SB Nation - Peter Mannino

Training Camp Preview: Position Battles Among AHL Veterans

The Falconer — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 02:49:06 -0000

NHL Training Camp is still about six weeks away from beginning and hockey news is rather sparse. So I decided to put together a table that looks at the AHL stats of F, D and G who will fighting it out at camp for NHL jobs. I tried to include everyone who played in the AHL last season or the season before that (Oystrick, Stewart) who is under contract with the Thrashers.

My table does not include Evander Kane or Angelo Esposito who both played junior hockey last year. I did include Rich Peverly and Bryan Little in the table--even though both those guys have locked up a roster spot, I found it interesting to see how their stats compared to other players.

First up we have the Forwards. I have chosen to list them in the order of their age (except for Bryan Little who I added after I listed all the other forwards). Age is extremely important since a 20 or 21 year old player is MUCH more likely to take a dramatic step forward and a guy at age 25 is close to being a physically mature prospect.

Forwards

Player	Age	08-09 NHL Games	08-09 AHL Games	Career NHL Points Per Game	Career AHL Points Per Game	Career NHL Plus/Minus	Career AHL Plus/Minus
Spencer Macheck	20	0	74	.00	.43	0	+8
Riley Holzapfel	20	2	77	N.A.	.60	N.A.	+10
Jordan LaValle	23	2	64	.50	.48	+1	-15
Anthony Stewart	24	59	0	.11	.51	-4	-19
Brett Sterling	25	6	52	.21	1.04	-5	+17
Joey Crabb	26	29	42	.31	.49	-2	+24
Tim Stapleton	26	4	70	.25	1.06	-3	+15
Josh Gratton	26	19	21	.07	.33	-13	+13
Rich Peverley	27	39	27	.49	.95	+16	+14
Jason Krog	33	4	74	.29	1.19	+5	+41
Bryan Little	21	79	0	.53	.74	-7	+1

A few things jump out at me when I look at these numbers. Peverley was very hot in the 2nd half and that led to his NHL plus/minus being better than his AHL numbers--I expect him to come back down to Earth a little bit next season. Riley Holzapfel is two months older than Spencer Macheck, but the younger player has the better statistical profile. Gratton is a fighter who comes from a tough organization (Flyers). I'm all in favor of signing tough guys rather than using a draft pick on one. In my mind there simply isn't enough difference between a NHL and AHL tough guy to merit using a draft pick that could potentially land an impact player.

LaValle's NHL scoring rate is higher than his career AHL scoring rate--and since the AHL rate has a larger sample size it is probably a better indicator of LaVallee's true NHL offensive skill level. I'll be shocked if Jordan keeps up that half a point per game pace. On average AHL players who make the NHL only keep about 45% of their AHL scoring rate when they move up. Crabb and LaVallee head to camp competing for the same checking line job. The stats suggest that LaVallee has more offensive upside than Crabb, but the plus/minus indicates Crabb has the better two way game. (Plus/minus is not good measure of defensive ability--but it is a good measure of Even Strength Goal Differential which is very important to winning hockey games.)

Anthony Stewart is a mixed bag. On the one hand, his AHL scoring rate suggests he has slightly underachieved offensively in the NHL, but his ugly AHL plus/minus numbers suggest he wasn't much of an impact player in the minors. One year Stewart had a bad plus/minus on a weak team, but the other year he finished nearly dead last in plus/minus on a roster where most players were a slight plus.

Four players (Sterling, Peverley, Stapleton and Krog) have all averaged around a point per game in the AHL. That suggests that they all have sufficient NHL puck skills to play at a high level. Of that group, Peverly and Krog have gotten some real opportunities to make the league. Sterling has never really gotten the long audition he should have received in my opinion (such as last year) and Stapleton might also just need an extended NHL trial to prove himself. Peverley has a NHL job, but the other three might earn one out of camp or have a chance to impress with a mid-season injury call up.

