On the Islanders Beat

I'm going to catch flak for this, but Smyth should be playing on our de facto first line with Kozlov and Satan.

Well, the last time Dunny started he looked very sharp and the Islanders won. Let's hope the top-line shakeup gets the offence clicking again and the Isles can put up 3 or 4 goals. Last time the Isles faced Emery they could only get 18 shots off, which is atrocious and better not happen again, not after that 3rd period in Montreal.

If DP can't start in both Florida and Tampa Bay, start worrying. Otherwise I hope he enjoys his vacation.

LET'S GO ISLANDERS

I agree with some of the people from the last thread - sounds like a concussion but they're just not going to officially say that. Dunham's certainly capable, but it'd be nice to have DiPietro's fire in there for Ottawa, who always seem to have their way with the Isles.

Moving Yash to the top line tonight is a mistake, imo. Yashin always disappears (more than usual) in Ottawa. The fans boo, the Sens get motivated and play him harder, and he consistently does not rise to the occasion there. I think that could bring down the rest of that line. They don't need to contend with his baggage in addition to the Sens top defensive line. But hopefully I'll be eating my words later tonight!

Upstate:

Having Ted Nolan coach you does weird things to a player, especially a player as enigmatic as Yashin. I trust that Nolan knows what he's doing on this one--the boos and the elevation to the top line may motivate him. Look, at this point we can't get ANY less out of Yashin than what he's given us so far, so I say let's try some different things and see what happens.

However, making this move work is going to take a real effort from Jason Blake to increase the puck movement in the attacking zone between himself, Yashin and a defenceman. Blake has infuriated me at points with his Jagr-esque moves with the puck. Pass the biscuit Blakey!

DiPietro's injury is nothing more than Drama Queen Syndrome.

He was overdue for a break anyway.

Mike:

When you leave work today, instead of going home, stop by Modell's and pick up a goalie helmet. Then head home, put the helmet on, and bang your head on your driveway about 50 times. That should roughly approximate what it's like to get kicked in the head by a hockey player skating one way while you are moving the opposite direction.

If after that you still think DP is suffering from DQS, then Moe Szyslak wants to talk to you.

I wasn't too worried about DP getting a rest, if that's the silver lining we're going to find in this injury.

The rest of the team looks depleted, though, which possibly explains the recent string of 3rd period collapses. I'm reminded of how we looked before the All Star break.

I'd actually like to see Smyth on the line with Kozlov and Satan. His style contrasts pretty heavily with theirs, while Blake has even alluded to some friction on the first line, talking last week about how he and Smyth like to play the same game.

On the defensive side, anyone else think it makes sense to bring Drew Fata back? He's got a big mouth, but with Simon out the fact that Fata thinks dropping the gloves will get him into the NHL might not be a bad thing. Scratch Hill for a few games to let him rest and see what happens.

Ryan:

Drew Fata played well when he was last with the Islanders. I'd like to see him up for the next Rag$ game.

The Islanders are playing without enforcers, which is good because it makes more room on the roster for the skill players...but allows other teams to take certain liberties. However, in a pinch, Witt or Asham can scrap.

Fata has been recalled from Bridgeport today. he had a decent game against the Caps, but I see him as a guy who had his chance and couldn't cut it--and I don't like an inexperienced and slow defensive minded defenseman against the likes of Ottawa.

Still, he is one the very few "plus" guys at Bridgeport--so I'll hope for the best.

Isles are toast..... They will get crushed tonight!

Then they go to Tampa and get crushed!

Worst move ever getting Smyth as a rental for a month.....

Rangers ~ Carolina make the 7th and 8th spot...Guaranteed!

No way him and his mullet stay on thd Island with a 1/2full house every night when he can go to Canada and play in front of 20K nightly....His nickname is Capt. Canada !

Wasn't made available to the media again? Something's going on here. Especially since today's story mentions that they bused to Ottawa and didn't fly. This isn't good.

And I agree, Smyth isn't staying. For a guy known as Captain Canada to stay and play hockey in a half-full arena on LI, that's a longshot at best. He's heading back to Canada on July 1st.

