Fri 13 Apr 2007
We all knew we weren’t winning in 4….
Buffalo is a strong team, that will beat you in so many ways. It turned out to be in a way that was not necessarily expected, as the power play is one of the weaker elements of this team, if you want to call any aspect of this team weak.
Brian Campbell got 2 goals, and Chris Drury did the same. Arron Asham got the Isles on the board.
Did the Isles play a bad game?
No.
Did Buffalo play a good game?
Not really.
It was just an example of a team taking advantage of the situation and pouncing on it. Buffalo did just that. The main concern for me, is that Buffalo can play even better. That is what can scare you.
Now - the official word… Ricky is back. He has gone now 8 days of pain and symptom free living, so he can return to full practice. Will he play tomorrow? That is a decision that will be reviewed extensively and thoroughly before 7:30 tomorrow night. Although Dubie has done a great job, especially for actually getting us to this level, we need to get the guy who actually has a major stake in actually getting us to where we are now back into our net.
The only thing that I wish, is that some sense has come into this young man’s head, and will in future incident, side on the cautious end, instead of leaning towards the dangerous acrobatic side we say on the Montreal ice a month ago…. We don’t need Steve-O from Jackass. We need a #1 drafted goaltender that can stop the puck. I have faith in you Ricky, so do the other fans - but we need you at 100%. Buffalo will hurt you if you are less.
Will be interesting to see what happens.
BTW - Kudos to the kids - Bruno and Campy. They played good games, kept it simple and got shots onto the net in the 2nd and 3rd period. Got to get more puck involvement from MAB. I still think that they have to split Witt and Hill. Have confidence in the youngin’s and put one of them with each of the warriors.
Also - glad to see Smyth getting pissed at the end of the game. It was nice to see him showing the passion and love of the game. Keep it up, and we will keep a lock and key on you, never to let you out of Long Island!
OK - the goal was to try and steal one up there. We still can. If we didn’t dont fret. Just means that Buffalo held serve. They have shown that they can be beat. We just have to play 100% of our game, and not get intimidated by their offense or speed.
Lyrics taken from Islander fan Bruce Burns, formerly of London England, who sung this little song which was taken from a chant done at soccer games….
If I had the wings of a sparrow,
If I had the ass of a crow,
I would fly over HSBC tomorrow,
And Poop and the Sabre fans below!
And that is that! Have a good day!
G
April 13th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Take the body and rough them up. It’s our one clear advantage… it only showed up too late in game 1. If we split the series in Buffalo, I think our odds are better than 50/50. Go Isles!
April 13th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
I agree that we lost mainly because of penalties. We can’t afford to give that offense so many chances. I have issues with the types of penalties the officials called since it seems that the games in the West are being played in a way in which the referees are letting the guys on the ice settle the games.
I also agree that the way to take the speed advantage from Buffalo is to take the body. We have to slow them down and knock guys down when we can. The reality is they are playing this series as if this is just 4 in the bag towards the 16 needed for the cup. I believe the Isles proved that they have the chance and ability to ruin said plans. We just need to play smarter and with the determination that got us here in the first place.
All the “experts” said we’d never make the playoffs, and those same “experts” have us pegged to go out by way of the broom…
April 13th, 2007 at 8:55 pm
Is it just me or what?
I REALLY DON’T THINK DP SHOULD PLAY!!
I still don’t think he has given himself enough time to recover from his 2 concussions. I wish saner heads would prevail and keep him off the ice for this series. I understand the need for him to be in goal, but if he gets hurt again, it’s going to be a very LONG 14 years. You don’t play around with concussions. Just ask Pat LaFontaine and Mike Richter.