SB Nation - Sean Bergenheim

Jon Sim: Your chief penalty drawer

Dominik — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:40:56 -0000

I was wondering about the Islanders' struggling penalty kill, and the notion occurred to me that Mark Streit has been taking a lot of penalties this year: Could his presence in the box be hurting the penalty kill? Perhaps. As the team's best overall defenseman, Streit is also the Islanders' best penalty killing blueliner, so putting him in the box is a double-whammy. But in terms of PK time per game, he actually sees less time than Andy Sutton, Brendan Witt, Bruno Gervais and Jack Hillen.

As it turns out, my perception was wrong: Streit isn't taking any more penalties than he took last year: He had 31 minors in 74 games last year; he has 15 in 36 games this year. So that theory dies on the vine. (Incidentally, Streit's penalties taken per 60 minutes (5-on-5) is similar to Hillen's but less than Witt's and Freddy Meyer's. Defensemen inevitably take more penalties; the better ones take fewer of them without giving up goals.)

But what I did notice when checking out Behind the Net's penalties drawn/taken data could be a counter-argument, or at least a bit of explanation, to the Sim-haters: Jon Sim has drawn the most penalties on the team this year (12), and better yet, he's committed only half as many (6) as he's drawn. Which speaks to Scott Gordon's quote after the win over the Rangers:

"It's a rivalry where you want your guys to play hard and play between the whistles, and [Sim] does a great job with that. He certainly draws more penalties than he takes..."

That Behind the Net link is solely for 5-on-5 play, so it doesn't perfectly match what you'll find in the NHL's totals. (For example, that table lists John Tavares as having taken one penalty and drawn eight, while the NHL lists him as having taken four -- at least two of those have been while the Islanders were on the powerplay, 5-on-4.)

Nonetheless, it's worth a look, as it shows some of the Islanders forwards who draw a whole lot more than they commit, including {ahem} Sim. Other Islanders forwards who look good: Sean Bergenheim, taking 3 and drawing 10; Josh Bailey (3-8); and Richard Park (5-9), who's always good in this category.

Dec. 20, 2009	Taken	Drawn	Taken/60 (5-on-5)	Drawn/60
Sim	6	12	1.0	2.0
Okposo	7	10	0.9	1.3
Bergenheim	3	10	0.5	1.6
Park	5	9	0.7	1.3
Bailey	3	8	0.5	1.3

One guy whose ratio doesn't look quite as good is Kyle Okposo (7-10). Players like him and Bergenheim tend to draw more than they take simply because they never stop moving their feet (whereas Tavares draws them because opponents generally crap their pants when he has the puck). But in this category, Okposo was much better last year (11 taken, 20 drawn).

Witt Giveth, Witt Taketh Away

Among defensemen, whose figures here are always lopsided, one guy stands out: Brendan Witt has taken a lot (even more than Streit, per 60 minutes of 5-on-5), but he's also drawn a lot: 10 taken, 8 drawn. That might speak to the physical side Witt brings; he not only crosses the line -- as all defensemen not named Nicklas do -- he also gets other players to cross the line in retaliation.

I'm as concerned about Witt's fit in Scott Gordon's scheme as the next guy, but I do recognize that he along with Sutton, Bergenheim and Sim bring some of the agitation that is needed to make sure other teams don't think you're too easy to play against. That the Islanders employ less-than-ideal options in many of these roles comes with the rebuilding territory, I'm afraid.

Don't Draw, Just Score

Now, there's a bit of luck and automated accounting (dependent on NHL game sheets) involved in this -- not to mention the perils of referees' all-too-human judgment, which has screwed more than a handful of Islanders in the last few games. And this is not exactly a defense of Sim, at least not a defense of him appearing on the powerplay.

But in terms of fourth-liners and agitators, you want guys who can do their jobs without handicapping you by taking penalties. All concerns about Sim's use aside -- sometimes he's not on the fourth line, which is what bugs people -- Sim is doing what Gordon asks of him: Going to the net, ticking opponents off, drawing penalties. That doesn't explain why he sometimes appears on the powerplay or on Josh Bailey's wing. But it just might speak to why Gordon keeps putting him in the lineup for a spot that usually amounts to just 10 minutes per game.

Jesse Joensuu, how do you duu?

Dominik — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 17:08:34 -0000

More photos » by Ed Zurga - AP

A Finn Named Jesse had an unimpressive camp, but his play has picked up in Bridgeport.

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I hate to see injuries, but at this point in the Islanders rebuild cycle, I do love the opportunities they create. In Toronto, it gave Rob Schremp another chance to show what he could do -- and I thought he did quite well. Didn't look overmatched in limited minutes on the fourth line and, more importantly, he provided a different look to the Islanders' struggling powerplay.

