Yann Danis will get the start tonight for the Isles against Les Habitants. The former Montreal netminder played six games at the Bell Centre, will get to face his old friends looking for a little retrubition.

His stats via HockeyDB.com

RS Scoring RS Goalie Stats PO Scoring
Season Team Lge GP A PIM Min GA EN SO GAA W L T Svs Pct
2000-01 Brown University NCAA 12 0 0 667 40 0 0 3.60 2 8 1 316 0.888
2001-02 Brown University NCAA 24 0 0 1451 45 0 3 1.86 11 10 2 684 0.938
2002-03 Brown University NCAA 34 0 0 2074 80 0 5 2.31 15 14 5 1043 0.929
2003-04 Brown University NCAA 30 0 2 1821 55 0 5 1.81 15 11 4 901 0.942
2003-04 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 2 0 0 120 3 0 1 1.50 2 0 0 42 0.933 1 0 0
2004-05 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 53 0 2 3075 120 0 5 2.34 28 17 6 1458 0.924 4 0 0
2005-06 Montreal Canadiens NHL 6 0 0 312 14 0 1 2.69 3 2 0 138 0.908 - - -
2005-06 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 39 0 4 2242 111 2 0 2.97 17 17 3 1017 0.902 - - -
2006-07 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 44 0 2 2540 119 2 1 2.81 23 14 5 1129 0.905 1 0 0
2007-08 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 38 0 0 2064 113 2 0 3.28 11 19 4 941 0.893 - - -
2008-09 Bridgeport Sound Tigers* AHL 5 0 0 302 12 0 0 2.38 3 2 0 123 0.911

Accoring to Islanderspointblank.com (and if you are not reading it - why the hell not?) No word on Bailey or Sillinger yet (although the latter is skating with the team).

What do the Islanders need to do tonight?

1. Continue their inspired forecheck they had in the latter part of the game against Philly.

2. Look for Okposo to continue growing in the offensive zone

3. Look for Danis to step up big time against the old teammates.

4. Neilsen needs to step his game a little more, or he will be visiting his friend Jeff T in Les Box de Bow Wow!

5. Give those new jerseys that we will start waring a nice start.

Rumor mill has it that they may be the permanent jerseys within the next two years. I would like that. For once, a jersey change that the fans absolutely love…. And they dissed the orange numbers that were hard to see for the fans and the media alike.

I will not be covering the box tonight. I actually get to sit in my seats! Woo hoo! It will be a different feeling for me. First, I get to wear a jersey (My Vasicek Core of the Four). I get to watch play come at me and away from me, instead of turning my head like I am at the Us Open Tennis match.

I will talk about the game tomorrow morning! Let’s Go Islanders!

Posted under Blog Box, Islanders 08-09

1st period

Got here at 645 - loaded with Ranger fans… Ugh!

MacDonald in net - Hilbert Thompson and Sim up front - Pock and Streit on D.

20 seconds before Potvin chant started…. 56 seconds in - Rangers get a lucky goal that bounced off MacDonald as he was getting back to the net. It is going to be a looooooong night!

1:45 - Isles showing a little pressure - get a PP - this is crucial! Great start — 2 shots by Neilsen and Streit. Nice vision by Weight to see Hunter in front - for a one time in the slot. Nice save by Lundqvist.

4:40 - Kyle got a golden opportunity up front and missed high. Zherdev with some bad mistakes so far (although he got an assist on the Drury goal).

5:31 - another PP = keep the pressure on… Not as much - 1 shot through 90 seconds.

So far - not so bad…. If we can get rid of those 1st minute period goals (I think that is 4 for the season so far).

8: 37 - Gervais - holding - lets see how the PK does…. Joey - nice 2 point blank saves on Naslund… Great job. Cleaing up the garbage in front of the net….

11:54 - Ises getting sloppy and slow. Need to pick up the tempo.

Can not blog and watch game. Will give a little more analysis during 2nd frame.

And sure enough, as I walk away from the blog, to visit my wife, Okie scores, at 19:52.

Note: my buddy, Chris Pepe told me that DP’s situation is a lower body injury, not related to the knee, and will need further evaluation…. Makes you go hmmmmm..

2nd Period

4:25 - Drury hit in the shield with the puck… Nothing much going on at this point.

4:41 - Hillen - bad penalty — taking down Prucha. Rangers to PP

6:54 - Park inadvertently clipped Zherdev - 2 man PP for 1:12 - time for Isles to get real focused… Ranger take time out - Bruno - Campi and Thompson. 1 penalty down - only 1 shot for the Rangers. Nice job by Campy and Bruno. Great job by Streit. His d lately is NOT a liability.

Hearing the Let’s go Islanders chants now. Crowd getting into it, and Dee is bopping next to me.

The ice tonight is as choppy as it was on Saturday. Actually, it is worse.

Voros - Thompson fight - nice job by Nate - and Voros actually pnched himself (credit to Doug - my fellow blog boxer)

Point blank save by MacDonald on Dubinsky.

16:16 - Callahan scores off of a deflection in front of the net. First fight in the stands… Section 330. That is when you know that you ARE at a Ranger-Islander game…. 5 minutes later - still some movement by the security guards.

2 periods in the books - and only down 2-1 - I will take that. Just need to keep the sustained pressure going, and get some good chances. Joey Mac is keeping these guys in the game.