Defense

Player	Age	08-09 NHL Games	08-09 NHL Games	NHL Career Points Per Game	AHL Career Points Per Game	NHL Career Plus/Minus	AHL Career Plus/Minus
Arturs Kulda	21	0	57	N.A.	.26	N.A.	+10
Chad Denny	22	0	40	N.A.	.22	N.A.	-2
Boris Valabik	23	50	11	.09	.17	-16	+41
Scott Lehman	23	1	50	.00	.13	0	-8
Grant Lewis	24	1	54	.00	.39	0	+33
Anssi Salmela	26	26	40	.23	.60	+1	-8
Nathan Oystrick	26	53	0	.23	.54	-2	+8
Noah Welch	26	40	7	.12	.48	-4	+25

Kulda was a top defensemen for Chicago all last year. He's the youngest guy on this list. I think he will become a NHL player, it just a question of when. Chad Denny on the other hand struggled to get into the lineup in the AHL and was even tried as a forward--he's yet another example of a string of busted draft picks to come out of the QMJHL (more on that in a future post).

I know some posters on the official boards are down on Valabik--and he is still rather raw in his decision making at times. But he is still just 23 with some time to take another big step forward. Lehman on the other struggled to suit up in the AHL last year is simply not a very good player. Lewis is 24 but injuries have cost him a year of development, I thought he looked fine in his one NHL game last year.

Salmela, Oystrick and Welch are all fighting for the last few defenseman roster spots and none of them can be considered prospects anymore at they are 26 now. All three players averaged roughly half a point per game in the AHL at age 25 or 26. None are considered outstanding defenders but all three fit into Coach Anderson's offensive minded system and have the puck skills necessary to play with NHL level forwards. Whether they have the hockey IQ or the defensive skills to hang with NHL forwards is the big unknown.

Goalies

Player	Age	08-09 NHL Games Played	08-09 AHL Games Played	Career NHL Save %	Career AHL Save %	Career NHL Goals Against Average	Career AHL Goals Against Average
Ondrej Pavelec	21	12	40	.890	.912	3.42	2.69
Peter Mannino	25	0	50	.885	.900	4.51	2.94
Drew MacIntyre	26	3	34	.864	.918	2.95	2.36

None of the three AHL Veteran goalies have really torn it up at the NHL level. Pavelec has the major advantage of being just 21 at a position where many goalie don't hit their stride until their mid 20s. He has already put up a career AHL SV% close that of MacIntyre who is 5 years older than him.

Conclusion

It is far too early to try and figure out who will win those last roster spots coming out of camp. However, it is August and this is a blog. So let's imagine one of you kidnapped my cat and forced me to make a prediction about the NHL Opening Roster--my guesstimate appears below.

I suspect the competition for the last two forward spots is going to be just brutal. I can imagine LaValle or Crabb sneaking in under the wire too. I'm guessing Evander Kane goes back to the WHL, he might get into a few NHL games. This also assumes no waiver wire pick ups as well. Among the unknowns there is also training camp injuries which often open up a spot.

F1 Kovalchuk-White-Antropov

F2 Kozlov-Peverley-Little

F3 Macheck-Reasoner-Armstrong

F4 Boulton-Slater-Thorburn

D1 Enstrom-Bogosian

D2 Hainsey-Kubina

D3 Valabik-Oystrick

G1 Lehtonen-Pavelec

Bench: Stewart, Hedberg, Salmela

Thrashers Sign 2 More Goalies, Ready to Make a Trade?

The Falconer — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:04:06 -0000

In the last 24 hours the Atlanta Thrashers have added two minor league veterans to their organizational depth chart. By my count that puts them at FIVE GOALIES under contract for next season. The fact that they signed two AHL veterans tells me that they do not plan on Ondrej Pavelec being in Chicago next year.