But of course, I knew better than to expect that look would remain. As of this posting, we still don't know the extent of injuries to Sean Bergenheim and Tim Jackman, but Bergenheim is on IR. So Jesse "Yes Finns can be named Jesse too" Joensuu likely takes his role, minus Bergie's PK work.

Since Scott Gordon will only use Schremp as a center, his appearance in Toronto was by pure numbers necessity, bumping Nate Thompson to the wing. Could that situation continue? Before a few minutes ago I'd have said: Unlikely. (Blake Comeau's EV ice time last game: 12:34. Schremp's: 6:46.) So if I were guessing: A Finn Named Jesse fills a true wing spot, Thompson goes back to center, and Schremp goes back to watching.

However, get a load of the lines from today's practice, as reported by Chris Botta: Schremp centering Jesse and Hunter, Bailey on Frans's left wing with Okposo, and Matt Mo/JT with Blake Comeau. Jeff Tambellini an extra. Go figure. Maybe Gordon is ticked enough by this three-game losing streak to mix things up.

Joensuu, incidentally, according to Mike Fornabaio on the Sound Tigers beat, is: "A far sight from the tentative mess he was a month and change ago ... Joensuu is 4-5-9 in the past 11, including his 1-2-3 night Saturday."

A little more about Joensuu, who I've always hoped would make it simply because his name is fun to say albeit an outright terror to spell (Seriously. I know English is a language of bastardized words and random spelling, but why do the Finns always doouuble their voowels and conssonnannts, except when they don't feel liikke it?):

Jesse Joensuu

#58 / Right Wing / New York Islanders

Height: 6-4

Weight: 207

Born: Oct 05, 1987

Drafted: 2006, 60th overall

Bridgeport (AHL, 09-10): 28 GP, 5 G, 11 A, +1

NHL (08-09): 7 GP, 1 G, 2 A, -1

In his brief call-ups with the Islanders at the end of last season, he saw seven games (four from March 2 - 8, then three from April 4 - 9), averaging just under 12 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time per game. At 5-on-5, he was on for three goals for -- having a hand in each of them -- and for four goals against. In terms of shot directed at the other net versus shots directed at the Isles net while he was on the ice, he measured up pretty well, but that's a small sample size relative to the other guys in that Behind The Net link.

The Dream of a Would-Be NHLer

Joensuu was a 20-goal scorer last year in the AHL -- only one of those came on the powerplay. So combine that with his size and you have that big body with hands that gets people dreaming. Such candidacies are a dime a dozen in North American hockey circles: "There's this guy, hulking body from Finland, you don't know much about him, but man if he puts it together..."

That's not to devalue what he might become. It's just recognizing that at this level, where only the cream of the cream of the cream rises to the top to even sniff the NHL, there are a lot of suitors for a few jobs. And a lot of tough stories and near-misses.

Which is why two years ago the thought was we have to get Jesse out of Finland or he'll never develop. Then last year the thought was my god, what an AHL season he's having, get him on up here! Then after this year's camp and slow start in Bridgeport the thought was "Will he ever figure it out?" And now a turnaround in his play over the last month brings us back to that salivating part. So get well, Bergie -- but don't rush it, because we have tinkering to do.

Adding one more wrinkle: No idea how much ice time Jesse will get. You'd think they brought him up to give him more than a fourth-line shot, and him lining up with Schremp and Trent Hunter in practice reinforces that. But then you'd think a lot of things.

The fun is in watching how it all plays out.

Maple Leafs 3, Islanders 2: Tavares-led comeback erased by...Blake!

Dominik — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:01:12 -0000

More photos » by Frank Gunn - AP

Happier times.

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The first period looked like a repeat of the Roloson Miracle game, except with Dwayne not in the mood to play God again. (He was good, he just wasn't 58-save good.)

The second period was a wash -- the Islanders entered and exited down 2-0, with each team thinking it had reason for a better return.

But the third period, aided by a period-opening powerplay: Now that was a different story. The John Tavares Machine was fully operational, working from JT's office to the side of the crease, and the Islanders comeback was in effect. Tied up with five minutes to go, we just might steal another point or two in Toronto.

Then Jason Blake scored and fist-pumped and that was that.

Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles official

Final - 12.9.2009	1	2	3	Total
New York Islanders	0	0	2	2
Toronto Maple Leafs	2	0	1	3

Complete Coverage >

But man if this game didn't give us some things to think about, in the napkin-sketching, roster-mixing kind of way. Take Tim Jackman out and you lose your de facto enforcer, but you get the chance to add another powerplay piece like Rob Schremp, who did not disappoint in that role ... and who held his own centering the 4th-line in limited minutes (9:30 total, 2:44 on the PP).

