A friend of mine said that hockey today has become bubble hockey. It certainly doesn’t resemble the hockey I loved growing up in the 1970s. But if the game today is bubble hockey then I want the Islanders to have the best bubble hockey players available.Swagger was higher than it has been in ages? The team put up a 7 spot on the Rags January 13th...that was 4 games ago, which was the middle of a three game stretch where they scored 5+ in each.
Boogaard and Belak played in a different era. I can assure you, Patrick Kane, Toes, Keith, etc. didn't care that Johnston was in the lineup. If anything, I'm sure they looked forward to having a lesser skilled player to go up against. Didn't work out for them, but I don't think it was because of Johnston. This team is known for blowing teams out from time to time and putting up a ton of goals.
What? Where are these cheap shots? This has actually been one of the cleanest seasons I've seen in a long time. I can't think of a single time Tavares has been run and Barzal is being given a little bit more of the physical play because teams are trying to figure out how to defend him, but there hasn't been anything egregious.
If we're going to take Barzal leaning on Johnston as a sign, maybe we really should look at goal celebrations to determine if Tavares wants to be here.
It's a great watch and I do think @majormet would enjoy it. However, it's just not the same game as it was.
Precisely, not to mention the top guys in the league are so much better at skating that they aren't going to be bothered by some goon who can't catch them.
Johnston was fine in his debut, but some of you are getting way out of hand with the praise. This team scores goals, that's nothing new. Johnston fought someone?! So did Nelson a few games ago. If he can continue to play a positive role for the team, great, but it's been 1 game in a lopsided win. How is he going to be three games from now or in a tighter match up? Many of you are passing judgement way to soon.
Injury Report: Casey Cizikas on IR and recall Ross Johnston from BPT
- Thread starter PK Cronin
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majormet
Registered User
Swagger was higher than it has been in ages? The team put up a 7 spot on the Rags January 13th...that was 4 games ago, which was the middle of a three game stretch where they scored 5+ in each.
Boogaard and Belak played in a different era. I can assure you, Patrick Kane, Toes, Keith, etc. didn't care that Johnston was in the lineup. If anything, I'm sure they looked forward to having a lesser skilled player to go up against. Didn't work out for them, but I don't think it was because of Johnston. This team is known for blowing teams out from time to time and putting up a ton of goals.
What? Where are these cheap shots? This has actually been one of the cleanest seasons I've seen in a long time. I can't think of a single time Tavares has been run and Barzal is being given a little bit more of the physical play because teams are trying to figure out how to defend him, but there hasn't been anything egregious.
If we're going to take Barzal leaning on Johnston as a sign, maybe we really should look at goal celebrations to determine if Tavares wants to be here.
It's a great watch and I do think @majormet would enjoy it. However, it's just not the same game as it was.
Precisely, not to mention the top guys in the league are so much better at skating that they aren't going to be bothered by some goon who can't catch them.
Johnston was fine in his debut, but some of you are getting way out of hand with the praise. This team scores goals, that's nothing new. Johnston fought someone?! So did Nelson a few games ago. If he can continue to play a positive role for the team, great, but it's been 1 game in a lopsided win. How is he going to be three games from now or in a tighter match up? Many of you are passing judgement way to soon.
There have been cheap shots... Marchand got one on JT the game before, and we are getting pushed around a lot, that was part of the decline, a lot of garbage after the whistle... we had guys fighting that should never fight..... I think the smaller chippier guys are not going to pull as much crap with a guy like Johnston around, if he suits up tonight, it will mitigate the garbage that Rinaldi does,
Have you ever seen Nelson play with such swagger before, guys like Quine, Fritz and Chimera played much better with him on the ice as well. Barzal seemed happy to have him, and I am sure JT was as well.
PROMputt
I promise to never forget.
My take on Johnston, he should/can be the new Matt Martin. For all the greif fans give Martin for not being a very good hockey player the 4th line of Martin, Cizikas and Clutterbuck was dynamic. Not every line is going to be a goal scoring line, this isn't the all-star game. The Islanders 4th line with the 3 mentioned above was a game change of pace line. Capuano for all the grief he got(deserved) would always put that line out after the team gave up a goal or to start a period when they needed energy. I have played hockey for many years like many here have. We all know a team can feed off an energy line. It is something this team has missed since Martin was not resigned, and no Chimera, Prince, Quine, etc though better overall skill hockey players do not bring what Martin and Johnston do. As long as Johnston is not a complete defensive liability he can earn a spot on this team.
majormet
Registered User
Good post, Isles teams pre playoffs needed more scoring from the bottom 6 six when the top 6 wasn't that effective lighting the lamp, we have the most offensive top 6 in the game, and that gives us the luxury of carrying more defensive oriented forwards like Cizikas and Clutter, while trying to make Nelson more of a 2 way player, and Ladd is a 2 way player that has been Pipped into the 3rd line... so the final 2 spots.. Johnston over Chimera simply because Johnston is bigger, younger, and as long as he is not a defensive mess, will be effective and the last spot can go to a fringe NHL player like Quine or Fritz, because they just have to finish their checks and score 5-8 goals a year... also we need cheap players on the team, we are going to have some cap issues and carrying these guys will save cap room
stranger34
Registered User
The more I think about it, the more I love the idea of having RJ in the lineup. The Islanders have a lot of players who like to play a chippy game (Clutterbuck, Cizikas, Chimera, Ladd, Mayfield). having someone like Johnston who is not just willing to fight, but is looking for a fight, allows those players to be themselves without having to worry about taking on fighting duties. The Islanders become an exponentially tougher team by adding RJ. He even adds to this more than Boulton IMO because EB was more of a defend his guys type. Johnston seems like something we haven't had in a long time... someone looking for trouble. Konopka was probably the last guy like that we routinely dressed.
