Well, I'll Be.

Islanders 2: Sabres 1

How can I describe last night?

I flew through my classes (barely even paying attention, which is rare for me), then flew to work, then got on the 6 bus going down Sycamore St. to downtown Buffalo, and time seemed to crawl. Of course, as soon as it comes down to going to a hockey game, which is something I wish I could do WAY more often, everything seems to slow down.

But I made it to First Niagara Center with five minutes to spare till puck drop, met my friend Jon in front of the Sabres store (and I made sure I was wearing my John Tavares shirt), and made the long climb up to the 300 level for our seats. Then, time moved at the speed of light.

Even so, it was fantastic.

I can't tell you how I feel when I go to a hockey game, especially one like last night's. I've had the good fortune of going to sellout or close-to-sellout games all three times I've seen the Islanders play live (once at Nassau Coliseum, twice at HSBC/now FN Center), and the atmosphere in every game has been electric, whether or not I'm a home or away fan. Just the chill of the ice, the closeness you feel (even from so far up from the ice) knowing your favorite players are just below you, no electronic screen or computer monitor in your way... seeing them score, seeing your goalie stand on his head, seeing it all... there are no words for it, other than magical. Yep, there's a sort of magic in watching a live hockey game, even if watching on TV gives you more insight.

All things considered, this was a nearly perfect game for the Islanders even with the low score. Early on in the game, Matt Martin dropped the gloves with Zack Kassian and both players got a good number of punches in. The fight came after teammates came to the aid of Nathan Gerbe, the recipient of a big hit from Nino Niederreiter which resulted in an interference penalty and a Sabres power play. Shortly afterward, though, on the Islanders' own power play, Mark Streit threw a shot at the net that Matt Moulson redirected, giving the Isles a 1-0 lead. The Sabres wouldn't tie it until the first two minutes of the third period, when the Isles got caught in a line change and Jochen Hecht ended up cashing in. But it took them a long time, not just to score, but to even get started after the Isles took the lead. The Sabres went 0-for-4 on the power play, including a 5-on-3 that Al Montoya completely stoned every chance on. Montoya was incredible in this game, making 30 saves on 31 shots, quite a few of which made me cheer from the section I was sitting in (surrounded by Sabres fans, might I add, including Jon).

John Tavares, meanwhile, had six shots and some big chances one-on-one that Jhonas Enroth (the best player on the ice for Buffalo) stuffed him on. Enroth would also get help from the post on a ringer by Kyle Okposo, but for the most part, he was solid despite the loss. Tavares looks like he's close to scoring another (few) soon, but let's not discredit his great two-way play- he had a couple of great takeaways to nullify the Sabres' offensive rushes.

Also impressive last night was Travis Hamonic, who blocked some key shots throughout the game and sacrificed his body to make good plays. He's getting better in every game, and I'm honestly very impressed with him. But it's not just him, or Al, or Tavares- every player on the bench just clicked last night, making good plays to one another and helping each other out. It was the first time in a while that they have looked like a cohesive unit, and with a trip to Chicago looming on Friday, it's a great time for them to get that kind of chemistry going. Chicago, my second favorite team (in the interest of full disclosure), is having their own issues- they got blown out by Edmonton last week and just fell to Phoenix 4-1 last night, so the Islanders may just get two points if they can maintain this momentum from their last two wins.

So, highlights of the night?

• the win, of course


• Montoya stuffing Derek Roy twice


• the Martin-Kassian fight, my first one ever witnessed live


• Jon opening a door thinking it was a stairwell and instead running smack into a kitchen filled with equipment


• the Islanders fan whom I gave a high-five after he told someone he was talking to on the phone that mine was the first Islanders shirt he'd seen all night


• the guy behind us who corrected my grammar (boo) but then told me I was cute (I'll take it).


• Just being there. I'm convinced I'll never be happier than when I'm at an arena taking in a game. Being on the lacrosse field might tie with it.

Until next time.

What IS Leadership, Really?

Two things you should know about me from a hockey standpoint: I love stats, and I like paying attention to other teams' captains, as well as my own. Today, while watching Hurricanes-Senators, I heard the announcers talking about Eric Staal's lack of production so far. In 25 games, he has five goals and six assists for a total of 11 points, and he's also an alarming, team-worst -17. Granted, the 'Canes are not the most consistent of teams, winning and dropping at an unpredictable rate, but considering their captain is not starting out as expected with production, it's a cause for concern. Same with Alexander Ovechkin, who has a whopping seventeen points (8 G, 9 A) in 22 games (while recently-returned Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby has just around half that in four games played... just saying).

So it got me to thinking... how exactly are the captains faring this season?

Well, it's pretty much all over the board.