Witt won't DROP the gloves, he thinks he's too important.

Witt is too important--a la Avery for Rags. Insigate, cause havoc, but 5 mins? no.
Isles will not make playoffs...Smyth is not an islander...hes an average rental.

wah wah wah wah wah. stop complaining and rally behind this team and what we have, now. Trust me, I'm a realist and theres a slight chance that we will be making the playoffs, but why not be optomistic?
A win tonight would be HUGE, especially if these line changes click well...

Maybe DiPietro is concussed, but he's still the biggest Drama Queen in the league. Don't worry, he's got Witt as a close second right behind him in that department. He's the Drama Princess.

down 0-3, now 0-4...
stick a fork in us...

We miss simon--no grit.

Exactly right Huge. I never liked Simon, but I have to admit they do miss his grit. Think Steve Webb would come out of retirement? We could use him and his grit right about now.

How is Andy Hilbert still on this team? He's an AHL player. There is no other way to describe him. Bring in a physical player, either Webb as Turg and Huge said or someone from Bridgeport and replace Hilbert's spot with him. Hilbert is brutal and brings absolutely nothing. No doubt that this team needs to get tougher.

TEAM IS TOAST ~

Not to hard to see .... Gutless Isles at it again. They have quit boys deal with it....

They are out matched in every phase of the game and there is not one sure win on their remaining schedule.

FIRE or CUT or TRADE or BANISH: Robitialle ~ Park ~ Campoli (hits like a three year old girl) ~ Hilbert and all like them.

This team is a joke and played over it's head for a month or so to give false hope....

As long as Wang owns this team it will be a FLOP just like his business..Who is he to reinvent the wheel when it comes to coaches ~ GM's ~ contracts, etc. Why do you think people who know hockey LEFT US !!! They laugh at us !!...and if you think Milbury is still not behind the scenes your nuts.....

Smyth has 11 games left with us and then we have NO DRAFT pick and two less young chips to use for other trades....WHAT A HORRIBLE TRADE !!

Enjoy the demise !

guys, it was fun while it lasted...

nolan squeezed blood from these rocks (hilbert, campoli, kozlov, satan, witt, meyer) long enough...

we are clearly out of gas...

now we are stuck with:

not enough team speed
soft defensemen
too many muckers up front/not enough skill...can't put together two passes tape to tape..
not to mention our albatross yashin

now what?
the only true talent on the farm is okposo...

good luck Garth!

i want to puke.

What happened to this team, why do we suck now? What a joke, typical Islanders...tease your fans and then just play like s**t to finish the season. Even if we do make the playoffs we will be b***hed slap by whoever we play. Why do the sports gods torture us like this.

Well, I'm glad I was unable to see tonight's game. But to add insult to injury (at least for tonight), I see some kid named Robert Nilsson played 19 minutes and scored a goal in his Edmonton debut.

On to Florida, and thanks to the Devils.

Relax fellas... its not over yet... lets take some deep breaths

Another disappointing night.

But...

All the wet blankets need to take a deep breath. This team plays either really great hockey (see roughly the first quarter of the season, and that streak we had going until recently), or really lousy hockey (see everything else). There's no in between with this team, and that can suck at times like this.

We're down at the moment, but certainly not out. We just need to regroup, refocus, and start playing our game again. There's a reason we were quite possibly the hottest team in the league for twenty-something games, no small feat: we're a GOOD team, despite some overly-anxious comments to the contrary.

The Isles can recover, make the playoffs, and then make some noise. It's not a guarantee, it will take some work, but it's very do-able. All I know is that we have it in us, and that it's our ball to drop.

Nilsson got PHENOMINAL review in Edmonton....

Another Isles blunder getting the Mullet man for amonth ~ not make the playoffs ~ and then pay for his plane fare back to Canada!

Is Milbury still breathing ? God help us !