Now whether Pavelec is in Atlanta or another city remains to be seen. It looks to me like Kari Lehtonen, Johan Hedberg and Pavelec will either fight it out for the two NHL jobs. Or one the team could trade one of them before the season starts.

Drew Macintyre (age 26) has posted excellant numbers in 179 AHL games (.918 SV%), but has seen only 2 NHL starts. He strikes me as a fine choice as a #3 depth chart goalie.

The other addition is Peter Mannino (age 25). He was a 4 year player for the University of Denver and has received 3 NHL starts with below average performance (.885 SV%) in that tiny sample size. He had 34 AHL starts and 3 NHL ones with the Islanders. Peter was also a teammate of Thrashers prospect Grant Lewis with the Pittsburgh Forge of NAHL junior hockey league before both guys headed off to play college hockey.

Kudos to the Thrashers for being pro-active on the UFA minor league goalie market before their options are reduced by other teams signing the best available guys. On paper Drew MacIntyre has an impressive AHL track record.

NHL Free Agency: Islanders need a goalie, continued patience

Dominik — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:04:44 -0000

[New Visitor Welcome: The NHL Draft and free agency are sending a lot of new visitors here. If you're one, or a recent lurker, hop on in and pour yourself a glass! Here's a little Lighthouse Hockey intro and posting guide to make it a better experience. It's set up to allow you to steer the conversation/content. The new member goody bag includes a free highlighter and chocolate mint.]

In the Puck Daddy roundtable before the draft, I had to chirp my belief that Garth Snow's rebuild process -- while painful and necessary -- also included lots of "easy" decisions. Granted, fan relations-wise, it's not exactly easy to let free agent wingers like Ruslan Fedotenko walk when your team lacks scoring and size. It's not exactly easy to tell the fans to wait, be patient, let the kids develop and stop clamoring for the short fix.

But roster management-wise, those are the easy decisions because it's so obviously what the Islanders needed to do. The really tough, legacy-defining decisions don't come until you're on the cusp of contention, you've accumulated a lot of prospects, and you have to decide which ones to trade for short-term help, and which ones to commit years and sizable cap money to. Those are the decisions that have no clear right answer -- until 20/20 hindsight and fan vitriol (or coronation) kicks in.

(Example: Penguins acquire Bill Guerin, lose in first round, as Guerin has his "second San Jose" playoff rental experience. Inevitable fan reaction: "Why did Shero think that washed-up Islander would make a difference?!" Contrast with what really happened: Pens get Guerin, win Cup. "Genius! I knew he'd fit on Crosby's wing!" It's a fine line sometimes. [Update: Incidentally, the Penguins have re-signed Guerin.)

The Islanders won't be in that "really tough decision" position for a while, which is why -- like last summer -- I am again relaxed at the approach of free agency Wednesday. Snow has one must-have: an NHL goalie capable of sharing the load for the recovering Rick DiPietro, and carrying the load if DiPietro gets hurt again. But even that won't make or break next season, which is still about development, patience, and stocking the system -- with the bonus of some exciting kids and winning some games we shouldn't. Snow can lie in the weeds for a Mark Streit-coup, but the Boewmeester's and Heatley-sales of the world are the wrong price at the wrong time for the Islanders.

That said, here's a quick look after the jump [below the poll if you're on the front page] at where the Islanders stand. Weigh in with comments on who you'd like (or stay away from) and vote in the poll.

Pending UFAs: F Andy Hilbert, C Mike Sillinger, F Dean McAmmond, enforcer Mitch Fritz, C Mike Iggulden, F Kurtis McLean (already signed in Europe), C Ben Walter, D Thomas Pock (already signed in Switzerland), D Joe Callahan, D Chris Lee. G Yann Danis, G Joey MacDonald.

Hilbert was useful but should likely be let go. Sillinger wants to come back from hip surgery somewhere, but it's hard to see it happening here. Fritz wants to return, but will Gordon want an enforcer he only uses a couple minutes a game? Will Snow-Gordon go with an enforcer shuttle from Bridgeport again, to protect against the Philadelphia Flu? On defense, Callahan was well-received last season. It appears the Islanders will look elsewhere in goal.

