SB Nation - Mitch Fritz

Game Recap: Kings v. Coyotes SuperSeries

RudyKelly — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:46:18 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Man, Opie's really pissed that someone killed his wife.

-Staples had maybe 8,000 people there for their preseason game against the Coyotes; Peter Mueller remarked, "Hey, this is just like playing at home!"

-Above you'll see young Kevin Westgarth fighting ~~Grendel~~ Mitch Fritz. It was a spirited contest but I think Fritz won the fight because Westgarth tried to block every one of Fritz' punches with his face. Fun fact: Richard Clune got into a fight at the same time as Westgarth and beat the piss out of Stefan Meyer. A Kings goon that I actually like? It may just happen.

-The Kings' top line of Justin Williams-Anze Kopitar-Ryan Smyth played about 20 minutes of the game. Justin Williams had a really nice individual effort that led to a goal, toe-dragging around a sliding Coyote and then getting his own rebound to bury the goal. Ryan Smyth drew a penalty (he just has one of those faces you want to smash) and screened the goaltender on 2 Kings' goals. Kopitar just kind of skated around, he didn't do much.

-Ted Purcell was probably the Kings' best forward on the night, tallying a goal and an assist and making several nice plays to create opportunities, especially on the power play. It'll be interesting to see what happens to him, as he plays the same position on the power play that Kopitar and Frolov usually occupy (that half-wall on the left side). He also won a few good corner battles and looked noticeably bigger than he used to. He's going to make the team, I am almost 100% sure.

-Andrei Loktionov and Oscar Moller were Purcell's linemates and both looked pretty much the same: good skaters, a few nice plays, but very small and easily pushed around. The Kings should put them both in Manchester and let them grow for a year.

-Brayden Schenn had a few nice hits and Kyle Clifford used his body well, but they were kind of invisible for most of the night. Clifford was in front of the net on one play and got pushed in the back by Keith Yandle, then looked like a jackass when he dropped his gloves and Yandle just skated away. We'll see them in a few years.

-Juraj Mikus (pronounced "Mee-koosh," which is incredibly fun to say) had a few nice plays and didn't seem out of place on NHL ice. I don't remember if he can go down to Manchester or if he's going back to Europe and I can't really be bothered to do "research" or whatever it's called, but he didn't look like a dick out there so that's something.

-Drew Doughty looks bigger. He had the biggest hits of the night, including a bomb on Ryan Holweg, although he didn't really try to do too much outside of one nice rush up the ice that resulted in a penalty for the Coyotes.

-Thomas Hickey had one play where he grabbed a puck behind the net by skating backwards, collected the puck when it came between his legs and then passed cross-ice to a streaking Justin Williams. It made my dick flutter. He just looks better than Davis Drewiskie, at least for what the Kings need in a defenseman, but I won't mind if he logs heavy minutes in Manchester for a year.

-Colten Teubert, on the other hand, looked like dog shit. There was a sequence in the 2nd where he got burned to the outside by Taylor Pyatt, slashed Pyatt, punched him in the face, and then got the shit kicked out of him. He ended up with 9 minutes in penalties and gave the Coyotes a 4-minute power play. I don't know what the hell is wrong with him; it's like he thinks the quickest way to the NHL is by being a goon. Just play smart hockey, dickhead, and you'll make the league someday. Right now it's not looking too likely.

-Jack Johnson... is really good in the preseason. He had 2 goals, one a power play slap shot, the other a really nice move on a 4-on-3 for the Coyotes where he burst ahead of Kyle Turris, put it between a Coyote's legs and then roofed it backhand over Al Montoya. He was the Kings' best defenseman last night. Can he do that in the NHL? We'll see.

-Rob Scuderi... huh. He was mostly invisible, which is good for a guy like him, although he made a brutal pass that led to one Coyotes goal (update: it didn't lead to a goal, it led to a penalty shot that missed) and deflected another into his own net. I'll chalk it up to early Cup hangover.

-Joe Piskula is someone we will all soon forget.

-Jon Bernier looked... okay, I guess. I'm dubious about him supplanting Jon Quick someday because he's so small to be a pure butterfly goaltender, but we'll see. He didn't have much to do all night and 2 of the goals were fluky (the Scuderi tip and a ridiculous goal by Michael Boedker that he shot from about 1/2 an inch from the goal line... although Bernier kind of caused that one by leaving it behind the net instead of flipping it to Doughty, so I guess that's his fault).