Kyle Okposo got the (quite beautiful) first assist on both Tavares goals, but the second assist was legitimately credited to Jeff Tambellini on the first and Schremp on the second. The powerplay actually looked functional.

Meanwhile, Schremp's 9:30 TOI was more than Josh Bailey, who ended up with a paltry 8:15 (just 0:23 on the PP). Bailey was also 0-5 on faceoffs. Hmmm...

We spend so much time (rightly so) fretting about this insufficient blueline. And lord knows Jon Sim and company get their licks for being used above their talent level. (Sim got 9:28, zilch on the PP, by the way.) But we can't forget the search for who on this team can score besides John Tavares and Matt Moulson -- who have accounted for all of the Islanders goals ~~in the last week~~ since Nov. 28 in New Jersey, when Richard Park scored the lone goal in a 6-1 loss. It's worth noting that without the ample powerplay time that Tavares gets, he doesn't have four goals in the last two games, either.

There remain several movable parts who have either not performed (one view) or not gotten the consistent chance to perform (the other view). In that group you'd have to include Bailey, Frans Nielsen, Tambellini, Schremp, Blake Comeau and Sean Bergenheim. With Bergenheim out, it opens up one more slot in the opportunity department.

Safe to say two of those guys (Comeau and Bergenheim) are destined to be non-top-six, two-way wingers with a focus on the defensive side. Two of those guys can probably only stick around if they can score consistently (Tamby, Schremp). And the remaining two are centers, centers with #2 potential, but centers who will need to show more than they have on the offensive side.

I'm not pigeon-holing anyone yet, but it would be fun to get more time with these guys being mixed up and down depending on performance and chemistry. Depending on the length of Bergenheim and Jackman's injuries, maybe that happens -- and maybe the people pining for more Schremp are at least temporarily appeased.

Or maybe somebody gets healthy again and Schremp goes back to the press box.

Either way, this now three-game losing streak is distressing, but it has put me back into the evaluation mode that I fully expected to be in all season. Which is a little different than living and dying with each win and loss to see how long the Isles can stick out this quasi-.500, point-per-game pace.

* * *

Game Thread Thanks

If you saw the game thread, that, friends, is what a Pension Plan Puppets invasion looks like. (If you weren't in there live, the PPP participation was all contained to the 1st intermission/2nd period, except for some stragglers.) Thanks for playing along and being nice hosts; thanks for not shouting at them just because they speak a different form of English. And thanks to our PPP visitors for bringing their unique brand of Leafdom hallucinations; I swear, those Canadian pharmaceuticals are something else.

Since our in-game threads range from quiet to noisy depending on the day and the opponent, it's fun to do accept a visiting high-volume tribe every once in a while to see how these can go at max capacity. Some games you need to get more off your chest in-the-moment, so just know it's always there (and some days you wish your comments would go away ... which is why the threads are a little more disposable). We only had one flare-up -- not bad for a high-volume cross-team visit, so no worries. Generally, I just want people here to welcome visitors, ignore trolls (or in rare cases, stomp them with extreme prejudice before they are banned) and be cool with each other.

On that note, I know I read most sites a lot more than I comment. So if there are things you want or don't want here, just let me know via comment (or via email if you want privacy or insist on remaining a lurker). I can't promise I'll answer every request (That's a nice way of saying your comment goes directly to our Customer Service Department, where it will be considered very important and our people will respond within 6 to 8 weeks).

But if your request fits I'll try, and if I know what people generally prefer (time, type of post, topic, etc.), it will help me know how bad I'm ticking you off when I insist on doing whatever the hell I want anyway. But seriously, for a moment: I just run this place so Islanders fans and hockey fans have a welcoming place to chat hockey, and hopefully I have a good idea every once in a while. That's all.

Let's Go Islanders. Let's Go Second Line.

Islanders 3, Penguins 2: That's how you do it

Dominik — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 22:28:59 -0000

The first third-period comeback win of the year. The first time the Isles got a lead and continued pressing play for the final six minutes. No defensive shell, no let-up, no chaos. They went into the third down 2-1, and responded by outshooting the Penguins 18-5 in the final frame (37-21 for the game).

That's how it's done, to the tune of a 3-2 win over the reigning Cup champs.

Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles | Pensburgh

Final - 11.27.2009	1	2	3	Total
Pittsburgh Penguins	1	1	0	2
New York Islanders	1	0	2	3

Complete Coverage >

Maybe it doesn't happen if the Islanders don't get a huge morale-boosting tying goal by Sean Bergenheim just 1:24 into the third, on a sniper shot to the top post. But Bergenheim worked hard all game to produce something like that. It's always about exuberance with him -- like his ill-advised last-minute icing, when he went for the empty net instead of the soft clear. But his exuberance is what makes him such a diligent, hungry penalty killer and rally-smotherer. He was everywhere today, and he deserved this reward.

