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The Skinny: Rangers 5, Isles 2

"The Skinny" By Eric Hornick Game 68 Rangers 5, Isles 2 Johnny Brodzinski broke a 2-2 tie with 4:59 left in the middle period and ...

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Stat Trick: April

Who had the best April? Isles? Rangers? Devils?... it won't be hard to figure out.  On to the trick:

1. Isles secured first overall spot by winning the draft lottery, moved up to 26th in first round with Shark loss and  moved from 4th round into 3rd round with Pens win.  The Isles now has 7 picks in the first three rounds (plus the first pick in the 4th round).

2.  Leading 3-games to 2, the Devils fail to close out the Canes in Carolina.  After rallying from an early deficit, the Devils lead Game 7 3-2 with less than 1:30 of third.  They blow game...and series... in regulation, no less.

3. The Rangers started their series with the Caps the same way they started the season...jumping out to an early advantage by winning 3 of the first 4 games.  Their pest gets suspended for game 5 and their coach gets banished for game 6, both Capitals win.  The Rangers scored first in Game 7 but couldn't score again...Sergei Federov dooms the Rangers to a non-championship year for the 68th time in 69 years. 
 
...and a few more...from someone who doesn't know much.
 
4. I like the Caps over the Penguins in the Ovechkin/Crosby matchup, with a date with the Bruins to follow.
 
5. How about an old-fashioned Detroit-Chicago series in the West finals?  Could happen, but I think you're more likely to get Vancouver-Detroit.
 
6. I'll take the Caps out of the East and the Wings out of the West.
 
7. Invite the President to the finals...but not the parade.  The Wings reign supreme, again.
 
8. Of course, I could completely change my mind after the next round (which was a good idea after this round since I picked the Sharks to win the Cup!)
 
 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Sharks eliminated! Isles' pick in Campoli deal is cemented at #26

The New York Islanders now know where the pick that they acquired in the Chris Campoli trade with Ottawa.  With the Sharks losing to Anaheim 4-1 tonight, the Isles, who acquired the Sharks' pick from Ottawa in that deal will now have the 26th overall pick.

With Pittsburgh's win yesterday, the Isles will have seven picks in the first three rounds (barring a trade of course).

Whether the Isles use that 26th pick remains to be seen.  If the Isles call someone's name though, they can only hope it works out as well as the only other time they selected 26th overall.  That pick was used in 1991 -- the Islanders selected Zigmund Palffy.

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Streit shines

<<World championship: Swiss, Russians, Canadians advance

BERN, Switzerland (AP) — Mark Streit scored a power-play goal in overtime Sunday to lift Switzerland to a 3-2 win over Germany at the world championship.
Switzerland, which beat France 1-0 on Friday, advanced to the next group phase of the 16-nation tournament along withGroup B rival Russia which beat France 7-2. Canada beat Hungary 9-0 with a hat trick from Martin St. Louis to ensure it advanced from Group A.
Russia sent home Anton Volchenkov, the Ottawa Senators defenseman, with a leg injury and still hopes to add Alex Ovechkin next week. The superstar forward's Washington Capitals beat the NewYork Rangers 5-3 on Sunday to force a seventh game in their Stanley Cup
first round playoff.
"We are waiting for the result in the series
between Washington and the Rangers to take a final decision about the
roster," Russia coach Slava Bykov said through a translator.
Also in Group A play Sunday, Oleg Antonenko
scored twice in a penalty shootout to give Belarus the win after tying
Slovakia 1-1 in Zurich. Slovakia qualifies on the strength of its 4-3
win against Hungary two days ago.
In Bern, Streit's goal came 1:18 into the additional period. He also got an assist on the goal that beat the French.
"Mark came through for the team as he has in
both games," Krueger said. "His offensive play along with his defensive
play is very courageous."
Switzerland and Germany slugged it out in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,423 at the PostFinance Arena.
"It was a great game of hockey with unbelievable aggression on both teams," Krueger said.
Germany's Christoph Ullman got a power-play goal early in the first period, but Roman Wick tied the score within two minutes.
Mathias Seger gave the Swiss a 2-1 lead in the second, then Senators defenseman Christoph Schubert equalized with a short-handed goal.
"Both teams played emotionally. It was a good game all the way round," Germany coach Uwe Krupp said. His team will join the 12-team second phase if it beats France on Tuesday.
Swiss goaltender Martin Gerber, of the Toronto Maple Leafs, had 20 saves for the win.

>>


Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Eric Ny gets winner in Flames win

Calgary has evened their series with Chicago at 2-games each with a 6-4 win tonight in Alberta.
 
Eric Nystrom lived up to his legacy with his first two playoff goals, including the winner.  (According to TSN, Pops had 7 GW goals in the playoffs, which would include 4 in OT). Nystrom also added two assists.
 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Tavares Eliminated

Windsor beat London 4-3 in overtime tonight, winning the series 4 games to 1, and ending John Tavares' season (and likely his junior career).  Tavares had a goal and an assist, giving him 10-11-21 in 14 playoff games this spring.  With the win, Windsor captures the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as the OHL's Western Division Champion.

Eric Wellwood (Kyle's younger brother) had the clinching goal (his 9th of the post-season) in a series in which every game went to overtime.  Wellwood is eligible for the 2009 draft
 
Windsor, who had the best record in the OHL in the regular season, will face either Belleville or Brampton (Duchesne's team) in the OHL Finals.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

What about Matt Duchesne?

Glad you asked.
 
Duchesne's Brampton Battalion trail their series with the Belleville Bulls 2 games to 1 with game 4 tonight.
 
Duchesne has 2 goals and 2 assists in the first three games of the series and is 9-9-18 in 13 playoff games.
 

 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Tavares -- one game left?

John Tavares' Junior career may have only one game left.
 
Windsor beat London 5-4 in overtime last night -- all 4 games in the series have gone to OT -- and lead the series 3-1 with game 5  Wednesday in Windsor as the top-seeded Spitfires look to end the Knights' season.
 
