Guest Post:By Kenneth Boudreau

On a nite that was the celebration of the 1992-93 team in front of a crowd of just under 12,000 the Islanders played their tails off from start to finish.

My Plus/Minus of the game:

• (-) Bad start after a cross check on Logan Couture by Steve Staios led to a PPG 1-0 sharks lead.
• (+)Despite giving up early goal, Ricky played strong tonight in goal for his first game back.
• (+)The play of the first line still continues to impress with JT getting a goal on PP from his linemates Matt Moulson and P.A. Parenteau
• (+) Isles offense for all four lines were rolling with Isles outshooting the Sharks 37-30 for the game.
• (+)Beauty in the 2nd goal for the Isles on crisp tape to tape passes leading to Islanders lead at 2-1
• (-) Bad bounce for Mark Streit led to a Logan Couture goal after a screen on DP by Staios to tie the game at 2.
• (+)Isles earned a point.
• (-)Horrible call by officiating: Travis Hamonic chipped the puck of out the zone off the glass..The referee overturned the call, gave Hamonic a penalty for delay of game which led to Brett Burns overtime goal on a 4 on 3 powerplay for San Jose.
• Doug Weight was absolutely furious from the bench, something you rarely see from the high class player turned coach.

As  Chris Botta stated on Twitter after the game: "That's as horrific a piece of officiating by 4 men as you will find at any level of hockey."

Whether the Islanders would've won the game, we will never know but that was a putrid call and the NHL officials up in Toronto ruled it a mistake that a penalty was given to Hamonic costing the game for the Islanders.

On a positive note, Capuano stated in his press conference that: "This was one of the best game that his team has played all season".  Totally agreed with this statement, DP played solid despite being out of position for first goal, San Jose was riding a 4 game winning streak.  If they play more games like this, they will be competing for a playoff spot because the effort was there.  It is a shame that the referee had to literally blow the game for the harder working team.

Follow His Twitter Here 

Sincerely,

Kenny B

Off Topic: Quick Note

Firstly as you noticed, the blog design has drastically changed.  Would love to here some feedback here or on twitter.  Personally I am very happy with the new look, as I wish you the readers are as well.

Secondly, I would like to say that there will be a guest post tomorrow.  We are having a potential writer audition for us tomorrow about the game tonight.  We have talked about expansion before but are seriouslly considering it now.  If anybody would be interested, please contact us at savetheisles@gmail.com or on twitter.(SaveTheIsles or Scott) Thank You as every candidate would be seriously looked at.  Go Isles

Post Game: Isles lose 3-2 in OT!!!

Tonight, our New York Islanders fell 3-2 in overtime to the San Jose Sharks. Here are some of my notes from the game:

-Awful, Awful call on Hamonic in OT!! Most everyone at the arena could see the puck hit the glass before going into the crowd so how the refs who were right there couldn't see it is just beyond me!! Good for Jay Pandolfo staying after the game like he did to have a discussion with the refs about it because it was clear as day that it did hit the glass. That is good vet leadership displayed by Pandolfo there.

-DP surprisingly played pretty well!! Off course you had some of those moments like what the heck are you doing? Or stay in the net, but all in all he didn't play bad!!

-Okposo made a heck of a pass to grabs for the 2nd goal but other then that thought he had a pedestrian game.

-4th line played well as usual

-Comeau and Martin both threw some nice hits tonight

-I thought the powerplay got better as the game went on, the two first period powerplays were simply pathetic but as the powerplays accumulated they got better and eventually potted one which was good to see.

Meet and Greet:

Prior to the start of tonights game, the Islanders held a meet greet in the expo hall down stairs at the Coliseum where season ticket holders as well as decade plan holders were able to meet 10 members of the 1993 Islanders team. The Islanders did a good job with this, it was a nice time for all involved. It was personally my first time meeting most of the people from that team so as a fan who was very young at the time of the team it was like a nice history lesson on team history so to speak. Again good on the Islanders for holding this!!! Also the ceremony on the ice pre game was nice!! It was pretty cool to be able to see guys like Turgeon and Kasper and Vukota on the ice sports the Isles sweater again!!

