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NFT: Canes at Islanders, 7:30pm Game Thread, NBCSN

pganut : 3/13/2017 11:19 am
What's this? Surely, there isn't another basketball tournament, circus, Rich Dad seminar, gun show, medieval festival, mass religious cult wedding, etc. to keep the Isles from returning home? A game tonight at Barclays, where the Isles are 9-0-2 in their last 11. They take on the ex-Whalers, who lead the season series against the Isles, so let's hope for some reversal of fortune.

We do so on pins and needles as JF Berube gets the start tonight. Guessing Dougie feels they'll play with purpose to protect a goalie who has been...less than ideal this season. Quine and Cizikas have skated, but not ready to return; Doug says they're "close, but not ready yet". Same forwards. Similarly, Boychuck is not ready to return on D, so Adam Pelech gives Scott Mayfield a break tonight.

I noticed Mathew Barzal has missed the last couple of games for Seattle, and today see that according to a British Columbia hockey blog that
Quote:
a source in the Seattle area told Taking Note on Sunday that “indications are that (Mathew) Barzal has the mumps. He’s in isolation as a precautionary measure but signs point to mumps.”
Get well, kid. And even in his absence against Everett on Saturday, the opposing coach had this to say about Barzal:
Quote:
“It doesn’t change our approach, but he’s a helluva player,” Everett head coach Kevin Constantine said. “I think he’s the most dynamic offensive player in the league.'

One interesting thing I picked up on: regarding the prospects at the goaltender position, I think we all know that we're waiting for Ilya Sorokin to make the jump. But don't forget that Linus Soderstrom is also highly regarded, and may well make it to the US before Sorokin given Sorokin's KHL contract that still has another season on it after this one. Regarding Soderstrom:
Quote:
Soderstrom broke a record held by fellow Swede Henrik Lundqvist by posting the lowest goals against average in the SHL with a 1.34 GAA. Lundqvist’s record was 1.45 GAA. While Sorokin is contract tied to the KHL,Soderstrom’s deal with his club HV71 has expired. Making him eligible to sign an entry-level NHL contract.

Let's also see if the road trip and the success on it are things the Isles can build on. Dougie:
Quote:
“We’ve gained some confidence on the road as a team,” he said. “I think playing on the road, the style we have to play, we’ve played a lot of different teams with different elements.”
Finally, Josh Bailey is one point shy of 50 this season and 300 for his career.

Let's Go Islanders
first game back from a long trip  
theold5j : 3/13/2017 11:30 am : link
is always a tough one. hope they can find their way through this game and get the 2 pts.
Remaining strength of schedules the rest of the way  
Mike in Long Beach : 3/13/2017 11:31 am : link
For the Isles and the Leafs:

Toronto: 514-364-136 (1014 games 1164 points) (8 home, 7 road)
Islanders: 491-386-133 (1010 games, 1115 points) (7 home, 8 road)
if we can sweep these 2  
theold5j : 3/13/2017 11:36 am : link
and leafs lose tomorrow, I will feel great about our chances.
Thanks  
steviej : 3/13/2017 11:40 am : link
Thanks PGA for the info . We need JF to play his ass off tonight something we haven't seen in awhile .
If we win tonight  
Fish : 3/13/2017 11:42 am : link
I doubt we win tomorrow.

You may say, Fish, how can you be so confident in this statement. And I say, this team does not win back to back often. The Canes always play us tough and the one day home then back on the road with a snow storm in between should equal a loss.
Really wish  
Metnut : 3/13/2017 11:45 am : link
the team had an extra day off or two to recover after the road trip. Need 2 pts tonight. Back-to-back losses are tough to swallow given the state of the race.
RE: If we win tonight  
Mike in Long Beach : 3/13/2017 11:47 am : link
In comment 13391177 Fish said:
Quote:
I doubt we win tomorrow.

You may say, Fish, how can you be so confident in this statement. And I say, this team does not win back to back often. The Canes always play us tough and the one day home then back on the road with a snow storm in between should equal a loss.


