I think it's time to find out if MM can produce without JT. PA has done pretty well off the top line. Nino was a top 5 pick and has a rep for scoring big goals lets see what he can do with JT. Did anyone in the media even ask Jack if he thought about changing lines? At this rate I rather see Doug Weight as coach. I cannot take passive Jack anymore.
- ses111

What? The 3 people who attend the presser?
This team always gets back to the point of relevance and then lays a stinker. At this point, you can set your watch to it. Deplorable.

I think it's time to find out if MM can produce without JT. PA has done pretty well off the top line. Nino was a top 5 pick and has a rep for scoring big goals lets see what he can do with JT. Did anyone in the media even ask Jack if he thought about changing lines? At this rate I rather see Doug Weight as coach. I cannot take passive Jack anymore.
- ses111

I've said this and tried to bring this up as an issue a month ago, but everyone wanted to talk unrealistic trade rumors. This clown has to go. He should have been gone after a month.

I've said this and tried to bring this up as an issue a month ago, but everyone wanted to talk unrealistic trade rumors. This clown has to go. He should have been gone after a month.
- potvin05

They should put Goring back behind the bench!!

XxNYIxX

They should put Goring back behind the bench!!

XxNYIxX
- XxNYIxX

Throw Henning back there with him for good measure!

XxNYIxX

This is a guy who is just begging to be fired. 99.9% of the coaches would be changing lines multiple times during a game if needed. This whole team from top to bottom has no pressure to win. Thisn team can lose every game and Wang would not say a word.
- ses111

thats not true

deboar has changed lines during games, but mostly in the 3rd if nothing is going, and really has only made small changes when the devils arent playing, either due to injury or to get things going

once you find lines that work then you only change them during the game if they are not going and you dont do it in the 1st or 2nd, 1/2 way into second at earliest, see if they pick up their game and build energy, switching players on lines doesnt just work and players will get frustrated if the lines keep switching and changing

at the beginning of the year elias was on a line with zubrus and sykora, and was going very well (devils best line on many nights) and henrique went down and elias stepped into the C position between parise and kovy and they have produced pretty much every game and each have multiple point games in almost every game since they were put together

it has made other lines look like

sykora-zubrus-clarkson
ponikarovsky-henrique-bernier

and those lines have stayed together, the only time it changes is if nothing is going but it seems like each line has been "molded" a certain way and they know the way the line is going to work and the strategy for the line, and not have 1 fast guy, and a grinder as it typically doesnt work, each player knows their role on the line and they have formed chemistry by doing so

This is a guy who is just begging to be fired. 99.9% of the coaches would be changing lines multiple times during a game if needed. This whole team from top to bottom has no pressure to win. Thisn team can lose every game and Wang would not say a word.
- ses111

To you, me & the next guy.

But you have no idea what he says or doesn't say behind closed doors. He does not run his businesses out in the public.. there is no need for him to.

XxNYIxX

I think it's time to find out if MM can produce without JT. PA has done pretty well off the top line. Nino was a top 5 pick and has a rep for scoring big goals lets see what he can do with JT. Did anyone in the media even ask Jack if he thought about changing lines? At this rate I rather see Doug Weight as coach. I cannot take passive Jack anymore.
- ses111

nino should not be getting first line minutes at this point.. he should be getting first line minutes in bport..but i know he can't be there...i'm sick of PA i know he puts up points but he has zero hockey iq and his turnovers drive me nuts...if a deal is their i would trade him without even blinking

10th time this season we have given up the first goal on the first shot... gotta love it!!

XxNYIxX
- XxNYIxX

I sit right near where Zamboni comes out and Stan Fischler is always there.. I brough this amazing stat up to him after the 5 or 6th time it happened. It is almost a running joke... "We survived the first shot Stan."..etc. Last night he looked at me when it went in the net and asked.. "Is that 10?" I said .. "Staple just tweeted it was 11th... but it is at least 10 in 53 games.. friggin amazing."

nino should not be getting first line minutes at this point.. he should be getting first line minutes in bport..but i know he can't be there...i'm sick of PA i know he puts up points but he has zero hockey iq and his turnovers drive me nuts...if a deal is their i would trade him without even blinking
- NYI78

While Price was really stoning everyone.. Nino was given the puck on the doorstep by himself and did not score again. I brought up that this concerns me a Looooong time ago and got killed for it. I understand he is on a shtty line, but his inability to get a goal on a golden oportunity is a major concern. We have enough bottom 6 forwards. If you are going to be top 6 you have to be able to score.

Okposo missed a couple of golden oportunities too...

Isles need at least 40 points to make the playoffs. No shot anyone under 92 points gets 8th spot.. none. That said they have 29 games now to get AT LEAST 40 points (I would bet they need 43 points). They are not out of the hunt yet??!! unless this team wins 8 or 9 in a row.. they are out.

Okposo missed a couple of golden oportunities too...