He wasn't the only one.

Jack Hillen committed two penalties -- they were soft penalties, "new NHL" penalties that he's been getting called on, using his body when a guy (Sidney Crosby) doesn't have the puck, or his arm to position when a guy (Jordan Staal) does. The latter is in part due to Hillen's small frame, but he is learning the finer points of this thin line. Meanwhile, he had another outstanding game -- the shorthanded breakaway wasn't the half of it -- and with today's plus-2 he is now a team-high plus-8 on the year in 22 games. Hillen logged 22:45 -- second most on the team despite his spending four minutes in the box.

Speaking strictly as a fan here and not as an analytical voice (whatever that is), it is some kind of joy to watch a guy blossom in front of our very eyes, isn't it? At this point, do you have an idea what his ceiling is? 'Cause I sure don't. I just look forward to watching him keep pushing to reach it. Hockey, baby.

The Penalty Kill. They killed off yet another 5-on-3, with Frans Nielsen and Bruno Gervais doing a lot of the dirty work. This one was notable because Andy Sutton -- often a go-to guy for Islanders 3-on-5 kills -- was in the box.

Josh Bailey goes to the net and scores, matching his season total from last year of 7 goals. He's been on a mini-tear lately, and he's another young player who we get to watch blossom. His healthy scratch a few weeks ago didn't even phase me: The kid is just 20. But if one healthy scratch is all he ever needs to focus his career in the right direction, consider us lucky. Today, combined with Jon Sim's second consecutive game of being a wonderful nuisance, Bailey, Sim and Jeff Tambellini formed a worthwhile third line.

John Tavares shines. Tavares was making moves and assertive plays with the puck we don't see every game. If his one-on-three move by Sergei Gonchar (Brent Johnson made the poke-check) were, say, Crosby on Hillen instead, then the defenseman gets a penalty. Instead, Gonchar received the benefit of the doubt, but Tavares served notice. Fitting, then, that he was there to knock in the winning goal, after an excellent deflection by Matt Moulson on Freddy Meyer's shot from the point.

That Moulson Guy. Yeah, that was him, again, standing in front of the net, banging bodies, creating space for Tavares and company. The Islanders' second-highest scorer is not living on coattails. He's an NHLer.

The Fourth Line. I've taken to cringing, as many teams' fans do, when their fourth line is out against a Crosby or Malkin. Today there was only one such shift that scared me to death, while they had a few shifts that were fairly even and one big shift in the second where Tim Jackman, Richard Park and Nate Thompson actually hemmed Crosby's line in their own zone. Those are the little bonus shifts that keep your team alive and send a buzz through the bench. Something about seeing David hang in there with Goliath. Good on them.

Honorable Mention: Pity Brent Johnson, who played an outstanding game for the Penguins and was left to the wolves. Frank at Pensburgh has noted how he's received no goal support, and today was no different. But Johnson nearly pulled a Boucher on the Isles. Difference was, today the Isles peppered for 60 minutes instead of just 40.

* * *

This is just the second time the Penguins under Dan Bylsma have entered the third period with a lead and lost the game in regulation. So entering today's third, I felt like "we don't deserve to be behind" but since we were, I was resigned.

But with this big win, it changes the outlook of the week -- imagine if our only win was the Toronto debacle? -- and makes tomorrow in Newark all the more interesting. The Devils tied the Bruins today 1-1 and took the shootout bonus point, so neither team has the "rest" excuse. To beat the Devils, it's going to take a little luck and more consistent, 60-minute work like we saw today. Hope they're up for it.

Islanders outshot 61-21 yet win in OT: Apparently God hates the Maple Leafs

Dominik — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:27:45 -0000

More photos » by Nathan Denette - AP

Dwayne Roloson was fending off bullets in a foxhole all night long.

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I don't know what to say other than hockey is a funny game sometimes. And God must hate the Maple Leafs. And Dwayne Roloson must be God. That must be how you get outshot 61-21 yet win 4-3 in overtime.

Throw out the scoreless first period, when the Leafs got :cough: an iffy powerplay and a whatever powerplay and outshot the Isles 20-9. They still outshot the Isles 41-12 in the final two periods. But that excludes the Vesa Factor: Three goals in 3:13 of the 2nd leads to Vesa Toskala pulling himself from the game, and despite an all-too-familiar blown lead by the Islanders, Dwayne Roloson holds the fort and a moment of brilliance by Sean Bergenheim and Josh Bailey in OT gives the Islanders a wholly undeserved win.

Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles | PPP

Final - 11.23.2009	1	2	3	OT	Total
New York Islanders	0	3	0	1	4
Toronto Maple Leafs	0	1	2	0	3

Complete Coverage >

Look at the shot chart graphic on the rink diagram here. The grey X's are Leafs shots. It looks like they created a minefield around Roloson. Meanwhile, Bergenheim's shorthanded goal is a lonely red X out by the blueline, in "just shoot at Vesa" territory.

[Video highlights and rest of entry added after the jump.]

Bergenheim, incidentally, was one of the few non-Roloson bright spots in this game. He showed drive on the forecheck all night and showed good instinct by taking the puck up ice and (honestly) unleashing a sizzling shot for his shorthander.

Jack Hillen was absolutely, without question, the other bright spot. Hillen finished +2, logged 23:33 of ice time (5:42 on the PK), was one of the few successfully rushing the puck into the Leafs zone, and made several game-saving defensive plays, including hustling back all the way to the end boards after his shot was blocked at the Leafs zone in OT.

Finally, Roloson. 58 saves. Standing strong even when Tim Jackman was knocking him back into his own net. There's a lot to be disturbed by from this game, ~~but I have to run to my own late game so I'll cut this off here (video and more later)~~ [Video now added. I'll have more on this game later, as there are a lot of angles to pursue.] For now: Thank you, Roloson. Your team does not -- but you sir, certainly deserve that 'W.'

Thanks to Chris Botta for inviting me to guest on his game chat at Point Blank tonight. I had a blast, and that topsy-turvy game was quite the muse for instant online thoughts.

Maple Leafs 3 v. NY Islanders 4 (OT): Second Verse Same As The First

PPP — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:58:15 -0000

More photos » by Nathan Denette - AP

Boo This Man! Dwayne Roloson and a lack of desire to go to the dirty parts of the rink for the majority of the game torpedoed a wonderful effort.

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Despite throwing 61 shots at Dwayne Roloson the Maple Leafs fell 4-3 in overtime to the New York Islanders. On the bright side, John Tavares was a complete non-factor. After a dominating first period the Maple Leafs fell behind to a Jeff Tambellini breakaway goal as a long period of pressure went unrewarded, a pretty good Matt Moulson deflection, and, frankly, a terrible all around effort on Sean Bergenheim's short-handed goal. Toskala left with a lower body injury which was probably a pain in the ass from all of the needless needling he took from fans after the third goal. I hate Toskala as much as the next guy - and hope he's really injured because Kypreos seemed to be intimating that he quit on the team - but Kaberle made a brutal effort at blocking the shot and ended up doing nothing more than backing in too far and providing the kind of screen that the Leafs' forwards couldn't match all night.

Update: Here is Dominik's (Lighthouse Hockey) recap of the game and a look at the NHL.com shot chart for tonight's game.

Of course, when you're playing a terrible team like the Islanders (I know, the irony) who is on the back end of a seven game road-trip, it's not that hard to continue taking the game to them. The Leafs were rewarded when Matt Stajan's embarrassment at getting his stick knocked out of his hands turned to joy as he ended up by a loose puck to set up Phil Kessel to break Roloson's goose egg. The third period was one way traffic as the Leafs' dogged puck pursuit created chance after chance. Wayne Primeau potted a rebound after showing the Leafs that it's not actually against the law to stand directly in front of the goalie. And then Niklas Hagman made a great rush to prove that he can finish just as much as he can dangle. The Leafs were attacking with speed and looked poise to snatch a winner in regulation.

Instead, they didn't score on a final powerplay and almost made it through overtime before a terrible Ian White play combined with Tomas Kaberle's exhaustion and a bad bounce off of the side of the net (seriously, that shot comes by a million times and shoots in front of the net maybe 5 times) conspired to keep the Leafs from another shot at the shootout. So the Leafs' don't begin a winning streak but they also lose John Mitchell. Great news all around.

Who were your players of the game and who could have done more? Let's talk it out sans razor blades folks.

Islanders at Leafs: We're 9 Pts Behind

Chemmy — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:52:16 -0000

More photos » by FRED CHARTRAND - AP

All aboard the man train! Toot toot!

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Puck Drop: 7PM ET Sportsnet Ontario

The future Brooklyn Islanders (8-8-7, 23 pts, 5th in the Atlantic) bring John Tavares to Toronto for his first audition to be a Leaf Killer. I firmly believe he'll score at least a hat trick tonight seeing as he'll have 100 friends and family members in the stands (call it $100 a ticket average and he spent $10K, yowza).

Wallin is out of the lineup, Finger is hurt so Exelby gains a spot on the blue line. Schenn will be playing with Exelby which could get ugly really quickly based on their foot speed. The Islanders are a very young team and guys like Sean Bergenheim have rocket skates.