Okay I don't understand why we have guys down on the team already. If someone said to any of you at the beginning of the season that we would be in 7th 4 points out of 6th with 12 games to go you would be more then pleased. I would rather have a rough skid right now then when we have to face the Rangers, Leafs, and Pittsburgh later on. Remeber we lost 6 in a row. Then we got to 10 games over 500. Have faith yes we have not played well the last 5 or 6 games but we are still in the playoffs. As for anyone that thinks picking up Ryan Smith was a bad idea need to get there head examined. We finally become buyers at the trade deadline and people complain about that. Mark my words Ryan O'marra at best will be a third line player. Nillson will be a pretty good NHL player. And the 1st rd. pick is a crap shoot. Does anyone remeber Scott Scission, or Scott Lachance, how about Dave Chyzowski. Keep the Faith!!!

I still like the Smyth signing. You know how he scores his goals and his work ethic. We need to take more shots and challenge the opposing goalie.

It's tough to root for an Islander team, when our defense sucks so bad. Witt gets beaten constantly and if not for Tom Poti using his brain once in a while the goals of the opposition would double. Nolan doesn't seem to have an answer other than "the new guys are adjusting to the team." I haven't lost faith, but I'm short on hope that we keep our playoff spot.

Man, in the words of that woman from Gladiator, "The crowd is fickle..."

The problem last night was no one moved their legs. From period 1 on, there were four people gliding, and one skating (usually Hunter) at any given moment. It doesn't matter if you have the five best players in the league out there, if they don't skate, they won't score, and won't play good D. They're not "done," they just came out flat. Montreal, Toronto, etc. were supposed to be done, too, and they're right back in the thick of it. It's a shootout, and will be till the end of the season.

Generally, the Isles have come off deplorable efforts like last night's and have played very well the next game, usually stringing about three to four good games together, actually. Let's just wait a bit before we throw in the towel.

Regarding the Smyth trade that everyone thinks is so bad all of a sudden - he stands in front of the net and takes abuse so he can tip in goals and jam in rebounds. That's great, but useless if the Isles are only putting two shots on the net. It's not his fault that the guys on the outside have been on vacation. Oh! But wait! Nilsson scored a goal! Please. We've seen his game - give me Smyth for a month down the stretch over Nilsson for two or three years any day. It's not hard to believe that a young player will have a little extra juice in his play during his first game for a new team - remember Justin Papineau???

Ryan Smyth:Value versus Performance

In the seven games that Ryan Smyht has been with the Isles, here is the statistical record.

1) The Isles are 2-3-2.

2) In those seven games, both the isles and their opponents have scored 20 goals.

3) Of the 20 goals scored by the opposition, Smyth has been on the ice for 3 (15%) and 2 of those were shorthanded.

4) Of the 20 gaols scored by the Isles, Smyth has been on the ice for 10 (50%), incluidng 4 PP and 1 PS.

5) Smyth is a PLUS 6 with the Isles.

Without any doubt, the Isles are a substantially better team with Smyth on the ice.

As others have noted, I do not believe that Smyth's acquisition upset team chemistry as much as other parts of this team have faltered. Moreover, the ability to of this team to continue performing at the high energy level it has exhibited most of this season has always been a question mark.

Thus the question becomes. "Was Smyth worth acquiring?"

I think a strong case could be made that despite the wins leading up to March, the Isles would be in even worse shape without him--and Smyth's presence is enough to get them into the playoffs.

On the other hand, this begs the question as to whether just making the playoffs justifies giving up three number ones. In my view, while the Isles mgt. truly believed they could make a run at the Cup and sign Smyth, they were intoxicated with possibilities (as is natural to all of us) as opposed to facing cold realities of the team's vulnerabilities and Smyth's likelihood to sign here.

No doubt the Isles took a chance--and my view when they acquired him is the same today. The Isles took a gamble and the full results of that gamble will not be known until July.

Fair weather fans please go somewhere else.

Too many defensive lapses. Yeah some of 5 were Dunhams fault, but definitely not all. This team needs to realize that without DP back there, you need to play a tigheter, more defensive-minded game.

well on an upnote @least the other teams around us lost last night and the isles didn't loose any position

Look, Smyth is gone. There is no way "Captain Canada" is going to sign a contract with a team on LI that can only fill up half the arena. Hmmmmm, half full building on LI or a raucous full building in Alberta, Canada. Take a wild guess.