• The two biggest point producers so far are Jason Pominville (Buffalo) and Jonathan Toews (Chicago). Each captain has 25 points on the season, Toews with more even point distribution (13-12). Pominville (9-16) is one point behind Thomas Vanek on the Sabres' stat chart, while Toews is leading his teammates. Toews also has a captains-leading four game-winning goals (well, tied with Vincent Lecavalier), and while he wasn't on the scoresheet for the Blackhawks' last two losses (San Jose and Edmonton), he proves that when he's on, the 'Hawks have that much more of a chance of winning.
• Zdeno Chara has also been a huge factor in his team's success. With sixteen points and three of his four goals on the power play, he's been a big contributor, but another telling stat is his plus-minus. He's +13, and while other players certainly contribute to a player's plus-minus, that's still impressive. Much more impressive than Staal's -17, Ryan Getzlaf's (Anaheim) -11 or Mark Streit's (NYI) -10. It still wasn't the best, though- that honor belongs to Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators, who is a +15 even with the 4-1 loss to Detroit yesterday.
• Other impressive leaders on the ice are Chris Pronger, who (though I hate him) posted 12 points in 13 games played. Also, the aforementioned Crosby, though admittedly he posted half of his eight points in one game- his return against (who else?) the Islanders.
• Captains who have been contributing on the power play include Milan Hejduk (Avs, 4 PPG), Shawn Horcoff (Edmonton, 4 PPG) and Henrik Sedin (Vancouver, 5 PPG).
• The captain who's been the naughtiest? Dallas's Brenden Morrow, who's tallied 39 minutes in the sin bin so far. On the opposite end, Pominville and Horcoff have been relative saints (2 PIM each).
  
• Zach Parise's got two shorthanded goals so far, which is a third of his goal total to date (six altogether). David Backes (St. Louis), Daniel Alfredsson (Ottawa), Mikko Koivu (Minnesota) and Jason Pominville are the only other captains to post shorties this season.
• Despite his scanty goal total, Eric Staal has 88 shots so far. His scoring percentage is just 5.6%. In contrast, Sedin's 36 shots and 8 goals total to around 22%.
  
• Aside from Pominville, Joe Thornton (San Jose) has been very helpful to his teammates, tallying 16 assists.
• The one team without a captain, Florida, is getting decent production from its four alternates. Stephen Weiss leads the way with 22 points and +13. Next is Brian Campbell (19, +5), then Tomas Kopecky (10, -5) and Ed Jovanovski (5, -3).
  

So what does this all mean? In the grand scheme of a 25-man team, it doesn't seem like much, right? Not exactly. Teams and coaches expect their captains to lead by example, both on and off the ice (to use the old cliche). Many of these captains are in, at the very least, their team's top ten in scoring, and it directly contributes to their team's success. When you consider who's in the top five in the league standings right now- Pittsburgh, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, and Philly- their captain's successes and influence over their team must certainly factor in, which is why the captaincy is an aspect of a team that cannot be overlooked or tossed to just anyone. Just look at how Pittsburgh faltered in the playoffs without Crosby, or how Carolina is struggling along with the production of Staal, and you'll see what I mean.

On the other hand, captains can't always get their team going. Other things, like overall lack of effort (evident in the Islanders' play many a time) or coaching (which is what I hear grumbles about from Washington Capitals fans) may hamper a captain's production and leadership abilities. In that case, measures must be taken to wake up the team, whether that come from line changes, trades and waivers or a coaching change. However, in many cases, leadership on the ice in the form of production is definitely one of the factors in a team's lasting success.

Road, Not-So-Sweet Road... Till Now.

Islanders 3: Devils 2

It was long, at times it was frustrating, but the Islanders finally snapped a losing skid and managed to get their first road win of the season- albeit, at the expense of Zach Parise.

The recipient of a two-handed slash to John Tavares in the front end of this home-and-home (one that landed JT with a $2,500 fine), Parise thought he had gained retribution of sorts by scoring with two seconds left in the third period to tie it up at 3. (To be honest, I thought he had also- anyone who watched the 2010 Winter Olympics knows what he's capable of late in the game.) But after reviewing the play, the refs declared the goal disallowed because of a "kicking motion"- apparently, Parise had kicked the puck in rather than batted it with his stick.

Of course, the Devils captain was less than thrilled with the outcome; you could read his lips screaming "Horses***!" at the officials as he skated by. Well, I'm not sure about that, Zach. It looked awfully close to me; he was in the crease for a couple of seconds before the puck even came his way, and he was right on top of Al Montoya, who did everything in his power to fend him off and still maintain position on the puck. It could have definitely been argued that goaltender interference was there, if not the kicking motion.

