One I was not surprised about – the other I was.

The momentum was on DC, and although outplayed in many parts of the game – it just seemed to be leaning the Caps way. A great shot by on ol vet. Ovie was really a non-factor, but in the next series, he will find every chance to shine at every moment (considering the opponent).

Lundqvist was good when he had to be, and again I say that he alone is the only reason that the Rangers were in it. With all the $$ spent on guys, that just did not do anything, Ranger fans should be peeved at the vets (with Drury getting a pass, due to the broken hand that was mentioned today). Wade Redden was a brilliant acquisition. Hmmmm, Streit… Redden. About 2.5Mil less, and oh what better talent level. Ya!

I feel bad for Marty. Two goals in 40 seconds or so, that I know were not the toughest shots that come in to him. I know he will have a lousy summer because of it. I had no problem with whoever got out of this series. I like Carolina too – a nice team that has responded well to the coaching change. I called a Game 7 Overtime for this series, but I fell about 30 seconds short in my prediction.

Well – picks:

1. Boston vs Carolina – Carolina will be a better opponent for the Bruins. They will be fast and not try to beat them over the head, so skills will be more prevalent from both teams. However, Boston is big, strong, fast and sharp. Bruins in 6.

2. Washington vs Pittsburgh – Ovie vs Geno – Ovie vs Sidney. This is the match made for TV. Will this tough 7 game series tire the Caps out? They can only hope that the adrenaline kicks in. I think Pittsburgh will be too tough for Washington in the end. More learning experience for Wash. Pittsburgh in 6.

3. Detroit vs. Anaheim – This is not your typical 8 seed. This is an 8 seed on steroids (sorry – wrong reference). This is going to be more evenly matched than expected. Anaheim could steal one on the road, due to the inactivity of the Wings. However, the Ducks cindarella story is going to come to an end here. Detroit in 7.

4. Vancouver vs. Chicago – 9 days off between games. Do you think the Sedin’s needed to see a hockey for dummies book for refesher references? This ALWAYS hurts a team. I like Vancouver’s make up – but this awfully long wait – is going to bite them in the butt. Chicago in 6.

What do you think…..

Posted under Playoffs 09, Ramblings

From the minute you walk into the park – the size of it just overwhelms you. The Jackie Robinson Rotunda, and the big 42, which is a huge photo op. Then to take the long escalator to the main level. Then as you walk behind home plate, you see the field in full view, as opposed to walking through a tunnel.

Just about every where you go – you have a view of the field. And then you look at the size of the concourses, and that just make you realize if the Islanders can fix up the building and get this project off the ground, we can see these concourses in OUR future too.

The food options are many and good. I went to the Blue Smoke area (the Shake Shack was so crowded – I would suggest getting there at least 2 hours early to get the food over there), and had a Pulled Pork sandwich that was fabulous. You could get just about any type of beer you want, and from what I hear – the prices are cheaper than that of Yankee Stadium. There are fish stands, mexican choices, sushi, and taste of New York area, that give the fan so many different and exciting choices, other than just a hot dog or cracker jacks.

There is a kiddie park, where the little guys can hit wiffle balls off the tee on a miniature sized version of Citi Field. There are huge team stores around the field that you can get any type of souvenir imaginable.

Then the game. I was in the next to last row in the lower direct between home and first. The left side of the dugout was in my view. With the seats closer to the field, you feel like you are on top of the action. They made sure that the seats face the infield, instead of having to turn 90 degrees in order to watch the pitch. The Mets, did it right. From what I hear, many seats in Yankee Stadium do not have this luxury. Also – the seats are comfortable, and you have much leg room. Another feature that a sized challenged person like myself can enjoy too.

All I needed was one inning to know what the score was going to be, as the Mets got a 6 count in the first, thanks to an Omir Santos’ Grand Slam homer. David right scored in the 8th after a triple, and John Maine and three relievers combined on a 2 hitter, as the Mets 6-1 victory.

I am going back there on Mothers Day, and I really can not wait to bring Claire with me – to enjoy the experience with me.

—-

Now – to hockey. I listened to the first period of the Chicago / Calgary game, and heard the Flames be extinguished by the upstart Hawks. I was hoping for seven, but the loss of Dion Phaneuf was too much for Calgary to take.

San Jose just pittered out, and bowed down to the Ducks after a 4-1 loss eliminated the President’s Trophy team from the playoffs. With the loss, the Isles now have the 26th pick in the First Round, to go with the number 1 selection. Nice!

BTW – Chris Botta, of the Islanders Point Blank fame, will be our guest for the last Booster Club meeting of the season, on Tuesday, May 5th at 7:30 PM at the LI Marriott Ampitheater. Please make sure that you bring canned food to the meeting to support the US Postal Service food drive. It should be a great night of info and discussion on everything Islanders. Hope you can attend, and we invite all to attend (no $5 charge, if you bring canned food – so take advantage of it).