majormet
Registered User
Toughness is always a signature of Islander teams, we always have very good fighters and occasional psychos, the only one I did not like have on the team was Simon, he had screws loose
This team has a history of really good fighters... Gillies, Nystrom, Baumgartner, Belanger, Vukota, Howatt, Cairns, etc... and although the game has changed and you don't see staged fights anymore, the needs for a policeman exists on a team with as many skilled players as the Isles.
majormet
Registered User
Either Quine or Fritz is going to breakout in the next 5 games, Fritz seems to be adjusting now
Hunn
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Hard to believe due to their age and development path ... but considering it was you who advertized calling up Ross Johnston – I can’t argue
Hope you are right.
majormet
Registered User
Hard to believe due to their age and development path ... but considering it was you who advertized calling up Ross Johnston – I can’t argue
I think as fans we end up looking narrowly at our own team, but a solid review of the other 30 rosters shows that the other teams have those types of guys on their team, Cappy showed the ability to develop players, Weight needs to start to do that... I mean there are a lot of guys who are AHL heroes making contributions on other teams... Quine, Prince, and Fritz all have put up good numbers in the AHL so either they cap out at the AHL or continue developing in the NHL... players get better in their mid 20's... look at Bailey he was sputtering along and really has gotten better in the past 2 years.
When I hire people, I do hire them based on skill sets, but their development is more important than their initial day on the job. It is a 50/50 proposition, but in sports, what sets the good and bad teams apart is player development
Strummergas
Regular User
majormet
Registered User
Well both players are getting a chance to play now and Quine's window is narrowing for sure... Fritz really is getting his first crack now, and I was skeptical but he looked very serviceable against the Hawks, then again Chimera actually looked fast against them that game
mm11
Registered User
not a bad thing to have an enforcer with a screw loose but I hear ya ...Those ted Nolan teams were tough with chief and Asham playing middle weight...any coincidence we were in the post season? The "Beast" Kenny Belanger was unfortunate as at one time he was flirting with being the heavyweight champ
majormet
Registered User
Belanger had one bad fight if I can recall... I think Johnston just is a mean dude where Martin really wasn't mean... many say that Tom Wilson was not deterred from being a d**ck against us with Martin in the lineup, I think he would think twice with Johnston
PK Cronin
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Marchand is it? Okay, that proves my point. There is nothing other than hockey going on for this club. After the whistle stuff is preventing them from playing during the whistle? Huh? You're grabbing things that can't be refuted and pointing to them as if they're absolute. I think smaller guys should be fighting, that's what team toughness is about. Players dread playing against a team that's going to grind you down and beat you up, not an individual player (for the most part).
Also, I've seen Nelson play a lot better than he did in Chicago before. I've seen Chimera just last season play better with no goon on the ice. You're looking for anything and everything to point to needing these goons and fighting for this team, it's just too much. As @MJF has pointed out, the team scores the most goals in the league...they don't need anymore room or protection. What they need is to stop letting the other team score.
I usually agree with you but in this case, I hope they break out in Bridgeport or on another team.
stranger34
Registered User
That is what I like about Johnston. What I saw from him vs the Hawks was mean. I can't remember the last fighter we had that was legitimately a mean person on the ice. Even Konopka wasn't really like that. I liked Chris Simon, but he wasn't really that either... closest one that comes to mind for me is Haley.
PK Cronin
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Why would you think that?! Have you not seen the gazillion other replays of Wilson head hunting guys? He does it to every team and he does it all the time. Guys who do that understand what is or might happen to them and they don't care. People have made careers doing that.
mm11
Registered User
looking forward to the Isles playing physical with their heavyweight watching their collective backs. Watch Clutterbuck chirping extra hard tonight. Clutterbuck is effective when he plays controlled crazy. Unfortunately its been few and far between with Martin playing in Toronto... If RJ can police effectively it will make us so much harder to play against. This is getting close to crunch time, get mean and angry and wins some games the hard hat way...
majormet
Registered User
majormet
Registered User
I think we just disagree on this subject, it is OK, I might be a bit old time hockey but a little dash of it will help this team
majormet
Registered User
I really don't know the breakdown of how Wilson plays if there is a tough challenge for him on the ice, and if he does it against the Isles, he will pay for it in a big way
PK Cronin
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majormet
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Strummergas
Regular User
Look, if Johnston shows he can take regular shifts, be defensively sound, and not take dumbass penalties, then I'm all for him being here. If he's only here to throw punches, he's a waste of space and a detriment to an already horrible bottom 6.