Sharks @ Isles 7PM

Tonight the Sharks come rolling into the colisuem to take on our New York Islanders.  Isles coming off a hard fought game against the Pens loosing in the shootout will look to get one in the win column tonight.  Dipietro is schedule to make his first start of the season.  DiPietro who made his debut against the Pens in the shooutout.  Maybe DP can be our closer in baseball terms.  He played well stopping 2 out of 3, allowing a goal by an incredible move by Malkin.  I figured Dipietro would get a start on the road away from the home crowd but my guess seems to be wrong.

Also tonight is part one in decade tonight.  The Islanders are celebrating the 90s.  Earlier they serviced a meet and greet with fans allowing pictures and autographs.  Some fun activity on such a crappy day.  My look on tonights game as followed:

• How will DP look
• My bet secondary scoring comes through tonight (Okposo being my guess)
• What an upgrade Jurcina is.  Adds such needed size and at time physical force
• Bailey and Comeau need to continue to grow coming off their best game against the Pens
• 4th line keeping up the good work
• Lets Go Islanders

Post Game: Isles lose 3-2 in a shootout!!

Tonight, our New York Islanders actually showed up this time unlike Tuesday, however they fell to the Penguins 3-2 in a shootout. Here are some of my notes:

-To start, the goalie switch for the shootout. I guess I understand why they did it since Nabby wasn't feeling well. However he just played an entire game, he couldn't have lasted 5 more minutes?

-Nabby was really good tonight!! If not for him I don't know if the game would've been as close as it was because he came up huge on multiple occasions, especially in the first two periods.

-Tavares had a pretty good game, it was nice to see he wasn't physically intimidated at all by Orpik because Orpik is a really big strong guy.

-4th line played well again, especially Martin who I thought had a real good game

-Bailey & Comeau probably had their best games respectively of the season thus far. Given how theyve been its not saying much however its nice to see improvement.

-I thought Jurcina made his presence known with his upgrade over Mottau. He controls gaps a lot better then Mottau and throws the body a bit to. He will surely be a welcomed edition

After what I thought had been 3 pretty pathetic games tonights game was pretty good, and hopefully they can build on it for Saturday.

Next Game: Saturday 10/29 @ Home VS the Sharks

Notes:

Starting at 3:30 Saturday the Islanders will be having an exclusive meet & greet for season ticket holders as well as decade plan holders. So if either one of them applies to you, be sure to go as I am sure it will be a lot of fun, and I actually will be attending.

Also prior to the start of the game Saturday the Islanders will be holding a special ceremony to honor the 1992/1993 Isles which were the last team to win a playoff series. That team is best remembered by David Voleks goal in OT vs the Penguins. This ceremony will be a nice little history lesson for some of the younger fans out there including myself.

Post Game: Pee-wee Isles lose 3-0!!!

Tonight a team wearing the Islander jerseys took the ice at the Coliseum and fell 3-0 to the Penguins. What team it was I have no idea, but I know for sure it definitely wasn't the NHL team the New York Islanders. Here are some of my notes from the game:

First of all, was that really an NHL team out there tonight?? Because it sure didn't seem like it!!! This game was an embarrassment simple as that!! This game would've caused people with sleep apnea to fall asleep. Sad but true!!!

The team had 33 shots tonight but I think 32 of them went into Fleurys crest which isn't good because you won't score that way. Also, would it kill them to shoot some pucks in the air. I can't tell you how many times in the last two games they had chances that were lost because they couldn't raise the puck off the ice.

While it was nice that they finally put shots on net, they couldn't do anything else tonight!! So many passes either into skates, to far from the target, or just into areas where nobody was or even on their way to. I sure don't know what the heck happened to this team because right now their play is a joke!!

Nabby was the only decent player on the ice tonight & there was some instances were even he made me think what the hell are you doing?? One time on the powerplay he played the puck and just sat there with it. Streit was coming back and put out his arms signaling like are you going to do something or what?? He ended up leaving it there. I remember another time in the third period where when the Pens were putting pressure on he like jumped out to cover the puck and he missed it and he just laid there for a few seconds like he was a kid with a stomach ache. He was sort of the best of the worst for the team tonight in my opinion!

Josh Bailey & Blake Comeau looked LOST!!! There poor play continues!! I can't believe that a large number of people thought that him being sat out for two games was a trade indication. In all honesty based off his recent play if I am a GM id be hesitant to give up much of anything for Comeau. The same goes for Bailey, who just about as bad as Comeau looked lost tonight and has for the better part of the young season thus far. I don't know what is wrong with these guys but someone needs to kick them in the ass and wake them up!!