Tavares did not figure in the scoring last night, but he was on the ice for the tying goal with 4:05 to play as London erased a 3-goal third period deficit to force the extra session.
 
Tavares has 9 goals and 10 assists in 13 games this post-season, but only three goals and two assists on the SEVENTEEN goals that London has scored in this series.

 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Monday, April 20, 2009

Tavares stock dropping? Logan (Woodlief)

John Tavares' draft stock dropping?

Potential Islanders No. 1 overall draft pick is ranked third by independent scouting service

John Tavares

The independent scouting service Redline Report has ranked John Tavares as the third-best overall player in this year's draft. (Getty Images Photo)


As if the debate between sniper John Tavares and Swedish defenseman Victor Hedman at the top of the NHL draft wasn't hot enough already, the latest prospect rankings from highly respected independent scouting service "Redline Report" should pour some gasoline on the fire.

The stunning standings read: 1. Hedman. 2. Matt Duchene. 3. Tavares.

Kyle Woodlief, the former Nashville scout who has owned Redline Report the past 10 years and served as its publisher and chief scout, pulls no punches in explaining the fall of Tavares, the player generally regarded as the "consensus No. 1 prospect" by most teams, scouting organizations and the media.

"I've always felt Hedman should be the No. 1 pick," Woodlief said. "The reason we flip-flopped Duchene and Tavares is due to the fact Tavares' effort level has been underwhelming through the first two rounds of the [Ontario Hockey League] playoffs. Tavares may score 40 or 50 goals a season, but he's one-dimensional. If he's not scoring, he's not helping.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Tavares, Knights fall short

John Tavares had a goal and 2 assists, but London blew a 4-2 lead with 7 minutes to play and lost game 3 of their OHL playoff series in OT.  Windsor leads the series 2 games to 1; all three have gone to extra time.  Game 4 Monday.

Series G (West)
WINDSOR vs. LONDON
Windsor leads series 2 - 1
Game 1 - Wed Apr 15 7:05 PM WINDSOR 4, London 3 OT
Game 2 - Fri Apr 17 7:30 PM LONDON 6, Windsor 5 OT
Game 3 - Sun Apr 19 4:00 PM WINDSOR 5, London 4 OT
Game 4 - Mon Apr 20 7:05 PM Windsor at London
Game 5 - Wed Apr 22 7:05 PM London at Windsor
Game 6 - Fri Apr 24 7:30 PM * Windsor at London
Game 7 - Sat Apr 25 7:05 PM * London at Windsor
 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Denmark unhappy. Nielsen to skip Worlds.

copenhagen post.
 
<

Islanders' veto weakens Danish World Cup chances

Print

Concerns about injury have led Frans Nielsen's NHL club to refuse him permission to play in this month's hockey world cup

 

The Danish national hockey team will most likely be without NHL forward Frans Nielsen when it takes the ice in this month's World Championships after Nielsen's team, the New York Islanders, refused to release him to play.

 

Nielsen has been a fixture for the Islanders since January and has scored more points in the NHL than any other Dane, with 33 points on nine goals and 24 assists.

 

The decision comes even though the Islanders finished last in the NHL's Eastern Conference and are not participating in the playoffs.

'I don't understand the decision at all,' Kim Pedersen, the national team's general manager told Berlingske Tidende newspaper. 'But their answer is 'no' and it's the Islanders that pay his salary.'

 

According to Pedersen, Islanders General Manager Garth Snow cited Nielsen's knee and ankle injuries as the reason.

Pedersen said he still hoped to convince the Islanders to allow Nielsen to play, but added he wasn't holding out much hope for success.

 

Denmark has three other NHL players on its national squad: Mikkel Bødker, Jannik Hansen and Peter Regin. But the team will be facing others whose entire first squads consist of NHL players, including the Czech Republic, which is Denmark's opening tournament opponent on 25 April.

 

At the close of 2008, Denmark was ranked 13th by the International Ice Hockey Federation

>>
 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

USA, USA. Okposo makes the team

Nineteen Players Named to 2009 U.S. Men's National Team

April 15, 2009


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey today named the first 19 players to its U.S. Men's National Team that will compete at the 2009 International Ice Hockey Federation Men's World Championship in Berne and Zurich-Kloten, Switzerland, April 24-May 10.

"This is a skilled group of players who will represent the United States well," said Jim Johannson, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. "It is a nice mix of veterans and newcomers to international competition that our National Team Advisory Group is looking forward to watching."

Team USA's roster features nine players who have previously played in the IIHF Men's World Championship. The group includes defensemen Keith Ballard (Baudette, Minn./Florida Panthers/University of Minnesota/2007-08, 2004), Jack Johnson (Indianapolis, Ind./Los Angeles Kings/University of Michigan/2007) and Ryan Suter (Madison, Wis./Nashville Predators/University of Wisconsin/2005-07); forwards Jason Blake (Moorhead, Minn./Toronto Maple Leafs/University of North Dakota/2000), Dustin Brown (Ithaca, N.Y./Los Angeles Kings/2008, 2006, 2004), Patrick O'Sullivan (Winston-Salem, N.C./Edmonton Oilers/2008, 2006), Drew Stafford (Milwaukee, Wis./Buffalo Sabres/University of North Dakota/2008, 2006) and Lee Stempniak (West Seneca, N.Y./Toronto Maple Leafs/Dartmouth College/2007-08); and goaltender Robert Esche (Utica, N.Y./SKA St. Petersburg/2008, 2000-01).

In addition, 12 of the 19 players are 25 years old or younger, including defensemen Zach Bogosian (Massena, N.Y./Atlanta Thrashers), Johnson, Matt Niskanen (Virginia, Minn./Dallas Stars/University of Minnesota Duluth) and Suter; forwards Brown, Nick Foligno (Buffalo, N.Y./Ottawa Senators), Peter Harrold (Kirtland Hills, Ohio/Los Angeles Kings/Boston College), Kyle Okposo (St. Paul, Minn./New York Islanders/University of Minnesota), O'Sullivan, Stafford and Colin Wilson (Greenwich, Conn./Boston University); and goaltender Al Montoya (Chicago, Ill./Phoenix Coyotes/University of Michigan).