Tonight is a big one to win. Carolina is actually very good at home. I suppose that's why we're saving Greiss for that one.
I think we need to take 2 of 3 the rest of the way  
pganut : 3/13/2017 12:04 pm : link
10-5 is what the minimum acceptable result should be. 20 points gets us to 95, and I think the cut line should be right about there (or higher). This remaining stretch would be a great time to rip off one of those lengthy winning streaks. Also need to improve upon overtime outcomes as I'm sure we'll see a couple of those in the games ahead.
Isles  
KWhite2250 : 3/13/2017 12:14 pm : link
Will win next 3 in a row. Just you watch! Tampa will get 1-2 and toronto 2-1. Tampa will all be put away
It still amazes me that Halak is not the backup  
marbles : 3/13/2017 12:22 pm : link
It isn't too much of an exaggeration that I hold my breath every time an opponent takes a shot on goal with Berube net.
RE: It still amazes me that Halak is not the backup  
Mike in Long Beach : 3/13/2017 12:24 pm : link
In comment 13391278 marbles said:
Quote:
It isn't too much of an exaggeration that I hold my breath every time an opponent takes a shot on goal with Berube net.


I get it and I've shared this sentiment for a while, but Berube's last 3 periods have been pretty good. 1 goal against on 22 shots and gave us a legit chance to beat the Blues with 2 shutout periods.

Bottom line is there are only 15 games left. I doubt our backup gets more than 3 games the rest of the year, probably 2. If he gives us 2 more good starts that's good enough for a backup.
.  
Mike in Long Beach : 3/13/2017 12:28 pm : link
March 13 against Carolina
March 24 in Pittsburgh
March 31 home vs the Devils
April 8 in New Jersey

Those are the remaining games I think we could see Berube, though I personally think we'll get Greiss on April 8. He has a back to back on April 8 and 9. No travel in those games as the game on April 9 is home against Ottawa and they won't "travel" for the Devils game.

So I think after tonight there's only 2 more times we see Berube. At most, 3.
We have got to win  
The 12th Man : 3/13/2017 12:31 pm : link
tonight. We have to win our home games and especially teams that we should beat. Been away so long, fans should be fired up. I expect a very solid effort tonight.
Mike, let's hope those three games aren't going to bite them in the en  
marbles : 3/13/2017 12:44 pm : link
Berube is that mediocre middle reliever you just pray can get you through an inning without imploding.
RE: Mike, let's hope those three games aren't going to bite them in the en  
Mike in Long Beach : 3/13/2017 1:33 pm : link
In comment 13391322 marbles said:
Quote:
Berube is that mediocre middle reliever you just pray can get you through an inning without imploding.


Ha, spot on analogy.
RE: Mike, let's hope those three games aren't going to bite them in the en  
The 12th Man : 3/13/2017 2:40 pm : link
In comment 13391322 marbles said:
Quote:
Berube is that mediocre middle reliever you just pray can get you through an inning without imploding.



The problem is Griess plays great and you do not see the laying of the egg coming. He is showing that 2 to 3 straight games he is very good but that the next game he looks lethargic and tired. I hope it is only 2 to 3 games that we see of Berube. The thing is we can not have games from Griess like St. Louis, Calgary or Columbus or Toronto either.
^^  
pganut : 3/13/2017 3:01 pm : link
I think you just underscored the problem not so much being with Greiss, but the team. In each of those 3 games, he was shelled when the team took significant time off during those games (if not the entire game as in CBJ). Greiss has low mileage on him to this point in his career, so I'm not sure I buy the "he isn't a true #1" argument we've seen pointed out occasionally on the interwebs. When a team takes shifts, periods or games off, I don't care if you're Dom Hasek, when the team hangs you out to dry, every goalie is going to look shaky. Even thinking about the STL game, there was really only one goal you'd say he wanted back (Tarasenko's second), but even that was also a world-class shot from a top player in the league.

The Islanders just need to stop checking out mentally periodically. Sure, those clunkers exist in every championship teams' seasons, but this version of the Islanders has no championship pedigree, so those too-often mistakes give us what they are: a pretty good team that struggles to find consistency. Hence no long-term winning streaks, nor are there long-term losing streaks. But I will say the consistency developing under Weight is better than what we saw of any consistency under Capuano. The belief they should have in themselves is the key to winning the tough games.
Tangential note, Shattenkirk suspended 2 games  
pganut : 3/13/2017 4:08 pm : link
Charging during their game with the Kings, left his feet and launched himself at Gravel.

