The Islanders Need A Second-Line Centre, Stat.

Tonight, the Islanders go into New Jersey for their last divisional matchup of the season. The Islanders are currently 8-12-3 within the Atlantic this season, failing to reach their goal of .500 against their top rivals.

Let him play his game!

It's been a sloppy season, and although I do believe there has been slight progress, the Islanders have found ways to struggle all season long. Personally, I think most of this can be attributed to the offense, something that Snow failed to upgrade because the offense was supposed to be "set."

That's not me blaming him, as most of us wouldn't have gone into the season predicting a struggling Islanders offense, but it's what happened, so it needs to be addressed this off-season. It's become painfully clear that the Islanders do not have enough goal scorers, and in particular, they are missing a legitimate second-line centre.

Two Out Of Three: Bails, KO, Grabs?

As the season comes to a conclusion, I will be commenting more and more on potential Islanders moves, as well as possible draft choices, future rosters, and anything else pertaining to the team when they aren't playing actual hockey games.

Making it difficult on us fans this year, guys.

Today, I wanted to comment on the Islanders abundance of wingers, and the reality that this roster WILL be shaken up, regardless of the anti-Wang/Snow party's beliefs. Although July 1st may come and go (we can only speculate. I don't think it will, but it did last season, even though a lot of us were happy about what we thought was an "upgraded" 4th-line), the team will probably make moves via trade. Still waiting on Chris Botta's  announcement the day after the Rolston trade.

"Another hockey move is on the way. For what it’s worth, we were also told that we’re going to like this one."

Whatever. Something's going to hopefully happen.

To start off, in the past I have stated that I believe one of Josh Bailey, Kyle Okposo and Michael Grabner will not return to the Islanders 2012-13 season. This was several weeks ago, a time period where the Islanders were still in the playoff race, yet clearly missing a major piece or two on their roster.

It's Sunday Again! Isles Weekly Recap!

Not at the game today, but I hear Rickety is buying the first 5,000 of us fans a hot dog and a soda? Of course I'd miss that. The Islanders are getting ready for a 3 PM game against the Ottawa Senators. This will be their 79th game of the season, and their first since being officially eliminated from the NHL's Playoff Race.   Not bad, but the team obviously needs to make a few improvements going into next season. 

Hot dogs and soda from this guy!
Leave Your Captions!!

The Islanders played well enough to keep their playoff hopes alive this week, but it was too little too late. Breaking the season down into smaller segments, this week was great! The Islanders went 3-1 since Sunday's evening game against the Florida Panthers, and they provided us with a few feel good stories, even if it was "garbage time," like Chris Botta said. Real quick, although it's obviously garbage time for the team in the standings, it isn't for the players that would like to remain on the roster, or for the teams we faced (Florida and Pittsburgh were both looking at the division). Let's get started.

A Shot Of Bailey's Leads To Happy Days And A Knockout

The New York Islanders 3rd line is looking pretty good these days, huh? A line formed by Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen, and Kyle Okposo has taken this team by storm right now. With 5 games left in the season, including a game this afternoon against the Bruins, the Islanders secondary scoring is finally coming out of its shell. Obviously, it's a little too late, but it sets up something for next season, which is one that I think is very promising if these specific players find their game.

Bartender! 5 shots of Bailey's for that poor goalie.

Bailey, Nielsen and Okposo are on fire right now, and although we may be a little upset that there was none of this in October, there's no used to dwelling in the past, so let's enjoy this while it's here! Let's hope they can continue their personal streaks (and the winning), so they can leave us Islanders fans with something to smile about. On we go.

Don't Chase Mark Streit Off The Island

Respect Our Captain.

The calls for Mark Streit's place on the roster have quieted a little bit, no? Three months into the season, so many people wanted him gone, which was something I never really understood. It was misplaced anger thrown at our new captain who was trying to find his game right after missing an entire season because of a separated shoulder.

