GDT: #7 | Edmonton Oilers @ New York Islanders | Oct 17th | 7PM | F/W 3-2

[ichabod13]

they barely escaped with their lives and people are saying they played well....or an ok game? if smythe puts that "stuff in" attempt in in the third period, guess who is going to overtime.......yet again.
if they keep this **** up, they will be so badly buried in the division that the league will have to create a division just for them. and they probably still wouldnt win the division.

another poorly performing team is coming to long island next. just how piss poor are the boys going to look against cam "the islanders killer" ward and the rest of the hurricanes?

 

[thedonger]

geez, for the prices these weeknight tickets are going for, i just may have to make the trek out from jersey during the week.

 

[SouthShore91]

I just want to say that the booing of Smyth was beyond stupid. And that being the case, it was most assuredly instigated by those mental midgets up in Loudsville. Those guys are beyond annoying.

I swear only Islander fans criticise other fans for being LOUD and getting up and cheering. Unbelievable. I don't get the hate towards these guys. They're there and support the team.

 

[wingnutks]

I had the best seats in the house after the game. Got to sit on the Islander bench, play a game, even got to take a seat in the Isles penalty box(2 mins tripping) Met Nabby too, asked him to play goal for us, he said he was going out drinking, he would play if our game was after 2am.

 

[fnfelon]

I swear only Islander fans criticise other fans for being LOUD and getting up and cheering. Unbelievable. I don't get the hate towards these guys. They're there and support the team.

Thank you...

 

[MattMartin]

Caught a bit of the game tonight -- you guys should thank me. It was 2-1 Edmonton when I tuned in and saw both Isles' goals in the 2nd to go ahead 3-2 -- and I have to say the Isles just looked like a much more cohesive unit. Everything, from positional play, to puck support, to gaps between the defense and forwards, were in the Isles' favor.

Edmonton looks very, very disorganized. They look like a team that, when the puck is bouncing for them, and the highlight reel goals are available, they can blow teams out of the water. But if the other team is playing any semblance of defense, they simply cannot generate many scoring opportunities that require crashing, banging, or mucking around the crease.

Nice to see Bailey playing with confidence. I've been a big proponent (and defender) of his during his struggles, so it's nice to see he's turning into a pretty effective player at both ends of the rink.

You maybe the only Pittsburgh fan in the world that I actually look forward hearing from. Thanks for stopping by, as always!

 

[bigd]

they barely escaped with their lives and people are saying they played well....or an ok game? if smythe puts that "stuff in" attempt in in the third period, guess who is going to overtime.......yet again.
if they keep this **** up, they will be so badly buried in the division that the league will have to create a division just for them. and they probably still wouldnt win the division.

another poorly performing team is coming to long island next. just how piss poor are the boys going to look against cam "the islanders killer" ward and the rest of the hurricanes?

Out of that whole game you pick out the Smythe stuff in attempt as a big threat. That's a save that your goalie has to make. Goalies can't let up wrap around goals at the NHL level.

 

[19NYSports91]

I swear only Islander fans criticise other fans for being LOUD and getting up and cheering. Unbelievable. I don't get the hate towards these guys. They're there and support the team.

Yea, I agree, Idk why people would get mad at that. The one thing that I don't understand is when fans boo the Canadian Anthem and also say "**** Canada", makes no sense when most of the players on the Isles are CANADIAN. Are best player that everyone loves is CANADIAN lol.

 

[Strummergas]

I like them, I've talked to them a few times. They are dedicated if nothing else.

I will give them that, they are dedicated and that goes a long way on nights like last night and Tuesday when the arena is more than half empty. But most of their chants are ridiculous and it seems like they're doing it more for themselves most of the time than they are to get the team or the crowd going. More times than not, Loudville is nothing more than a circle jerk.

 

[Strummergas]

He left the Islanders to sign for less money somewhere else.

Perfect reason to boo someone. Isles fans on this board suck

Let me see, an UFA exercised his right to sign with any team he wanted for whatever reason he wanted and gets booed for it. You're right about Isles fans sucking, but it's not just on this board.

 

[Strummergas]

I swear only Islander fans criticise other fans for being LOUD and getting up and cheering. Unbelievable. I don't get the hate towards these guys. They're there and support the team.

Thank you...

See my response to Stranger as to why I think they're annoying.

Yea, I agree, Idk why people would get mad at that. The one thing that I don't understand is when fans boo the Canadian Anthem and also say "**** Canada", makes no sense when most of the players on the Isles are CANADIAN. Are best player that everyone loves is CANADIAN lol.