It was worth the shot (playoffs, yes...Stanley Cup, no) to bring him here but if you thought for a second he was going to sign a long-term deal you were kidding yourself. The guy CRIED when he left Edmonton.

Has nothing to do with fair weather fans it is reality......

If the Isles do not make the playoffs it was a HUGE mistake getting him...

That is a FACT not an opinion.

I am not saying Nilsson and others were the end all be all, but they should have been used to trade for someone you know you can SIGN and has a deal already in place.

Take off your orange and blue shaded glasses fo a second and look at reality....The team is beat up, tired, played over their heads for a month or so and now coming back to Earth....Teams behind us are getting healthy and have an easier schedule..

Reality is not always fun !

Well you guys can forget about last night! Even if DP were in the net, the Sens were flying with their high powered offense and the Isles looked as flat as the top of Witt's head. Still even Stan Fischler gets irked about DP coming out of his net. First, his defense with Poti, Hill, Bergevin, etc. has done a decent job this year w/o DP handling the puck. (Underrated) The collision was bound to happen sooner or later! When is the guy going to learn! I am a Ranger fan and I was at the 56 save night and the guy is absolutely spectacular. I was rooting for him in last years Olympics because he was the only real good American goalie that we have in this country! Esche and Grahame are mediocre. Hopefully DP stays healthy for the Vancouver 2010 Olympics because with another 3 years of experience, we have a shot to beat the Canadians and the Europeans. Just stay in the damn net!!

where is the veteran leadership?how about any kind of intensity?not looking like a playoff team.

I don't see why any team in the playoffs couldn't make a run to the Stanley Cup finals. What was so special about Edmonton last year? I didn't think they were a Stanley Cup-caliber team, did any of you? Heck, Carolina didn't strike me as an overwhelming powerhouse either. And I especially didn't think a Buffalo team using its 11th and 12th defensemen would get as close as they did. Anything can happen in the playoffs, especially if you get good goaltending.

With that in mind, the Smyth move made sense - bring in a character player with leadership who can also help on the ice. It's why the Pens brought in Roberts.

When the Isles skate hard and suffocate the opposing team's top line in the neutral zone, then can play with any team in the league. They're horrible on individual talent, but great when they play as a team, and plenty of those types of teams have made deep runs into the playoffs, and even have gone on to win the Cup.

Not saying they're going to win it all, just that it is not at all out of the realm of possibility that they can do some damage if they can get it back together and play hard, the way they did just after the break. I think they have to put all of the mental baggage behind them - both the ups and downs (trade deadline, Rangers home and home, Simon suspension, DP going down) - and if they can do that, they'll be fine.

I also think that playing several games in a row against young teams that sold off veterans hurt them. They started relying on fancy moves and through the legs-type garbage, and you can't do that against teams with gritty and hungry veterans. Got away from the tight D and strong forechecking that has carried them this year.

Merrick said: "...mgt. truly believed they could make a run at the Cup and sign Smyth, they were intoxicated with possibilities (as is natural to all of us) as opposed to facing cold realities of the team's vulnerabilities and Smyth's likelihood to sign here."

Great analysis of Smyth's impact on the team to-date. And you make a valid point about management not facing "cold realities". But what we all have to realize is that Ted Nolan has a history of getting the most out of players for a reason. He's an eternal optimist. He's a firm believer in creating your own realities. In the "nature vs. nurture" debate, he firmly falls on the side of nurture. Emotion, desire, effort and a belief in one's own abilities all trump any inherant skill (or lack thereof). With that in mind, there was absolutely no "intoxication" on the part of management in this situation. Snow and Wang know that they have limited time to
show the fan base a resolve to put a quality product on the ice, and Nolan was simply sticking to a philosophy that has served him well in each of his past coaching opportunities.

Ice hockey is the most momentum-driven sport there is. Not just within a game, but even more so from game to game. Everyone needs to take a little pill and relax. Yes, this team has obvious vulnerabilities. We've all known that from day one. Maybe we're the ones who became intoxicated by the unexpected successes thus far. Looking ahead at this 4 game trip, I was hoping for a victory in Monteal and already expected a loss to the Sens. But I knew that the 2 Florida games would be the most important. We can't leave 2 on the table against the Panthers, and Tampa can do a lot for our confidence for the final stretch.