Must be all that clean living and lessons from uber-douche Tom Wilson.
NHL DOPS Suspends Shattenkirk 2 games - ( New Window )
Anyone else going tonight?  
Mike in Long Beach : 3/13/2017 4:41 pm : link
.
I don't know if the numbers agree  
Dave M : 3/13/2017 5:41 pm : link
But it seems Carolina plays the Isles really tough. I think 4pts is not too much to ask for at this point. Toronto will have a game in hand after tonight.

And those who said we needed 12 pts on the trip were right. 12 would've put us in a tie.
McKenzie on college players who may go pro  
Dave M : 3/13/2017 5:53 pm : link
He mentioned the possibility of Kiefer Bellows on the bottom. The rest is a scouting report on all the guys the Rangers will sign.
Link - ( New Window )
RE: I don't know if the numbers agree  
pganut : 3/13/2017 6:32 pm : link
In comment 13391996 Dave M said:
Quote:
But it seems Carolina plays the Isles really tough. I think 4pts is not too much to ask for at this point. Toronto will have a game in hand after tonight.

And those who said we needed 12 pts on the trip were right. 12 would've put us in a tie.
You're correct. Canes always give us fits. And with due respect to his longevity, it bugs the hell out of me that a very average goalie in Cam Ward is 21-4-4 lifetime against the Islanders. I'd enjoy putting a pasting on him one of these games.

About Bellows, I had read all along that he'd likely be at BU for a year before moving to the AHL, so it seems like that may well happen. He's shown flashes of real good play but has also been buried a bit there.
LOL...national game, first game home after a franchise long trip  
pganut : 3/13/2017 7:33 pm : link
And a team on the cusp of the playoffs, and we get...

John Forslund, the Carolina Hurricanes announcer. For an Islanders home game. Great job, NBC.
Wooooooo!  
Dave M : 3/13/2017 7:54 pm : link
Good start.
Good jump rewarded  
pganut : 3/13/2017 7:55 pm : link
Fortuitous bounce off Slavin's stick. We'll take it.
Well that was pretty.  
BlueHurricane : 3/13/2017 7:55 pm : link
Skating well so far.
Love it  
pganut : 3/13/2017 8:00 pm : link
Seeing some Ho-Sang jerseys in the crowd.
Haha  
pganut : 3/13/2017 8:04 pm : link
Dominate a game virtually the whole way, a terrible shift where no one wants to clear the puck, and Berube has no idea where he's positioned. Tie game against a team that should be done 4-0.

And just like that, they score again, with Berube in bad position. Wake the fuck up.
Well that was ugly  
BlueHurricane : 3/13/2017 8:06 pm : link
WTF just happened?
Can Soderstrom be called in?  
Dave M : 3/13/2017 8:09 pm : link
.
A) A bad shift by the Nelson line leads to 2 goals in :26  
pganut : 3/13/2017 8:10 pm : link
B) Berube is lost out there

C) Our GM is spiteful and would rather score ego points than bring up Halak

But Gionta ties it up!
wooo!  
JayBinQueens : 3/13/2017 8:12 pm : link
watching streaming bc I'm still at work (corporate travel agent = really shitty day before a blizzard).

Pg, ruined the surprise of the tying goal but I'll take it!

(won't be commenting too much tonight because of the lag)
That was a PP, huh?  
pganut : 3/13/2017 8:36 pm : link
Disgusting

But CDH waits till it's 5v5 and scores!
CDH!  
Dave M : 3/13/2017 8:37 pm : link
.
CDH  
BlueHurricane : 3/13/2017 8:38 pm : link
Snipe!!
Berube is singlehandedly killing us  
pganut : 3/13/2017 8:48 pm : link
Garth should be on the phone with BPT pronto-like. Trailing these clowns? C'mon.
Fuck this mf'er  
KWhite2250 : 3/13/2017 8:48 pm : link
Garth should be fired for the way he handled this shit and kept this POS around so god damn long
This is one of the worst displays of goaltending  
BlueHurricane : 3/13/2017 8:49 pm : link
I've seen in a looooooooooong time.
If Halak  
The 12th Man : 3/13/2017 8:50 pm : link
Is not up here tomorrow this team is not making the playoffs

This is atrocious!
This is one of the worst displays of hockey I've seen in some time  
pganut : 3/13/2017 8:51 pm : link
Period.

Cannot come out and lay down like this at home, and against a dead team walking...especially with so much on the line.