-The Kings really only had one power play line on the game, but it worked pretty well. They had Smyth in front of the net, Moller around the net to collect rebounds, Purcell on the halfboards to run things, and Johnson and Justin Williams on the backend. I don't necessarily like the idea of having a forward playing defense on both power play units (Jarret Stoll being the other), but Williams did look pretty good back there.

-In the other game at Jobing.com Arena (nice name) the Kings fell, 4-2. Both Kings goals were by Wayne Simmonds, who could have a big year offensively if he's playing with Frolov. The Kings need to re-sign Craig Conroy and run a line of Frolov-Conroy-Simmonds so my heart can swell like the Grinch.

-There was this old couple in front of my brother and me that kept getting more and more hands on with one another the more they drank. It was horrifying. When Johnson scored his beautiful 2nd goal they immediately stood up and started making out. My brother and I thought of showing them up by going down on one another but we wanted to watch the rest of the game.

3 Stars:

1) Jack Johnson

2) Drew Doughty

3) Justin Williams

I'll have a look at the position battles that will kick into high gear this week (with a special guest!) coming up either tonight or tomorrow.

The enforcer role, and Jeremy Reich's Islanders candidacy

Dominik — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:30:13 -0000

"I've seen it a lot the few years he played for me. It didn't surprise me. He hasn't changed anything. I don't think I've ever coached a guy that has an understanding of when to do it, how to do it, the time and place and situation [like [he does]]. He's always been able to identify that, and not only identify it but have it make an impact."

>>Scott Gordon on Jeremy Reich, who fought twice in the Hockeyville game

For a coach who says he values the enforcer role -- but clearly values a guy who can hold his own as a skater far more -- that's some serious praise.

When Jeremy Reich signed amid several depth signings this summer, we knew he had experience under Gordon at AHL Providence, and we knew he wasn't afraid to mix it up while netting a career-high 21 goals in the AHL last year. He also had enough of defensive-minded Bruins coach Claude Julien's trust that Julien used him in Boston's playoffs two years ago in games where young Phil Kessel was a healthy scratch.

After Reich's two fights in the Islanders first preseason game, does the description Gordon gave above to Katie Strang not sound like he's the ideal Gordon enforcer?

Jeremy Reich

#17 / Left Wing / New York Islanders

Height: 6-1

Weight: 203

Born: Feb 11, 1979

Pro Seasons: 9

08-09 PIM (AHL): 139

08-09 goals (AHL): 21

Gordon and GM Garth Snow relied on an AHL enforcer shuttle last year, but within games Gordon employed Mitch Fritz and Joel Rechlicz so little -- sometimes as little as three minutes a game -- it was clear implementing his system was more important than sending a boxer out there to play the testosterone role demanded by hockey's curious, nebulous fighting code.

A lot of Islanders followers have worried about the Islanders' failure to sign a free agent enforcer over the summer to protect the youngsters who will form this team's core. Personally, I love that Snow didn't hand out $1 million salaries to the league's one-dimensional boxers-on-skates just because they have a reputation on hockeyfights.com. I probably undervalue the dedicated enforcer (it's clear the mythology of the role extends within most locker rooms, in a psychological way stats don't capture). But I also can't help preferring a Gordon-ideal squad of guys who can actually skate and hold their own when things get chippy.

(You can also argue that the best form of deterrence is a lethal power play, although the Islanders don't have that yet.)

Traditional goons are entertaining and make this sport more popular, but I'd rather have a Clark Gillies out there taking care of business when it really matters, than a Ken Baumgartner out there doing it just because two guys who can't really skate 5-on-5 know this ritual protects their job security.

But is the one-dimensional enforcer role still on its way out of the NHL? It's something that always seems to fluctuate. Take this for what it's worth, but here's SI's Jim Kelley's interpretation after Stephen Walkom resigned as head of NHL officiating. Kelley is referring to the shift in enforcement as the season wound down and through the 2009 playoffs:

The free skating and open ice that came to the game largely from the player ranks and efforts of a committee conceived and headed by Brendan Shanahan, began to disappear only to be replaced by more hitting (especially from behind and to the head), interference (especially around the crease and in the corners), and hits on goaltenders as crease-crashing again became the norm.

