Here is the funny part.. Bobby Ryan has the same Negatives as Moulson. Doesn't get back on Defense, doesn't back check ..etc. Oh and by the way so does Heatley. If we had either of those guy u would all have issues with them too. Grass is always greener on this board and the glass is always half empty.

Koolaide guy out
- niteislander

Why are you comparing Moulson to Ryan? I never mentioned anything about Moulson. Also never mentioned anything about Moulson lack of defense.
I already know what Moulson is, my original comment was Snow being creative and bringing in better talent, whoever that may be, F, D, G at any cost or any position. So I used Ryan as an example because he was available and is far talented then all Isles except JT.....

Agreed I think Donovan is going to be pretty solid as well. But when you have only 6 d men, one of them being Martinek who hasn't played a game, and Carkner who is really struggling you have to think another move has to be made especially if vis and strait are going to be out a while.

No team can make the playoffs with that lineup back there. Might be blessing in disguise if islanders give up 8 tomorrow
- Isles316

Martinek is going to be better than anyone besides hamonic and Donovan. He should e been signed in camp. He will be good until he gets injured but he would've been worth the 600,000 with our blue line. He could've been in better game shape. If he made it through training camp that is..

thankfully, Strait is out. As far as JML, no thank you. He's another guy who's softer than kleenex defensively and that doesn't fit our needs. We need a mobile crease clearing nasty dman.
- Isles_since_6

Certainly not perfect but bruising mobile crease clearing d men aren't that readily available. At least Liles can put up points

Martinek is going to be better than anyone besides hamonic and Donovan. He should e been signed in camp. He will be good until he gets injured but he would've been worth the 600,000 with our blue line. He could've been in better game shape. If he made it through training camp that is..
- Cptmjl

I've always thought Martinek was an excellent defensemen. Great skater, decent shot, feisty, good positioning...I also think some of his injury history is the result of crapola luck. Two times it was due to a blowout in the corner that had him go into the boards awkwardly... He performed well when he played last year....until Cappy scratched him.

- keaner17

no need to laugh keaner, I was high on Bailey and Nielsen too last year when eveyrone wanted to ship them out in trades.

You have to admit. People way too fixated on stats. hence why people that dont know hockey love Moulson. not realizing he as one dimensional as they get.

Im all for Moulson on top PP1, guy is the ultimate goal hanger and has great shot, But 5 on 5, would prefer Grabner or PMB with KO and JT.

great writeup on islanderspointblank for you guys that dont understand the full game of hockey. I said PMB is starting to be quite noticeable.

it wont be long before you see him start putting up points.
- Spartiarti

He may. Stranger things of happened. I don't see it happening and even if it does he shouldn't have been given this long of a leash. His nonexistent play the last nine games could've been filled with a player who actually helped this team.

I've always thought Martinek was an excellent defensemen. Great skater, decent shot, feisty, good positioning...I also think some of his injury history is the result of crapola luck. Two times it was due to a blowout in the corner that had him go into the boards awkwardly... He performed well when he played last year....until Cappy scratched him.
- keaner17

totally agree. guy is great defender but injuires always got the best of him. Last year there was no reason for him not to play in more games. Crappy messed that up.

He may. Stranger things of happened. I don't see it happening and even if it does he shouldn't have been given this long of a leash. His nonexistent play the last nine games could've been filled with a player who actually helped this team.
- Cptmjl

I would agree non-existent in first 6 games and the preseason. But i think he becoming alot more visible last 3 games. He great on the puck, excellent passer, and has to stop being so cute around net.
Him, bailey and Nielsen are cycling the puck well. Keeping it out of our defensive zone. something this team needs to get better at.

Certainly not perfect but bruising mobile crease clearing d men aren't that readily available. At least Liles can put up points
- Isles316

true enough, but I think our problem is defending more than scoring. Offensively we're doing quite well and stands to reason if we could cut down these prolonged shifts in our own end we'd likely have more time on offense, more goals.

I just don't like the idea of adding another frail defenseman that stick checks.

I would agree non-existent in first 6 games and the preseason. But i think he becoming alot more visible last 3 games. He great on the puck, excellent passer, and has to stop being so cute around net.
Him, bailey and Nielsen are cycling the puck well. Keeping it out of our defensive zone. something this team needs to get better at.
- Spartiarti[/quo
Going from nonexistent to where he has finally made contact with the puck for the first time is no big leap. If he starts playing than great but he still shouldn't have played while Nelson sat.

great writeup on islanderspointblank for you guys that dont understand the full game of hockey. I said PMB is starting to be quite noticeable.

it wont be long before you see him start putting up points.
- Spartiarti

He's been invisible so far.