So let's see how well Nolan can do his thing. The true state of Ricky's head will certainly be a factor. But Teddy has done it before. If you get these guys to really believe they can win - and then maybe add a little Gervais to the mix - we might just come up with a full house.

Items regarding Nilsson and the Smyth trade:

A) Ted Nolan clearly values certain things in his player; chief among these are work ethic and the intangible "grit".

B) When the press reports surrounding the trade bothered to mention O'Marra or Nilsson, they generally reflected on their deficiencies--O'Marra is a "hothead" and there are questions about whether Nilsson "wants it enough".

C) Ryan Smyth may not be the biggest skill player in the game, but he'll put his teeth in front of the puck if it's needed.

D) We might not know what it is, but there needs to be a reason Nolan would pass over Nilsson time and time again, bringing up Tambellini, Nielsen, etc. instead.

Connect the dots: Nolan wants work ethic that Nilsson doesn't demonstrate, Nolan doesn't give Nilsson a free pass just because he played during last year's comedy of a season, and Nilsson pouts so much that he loses value and opens himself up for a trade.

I hope he enjoys himself up in Edmonton. I'm happy to watch Ryan Smyth for two months, and July 1 be damned. Mistake? Being cautious would have been a bigger mistake. For a few days, people cared about the Isles. It might not last, we might wake up to dismal prospects for next season... but at least we're doing _something_. If you're looking for perfection, you'll be like the Islanders power play until Bergeron and Smyth joined up--pass around the edges and never take any chances.

I agree totally Cincy. As I said earlier. If someone told us at the beginnig of the year that we would be in 7th with 12 games to go we would all be happy. Smyth weither he stays or goes after this season will be valuable to us these last 12 games. I do think Ted has to stop being loyal to some of these players like Hilbert and Meyers but let's enjoy the ride. This is not all bad. Maybe thats what the team needed last night. An old fashion BUTT KICKIN!!! We will see a different team tomorrow night. To all you dis heartin Isles fans all we have to do is get into the dance and anything can happen. Who here predicted a Carolina / Edmonton final last year. We all have to beleive.

Upstate-

I watched the Oilers on Center Ice last year and their 8th seed in the West was like a 4-5 in the East. Also, when they added Rolosson in goal , they were a vastly improved and more dangerous team.

As for the Isles aggressive play, I think plain and simply this is a tired older team. Perhaps you can't pick this up as much on TV, but as a season ticket holder watching all the games and seeing full ice live, the thing that stood out about the Isles much of the season was how hard they worked all over the ice--without a tremendous amount of skill. However, those of at the games often remarked about whether this team and its older players could sustain the consistent level of intensity and energy once they reached 60 games--because there were very few--if any games that they mailed in. The injuries to Martinek and Gervais only exacerbated the problem on the blue-line--even with the pickup of Bergeron.

So for me, the issue is not whether the Isles should be doing this or that, it's a question of whether they are physically capable now or have a reserve tank for later to do what they accomplished earlier in the season. The margin for error in any sport is small--and a half-step in hockey is a world of difference. I'm rooting hard for the Islanders to get the job done (I paid my money to see a team predicted to finish 30th), but I have my reasonable doubts.

Merrick - Hey, if you really predicted the Oilers to get to the finals over Detroit and Dallas, and really thought that Carolina would get there over Ottawa, the Devils, etc., then I commend you. I didn't think those would be the two teams playing for the Cup. But I think that both Carolina and Edmonton got where they did on heart and a total team effort more than on any individual talent, and I don't see why the Islanders can't make a similar run this year, if they make it to the playoffs - or why any team that gets in can't do it, for that matter.

With respect, your TV/live comment was followed up by pretty much the exact observation I made - working hard in all zones with little individual talent.

