comrie has been struggling to a degree.

Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio has a full feature on Tyler Haskins that include head coach Jack Capuano's comments along with the Sound Tigers weekly here on several subjects which include Mitch Fritz on his Islanders experience, team President Howard Saffan on the school game and what he says is a substantial increase in group sales including five questions with Pascal Morency.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
I'm going to have to add things as I can with the Canadian coverage from Summerside and the other venue for the two games. I'm not sure what Ct Post/Mr Fornabaio will do if anything. Obviously it gets interesting now if the Islanders or Sound Tigers need another player.

Point Blank: Mr Botta has the first comments from Islander goaltender Rick DiPietro about his injury.

NYI Fan Central Comments:
Impossible to complain about DiPietro, no one wants to win more than he does and I cannot fault him more than anyone else who does all they can to help their club just like Guerin, Comrie, Satan and whoever else played hurt last season.

For now DiPietro just has to get himself completely healthy and put himself in the best possible situtation to stay healthy when he is finally ready.

Notable:
Mr Botta and I exchanged e-mails about not including his blog coverage here recently or linking to his exclusives in the news updates for those wondering why I have not linked to his work directly for a while?

I was not sure if it was fair to Mr Botta posting his exclusive independant information here which is different from when he worked for the Islanders so I did stop linking to his work here directly.

As always Mr Botta was nothing but first class as I'm trying to hit on the right format for presenting his information here. I feel my blog readers should be visiting his outstanding site directly as opposed to coming here to reference his work in a daily news digest.

It goes without saying Mr Botta works very hard to bring us stand alone features and exclusives that are outstanding along with countless other efforts that as always have gone above and beyond for our fans.

I have asked Mr Botta for suggestions and advice for the best possible presention of Point Blank here for everyone. For now I will go with somewhat of a modified format.
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BEFORE TUESDAY'S GAME ON VETERANS DAY AGAINST FLYERS.

The Nassau County Fire Fighters Operation Wounded Warrior (NCFF-OWW)here will be collecting care packages at the main box office entrance and Gate 16. If you can stop by and help these folks in their efforts it would be greatly appreciated.

NCFF-OWW is a registered non-profit organization of Fire Fighters who run a collection campaign of care package items prior to the holidays for the past several years.

During the first weekend in December the group will be involved with "Long Red Line" of fire vehicles that bring the collections to the Wounded Warriors who will be spending their holidays recovering in Hospitals away from their families who visit, Fr. Bragg, Camp Lejeune, Bethesda Naval and Walter Reed Army Hospitals.