Assessment by the blog boxers… They are happy with Joey right now.

So far after 2 - 10 of 25 shots by Isles on man advantage. Okposo with 5 shots, Sim with 4. Park, Okposo and Comrie +1, Pock -2, Streit with 18:12 TOI leads both teams. Skinner with only 4:44 low on the Isles - Orr with 1:56 - low for the Rangers.

3rd period

What do we need…. Pucks and bodies on net, that is paramount. Will we get it? 20 minutes to find out…

2:17 - penalty on Zherdev - PP meeds to score now! And Guerin screwed that up, tugging on Sjostrom’s stick while in the o-zone. Back to the corner of the room for that infraction.

Joey Mac playing a strong game, trying to keep it as simple as possible. So is “AMAZING” Andy Hilbert. Good PK - nice job.

Bergenheim - doing his Walt “Clyde” Frazier impersanation with the puck, and grabbed Zherdev as the first penalty was called, and then got one himself… Whoops.

6:42 - MacDonald took a shot off the side of his melon, but looks to be ok. It hurt just watching it.

6:52 - the crucial 2 goal lead just happened on a 4 on 4. The shot by Gomez just snuck over the shoulder of MacDonald. Now the Rangers fans wont keep quiet. Right now - the Isles need to get some chances to the net, and make some traffic like they did in the 2nd and 3rd the other night.

Another skirmish in section 337.

Bergenheim clipped Voros - Weight got 2 for hi sticks. 5 on 3 - god - we have to kill this. And Drury scores again - 4-1. That does it. Now the obnoxiousness begins. Another fight in 339.

Now the building is 3/4 Ranger fans. At least we can say that our team woke up Drury. Park with a breakway - deflected away.

Security going up to 314 now. The yellow shirts are having a busy night tonight!

Voros laid out a nasty hit on Hillen. Guerin stood up for his teammate. The fights are all over the stands. It is a war in Uniondale.

Three Islander Stars of the Game.

3. Okposo - 1st goal of the year
2. Guerin - stood up to big bad Voros - I like that.
1. MacDonald - Kept the team in the game.
1.

Posted under Blog Box, Islanders 08-09

Pre game notes - Campy in the lineup. Hillen out.

Crowd sparse… A question I heard while walking around the arena….

Where is Monica the Ice Girl??? I guess that question is more important that wat lineups are being set for the Stars or the Isles? Very interesting.

Food critic - Chicken tenders and fries at Gate 11 - grade them a B-. could be a little better, but Nathan’s is always good.

The Avery sucks chants started before the Anthem. Geez, our fans are so forgiving, aren’t they?

Starting Lineup for Isles

Gervais and Streit on D
Neilsen, Tambellini and Hunter up front
DP in net…

1:10 in P1 - Avery in to a booing ovation… Okposo brushes by and Avery turtles like the gutless puke that he is… Yes that was a Travis Green name, but it has now been passed onto the right guy. Erikson makes the Isles pay on the PP.

14:13 in P1 - just when they start to look good (couple of chances by Park and Okposo), Morrow come down and pushes one underneath DP, for a 2-0 lead. The natives are getting restless and the door to the bench is getting slammed more and more.

This needs a good bit of confidence. Right now - it is not coming at all. It is interesting to hear Gordon scream from across the ice. Another stupid penalty for the Isles to take (Bergie). Have to stop grabbing and move your feet more. This Stars team is not fleet of foot. They should be taking advantage of that.

18:22 of P1 - Erikson again. I can see the veins popping out of Gordon’s neck. This is not fun.

I will be sitting in my seat for Period 2 -and will be back at the Box for period 3. Hope it is a little better this time…..

Analysis after 2 periods….

At least Billy G got in the scorebook off some nice passes from Streit and Bergie. However, not taking advantage of a full 2 minute 5 on3 plus another minute of advantage folllowing that. Just horrible. I am not questioning effort, per se; but when a power play struggles, it sems to constantly look for the perfect pass and the perfect play. I will not name names, but numbers, maybe….

89?

I wonder what the talk is at the GM meetings in Chicago?

Stats after 2:

Park -3. Okoposo, Gervais, Comrie -2
Guerin and Weight - +1

Streit 19:29 ice time. Gervais - 18:04

Nothing much else to be happy about…

3:28 - P3 - The Islanders are the last team to get a goal from a defensemen as Mark Streit scores to cut the lead to 3. As Section 317 says:

It’s a Power Play goal…… xxxx you, Sam Rosen! And Joe Micheletti too!

Still too much look for the home run pass….. Section 301 just LOVES Billy G. but they are more concerned about his life after hockey.

Around the 5 minute mark left - Sim gave a nice shot to Avery - nothing came about, but it looked nice….

Will add some comments tomorrow to this (after game locker room quotes).

From the locker room after the game.

Guerin - (paraphrasing) - putting too much on the PK’ers. Witt loss is tough, but it means that others have to step up. Ribiero had a great game, Modano looked good for 37 (is actually 38).

DiPietro - fans have the right to feel how they want. The fans are passionate about the game, and hate to see the team lose.

I think practice will contain a little bit of soul searching, and finding ways to stay out of the box. Especially against a Carolina team that is quick and tough. You have to stay focused, and make an effort to not grab and clutch to keep them in bay.

Good luck in practice today boys!

Posted under Blog Box, Islanders 08-09