Vesa Toskala earned himself the start on Saturday night so he'll face Dwayne Roloson who is sporting a .911 save percentage and a 2.86GAA in 13 starts this year.

Don't forget your SPG Picks, and let's pray the Leafs pick up a much needed win.

What's 6-6-6? The Islanders, after long shootout loss to Capitals

Dominik — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:11:38 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

Sean Bergenheim ends Jose Theodore's night just seven minutes in -- but there was oh so much more to be played, including an 11-round game of dice.

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There was Gary Bettman smirking in a [Annoying Telco] Center luxury box, watching an 11-round shootout -- as if sticking it to me with penance right after I ranted about the parity gimmick. Whatever. A game of many chapters ended up a 4-4 with an unusual shootout, yet somehow the goalies not named Jose Theodore stole the show.

Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles | Japers' Rink

Final - 11.11.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
New York Islanders	3	0	1	0	1	4
Washington Capitals	2	2	0	0	2	5*

Complete Coverage >

How many heroes in this game? Dwayne Roloson, for turning his shootout competence on its head and stopping 9 of 11 -- after withstanding a pretty heavy barrage (37 saves) during regulation? Trent Hunter and the illness-handicapped PP unit, for tying it up with 2:08 left on one of just three precious extra-man opportunities? Alexander Semin, for scoring two beautiful goals -- and creating Sean Bergenheim's goal by making like a pee-wee playing his first game with bodychecking? (Seriously, the way Semin panicked and threw the puck to the worst spot on the ice was a breathtaking sight for a player of such talent.) Mark Streit, for a crucial break-up in front of Roloson that surely prevented Semin from nabbing a hat trick? Semyon Varlamov, for steadying the fort after Theodore and his teammates crapped the bed?

There's plenty more to consider -- much as I hate it, you could do a thesis on both sides' shootout attempts alone (to say nothing of the Captials' CSN broadcast annoyingly choosing a corner angle from behind the linesman's butt for several of the Islanders' attempts). But all in all, this was a competent tread-water performance from a team that can ill-afford the injuries and bugs that are hitting it right now.

While the Capitals have seen the Isles three times now, and their talent has had the better of play all three times, the Islanders again outscored the Capitals at even strength (3-2). Clearly whatever the Isles are doing is enough to send, well, every game into OT, and as WebBard said, the meme that teams "figure out" the Isles after seeing them repeatedly does not apply to the conference-leading Capitals. As TheMetalChick noted for numerology and occult fans alike, the Isles head into their Friday the 13th game with the rare record of 6-6-6. Ha.

Tonight's game was defined in part by the wacky first, where the Caps appeared to go through the motions after Semin scored just 8 seconds in. Perhaps the nicest sign was that the Islanders stormed back -- Matt Moulson converting just 54 seconds later, then Mark Streit and Bergenheim piling on to chase Theodore before 7 minutes were gone. Seriously, how many times last season could you have expected that kind of response when the conference leader gets an early, deflating lead at home?

Stunned but not defeated, the Capitals got one back in the first, then seized a PP opportunity to tie it, then take the lead in a 2nd period they completely controlled (Shots: 14-8). But the Islanders didn't fold, they made something of the third -- and that says something you couldn't say about them last year. Roloson helped keep the margin at one, and the Islanders earned two consecutive powerplays at the end, converting on Hunter's beautiful top shelf shot from Varlamov's left circle.

Quoth the Gordon:

"It's big to come back on a team like that. They pride themselves on their third periods and putting teams away, and they couldn't do it."

Yeah, man. The Capitals are the more talented team. They have more firepower and again had more shots. But in each game against them this season, the Islanders have shown that's not how any given game is decided. And that's all you can ask.

Yays and Nays

... I didn't need to see the Caps three times by Nov. 11, but these two sides play entertaining games. 4-4, shots of 41-31, and only three powerplays aside. Mistakes aside, that's fun hockey.

... Tough to expect anything more from Rob Schremp -- he did get an assist -- in 9:38 of ice time with Nate Thompson and Tim Jackman. But I hoped he'd bury his shootout attempt; he simply went in too slowly to sell the backhand.

... Sweet to see Bergenheim bury his breakaway, his clearest chance of the season. Upon further review, Theodore left too much space to his left for Bergie's backhand, but he still had to lift it. In the shootout, he fumbled the puck twice on the bad ice, so it wasn't to be.

... What was with Varlamov almost raising his arms in victory when he stopped Hunter's five-hole shootout attempt? This: When you're skating backwards in goal, and you stop the puck under your pads, raising your arms against the crossbar is one of the few ways to stop your momentum without lifting up a leg pad and possibly letting the puck trickle through -- or letting your momentum take the puck across the line. It looked odd at first, but it was goaltending excellence by the youngster.