Isles need at least 40 points to make the playoffs. No shot anyone under 92 points gets 8th spot.. none. That said they have 29 games now to get AT LEAST 40 points (I would bet they need 43 points). They are not out of the hunt yet??!! unless this team wins 8 or 9 in a row.. they are out.
- niteislander

Childs play... and why are we talking 8th spot??? We still have a chance at 1st in the Conference!!

XxNYIxX

Childs play... and why are we talking 8th spot??? We still have a chance at 1st in the Conference!!

XxNYIxX
- XxNYIxX

hahahaaha..is that even mathmatically possible at this point?

Okposo missed a couple of golden oportunities too...

Isles need at least 40 points to make the playoffs. No shot anyone under 92 points gets 8th spot.. none. That said they have 29 games now to get AT LEAST 40 points (I would bet they need 43 points). They are not out of the hunt yet??!! unless this team wins 8 or 9 in a row.. they are out.
- niteislander

Are we seriously going to examine the playoff possibilities after each and every game? How about let's see where they are a couple days before the trade deadline and then see what happens. The team as constructed right now is not built to win 5+ games in a row IMO.

While Price was really stoning everyone.. Nino was given the puck on the doorstep by himself and did not score again. I brought up that this concerns me a Looooong time ago and got killed for it. I understand he is on a shtty line, but his inability to get a goal on a golden oportunity is a major concern. We have enough bottom 6 forwards. If you are going to be top 6 you have to be able to score.
- niteislander

Imo, you should get killed for it now too. You expect the kid to come into the NHL, get one decent chance maybe every four games, if that, and immediately be able to solve NHL goaltending. It rarely works that way. In the WHL, that's probably a goal for him. In the NHL, it's a save by a very good goaltender...it'll take some time for him to figure it out, and certainly more time when he rarely gets the puck in decent scoring spots to try different things out because he is in a defensive and checking role on this team, by design. If you want to judge areas of his game, judge the improvements in those areas, since that's obviously what the Islanders are making him focus on.

The play that Nino didn't score on...players like KO and Moulson get about two or three opportunities like that a game. They certainly don't put all of them in the net. Difference is we forget about the misses because they get enough of those chances per game to covert at a decent pace (well, more than decent for Moulson and maybe not-quite decent for KO).

Imo, you should get killed for it now too. You expect the kid to come into the NHL, get one decent chance maybe every four games, if that, and immediately be able to solve NHL goaltending. It rarely works that way. In the WHL, that's probably a goal for him. In the NHL, it's a save by a very good goaltender...it'll take some time for him to figure it out, and certainly more time when he rarely gets the puck in decent scoring spots to try different things out because he is in a defensive and checking role on this team, by design. If you want to judge areas of his game, judge the improvements in those areas, since that's obviously what the Islanders are making him focus on.

The play that Nino didn't score on...players like KO and Moulson get about two or three opportunities like that a game. They certainly don't put all of them in the net. Difference is we forget about the misses because they get enough of those chances per game to covert at a decent pace (well, more than decent for Moulson and maybe not-quite decent for KO).
- UIF

you can disagree with me all you want. He has been in 30 games this year and has 1 goal and no assists. Gillies had 2 goals on the 4th line last year. He has had PP time and he has had a lot of very good oportunities he failed to convert. He does not look like a top 5 pick right now. He looks like a Big bodied 3rd round pick. If he wants off that 4th line.. do something to earn it.

you can disagree with me all you want. He has been in 30 games this year and has 1 goal and no assists. Gillies had 2 goals on the 4th line last year. He has had PP time and he has had a lot of very good oportunities he failed to convert. He does not look like a top 5 pick right now. He looks like a Big bodied 3rd round pick. If he wants off that 4th line.. do something to earn it.
- niteislander

Gillies was not working toward becoming a complete hockey player away from the puck. Looking at how Nino's developed over the year, I think it's pretty clear where the focus has been with him and what he's been told to work on during his shifts: skating, defensive awareness, and being a physical presence. There's been pretty significant improvement in those areas compared to the first handful of games he played. He was a big-bodied pushover and traffic cone to start the year. He at least blends in now skating-wise, he can fight for pucks along the boards, and he can shake off a check or two. That never happened earlier. Frankly, I'm not worried at all that when he's actually put into a scoring role and gets more chances, that he'll figure out how to score. He has a very good release and can get shots off in a hurry. Give him time.

If I remember right, you have been exceedingly patient with Bailey...but Nino's a major concern after 30 games in a year he probably should have been returned to juniors if the Isles didn't need his cap hit?

edit -- as a late aside...in just 6 AHL games that Nino has played total...where he was in a scoring role...he scored as many goals as Gillies has in the AHL since 2006-2007.

Ok saw the game last night and not until the third period the Islanders did not seem interested in playing. I dont get why we cant come out every night fighting for our lives. We can do that if we had a coach to motivate them. I made metion of this at the beginning of the season Jack should have been let go during the summer and brought in a real NHL coach.

