Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

[hockeyplayer]

New York Islanders dynasty
36 games into the season (sorry)
NHL '11
I plan to recap every game and post a video of each high-light of each game (although that may be pushing it). I also plan to do stories here-and-there of stories around the league (like Western conference standings analysis, major trades from my team or other teams, etc.). So definitely keep watching!

Some story-lines of the season so far:
Doug Weight: 4 shorthanded goals.
Goal-tending is weak, defense is strong, and offense is right where we expected it to be.
Islanders are surprising the league, at least standings wise.
No major trades have been completed at all (by any team in the league).
Jack Hillen was waived before the season started, and is now a Colorado Avalanche.
Top prospects on our AHL team, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, include Jesse Joensuu, Kirill Petrov, Mikko Koskinen, and Travis Hamonic. All are doing well.

Up-coming schedule:
January 3, 2011: @CGY
January 6, 2011: @EDM
January 8, 2011: @COL
January 9, 2011: @CHI
January 11, 2011: VAN

New York Islanders Stats - Jan. 3, 2011
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	ATOI	PIM	SOG	SPCT
Kyle Okposo (A)	35	16	16	32	27
John Tavares	32	16	14	30	17
Matt Moulson	36	14	13	27	19
Mark Streit (A)	36	3	20	23	23
Blake Comeau	33	11	9	20	15
Frans Nielsen	33	10	9	19	14
Robbie Schremp	36	8	9	17	6
Doug Weight (C)	36	7	9	16	6
Radek Martinek	29	0	15	15	29
Michael Grabner	36	9	6	15	3
Josh Bailey	36	2	11	13	11
James Wisniewski	36	3	8	11	8
Milan Jurcina	27	2	8	10	7
Mark Eaton	35	2	7	9	6
Andrew Macdonald	35	1	8	9	11
Zenon Konopka	36	4	5	9	5
P.A. Parenteau	22	5	3	8	6
Trent Hunter	36	4	4	8	-6
Mike Mottau	18	2	3	5	0
Jon Sim	10	1	1	2	10
Goalies	GP	W	L	T	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
Rick DiPietro	25	17	6	0	2.44			86.2	1
Dwayne Roloson	13	6	6	0	3.27			83	1

NHL Standings - Updated: Jan 3, 2011
Atlantic	W	L	OTL	PTS	HOME	ROAD	GF	GA
Pittsburgh Penguins	25	13	2	52
New York Islanders	23	10	3	49
New Jersey Devils	22	15	1	45
New York Rangers	20	15	5	45
Philadelphia Flyers	17	14	8	42
East Playoff Race	W	L	OTL	PTS	HOME	ROAD	GF	GA
Montreal Canadiens	25	11	4	54
Pittsburgh Penguins	25	13	2	52
Washington Capitals	20	16	4	44
New York Islanders	23	10	3	49
Boston Bruins	23	11	3	49
New Jersey Devils	22	15	1	45
New York Rangers	20	15	5	45
Atlanta Thrashers	21	20	1	43
Carolina Hurricanes	19	13	5	43
Philadelphia Flyers	17	14	8	42
Tampa Bay Lightning	19	18	2	40
Florida Panthers	16	16	4	36
Ottawa Senators	15	19	6	36
Toronto Maple Leafs	15	19	3	33
Buffalo Sabres	13	23	2	28

[Bleeblah]

Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

[hockeyplayer]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

Here is our high-light of the year so far:


It may not be that unbelievable high-light most of you are used to, but it exemplifies what this team has been so far this year: hard-working and never giving up.

Game 37
Jarome Iginla's hat trick helps lead Flames to blowout victory over Isles.

New York Islanders vs Calgary Flames
Jan 3, 2011 1 2 3 F NYI (23-11-3) 1 0 0 1 CGY (19-18-3) 3 0 2 5 Three Stars Jarome Iginla 3 Goals, 1 Assist Matt Stajan 2 Goals, 1 Assist Rene Bourque 0 Goals, 3 Assists	Team Stats Comparison NYI CGY Shots on Goal 19 18 Hits 16 12 Faceoffs Won-Lost 16-14 14-16 Penalty Minutes 8 2 Power Plays Converted 1 2 Power Play Opportunities 1 4 Time on Attack 5:18 4:03
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD NYI John Tavares PP (K. Okposo, J. Wisniewski) 2:02 CGY Matt Stajan (R. Bourque, R. Regehr) 10:09 CGY Jarome Iginla PP (J. Bouwmeester, M. Giordano) CGY Matt Stajan PP (R. Bourque, J. Iginla) THIRD PERIOD CGY Jarome Iginla (J. Bouwmeester, R. Bourque) CGY Jarome Iginla (M. Stajan, M. Giordano)
New York Islanders - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Rick DiPietro 18 13 72% 5
Calgary Flames - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Mikka Kiprusoff 19 18 95% 1

Game Notes:
Calgary Flames forward Curtis Glencross will be injured (hip) for two weeks following a hit from New York Islanders defense-man James Wisniewski.
New York Islanders forward Blake Comeau was still out with an injury.