There were discussions among fans on what his par value was, and stripping him of his captaincy, and although John Tavares is ready to be our captain, just give that announcement one more season. At 34, Streit's one of the older guys, and he's back to being the Mark Streit we knew him as with, possibly, even more of an offensive upside.

Pittsburgh. Shut Up.

Well, Isles fans. It's been a fun season. Agree to disagree, like many other topics on this team. From our ownership situation, to whether or not we should tank, to "Nino's a bust," there's at least one thing we, as Islanders fans, can all agree on. The Penguins are a very annoying entity, one that feels entitled, as they show it in their game.

Result of an Islanders unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Before I get started, let's just say I don't hate the city of Pittsburgh. Obviously, it's just a game. But, a lot of Pittsburgh cannot seem to overlook what happened to them back in February 2011, although they have had many successful moments in the past 5 seasons, including a Stanley Cup. My problem is, why is it that Pittsburgh cannot just stick to the game of hockey, rather than constantly harp on, literally, getting beat up by the Islanders over one year ago.

That Awkward Moment When John Grahame Joins The Islanders

So much for that Kevin Poulin emergency recall. The Islanders signed John Grahame, 36, to an NHL contract for the final 6 games of the 2011-12 season. He is expected to backup Al Montoya, keeping Kevin Poulin and Thor in Bridgeport for their division title push.

I loved watching these guys in Tampa.

Unfortunately, this means Evgeni Nabokov will probably be shut down for the remainder of the season, preventing him from reaching the 20-win mark as an Islanders goalie, an occurrence we have not experienced since Dwayne Roloson two seasons ago. It would have been fun to watch, but it's better to make sure our top goalie is healthy going into next season (looking at you Rickety), rather than risk the entire 2012-13 season to win one game at the end of this one (Note that before all the media bashing).

Moving on, hey John Grahame. How's life been?

Josh Bailey Has Come To His Hockey Senses

Josh Bailey had 3 assists in last night's 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins, a career-high for one game. Although the real question is "How come it took so long," the question given today's scenario is "Who really saw it coming?"

Bailey: "I'm sorry, I ALWAYS MESS UP!"
Frans: "Bails, it's ok! I got your pass and I scored!"
Bailey: *Tears of Happiness*

Basically one month ago, I wrote an article on Josh Bailey explaining his move back to the wing, setup a poll whether or not to keep Bailey (votes were split between keeping him as a winger and getting rid of him, although there were probably 6 votes), and ultimately decided the only way Bailey can stay on this team was if he took control of his new, and permanent, position. 

Now on a 5-game point streak, Bailey has scored 1 goal and 6 assists, which has bumped his points total from 19 to 26, and since his move back to the wing 14 games ago, Bailey has registered 14 points (including 5 goals), creating more than half of his output from the previous 60 games.

David Ullstrom Has Earned Himself A Full-Time Spot On The Islanders

YES! More of this!

I've been meaning to do this for a few weeks, but never felt that I had enough of a sample size. Now that I do, let's talk about David Ullstrom for a little bit.

Drafted in the 4th round (102nd overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Ullstrom signed an entry-level contract with the New York Islanders at the end of his championship campaign with HV71 in Sweden's Eliteserien League.

Since then, he has played for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and the New York Islanders, looking more and more like he belongs on the big club, and not so much like a 22-year old rookie.

Brock Nelson, The Stage Is Yours

Nice win for the Islanders last night. A 3-2 shootout win has made some fans cringe, solely because of our small push up the standings, but a win's a win and it always leaves us feeling good.

Goals from Matt Moulson (again), and Kyle Okposo allowed the Islanders to come back twice, and Frans did his thing in the shootout to seal the win for the Islanders. Hey, at least NOW they're showing they can battle back.

Taking his talents to Long Island?

Well, we went up the standings, but the biggest news, yesterday, for the Islanders was the University of  North Dakota losing 5-2 to the University of Minnesota in the NCAA West Regional final. Why is this such big news? The University of North Dakota just so happens to be the school where Brock Nelson, the Islanders' first round pick (30th overall) in the 2010 NHL draft, has been playing hockey. Decision time!

