Just a few observations from last night's 4-2 Islanders' win over Philadelphia, which I attended in person with Off Wing's official brother-in-law:
The Islanders are essentially a team centered around two "superstar" centers (Alexi Yashin and Michael Peca), a superior defense (Kenny Jonsson, Adrian Aucoin, Roman Hamrlik, Janne Niinimaa), and a supporting cast of hard working role players. Last night, it was the role players who picked up the two superstars -- individuals who simply aren't earning their fat paychecks.
Their was plenty of intensity on the ice last night for New York -- much of it demonstrated by spare parts Jason Blake, Arron Asham, Dave Scatchard, and Shawn Bates. In particular, it was clear that Blake simply never takes a shift off, and never backs down -- no matter who it might be that he goes into a corner with. When he managed to score the game winning goal in the third period, it hardly came as a surprise.
Compared with the urgency that Blake brings to each shift, team captain Peca doesn't seem to care much at all. The energy he once brought to the ice -- especially in his first season with the Islanders in 2001-02 -- seems to be completely drained from him. He'll play hard in spots, but he seems to be picking those spots awfully carefully, and those moments are becoming fewer and further between. With the sort of game Peca is supposed to be playing, he can't afford to take that approach, as he simply doesn't have the kind of talent to rely on. He may very well be looking for a change in scenery, public statements notwithstanding.
As for the Islanders' fattest contract, Yashin's game seemed awfully soft last night -- though he did win a critical offensive zone faceoff that resulted Asham's game-tying goal (Yashin was hurt on the play, as his right arm was lacerated by Michael Handzus' skate blade). Time and time again, it seemed as if it was just too easy for Philadelphia to move Yashin off the puck, and his game seems to be limited to finding open space on the ice, rather than fighting his way to spots where he can score. While he has been playing better of late (7 goals and 2 assists in his last 10 games), and has been dominating for stretches in his 2 plus seasons on Long Island, his play isn't nearly consistent enough to justify his extravagant contract. When it comes to the Islanders' long-term future, it's clear to me that Yashin is as much an albatross for the team as Jaromir Jagr is in Washington.
The good news for the Islanders last night is that the role players and their defenseman simply outworked Philadelphia for the win. For most of the first two periods, despite grabbing a 1-0 lead, New York was physically dominated by a larger and stronger Flyers lineup -- something that made me think how much the team must miss Jason Wiemer, the rugged center that GM Mike Milbury waived a few weeks back in a simple minded effort to cut payroll.
On the Island, Snow remains the best option -- for now.
Garth Snow had a better than average night in goal (34 saves), but nobody thinks he's the long term solution in net for the Islanders. Unfortunately, with Rick DiPietro's development seemingly stalled, Snow is the only real answer the team has in goal these days. The good news is that the Islanders have a very deep set of defenseman playing in front of Snow. With Roman Hamrlik scratched because of the flu, Radek Martinek found his way back into the lineup, and he looked more than at home. Perhaps Hamrlik could be moved in exchange for the winger that Yashin has always said he needs working with him?
While Trent Hunter is currently leading all NHL rookies in scoring, I was less than impressed now that I've had the chance to see him up close. His skating leaves a lot to be desired, and he simply looks lost in the defensive zone. While he's big (6-3), he needs to speed up and bulk up if he wants to stay in the NHL. A solid offseason of power skating and weightlifting would do him a world of good.
UPDATE: Yashin will be out 10-12 weeks. Guess we'll get to see how the Islanders do without him. And when this happened at last night's game, I was in the bathroom:
A parade of Santas turned holiday cheer into anything but at Nassau Coliseum.The New York Islanders offered a free ticket to Tuesday night's game against the Philadelphia Flyers to anyone who came dressed as Santa Claus.
After the first period, around 1,000 Santa-clad fans were invited onto the ice in their costumes. But the good will went somewhat awry when two Santas ripped off their jackets to reveal jerseys of the rival New York Rangers.
Some Santas, partial to the Islanders, jumped the ones with the Rangers jerseys. They were knocked to the ice and had the shirts ripped off during a melee in one corner of the rink.
Security tried their best to calm the fans down, but some took advantage and went sliding across the ice.
The entire parade took nearly nine minutes, and nearly delayed the start of the second period. The Islanders rallied in the third period for a 4-2 victory.
Islanders forward Arron Asham said the team wasn't aware of the in-between periods excitement. But when he was briefed, a smile came across his face.
"Awesome," Asham said.
What's worse, I had my camera with me.
I felt the same way when Pavel Bure scored on a penalty shot while I was in the bathroom. Doh!