Islanders Lines:
Bailey-Tavares-Okposo(A)
Moulson-Nielsen-Parenteau
Grabner-Schremp-Martin
Weight(C)-Konopka-Hunter

Streit(A)-Wisniewski
Jurcina-Macdonald
Eaton-Martinek

DiPietro
Roloson

Highlight of the Game:
Jarome Iginla slaps a shot past DiPietro for the hat-trick!

[bthomp05]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

Ouch, burned by the Flames. They are also awesome in my Caps dynasty. Tied 4th place with the Bruins, nice showing..

[hockeyplayer]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

Game 38
Ex-Oiler Dwayne Roloson not sharp enough in Islanders loss to Oilers.

New York Islanders vs Edmonton Oilers
Jan 6, 2011 1 2 3 F NYI (23-12-3) 0 0 2 2 EDM (18-17-5) 1 1 2 4 Three Stars Alexandre Giroux 1 Goal, 1 Assist Gilbert Brule 1 Goal, 1 Assist Zenon Konopka 1 Goal, 1 Assist	Team Stats Comparison NYI EDM Shots on Goal 17 16 Hits 11 11 Faceoffs Won-Lost 14-5 5-14 Penalty Minutes 6 0 Power Plays Converted 0 3 Power Play Opportunities 0 3 Time on Attack 4:05 4:01
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD EDM Gilbert Brule PP (A. Giroux, T. Gilbert) 8:12 SECOND PERIOD EDM Zack Stortini (R. Whitney) 11:15 THIRD PERIOD EDM Alexandre Giroux PP (T. Gilbert, G. Brule) 9:11 NYI Zenon Konopka SH (D. Weight, R. Martinek) 10:29 EDM Ryan Whitney PP (D. Penner, S. Horcoff) 11:08 NYI Michael Grabner (Z. Konopka, A. Macdonald) 19:31
New York Islanders - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Dwayne Roloson 16 12 75% 4.00
Edmonton Oilers - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Nikolai Khabibulin 17 15 88% 2.02

Game Notes:
New York Islanders forward Blake Comeau was still out with an injury. Comeau is expected to be back in the line-up in game 39.
With an 0-for-3 penalty kill, the Islanders penalty-kill % drops to 3rd worst in the entire league (61.5% PK). Per the coach, "expect changes to the penalty kill lines" which regularly featured Doug Weight, Zenon Konopka, Josh Bailey, Michael Grabner, Mark Streit, Mark Eaton, Milan Jurcina, and Radek Martinek throughout the season.

Islanders Lines:
Grabner-Tavares-Okposo(A)
Moulson-Schremp-Martin
Bailey-Nielsen-Hunter
Weight(C)-Konopka-Parenteau

Wisniewski-Streit(A)
Jurcina-Macdonald
Eaton-Martinek

Roloson
DiPietro

Highlight of the Game:
Zack Stortini undresses Dwayne Roloson on his break-away goal.

[hockeyplayer]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

Game 39
West is not best for Isles as they continue to slide with 4-2 loss in Colorado.

New York Islanders vs Colorado Avalanche
Jan 8, 2011 1 2 3 F NYI (23-13-3) 0 1 1 2 COL (19-17-6) 1 1 2 4 Three Stars Ryan O'reilly 1 Goal, 1 Assist Chris Stewart 0 Goals, 2 Assists Matt Duchene 1 Goal, 0 Assists	Team Stats Comparison NYI COL Shots on Goal 19 10 Hits 14 8 Faceoffs Won-Lost 14-13 13-14 Penalty Minutes 2 0 Power Plays Converted 0 1 Power Play Opportunities 0 1 Time on Attack 7:48 2:14
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD COL Daniel Winnik (R. O'Reilly) 9:11 SECOND PERIOD NYI Radek Martinek (M. Eaton, T. Hunter) 7:49 COL Ryan O'Reilly (P. Mueller) 10:54 THIRD PERIOD COL Matt Duchene PP (P. Stastny, C. Stewart) 4:34 NYI Mark Streit (J. Wisniewski, J. Tavares) 15:03 NYI Cody Mcleod EN (C. Stewart, A. Foote) 19:35
New York Islanders - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Rick DiPietro 9 6 67% 3.01
Colorado Avalanche - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Craig Anderson 19 17 89% 2

Game Notes:
Blake Comeau suffered a set-back before the game, and did not play. He is expected to recover in time to play in game 40.