Stuck In The Middle Of A Road-Trip, Here's Your Sunday Islanders Weekly Recap!

Well Isles fans, it's Sunday again! What a week it's been! The week basically came and went as our New York Islanders played two games, going 1-1-0 on the road.

Yes, I am the Lorax who speaks for the trees.
Leave your captions!

Stuck in the middle of two parts of the trip, the Islanders played the end of their Canada trip over in Toronto, one game after they won in Montreal, and then started their Florida trip last night in Tampa.

If the week ended on Tuesday night, it would have been a pretty good week.

Asbestos In The Coliseum? Hm, I Wonder.

Usually I try to stay away from all this political talk because I'm not always very good at it, but here it goes. The Nassau Coliseum has obviously been in limbo as Charles Wang has been trying to give the New York Islanders a new home for over a decade.

It's a barn, but it's our barn.

The lease expires in 2015, and with Kate Murray at the helm of the Town of Hempstead, this seems as if it will go on until the very. last. date. I mean, we couldn't even break ground on Sonic on Hempsted Turnpike because of "traffic."

Well, it turns out that our favorite barn is possibly infested with asbestos, a toxic mold that floats through the air, which would expose anyone inside the NVMC to health hazards (Kind of sounds like a Rangers' fan). Interesting.

The Islanders' Foundation Is Set

It's been an interesting year for the Islanders. Expectations have been exceeded for some, and expectations were never close to being met by others. A lot of people had the Islanders either squeaking into the playoffs, or falling short but showing much improvement. Although I feel the Islanders have showed improvement, many others would disagree due to the fact they are still a bottom-5 team.

Nothing unusual with this picture.

Well, one thing is definitely a sign this team is getting ready to make a jump. Along with their new starting goaltender, the Islanders have found a solid foundation in John Tavares, PA Parenteau and Matt Moulson. This year, each player has surpassed their expectations with 9 games to go, which makes re-signing PA Parenteau a priority.

Tavares has 73 points, PAP 64, and Moulson 61, which makes them the first Islanders' trio to score at least 60 points in one season since the 1993-94 Islanders.

If Their Discipline Carries Over To Next Season, This Team Has A Real Shot

Last season, and the season before that, the Islanders fans (including me) have cried conspiracy over the constant calls based against the Islanders. Game-after-game, it seemed as if the zebras turned a blind-eye to any cheap shot towards the Islanders (think Phaneuf on Tavares), but cried "major" if the Islanders were remotely involved in any of the physical stuff.

I swear, if you get sent to the box,
you 're finding your own way to Carvel.

Last season, the Islanders topped the entire NHL with 1,515 PIM. Second closest was nearly 150 PIM less, or Pittsburgh with 1,388.  The Islanders also had 31 misconducts, 11 more than Edmonton's 20. I remember it seemed like, especially after the Penguins brawl, every time we were involved with a fight, the Islanders had an extra 10-minute misconduct. Ridiculous.

Jack Capuano's gotten one thing right. This team has been far more disciplined under Jack's, by far, than under any other watch since the lockout. That's not an endorsement, just a fact.

Garth Got The Deal Done! Nabby's An Islander!

Donny you're out of your element!
Dude, the Chinaman is not the issue here!  

So, how many of you guys wanted him gone at the deadline because he wasn't going to sign? And, how many of you guys thought this was the best news on this crazy sports day for New York?

I wrote about him a few weeks ago, but Evgeni Nabokov has officially signed with the New York Islanders. The contract's terms are 1 year and $2.75 million. Not bad, considering we weren't even sure if we would get one NHL game out of him. So far, we have gotten 40. Garth and Wang, you have done good.

Welcome Yuri Alexandrov, Everyone!

So, there's always that awkward moment where the Islanders make a trade after the trade deadline. I'm sure there's some loophole based off of the player involved in the transaction playing overseas. Unfortunately, I don't know the exact rule Edit: (Found out the rule is that any player can be traded after trade deadline, but cannot play in post-season).