Defense let us down on the two goals tonight!! Well the first goal was a break in coverage or something because you could see from a mile away that Dupis was open and primed for a breakaway, so how didn't they or someone make them aware of that? Then the second goal was started by a bad turnover, and then you had Streit and Staios instead of pressuring the puck carrier just went down to block the shot. So being smart Park just carried the puck until they were no longer in front of him and he shot it past Nabby. To me that is poor defense, pressure the puck carrier to make him act quick, by going down so soon you give yourself up way to easy.

Hopefully they turn it around and quick because if they don't they will be in a lot of trouble!!

Next Game: Thursday @ PIT

Pre Game: Pens @ Isles

Things to look foward tonight:

• WINNING: 2 points is worth more then beating them in PIM
• Lets shoot the puck boys
• WIll Nabby continue the strong play
• Big test for defense tonight
• Continue the strong play at home, need to make the best out of this longstreak of home games
• Sorry for the short post, am running late and need to go to school
• Lets Go Islanders

2 MIN A GAME TREVOR

Some fans may like Trevor Gillies, some others may hate the man.  I fall under the group who strongly dislikes the Islander enforcer.  I firstly do not see a reason to have a player in the starting lineup who will play roughly 2 minutes a game.  To me, it is a complete waste.

Recently Comeau was scratched while Gillies got the nod.  For what?  For Trevor to stand up and go after Victor Hedman who previously hit Tavares a week before.  Is that a good explanation to sit a young forward who scores 20+ goals a season?  Not a valid reason to me.  It should be interesting to see who plays when Rolston comes back.  If Comeau sits once again, we got a problem folks.  A problem and a huge question mark, which needs to be answered.  I say shave the mustache and shave Gillies for good.

Thoughts & Opinions

Just want to give some quick thoughts and opinions about the team and anything else.  Some of these points, very well may be future posts.  I know its still early, but these concerns aren't.
Feel free to comment and answer some of these questions:

• When Will Rick DiPietro get a start?  When will he start to cry?
• Which lines will get mixed up?
• Does Okposo have a identity?
• Gillies why are you still here?
• Nabby has been solid, should we be suprised?
• The problems with Comeau and Bailey have never left
• You wont score if you do not shoot the puck
• Why are we having problems controlling the puck?
• Reasoner has not impressed me yet
• Will the defense hold up?

Canucks & Panthers agree to big trade!!!

Prior to the Isles Panther game tonight the Panthers agreed to a blockbuster trade with the Canucks which sent fan favorite David Booth to the Canucks. The exacts of the deal can be seen below:

Vancouver Gets:

David Booth

Steve Reinprecht

2012 3rd round pick (This pick was orginally acquired by the Panthers from the Canucks in exchange for Chris Higgins)

Florida Gets:

Mikael Samuelson

Marco Sturm

On the surface this seems to be a pretty darn good trade for the Canucks because it makes their top six all the more dangerous. Only thing they need to watch out for is Booths health. After that incident with Mike Richards he has a history now so that's always risky. Right now its a good trade for the Canucks but if he can stay healthy it will be a great trade for them!!

Post Game: Isles lose 4-2

Tonight our New York Islanders continued their Florida road trip by traveling to Sunrise to take on the Panthers, and were downed by them 4-2. Here are some of my notes:

-This road trip has been an embarrassment!! Save the third period tonight the team has been just pitiful and embarrassing on this trip!!

-10 shots through 2 period tonight is just unacceptable and needs to change NOW!! Its become like a growing occurrence with this team save the Lightning game & the Ranger game at home. I am sorry but your not going to do much if you dont put the puck on net.

-If not for Mark Streit and Nabakov this team wouldve been shut out!! You can't blame this on Nabby because he really didnt have much of a team show up in front of him for a majority of the game.

-It was nice to see them finally wake up after the Panthers second goal however through the first two periods it was like the only offensive chances we were getting were on the powerplay. While its good that they got chances on the powerplay you need to get chances at even strength to otherwise you will not have very good odds of winning.

-Nabby has been sharp in his two starts this year which has surprised me. Coming in I was very nervous about him, but I am happy he has caused me to eat some crow so to speak.