Rounding out the first group of players named to the U.S. roster are defenseman Ron Hainsey (Bolton, Conn./Atlanta Thrashers/University of Massachusetts Lowell) and forwards Ryan Shannon (Darien, Conn./Ottawa Senators/Boston College) and Colin Stuart (Rochester, Minn./Atlanta Thrashers/Colorado College).

Team USA will face Switzerland on Tuesday (April 21) at 2:15 p.m. EDT in a pre-tournament game before beginning play in the 2009 IIHF Men's World Championship on Saturday, April 25, at 10:15 a.m. EDT against Latvia. The United States will play two additional preliminary-round games against Austria (April 27) and Sweden (April 29) before the qualification round begins.

NOTES: The average age of the first 19 players named to Team USA is 24.47 years old … All teams in the IIHF Men's World Championship may begin the tournament with 20 skaters and three defensemen, and can add two players after the first three games ... The 2009 U.S. Men's National Team is under the direction of Brian Burke, general manager; David Poile, associate general manager; and Jim Johannson, assistant executive director for hockey operations at USA Hockey. The U.S. Men's National Advisory Group, which includes Burke, Paul Holmgren (Philadelphia), Johannson, Dean Lombardi (L.A. Kings), Ray Shero (Pittsburgh) and Don Waddell (Atlanta), is charged with leading the selection of players for the U.S. Men's National Team. Tony Rossi, vice president of USA Hockey and its international council chair, oversees all aspects of international competition for USA Hockey … Ron Wilson, head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, will serve as the head coach of the 2009 U.S. Men's National Team and the 2010 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team.
 

 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Tavares

Before Tavares wraps up his Jr. career, he has at least one playoff series still to play.
 
Tavares' London Knights begins their OHL Western Conference championship series tonight in Windsor against the Spitfires, who were the top team in the OHL in the regular season.
 
Game 1 - Wed Apr 15 7:05 PM London at Windsor
Game 2 - Fri Apr 17 7:30 PM Windsor at London
Game 3 - Sun Apr 19 4:00 PM London at Windsor
Game 4 - Mon Apr 20 7:05 PM Windsor at London
Game 5 - Wed Apr 22 7:05 PM * London at Windsor
Game 6 - Fri Apr 24 7:30 PM * Windsor at London
Game 7 - Sat Apr 25 7:05 PM * London at Windsor
Should be a good test for Tavares -- against the league's top squad.
 
London has need just 9 games to win their first two rounds (4-1, 4-0) while Windor struggled a bit in their last series, before ousting Plymouth in 6 games.
 
The winner will face the Brampton/Belleville winner for hte OHL championship and the right to represent the league at the Memorial Cup next month in Rimouski, Quebec.
 
At some point, Tavares will do something he's never done in his life... visit New York!  Read on:
 
 
<<

Isles first up for Tavares

By RYAN PYETTE, LONDON FREE PRESS

John Tavares has yet to take a bite out of the Big Apple.

"I've never been to the Island," the London Knights sniper said. "I've never been to New York (Manhattan) before. It would be a new thing for me."

The New York Islanders hold the key to Tavares' hockey future after winning the NHL's draft lottery last night. The league's last-place franchise, which had a 48.2% chance of landing the top selection, has the right to pick first overall on June 26 in Montreal.

Tavares is the consensus No. 1 prospect. Sweden's Victor Hedman is second.

"Historic franchise, great tradition," Tavares told TSN from London's A-Channel TV studio last night. "To get the opportunity to play in the NHL and win a Stanley Cup would be amazing."

Tampa Bay, Colorado, Atlanta and Los Angeles were the only other teams with a shot at landing the No. 1 pick.

From the bouncing lottery balls to renewed wooing by his hometown team, Tavares had a head-spinning day. The Toronto Maple Leafs weren't in the running for the top selection but GM Brian Burke said he's going to do what he can to trade up for it and get Tavares.

"I think he's a hell of a hockey player," said Burke, whose Leafs have the No. 7 pick. "He's excelled at every level. He pays an awful price to score goals.

"We'll immediately attempt to move up. We're going to talk to everyone between us and the first pick and see what the landscape is. We're gong to see what it costs and we're going to try and move up."

Not much takes Tavares by surprise. Those comments did.

"I was shocked," he said. "It's nice to know the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs thinks that highly of me. But we'll have to wait to see how it plays out.

"I'm just looking forward to be picked by an NHL team. That's been my dream."

The Islanders don't know what they're going to do with the top selection yet. GM Garth Snow told the New York Post he hasn't ruled out trading down or decided who he'll pick.

But Tavares knows he can make cement his status this week. The 18-year-old travels with his Knights teammates today to Windsor to start the OHL's highly-anticipated Western Conference final against the league champion Spitfires.

The OHL's reigning scoring champ doesn't think this NHL draft business will take away from his performance in the most important playoff series of his career. He has 14 points in nine games so far in the post-season.

"I've dealt with distractions before and I think I've handled them pretty well over the years," he said. "It's just another thing you have to manage and make sure you're ready to play."

Before playing in gold-medal final of the world juniors January in Ottawa, word leaked out Tavares would be dealt from the Oshawa Generals to the Knights in a blockbuster deal. He shrugged it off and still led Canada to gold. He was named MVP of the tournament.

"This isn't the ideal time to have the draft lottery right before a series like this," Knights teammate Michael Del Zotto, a New York Rangers first rounder from last year said. "But it is what it is and John has always been able to overcome these kinds of things.

"Last year, I had a real interest in the lottery and the No. 1 pick because of being close to Steve Stamkos (the former Sarnia Sting forward who went first overall to Tampa Bay last summer).