Pending RFAs: RW Blake Comeau, C Trevor Smith, F Jeremy Colliton. C Nate Thompson, D Jack Hillen, D Jamie Fraser. G Peter Mannino.

No news yet on qualifying offers, but Comeau and Hillen are in the long-term plans, Smith -- who I will eventually forgive for wearing Turgeon's #77 -- and Fraser could be, too. Chris Botta said Mannino will not receive a qualifying offer. (We'll always have Chicago, Peter.) Colliton has already gone to Sweden.

Salary Cap Space - committed: Just under $33 million committed. They'd need around $7.8 - $8 million to get to the cap floor, which shouldn't be hard. As always, a huge credit to NHLnumbers for these numbers.

Key Needs: It sounds like Islanders followers are in agreement on the need for a 1A goalie via free agency. As James Mirtle has already pointed out, the market for goalies is flooded. The Islanders could also use another winger with size, or one capable of fighting and playing a regular shift. Although I think this need is a little overstated; John Tavares isn't made of glass.

Potential Targets: Craig Anderson, Scott Clemmensen, Ty Conklin, Antero Niittymaki ... Yann Danis? Please don't ask about Nikolai Khabibulin, or suggest taking Miikka Kiprusoff's giant contract off of Calgary's hands. Wrong guy, wrong price, wrong time.

Physical forwards: Free agent wingers are either out of our league or not that impressive. I'm fine with the Islanders developing their own power forward (although, that would require actually drafting one) or waiting to get one later. Do they need some enforcers so that Tim Jackman isn't always forced into the police role? Sure, I guess -- but I'd rather not devote ice time to an outside enforcer. Candidates for wingers with grit I'd pull out of a hat would include Brad Winchester [edit: Winchester's been re-signed] or Dan Hinote from the Blues, Colton Orr just to fire a shot at the Rangers, Mike Rupp just to ... meh. But not Chris Neil, not David Koci, not anyone else who either fights but can't play, or plays but fights less than you'd like.

On defense, Garth Snow has hinted he is settled -- which doesn't make me happy. But the Islanders do already have six NHL contracts on the blueline -- nd that's before Hillen is re-signed. I guess Rumsfeld would say you go in with the blueline you have, not the blueline you want.

That said, some will still covet a flirtation with local boy Mike Komisarek. I myself was intrigued by that notion a few times earlier this season -- then I heard his rumored asking price. $4 - $6 million for a stay-at-home defenseman? Uh, pass. I bet he's lucky to get $4 million. This era does not afford such silly money for a blueliner who is not part of the offense. That salary slot absolutely must be reserved for an elite two-way blueliner.

The Rest of the Atlantic: The Flyers have their Chris Pronger, but as ever the question will be between the pipes. The Devils need a coach, and may lose John Madden or Brian Gionta. The Penguins won the freaking Cup, but they have decisions to make on their ex-Islanders and blueline. The Rangers have Nik Antropov to sign, and/or giant contracts to shed if possible.

Bottom Line: I never expected the Streit signing last summer, and I sure don't expect another steal this year. The Islanders need to be patient, develop the kids -- and strike if a great opportunity comes available.

But I've made assumptions you may dispute. Let me know in comments. Am I being too forgiving about next year? Are there smart pieces out there Snow could add that help the long-run? Are you of the belief a better enforcer is needed, pronto? And I know many of you weighed in at the end of the season or in recent weeks, but what do you want the goaltending to look like?

[Since the trade deadline and draft hubs were a bit of a hit, SBN is setting up a topic hub for NHL free agency. Hit that URL, the button below, or the sidebar widget for the latest word from all 30 teams.]

Poll

Free agency starts 12:01 p.m. Wednesday. What do you want Garth to do first?

