GDT: #6 | Buffalo Sabres @ New York Islanders | October 15 | 7PM F/SOL 4-3

[Hipietro]

Neither save would have been incredible, would they? Come on..

No, but it would also help if Strait didn't flub an easy clear and proceed to screen Nabokov.

Nabby hasn't exactly been stellar but the D isn't making his job any easier.

 

[Le Grec]

blah blah blah, same crap we always hear about Hickey. There were a ton of things not to like about tonight's game but Hickey's play wasn't one of them. Honestly he was the best Islander defenceman on the ice tonight. There's literally 15-20 people I would call out tonight before Hickey.

Ultimately it falls on the coach, tonight's line-up was insane. Weight continuing this ridiculous PP system is insane, not sure if he noticed but the oe time JT says F this and wheeled around to the right side of the ice (and the correct side) they end up scoring on his first shot there. GEE!

I could go further like one of the worst shifts ever played by any player ever, when AMAC flubbed on the rush, comes back down the ice does a behind the back pass from his own corener directly to the sabre defenceman who shoots on net, Then tries to kick it soccer style unsuccessfully and then hang out in front of nabby and wait for a whistle instead of trying to tie a man up or luck for the loose puck behind nabby.

How about Moulson getting in the way of AMAC on the rush, and then after amac turns it over, Moulson gets in his way again when he tries to recover...

Brian Strait and Matt Carkner on the ice with a one goal lead with 2 minutes to go and a timeout in your pocket... OKAY

There were a comedy of errors, from the line-up card through the shootout.

Hickey on Stafford isnt a blip on the radar, and just a way for Hickey haters to spew venom towards their target. Here's the bright side, it's not like you missed a good game tonight.

It's nice to hear Jack mention "passengers" in his post game propaganda, but I never see those "passengers" ever being scratched.

He is the worst aspect of this organization. He needs to go a.s.a.p.!!! And replaced with someone with some freakin' experience!!!!

I still get super P***** when I think back to the Carolina game last year where he called a t.o. near the end of the first, having just gotten a p.p., leading 2-0 & owning the game up until that point, just to give J.T's line a breather. I remember thinking, "who calls a t.o. when everything is going right?" And as expected, like most of Cappy's...odd decisions, it backfired and the team lost.

Tonight, up by a goal, 2 minutes left, f.o. in your own end, and instead of calling a t.o., you play your 2 worst D-men. Decision backfired and the team lost.

On a side note...

Please trade Moulson while he still has some value. Let's not turn this into another Comeau situation.
In return, i'd LOVE either Jack Campbell, Jake Allen, James Reimer, or Robin Lehner.

 

[duster19]

It's nice to hear Jack mention "passengers" in his post game propaganda, but I never see those "passengers" ever being scratched.

He is the worst aspect of this organization. He needs to go a.s.a.p.!!! And replaced with someone with some freakin' experience!!!!

I still get super P***** when I think back to the Carolina game last year where he called a t.o. near the end of the first, having just gotten a p.p., leading 2-0 & owning the game up until that point, just to give J.T's line a breather. I remember thinking, "who calls a t.o. when everything is going right?" And as expected, like most of Cappy's...odd decisions, it backfired and the team lost.

Tonight, up by a goal, 2 minutes left, f.o. in your own end, and instead of calling a t.o., you play your 2 worst D-men. Decision backfired and the team lost.

On a side note...

Please trade Moulson while he still has some value. Let's not turn this into another Comeau situation.
In return, i'd LOVE either Jack Campbell, Jake Allen, James Reimer, or Robin Lehner.

Ottawa isn't trading Lehner for Moulson..common

 

[WangMustGo]

No, but it would also help if Strait didn't flub an easy clear and proceed to screen Nabokov.

Nabby hasn't exactly been stellar but the D isn't making his job any easier.

Defensemen make mistakes, goaltenders are supposed to be there to bail them out. If we have Lundqvist on this team we would have at least 4 more points, at a minimum. The 1st goal against the blue jackets was awful, a couple of the preds goals were awful, and tonight the last goal was poor. not to mention the games we have won were he has given up weak ones.