Have a great Tuesday.

Posted under Booster Club, Islanders 08-09, Mets 09, Playoffs 09

$64,000 question of the day….

Devils have the home ice, and that will help. Carolina just CRUSHED them last night. If you are Marty B – that was the night to have a clunker – not tomorrow.

I see the Devs pulling it off – a 1 goal game, as I figured this would end that way. Two very evenly matched teams.

As far as the Manhattan team – they are starting to look as beat up as the enemy in a Jackie Chan movie. Yes – the Ranger fans are going to moan and groan about the Brashear hit, and the scuffle with Orr before the game. He should be suspended for the pre-game incident. You have precendent (see Roy in Calgary the other night). The hit (being to the head) is also a suspensionable move in my opinion; but Dave Maloney, it does not equal the beheading of a Roman warrior. Give it a break!

Ask around the league… The Rangers get a lot more of a break on calls and other stuff than just about anyone in the NHL. But this is one that you should get. However, I do not believe that Donald Brashear, although at times can be a good hockey player, is not the answer to this series. Your “fans anointed KING” goaltender has been nothing but average in the last two games. He, ALONE, has kept you in this series. Without him, you would have been playing golf for nearly a week now. As he goes, so go the Rangers. This team has had NO ONE to step up and take over. Drury and Gomez have been invisible. Antropov has joined Zherdev, in the “CLUELESS CLUB”, along with others.

I will be in a total state of shock, if the Rangers continue play this week. I do not expect Washington to blow THIS game 7.

Well – on a personal note – I am attending my first game in Citi Field tonight (wish I took my camera, but I guess the phone will work). I am looking forward to this. Will talk about it tomorrow.

Posted under Mets 09, Playoffs 09, Ramblings

With no disrespect to my fellow hockey fans that like to wear red instead of Orange in their blue jerseys, this suspension of Tortorella is a just thing.

No matter what idiotic fans that sit in front of the benches will do, it is the job of the coaches, players, equipment managers and trainers to totally ignore them, and concentrate on the game. The letter of the rule is JUST. No matter what is done!

Fans of opposing teams have been doing this all along. People just feel it is their right as fans, to got under the skin of the folks that are in front of them. That is their ‘supposed’ right. And that is the contribution of the team’s potential victory.

There are so many times that I am at the game, that I see fans of the other team behind the Islander bench trying to do their job.

Hey – look at the fan tht tried to get under Tie Domi’s skin in Philadelphia. Unfortunately for the fan, he got the bonus plan when the glass came out from him, and he was the recipient of a face wash from the Toronto Maple Leaf.

Now I consider myself a fan of the game first. If this was an Islander fan that did this – I would ABSOLULTELY take offense to this. This is not an Islander, Ranger, or Capital issue; this is an NHL issue. I think Colim Campbell, for all the times that Islander fans have been bashing the be-jesus out of him for Islander related suspensions, has done the RIGHT thing with this. It could all be for naught, as the Broadway Blues could win Game 6, and knock the Caps out of the series; leading to a showdown with the Big Bad Bruins.

However, for all that Tortorella preaches about discipline, and playing smart; he should take a page out of his own journal, and swallow the same medicine.

What do you think about that?

Posted under Playoffs 09, Ramblings

Just had to use the old movie title….

Philly still in it.. San Jose on the brink of elimination due to another shutout by Jonas Hiller. JS who?

Jersey game was excellent…

Let’s Go Caps! Get that win. C’mon Tigers – get back in the series tonight!

Posted under Playoffs 09, Sound Tigers

Another tough loss for Bridgeport last night, as they peppered the Pens with shots in the 3rd, only to come up short.

This wacky set up series now goes to SWB for the next two over the weekend. Should the Tigers pull off a upset, Game 7 – will be at Harbor Yard. Let’s see what these kids are made of, and hope that we can get to game 7.

I have always been a Canuck fan too (watching since the Orland Kurtenbach days in the 70′s), and I am still heartily surprised that they swept the Blues in 4. I expected them to make the second round, but did not expect them to sweep. Bobby Lou has been outstanding, and we all know what goalies can do to a Stanley Cup contending team… Give credit to St. Louis for coming up from last in the West at the All Star Break to 6th. They have some great young talent, as we see that Oshie and Backes (spelling), have gone to represent Team USA at the worlds.

I did not expect the Habs to go out in 4 either. I expected the rivalry, and all the adrenaline that goes with it, would give Montreal a game or two… But swept? Wow! I think that you will see MAJOR changes in the management, coaching and the players when the puck drops again in October.

BTW – have I ever mentioned that Sean Avery is complete and total douchebag? OK. He nearly cost his team game 4, and I would not be surprised to see Ranger fans jump off the Avery Love-Bus. He can be such a good player, and a great compliment to a contending team, but he lets his idiotic brain get in the way.