I guess Boston just wants to give us all this cool stuff.

Regardless, Garth made another deal with his new buddy Peter Chiarelli over in Boston, trading future considerations (ice cream) for D-man Yuri Alexandrov. Formerly a 2006 2nd round draft choice, Yuri was selected 36th overall by Boston. He only played 66 games within the Boston organization (all for Providence), recording 6 goals and 13 assists for 19 points during the 2010-2011 AHL season. During the off-season, Yuri rejoined the KHL, where he played his previous 5 seasons of his professional career that began at the age of 17.

This season, Alexandrov has split time between SKA St. Petersburg and Avangard Omsk of the KHL. In the playoffs for Omsk, he has excelled, scoring 1 goal and 4 assists in 7 games after an offensively sub-par 3-3-6 season in 37 games.

The Islanders Playing Into Irrelevancy? Yeah, Ok.

The Islanders are approaching the off-season as the only team to have 5 straight top-5 draft choices during the 30-team expansion era. Enter negative media.

Sports Illustrated writes:

He would be ripping the media apart.

"A few decades removed from one of the great runs in NHL history, the Islanders are pushing the definition of relevance. [Garth Snow's] club is headed somewhere no one in the NHL has gone before since the league expanded to 30 teams in 2000 -- a fifth consecutive bottom-five finish. Not one of the 122 North American big-league franchises has made itself as irrelevant as the Islanders. There may have been a fair amount of chaos under Ted Nolan, but at least his teams always were in their opponents' face, and the same for Scott Gordon's teams until he lost the room. Now there's nothing. They have taken the treadmill to obscurity. They are the team that doesn't matter."

Funny, SI. Guess that's why none of you guys can ever stop talking about us.

Do The Islanders Bite If Columbus Trades Their Draft Choice?

Islanders better than Rangers, Peace Guys

In the past week, there have been some rumblings that if the Columbus Blue Jackets won the lottery, they would opt to trade the 1st overall choice. Most say the reason being that they cannot draft another Russian, as their past Russian draft picks in the 1st round have completely backfired. Nikolai Zherdev and Nikita Filatov (the kid I was so excited to draft until we traded down for Josh Bailey) did not become the superstars the Blue Jackets were looking for, so a third failure on Russian, Nail Yakupov, would just about erase any hope left in the Blue Jackets' fan-base.

Of course, as an Islanders fan, do we bite on a trade if we don't already win the lottery?

The Streak Is Over! Weekly Recap And More!

So, it's Sunday and I was thinking maybe we would try something a little different to end the week. Sunday, I'll give my opinion on the entire week, ask a few questions, put up a picture for all of you guys to caption, so feel free to comment and interact however all of you see fit.  Sunday should be a day to just relax for all of us, so let's see if we can have some fun with it.

Holla! City of Squala!
Leave your captions!!

Since Monday, the Islanders have went 1-1-1. The first game was a Tuesday night match-up where the Islanders came off a Rangers loss by scoring 4 goals in the opening two periods.  John Tavares was thought to have only a hat trick and an assist, but it turned out it was just a 3-point night for Mr. Marginally talented. Unfortunately, the Islanders played on their heels for the remaining period and lost in a shootout to continue an issue that has plagued the Islanders all season long.

The Perplexity That Is Marty Reasoner

July 1st came and went this off-season. Sort of, anyways. The Islanders signed Marty Reasoner from the Florida Panthers. Inadvertently, this initially broke the hearts of many fans because this meant Zenon Konopka, beloved centre that's still in our hearts, would not be retained.

Board hopping extraordinaire!

As the Summer passed, a lot of us warmed up because Marty was a more complete NHL player. He won face-offs just like Zeke had all season, and he even added 14 goals! That was 12 more than Konopka. Along with that, Reasoner added 18 assists for the most productive offensive season in his career!

Well, he's carried it over and become a truly offensive player this season! 