Either way, the call was made, the goal erased, and the Isles finally caught a break and secured the two points. 3-2, final score.

It wasn't a pretty game to watch, though there were some great moments- for example, the three Islanders goals. Matt Moulson got the Isles up and running, finishing up a huge hustle play by PA Parenteau with a beautiful shot that tricked Martin Brodeur up high. 2011 draft pick Adam Larsson would tie it up at 4:20 of the second period. Josh Bailey then scored one that was also subject to a review after David Ullstrom dislodged the net, but it stood as a goal.

The Isles were unable to run away with the lead, however, as the Devils had The Adam Show going. Adam Henrique tied it up, taking advantage of Mike Mottau's turnover and walking through three Isles including Mottau before tucking it past an outstretched Montoya. Then came the barrage of opportunities, both on breakaways/odd-man rushes and during scrums in front, which the rock that is Martin Brodeur handled deftly. He completely robbed both Michael Grabner and Kyle Okposo in a matter of three seconds, and then stifled Grabner and Tavares on a number of breakaway attempts (Grabs more so than Tavares). Though Grabs would score shorthanded (his seventh of the year), the fact that he still has issues scoring on the breakaway is worrisome. For someone with his speed, his hands still need to work on catching up, and though anyone would have a tough time getting one past Brodeur even as he's nearing the end of his career, Grabner and Tavares both need to pick their spots better.

The defense also has to stop letting themselves get toasted on so many opportunities. Though Montoya is good, and a growing consensus is rising in favor of keeping him as our starting goalie, he cannot stop them all. The defense needs to step up. I personally would be in favor of dumping Mottau somewhere, just because the first memory that came to mind when we had first signed him was of him tumbling onto his ass against Josef Vasicek, and Vasicek deking Brodeur out of his pads to score the only Islanders goal for a win against New Jersey. Not a wonderful impression.

But there also has to be an adjustment with the rest of our D, starting with our captain. Maybe it was just a bad game, but Mark Streit's defensive choices have been a bit... off. For a guy who had been getting better defensively in his first two seasons with us, that isn't the best observation. Plus, he's been quiet on the scoresheet (probably due to lack of chances to shoot- he's been covered quite a bit, probably because of his booming shot from the point). He's also still trying way too hard to do too much out there, and it is hurting more than helping. Of course, there's a shallow defensive pool on the Island as is, so he isn't getting the help he needs, but he also needs to relax and stop trying to make so much happen.

Oh, and can we please get our other Swiss player- Nino Niederreiter- out of the press box and into play, thanks.

That's all I've got. Isles need to regroup and figure out where to go to build momentum from this skin-of-their-teeth win. This is only their first road win and sixth total win of the season, so something must be salvaged from today in order to keep going strong. On to the Sabres in Buffalo, a game that I WILL be at with my friend Jon! :D Lots of pictures, I hope, with that recap on Wednesday.

Until next time.

A Thanksgiving... Surprise?

In case you can't read that, the Isles have announced via Twitter that Blake Comeau has been placed on waivers. Tough news for the winger... can't say it wasn't expected at some point, but damn, couldn't it have waited till after Thanksgiving?

Another Day, Another Disappointment.

Flyers 4: Islanders 3 (OT)

I just don't know where to begin.

Today's been a frustrating day overall. Though I had no classes and no work (thankfully), I spent most of the day cleaning and dealing with some issues. I won't talk about those issues here, though. Instead, I'll project all of my anger onto this loss.

I knew things were going to end up badly when Rick DiPietro allowed a goal 18 seconds in. I mean, no sooner had Howie and Butch said "this game will be broadcast in high-definition" than the Flyers were celebrating. The score, however, did not stay 1-0 for long, thanks to one Kyle Okposo.

Yes, you read that right.

Okposo scored to make it 1-1, and then he scored again at 10:37 to make it 2-1. He also assisted on Michael Grabner's sixth of the year late in the first. Yes, the same Kyle Okposo who had posted only three points prior to tonight, scored three points in the first period ALONE- and had a monster of a game overall, getting shots, forechecking and backchecking.

Clearly, the time off watching in the press box helped him immensely. And it helped him earn the first star despite the Islanders giving up a 3-1 lead he helped forge and then losing in OT. Even with all of that, tonight Okposo showed everyone the form and work ethic that had gotten him his five-year contract to begin with.

Also on the scoresheet for three points was Grabner, who assisted on both of Okposo's goals. The sophomore speedster had another slow start to his season, but still has six goals to speak for (two behind leader John Tavares) and worked extremely well with Okposo and Frans Nielsen. Overall, that line played very well, as did the team in general, at least for the first and most of the second period. Sitting Marty Reasoner and Brian Rolston seemed to help speed up the younger players, as well. (You have to admit, those two have done very little on the ice- at least, Reasoner hasn't, and he was supposed to be a step up from Zenon Konopka. Can we please have ZK back now?)

