The Skinny: Isles 3, Ottawa 2 (afternoon game)

Okay, you'll have to wait about 2 1/2 weeks for the real thing, but the Isles did win the matinee with the Sens 3-2.  Game 2 at 6pm ET.  Ottawa radio is carrying both games with Dean Brown called pbp.  Pre-game show for game 2 essentially began when game 1 ended (I'm not kidding).

Listen here: TSN 1200

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Here's the scoring on the matinee from STATS, Inc.

1st Period
0:46		Brock Nelson (Power Play) Assists: Anders Lee, Ryan Strome		Islanders 1-0
5:01		Alex Chiasson Assists: Mika Zibanejad, Milan Michalek		Tied 1-1
2nd Period
7:05		Sebastian Collberg Assists: Brock Nelson, Kevin Czuczman		Islanders 2-1
9:43		Cole Schneider Assists: Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Shane Prince		Tied 2-2
3rd Period
18:33		Jack Skille Assists: Casey Cizikas, Harry Zolnierczyk		Islanders 3-2

Wouldn't give much credence to anything else that appears in the Stats boxscore (It has all of the Islander shots taken by Brock Nelson and all of Ottawa's by Alex Chiasson).  Chad Johnson and David Leggio split the game for the Isles.  I believe Leggio gave up the tying goal in the 2nd period but made a couple of big saves late.

The game-winning goal scorer, Jack Skille, was the 7th overall pick in 2005.  Sidney Crosby, Bobby Ryan, Jack Johnson, Benoit Pouliot and Carey Price were the top 5, but he was picked ahead of guys such as Anze Kopitar, Marc Staal and Devon Setoguchi.  He was also picked ahead of Ryan O'Marra (15th by the Isles).

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

It's game day (x 2)!

The NHL pre-season began on Sunday and on Monday it's the Islanders' turn as they head to St. John's Newfoundland to play Ottawa in a split-team double-header.

There's no Isles radio and no TV of the contests but Ottawa's TSN 1200 will carry both games.

Listen live: TSN 1200

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The first game at Mile One Center  is 1:30 ET (3:00 local time); the second game is at 6:00 ET (7:30 local time).

The Isles rosters for the two games (from islanders.nhl.com):

Afternoon Roster

Goaltenders:
30 - Chad Johnson
35 - David Leggio
Defensemen:
3 - Travis Hamonic
6 - Ryan Pulock
8 - Griffin Reinhart24 - Kevin Czuczman42 - Scott Mayfield
44 - Calvin de Haan
Forwards:
13 - Colin McDonald
16 - Harry Zolnierczyk
18 - Ryan Strome
20 - Jack Skille
27 - Anders Lee
29 - Brock Nelson
36 - Eric Boulton
48 - Kael Mouillierat
49 - Sebastian Collberg
53 - Casey Cizikas
66 - Joshua Ho-Sang
71 - Michael Dal Colle

Evening Roster
Goaltenders:41 - Jaroslav Halak60 - Kevin Poulin
Defense:4 - TJ Brennan
7 - Matt Carkner 
11 - Lubomir Visnovsky14 - Thomas Hickey37 - Brian Strait46 - Matt Donovan

Forwards:12 - Josh Bailey
15 - Cal Clutterbuck
21 - Kyle Okposo
28 - Johan Sundstrom
40 - Michael Grabner
51 - Frans Nielsen
56 - John Persson
59 - Brett Gallant
84 - Mikhail Grabovski
86 - Nikolay Kulemin
89 - Cory Conacher
91 - John Tavares

The Isles will return to New York after the games; the only Coliseum pre-season game is on Wednesday vs. Carolina (WRHU 88.7FM & Islanders TV(webcast).

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Another Harvard alum interested in Isles' ownership

The Isles may need to add an alternate jersey in "crimson" because today's NY Post has a report that Phil Falcone may be looking to sell his 45% share in the Minnesota Wild and become part of the Jonathan Ledecky/ Scott Malkin ownership group that has an agreement to purchase the Islanders (first a minority share, and later a majority share) from Charles Wang.

Like Ledecky and Malkin, Falcone is a Harvard alum.  

Falcone does have NY ties -- his wife is from New York and they own or have owned large places in both Manhattan and the Hamptons.

Falcone played 4 years of varsity hockey for the Crimson -- he even has his own hockeydb.com page: Phil Falcone hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.com

				Phil Falcone hockey statistics and profile at hockeydb.c... Statistics of Phil Falcone, a hockey player from Chisholm, MN who was active from 1980 to 1984.
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See the complete NY Post story by Josh Kosman here:

Phil Falcone may ditch Minnesota Wild for Islanders stake

				Phil Falcone may ditch Minnesota Wild for Islanders stak... Minnesota Wild co-owner Phil Falcone might quit his hockey-crazed home state to make a play for the New York Islanders, The Post has learned. The beleaguered h...
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Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Isles TV schedule

Looks like we have 83 telecasts in an 82-game season this year on MSG.