Fatigue, especially with some of the older veterans who have been heavily relied on (Sillinger, Witt, Hill, especially) is a good point. Personally, though, I thought the Isles have played stronger as the year has progressed, rather than weaker, right up until the first of the home and home games against the Rangers, which was only, what - a week and a half ago, give or take? Since then there seems to be a lot more complaining about the league (Brashear incident, Simon, no goal) and dwelling on stuff like that has been more of a detriment to chemistry and on-ice play. My point, I guess, is that a team playing with a clear head is much more effective than one carrying mental baggage, and the Isles sloppy play seems to me to be more mental than physical. I also think they can get it together and make a strong push at the end here. They do have some old guys, but they're not washed up, I don't think, and there are quite a few key younger guys with some jump left in them.

You may be right, though. Perhaps they spent all they have to get where they are now. I guess we'll see over the next 12 games!

Well, with a marathon post like my last one, it's hard to believe I have more to say, but wrt mailing in the games later in the year, I think that had a lot to do with playing teams that were all around them in a tight playoff race. The games were more intense, and so closer and tighter. But the Isles were able to hang in and get points whether it was a close 2-1 game, or whether it was red light old fashioned shootout like the Pittsburgh game, and that speaks volumes about the team, I think. It showed their strength, in my opinion, rather than being a sign of a coming weakness.

Wow, some of you need to take some abt-anxiety pills. Yes, the Isles have looked lousy since the trade deadline passed. But I don't see why they can't turn it around with some more effort and backchecking.
As for DP, that's a legitimate concern. With DP, the Isles are a pretty good team, and certainly good enough to make the playoffs. Without him, they will not make the playoffs.

Glad I stuck around last night to see Fata's goal.

Ottawa was impressive last night; they are a good hockey team and Ray Emery is one heck of a goalie. Took a 5-on-3 to score on him. The Isles, to their credit, didn't quit last night--they easily could have.

It's a 12-game season right now.

Where have you gone, Rick DiPietro? An Island turns its goalie eyes to you.

This serves him right, maybe now he'll lean his lesson and play his position.

The Ryan Smith trade is looking great now.

Also great job bringing in a NY Rangers reject to play back up.

LETS GO RANGERS!!!

Very Observant Crowd. Edmonton was a very good team last year and they were an 8th seed. The new NHL shows that you have to have a 10 games over .500 winning percentage to get into the playoffs. That will probably mean 92, more likely 94 points this year to get into the Eastern Confernce Finals. Geez, the Knicks are like 5 games under .500 and are currently in the last playoff spot. Makes me wanna puke! What other sport do you know where the last 20 games of the regular season feel like the playoffs! Baseball? Maybe. But not to this extreme. That being said, everyone has the right idea that if you can get in the playoffs, have a hot goalie, decent special team play (PP & PK)you can win a cup.

SickRangersFan: Your name is redundant.

Hi Guys, Kevin from Western Canada again. Because Ottawa was playing I actually got to see the game last night. So here's my take.

Ottawa is a big, skilled team that can be unbeatable on some nights. The way they played last night, you could replace the Ilses with any team in the league and the results would be the same.

However, the Ilses didn't recognize it and make adjustments until the third period. Against a team that is on fire you have to be patient for your chances and play 5-man defense.

On the first goal you could see trouble at the blue line. Satan let his man go by, then he turns up ice and left his defense to the wolves. But after that goal I saw Satan stay with his man all the way back behind your goalie. So he corrected. Can't say that much for the rest of the team.

Smyth was very strong defensively and was often backed-in between his man and the goalie. Ottawa just moved the puck the other side of the zone, where Smyth wasn't playing.

Blake wasn't a quitter, I really appreciated his effort. And both goalies played as good an you can expect. They made most first and second shot saves.

Because of the lack of team defense, the Defensemen got worn down early. They started coughing up the puck and not getting out of your zone. From there things just start spirling downward.

I didn't see Nolan's After-Game comments, but I hope he talked about that. You can't pressure the other team if the puck is always in your zone.

As for Ryan Smyth, he admired players like Steve Yzerman who played their whole career for the same team. That dream is over. But he is as loyal as they come. I see him signing with the Isles for a two year contract. If the Isles don't make it this year, he will consider it unfinished business.