Islanders Lines:
Grabner-Tavares-Okposo(A)
Moulson-Schremp-Martin
Bailey-Nielsen-Hunter
Weight(C)-Konopka-Parenteau

Wisniewski-Streit(A)
Jurcina-Macdonald
Eaton-Martinek

Roloson
DiPietro

Highlight of the Game:
Rick DiPietro's futile effort to stop Matt Duchene's laser.

[bthomp05]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

Geez the West is not your forte.

[hockeyplayer]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

Geez the West is not your forte.

2-3 not great, but it is better than 0-5

Game 40
Islanders take it to defending Stanley Cup champions in high-scoring affair.

New York Islanders vs Chicago Blackhawks
Jan 9, 2011 1 2 3 F NYI (24-13-3) 1 1 4 6 CHI (20-22-2) 1 0 2 3 Three Stars Jonathan Toews 1 Goal, 1 Assist Rob Schremp 1 Goal, 1 Assist Trent Hunter 1 Goal, 1 Assist	Team Stats Comparison NYI CHI Shots on Goal 20 18 Hits 13 12 Faceoffs Won-Lost 15-11 11-15 Penalty Minutes 5 7 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 1 0 Time on Attack 5:20 4:59
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD CHI Patrick Kane (V. Stalberg, D. Keith) 11:50 NYI John Tavares (M. Grabner, J. Wisniewski) 15:03 SECOND PERIOD NYI Rob Schremp PP (T. Hunter) 3:56 THIRD PERIOD CHI Fernando Pisani (J. Toews, D. Keith) 5:54 NYI Doug Weight (R. Schremp) 11:11 NYI Trent Hunter (J. Bailey, F. Nielsen) 12:37 NYI Zenon Konopka (M. Martin, M. Streit) 14:59 CHI Jonathan Toews (D. Bolland, K. Johnsson) 18:17 NYI Matt Moulson EN (B. Comeau, M. Streit) 19:27
New York Islanders - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Rick DiPietro 18 15 83% 3
Chicago Blackhawks - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Cristobal Huet 19 14 74% 5.05

Game Notes:
Blake Comeau had an assist in his first game back since his injury.
Matt Martin had a good game: he had an assist and a win in a fight against Brian Campbell.
The Islanders return home after a five game Western road trip that saw them start and end with wins (in Detroit and Chicago, respectively).

Islanders Lines:
Grabner-Tavares-Okposo(A)
Moulson-Schremp-Comeau
Bailey-Nielsen-Hunter
Weight(C)-Konopka-Martin

Wisniewski-Streit(A)
Jurcina-Macdonald
Eaton-Martinek

Roloson
DiPietro

Highlight of the Game:
Michael Grabner sets up John Tavares for a sweet goal.



News From Around the League
The Detroit Red Wings picked up defense-man Jaroslav Spacek on waivers from the Montreal Canadiens. Spacek has 1 goal, 9 assists, and a +2 rating in 42 games this season.



In up-coming posts, we'll analyze the New York Islanders top prospects, and the Western conference standings!

[bthomp05]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

True...

Excellent bounce back against the Hawks..

[Jshson14]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

I Love the highlights, very good feature.

[hoxltc]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

Great stuff. Hopefully the puck contiues to bounce your way.

[hockeyplayer]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

Thank you for the positive comments. I appreciate them.

NHL Standings - Updated: Jan 13, 2011
Central	W	L	OTL	PTS	HOME	ROAD	GF	GA
Columbus Blue Jackets	28	15	0	56
Detroit Red Wings	23	14	6	52
St. Louis Blues	24	15	3	51
Chicago Blackhawks	20	23	2	42
Nashville Predators	15	20	7	37
Northwest	W	L	OTL	PTS	HOME	ROAD	GF	GA
Vancouver Canucks	25	13	4	54
Minnesota Wild	22	15	6	50
Colorado Avalanche	21	17	6	48
Calgary Flames	21	19	3	45
Edmonton Oilers	19	17	5	43
Pacific	W	L	OTL	PTS	HOME	ROAD	GF	GA
Anaheim Ducks	24	14	8	56
Los Angeles Kings	24	14	4	52
Phoenix Coyotes	21	18	4	46
San Jose Sharks	19	19	6	44
Dallas Stars	17	23	4	38
West Playoff Race	W	L	OTL	PTS	HOME	ROAD	GF	GA
1. Columbus Blue Jackets	28	15	0	56
2. Anaheim Ducks	24	14	8	56
3. Vancouver Canucks	25	13	4	54
4. Los Angeles Kings	24	14	4	52
5. Detroit Red Wings	23	14	6	52
6. St. Louis Blues	24	15	3	51
7. Minnesota Wild	22	15	6	50
8. Colorado Avalanche	21	17	6	48
9. Phoenix Coyotes	21	18	4	46
10. Calgary Flames	21	19	3	45
11. San Jose Sharks	19	19	6	44
12. Edmonton Oilers	19	17	5	43
13. Chicago Blackhawks	20	23	2	42
14. Dallas Stars	17	23	4	38
15. Nashville Predators	15	20	7	37

