On a day that witnessed a country delving into new territory and electing a man, that is promising a culture of change (I am not making this political - I refuse to do that on this blog), we saw something from the Islanders that may be the sign of change as well…

A 60 minute game.

Yes fans, it can and did happen.

In all places, MSG!

I am sure that Ranger fans walked into MSG last night saying that the Isles are 30th in the league, they nearly lost another game in the 3rd period, and this should be a cake walk. I was getting abused at the local deli at lunchtime yesterday, by a Ranger fan at the counter.

I can not wait to go back there today!!!

This was exactly the display of the ’system’ that Gordon has wanted from this team, and add to that, they system worked for the whole 60 minutes. There were little lapses from it. Although the Rangers did have 38 shots on net (or so), the Isles blocked over 20 and the Rangers had nearly 20 shots or so miss the net. They had nearly 90 opportunities, but the Isles held their ground, and Joey Mac was simply brilliant between the pipes.

The only two goals were on the P-kill, with Nate Thompson doing his best David Wright ‘line drive single’ impersonation to get the first, and Richard Park, swatting Michael Roszival errant pass towards the middle of the ice, then get it and snapped one past Lundqvist for the eventual game winner.

Park’s game has elevated, after I commented about his -5 to start the season. Let’s see, who can I get fired up now….

My Three Stars

3. Thompson - 1st NHL goal - and boy is he good on the PK
2. Park - great effort to get #2 - his stock is rising again
1. MacDonald - what can you say - he kept his team in it - and they rewarded him for it

Honorbale Mention

Bruno Gervais - his play was solid and stellar. Not on the score sheet, but he logged some serious minutes (Over 25, I believe)

Rest day today, I’m sure, before they fly to Altanta to face a struggling Thrashers team. I do not see Kovalchuk there much before the trade deadline. He is languishing there on a terrible team. He has talent, but he can not ‘carry’ a team like his comrade Ovechkin in DC.

Have a good day… Now the the Isles beat the Rangers - I will!

BTW - NY Hockey Report tonight - 9:00 - should be interesting. Stop in and join the fun (646) 716-7209.

Comments:

When he looked at the Metro Mug, Scott commented:

“I would like to see a shinnier silver trophy instead of that one…”

Was surprised that the hit on Chris Lee did not warrant a suspension. He did not know about it until I asked the question.

Was pleased that Ricky played 60 minutes, despite the lack of playing. Is confident that he will be in the lineup, and if the timing is right, he WILL play. Ricky is chomping at the bit.

Bailey - he has so much hockey intelligence. He may be here one game, he may be here for the season. The process of the NHL will be so much easier for him, because of his intelligence. He is
head and shoulders’ better than some guys I know with three years of experience.

Nate Thompson - (Gordon’s former captain in Providence) classic blue collar player. We will like the intangibles..

Thoughts on Tambellini - we have to see if his ability will translate to the same success at the NHL level. He was not given the opportunity to fully play to your potential. He has to play, make the mistakes, and learn from them.

Working with the teams. There are times that I will have to be tough, and I will let them know that. The players welcome direction. He is not a ‘my way or the highway’ coach, but the players and the coaches have to work together.

System - training is the core of the matter (over-speed). Doing it in practice, will make the game easier. Making the practice more intense, will make the game a lot easier to handle. It does not happen overnight, but in time, the system will take over. Some games in the exhibition were good (even the 6-0 game - Scott thought the team executed, and there were positives, with the less than full lineup). The idea of game setup is making sure that the team is constantly moving forward, instead of the opponent coming to them. We have to be efficient coming out of the zone.

Penalty Kill - be aggressive….. We dont want our horses to play with snow tires.

Power Play - not normally a 4 forward 1 d - not liking to be high risk…

Riding the goaltender - It usually comes down to the schedule. Want to give Ricky every advantage to be successful. He wants to play every game. Any rest that goals to the #1 goalie is dependent on the schedule.

The injury bug - thought the early injuries may have been to the change in the system. Scott seems to be leading to the skates being stiff. Talking to some of the other coaches, they feel it may be the same thing. The soft ice surfaces can be a problem…

Playing days in Quebec. Probably like being in Atlanta and not saying y’all. Quebec was passionate about the game, but at least he had his chance to play and experience the NHL.

Sillinger - hopefully be back in November.

Shootout - Gordon may have a secret weapon. (I am not allowed to say, but it is someone you would NEVER expect) Looks as shootouts as ties. Looking at a half full glass instead of half empty. It is entertainment. What happens is secondary, just have fun.

Coaches on the bench - they go about it the right way… They come across as great professionals with excellent attitudes. They go about it the right way, and the veterans that take that attitude, seems to rub off on the younger players. They exert, and make he efforts in practices, will keep from letting down the teammates.

Thoughts on Jack Hillen - not big - but extremely intelligent. Would not play professionally if he did not have the smarts. Has the tools as well; he gets it! Instincts far more than exceed what a minor leaguer can do. See what he will handle the change from the college schedule to the NHL schedule.

Great meeting - 2 days to hockey, yea!!!!

And this is by no means, a ‘buttering up’ for the lad!

Great show last night - BD was on - and it was a great conversation, touching all sorts of topics, from Dey not getting a congratulations gretting card, to Gordon’s philosophy, to the lineup, and the 2 on 1 assaults that BD got with his Ranger fan siblings.

Must have been quite a household….

Anyway - great interview, but unfortunately, I am peeved, because the last 60 minutes of the show did not appear in the podcast. I have a call into BLOGTALKRADIO to find out what happened. If it corrects, I will let all know.

It was a great show, and I am working on a guest for next week. Keep tuned to this blog for further details.

Have a great Thursday… The weekend is coming.

GH