 

[13th Floor]

Just finished watching the game. I wrote a whole wall of text and erased it and all I can say is... I'm not making GDTs anymore.

 

[Mustang2750*]

Nice to see Okposo is still the worst player on the entire roster

 

[BaileyToOkposo]

Do you watch the NHL? That's the goalie's job.

We don't have a goalie whos going to win us games. The guy always lets up weak goals. I have no trust in him whatsoever. Some fans just don't want to admit it. Even rag fans are starting to admit if we had a better goalie we could be alot better. They agree he's weak

 

[13th Floor]

Nice to see Okposo is still the worst player on the entire roster

I'll bite.

Really? You have a vendetta against him in every thread. It's getting tired dude. Get a grip. Go look in the mirror and tell yourself he's the WORST player on this roster. Please tell me you can honestly say that, because then I know you have no clue what you are talking about.

He wins battles on the boards for that line. He showed snarl coming to Tavares' defense. He's not a playmaker like Bailey or Tavares, but you NEED an Okposo on your roster. I agree he isn't our 1st line RW answer, but to call him the worst player on the roster makes you look like a fool dude. And saying it in every thread makes you a joke.

 

[Mustang2750*]

I'll bite.

Really? You have a vendetta against him in every thread. It's getting tired dude. Get a grip. Go look in the mirror and tell yourself he's the WORST player on this roster. Please tell me you can honestly say that, because then I know you have no clue what you are talking about.

Don't be a joke.

Clearly you are not watching any games.

He is absolutely the worst player on our roster. There are players like PMB and Regin who don't do much but they also don't cause us to lose games.

Okposo turns the puck over relentlessly, is a HORRIBLE passer, has no shot, and can barely stay on his feet.

He is an absolute cancer on the first line. He should be a 3rd line player getting half the playtime that he actually gets. Put him on the 3rd line and I won't complain because he won't be out there to **** up Tavares' plays nonstop.

Isles fans are clueless....they loved Jason Blake, loved Trent Hunter..those guys are HORRIBLE. Okposo is no different.

 

[13th Floor]

Clearly you are not watching any games.

He is absolutely the worst player on our roster. There are players like PMB and Regin who don't do much but they also don't cause us to lose games.

Okposo turns the puck over relentlessly, is a HORRIBLE passer, has no shot, and can barely stay on his feet.

He is an absolute cancer on the first line. He should be a 3rd line player getting half the playtime that he actually gets. Put him on the 3rd line and I won't complain because he won't be out there to **** up Tavares' plays nonstop.

Isles fans are clueless....they loved Jason Blake, loved Trent Hunter..those guys are HORRIBLE. Okposo is no different.

I edited my post to include more of what I meant. Meh.. I have a few beers in me... oh well.

But yea. You don't know what you are talking about and you proved it. Fair enough

I'm done arguing with someone who has a vendetta against someone -- in EVERY thread.

I should watch some games though... as you point out.

 

[Mustang2750*]

I edited my post to include more of what I meant. Meh.. I have a few beers in me... oh well.

But yea. You don't know what you are talking about and you proved it. Fair enough

I'm done arguing with someone who has a vendetta against someone -- in EVERY thread.

I should watch some games though... as you point out.

I don't have a vendetta against anyone. He is consistently horrible at pretty much everything he does...he turns the puck over more than anybody I have ever seen. He is a waste of space on the team (not saying some other guys aren't aswell), and the fact that he plays on the first line is embarassing. A lot of this has to do with Capuano's AWFUL line management/combinations but it doesn't change the fact that Okposo is barely a 3rd line player.

Anybody who still like this guy has no idea what they are talking about and I can't argue with people who are that clueless.

 

[A Pointed Stick]

Brutal wake up call, losing an easy win against a crap team in the fashion we did, but it really did highlight some problems. I will start with the biggest problem of all:

Capuano is depriving a bad ECHL team of a head coach. Many of you remarked upon this already, but one aspect I didn't see brought up was the horrendous decision to overextend shifts - beyond his norm no less. I've played rec hockey with teams more aware than he is of ice time. Someone needs to sit Cappy down and have a serious talk, as if he was a gambler throwing his life savings away on crap tables... Tavares for just 20 more seconds... stay out there kid! Sorry, Capuano fans, but he is not an NHL quality head coach. WTF Snow can't see that much I do not understand.