1A Goalie: Anderson, Conklin, Nifty-Niittymaki, just somebody

112 votes

More beef: Another guy who can fight and get more than 3 min. from Gordon

55 votes

The leap: Enter the trade market for other team's malcontents & cap problems

29 votes

196 votes | Poll has closed

By the Numbers: Islanders 2008-09

Dominik — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:34:19 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

The Islanders were 1-6-1 without team MVP Mark Streit, who played a team-high 74 games in 2008-09.

Browse more photos »

Though the playoffs, draft and free agency will capture the attention of this blog from now through the summer, we'll sprinkle retrospective posts here and there, too.

Sure, 2008-09 was ugly, but it doesn't hurt to look back now and then. I'll always view it as Year One of the rebuild that Garth Snow was authorized to begin in earnest in Summer 2008. We'll see how important Year One was in a few years, when we can judge if it was the start of something big ... or just another restart.

In a sense, though, it was easy: While going back to square one with this franchise tested our patience, it was also the simplest step ("Destroy everything. Replace from within. Accept losses for the sake of youth evaluation."). The truly difficult decisions begin now.

On that note, our first look back is the easy one: by the numbers. (Admittedly, part of the purpose of this particular post is to create a place where I can lazily refer to these without digging them up again...):

582 (unofficial count) -- Number of man-games lost to injury. From Rick DiPietro's lost season to 28-year-old rookie Kurtis McLean's cup of coffee cut short by a pre-game soccer warmup achilles injury, the Islanders were in triage all season long. No regular escaped the injury list, and only two players managed 70 games played.

1-6-1 -- The Islanders' record when team MVP and summer free agent coup Mark Streit was out of the lineup.

74 -- Number of games played by Streit, the highest total on the team.

59 -- Games played by defenseman Thomas "the Mole" Pock, a preseason waiver claim from the {gasp!} Rangers. He logged 22:25 in his 2nd game, and 7:05 in his 2nd-to-last appearance. He is an unrestricted free agent.

18 -- Goals by top goalscorer Kyle Okposo, in 65 games played.

198 -- Goals scored by the Isles, above only Colorado's 190. Remarkably, 198 was an improvement over 2007-08, when the team managed 189 (30th). The franchise-low is 170, during the expansion season (78 games) in 1972-73. While a sub-200 season is a rarity, the Islanders scored only 185 as recently as 2000-01, during the 52-point season.

61 -- Standings points, including consolation points from 5 SO losses, 3 OT losses, and bonus points from 3 SO wins.

274 -- Goals allowed (8 empty-netters), ahead of only Atlanta (279) and Toronto (286). A 34-goal increase over last season's 240 (23rd).

-34 -- Brendan Witt's plus/minus, which, um, "stabilized" at Game 51, when Witt hit -29 in the 3-2 loss to Florida Feb. 5. Witt is signed through 2010-11 at $3M per.

45.7% -- Faceoff win pct., ahead of only Phoenix (44.8%). In the seven games of his injury-wrecked season, Mike Sillinger still took 122 faceoffs and won 58.2% of them.

7 -- Number of Islanders to score in double-digits -- 8 if you count Bill Guerin, who had 16 when he was traded for what became Pittsburgh's 3rd-round pick.

5 -- Number of game-winning goals by Sean Bergenheim (out of 15 total for Bergie), which led the team. If Bergie doesn't hit 20 goals next year, it will be due to injury or other calamity. He's signed through next year, when he'll become an RFA.

21 -- Players who played for both AHL Bridgeport and the Islanders this year. (Thanks to Tom of The Tiger Track for the correction in comments.)

4 -- Goalies used by the Islanders, including Joey MacDonald (49 GP) and Yann Danis (31), who each got their first NHL shutouts, and Peter Mannino, who stopped 40 Blackhawk shots in his first NHL win.

.903 -- Team save percentage, which ranked 24th in the league.