... Cheers to both goalies for their shootout performance. They stole the show -- outside of typically nice conversions by Jeff Tambellini and Semin -- and brought it to the point where a grinder would likely have to "win" the ~~drill~~ game.

... But the "hat trick" celebration after Semin's conversion? Fail. It's not a "goal," and treating it as such is just another way the shootout devalues ... oh, never mind.

... Islanders lost the faceoff war (30-39). Josh Bailey was 1-9, but otherwise had a strong game. Tavares was 11-6, but otherwise had a quiet game.

...How this blogger proves himself an idiot on a nightly basis: Downplaying Gordon's praise of Hunter's shot as the best release on the team, then watching Hunter tie the game at a crucial moment three hours later by displaying said release. Simply awesome to have Hunts back. Now excuse me, I'm crawling back into my Internet closet.

Up Next

Carolina Friday the 13th, for an opponent that went its 13th game without a win tonight, with -- heh -- Manny Legace in goal. Like the Hurricanes' last 13 opponents, the Islanders will need to know Carolina will be hungry and dangerously desperate. (They'll also see an achievable slump-buster target in the Islanders.) Like the Canes' last 13 opponents, the Islanders can discover that the Canes can indeed be deflated if they jump on them early and accelerate Paul Maurice's spiral. God and health willing...

Islanders Gameday: Thrashers in; Bergy plugging; Martinek done

Dominik — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:22:54 -0000

[Update: As posted by several in comments, Radek Martinek's injury is worst case: Blown ACL, done for the year.]

The underlying mission that trumps all else for the Thrashers this year: Build a convincing case for captain and franchise player Ilya Kovalchuk to stay.

Imagine all the pain we've been through that resulted in John Tavares; then imagine the prospect of him walking away because he's just not buying what the club is selling. Then imagine Tavares getting hurt early in the pivotal, decision-making season.

Atlanta Thrashers (6-5-1, 3rd/SE) at New York Islanders (5-6-5, 5th/Atl)

7 p.m. EST | Nassau [gloriously unsponsored] Veterans Mem. Coliseum | MSG+, radio feed

Self-help club: Birdwatchers Anonymous

The Thrashers are 2-2 since Kovalchuk broke his leg (2-3 if you count the San Jose game in which he was injured), and each loss was by one goal. One of the wins was through Ondrej Pavelec's 50-save effort. I talk about a thin margin of error for the Islanders; surely the same applies for Ilya-less Atlanta.

But the Thrashers did improve over the summer, and they have some good players beyond Ilya, and their special teams (27% PP, 84% PK) have been outstanding. It's just hard to imagine that being enough in this tight-standings age, when the cornerstone many of those players depend on will miss 15% of the season.

Offensively, leading scorer Rich Peverley (7-19-16) -- one of those stolen gems every rebuilding team needs -- has picked up right where he left off after being nabbed from the Predators last season. Summer addition Nik Antropov has an assist per game. "31-goal man" Bryan Little has come back down to earth a bit, but the jury is still out. Maxim Afinogenov has been, well, Maxim Afinogenov; his warts are part of the deal.

Of course, the one guy who is a stud no matter who his teammates are, defenseman Zach Bogosian, has as many goals as John Tavares.

Yet another injury to Kari Lehtonen -- practically Rick DiPietro without the contract -- means Pavelec has a chance to shine. In the two games I've watched him play this year (the 50-saver against Ottawa and a 1-1 shootout loss in Montreal), he's certainly done that.

The Bergenheim Chronicles

Peverley is an interesting case, because on the surface you couldn't blame Nashville for letting him slip away. Yet he immediately gelled with Atlanta and discovered how to produce at the NHL level when given the opportunity. Just as a rebuilding team needs "bonus" finds like Peverley, a team like the Predators can't afford to let too many Peverleys slip away.

Which brings me to goalless Sean Bergenheim, the topic du jour on last night's Islanders broadcast and one of those long-developing prospects who alternately teases and drives fans nuts. Now as a player, the hustling, physical, smart Bergenheim is nothing like Peverley, a playmaker. But as an asset, they are similar, in that there is something promising but incomplete that a rebuilding team can't afford to cast away.

Bergenheim's scoring touch might never evolve to match his billing as a 1st-round pick. A sneaky puckhandler, he's one of those guys who seems to lose his elusiveness when it comes to beating the goalie in tight. (That said, guys like that -- Calgary's Craig Conroy, for example -- tend to find their touch when given major minutes with skilled linemates.) But historically Bergenheim has been one of the Islanders' most responsible 5-on-5 forwards (though this year, a little less so); he may not score much, but unlike many of his teammates he's not giving up much either. Put him with more offensively skilled linemates, and he probably produces more (last night's setup of Frans Nielsen's goal, for example), which is why I suspect playing with Nielsen will eventually lead to more production.