There – that feels better.

Also – I am loving the Calgary-Chicago series. Hitting, passion, and excitement galore. Also – I like seeing Eric Nystrom getting a real shot. Playing with Ollie and Jarome, got him the game winning goal last night to deadlock the series at 2. Game 5 on Saturday should be a real barn-burner.

Message to Billy G. – thanks for getting us the 3rd round pick. More able bodies for the Isles is nice.

Oh yea – the Canadian media is at it again – making stupid statements about what the Islanders are going to do. Just SHUT UP!

And I haven’t even talked about San Jose/Anaheim yet. Game 4 should be a blast tonight – but I have to get to bed early. I have to be in work by 6:45.

Have a great day, and remember the immortal words of Bob Johnson:

IT’S A GREAT DAY FOR HOCKEY!!!

Posted under Playoffs 09, Ramblings, Sound Tigers

Sean Bentivoglio gets one on the column for the Tigers last night.

Game 4 in BPT on Wednesday.

Go Caps tonight – pull one out of the Garden. Have to get Ovie and Green in gear…

Let’s talk about it.

Posted under Playoffs 09, Sound Tigers

Blogging live tonight…. I am not alone, as Dee, the 7th Woman is with me!

Same lineup as last night. Lawson to start in net, as Mannino will be getting the nod tomorrow in Pennsylvania.

Unfortunately – the same referee (Nygel Pelletier) will be in charge tonight. Hopefully his night will be BETTER than it was last evening. From what I heard, the head coach of the Sound Tigers, Jack Capuano was less than thrilled in the post game interviews, et al.

Probably a lesser crowd than last night. What a shame. With ticket prices as cheap as they are – it is an absolute shame.

With the game ops crew here on time tonight, the big Sound Tiger logo is going up by the entrance.

Sound Tiger scratches. Colliton, Figren, and Jamie Fraser.

Starting Lineup – Lawson, MacDonald, Kohn, Smith, Hennigar, Iggulden

At least we did not start the game with a penalty, but for the second straight game, the first shot went in. This time, only 30 seconds in as opposed to 1:22. A great feed from Paul Bissonnette to a tip in by Dustin Jeffrey just over Lawson’s shoulder.

Penalty on Macdonald. Mr. Pelltier is back on his good ref calling skills again.

BTW – Eric Cairns looks good behind the bench…. Will we see more of this next season?

Tigers tie the game at 1 on a great shot by Michael Haley, assisted by Morency and MacDonald. The 4th line for the Tigers are really stirring it up. The team looks a lot more focused and passionate right now. Maybe too much in the case of KO as he took a penalty.

Pens take the lead at the end of the power play on a tight angled shot by Dustin Jeffrey after about 3 shots were stopped by Lawson.

Seonds later Okposo ties up the game in fron of the crease (where else). 2-2

Last night, the game looked more like a yawning convention than this one. There is purpose, passion and much more intensity than last night.

Pens take a penalty, Taffe for holding MacDonald. Tigers on the PP.

You can see the strides that Jack Hillen has made. He looksso comfortable with the puck, and will not just make a more for the sake of it. He will search for the right option. MacDonld has that capability, but is much younger than the college graduate Hillen.

Iggulden on the PP – Tigers 3 – Pens 2

PP lasted about 5 seconds and Roger Luce did not even get to fully announce the penalty.

Tigers 3-2 after 1. Going to sit in the stands for the rest of the game.

Notes for the 2nd:

These two periods, we have the REAL VIEW FROM SECTION 317. I am sitting in my seats for the remainder of the game. Thank goodness that I can sit in row A, and hold the laptop on the railing.

Stay out of the box, penalties, especially with this referee will be a key for the Tigers this period. Establish the flow, and keep pressuring the goaltender.

Iggulden just got hurt. He basically slid into the boards from the blue line. Hard to see what he did, but he has been down for at least 90 seconds. He is up on his feet but not putting pressure on one of his legs.

Tigers are dominating the start of the second period. Charging the net, getting pucks in front of the net – sacrificing their bodies for the betterment of getting the goal.

If you know the Rangers suck , clap your hands! That always works, no matter what arena, no matter what team.

The game has returned to boring snooze fest. Paint drying is almost a better sport than hockey sometimes.

On a side note – as I just saw on line – congratulations to former Booster Club member, Tim Filangieri, who just finished his college career at Boston College, and signed a PTO with the Syracuse Crunch, the AHL affiliate of the Colubus Blue Jackets. He will be on the Crunch next season, and I am sure will go to Blue Jackets Training camp in September.

Tigers 4-2 Jesse Joensuu – stuck the puck past the Pens goalie to give the Tigers a 2 goal cushion.