Lets hope they leave this crappy play on the road with them has they come home this Tuesday.

Next Game: Tuesday 10/25 @ Home VS the Penguins

Pre Game: Isles @ Panthers!!!

Tonight our New York Islanders continue their road trip to Florida to take on David Booth and the Florida Panthers.

Lets hope tonights game is better then Thursdays. Thursdays game was basically an utter embarrassment when compared to the two games before it. Lets hope the team shows some life and is actually able to do something and is maybe able to get some revenge on them for the home opener.

Evgeni Nabakov will start for the Isles tonight against Jose Theodore. Blake Comeau will be returning to the lineup tonight. This was long overdue and didn't see the point to scratching him the way they have. Sean Bergenheim is injured for Florida so he will not be playing today.

Last note, Brian Rolston will not be playing tonight because his wife is giving birth to their child. So I would expect Martin to remain on the 3rd line and for Comeau to take Rolstons spot & for Gillies to stay on line four.

Post Game: Isles lose 4-1!!

Tonight our New York Islanders fell to the Lightning by a score of 4-1. Here are some of my notes from the game:

-Tonight was the worst game of the year since the home opener

-10 shots through 2 periods and 13 in a game is unacceptable!!

-I can't really say that many people if any had good games, Tavares, Hamonic, MacDonald, & Monty were decent but nobody was really good.

-After the five day layoff the team looked very sloppy and off!!! Hopefully they come out better Saturday or we'll be in trouble

Next Game: Saturday @ Panthers

Pre Game: Isles @ Lightning!!

Tonight, our New York Islanders begin their first road trip of the year as they travel to Tampa Bay to take on Steve Stamkos & the Tampa Bay Lightning. If you remember last week the Lightning came to the Coliseum & the Islanders chased Dwayne Roloson in that game on the way to a 5-1 win.

Tonight the goalies will be Al Montoya for the Islanders & Matheiu Garon for the Lightning. Dwayne Roloson because of his recent struggles will be backing up tonight. Also there were some reports that said goalie Rick Dipietro who suffered a concussion last week as well as defenseman Milan Jurcina both traveled to Florida with the team.

Trevor Gillies will once again be in the lineup tonight in the place of Blake Comeau. I wonder what in the world happened to this guy. To play Trevor Gillies against this team that has no goon makes no sense in the world to me. No offense to Gillies who is one of the nicest guys on the team, but to me and most others Comeau by far makes a bigger impact on the game then Gillies does. I would have to hope that a trade of some sort is imminent with him, because if its not then what they are doing makes no sense at all. Hopefully we get some sorta comments soon.

To start tonight, the Islanders need to come out strong because I think the Lightning will come out flying looking to make up for the very poor showing at the Coliseum last week. If they are able to withstand the early flurry I think that they will have a pretty good chance to continue there hot play with another win.

The City has serious interest in the Isles??

According to a tweet a few minutes ago from the people at netsdaily.com, New York City has serious interest in bringing the Isles to NYC from Long Island.

https://twitter.com/#!/NetsDaily/status/127019149116440576

This is nice to hear, to me at least!! It also confirms what has gone on with the interest from Brooklyn. That they are really interested & aren't just showing interest to make life more difficult for Nassau so to speak.

Great Read on Kirill Kabanov!!

A friend of mine shared this article with me about Kirill Kabanov earlier today, and I thought I would share it with all of you.

http://puckingpattyb.blogspot.com/2011/10/real-kirill-kabanov.html

I thought it was well done & really showed what an excellent person Kirill is. If you like the article as well post a comment on the link above.

Enjoy & only two more days til our Islanders are in action again!!

Post Game: Isles beat Rangers 4-2!!!!!

Tonight, before a jam packed crowd our New York Islanders defeated the Rangers by a score of 4-2!! Here are some of my notes from the game:

-John Tavares!! Enough said, guy is coming into his own, 8 points in two games, man oh man he is going to be special!!!

-Nabakov shocked me tonight!! I was very nervous from the time I saw Nabakov starting that it was the wrong move, however Nabakov played really well!!

-Great crowd tonight!!! Even though I think there were more Ranger fans there, the Islander fans were loud & proud almost from the outset so good job Islanders Country!!