Nothing was "officially changed" regarding the rule book, but it's a given that teams recognized the new interpretations and are "bulking" up for the new season. It's also apparent that recent rules to enhance the game and protect the players are being curtailed in order to sate the blood-lust of fans and meet the business "challenge" from more violent sports like football and mixed martial arts.

If the one-dimensional enforcer is still on the decline, then my preference of skaters-with-sandpaper is the right way. If it's not and Kelley and others are on to something, then the Islanders will need someone -- or several someones -- who can stand in whenever Donald Brashear decides it's time to justify his paycheck.

... which brings us back to Reich and Gordon's candidates: The Islanders don't have an established goon who's earned his own dedicated song. Can young Rechlicz develop into that role? I'm willing to risk finding out, and see him inserted in the lineup for Philadelphia-like opponents. Meanwhile, Reich is another option, while checkers Tim Jackman and even Nate Thompson have shown a willingness to play the de facto enforcer role. Less relevant, but: if Jon Sim indeed plays his way back into Gordon's graces, he's no enforcer, but he is a shift disturber who has dropped the gloves a few times each season.

The Islanders aren't as grit-deficient as some say; they just need to stick up for one another the way Reich appears prepared to do.

Will that be enough? What do you think? I recognize my view is generally in the minority on this issue, so don't hesitate to let me have it in comments.

Coyotes Open Training Camp Practices Start Today

OdinMercer — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:00:28 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

The Great One won't be the one leading camp this year.

Browse more photos »

Officially camp actually started yesterday, but the first public practices start today at 9:00 am. Here's a look at those invited to camp this year. There are a few names in there that you might recognize from around the league that have not signed with the Coyotes. Ryan Hollweg formerly with Toronto, Aaron Downey from Detroit, Ross Lupaschuk from Anaheim and the KHL and Mitch Fritz from the Islanders. None of them have particularly impressive resumes, but I imagine they're trying out for the position of "Hey someone got hurt, call us up from San Antonio."

Wayne Gretzky, doesn't look to be coming to camp as of today, Ulf Samuellson will be leading in his place. With Wayne's contract situation in the air due to the bankruptcy mess, he simply decided he wasn't going to be there. But I guess Coyotes fans will be getting what a large portion of them had wanted for some time, Wayne out as head coach.

I'll update and repost the list as cuts are made.

Forwards		Defence		Goaltenders
Justin Bernhardt	Mikkel Boedker	Jonas Ahnelov	Nick Ross	Ilya Bryzgalov
Jeff Hoggan	Peter Mueller	Adrian Aucoin	Ed Jovanovski	Joel Gistedt
Kevin Porter	Taylor Pyatt	Shaun Heshka	Michael Stone	Josh Tordjman
Matt Watkins	Scottie Upshall	Chris Frank	Ross Lupaschuk	Jason LaBarbera
David Spina	Francis Lessard	Mathieu Brodeur	Zbynek Michalek	Al Montoya
Vernon Fiddler	Mitch Fritz	Sean Sullivan	Kurt Sauer
Martin Hanzal	Ryan Hollweg	Sean Zimmerman	Sami Lepisto
Lauri Korpikoski	Jordan Szwarz	Tim Billingsley	Keith Yandle
Daniel Winnik	Radim Vrbata	Justin Weller	Jim Vandermeer
Viktor Tikhonov	Andrew Orpik	David Schlemko	Jeff May
Colin Long	Aaron Downey
Shane Doan	Chad Kolarik
Matthew Lombardi	Brett MacLean
Stefan Meyer	Joel Perrault
Petr Prucha	Jared Staal
Kyle Turris

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

Grading the Islanders: Mitch Fritz

Dominik — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:00:20 -0000

How to evaluate the season of a pure enforcer whose coach didn't give him even three minutes a game -- including one full game where he never set foot on the ice? Because you're dying to know, we'll give it a shot...

[Review continues after the jump]

Mitch Fritz

#49 / Left Wing / New York Islanders

Height: 6-8

Weight: 258

Born: Nov 24, 1980

NHL Seasons: 1

Contract: UFA; 08-09 at $500k

Preseason View: This dude is HUGE! And 258 pounds!