The second problem on the list - Nabokov is not a starter on anyone's team besides ours. That final goal was not a screen. Ok, I will say it again - IT WAS NOT A SCREEN. He saw it, he squared, he moved to get it and it blew right by him. WHIFF batta batta, Sa-wing batta! The top down replay proved he saw it, moved to it, and flat out MISSED.

#3 - Strait has completely regressed. You all have already covered it, but the guy underwent a lobotomy since his big injury. Killing Hickey, who had a good game BTW, and ignoring Strait is criminal tonight.

On the positive side I liked Clutterbucks game. The guy is really beginning to come back - expect more awesome from Pascal(vin). He really needs to spell his name correctly one day

I also like to see Nielsen shooting more. He is better for it.

And with that the early season slump is upon us. Watch with both shock and awe as we ice a team of promising youth, with no support from the owner, GM, or valuable free agents burn another season to the ground before the end of December.

Yeeaah. Some things never change.

 

[A Pointed Stick]

We should have grabbed Biron off of waivers-honestly there was no legit reason not to.

I understand where you are coming from with this, but if you didn't catch any of Biron's last days as a goaltender please chase the video down somewhere and watch. He is worse than Nabby.

I watched Hiller in his last game and he would really do nicely. Anaheim is coming out strong so for now they won't be selling unless they are over an internal budget, but I sure would love to bring him in. Nabby is done, and the team plays like a wounded raccoon with Poulin because they trust him about as much as I do.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

Defensemen make mistakes, goaltenders are supposed to be there to bail them out.

Goaltenders aren't allowed to make mistakes?

 

[wingnutks]

Throw everything out the window with this game. This is a perfect storm for an Islanders loss. We have every advantage in the book. We have no chance to win this game, book it.

No, I think this game will have no implications whether or not the Isles make the playoffs or not, this will not be a statement game. Its just the simple fact that all you will hear on every hockey talk show will be "the Islanders hand the Sabres their first win of the season". I wouldnt even be surprised if the game winning goal was the first of one of the Sabres career.

 

[Islanderfan17]

Strait is awful and I don't really see anything special about Hickey to be honest. IMO our D is our weakest spot this year.

 

[crashthenet]

Brian strait certainly not bringing his A game to the rink was and has been an issue. Not sure Donovan is not a better player to have in the line-up based on his play. Having 4 defenseman who bring little to nothing to the table offensively is an issue.

I thought Okposo worked his butt off tonight but what was with the passes?

 

[PK Cronin]

Oh man point and blame fingers all you want at the players, but as I tweeted out after this game I put this one 100% on Capuano. As my buddy says, "Prevent defense only prevents you from winning."

Every time we have a lead in the third Capuano decides to go to this chip and chase game that never works. The other team always scores. Isles need to keep the petal to the metal and Capuano has to realize we aren't a team that can stop playing at any point.

You're right, but you do have to adjust a little bit.

Hickey is an undersized dman with ZERO offensive skill. He is poor on the breakout and has the shot of a high school player. He is average in our own zone but for a small dman you need more.

He has some pretty good offensive moves.

People are really putting this on Nabokov and Hickey?

The team played fine tonight. I actually really liked the game they played. A lot more physical and in your face. Strait blew the game and needs to sit for Donovan and put in Nelson for boulton vs Edmonton. Do that and move on.

I'm pissed about the lost point but this had nothing to do with Nabokov or the play hickey got best on in overtime.

Capuano deserves some real blame for having that pairing out there late. Use your time out and get hammer / amac out there

Not putting it on Nabby, but he's really not good and he has to stop letting in the soft ones.

did you watch the game? there were plenty of plays where nabby bailed us out

No there weren't. Him making a save isn't bailing us out, every goalie in the league makes these saves. It's also not about the ones you make all the time, but the ones you let in. You cannot have a goalie who lets in at least 2 soft goals a game. Just can't have it.