-Hamonic & MacDonald made the Brad Richards line basically invisible when they were out against them. I didn't notice Richards til the second period. That is going to be quite the pairing for years to come for us.

-One flaw I saw tonight, on the Rangers second goal, both Nielsen & Eaton got caught flat footed looking at the Ranger player instead of playing him away.

-Scratching Comeau for Gillies really made me scratch my head!! I mean Gillies didn't look lost on the ice at all, however why Comeau?? This happening has set off a lot of trade speculation on message boards and twitter that Blake Comeau maybe in his last days with the Islanders. If I hear anything on this ill be sure to post.

-Another flaw tonight was no Chicken Dance!! I was kinda disappointed they didn't play it in the last minute during one of the breaks in play they had.

Overall tonights game was a really solid game by the boys from Long Island. It was really nice to see against the Rangers & a great way to end the homestand. Now they get some time off to recuperate before they play again. Hopefully they can keep it up!!

Next Game: Thursday 10/20 @ Tampa Bay starting at 7:30 PM

Pre Game: First Rangers @Islanders game of the year!!

Tonight the Broadway blue shirts from NYC pay a visit to the Nassau Coliseum to take on John Tavares and our New York Islanders.

It was announced this morning that Evgeni Nabakov would start in net for the isles tonight. Also today the Islanders officially took Trevor Gillies off IR so it should be interest as to weather or not he will crack the lineup tonight or be scratched. With started Nabakov over Montoya, I hope this is another Cappy gut feeling because I would've started Montoya the way he has been playing & its really risky starting Nabakov especially in a game like this.

The Rangers are playing their first game in a week so if the Islanders can jump on them early it could set them up great for the rest of the game. Rangers I think are going to be flat early on because they will be getting their legs under them so the Islanders need to capitalize on that.

If your going to the game have fun & be safe and hopefully we see an Islander win to close out this home stand & keep the Rangers win less!!

Rick DiPietro Out

It was announced today that Islanders goaltender Rick DiPietro is out indefinably with a concussion.  DP was hit in the head while participating in practice the other day.  Man what bad luck this guy has.  Something freak like this now, its hard not to feel bad for him.  Now only Montoya and Nabakov are left, making head coach Capuano job a little easier for the time being.  Look for Montoya to obviously get the start tomorrow night against the New York Rangers.

Post Game: Isles win 5-1!!!

Tonight, our New York Islanders played their best game of the short season defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning by a score of 5-1. Here's some notes from the game:

-Montoya showed up again and was fantastic yet again!! I think its safe to officially call Montoya the teams number one goalie and I am happy to be writing this!!

-Tavares line was fantastic tonight!!!

-Hamonic & MacDOnald have officially arrived & shaken off their early season rust which was evident in the first two games.

-4th line was also very good!!!

-Only bust was the small crowd!! Was lucky to have hit 50% capacity tonight which isn't good!! Come out Saturday and support as the Rangers & their fans come to visit.

Thoughts from Rob:

-Figured I join the post game tonight at 1:53AM, why not right.

-Isles were on MSG tonight = wow

-NHL On The Fly had a nice long segment on the Isles including a Grabner interview. 

-Montoya Montoya Montoya.  Cannot say enough, keep the man playing

-Great win against a tough team

-We need to build off of this and come out hot against the Rangers Sat.

Next Game: Saturday @ Home VS The Rangers at 7PM

Pre Game: Lightning @ Islanders!!

Tonight, Steven Stamkos & the Tampa Bay Lightning pay a visit to the Nassau Coliseum to play against John Tavares & the rest of our New York Islanders.

After a semi bounce back game the other day from the game last Saturday, the Islanders look to build on that as they finish up this home stand with a game tonight against the Lightning then Saturday against the Rangers. If they want to have a shot tonight they need to do two things a lot better then they did this past Monday, they are:

1) Be more disciplined!! If you take 7 penalties against the Lightning, Stamoks, St Louis, & Lecavalier among others will surely make you pay for that.

2) On Monday, the Islanders amassed a whopping total of 5 shots in the final two periods of play. That needs to change, and NOW!!! They need to stop trying to be pretty & make the pretty play and they just need to play hockey get pucks to the net & bury them!! If they continue to try & be pretty turnovers will happen & unless Montoya stands on his head again which is possible it won't turn out favorably for us.