Kyle just got boarded for a penalty, and he definitely did not take it too lightly. Make sure he is OK for the world’s coming up next week. Now Tigers – get the PP goal and make the lead more. Now a 2 man PP for 40 seconds.

WIth the second period coming to a close – Tigers are outshooting the Pens by aa 23-12 margain. This stanza, the Tigers are definitely showing why they did as good as their record shows. Now – they have to keep that momentum going, and get that series knotted at 1-1.

3rd Period

Sometimes – the people behind the scenes working the games, are a little forgetful as to the time of year. Announcements were made by Dina the arena hostess about a viewing party at the Nutty Irishmen in Farmingdale. Only problem is that the party was on April 7th…. DUH!

Penguins score with 13:49 remaining to make it a one goal game. Game getting tighter on the ice and in the stands.

Another player that has impressed me is Jon Sim. Even though he was demoted, he could have played the prima-donna role. Instead, he has played hard, and showed the professional demeanor that is most respectful. Good reason for him having the “A” on his jersey. Marc Wotton, who is a long time minor leaguer (at the ageof 35), is wearing the “C”. The other “A” is Joe Callahan, the Connecticut native.

Whoops – now 4-4 Snap shotfrom just outside the faceoff circle. Evened up the game with 11:47 left in the match. A whole new game right now. Have to get the pucks to Curry and make a strong stand.

Now I know wh I don’t sit in my seats all the time. There are some people that sit behind me (you know who you are), that need a couple of classes in charm school….. I feel that after these games, I am suffering a 10 -20 per cent hearing loss. Thank GOD I know this person for over 40 years, or I would be sent to the rafters and beaten severely!

Now Sim got a penalty (as a result of my fellow 317 section fan wrath), and the Tigers have to make a serious commitment to killthe penalty and take away the momentum from Scranton. As I say that, the Pens take a penalty. Maybe we do not need the Nitro Glycerin pills. Xanax may be a possibility.

Hillen almost got a goal sneaking in on the right wing.

All I know is – this lady in row B should be starting her comedy career very soon. She is retiring in a few weeks, so there is a chance.

Pace is picking up. Hennigar had a great chance in front and had another opportunity in the slot.

Haskins had a good chance. This third/fourth line is strong tonight.

Lawson wth a nice glove stop. He needs to be stronger as the game goes along. “We’re not gonna take it!” is blasting from the speakers.

If nothing changes – and this game goes to overtime – I will end the blog post here, and do a followup tomorrow, with the interviews (if any) and post game reaction.

Three Stars

3. Hillen – what a smooth guy
2. Haley – Goal and assist – strong game.
1. Okposo – send off to the Worlds – what a nice way to go.

If the interviews go well – I will add them tomorrow.

Posted under Blog Box, Sound Tigers

I noticed horrible officiating, chippy play, an attempted comeback, and a disappointing loss.

Was I at an Islander game?

No. This was Bridgeport’s turn.

It was a 3-2 loss to Scranton Wilkes Barre that put the Tigers down 1-0 in the best of seven series; with Game 2 tonight at Uniondale.

Positives:

1. Mike Iggulden had a strong game with two helpers on the night.
2. Trevor Smith got the opening goal

Nathan Lawson – an AHL all rookie player was a little shaky. I believe that we will see Mannino play tonight – as Game 3 will be held tomorrow in Pennsylvania.

It was interesting to see the Bridgeport graphics and the amazing Chuck A Puck contest. By the way, my two pucks were SO FAR from the target – it’s not funny. I will have to do it again tonight, and see what goes.

Tonight – I will be blogging at the game, and will get to go to the locker room after the game. Look for quotes.

All photos courtesy New York Islanders/Getty Images

Posted under Blog Box, Sound Tigers

I am so looking forward to going to a game, and not having to do ANYTHING but WATCH!

What a feeling.

I know that the Sound Tigers set all sorts of club records for wins, points, etc. But to be honest – I am not totally up to date with the stats. I know that Trevor Smith had 30 goals to lead the club, and Mike Iggluden had 20 and lead the team in points.

Nathan Lawson is one of the best goaltenders in the A this year, and Peter Mannino will be there as well. Both may see some significant action. The team also will get KO for the first two games, and Hillen will be with the Tigers for the full run. DiBenedetto and Katic may see some time, as they are now in the professional ranks. Roben Figren also may get a call or two.

I will be doing a REAL VIEW FROM SECTION 317 tomorrow night, and blog live from the seats.

If you do not have tickets, and do not want to sit home and watch the Yanks and Mets get tanked in their new Billion dollar homes,, come to the Coliseum. Top ticket is $29… How can you beat that. I just hate that I actually have to pay to park, but if that is the worst problem I have, I can deal with it. Go TIGERS!

Posted under Sound Tigers