Isles 70-point Scorers: Seems Like Yesterday, But So Long Ago

Last night, the Islanders dropped another uninspired game turned tease. The Flyers (who really do have obnoxious, arrogant fans: the ones that are all talk, no rings), came to town and either thrashed the Islanders, or beat up on a team that didn't show for the first 55 minutes.

It's weird because when the Islanders do kick it on, they seem unstoppable (i.e the 2 goals last night), but the effort we usually get leaves us banging our heads against the seats in front of us.

Well, all is well in Islanders Country as we sort out the positives. John Tavares scored his 31st goal of the season last night, making him the Islanders first 70-point scorer since Alexei Yashin in the 2001-02 season. You know, I always knew this stat, and always said, "I wish we had another guy that put up 70," but WOW it's been 10 years! That reality didn't hit me until today!

Hey, we won in these jerseys.

For 10 years, the Islanders haven't really had a major offensive threat! Alexei Yashin was a threat the next season, but he dropped off, and it seemed that way for the rest of Yashin's Islanders career (for the record, I was totally in favor of bringing him back if those rumors were true, especially if it meant him of Brian Rolston).

It's time to look at the Islanders point leaders in the past decade, and see where we truly stand now.

Everyone Wants Cappy Gone, So Let's Look At The Possibilities

This face?

Four bad losses in a row, each one more heartbreaking than the other. Four games where Jack Capuano couldn't get the team to show up for a full 60 minutes. Four games where Jack showed little emotion. Four games where the team mimicked Jack's emotion.

Obviously, it has seemed this way for most of the season, and the lack of emotion and intensity has been enough to frustrate fans going into a season with high expectations.  Cappy is a good talker, keeping things positive for the kids, but only problem is that the boys on the team are men now.

The bottom line is the Islanders continuously blow leads, hold no-shows at sold-out games, cannot score, and slip in the standings. If it's a few games, it's 100% on the players. If it's all season? Well, still mostly on the players, but it's the coaches job to fix these issues.

Fire Cappy seems to be the unanimous decision among Islanders' fans, so what happens if we get rid of him. Who are the options?

At Least John Tavares Has Gone Above And Beyond

With another Islanders' blown lead-to-loss, our team has lost 3 times in the last 3 games despite falling behind for a grand total of 1:25. Yes, the Islanders have only trailed, in these three games combined, for one minute and 25 seconds. As fans, it's very disappointing, but even in these circumstances, we try to find ways to sugarcoat it and make peace with the night.

You can be our draft-bust any day.

The other day I wrote about Matt Moulson, who has once again found his seat on top of his 30-goal plateau after scoring tonight. Well, for the second time in two years, the Islanders have had two 30-goal scorers. John Tavares joined the 30-goal club for the first time in his young NHL career, and on the same night as Matty Ice.

Who thought JT would put up 30 this season? Well, everybody reading this probably did, but some of the others? Not so much.

The Islanders Fell Off The Right Track

The positive? They were actually on the right track. I hear a lot about the Islanders being a poor team, or the same team, but there is only slight truth to those statements. The Islanders are a bottom-5 team right now, and they are also still wearing blue, white and orange while playing in the same building where four Stanley Cup banners hang in the rafters. That's it.

This is a bit more accurate:

"We know we can be a good team because we have been at times this year. It's not going right for us now." - PA Parenteau

Yay! Meaningful games in February!

Yes. Remember, one week ago the Islanders were only 6 points out of a playoff spot. Now, they're still in it (technically), but they're play over the past month has not been a good indicator of this. Sitting 10 points out with 13 games remaining, obviously the chances are slim, but I'm not hear to talk about playoffs.

This Team Needs A Jump Start

No, last night's overtime loss to the Rangers did not leave the Islanders with a feel-good point. For most of the game, the Islanders played on their heels against a team that hadn't won in 3 games. They had no business making it to overtime, nor did they have any business being in the game at all.  The New York Islanders mustered a whopping 19 shots against their cross-town rivals, in a game that they needed to win if they wanted to even think about the playoffs for the remainder of the season.