It was announced this morning that Al "The Big Cubano" Montoya would be getting his third consecutive start tonight, after a great performance the other day this isn't very surprising at all. Evgeni Nabakov will dress as his backup. My guess is Capuano will continue to go with the hot hand until he doesn't perform up to par and then one of the other goalie will get the chance.

Note: Goalie Rick Dipietro left practice early yesterday after being struck in the mask by a Brian Rolston slap shot. It is said that DP could have a concussion, he was being re-evaluated today. Keep an eye on the Islanders website for updates on that, and if we hear anything we'll be sure to post.

Lokomotiv Crash Survivor Speaks publicly for the first time!

Alexander Sizov, an airplane mechanic who was the only survivor of the plane crash in Russia last month that killed 44 people & decimated the KHL team spoke publicly for the first time earlier today.

He said, "Once we left the ground, I knew that the plane would crash." To see more on this, go to the link below:

http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/lokomotiv-crash-survivor-quotwe-knew-we-would-crashquot/445378.html

The Case with Kirill Kabanov!!

In case you missed it, yesterday there was some drama surrounding Islanders 2010 third round pick Kirill Kabanov.

After a quote he made to a Russian media outlet was taken out of context, there was talk that he had been lent or was going to be lent to a SEL team. (Swedish Elite League). The reason he might be lent there and not go back to his Juniors team like many of us figured he would is because his Junior team has reached their quota on the amount of international players there allowed to have so there n0t allowed to have him on their team. Why they took him in the dispersal draft they had 3 months ago knowing they were at their international player quota & that he wouldn't be able to play with them is beyond me but I guess that's why I am not a hockey executive.

You might think why can't he just go to Bridgeport? Well barring an exception being granted he is currently not eligible to play in the AHL. If you noticed I said barring an exception, I think that an exception should be made for him and that he should be allowed to play in the AHL this season. Right now the next team Kirill goes to would be his 4th team in the last year. That is a lot of teams and nobody deserves to live with so much confusion. The Islanders should make it so they are able to oversee his development and get him to Bridgeport, Kirill needs & deserves stability and having that happen would give it to him.

Isles send Strome back to Niagra!!

Various news outlets are reporting that the Islanders have sent 2011 first round pick Ryan Strome back to his junior team the Niagra Ice Dogs.

This comes as little surprise, a matter a fact I am surprised it took this long, I didn't see the point of having him here to start the season. Now he gets to go back down there & rip it up this year and continue to develop into a fine prospect. Islanders made the right move here!!!

Note: Later this afternoon I will have a pregame post in advance of tonights game versus the Lightning which will see Bruno Gervais make his return to the Coliseum.

Post Game: Isles win 2-1 in big defensive effort!!

This afternoon, our New York Islanders rebounded nicely after Saturdays debacle and defeated the Minnesota Wild by a score of 2-1. Here are some notes from the game:

-I think in the first 5 minutes of the first period the team showed more life then they did in the first 35 minutes on Saturday.

-Al Montoya showed up once again!!! Especially on the pk his sparkling play was huge. He continues to make a case to keep DP on the bench because I don't think it takes a brain surgeon to see that Monty gives us the best chance to win.

-The PK today was fantastic!! All be it we took to many penalties but the PK led by Montoya stood on their heads and kept the puck out which was HUGE!!!

-While not as bad as the other night the refs today were still pretty crappy!

-After the first period today it seemed as though the Islanders forgot to play offense. In the second period they only had two shots on net & in the third they only had three. If there is one criticism to take from this game is they need to shoot the puck more & stop looking for the pretty play!!

Overall good game though, hopefully they can build it for the coming games!!

Next Game: Thursday @ Home 7PM VS Tampa Bay Lightning

Pre Game: Wild @ Islanders!!!

This afternoon, after a basically pathetic showing the other night the Islanders look to come out & show that the other night was just rust coming off as they play host to Mikko Koivu & the Minnesota Wild. The starting goalie will be announced in the morning so be sure to check out Arthur Staples twitter for that. I personally have no clue who will start, I could see them going either way. Minnesota forward Pierre Marc-Bouchard will not be suiting up for this game because it was announced today that he would be suspended two games. So having the Wild lose him defiantly works in the Isles favor.