But Gordon uses him as a go-to penalty killer and a third-line guy because Bergenheim can be counted on to make the opposition work while not giving up many goals. He and Nielsen together make a rather responsible Nordic tandem. If Trent Hunter comes back and joins that line, you'd be looking at a coach's dream for a 3rd line: "Two-way, responsible players with some offensive touch? I'll have a carton, please."

So while Bergenheim's scoring drought can be maddening, and while he probably sees himself as more of a scorer than he actually is, if he keeps playing the way he has been, goals will come and -- more importantly -- the Islanders will have an effective two-way forward they shouldn't give up on.

* * *

Even without Kovalchuk, the Thrashers powerplay should be a good test for the Islanders PK, which will likely be missing Radek Martinek. But with a seven-game road trip staring the down through Thanksgiving, this Saturday night special in front of the home fans is one the Islanders absolutely must pull off.

Prediction: The Islanders come out flying and make us happy, and Bergenheim gets a point.

Devils 2, Islanders 1: Martinek's injury ghost returns?

Dominik — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 06:50:50 -0000

For some unknown reason, Devils meathead David Clarkson insisted on a fight 40 seconds in against Tim Jackman. (Incidentally, Chico Resch wondered if Jackman's place was to "send a message." God love ya' Chico, but do some homework: Gordon has started his fourth line in every game this season that I recall.)

That created an early Islanders powerplay, which actually became a brief, unsuccessful 5-on-3 ... which was indicative of the Islanders' night. Despite entering the 2nd with a 1-0 lead, that was all she wrote. Only two more powerplays drawn all night, with nothing to show for them.

Game Summary | Event Summary | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles | In Lou We Trust

Final - 11.6.2009	1	2	3	Total
New York Islanders	1	0	0	1
New Jersey Devils	0	2	0	2

Complete Coverage >

The packaged theme on the Isles MSG+2 (twice the plus!) broadcast, both in pregame and the 1st intermission, was Sean Bergenheim's scoring drought -- almost as if the Islanders production team was trying to will him to score. He didn't do that, but his diligent work along the boards created the Isles' only highlight, a tap-in goal by Frans Nielsen that, just briefly, suggested we might see bad Yann Danis. Not so. Danis was unbeaten the rest of the night, while Martin Biron let in a Cory Murphy stinker for a tying goal, though he stopped 29 shots to Danis's 23 and couldn't be faulted on Brian Rolston's trademark powerplay blast from the point.

Had Kyle Okposo's try in the final minute scooted over the line instead of along it, we might be writing a different review. But that's hockey: Ryan Miller gets blown out by the NYI one night, comes back to shutout the Isles the next, then concedes five to the Flyers at home. Likewise, the Islanders powerplay keys early season offense, the team can rally with four wins on strong 5-on-5 play, then lay two tepid eggs in Buffalo and Newark. It's a thin line between joy and horror.

I'll agree with the coach on this one:

"I was disappointed with our play," Gordon said. "We had a first period where we didn't allow ourselves to build off the momentum of scoring that goal. We weren't efficient enough on our forecheck in the second period and took penalties and then we didn't establish any momentum and that hurt."

But if you (wisely) missed this dull one, you can see the Cliff Notes for yourself:

So the Devils tied it up early in the second on the forementioned weak goal. Soon after, they got their next futile powerplay, where no one looked alive and no shots were delivered. No Islanders forwards were used for more than 18 minutes tonight other than Okposo (21:49), and that makes sense, because no one really earned it and Okposo simply shows up every. single. night.

The Devils defense certainly played their part in limiting shots, and Danis made a few saves that required at least NHL-level skill. But regardless of the opponent, this was simply not enough.

I don't know if we should call this a funk, but since the Islanders' four-game win streak -- the fourth of which depended on two Brendan Witt goals and a weakened opponent -- they've given us two thoroughly uninspiring games in a row.

So go the growing pains.

Radek Martinek, Explodabones

It's become a somber tradition, but we have our first Radek Martinek injury watch of the year. Martinek, who skated 20+ minutes, did not see the ice after the 14:16 mark of the 3rd period. Reports are that he's being evaluated, but there were no updates on his condition last night. [UPDATE: Blown ACL, out for the year. Damn, that's about right.]

I speak often of the Islanders' thin margin of error, and I'd say at this point part of that margin requires Martinek rather than Freddy Meyer in the lineup. Saturday night the Islanders face a Thrashers team without Ilya Kovalchuk (who I assume Martinek would normally be assigned to watch), but Atlanta still poses an offensive threat to a sub-par Islanders blueline. We'll need all hands on deck.

Here's hoping everyone comes to play.