I just tell them, "Save your energy for the next one."

Matt Moulson and Andrew MacDonald both were rewarded with goals for being in the right place at the right time, and also helped keep the Islanders on top throughout the entire game. Yes, the Islanders had not been losing at any point in this game, but no, they shouldn't have even been in it.

Unfortunately, what should have been a very fun stretch for an Islanders team ready to turn the corner has turned into an eye-opening string of games. Too often have the Islanders come up short in games they needed to win this year, and too often have they disappeared for stretches at a time.

No exaggeration here. Our Isles played on their heels for the entire final two periods of the game, which has become all too familiar. When the going gets tough, this Islanders team never shows up, so it's time for a talk.

Meet Mike Halmo

Forget the Broadstreet Bullies.
Meet the Fulton Ave. Fighters.

Right before the start of last night's New York Islanders game, Garth Snow made an interesting, and very random roster move.  The New York Islanders came to terms with undrafted forward Mike Halmo.

Halmo, a forward for the OHL's Owen Sound Attack, is an over-age Junior player playing in his 4th Junior hockey season at the age of 20. He will be able to join the Bridgeport Sound Tigers once his team is done with the OHL playoffs, as they Owen Sound Attack clinched a playoff spot earlier in the week.

At 5'11, Mike Halmo stands to be another energy player, as well as a possible fan favorite. He's a player that has been considered dirty by many, but loved by his team. A spark player that can throw the body, Halmo is expected to be a tough player that can be available for the team in situations where a jump is needed.  That could be great for the Islanders, seeing that they have problems getting up for all of their games.

Mike Halmo has been suspended several times, and there is most likely one coming for last night's big hit on the NHL's #1 Draft prospect, Nail Yakupov. Take a look:

Somewhere On Long Island, Matt Moulson Laughs On His Throne From His 30-Goal Plateau

Three years ago, I remember reading that the Islanders signed a player from the Los Angeles organization.  I thought, "Great, another depth-signing." Go figure.

Training camp started and his name was popping up as a dark-horse candidate to make the roster in September. He was buddies with John Tavares, but no way the Islanders would put a depth-forward in the same category as our newly drafted, franchise superstar.

I haven't come back down for some time.

The season started, and "Matt Moulson" appeared next to John Tavares. Who is that guy? Well, we all know now.

On an Islanders' team with virtually nothing to look forward to that season, Matt Moulson scored his 30th goal of the season in the final game of the season. He never looked back.

Never On The Haley Bandwagon, But Sometimes It Just Makes Sense

Yesterday, the New York Islanders faced off against the New Jersey Devils for game 2 of their odd 3 game series. A total collapse in the final 15 minutes of this one lead to a 5-1 loss, pushing the Islanders, and their fans, further away from their playoff dream. On Saturday, the Islanders will return to the Coliseum with another important 2 points on the line.

Last Sunday, the Islanders played a chippy game, which has been something the Islanders haven't done often this year. Normally, home-and-home series' involve carryovers from the previous games.  The players fight, they share words, they go after each other. What's odd about this one though (and maybe not so much for the Islanders)? It is that the Islanders refuse to include "tough guys" in their line-ups, even when they play the same team three times in a row. Even when they have other players that don't do anything.

Pure Insanity

Marty Reasoner, for example. Brought in to be a better hockey player than Zeke, Marty Reasoner has produced a whopping zero goals while showing nothing of interest while on the ice. It actually makes you wonder why the Islanders don't just sit him for someone else, even if it's just to make a statement for the games that are supposed to be spirited, divisional games.

So, "here we go again" is probably what a lot of people are saying right now. But, before I say anything, I want to make it clear. I was never on the Michael Haley bandwagon. I never thought he was our savior, nor did I ever think he was the guy that would take this team past their problems. I always thought their were other guys to call up over him, even just to see what other players down in the minors could do. But, sometimes it just makes sense.