All I told John and the others was don't worry about it and enjoy it because you're going to end up where you end up."

Burke isn't the first Leafs GM to try getting Tavares into a blue-and-white jersey. His predecessor John Ferguson, Jr., offered Tavares a spot with Toronto's American Hockey League affiliate Marlies, but the AHL refused to change its league by-laws to admit him.

Two years ago, Tavares' London-based agency Siskinds Sports Management asked the NHL to consider changing its rules to allow the youngster into the draft early. The league decided he had to wait.

Now, Tavares is represented by agent Pat Brisson of CAA Sports, whose client list includes former Knight Pat Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby. Both players went first overall in their respective NHL drafts.

If Tavares' name is called first in Montreal, he'll be the fifth Knight to be No. 1 -- a record for a junior team.
>>
 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Streit to rep Switzerland at Worlds

It's Official: Streit to World Championships

from Corey Witt's blog on nyi.com:
 
<<Switzerland just got their NHL All-Star defenseman for the World Championships.

Mark Streit has just confirmed that he is headed to Switzerland for the 2009 World Championships, which are taking place in his home country.

It was reported last week that there was some doubt whether or not Mark would play for the Swiss team because of the groin strain he missed a few games with. But all has been checked out and Mark was given to the green light to play.

About one to three other Islanders could also be selected to play in the World Championships. Countries should be announcing their full rosters some time this week.

As confirmed last week, Islanders head coach Scott Gordon will be an assistant coach for the USA.
 >>
 
I'd expect Okposo to rep the USA and Bergenheim to likely be named to the Finnish squad.  Not sure who the third might be...
 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Happy 69th/76th anniversary!

Today is April 13th. Arguably the most successful day in Rangers
history. In fact, they've won two Stanley Cups on this day.

In 1933, the Rangers defeated the Maple Leafs to clinch the Cup
in 4 games [3-1 ]on a goal by Bill Cook 7:34 into OT.

And of course, on this date in 1940...Bryan Hextall scored at
2:07 of OT as the Rangers again beat the Leafs, this time in the
5th and deciding game.

Some people will say it's one Cup in 69 years. For me, it will
be Forever 1940.

The Isles btw have had some success on this day as well
[although the Rangers did eliminate them on April 13, 1990].

On this date in 1982, the comeback that made the dynasty the
dynasty.  Trailing 3-1 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the
third
period
, the Isles get two goals in the final minutes and then a
John Tonelli goal at 6:19 of OT to defeat the Penguins 4-3,
eliminating the upset-minded Penguins three games to two.



 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Stat Trick: Bruins 6, Isles 2

School is out.  On to the trick:

1.  Phil Kessel's second career hat trick was all the Bruins needed as the best team in the East beat the worst team in the NHL on the season's final day.

2. Michael Ryder scored 23 seconds in to launch the rout; Marc Savard and Chuck Kobasew had the other goals for Boston.

3.  Radek Martinek and Doug Weight had the Islander goals.

...a few more...

4. Mark Streit assisted on the Martinek goal.  It was his 40th assist -- the first Isle since Yashin to 2001-02 to reach that total.  He's the first Isles defensemen to reach 40 assists since Berard in Bryan's rookie season (1995-96). Streit finishes the season 16-40-56; he's the first defensemen to lead the Isles in scoring since Denis Potvin did so in each of  his first four seasons.

5. Tim Thomas made 32 saves for the Bruins; Yann Danis allowed 4 goals on 15 shots; Joey MacDonald stopped 16 of 18.

6. The Isles finish the season with a 4-game losing streak (longest ever to end a season).  They were outscored 24-5 in the 4 games. It's the first time since February, 1973 that the Isles were outscored by more than 18 goals in a 4-game stretch.

7. The Isles finish the home season 16-17-8.  It's their first season below NHL .500 at home since 2000-01.  Their 61 points overall are also the fewest since 2000-01.

8. A tale of three seasons:  The Isles were 9-10-2 when they led Pittsburgh heading to the third period on Turkey Eve.  They lost that lead, and the game, and went 9-26-5 in their next 40, before finishing 8-11-2 (8-7-2 before the Final 4)

9. The Bruins sweep the season series, 4 games to 0 and 8 points to 0.  They've beaten the Islanders six straight over two seasons.
The Bruins were one of three Eastern Conference teams to win every game against the Isles this season, but the only one to win each game in regulation.  The Isles were 0-2-2 vs. Washington and 0-4-2 vs. Philadelphia.

10. Up next:  the draft lottery - Tuesday 8pm on VERSUS.  It's basically a coin flip whether the Isles will pick 1st or 2nd.  They have a 48.2%  chance of retaining the first pick.  In their history, the Isles have picked 1st three times (Harris, Potvin, DiPietro) and 2nd twice (Chyzowski, Redden).

Have a great summer!

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Sharks win President's Trophy

With the Bruins' loss this afternoon, the San Jose Sharks have won the President's Trophy.  This means that the pick that the Isles received from Ottawa in the Campoli deal will be no better than 26th (if the Sharks lose in the first two rounds of the playoffs).  If the Sharks lose in the conference finals, the Isles will receive the 28th pick.  The Stanley Cup runner-up and winner pick 29th and 30th respectively.
 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Stat Trick: Flyers 3, Isles 2

Two seasons ago, the Isles had their way with the Flyers, winning 6 of 8, including the final 5.  This season was payback time.  On to the trick:
 
1.  The Flyers completed a sweep of the season series with thier 3-2 win.  The Isles managed two loser points in the series.
 
2. Sean Bergenheim scored to give the Isles a 1-0 lead after 1.  It was Bergenheim's 15th goal of the season, equalling his career total in 124 games prior to this season.
 
3. Joffrey Lupul and Mike Knuble scored power play goals 5:47 apart in the second period to give the Flyers the lead.  Lupul's goal was his 25th; the Flyers are the only NHL team with six players with at least twenty-five goals.
 