XxNYIxX

He's been invisible so far.

XxNYIxX
- XxNYIxX

have to agree. corsi or not, it's easy after grabner had success with nielson and bailey to point out that it looks more like nielson and bailey are carrying bouchard and that he may hold onto the puck but he's not the one generating the offense, rather he's benefitting from his line mates.

I really don't like him so far this year, and that second line would be much better adding grabner back to it, or moving nelson up if grabner is needed to create offense on the third line (providing cappy doesn't dip his minutes down to 8 again)

Why can't the Isles keep the puck out of their own net?

Is it a system they play or lack of talent on the defensive side?
Maybe possible the goalie situation? How about some of the F's not contributing on D ?


I think its a combination of possibly all the above, do you..??
- Ur Not Me

I think it's mostly this....and Radek Martinek slightly improves that- he does not fix it.

I think it's mostly this....and Radek Martinek slightly improves that- he does not fix it.
- dcb1

I really wish we'd been able to keep Reinhart up and see him in a regular season game or two before sending him back. His size, skating ability and passing (despite his age) could have been a very good fit for us especially with the current situation of having both strait and carkner playing a regular shift.

Bobby Ryan is highly overrated as a ducks fan I have watched him a lot, there is a reason the ducks got rid of him and kept Getzlaf and Perry. Also Moulsons back checking wouldn't be so much of a problem if our defense could actually play defense.
- mighty13duck

What they need is a forward to play with Tavares who has the offensive "awareness" that Tavares has. He doesn't have to have the talent Tavares has, just the anticipation and awareness to be where he needs to be on the ice in a given offensive situation, and a decent set of hands. If Moulson was a better skater, he'd be the answer, and he'd be worth whatever it cost to keep him. Bailey has the skating and the hands, but that split second hesitation does him in. If you could combine those two players into one, you'd have the guy you need. The thing is that there are quite a few of those in the NHL- guys who are smarter than they are talented, who maybe need that Tavares type on their line to shine. Garth just has to find the right one.

That said, they could live with what they have up front, if they had that one shining star in the back- the guy who plays 28 minutes, is plus double digits on a decent team, who spends his evenings clearing the immediate area in and around the crease of bodies and pucks, and who can also hold his own on the power play if need be. Think a faster, in his prime Adrian Aucoin, and you have an idea of what I'm saying here- it doesn't have to be a Shea Weber (not that I'd refuse that, but it's likely not happening, for myriad reasons), but a solid defensive player who can lead them as well as play the game is extremely necessary at this point, because they are an absolute mess back there.

That also said, in the meantime, they have to get back to basics collectively, like they did last year, in the last month of the season. They need to start by focusing on taking care of their own end- simple passes, simple puck movement. This team's speedy forecheck, which should be a distinct advantage, does them in a lot of the time, because they get happy feet- everyone skates forward, they make one mistake with a pass, and it's a 3 on 1 going the other way.

The other night, when they went up 2-0 on Vancouver, they should have immediately slowed the game down and waited for another advantage. Instead they came off the face off like a jailbreak toward Luongo, one pass got tipped, and the next thing you know, four Islanders were caught up ice, wave after wave of Canucks started to jam the net, and then we blamed the goalie when one of the shots found a way to light the lamp, thanks to one defenseman who can't seem to clear the puck from the zone if his life depends on it, and two forwards who each apparently thought it was the other one's job to come back and maybe help out at some point. Hockey is not baseball- there is a clock involved- once you're ahead, the object is to STAY ahead, if that makes any sense.

I'm not saying they should spend the rest of the game dumping the puck down the ice, but a few minutes of lulling the opposition to sleep and picking their spot for the next break isn't going to kill them. When you're ahead, you have to take control- their tendency to constantly push forward tends to result in the complete opposite of what I would consider to be "control", and that's what does them in every time, because they don't have that one shutdown guy back there to "scoop the poop" on their behalf.

