9:45 pm: Isles win, 5 - 3 out hitting the Bruins. The Bruins were 'the better team" but hey... the Isles won anyway with a Cal Clutterbuck goal and a 185 foot shot by Scotty Mayfield.

I'd like to also say the NESN announcers were somewhat rude talkinb about the Isles move to Brooklyn. I will remember that.

Update: At a little before 9pm the ban was lifted one service by one. Whether someone at the Islanders organization sold their soul to the Devil or whether it was the wrath of fans on social media, MSG lifted the black-out just in time for the third period. Where the Bruins begain to come back from their 3 - 1 deficit.


7:30 pm:
Giving me yet another reason to truly HATE Cablevision and it's subsidiaries, MSG Network, who owns the NY Islanders broadcast rights for the rest of time, has blocked the NHL Network from broadcasting the Isles vs Bruins game in the NY market.

Now why would they do such a terrible thing, to not only their OWN subscribers, but to ALL NY residents who just happen to NOT be NY Rangers fans? Because they can, that's why. OH, also, because MSG is airing the Rangers pre-season game on two of their cable channels. This way you can get annoyed twice as much.

I can only assume with great conviction that the Islanders organization knew nothing about this MSG plan as they were continuing to promote the fact that their game would be aired on the NHL Network. They did such up until three minutes before puck drop. This is not a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. This is a case of the left hand thumbing a nose at the team that they have control over.

What worries me even more than tonight's annoyance is it makes me wonder what MSG Newtorks and the Dolan Empire will do with the Isles when they move to the Barclays. Will they attempt to bury the feed even further down the dial? Will they broadcast it in HD?

The reason I believe that MSG may begin to futher screw with the TV rights for the Isles is that currently the Nassau Coliseum is all hooked up to Optimum. You see it from the moment you turn off Hempstead Turnpike.

I don't think Cablevision is in the Brooklyn Atlantic Yards area. Why then should they treat the Isles well if they can't get cable dollars out of the attendees in the area?

This is just the beginning of a downward spiral caused by the company that holds Long Island captive. It is all our dollars that have built the Dolan's empire that owns Newsday, the Rangers, Madison Square Garden, the Knicks and sadly Radio City Music Hall.

So while you fork over money to them daily, you're not allowed to watch the Islanders play on the NHL Network or any other network if MSG doesn't want you to.

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