And then, it all fell apart, thanks to Daniel Briere and some mistakes by DiPietro. Now, I don't like Daniel Briere in the least. I liked him a lot more when he was in Buffalo, but for some reason, the black and orange tends to make me dislike players I used to adore. I can't deny, though, that he's a good player, and he's sneaky with his shots. After Scott Hartnell cut the lead to 3-2 in the second, Briere took advantage of a weird bounce off the glass just to the left of DiPietro's short side. DP took a swipe at the puck as it dribbled in front of him, but couldn't grab onto it, and Briere was able to corral it and put it right past Rick's left shoulder. Then came overtime (which Gamecenter Live mercifully stopped working for), and Briere put it away with a nasty shot from just inside the blueline.

Frustrating? You bet, especially when the Isles had put up a tremendous effort as compared to their last two losses.

That's the issue with this team. Though they played very physically and generated a lot of chances tonight, they cannot hold onto a lead for very long, and DiPietro's shakiness in net late in the game didn't help. I hate pinning blame on goalies, but he had to be a lot sharper than that in order for the Isles to win, and he has been in earlier games. Tonight just was not his night, and it was unfortunate, especially with Grabner and Okposo being so good. You could sense that he knew it too, as he was taking a few risks, coming out of the net and trying to do a bit too much. Stay calm, Ricky. You have to if you want to be a winning goalie.

Oh, and after all the commotion, Micheal Haley only saw about 5 minutes of ice time in his season debut, in which he was pretty much tossed around for one sequence like a rag doll between two Flyers. Well, it wasn't that severe, but. I was a bit disappointed. I would have liked to have seen him get a bit more ice time than that, at any rate.

*sigh*. Well. Not much more to say here. I was excited about finally (maybe) winning and having some good luck bestowed on the Isles' third jerseys, which they wore last night (and all I have to say is, can we PLEASE get some black helmets to match, because those blue ones look dumb). But what's done is done, and there's no redoing it. Time for some turkey and looking forward to Friday and Saturday's home-and-home with New Jersey. Here's hoping Zach Parise doesn't do to us what he did tonight against Columbus... that shootout goal was sick-nasty (and if you haven't seen it, go to nhl.com and look for Zig-Zach. Yes, Zig-Zach.).

Until next time.

Isles Recall Haley

I saw this on the Islanders website and pretty much screamed.

http://islanders.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=602777&navid=DL|NYI|home

Is it because he's a great goalscorer? Nah. Because he's good at playmaking? Maybe, but no. He's a grit-and-character player- someone with just the toughness we need on the Islanders, and after Mark Eaton was placed on IR, someone we at least need to help out. I was disappointed when he was sent to Bridgeport at the start of the season, but maybe this is the start of something good. :D

Nilsson "Has Lots to Learn", But... Was Monday Really a Learning Curve?

Anders Nilsson, fresh off his first NHL start, says he "still has lots to learn" from playing in the NHL.

Of course, when you're a 21-year-old goalie and you've never seen NHL ice before, anything would be a learning experience. However... getting the start Monday, against a healthy and rejuvenated Sidney Crosby, was that really the best way for him to learn?

There is the justifiable argument that becoming the best you can be means playing against the best in the league, and I can see how that comes into play here. Like or hate him, Sidney Crosby is one talented player, and he makes his team and the league better by being in the lineup. But I still don't see how Capuano saw fit to start a kid against him AND Evgeni Malkin and then let him be lit up for five goals without once thinking to pull him. It's the equivalent of torture, and even Penguins fans (on Twitter, at least) were expressing their sympathies after a while. (Not that it made anything better, believe me, but... just making a point.)

I'm a lacrosse goalie, which is a bit different from hockey goalie, but I can tell you right now that I hate being replaced in games. I also want to try and compensate for any mistakes I might make which lead to goals; however, if I get scored on enough, it's certainly demoralizing. Not to mention that, for the Islanders, there was certainly a healthy goalie on the bench in Rick DiPietro, former embarrassment or no. After Goal #3, it would have been prudent for Jack Capuano to pull the plug and send Ricky in to try and salvage something for the Isles. Not to say that the Isles' play hinges solely on who's in net for them, because that would be silly, but it may have helped at least a bit. It would also have given the kid some breathing time after being thrown into a shooting gallery.

As for Nilsson... well, of course he's got a ways to go before getting completely comfortable in net. But from the sound of things, he's willing to work as hard as he can for as long as he's up here. It's just a matter of how long.