...a few more...
 
4. Tim Jackman tied the game later in the 2nd period, but the deadlock lasted only 52 seconds, before Simon Gagne scored the game's final, and game-winning goal.
 
5. The Isles have been burned on the power play countless times in recent games; they've allowed 13 goals their last 30 times short.
 
6.  It's the 10th straight Flyer win over the Islanders, and the 12th straight for Marty Biron. Biron finished with 30 saves, six more than Yann Danis.
 
7. Mark Streit played in his team-leading 74th game.  He and Richard Park are the only Isles to have appeared in at least 70 games. Tim Jackman, who didn't start the season with the team,  has the longest current consecutive game streak; he's played all 68 games since his recall -- one more than Josh Bailey.
 
8. The game was announced as a sellout. It was the 7th sellout of the season.  The Isles are 2-4-1 in home sellouts -- all but the Opening Night sellout came against Atlantic Division foes.
 
9. Kyle Okposo played 22:01 in his return to the line-up.  He leads the team with 18 goals (two more than Streit and three more than Bergenheim).  He will score fewer goals than any Isle goal scoring leader in club history (Palffy 22 in 1998-99) and could become only the third rookie to lead the Isles in goal-scoring outright (Billy Harris and Mike Bossy are the others; Trent Hunter tied for the club lead in his rookie year).
 
10. Up next: the Isles complete their 36th National Hockey League season when they entertain the Conference Champion Boston Bruins.  The Bruins mailed-in game #81 this afternoon, losing to Buffalo 6-1, and costing them any chance at the President's Trophy.  The Islanders will be looking to avoid the first-ever season-ending 4-game losing streak in club history.  Face-off for the first ever originally scheduled Easter Sunday regular season game at the Coliseum is at 5:00.  The Isles hosted regular season games on Easter Sunday in 1978 and 1995, but they were the result of a blizzard and the lock-out, respectively.
 
 

 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

It's April 11th

....anniversary of two of the most famous, and important victories, in Islander history.
 
1975 - At Madison Square Garden, JP Parise scores 11 seconds into overtime, ending what was at the time the shortest overtime game ever played as the Isles eliminate the Rangers 4-3, changing New York hockey history for the next decade or so.
 
1980 - I've written about this game in the past, because I argue that it is one of, if not the simgle-most importamt game the Isles have ever played.
 
In Inglewood California, Ken Morrow, 6 weeks into his NHL career, scores in overtime to give the Isles a 4-3 victory in game 3 of the best of 5 first round series.  If the Isles lose that game, and fall behind in the series, who knows if they recover and go on to win one Stanley Cup, let alone 4.
 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Mini Stat Trick: Pittsburgh 6, Isles 1

Not much time tonight... but when you set history and assure yourselves of a top-2 pick.... on to the trick!
 
1.  The Isles guaranteed themselves a top-2 pick and to finish last overall, with a 6-1 loss in Pittsburgh.
 
2.  The Isles have been outscored 15-1 in the last two games.  The -14 differential is the worst in consecutive games in Islander history.  The Isles were outscored by 13 goals in consecutive games in October 1990 (8-1 vs NJ, 8-2 in Montreal)
 
3.  The Isles finish the road campaign with only 21 points (9-29-3).  It's the third-worst road season in Isles history, behind only the 1972-73 and 1995-96 seasons.  After opening 5-4-1 in their first 10 road games, the Isles went 4-25-2 on the road after Thanksgiving.
 
 
4.  The Isles finish the season 1-4-1 vs. Pittsburgh and have lost five straight in Pittsburgh and 8 of the last 9 in the Steel City.
 
5.  Up next: the Isles return home for the final weekend when they entertain Philadelphia on Saturday at 2pm.  The Isles have lost 9 straight (0-6-3) vs. Philadelphia, including all 5 (0-3-2) this season.

 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Re: Easter Isles

Quick clarification:

The Isles have played twice before at home on Easter Sunday -- neither was planned.  The Isles lost at home to the Rangers on April 16 1995 in the Isles' first appearance on "The NHL on Fox".  (The Isles only played six games on Fox in the five years that the network had the contract. Five of those games were against the Rangers.)  That was the lockout season.
 
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.



From: Eric Hornick <forever1940@yahoo.com>
To: islanderfans@yahoogroups.com; IslesList <isles-list@replayer.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 8, 2009 12:43:56 AM
Subject: Easter Isles

For a team that has two extra-ordinary games on Easter, (winning early Easter morning after Washington in 1987 and being poke-checked by Dubie into the playoffs at NJ in 2007), the Isles' home record on Easter Sunday is nothing special.

In fact, Sunday will mark the first ever scheduled Easter Sunday game at the Coliseum.  Face-off for the season finale is at 5:00.  In 1978, the Isles beat Minnesota 6-3 on Easter Sunday, but that was a make-up for a February snowout.  (That game btw was the only Sunday regular season home game the Isles played between 1973 and 1990.)

The Isles lost last season in Philly on Easter Sunday.  Prior to the Dubie miracle, the Isles hadn't played on Easter Sunday since 1995.

The Isles have played nine regular season road games on Easter Sunday, going 3-5-1.  In their only playoff games that were played entirely on Easter Sunday, the Isles lost game 4 in Edmonton in 1981 and game 4 in Pittsburgh in 1982.



Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Isles cliinch top-2 seed

Colorado 0, San Jose 0 (end regulation)


With the Avs assured of a point (unless they pull their goalie and get scored on in OT), the Avs will have at least 67 points. Since they already have 32 wins, they will finish ahead of the Isles. This means that the Isles are assured of a top-2 seed in the draft next week and could clinch the #1 seed on Thursday with: a regulation loss in Pittsburgh OR a Tampa win over Washington OR each team earning 1 point

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Easter Isles

For a team that has two extra-ordinary games on Easter, (winning early Easter morning after Washington in 1987 and being poke-checked by Dubie into the playoffs at NJ in 2007), the Isles' home record on Easter Sunday is nothing special.