The biggest surprise is obviously the Columbus Blue Jackets, who (before the season started) would have been considered a long-shot to be in the final Western playoff spot in January, yet alone be tied for the lead in the Western conference. They are led by both Rick Nash and Antoine Vermette, who are both scoring at better than a point-per-game pace.
The other surprise is the Minnesota Wild, whom very few really would have predicted would have been a playoff contender this year. They are currently four points above the the ninth-placed team, mostly due in part to Niklas Backstrom, who spots an 18-17 record, a 2.35 GAA, and a 92.4% save percentage.

The two biggest disappointments are the two teams most expected would represent the West in this year's Stanley Cup finals. Those two teams of course are the San Jose Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks. Both teams are not over .500, and are at least four points out of the final playoff spot. San Jose has been plagued by poor goal-tending, as neither regular goal-tender of theirs has a GAA below 3. Chicago has been plagued by under-performing forwards, as Jonathan Toews is their highest scoring forward at only 37 points. All that said, there is plenty of time for both these teams to make the playoffs.
Another disappointing team is Nashville, who is in last place. They were expected to be a playoff team (at least).

Game 40
Isles embarrass western conference powerhouse on home ice.

Vancouver Canucks vs New York Islanders
Jan 11, 2011 1 2 3 F VAN (25-13-4) 1 1 1 3 NYI (25-13-3) 1 4 2 7 Three Stars Rob Schremp 1 Goal, 2 Assists Kyle Okposo 0 Goals, 3 Assists Matt Moulson 1 Goal, 1 Assist	Team Stats Comparison VAN NYI Shots on Goal 18 37 Hits 13 8 Faceoffs Won-Lost 10-23 23-10 Penalty Minutes 0 4 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 2 0 Time on Attack 6:49 5:51
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD NYI James Wisniewski (M. Streit, K. Okposo) 2:10 VAN Pavol Demitra PP (M. Raymond, K. Ballard) 7:32 SECOND PERIOD NYI Zenon Konopka (K. Okposo, R. Martinek) 6:28 NYI Milan Jurcina (R. Schremp) 7:19 NYI John Tavares (K. Okposo, J. Wisniewski) 9:16 NYI Matt Moulson (A. Macdonald, R. Schremp) 13:31 VAN Raffi Torres (Unassisted) 18:36 THIRD PERIOD NYI Rob Schremp (M. Moulson, B. Comeau) 5:59 NYI Josh Bailey (F. Nielsen, R. Martinek) 8:43 VAN Mikael Samuelsson (R. Torres, K. Bieksa) 12:43
Vancouver Canucks - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Roberto Luongo 23 18 78% 9.07 Cory Schneider 14 12 86% 4.53
New York Islanders - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA Rick DiPietro 18 15 83% 3

Game Notes:
Matt Martin was sent to AHL affiliate Bridgeport for better player development.
Vancouver Canuck Henrik Sedin will be injured (fractured left elbow) for the next 2 to 3 weeks after taking a shot from his brother, Daniel Sedin.

Islanders Lines:
Grabner-Tavares-Okposo(A)
Moulson-Schremp-Comeau
Bailey-Nielsen-Hunter
Weight(C)-Konopka-Parenteau

Wisniewski-Streit(A)
Jurcina-Macdonald
Eaton-Martinek

DiPietro
Roloson

Highlight of the Game:
A Vancouver Canuck unintentionally deflects a James Wisniewski shot over Roberto Luongo.

[bthomp05]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

Wow, what a blowout against the Canucks. Good for you, things are brightening up for you.

[hockeyplayer]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

I know it has been a long time since my last-update, so I just want to let you guys know that this isn't abandoned or forgotten. My schedule just got busy. I plan to continue on updating starting tomorrow.

Thanks for following!

[bthomp05]

Re: Isle Be Seeing You at the Cup Finals

Look forward to it.