It's THAT type of stuff that makes them ridiculous. Again, I respect their dedication and the fact that they make the building sound somewhat full when it's mostly empty. But booing the Canadian anthem, chants like "Canada Sucks" and dumb chants like "Upstate Sucks" during the Buffalo game Tuesday night are just stupid. Again, it seems to me that those guys are there mostly to entertain themselves with their chants than they are to get the crowd going.

 

[Islanderfan17]

I thought that was an ugly win last night, we should have won that game 3-1 or 3-0. But oh well, we got the job done and got an important two points. We NEED two points in one of these next two games, but three or four would be great. The team did look better in the 3rd period last night than they did in the 3rd against Buffalo, so I'll give em' that. Not feeling too confident in this D corps though.

 

[Doshell Propivo]

they barely escaped with their lives and people are saying they played well....or an ok game? if smythe puts that "stuff in" attempt in in the third period, guess who is going to overtime.......yet again.
if they keep this **** up, they will be so badly buried in the division that the league will have to create a division just for them. and they probably still wouldnt win the division.

another poorly performing team is coming to long island next. just how piss poor are the boys going to look against cam "the islanders killer" ward and the rest of the hurricanes?

If, if, if, if, if...

Psst - this is still a flawed team. A very flawed team. They overacheived last year to the point of being mediocre and it's more or less the same team. They're not going to be world beaters. But they're getting points and winning games. Enjoy it.

Not sure what you are expecting.

 

[Felix Unger]

It's getting more and more obvious what this team needs: large partners to pair with Hickey and Visnovsky. Those two are constantly outsized and overmatched and yet they're our best pairing because they are so damn smart and patient with the puck. If they could steady play on separate pairings, we'd be much better. MacDonald and Strait OTOH, have serious cases of the yips.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

I thought that was an ugly win last night, we should have won that game 3-1 or 3-0. But oh well, we got the job done and got an important two points. We NEED two points in one of these next two games, but three or four would be great. The team did look better in the 3rd period last night than they did in the 3rd against Buffalo, so I'll give em' that. Not feeling too confident in this D corps though.

You're not alone.

It is, however, definitely a Dman core with an emphasis on a transition game. This is widely considered the way of the future - and the modern game. However, it is generally accompanied by more than the occasional outmuscling in one's own zone and odd-man breaks.

Still, I'd rather watch these six Dmen than say two of them and another four Carkners.

Very, very difficult to find guys who can do both.

 

[Renbarg]

they barely escaped with their lives and people are saying they played well....or an ok game? if smythe puts that "stuff in" attempt in in the third period, guess who is going to overtime.......yet again.
if they keep this **** up, they will be so badly buried in the division that the league will have to create a division just for them. and they probably still wouldnt win the division.

another poorly performing team is coming to long island next. just how piss poor are the boys going to look against cam "the islanders killer" ward and the rest of the hurricanes?

Islanders outplayed the Oilers throughout the whole game. The Oilers had one little stretch of pressure when we got into penalty trouble. It could have easily been 5-2, 6-2. Dubnyk just played well.

With this team, at this time, its almost more important for them to play well (and for us that means pressure in the o-zone). We did that, the puck just didn't go in. But Oilers weren't really in this game. Same as last game. The Islanders pretty much dominated the Sabres, the bounces just didn't go.

Last year, one of the turning points was that brutal loss in NVMC against the Sabres. Where the Isles outshot them something ridiculous 40 something to less than 20. These last two games have been a good sign.

 

[Quicklime]

If, if, if, if, if...

Psst - this is still a flawed team. A very flawed team. They overacheived last year to the point of being mediocre and it's more or less the same team. They're not going to be world beaters. But they're getting points and winning games. Enjoy it.

Not sure what you are expecting.

This is pretty much what it is. The defense won't "come alive" for a while, and this team seems to play in fashion which deflates the overall potency so far.

I never would have guessed that given their record, Okposo has 6 points in seven games, Bailey and Nielsen are both at a PPG pace, Grabner has 8 points and Tavares nine. For seven games, is this not the kind of production we would want to see? It certainly would be, if this team could spend maybe about 10 less minutes killing penalties or fending off an opponent's attack. As it stands, only 8 players are even minus right now.

Then you have Nabby's stats. My mind it completely blown by this:

GAA: 2.25
W: 3
L: 1
OTL: 2
SV%: .925 <---Isn't that supposed to be good?!?

Those stats may reveal a flaw in system possibly aggravating flaws in players rather than this being so simple as a flawed group of players.....which brings me to Capuano -

Games coached: 202
Wins: 87
Losses: 85
OT Losses: 30
Win %: .505

If this team didn't go "hard in the paint" last season, Cappy doesn't even get to keep that "shiny" cat's-hair-above-.500 record.