Kevin T.
Victoria, BC
Canada

Quote from Kevin T. -
As for Ryan Smyth, he admired players like Steve Yzerman who played their whole career for the same team. That dream is over. But he is as loyal as they come. I see him signing with the Isles for a two year contract. If the Isles don't make it this year, he will consider it unfinished business.

-----------

Wow.....I never looked at it that way

The addition of zednik and yash to the lineup takes away a lot of grit along the walls. Tamballini was real fast and loved to fight for pucks... which resulted in satan and kozlov looking good when they were matched up with him. Also, I feel like there is some good chemestry between sillinger and smyth when they're out there together... the 2 of them with hunter... oh yeah... that's what I'm talking about!!!!!!
Finally... wtf is wrong with dunham. This guy was clutch... so I thought. If dp can't make it I want to see that midget dublwietz make a start... why not... can't be much worse than that bum dunham... a veteran backup is supposed to be mentally sound.... plz come back dp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ENOUGH WITH THE TIRED CRAP !

To say the Isles are tired and old is ABSOLUTELY ridiculous..... Carolina and Many many teams before them grinded all the way to a cup with guys older then our team.....It is not even the playoffs.......You all sound like whinny babies....

They are simply OUT SKILLED and played over their heads...They have lines with PARK ~ HILBERT ~ ROBITAILLE ~ CAMPOLI on D ~ who have NO RIGHT being on the same team together....Most teams have 1 and at most 2 guys like that....We have 4 or 5 !!

The team will finish where everyone said they would around 9th or 10th.

The fact we traded THREE # 1's for a guy leaving in a month will haunt us like all the rest of the poor decisions!

I love Smyth, but if you cannot keep him those prospects should have been moved for a SIGNED PLAYER !!

Wang is a moron and although his intentions are good is CLUELESS how to run a hockey team...HE will always be loyal to Milbury and that is all you need to know! Why do you think Lafontaine and the rest ALL LEFT ???? Garth is a great guy but plain and simply a puppet!

I have to say, DP getting hurt is great for the Rangers. God knows we can use all the help we can get. If DP takes a page from Brodeur and keeps to his crease, he'll come back better then ever.

I really can't see the Isles doing anything but fading away into nothing at this point.

NO DP = No Playoffs

Dunham sucks BIG TIME hopfully for Isles fans, the midget can get things doing (not Likely).

PS - F. Poti, He plays Hockey like Lerch from the Adams Family srcews...Freakin srub

what were people expecting to happen last night...beat ottawa? c'mon, the isles can NEVER beat ottawa. how are we going to ever win a stanley cup when there's a team in our own conference that we don't have a chance against. someone please answer that one. you could probably throw in the devil's as well, but this ottawa thing is simply absurd. is there another combination of teams in hockey that is as one sided as isles/senators?? please let me know if there is one. we ought to be ashamed of ourselves. they say that any team can win on any given night, but that doesn't apply here. the isles don't have a chance to beat the senators EVER!!!

Hey steady when the Isles get in the playoffs I don't wanna here you say "Oh it was agood trade to get Smyth". Then talk about how we have a good shot in the playoffs. Wang went out at let us get a First line winger for Nillson, O'Marra a third line player at best, and a first round pick in a weak draft. Fans like you that when the going is good your right there. But loose 2 in a row and the sky is falling. We will make the playoffs. We will also scare a few teams. Keep the faith!!!

Come on with Smyth. Do I have to say it again, the guy CRIED when he left Edmonton. You think he wants to sign here? Kevin T, you speak of loyalty. That's my point. Smyth has no loyalty to the Islanders. He does have loyalty to Edmonton and Canada. His unfinished business lies in Canada.

And Steady, I agree with the tired excuse, enough. Everyone's tired at the end of the season. The Rangers have worn out their top players all year and now they're decimated by injuries so the top guys are playing more. They keep fighting, we could see that against us last week.

It's put up or shut up (Witt) time. Forecheck, backchek, finish your check!