One or the other has to happen here- either Garth needs to get that guy, or they need to collectively take better care of their own end of the rink....or both....but I'll settle for the latter, if that's their only choice right now, which it may be- even IF Garth was a little more ba11sy, and Wang was willing to spend a little more money, there may simply not be anyone available at this point. Some things they can't control- what THEY DO on the ice is not one of those things, however. It's time for the coach to make that clear to them.

I really wish we'd been able to keep Reinhart up and see him in a regular season game or two before sending him back. His size, skating ability and passing (despite his age) could have been a very good fit for us especially with the current situation of having both strait and carkner playing a regular shift.
- Isles_since_6

Yeah, I understand the theory behind it....but I do fail to see how he could possibly be worse than either of those two....OR MacDonald, for that matter.

I really wish we'd been able to keep Reinhart up and see him in a regular season game or two before sending him back. His size, skating ability and passing (despite his age) could have been a very good fit for us especially with the current situation of having both strait and carkner playing a regular shift.
- Isles_since_6

Wouldn't surprise me if they didn't keep Reinhart for money reasons

There is NO WAY he did not look better than Strait and Carkner.

no need to laugh keaner, I was high on Bailey and Nielsen too last year when eveyrone wanted to ship them out in trades.

You have to admit. People way too fixated on stats. hence why people that dont know hockey love Moulson. not realizing he as one dimensional as they get.

Im all for Moulson on top PP1, guy is the ultimate goal hanger and has great shot, But 5 on 5, would prefer Grabner or PMB with KO and JT.
- Spartiarti

Sparitiarti, I realize you didn't name anyone by name when saying " for you guys that dont understand the full game of hockey" but that's a comment that's rarely going to fly anywhere on a messageboard. From my standpoint, I played hockey at a damn decent level, coached college for several years and played for longer than a lot of folks here were alive and you will NEVER hear me insinuate that anyone here doesn't know the game of hockey. While there are specific instances where someone might demonstrate not grasping something, I've yet to encounter ANYONE here that I felt didn't understand the game. In fact, we have several here that demonstrate a damn fine knowledge of the game. Hence my laughter.

have to agree. corsi or not, it's easy after grabner had success with nielson and bailey to point out that it looks more like nielson and bailey are carrying bouchard and that he may hold onto the puck but he's not the one generating the offense, rather he's benefitting from his line mates.

I really don't like him so far this year, and that second line would be much better adding grabner back to it, or moving nelson up if grabner is needed to create offense on the third line (providing cappy doesn't dip his minutes down to 8 again)
- Isles_since_6

What concerns me with Bouchard is he looks like a shell of his former self. I'm not sure how many people had seen him play prior to our signing him, but the kid had great hands and decent skating abiliy. He was the type of guy that could create something out of nothing and hence appeared to Garth as a decent replacement for PA (not Boyes, we needed better). Unfortunately for what ever reason, he seems to have become a perimeter player, where before he had the guts to head towards the net and make things happen. Perhaps he'll get it together, but there seems to be a mindset from him that isn't allowing him to go from decent player, to playmaker.

What concerns me with Bouchard is he looks like a shell of his former self. I'm not sure how many people had seen him play prior to our signing him, but the kid had great hands and decent skating abiliy. He was the type of guy that could create something out of nothing and hence appeared to Garth as a decent replacement for PA (not Boyes, we needed better). Unfortunately for what ever reason, he seems to have become a perimeter player, where before he had the guts to head towards the net and make things happen. Perhaps he'll get it together, but there seems to be a mindset from him that isn't allowing him to go from decent player, to playmaker.
- keaner17

My guess is he's terrified to have his brains turned further into mashed potatoes, after all of his concussions.

What they need is a forward to play with Tavares who has the offensive "awareness" that Tavares has. He doesn't have to have the talent Tavares has, just the anticipation and awareness to be where he needs to be on the ice in a given offensive situation, and a decent set of hands. If Moulson was a better skater, he'd be the answer, and he'd be worth whatever it cost to keep him. Bailey has the skating and the hands, but that split second hesitation does him in. If you could combine those two players into one, you'd have the guy you need. The thing is that there are quite a few of those in the NHL- guys who are smarter than they are talented, who maybe need that Tavares type on their line to shine. Garth just has to find the right one.