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	Fights	W	L	T	TOI	SOG
2008-09 - Mitch Fritz	20	0	0	0	-4	42	6	3	2	1	2:40	2

Random Fact: Fritz had two shots on goal in 20 games, which works out to one shot for every 24 minutes of ice time.

'This is Our Concern, Dude' Fact: Obviously when Scott Gordon does dress Fritz, the coach prefers to have him on the bench as an implied threat rather than as an actual skater, which makes doing his job kind of hard. We hear Fritz has constantly worked on his skating, but if he doesn't even get an occasional keep-the-legs-warm shift to prove it, what's the point?

The Story: The Garth Snow/Scott Gordon regime made it clear last summer that they wouldn't be employing a full-time, established NHL enforcer, relying instead on Bridgeport call-ups when necessary. Gordon sees a full-time enforcer as surplus, and apparently views his high-intensity system as too demanding for a sub-par skater. Tough to rate Fritz's play, when he looked how most would look if asked to sit cold for half an hour and then take a lone shift at NHL speeds. When called, though, Fritz acquitted himself well in fights, including his first NHL fight, where he bested "the champ," Georges Laraque.

(Note: Is that why in Laraque's next go-around with an Islanders rookie, Joel Rechlicz, he played a cat-and-mouse game -- even smiling dismissively with an expression that said, "Are you gonna throw, or are you just gonna dance around?" In reality the wily vet Laracque backed away the whole time, while creating the false illusion that it was the rookie Rechlichz who didn't want to go. Weasel.)

The Good: During a lost rebuilding season, Fritz's presence was always fun and sent a buzz through the crowd. By all accounts he's a standup guy -- and cool with fanboy moments, too. So again, if you're going to bother dressing him in a 30th-place season, might as well give him enough time to see if he can prove the ability to responsibly handle a shift. Even if he blows an assignment, the Cup isn't exactly on the line here.

The Bad: Nov. 21, 2008. New Jersey's Mike Mottau skates the length of the rink, uses a screen to surprise Frans Nielsen with a high check that knocks Nielsen -- the best Islander that night -- out of the lineup for two months. Vengeance time, right? Gordon leaves Fritz on the bench. Fans, announcers, and blogfather Chris Botta don't let that decision die all season long. That typifies "the bad" of Fritz's season: Lack of evidence due to lack of opportunity. Granted, we know at 28 he's not the greatest skater, but how can we know anything about his capabilities if he doesn't get the chance?

The Poem:

The legend of the Towering Mitch
When called, scratched our bloodthirsty itch
Swapped blood with Cote
Skated just OK
Would've dumped Mottau ~~like a...~~ in a ... ditch

The Grade: So how do you grade him? Based on his fight record at HockeyFights? His willingness to tango? Based on the opportunity he presents, which wasn't often? Or based on what you'd normally expect from a full-time enforcer? Regardless, leave your vote relative to your preseason expectations -- 5 being blown away, 1 being terribly disappointed, based on whatever criteria you have. (Explanations always welcome.)

Poll

Relative to your preseason expectations, how do you grade Mitch Fritz's 2008-09?

5 - He came. He saw. He Fritzed.

17 votes

4

1 votes

3 - Enforcers do what enforcers do.

34 votes

2

12 votes

1 - I wanted much more.

15 votes

79 votes | Poll has closed

Islanders 3, Bolts 1: Inching out of the cellar?

Dominik — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 21:53:12 -0000

Haha. Islanders win with a fourth line of Mitch Fritz, Nate Thompson and Joel Rechlicz and an absurd number of AHL Bridgeport call-ups. Wow. Looks like Doug Weight, Jesse Joensuu and Richard Park had a healthy number of shifts together, too. This game, I tell ya', it's always full of surprises.

As Mike updated me after the game: "We can't ever lose when I want them to." Now the Islanders are just three points behind Colorado, though the Avs have a game in hand. But in my book, a Saturday night home win is never a bad thing; we'll just hope the rest of the season works out, uh, lottery-wise.