Bossyfan - Keep dreaming pal. The only playoffs our teams will be invloved with will take place on the black course in Bethpage.

I'm sure it will be a great playoff. Our teams sure do have experience.

Bossy ~

First of all you need to change your name...No one deserves that name except the great man and player it belongs to.

I will in NO WAY back track my thoughts and views if we make the playoffs...I am as big of a fan as they come!

I am just a realist...This core group of players CANNOT get it done...

I will say it for the last time...The THREE NUMBER ONES should have been traded for a player under contract...No other team did what the Isles did...AGAIN why do we need to reinvent the wheel ???

WANG IS CLUELESS

***As for the Ohh la la Sasoon Rags fan....Go back to bed....You have had THE HIGHEST PAYROL in hockey for ten years without getting playoff win.......You are the equivilant to the ORioles in baseball....Spend Spend Spend and not ever make the playoffs ???? Your orgainzation is a joke...You all LIVE for MEssier....It is comical...YES he and areound 13 other highered guns from other teams one you ONE CUP ... Then he could not even get you in the playoffs surrounded by all the top money players....GO BACK TO BED !

THREE NUMBER ONES should have been traded for a player under contract...No other team did what the Isles did...AGAIN why do we need to reinvent the wheel ???

This years draft is not good, so trading the pick was not a bad thing.
Nilsson is not a Nolan player. He was never gonna play on the Isles.
O'Marra was a 3rd liner at best.
Now, as to the point it should have been for a signed player, perhaps no one thought the 3 were worth one.
When so many experts are saying it was a smart move, methinks they may be right.
Smyth is a very good player. Money can make players do odd things. Like re-sign with the Islanders.
If they buy out Yash, that opens up more space (he would only count for $2 m against the cap instead of $7). Letting Blake go frees up more. And get rid of Bates and Kozlov (not sure if he only signed a 1 yr deal or not).
Then, they can re-sign Smyth, and sign a center and some defense.

Y'all may be tired of hearing the word "tired" as an excuse, but that does not make it an illegitmate issue of concern.

We all knew this team had less skill than other teams, but we were told they would work hard every night. For the most part, they have done so, and that hard work, grit, and discipline (and good goatending) has made up for the lack of skill.

It's also a fact that other teams having more talent can win a fair share of games on talent alone, giving them more wiggle room to pace themselves during a season. Unfortunately we do not have that luxury.

As for all other teams being tired, can you accept the proposition that some are more tired than others? Can you accept the proposition that teams that can skate and work harder win many more of the little battles that create chances that win hockey games? If hard work and effort were the keys to the Isles success before, might it be possible that fatigue is a most reliable indicator of the Isles recent lack of jam (as Lavi would say).

Everyone here says we need to forecheck more, we need to play more aggressively, we need to skate more and we need to play smarter. Do you think Nolan and the players don't know this? Maybe they want to do these things, but don't have the same ability to do so. Furthermore, fatigue contributes the mental mistakes we've seen.

I'll again allude to March 2003 in Laviolette's second season. The team worked extremely hard to overcome bad breaks earlier in the season, but by March, they looked dead, limped into the playoffs, and were ousted easily.

Perhaps they don't feel desperate just yet, buf if ever there was period to play desperately and put it all out there, it was in the 3rd at Montreal on Tuesday. Unfortunately, that didn't happen and we are not seeing an aberration, but what is now a several game trend.

Ed, why cant we do all that and sign Blake? He will only be getting a 1.5 mil. raise or so. If we buy out Yashin, we can keep Blake and sign Smyth. The problem is, I do not think Smyth will sign with us. What did he say in today's paper:

"Ryan Smyth had an emotional response when questioned yesterday about the Oilers losing seven straight games since he left to extend their losing streak to eight. "Obviously, you feel for the guys," Smyth said with a catch in his voice. "You go through the trenches with these guys. To see what they're going through, it's tough. I hope all the best for them. We've got a tough dash here ourselves, but my thoughts are with those guys."

Can anyone guess where he will be signing next year when he is so emotional about his old team losing 7 straight, but "his thoughts" are not with us when we have lost 5 of 7 since he has been here?