That said, they could live with what they have up front, if they had that one shining star in the back- the guy who plays 28 minutes, is plus double digits on a decent team, who spends his evenings clearing the immediate area in and around the crease of bodies and pucks, and who can also hold his own on the power play if need be. Think a faster, in his prime Adrian Aucoin, and you have an idea of what I'm saying here- it doesn't have to be a Shea Weber (not that I'd refuse that, but it's likely not happening, for myriad reasons), but a solid defensive player who can lead them as well as play the game is extremely necessary at this point, because they are an absolute mess back there.

That also said, in the meantime, they have to get back to basics collectively, like they did last year, in the last month of the season. They need to start by focusing on taking care of their own end- simple passes, simple puck movement. This team's speedy forecheck, which should be a distinct advantage, does them in a lot of the time, because they get happy feet- everyone skates forward, they make one mistake with a pass, and it's a 3 on 1 going the other way.

The other night, when they went up 2-0 on Vancouver, they should have immediately slowed the game down and waited for another advantage. Instead they came off the face off like a jailbreak toward Luongo, one pass got tipped, and the next thing you know, four Islanders were caught up ice, wave after wave of Canucks started to jam the net, and then we blamed the goalie when one of the shots found a way to light the lamp, thanks to one defenseman who can't seem to clear the puck from the zone if his life depends on it, and two forwards who each apparently thought it was the other one's job to come back and maybe help out at some point. Hockey is not baseball- there is a clock involved- once you're ahead, the object is to STAY ahead, if that makes any sense.

I'm not saying they should spend the rest of the game dumping the puck down the ice, but a few minutes of lulling the opposition to sleep and picking their spot for the next break isn't going to kill them. When you're ahead, you have to take control- their tendency to constantly push forward tends to result in the complete opposite of what I would consider to be "control", and that's what does them in every time, because they don't have that one shutdown guy back there to "scoop the poop" on their behalf.

One or the other has to happen here- either Garth needs to get that guy, or they need to collectively take better care of their own end of the rink....or both....but I'll settle for the latter, if that's their only choice right now, which it may be- even IF Garth was a little more ba11sy, and Wang was willing to spend a little more money, there may simply not be anyone available at this point. Some things they can't control- what THEY DO on the ice is not one of those things, however. It's time for the coach to make that clear to them.
- dcb1

You make too much sense. Unfortunately, I don't think our coach realizes or understands this.

I'm not looking around to quote the post...but didn't Pedan have some issue around the same time as Kabonov that caused him to be a healthy scratch a couple of games? Would that be a reason Pedan wouldn't get a call up?

Sparitiarti, I realize you didn't name anyone by name when saying " for you guys that dont understand the full game of hockey" but that's a comment that's rarely going to fly anywhere on a messageboard. From my standpoint, I played hockey at a damn decent level, coached college for several years and played for longer than a lot of folks here were alive and you will NEVER hear me insinuate that anyone here doesn't know the game of hockey. While there are specific instances where someone might demonstrate not grasping something, I've yet to encounter ANYONE here that I felt didn't understand the game. In fact, we have several here that demonstrate a damn fine knowledge of the game. Hence my laughter.
- keaner17

When i think about it that part from his post was even more funny when I read it the second time.

In short...'yes'. It was quite apparently when Cappy spent a whole pregame interview justifying why HE decided to put Reasoner in for the Pens series. I think the underlying tone here is that Cappy, like Nolan before him, feels that experience will win more games than youthful talent. It's apparent by his line combos that he's THAT dense.
- keaner17

Nolan was perfectly comfortable playing Comeau when he did what he was supposed to do out there. He just didn't want to play Tambellini, and he was right about that. Let's face it, Nolan didn't exactly have the youth to work with that Cappy does!

What concerns me with Bouchard is he looks like a shell of his former self. I'm not sure how many people had seen him play prior to our signing him, but the kid had great hands and decent skating abiliy. He was the type of guy that could create something out of nothing and hence appeared to Garth as a decent replacement for PA (not Boyes, we needed better). Unfortunately for what ever reason, he seems to have become a perimeter player, where before he had the guts to head towards the net and make things happen. Perhaps he'll get it together, but there seems to be a mindset from him that isn't allowing him to go from decent player, to playmaker.
- keaner17

I didn't see really him play previously, but watching him now, I don't even see the skating ability he's supposed to have. Never mind the perimeter play, he's getting caught from behind when skating with the puck. I think he looks more comfortable playing with Nielsen and Bailey, but not necessarily better, unfortunately.