Like, I said hopefully the Islanders can rebound and show that Saturdays game was just them getting the rust off because if its not then there is going be a pretty pissed off crowd at the old barn in Hempstead tomorrow!!!

Post Game: Not the way to open!! Isles lifeless in 2-0 loss!!

Tonight, our New York Islanders opened the 2011/2012 season with a god awful game which included awful officials!!!! Here are some notes:

-Props to Al Montoya because he was like the only guy to show up tonight!!

-The offense was mediocre at best & the defense wasn't any better!!!

-Hopefully they were just rusty tonight because otherwise we are in store for a very long season.

-The officials tonight were just horrible!!! It was like they forgot it was ok to call penalties on the Panthers to.

While the refs were utterly embarrassing & after their showing I would be ashamed to call myself an NHL ref, that still isn't an excuse for the Islanders terrible play!!!

Next Game: Monday at home 1PM VS the Wild

Pre Game: HOME OPENER Panthers @ Islanders!!!

Tonight, our New York Islanders open the season playing host to the Florida Panthers. The game is actually starting at 8PM tonight because of the Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur.

It was announced earlier this morning that Al Montoya would be getting the start for us tonight over Rick Dipietro. I was almost certain DP would start after his pretty solid training camp, however Capuano said he was going with a "gut feeling" starting Montoya tonight over DP, and I personally am happy. Although he was pretty good in the preseason, he was still statistically the worst goalie in the NHL last season and that doesn't happen on accident. After his solid performance last year and his solid camp Montoya deserves the start.

The Islanders need to jump on the Panthers early and often tonight. With all their new additions over the summer I am sure they dont have great chemistry yet, however as the game goes on they will get better. With a forward group thats for the most part intact from last year & the Panthers without Vokoun now hopefully the Islanders can finally win a home opener after losing the last two years in shootouts.

No matter what happens, HOCKEYS BACK!!!!!

New Coliseum In Belmont??

According to Newsday, there has been some talk amongst County officials about possibly putting a new Coliseum in Belmont by the race track & what hopes to be a Casino in the future & turn that area into a real destination of sorts. Meanwhile, TOH councilman Edward Ambrosino whose district includes Belmont said that a multinational company was interested in locating its research & development facilities on Long Island & the 77 acre "hub area" would be a good spot. For more visit the article below:

http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/officials-eye-coliseum-belmont-scenario-1.3222821

If it will get something done, I am all for this idea!! However I expect nothing when it comes to our local politicians because if the last few years have shown us anything its that politics can very easily tear apart development around here, VERY easily!!

Predictions: Goalies

Last in our series of predictions is goalies, the Islanders currently have a 3 headed monster at goalie so I will give my predictions for all three & they will be listed in no particular order.

1) Rick Dipietro

7-11-2

8.99 SV%

3.20 GAA

I know DP has had a good pre-season, however that doesnt erase last year & being statistically the worst goalie in the NHL. He is going to need prove a little more for me before I expect something out of him, we better be careful because if he puts up numbers like that it could end up costing us a playoff spot.

2) Al Montoya

29-25-4

9.13 SV %

2.48 GAA

I think Montoya will be the primary number one this year & will build on the outing he displayed toward the end of last year & be a solid netminder for us this season.

3) Evgeni Nabakov

1-2-1

903 SV %

3.00 GAA

I don't Nabakov sees much time with us because I can honestly see him being dealt. His performance throughout the preseason for me at least was very average. I know he had been away from the game over a year, but still. His puck handling in his first start was sub par at best & at the game in Bridgeport the second half of that game was just very annoying to watch. It was like Montoya showed up that night and Nabakov didn't.

Isles to Brooklyn heating up??

According netsdaily.com Islanders to Brooklyn talks maybe more advanced then has been previously made public by those involved.

Netsdaily.com states that Charles Wang has a working knowledge of the Barclays center & weather or not it is capable of hosting NHL hockey games. Additionally they say that the arena has ice making equipment that is beyond NHL standards. Click the link below to see more from netsdaily.com or to see the original paragraph.

http://www.netsdaily.com/2011/10/1/2457154/netsdaily-off-season-report-25#storyjump

I personally don't really know what to make of this. It doesn't seem like anything like substantial, however it certainly hints at the where theres smoke theory. It should be interesting to see if anything comes from this.