1 -- Where the Islanders finished in their most important contest of the season: the NHL Draft Lottery.

That's all for now. We might add to this post as the summer goes on. Have more numbers? Find an error? Have a "yes, but that's misleading" explanation? Leave those and other retrospective thoughts in comments.

Playoff-chasing Hurricanes storm back vs. Islanders

Dominik — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 06:01:05 -0000

It was a team that is playing loose and pressure-free entering the third with a lead, versus a team that went into the third period trailing by one but knowing exactly what needed to be done.

The Hurricanes received a nice break to get that late Tuomo Ruutu goal in the second to pull within one. (I can't believe it was allowed, given the goaltender bum-rush/interference by Erik Cole -- part of a night of officiating frustration for the Isles.) Credit to the Canes for seizing that break and making the Islanders pay in the third, giving themselves an essential two points.

Game Summary | Event Summary | AP Recap

Final - 3.20.2009	1	2	3	Total
New York Islanders	0	4	0	4
Carolina Hurricanes	2	1	2	5

Complete Coverage >

A few quick thoughts on this one:

Great hands from Richard Park once again. Bruno Gervais, too (Mike joked in the game thread about Streit's influence rubbing off on Gervais too much with that great pinch).
Peter Mannino responded well after a rough start, mishandling the puck on the first Canes goal.
Another good night for kids Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen ... and of course, vet Mark Streit, per usual.
The Islanders comeback was nice -- but of course their inability to hold on to it mitigates that satisfaction.
Lottery-wise, this was a bonus: We saw some offense, and we lost a close one. It feels bad to blow the lead, but ... there could be a greater good at work.

Some cross-promotion notes: The Islanders play Ottawa for the first time since the Chris Campoli trade today. In recognition, Peter from SBN's Senators blog Silver Seven and I are trading our perspectives on the deal. You can see mine over at Silver Seven, and he should have a response over here today. As always, you're encouraged to weigh in with your own opinion at either place.

Also, before today's game, I'll be a guest on today's Hockey Night on Long Island at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Just talkin' Isles hockey with Alex and Steve. You can listen in -- and call, or chat (or both) -- through the link below:

Islanders Gameday: Looking to ruin the Canes' run

Dominik — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:35:44 -0000

What a wild ride the playoff bubble race in both conferences has become. Tonight we get to see Carolina -- recently on the outside looking in -- try to solidify its push after winning six home games in a row. Their latest scalp was that of the Brodeur Worshipers. They currently hang on to 8th place by one point.

Former Cup-winning Hurricane rental Doug Weight is of course still out of the lineup. But he's hoping to be back this season -- and next, too, as I've occasionally argued for during this strange Tavares-friendly ride. Brandon Sutter, who Weight took out with a clean but unfortunate hit in October, is also out, having been sent to Albany for more seasoning. So no Mottau/Nielsen-like revenge issues hang over this game.

New York Islanders (24-38-8, 30th) at Carolina Hurricanes (37-27-7, 8th/E)

7 p.m. EDT | [bank-like acronym of some sort] Center | MSG+2 (twice the plus!)

Hurricanes blogs: Canes Country | Red and Black Hockey

Carolina already took the two games on Long Island this season. The last one, that ugly 6-2 loss Feb. 19, was the last awful game the Islanders have played.

Random Sartorial Rant

The Hurricanes' third jersey -- part of the nauseating and never-ending league trend to go "none more blacker" in a truly Spinal Tap way -- is an absolute washout on non-HD TV. With its black accented by silver, combined with opponents' white, it makes games look like they're televised in ancient black-and-white. Up close, it's an okay design given the team's signal flag motif. On TV, a failure. I hate you RBK (vowels not included). I hate you very much.

Roster Notes

The trio of Peter Mannino (fresh off his first NHL win) and forwards Joel Rechlicz and Mike Iggulden are back, having been sent to Bridgeport during the big club's break. Good possibility Mannino gets one start from this back-to-back. [Update: And Logan says it looks like Mannino's start is tonight.]