As for the game itself when I heard Scotty Gomez has not scored over a year I knew he would score last night it was a matter of time. There is no excuse for that at all!! We revive people careers all the time. Nabby looked ok last night I would like to see Montoya Saturday and Nabby Sunday. Every game is important but Sunday is against our own Conference. Also it seems Tavares is trying to do everything on his own. Bailey impressed me last night and was at least trying and our Fourth line is outshining our 3rd and second line. Something wrong there. I feel the Islanders are not going to be able to get to the playoffs but they are still in it.

As for Nabby one last time. I agree to try him if he bolts at the end of the season, but lets face it without him we would be about 14 points out right now. I would see what he would like to do and ifhe agrees to extension keep him around for a couple years and train Poulin. Drop DP on his head somewhere and ship Al out of here as he gives up to many weak goals and rebounds.

Gillies was not working toward becoming a complete hockey player away from the puck. Looking at how Nino's developed over the year, I think it's pretty clear where the focus has been with him and what he's been told to work on during his shifts: skating, defensive awareness, and being a physical presence. There's been pretty significant improvement in those areas compared to the first handful of games he played. He was a big-bodied pushover and traffic cone to start the year. He at least blends in now skating-wise, he can fight for pucks along the boards, and he can shake off a check or two. That never happened earlier. Frankly, I'm not worried at all that when he's actually put into a scoring role and gets more chances, that he'll figure out how to score. He has a very good release and can get shots off in a hurry. Give him time.

If I remember right, you have been exceedingly patient with Bailey...but Nino's a major concern after 30 games in a year he probably should have been returned to juniors if the Isles didn't need his cap hit?
- UIF

I totally agree. Nino gets better and better every game Bailey is good for a couple of games and then disappears. I still say jump Nino up to a better line and the points will start flowing. Pandolfo and Wallace are not quite the scoring machines

Here's a thought: Marek Zidlicky

Will come cheap and can play some top minutes here. Will it happen? Probably not. But it would be nice

thats not true

deboar has changed lines during games, but mostly in the 3rd if nothing is going, and really has only made small changes when the devils arent playing, either due to injury or to get things going

once you find lines that work then you only change them during the game if they are not going and you dont do it in the 1st or 2nd, 1/2 way into second at earliest, see if they pick up their game and build energy, switching players on lines doesnt just work and players will get frustrated if the lines keep switching and changing

at the beginning of the year elias was on a line with zubrus and sykora, and was going very well (devils best line on many nights) and henrique went down and elias stepped into the C position between parise and kovy and they have produced pretty much every game and each have multiple point games in almost every game since they were put together

it has made other lines look like

sykora-zubrus-clarkson
ponikarovsky-henrique-bernier

and those lines have stayed together, the only time it changes is if nothing is going but it seems like each line has been "molded" a certain way and they know the way the line is going to work and the strategy for the line, and not have 1 fast guy, and a grinder as it typically doesnt work, each player knows their role on the line and they have formed chemistry by doing so
- dmarsden2988

hmmm....thats weird...i thought i clicked on Dee Karls ISLANDER blog....

hmmm....thats weird...i thought i clicked on Dee Karls ISLANDER blog....
- LetsGoIsles

i saw that someone said 99.9% of coaches would switch up lines during the game and stuff, just saying it isnt exactly true

you can disagree with me all you want. He has been in 30 games this year and has 1 goal and no assists. Gillies had 2 goals on the 4th line last year. He has had PP time and he has had a lot of very good oportunities he failed to convert. He does not look like a top 5 pick right now. He looks like a Big bodied 3rd round pick. If he wants off that 4th line.. do something to earn it.
- niteislander

AND he still needs his mother to buy him alcohol....give the KID (would be bigger font if it was possible) a break!!!!!!

you can disagree with me all you want. He has been in 30 games this year and has 1 goal and no assists. Gillies had 2 goals on the 4th line last year. He has had PP time and he has had a lot of very good oportunities he failed to convert. He does not look like a top 5 pick right now. He looks like a Big bodied 3rd round pick. If he wants off that 4th line.. do something to earn it.
- niteislander

you really just compared nino with trevor (frank)ing gillies????

nino is clearly brushing up on the parts of his game he was never forced to use (IE using his physicality as much as possible). being that he always was the scorer, he never needed to use his body. he is being groomed to be the physical presence on a top 2 line. take it easy on the guy....

Dear Cap,

Break up Moulson and Tavares.

Thanks

Why not? Sure they got chemistry but seriously, look at the goals Moulson scores. He gets all his goals by going to the tough spots, he can do it on any line. Breaking them up will spread out our attack and other teams will not be able to focus on one line as much.

Nino-Tavares-PA
Moulson-Nielsen-Grabner
Okposo-Bailey-Martin
Whoever is left (not worth mentioning)
- Mr.Black

I like the way you think.


Especially the last line!

you really just compared nino with trevor (frank)ing gillies????

nino is clearly brushing up on the parts of his game he was never forced to use (IE using his physicality as much as possible). being that he always was the scorer, he never needed to use his body. he is being groomed to be the physical presence on a top 2 line. take it easy on the guy....
- LetsGoIsles