I have no clue, it could be mental, it could be coaching, it could be bounces; I have no clue. If this team can figure out how not to blow leads and hold the puck more, they have as much of a chance of turning that overachievement into success as they do falling flat because the 6 players posting pretty stats go cold before they learn how to deny an opponent the puck.

 

[24diving]

and that goes a long way on nights like last night and Tuesday when the arena is more than half empty. .

Why do you keep saying it was more than half empty??? The endzones were a little empty Tuesday, but goal to goal, center was packed...and last nights game even the corners and ends were decent. Don't know the attendance, but had to be over 10,000. Been going for too long to admit, and believe me, I know what it is like when it's dead there, and so far this year has been better weeknights.

 

[seabass45]

I feel bad constantly ripping AMAC every night because he isn't a terrible hockey player. It's just that he isn't a particularly good one either and is vastly overused and miscast. He is exploited on a nightly basis. He can't handle the others teams best players, that's not his fault, he is marched out there, just because at this point. He's a fine Penalty killer and I'm okay with him being on PK1, but his even strength ice time is out of control and he should NEVER, EVER see powerplay time EVER in the NHL...EVER EVER EVER.

Yes I know AMAC gets the tougher assignments but this is a drastic disparity...

AMAC Even Strength Minutes 145 Even Strength Goals Scored against 8

Visnovsky Even Strength Minutes 127 Even Strength goals scored against ONE (Hickey is nearly as good)

According to @garik16, Lubo was on the ice for 17 shot attempts for the Isles vs. 5 for the Oilers. +16/-4 for Hickey. They're pretty good!

 

[24diving]

Anyone know what this guy was doing with the shopvac before the game? pretty sure he was with the oiler broadcast.

 

[Poulin 0n My St1ck]

Anyone know what this guy was doing with the shopvac before the game? pretty sure he was with the oiler broadcast.

sucking up the asbestos

 

[MatthewBarnabysTears]

Let me see, an UFA exercised his right to sign with any team he wanted for whatever reason he wanted and gets booed for it. You're right about Isles fans sucking, but it's not just on this board.

Smyth did nothing wrong and was a pro when he was here (he played really well too!); fans almost always bash guys for automatically signing up with the highest bidder so doing the opposite seems unfair.

But Smyth leaving was the beginning of a major talent exodus from the team. It was a very dark moment for the franchise. I can't criticize any Isles fans who feel the need to do everything they can to express their anger at how things unfolded. Like I said, Smyth is a pro, I highly doubt he takes it personally.

 

[redbull]

According to @garik16, Lubo was on the ice for 17 shot attempts for the Isles vs. 5 for the Oilers. +16/-4 for Hickey. They're pretty good!

was probably the same last year. Hickey and Visnovsky are such great skaters, passers and can carry the puck, they get the Isles out of danger so quickly and create offensive rushes.

It's obvious when watching these guys play. They are far and away better than any other defenseman in this regard, on the Islanders anyway.

I don't like them playing together though. I always hated the combos Cappy has.

Bouchard-Nielsen-Bailey (three passers are playing together?) They played well but anyone can play with Nielsen and Bailey, they are such good, well-rounded, smart players. But both passers.

Visnovsky should play with Hamonic
Hickey should play with AMac
Donovan with Strait

I'd add Carkner for either Strait or Donovan or Hickey.

I also don't like JT and Grabner on the same line. Grabner creates scoring chances on his own, splitting them up gives the Isles more offense overall. Grabner doesn't help JT much.

Tavares needs to play with two a passer and a grinder. Like Bailey and Clutterbuck/McDonald/Martin/Okposo. Ideally Kyle but he doesn't play smart and coughs up the puck far too much, unnecessarily. Not usually to make a great play, usually for a low-percentage move or simply by fumbling the puck.

Nielsen-Grabs is another pair that work extremely well together.

Moulson works with Tavares, no doubt, as long as you have a skater/grinder on the other side. But not ideal, especially 5on5. Best to save Matty M for the PP where he's excellent.

And as I've said a zillion times before, and ITM pointed out again, never play AMac on the PP. Unlike many of you, I think MacDonald is a very good defenseman. He battles hard, blocks shots, plays big minutes (has for the past four years) and plays against the top players. He's miscast in that role, for sure, but he's far from expendable. I hope he re-signs but would understand why he'd walk and take the huge payday that awaits. But on the PP, he's dreadful.

Also, again as ITM pointed out before the season, Donovan has been outstanding at getting pucks through from the point. Such an underrated skill! I think he's gotten more pucks to the net on the 3 min of total PP time in his pro career (if that) than Hamonic and AMac have their whole career (not even sure I'm exaggerating!)

Donovan does look very tentative and outmatched defensively. Seems to lack confidence, which is understandable in his first season. Gotta let him play though.