Matt Martin's Untapped Potential

Every Islanders' fan loves Matt Martin. In fact, the only time I ever heard anyone dislike him was the one time I had an insane lady sitting behind me screaming at Martin, saying every goal the Islanders let up is his fault because he hits other players. Asinine. Obviously thats part of the game, and it's the main thing that makes Martin an untouchable for this Islanders team.

311 hits. Alexei Yashin's jersey number more than any other player in the NHL (that would be #79 for those who don't remember).  That's a lot of hitting, and a lot of space opened up for him and his line-mates, and it's shown.

Yep. There's a lot of that going on in Long Island.

Through 66 games, Martin has a career high in goals (7), and has tied last year's career high point total of 14. He reached these marks in two less games. Thing is, he has 43 more shots this year (103) than he did last year. That's with two games in hand.

Averaging 12:14 ice time per game, Martin has seen penalty-kill time, setting up both of Josh Bailey's shorthanded goals, as well as some power-play time, which is something I think we should see more of.

A few weeks ago, the Islanders decided to put Martin on the starting line with John Tavares. A lot of Islanders fans reacted positively to this, including myself.  I've always wondered what kind of production Matt Martin could have if he was on a line with a goal-scoring center.

In Martin's last Junior hockey campaign, he scored 35 goals (17 of them on the PP), and 30 assists for 65 points in 61 games.  This season, he has already scored 7 goals, and I can see him reaching 10 by April 6th.  He has often played on the wing of either Josh Bailey (who no longer plays center), or Marty Reasoner (who couldn't score if the opportunity was handed to him), so again, what would happen if he played on a line with a center who could play.

Definitely Cannot Knock Michael Grabner For His Effort

I know, I know. A few days ago, I wrote about The Michael Grabner Effect, and how if he doesn't start scoring, the New York Islanders will have to trade him because of the momentum swings that occur with each failed breakaway.

I stand by that, as I do believe the Islanders could be a playoff team if Michael Grabner was not 1-for-25 on his one-on-ones with the goalie. These misses have often come at times where a goal could have turned a 2-goal lead into a 3-goal lead, putting the game away instead of allowing the other team the chance to push the Islanders (a team with no size) on their heels for the rest of the game.  Some of these games have ended in losses, and some of them have ended with the Islanders just barely winning (think Isles-Rangers on February 24th).

So you have to spray the goalie first. I get it.

Despite all the botched opportunities, Grabner is still getting those opportunities, so he can easily go from a 20-goal scorer to a 40-goal scorer in one season. He is 4th on the team in shots, taking 136 of them, so once again, opportunities haven't been the problem.

I do believe he will have better seasons, in terms of goals, after this one, but even if he doesn't, what other values does he have?

Kyle Okposo and Casey Cizikas: A Match Made In Heaven?

The Islanders have played in 4 games since trading Brian Rolston and Mike Mottau, going 2-1-1, and arguably have outplayed their opposition in 3 of them.

The last Rolston game happened to be rookie Casey Cizikas' first NHL game, which also happened to be against their strongest rival, the New York Rangers. Casey was very noticeable in this game, throwing 1 hit and winning 2 face-offs in his first period of NHL hockey, while finishing the game with 11:33 of energetic ice-time.

The brightest moment of that game, for Cizikas, was when he beat out two Rangers for the puck along the Rangers' bench, set-up a wide open Rolston (we don't miss you) who immediately botched the play when he took a slap-shot from the blue-line with plenty of space between him and Henrik.

But, minus the enigma, that's Casey Cizikas' game.  Hard-work and grinding to win the battles along the boards (which made him a hero in Canada during the WJHC), Casey plays a great two-way game that greatly aids his offensive ability. 

Gah, I'm so hungry.