In fact, Sunday will mark the first ever scheduled Easter Sunday game at the Coliseum. Face-off for the season finale is at 5:00. In 1978, the Isles beat Minnesota 6-3 on Easter Sunday, but that was a make-up for a February snowout. (That game btw was the only Sunday regular season home game the Isles played between 1973 and 1990.)

The Isles lost last season in Philly on Easter Sunday. Prior to the Dubie miracle, the Isles hadn't played on Easter Sunday since 1995.

The Isles have played nine regular season road games on Easter Sunday, going 3-5-1. In their only playoff games that were played entirely on Easter Sunday, the Isles lost game 4 in Edmonton in 1981 and game 4 in Pittsburgh in 1982.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Penguins clinch playoff spot

The Pens win in Tampa on Tuesday (and the Panther loss in Philly) clinched a playoff spot for the Penguins. This means that the Isles are now assured of a 4th round pick for Bill Guerin (instead of Tampa's 5th round pick, which they would have received had Pittsburgh missed the playoffs.). It will become a third round pick if the Penguins win their first round playoff series and Guerin plays in at least half of the 1st round games.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Avs 0, Sharks 0 (end 2)

The Isles are 20 minutes away from clinching a top-2 seed in next week's Draft Drawing.

Colorado and San Jose are scoreless after 40 minutes. One Colorado point tonight will mean the Avs will finish with a better record than the Isles.
The first period of that game must have been spectacular hockey -- there were 5 shots on goal -- by both teams combined!


Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Stat Trick: Carolina 9, Isles 0

Historical. On to the trick.

1. The one record that people think was set in this game wasn't. The Isles allowed 57 shots, one more than the Rangers had against Rick DiPietro in a shootout game at the Garden a couple years back. However, the club record was, and still is 60. It was set on November 22, 1972 by the Flyers. The media guide and game notes have it wrong, which is why you will see it wrong in a number of places.

2. The Isles did tie the record for the worst shutout loss. The Isles lost 8-0 to Chicago in 1979 and to St. Louis in 1988.

3. The Isles did set a record for the most one-sided loss in club history. They had lost five other times by 8 goals, most recently in 1988.

and a few more...

4. The Canes scored 4 pp goals (one shy of the club record against the Isles), including 3 in the third period. The Canes finished 4-11 on the powerplay with a mind-boggling 27 power play shots.


5. Eric Staal (3-1-4) had the hat trick, raising his season total to 39 goals on the season. Babchuk and Cole each added four assists.

6. The Isles were outshot 57-12, and lost to Carolina. Earlier this season they established a club record with 60 shots on goal...and lost to Carolina. The Canes swept the season series, 4 games (and 8 points) to 0, outscoring the Isles 24-9.

7.Joel Rechlicz had another fight, and picked up 17 pen mins along the way. It was his 8th fight in 14 NHL games. He has had a fight in five straight games and 7 of the last 8. He now has 68 pen mins, which exceeds his combined time on ice.

8. Every Islander but Bergenheim, Witt and Comeau (left in 1st pd with broken hand) was a minus player.

9. Cam Ward beat the Islanders...again. It was his sixth shutout of the season. He won all 4 games between the teams this season.

10. Up next: the Islanders conclude the road portion of the schedule in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Making the night potentially special -- a chance to clinch the top seed in the draft lottery (and last overall). This will be the Isles worst road season since 1995-96, when they finished with 20 points. They have 21 points on the road this season.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Monday, April 06, 2009

Red White and Blue for Okposo?

From Logan's Blog:

<<Kyle Okposo Team USA candidate
USA Hockey and Team USA general manager Brian Burke today announced Toronto coach Ron Wilson will coach the U.S. team in the upcoming IIHF World Championships in Switzerland and in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. While Wilson spoke of turning to a "new generation" of American players, Burke confirmed that Islanders rookie forward Kyle Okposo is a strong candidate for both teams.

When you listen to Wilson's description of the style he plans to play and the type of player he wants, it sounds as if the Isles' high-energy, 18-goal scorer fits the bill perfectly. "When you look around the NHL now, there's a new generation of American players," Wilson said. "There comes a time when you've got to turn the page, and a young team playing with enthusiasm coming in, I think, is the best way for us to be successful in a place like Vancouver. A lot of these younger people have been involved in all kinds of world championships via the junior level or even the last couple of years in the world championships, and I think it's their time to shine."

Burke and Wilson took care to express their appreciation for many of the older warriors who always have answered the bell whenever USA Hockey called upon them. Among the names they mentioned were current Islander Doug Weight and former Isles captain Bill Guerin. Burke noted how well Guerin is playing and said players like him and Chris Chelios also would be considered.

But when asked directly if a player like Okposo, who played in the world juniors a little more than a year ago before signing with the Islanders, would be in the age group he is strongly considering, Burke didn't hesitate.

"I like some size on my teams, and I like a team that can play any style and survive and do well," Burke said. "And Kyle Okposo is very much alive as a candidate for this team to go to Switzerland and also beyond that. One thing our committee has said from the get-go is we're not going to exclude anybody because they're too old or too young. What's important is that each player be able to do a job. You can take the 20 best guys and hope they adapt to jobs, or you can take guys who are good at certain things, and I'm more the latter. I like to find people who are good at certain things and give them specific tasks."

Any way you slice it, Okposo fits the profile. He has done everything for Islanders coach Scott Gordon from manning the point on the power play to killing penalties. He can play defense and create turnovers with his great stickwork or he can be an offensive force with his size, strength on the puck and playmaking ability around the net. He has international experience, and he's already showing leadership qualities with the Islanders.

Once Okposo gets past the groin strain that has sidelined him the past two games, he should have plenty of time to prepare if chosen for the Worlds, which run April 24-May 10 in Switzerland.