Amazing how many free passes our goaltenders get. Wasn't nab boys fault we lost, but man, he's gotta make that save. He is terrible glove high..terrible. It's so hard to win in the NHL when you have to score 4 goals a night

He HAS to make that save, but he never does. He doesn't bail the team out of trouble late or when there are momentum swings. He is just not a great NHL goalie.

 

[JTforPres2012]

Nice to see Okposo is still the worst player on the entire roster

Really? I thought KO had a very solid performance tonight. He drove to the net hard, created opportunities...We all get you have some issue with him, but come on man.

 

[JTforPres2012]

Brutal wake up call, losing an easy win against a crap team in the fashion we did, but it really did highlight some problems. I will start with the biggest problem of all:

Capuano is depriving a bad ECHL team of a head coach. Many of you remarked upon this already, but one aspect I didn't see brought up was the horrendous decision to overextend shifts - beyond his norm no less. I've played rec hockey with teams more aware than he is of ice time. Someone needs to sit Cappy down and have a serious talk, as if he was a gambler throwing his life savings away on crap tables... Tavares for just 20 more seconds... stay out there kid! Sorry, Capuano fans, but he is not an NHL quality head coach. WTF Snow can't see that much I do not understand.

The second problem on the list - Nabokov is not a starter on anyone's team besides ours. That final goal was not a screen. Ok, I will say it again - IT WAS NOT A SCREEN. He saw it, he squared, he moved to get it and it blew right by him. WHIFF batta batta, Sa-wing batta! The top down replay proved he saw it, moved to it, and flat out MISSED.

#3 - Strait has completely regressed. You all have already covered it, but the guy underwent a lobotomy since his big injury. Killing Hickey, who had a good game BTW, and ignoring Strait is criminal tonight.

On the positive side I liked Clutterbucks game. The guy is really beginning to come back - expect more awesome from Pascal(vin). He really needs to spell his name correctly one day

I also like to see Nielsen shooting more. He is better for it.

And with that the early season slump is upon us. Watch with both shock and awe as we ice a team of promising youth, with no support from the owner, GM, or valuable free agents burn another season to the ground before the end of December.

Yeeaah. Some things never change.

Same old Isles.

 

[PK Cronin]

Really? I thought KO had a very solid performance tonight. He drove to the net hard, created opportunities...We all get you have some issue with him, but come on man.

Really? He blew a bunch of opportunities because he was passing into people skates and behind them...

His game picked up near the end, but he was god awful during the first 2 periods.

 

[JTforPres2012]

Really? He blew a bunch of opportunities because he was passing into people skates and behind them...

His game picked up near the end, but he was god awful during the first 2 periods.

This happened maybe twice on the 3 on 2 and one play on the boards where he couldn't get it through to JT, but at least he's making plays. Numerous times he drove to the net and drew some action, unlike some players like Regin who I don't even remember being on the ice tonight.

 

[MDIsles]

Can we all quit whining they are 2-2-2 with 76 games left and the whole Metro blows outside of the Pens right now. Relaxxxxxxxxxx!!!!!

 

[Words Of Wisdom]

Really terrible loss. Really demoralizing loss. I'm not putting all the blame on Nabby, but I wish he wasn't our G. Our defense is weak. Okposo really needs to learn how to pass. Frustrating loss..

 

[wingnutks]

Can we all quit whining they are 2-2-2 with 76 games left and the whole Metro blows outside of the Pens right now. Relaxxxxxxxxxx!!!!!

Which is why we need to be making up ground against subpar teams when we are ****ing at home with time off against a horrible team on their second of a back to back!

Really terrible loss. Really demoralizing loss. I'm not putting all the blame on Nabby, but I wish he wasn't our G. Our defense is weak. Okposo really needs to learn how to pass. Frustrating loss..

This. Makes me want to kick a kitten.

KO was ****ing horrible tonight. His hockey IQ is rediculiously low and it takes him forever to get it back every season.