1. Considering we were missing four of our top 6 D, our starting goalie (well - he still is an All-Star goalie), and a struggling offense, I think we stood up to the Rangers quite well. We just let the opportunities slip away, and let the Rangers dictate the 3rd.

2. Has Mark Streit shut up a lot of critics? Almost a point a game, and playing decent D. He will make mistakes here and there, but he has been a lot better back there than the experts said he would be.

3. Okposo played fantastic last night… If we can only get that out of Tambellini… Kyle was hitting, getting (making his own) chances and causing havoc. Nice job!

4. Joey was yeoman like out there. He did not blow you away, but made some great saves when he needed to.

5. Henrik… Love him or hate him, he has been outstanding, and has given his team at least 3-4 wins solely on his shoulders.

6. I see the Wade Redden lovefest is over with the Ranger fans. Truth be told, they want to send him back to Kanata for some pucks, and an “I’m sorry for taking him off your hands message!” to Bryan Murray

7. Don’t get General Tso’s chicken at the NVMC. Not hot, not bad going down, but over 15 hours later…. (Yes Dee and Doug on the Box — ) I know!

8. Some of these fans are just abusive (and I say BOTH sides, but the Ranger fans get the brunt, because it is my blog, and it is not their building). An idiot was standing up in front of my friends, and they politely asked him to sit down, that they could not see the game. Not only was this drunken fool rude, but challenged my friends father (who is in his 80’s to a fight). What a real hero, eh?

9. I am having too much fun in the box! These guys (and yes, lady - Dee), made me feel right at home. It is a great fraternity - (even if Tom L will decide to join us one of these days… LOL!)

10. We are 30th in the league, and there is no getting lower. We can only climb from here.

11. Hopefully we will see Andy Sutton back on Thursday. We need him BADLY!

12. Martinek may be back in a couple of weeks.

13. Say a prayer that Witter is not as badly hurt as we fear…

14. Glad to see Park getting some points and getting rid of those minuses that he had last week. He has to improve more, if he wants to repeat as the Nystrom award winner.

15. Are those new jerseys great! Finally, no complaints about a uniform we wear. And if you are complaining, what the hell is wrong with you?

16. The goal song… Again — play Lady of Spain. As long as we score more than the opponents - I dont give a rats behind what they play.

There - that is enough for now. Have a good day everyone, and don’t forget to listen to the New York Hockey Report on the Blog Talk Radio Network, on Wednesdays at 9PM.

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!

Is Scott going to say this to the guys before the head out to the Pru ice tonight?

The screen test is over, the action scenes are going to begin.

What to expect: Tough question… However, from what I can see from Scott, I can see that he will be one that will make 100% sure that his guys will not only be focused, but ready to breathe fire on those Devils.

How will Ricky respond? Being a former goalie, I think Scott has more of an idea what is going through DP’s psyche than most… Will DP go all 3 games in this weekend? I hope not. I could easily see MacDonald into action, probably on Monday against Buffalo.

Bailey, I can safely assume will be out of the lineup tonight, and possibly tomorrow. I am sure that the disappointment will be mounting. If it was me, I really would send Josh to Windsor. He will be the captain, and get to work on the leadership skills, and be the ‘MAN’!

Interested to see the new line combinations. I think Hunter would look good with Tambellini and Nielsen. He would be the grinder and mucker to get the other guys the puck. I would assume that Guerin and Weight will be together. They know each other like peas and carrots.

Who on “D” will sit? Hillen has impressed, and I wonder if he will get the nod over Pock, or Gervais. It will be a difficult decision.

Although the Devils are a stronger team on paper, the Isles have done well against them, going 6-1-1 last season. Ricky always like to play against MB30, so it should be a good matchup.

We are under 12 hours from the start of our season, and under 36 hours from the home opener. I really am excited for the start of play. I enjoy watching the team that wins the cup the prior year hoist the banner up. And Detroit does not disappoint. They had Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, and Alex Delvecchio among others, present the banner to the Wing Captains (Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Lindstrom), and they brought it over to have the picture of the organization with it, before it was raised. Nice touch.

Game on!

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!!!!