Asked recently what it would mean to him to be selected, Okposo said: "It would be a fun opportunity and a good chance to showcase myself. Putting on a USA sweater is always a fun feeling…It would be fun to play with some of the cream of the crop in the league and get a feel for different players in the league."

By no means is Okposo counting his chickens before the hatch. He doesn't view his experience playing for Team USA in juniors as necessarily giving him a leg up on the competition. "Some people go young, and some people mature later," Okposo said. "I've played for them a little bit. It means a lot to me to know I've played on those teams, but for the World Championships, they're going to select the best players."

Okposo certainly is proving that he's one of the best young players in the U.S. pool of talent. He turns 21 on April 16, and it won't be surprising if he has been named to Team USA for the Worlds by then if all goes well for him physically.
>>
 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Avs WIN!

Colorado pounds the Canucks 4-1 tonight in Vancouver to end their 8-game losing streak.

With the win, Colorado passes Tampa Bay for 28th place.  Both teams have 66 points, but the Avs have played 1 fewer game.  Colorado also has more wins.

The Isles have 61 points, meaning that they can split their final 4 games and still be guaranteed the top seed.  They can go 2-1-1 and be guaranteed the top seed if Tampa gains one more point.

All three teams with a chance at Tavares are idle Monday.

All three play Tuesday:

Isles - @ Carolina
Tampa - Pittsburgh
Colorado- @ San Jose

If the Islanders lose in regulation AND Tampa wins AND Colorado wins/loses shootout or OT, the Isles would be guaranteed 30th place as early as Tuesday.

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Friday, April 03, 2009

Tampa gets point vs New Jersey

...with their point tonight, Tampa now has 66 points, 7 more than the Islanders. If Tampa beats the Islanders in regulation on Saturday, the Islanders will be guaranteed a top 2 seed.

If the Isles go 2-2-1 or worse in their final five games, they will finish last and earn the top seed in the draft lottery.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Tragedy for ex-Isle Taylor Pyatt

<<NHLer Taylor Pyatt's fiancee dies after car accident in Jamaica
1 hour ago
THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Vancouver Canucks forward Taylor Pyatt returned to his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ont., on Friday after his fiancee was killed in a car accident.

Carly Bragnalo was killed Thursday in a crash in Jamaica, where she was on holiday. She was 27.

"Today the Canucks lost a member of our family," Canucks general manager Mike Gillis said in a statement. "Carly was a lovely and generous young woman who shared her spirit for life with our players, their spouses and their extended families. We will support the Bragnalo family, Taylor and his entire family in any way we can during this very difficult time."

The couple was to be married this summer.
>>
 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Stat Trick: Canadiens 5, Isles 1

"Go, Habs, Go" never sounded so loud... at least on Long Island. In a night where it seemed like there were more people rooting for the visitors, Montreal swamped the Isles. On to the trick:

1. Les Habs recorded three power play goals -- one more than they had scored in the first three games between the teams. Montreal scored on three of the first four pp's, meaning that the Isles had allowed 5 pp goals in less than 40 minutes of playing time.

2. Montreal scored the game's first 4 goals, marking eight straight goals for Montreal on Long Island, including a comeback win from 4-1 last November 1.

3. Jeff Tambellini continues to improve. He scored his second goal in three games, and extended his point streak to 3.

...and a few more...

4. Alexei Kovalev had three assists. Both he and Saku Koivu extended their point streaks to 5.

5. LI'er Mike Komisarek scored Montreal's final goal. It was his first goal since October 13 and his first point in 18 career games against the Isles.

6. Tom Kostopoulos was awarded a penalty shot early in the third period but was stopped by Yann Danis (33 saves). It was the second penalty shot vs. the Isles this season; Simon Gagne scored against Danis in February.

7. The Isles played without Dean McAmmond and Kyle Okposo; they lost Andy Hilbert in the 2nd period. If you own a pair of skates you may be able to get into the Isles line-up for Saturday night.

8. Sean Bentivoglio made his NHL debut. He was in the penalty box when Koivu scored the game's first goal. He had 2 shots and a hit in 11:31 of ice-time. Trevor Smith was also recalled; he had three hits and a shot in 14:08.

9. The road team won all 4 games in the season series, but Montreal finished with 6 points to the Isles' 4. Montreal dominated in the circle, winning 40 of 62 draws. It was the second night in a row that the Isles had lost at least 40 face-offs.

10. Up next: Tampa Bay visits Long Island on Saturday. The Isles lead the season's series 2 games to 1 and four points to 3. If Tampa earns a point in New Jersey on Friday, they could guarantee that they will finish ahead of the Isles if they win at the Coliseum on Saturday.


28
Tampa Bay Lightning SE 77 24 36 17 65 Friday at New Jersey; Saturday at Islanders
29
Colorado Avalanche NW 77 31 44 2 64 Sunday at Vancouver
30
New York Islanders ATL 77 25 43 9 59 Saturday vs Tampa

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Thursday, April 02, 2009

6 in 61

If the Isles do finish last, they will have 5 picks in the first 2 rounds, plus the first pick in the third round. That's 6 out of roughly 61 or so picks (the 6th pick will be a little later than 61 because there are compensatory picks made in the second round.)

Regardless of when the sixth pick falls, the Isles will certainly hope not to repeat the drafting of another NY team, who had 6 early picks in the 2004 draft: the Rangers.