Exit Rolston, and enter Kyle Okposo. KO, billed as a power-forward, replaced Mr. Enigma 2012 on the Casey Cizikas-centered line. Okposo became a fan favorite when he joined the Islanders and showed that he was very hungry for the puck. In the 2009-10 season, Okie seemed like a man possessed, scoring 19 goals and 33 assists for 52 points for a poor Islanders team that was only exciting for John Tavares and the discovery of Matt Moulson.

Andrew MacDonald and Travis Hamonic Are Not Going Anywhere

Although the Islanders' defense has not been great this season, it has not been as bad as advertised. 195 goals against make the Islanders tied for 25th in the league in the goals against category, but you have to figure a lot of these goals (22) can be attributed to DiPietro's 3.73 GAA in 8 games, as well as some blow-outs.

Nabokov and Montoya, the two main Islanders goalies, have a GAA of 2.41 and 2.71 respectively.  Among the NHL's starting goalies, Nabokov ranks 13th in the league in this category while Al Montoya ranks better than Ilya Bryzgalov and Craig Anderson, among others.

This indicates that the Islanders have been subjected to several blowout losses, as these low Goals Against Averages have been balanced out by many spectacular performances, goalies and defenses combined.

Because somebody had to.

The Islanders defense has held their own, and although much was anticipated from the returning Mark Streit, the true backbone of the Islanders' defense resides in 21 year-old sophmore, Travis Hamonic and 25 year-old, 3rd year veteran, Andrew MacDonald. The two have become our top pair on the blue-line, averaging the most shifts on the team per game (26.2 and 26.9), while coming in 3rd and 1st on the team in Average Ice-Time per Game (22:19 and 23:33, with Hamonic only behind the team's Capain).  These guys have given everything they have for each second of each shift all season long.

As An Isles Fan, It's Nice Feeling Secure With Our Goalie Situation

The Islanders goalie situation: joke to many, the punch-line to every headline, Rickety's contract. Three things, and there's way more, that have highlighted the Islanders' every last move over the past few seasons.

DiPietro's contract? Albatross, even though I do think it would have been a great deal for Mr. Charles Wang if Rickety never got injured. I mean, $4.5 million would be a bargain if they got the goalie everyone expected him to be. Unfortunately, DP (people even make jokes with that) could never find his way off the IR, playing only 47 games since the 2007-08 while haunting the rest of us from his hospital bed.

Style Points!

Since the end of 2007-08, the Islanders have drafted four goalies (Kevin Poulin, Miiko Koskinen, Thor of Asgard and Cody Rosen), started a total of 12 goalies and sprinkled in a little DiPietro every season.  All those November losing streaks? DiPietro was involved with all of them.  His best numbers? They came in 2009-2010. He had a .900 save percentage and a 2.60 GAA. Clearly, these numbers were exaggerated when we saw his other seasons' GAA: 3.52, 3.44 and 3.72. You want his save percentages too? .892, .886, .876. That's what happens when you care about the style of your pads (those things need to be broken in ya know?) and how you look on the ice (remember that goofy Ozzie helmet), more than rehabbing after surgery.

Anders "Thor" Nilsson

We've come a long way since November 21, 2011. A normal divisional match-up with the Pittsburgh Crybabies was to be broadcast on MSG+. Anders Nilsson was about to make his first NHL start after being recalled from the AHL. I'm sure it was a little nerve-wracking.

I'm also sure things got a lot worse when, several hours before the game, it was announced that Sidney Crosby was returning, and that the game would be broadcast on National Television.  Well, it only took a few minutes, but Sidney Crosby scored on his first shot back and the rest is history. Anders Nilsson faced 36 shots, saving 31 of them in a 5-0 loss in a game that was doomed from the beginning. It wasn't his fault that he had to play under the circumstances, but it happens.

Now you face the Mightiest Avenger of all!

Anders Nilsson was sent back down to Bridgeport, which was pretty much the last time a lot of Islanders' fans heard of him. He was chosen, along with Kevin Poulin, over Miiko Koskinen to spend his time in Bridgeport and not in the ECHL. Most of us probably didn't see him coming back to the Island for a while, especially with Kevin Poulin at the doorstep.