 

[19NYSports91]

was probably the same last year. Hickey and Visnovsky are such great skaters, passers and can carry the puck, they get the Isles out of danger so quickly and create offensive rushes.

It's obvious when watching these guys play. They are far and away better than any other defenseman in this regard, on the Islanders anyway.

I don't like them playing together though. I always hated the combos Cappy has.

Bouchard-Nielsen-Bailey (three passers are playing together?) They played well but anyone can play with Nielsen and Bailey, they are such good, well-rounded, smart players. But both passers.

Visnovsky should play with Hamonic
Hickey should play with AMac
Donovan with Strait

I'd add Carkner for either Strait or Donovan or Hickey.

I also don't like JT and Grabner on the same line. Grabner creates scoring chances on his own, splitting them up gives the Isles more offense overall. Grabner doesn't help JT much.

Tavares needs to play with two a passer and a grinder. Like Bailey and Clutterbuck/McDonald/Martin/Okposo. Ideally Kyle but he doesn't play smart and coughs up the puck far too much, unnecessarily. Not usually to make a great play, usually for a low-percentage move or simply by fumbling the puck.

Nielsen-Grabs is another pair that work extremely well together.

Moulson works with Tavares, no doubt, as long as you have a skater/grinder on the other side. But not ideal, especially 5on5. Best to save Matty M for the PP where he's excellent.

And as I've said a zillion times before, and ITM pointed out again, never play AMac on the PP. Unlike many of you, I think MacDonald is a very good defenseman. He battles hard, blocks shots, plays big minutes (has for the past four years) and plays against the top players. He's miscast in that role, for sure, but he's far from expendable. I hope he re-signs but would understand why he'd walk and take the huge payday that awaits. But on the PP, he's dreadful.

Also, again as ITM pointed out before the season, Donovan has been outstanding at getting pucks through from the point. Such an underrated skill! I think he's gotten more pucks to the net on the 3 min of total PP time in his pro career (if that) than Hamonic and AMac have their whole career (not even sure I'm exaggerating!)

Donovan does look very tentative and outmatched defensively. Seems to lack confidence, which is understandable in his first season. Gotta let him play though.

Those numbers would be MUCH lower if they were playing against the top lines, just saying. Hamonic needs a new partner, but Visnovsky isn't going to be good in a role in shutting down the other teams top lines. He needs to be on the 2nd pairing. When Hickey was out on the ice against the other teams top lines he was outmatched and looked terrible.

 

[bigd]

was probably the same last year. Hickey and Visnovsky are such great skaters, passers and can carry the puck, they get the Isles out of danger so quickly and create offensive rushes.

It's obvious when watching these guys play. They are far and away better than any other defenseman in this regard, on the Islanders anyway.

I don't like them playing together though. I always hated the combos Cappy has.

Bouchard-Nielsen-Bailey (three passers are playing together?) They played well but anyone can play with Nielsen and Bailey, they are such good, well-rounded, smart players. But both passers.

Visnovsky should play with Hamonic
Hickey should play with AMac
Donovan with Strait

I'd add Carkner for either Strait or Donovan or Hickey.

I also don't like JT and Grabner on the same line. Grabner creates scoring chances on his own, splitting them up gives the Isles more offense overall. Grabner doesn't help JT much.

Tavares needs to play with two a passer and a grinder. Like Bailey and Clutterbuck/McDonald/Martin/Okposo. Ideally Kyle but he doesn't play smart and coughs up the puck far too much, unnecessarily. Not usually to make a great play, usually for a low-percentage move or simply by fumbling the puck.

Nielsen-Grabs is another pair that work extremely well together.

Moulson works with Tavares, no doubt, as long as you have a skater/grinder on the other side. But not ideal, especially 5on5. Best to save Matty M for the PP where he's excellent.

And as I've said a zillion times before, and ITM pointed out again, never play AMac on the PP. Unlike many of you, I think MacDonald is a very good defenseman. He battles hard, blocks shots, plays big minutes (has for the past four years) and plays against the top players. He's miscast in that role, for sure, but he's far from expendable. I hope he re-signs but would understand why he'd walk and take the huge payday that awaits. But on the PP, he's dreadful.

Also, again as ITM pointed out before the season, Donovan has been outstanding at getting pucks through from the point. Such an underrated skill! I think he's gotten more pucks to the net on the 3 min of total PP time in his pro career (if that) than Hamonic and AMac have their whole career (not even sure I'm exaggerating!)

Donovan does look very tentative and outmatched defensively. Seems to lack confidence, which is understandable in his first season. Gotta let him play though.

The reason Vis doesn't play with Harmonic is because they both play the right side even though Vis is a left shot. We have too may left shot D's. Both Vis and Donovan are playing their off sides. Not all D-men can do that well.