Tavares/Hedman Lottery Watch

Seems like forever and a day since the Islanders have played, and it wouldn't be a shock to see them come out flat tonight while they regain their sea legs. But how have the four game-less days treated them in the hunt for a 48.2% chance at Tavares? Not too bad: Tampa Bay is now five points ahead, while Colorado, Atlanta and Phoenix are each a minimum 8 points ahead.

"Those games are fun," Kyle Okposo said yesterday after practice. "All the pressure's on them. They need wins to get into the playoffs and it's great going into an arena knowing that's the situation especially on the road."

The Islanders have at least one game in hand on each of those fellow Tavares combatants. But the phenomenon of low-pressure, play-for-jobs and spoil-the-playoffs energy Okposo references has been in evidence in surprising wins from each of these basement teams.

So look at it this way: With 12 games left, does anyone see a five- to eight-point margin as the kind of surmountable difference for a playoff bubble team like Anaheim? No? Then no reason to expect that from a basement-dweller, either. Despite their improved run, the Islanders' lottery position is starting to look secure.

A Tank For Tavares Update: Those Crazy Isles Make A Run

James Mirtle — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:08:06 -0000

Leave it to Charlie Wang and the wacky bunch to make the race to the bottom in the NHL standings more interesting. Back in mid-January, the Isles were a brutal 12-29-4, dead last by a mile and on pace for the lowest full-season point total (51) since the Thrashers entered the league 10 years ago.

They've won 12 times since then, despite icing an AHL-calibre roster, and are 6-2-2 in their past 10 games. The teams just ahead of them have been so brutal that it's entirely possible the Isles just might ruin their chances for top billing in the John Tavares sweepstakes.

Here's the race as of now (with the lotto odds for the No. 1 pick):

	Teams	GP	PTS	/82	Lotto
1	N.Y. Islanders	70	56	66	48.2
2	Tampa Bay	69	60	71	18.8
3	Phoenix	69	62	74	14.2
4	Colorado	70	63	74	10.7
5	Atlanta	70	64	75	8.1
6	Ottawa	68	66	80
7	Toronto	70	69	81
8	Los Angeles	69	68	81
9	Anaheim	69	70	83
10	St. Louis	69	72	86
	Minnesota	69	72	86

Give Scott Gordon credit, though — he's making chicken salad out of ~~chicken~~ not a whole lot, and I'm sure proving to the brass on the Island that he's the right guy to lead them somewhere when they're ready to go.

Just to show what I mean, here were the Isles' lines for their game on the weekend, a 4-2 win in Chicago over what's been a pretty good Blackhawks team this season:

Bailey - Comeau - Iggulden
Hilbert - Jackman - Thompson
Nielsen - Okposo - Tambellini
McAmmond - Park - Rechlicz

Gervais - Streit
Martinek - Witt
Hillen - Pock

Mannino

That's a first line that had 55 NHL games experience prior to this season, a second line with 308 games, a third with 119 and a grizzled fourth with 1,404 between the two old-timers. The average forward on the top three lines had played 53 career games prior to this season.

Peter Mannino, meanwhile, was making his first-ever NHL start and made 40 saves. He's an undrafted, 25-year-old goalie who started the year in the ECHL, by the way.

Nutty. But, hey, with fans and media all calling for the tank job to continue, why not make it interesting?

A couple more wins, and their chance at Tavares drops 30 per cent. (Meanwhile Phoenix looks so bad that they might not win another game. The Desert Dogs are 4-16-1 in their past 21 games.)

Mannino's 1st NHL start? Just 40 saves and a win over Blackhawks

Dominik — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 01:38:31 -0000

If giving Peter Mannino his first NHL start was, as some have jested, part and parcel of the Tank for Tavares plan, Mannino must have missed the memo. With his parents smiling and beaming at each save -- and catching the frequent eye of the MSG+ cameras -- the 2005 Frozen Four MVP had a game to remember.