NBCSN did not take a single Islander game (at least so far) so all 82 regular season games are scheduled to air on either MSG+,  MSG+2  or MSG.

MSG+ will have 63 regular season games, plus a pre-season game from Barclays on September 26th.  (Note the 7:30 start for the pre-season game)


MSG+2 has 17 games, while two games will air on MSG.

The complete schedule is here:

http://on.msg.com/nyisched

Ryan McDonagh: "I'd build a franchise around John Tavares"

During the NHL media tour, 14 star players were asked by ESPN's Craig Custance "to list three players they'd want if they were starting a franchise from the ground up".

Sidney Crosby was the overwhelming winner.  Isles captain John Tavares received one first place vote -- and it came from future Ranger captain (?) Ryan McDonagh.  "He makes everyone around him better. Very underrated skater. Big-time shot. He can play any situation."

Tavares voted for Sidney Crosby, Shea Weber and Jamie Benn.

Complete story here: Player poll: Who is top franchise player? (note that it is an Insider story $$$)

				Player poll: Who is top franchise player? If you could start an NHL franchise from scratch, which player would you pick? Craig Custance polled star players and posts the results.
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Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

Welcome to the team, Boss!

Hall of Famer Mike Bossy Joins MSG Networks As Hockey Analyst

				Hall of Famer Mike Bossy Joins MSG Networks As Hocke... MSG Networks announced today that hockey legend and Hall of Famer Mike Bossy has been hired as a hockey analyst for the 2014-15 season.
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HALL OF FAMER MIKE BOSSY JOINS MSG NETWORKS AS HOCKEY ANALYST

New York, NY (September 9, 2014) – MSG Networks announced today that hockey legend and Hall of Famer Mike Bossy has been hired as a hockey analyst for the 2014-15 season. Bossy will appear on MSG's popular hockey roundup show "Hockey Night Live" on Saturday evenings and will also handle studio analysis for select Islanders telecasts on MSG+. Bossy played for the New York Islanders for a decade, his entire playing career, and was instrumental in their four-year reign as Stanley Cup champions ('80, '81, '82, '83). He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991 and had his #22 sweater retired by the Islanders on March 3, 1992.

"Mike Bossy is a hockey legend and one of the greatest Islanders of all-time, and to have him on our networks providing analysis on the NHL and the Islanders will be a win for hockey fans," said Daniel Ronayne, executive vice president and general manager of MSG Networks. "With four Stanley Cup championships and a Hall of Fame Career under his belt, it's a pleasure and honor to welcome Mike to the MSG Networks family."

"I'm excited to join MSG Networks and to share my knowledge of hockey and the Islanders with New York's very passionate and loyal hockey fans," said Bossy. "There are so many great story lines with all the local hockey teams this year, and of course it's the last year for the Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum, and that is something that will be very meaningful to me personally. I can't wait to get started with MSG Networks."

Mike Bossy was the New York Islanders first choice, 15^th overall in the 1977 NHL Amateur Draft. In his rookie season he scored a then-record 53 goals, winning the Calder Trophy for rookie of the year, and was named a Second Team All-Star. In the 1980-81 season, Bossy became the second player to score 50 goals in 50 games, finishing the season with 68 goals in 79 games. Bossy set a scoring record for right-wingers in 1982 with 147 points, while also winning the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy. He officially retired after the 1987-88 season after scoring 573 goals and 553 assists in 752 NHL games, all with the Islanders. He rejoined the organization in 2006 working with the front office in sponsorship and fan development.

 

Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since January 21, 1982. Visit my blog: NYISkinny.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick

ex- Isles DiPietro's new gig?

Newsday's Neil Best with a story on Rick DiPietro and his venture into talk radio with former Islander beat writer and now MSG-TV./ESPN-radio personality Alan Hahn.

Short version -- he likes the pairing.  A lot.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/media/rick-dipietro-s-new-career-path-on-sports-talk-radio-1.9226662

DiPietro says "What's most touching to me is the response I've gotten on Twitter," he said. "This is kind of a weird part of my life here, where I'm trying to make a decision about where I go, and part of me was nervous coming on the radio that I was going to get killed from everyone. It's been the complete opposite. It's been love and well wishes.

"I get Rangers fans who are like, 'I hated you when you played for the Islanders. But I have to be honest, I love listening to you on the radio.' That's really what I wanted at the end of the day."