Of the first five,
2004 Entry 6 1 Al Montoya G U. of Michigan [NCAA]
2004 Entry 19 1 Lauri Korpikoski L TPS Jrs. (Finland)
2004 Entry 36 2 Darin Olver L Northern Michigan University [NCAA]
2004 Entry 48 2 Dane Byers L Prince Albert Raiders [WHL]
2004 Entry 51 2 Bruce Graham C Moncton Wildcats [QMJHL]

only Byers had played a regular season NHL game prior to this season (Korpikoski had appeared in one playoff game and is nearly a regular this season)

The Rangers made up for it a bit with the 6th pick:

2004 Entry 60 2 Brandon Dubinsky C Portland Winter Hawks [WHL]

(They also picked Ryan ("the Better") Callahan in that draft)

The Isles fared only slightly better in 2004, drafting Nokelainen and Comeau in the first two rounds, and adding Chris Campoli with pick #227. (Steve Regier was also in that drafted; he played 18 games for the Isles with nary a point.) Ironically two of the first five picks the Isles currently have for this June will be from picks that they acquired in trades for Nokelainen and Campoli.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

How bad are the Avs?

They got shutout tonight.

At home.

By Phoenix.

By Al Montoya.

In his first NHL game. (First to do so since Mike Smith in 2006 for Dallas against Phoenix)

It's the 8th straight loss for Colorado (0-7-1).

Updated Standings:

28
Tampa Bay Lightning 77 24 36 17 65 (next: Friday at NJ)
29
Colorado Avalanche 77 31 44 2 64 (next: Sunday at Vancouver -- play 5 games in season's final 8 days)
30
New York Islanders 76 25 42 9 59 (next: Thursday vs Montreal)

If the Isles go 2-3-1 or worse in their final six games, they will finish 30th regardless of what Tampa Bay or Colorado do.


Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Stat Trick: Capitals 5, Isles 3

The Isles have clinched a top-4 draft pick (based on a top-3 lottery slot) with their loss and Atlanta's win. The Isles can finish ahead of only Tampa Bay and Colorado. On to the trick:

1. Mike Green scored two third period power play goals to lead the Caps to the victory. Green now has 30 goals, including 18 on the pp. Over the last 20 years, only one defensemen, Kevin Hatcher (34 in 1992-93) has scored over 30 goals. Green's 18 pp goals are a new Capital record, made even more impressive when you consider that he's played only 63 games this season.

2. Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen had given the Islanders a 2-0 lead (with each assisting on the other's goal) before Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 54th goal on a world class feed from Sergei Federov. Keith Aucoin (no relation to the former Isle) scored his first goal as a Cap midway through the 2nd period to knot the game.


3. Richard Park scored 2:12 into the third period to give the Isles the lead, setting the stage for Green's heroics. PArk now has thirteen goals on the season - his most ever as an Islander, and one shy of his career mark (14 for Minnesota in 2002-03). Green's two pp goals were scored 83 seconds apart; the winning goal coming seconds after an Islander goal was waved off due to a goalie-interference call on Tim Jackman. Nicklas Backstrom's empty-netter sealed the game.

... a few more

4. The Isles played without Mark Streit, who missed the game with a knee injury. Streit's replacement, Joe Callahan, had a giveaway that led to the Aucoin goal.

5.With Streit out, Radek Martinek played 27:17 -- the most ice-time he's ever had in a game that ended in regulation. (He played 17 seconds more against LA earlier this season, but that game was an OT affair. He's had several other OT games as well with more ice-time.)

6. The Caps won 45 of 69 face-offs. Josh Bailey had an atrocious night on draws, dropping 11 of 12.

7. The Caps outshot the Isles 43-27. Jose Thedore, who once scored into an empty net against the Isles, made 40 saves for Washington while Joey MacDonald had 22 saves for the Isles.

8. Joel Rechlicz had his 4th fight in five games, and now has 39 pm's in 11 NHL games, including 28 minutes in the last 4 games.

9. The Capitals sweep the season series 4 games to 0, and 8 points to 2 (one OT, one SO). It was the Isles' 42nd regulation loss of the season, only the 9th time in club history that they've lost that many. With two road games remaining, the Isles are guaranteed to have their fewest points on the road since 1995-96.

10. Up next: The Isles head home to face Montreal on the 2nd night of back-2-backs. The road team has won all three games in the series this season, but both Isles wins in Montreal were in extra time so the teams are even in points on the season 4-4. Including their come-from behind win in November, the Canadiens have own three straight on Long Island.

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

Fw: Isles can clinch top 3 seed tonight

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Eric Hornick <forever1940@yahoo.com>
To: islanderfans@yahoogroups.com; IslesList <isles-list@replayer.com>
Sent: Wednesday, April 1, 2009 1:48:38 PM
Subject: Re: Isles can clinch top 3 seed tonight

Quick clarification -- I wrote "top 3 seed" in the title and "top 3 choice" in the body.  They would clinch a "top 3 seed", which is equivalent to clinching a "top 4 choice".

 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.

----- Original Message ----
[snip]

This would guarantee themselves a top-3 choice.

Isles can clinch top 3 seed tonight

The Isles pursuit of ping pong balls can take a major step forward tonight.

The Isles are already guaranteed a top-5 seed in the draft lottery (and a chance at Tavares).  While they can catch LA or Phoenix, they can't catch them both because those teams have a pair of games left with each other.

If the Isles were to lose in regulation tonight, they wouldn't be able to catch either Phoenix or LA; if Atlanta gains 1 point and the Isles lose in regulation, or if the Thrashers win and the Isles don't, the Isles won't be able to catch Atlanta either.

This would guarantee themselves a top-3 choice.

Regardless of what happens in their game, the Isles will be rooting against Phoenix tonight -- the Coyotes vist Colorado.  The 29th place Avs are in free-fall, having dropped 7 straight.

The 28th place Lightning, fresh off their loss in Boston last night, are idle until Friday when they visit New Jersey in advance of the "must lose" game against the Isles on Saturday.   Could you imagine if that game reaches a shootout, particularly if say the Isles win on Wednesday/Thursday and the Lightning lose on Friday?  What shooters would be chosen?

Of course, (he says with a sarcastic grin) either team could jut invoke the last paragraph of rule 84.4.

You know that one, don't you?  "If a team declines to participate in the shootout procedure, the game will be declared as a shootout loss for that Team. If a team declines to take a shot it will be declared as "no goal.""


 Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982.