"I couldn’t ask for anything better. That’s the dream come true: to get a start in the NHL and to get a win on the first one with a lot of shots like that," said Mannino. "It’s picture perfect."

Game Summary | Event Summary | AP Recap

Final - 3.15.2009	1	2	3	Total
New York Islanders	0	3	1	4
Chicago Blackhawks	0	1	1	2

Complete Coverage >

A slumping Blackhawks team that knew it needed a good start indeed came out firing. But Mannino answered every call in the first period and turned aside all 12 shots. The second period brought more -- including three breakaways, the penultimate one by young star Patrick Kane -- as he turned away 17 shots. Mannino gave the road-weary Isles the breathing room they needed to stun a far better squad.

Having received his debut in mop-up duty during the ugly Bruins blowout in November, Mannino came into this game with a .625 NHL save percentage. After 40 saves in his first NHL win, that career number is just a tad prettier: .900.

Much more, plus Mannino video highlights, after the jump ...

The Power Play Turns Around

The Islanders came out looking cold and lethargic on this second road matinee in as many days. The power play that emerging leader Mark Streit criticized after last game continued to struggle -- yet its breakthrough is what gave the Islanders a taste of blood today, putting the young Hawks squad in an uncomfortable position in front of its home crowd.

As if out of ideas, the power play returned to what has worked all season: Create space for Streit, and let him blast one of his cannons over the goaltender's shoulder. How about do it twice? With his 14th and 15th goals and his 37th assist, Streit has now surpassed 2007-08 scoring leader Mike "bad apple" Comrie's point total (49) from last season.

Ice Time and Defense

Streit logged another near half-hour of ice time (27:20), and Bruno Gervais again looked comfortable logging almost as much (26:04). In fact, Bruno's recent ice time is more impressive when you consider he gets half the power play time that Streit does. Earlier this season, Scott Gordon would sometimes give Bruno such heavy loads out of what seemed like injury necessity. But for the past couple of months, it seems to be the result of confident trust in Bruno's game. Where have you gone, Chris Campoli?

The number of breakaways allowed was particularly alarming -- and uncharacteristic of the Islanders recently. But Brendan Witt, Radek Martinek and Bruno Gervais each did enough to at least provide angling pressure on the Hawks breakaways -- without taking a penalty -- allowing Mannino to play the angle and squarely cut down the shooting openings. This sound, square positioning was a staple of Mannino's afternoon.

Young Hawks Failed to Respond

As the Islanders caught their breaks, you could see the dread set in on the Blackhawks squad, particularly after the United Center crowd turned on them and then literally deserted them. "We've played hard, we deserve to be ahead," their body language seemed to say. But the Islanders, seeing their opportunity as they entered the third up 3-1, played a textbook road-weary period: Keep it simple, let the other team's frustration undo themselves. Not pretty, but just what the doctor ordered on the final day of travels.

The Hawks mounted one final push late in the period, pulling their goalie with nearly five minutes left to create repeated 6-on-4s and even a 6-on-3. But like the Quenneville-coached teams I remember in St. Louis, creativity was wanting when it mattered most. They appeared not to know what to do with their multiple extra men, and might have benefited from simply stashing all extra bodies in an umbrella above Mannino's crease.

But that's not to sell Mannino's effort short. He indeed faced a barrage at the end of the game, and he stood tall when his defensemen weren't able to stand in the way for him. It was just odd to see the Hawks simply blasting away rather than create more side-to-side movement to draw the Islanders desperate triangle out of position.

Certainly this is a game the Blackhawks should have won. The fact the Isles stole this one doesn't feel good for Tavares-oriented eyes. But seeing Mannino stand on his head in his first real NHL action, and watching his parents thrill in the show their son was putting on -- well, I guess that makes it feel okay.