Game's not over by a longshot.
For fucks sake  
BlueHurricane : 3/13/2017 8:52 pm : link
Finally have an off night to watch a games and the Isles are giving me a shit burger
Wow  
timintey : 3/13/2017 8:52 pm : link
this is brutal
Funny thing is  
pganut : 3/13/2017 8:54 pm : link
I feel like we'll find a way to come back and win this. Frankly, it's a game where we should be up several right now.
RE: If Halak  
marbles : 3/13/2017 8:55 pm : link
In comment 13392133 The 12th Man said:
Quote:
Is not up here tomorrow this team is not making the playoffs

This is atrocious!


Absolutely agree. But jackass Snow will not admit he screwed this season up.
Brutal, Brock  
pganut : 3/13/2017 8:56 pm : link
Just brutal.
You have to laugh  
timintey : 3/13/2017 8:56 pm : link
at this point
What a joke  
KWhite2250 : 3/13/2017 8:57 pm : link
This team wont make the playoffs
Nelson should not  
The 12th Man : 3/13/2017 8:58 pm : link
Be allowed back on the ice
Kids get one back  
pganut : 3/13/2017 8:59 pm : link
Beau to JHS
JHS!!  
timintey : 3/13/2017 8:59 pm : link
!
Wow  
Fish : 3/13/2017 8:59 pm : link
The kids carrying us
Ho train?  
Dave M : 3/13/2017 8:59 pm : link
.
Ho Sang!!!!  
The 12th Man : 3/13/2017 8:59 pm : link
Beautiful!
JT  
Fish : 3/13/2017 9:01 pm : link
Has disappeared lately huh?
Get 1 more before the end of the period  
pganut : 3/13/2017 9:02 pm : link
Then it's balls to the wall in the 3rd.
Staple nails the observation  
pganut : 3/13/2017 9:04 pm : link
Quote:
#Isles in the D zone tonight back to October-level puck watching. Good combo with the awful goaltending.
We just  
The 12th Man : 3/13/2017 9:06 pm : link
Made our 1st save tonight
Dink!!  
timintey : 3/13/2017 9:06 pm : link
Could have been huge!
Damn we just  
The 12th Man : 3/13/2017 9:07 pm : link
Hit iron! Crap!
Horrible Call  
The 12th Man : 3/13/2017 9:09 pm : link
By the way I think Slavin has 5 goals this year. I think 4 are against us.
Good lord  
pganut : 3/13/2017 9:36 pm : link
Carolina is averaging 6 per game against us so far this year. It's almost like the Canes play over their heads and the Isles just sort of show up when these 2 teams play. Fuck being tired as an excuse. Quit the lazy shit (Brock, love you, but looking right at you; take your -4 to the bench).

Now Seids yanks Skinner down for the PS. Of course, Skinner scores.
Way to go Seidenberg  
timintey : 3/13/2017 9:36 pm : link
FFS!!!
Unreal  
Fish : 3/13/2017 9:42 pm : link
1 step forward. 2 steps back
Stempniak  
Fish : 3/13/2017 9:44 pm : link
Looks like Kane out there. Wtf?
Just comical now  
pganut : 3/13/2017 9:54 pm : link
Shitty, shitty deflection off Hamonic. I thought it was a softie at first, but that completely changed direction and speed.

Well, these guys brought this on themselves. Pucker up, buttercups. Big boy pants are gonna be needed to salvage something this season.
Shame on us  
pganut : 3/13/2017 10:13 pm : link
For putting some faith in things. A team that fails itself too often and a GM who pours gasoline on the fire by refusing to fix a mistake (do we really worry if anyone'll claim Berube? Ain't gonna happen)) in favor of looking like he "won" that situation? At the expense of making the playoffs? Hopefully, having had that called out in less fan-centric fashion on a national broadcast should prompt some attention from ownership.
RE: Shame on us  
Dave M : 3/14/2017 2:45 am : link
In comment 13392231 pganut said:
Quote:
For putting some faith in things. A team that fails itself too often and a GM who pours gasoline on the fire by refusing to fix a mistake (do we really worry if anyone'll claim Berube? Ain't gonna happen)) in favor of looking like he "won" that situation? At the expense of making the playoffs? Hopefully, having had that called out in less fan-centric fashion on a national broadcast should prompt some attention from ownership.


Well said
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