Note: I had a charity event (open bar!) and didn't catch this one save for a DVR skim of highlights. But coherent or not, we'll always be posting some sort of recap here -- if not for the mundane insight then for the permalinks to game stats, etc. Just find that helps in case we ever need to refer back to it to find who played, who scored, what was said, etc.

On that note, the game boxscore "Complete Coverage" links now go to a specific SBN page just for that game which includes links to anything else (whether here or at the opposing blog) written about that game.

Game Summary | Event Summary | Doug's official site recap | AP

Final - 4.4.2009	1	2	3	Total
Tampa Bay Lightning	0	1	0	1
New York Islanders	1	1	1	3

Complete Coverage >

As mentioned, Doug of Official's Outlook was invited to write the official site recap that fellow Blog Boxer Tom Liodice has written much of this season, which is cool for all the Blog Box members. Doug' money quote is from Scott Gordon, discussing the progress of young Josh Bailey:

"With Josh, the offense for him is going to build as he gets stronger. The biggest takeaway for me this year is the skating part of it. The fact that he's moving his feet, he's getting more opportunities because of it, he's around the puck more often and as a result he gets that goal because he was in good stride when he received [that pass]."

Aside from Park's opening-shift goal, the Islanders were again power play-dependent. That over-dependence is why NYI Fan Central, in the waning days of his blog, votes against re-signing Weight. He raises good points, but I'm still of the view I'd rather take this veteran devil-we-know for next year than some such Comrie who chooses the Island as a last resort.

Jamie Fraser, in his NHL debut -- the 21st AHL Bridgeport player to be in the Isles lineup this season -- logged 11:00 and was credited with two blocked shots and one takeaway. ... Yann Danis was back in form, with the Islanders being outshot 30-21 ... Fritz and Rechlicz each got a fight in, the latter's defeat of something called Zenon Knopka is included in the video highlights (plus additional links) after the jump.

Game Highlights

And the Fritz-Koci fight (via HockeyFights.com) where Fritz spun him like a rag doll and Koci cheaply kept throwing punches after the linesmen stepped in. (Not only is that weak, that's dangerous for the poor officials who have to wade in and part the two grunts.)

Let me say again: Fritz can dance with our dates -- he doesn't even have to ask.

More on the Game (besides what's linked to above):

Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo, Andy Hilbert and Sean Bergenheim were all still out, with Streit's status for the World Championships in question because of the injury and all the minutes he's logged this season.
Logan assesses the preseason-level lineup and asks Gordon if he's following the lottery standings: "I pay a lot more attention to who's going to be in our lineup on a daily basis. For me, we're trying to build something in the second half of the season so we can come back next season and feel good about ourselves."
More on Gordon from 7th Woman.
Coverage in the Post?? Gordon likes Jesse's speed.
Drive for Five cheers the youngsters.

As always, feel free to post any more relevant links in comments -- and don't be reluctant to pimp your own stuff. The more views, the merrier.

Islanders Matinee Gameday: Penguins arrive with new coach; Comeau takes FB questions

Dominik — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 04:36:02 -0000

Michel Therrien, fired Sunday night (fan reaction here) as coach of the struggling Penguins, never struck me as the coach who would be there when Crosby & Co. reach the promised land. Last spring he almost proved me wrong. Last night, the pendulum of fickle coaching fate swung the other way.

Pittsburgh Penguins (27-25-5, 10th/E) at New York Islanders (16-33-6, 30th)

2 p.m. EST | Nassau Veterans Mem. Coliseum | MSG+

Penguins blogs: Pensburgh | The Pensblog | The Confluence

Online feeds: Check here for video. Game audio at nhl.com here.

You might think the Penguins will come out roaring today in response to the shock to their system, and you might be right -- they certainly have the firepower to attain quick highs before crashing down to earth. Sometimes that happens after a coaching change. Sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it's close, but no cigar. The Senators, Hurricanes and Lightning coaching debuts from this season indicate one thing: a bad team is still a bad team, no matter who's behind the bench.

Are the Penguins a bad team, or are they just untapped potential -- like the Blackhawks were when they fired franchise legend Denis Savard four games into this season?

To me they've been flawed, too flawed, all season long to be able to turn this season around now. They began five steps behind by having blueline cog Sergei Gonchar out until this past weekend, and now their hole looks too daunting to overcome. Whether it's Cup letdown hangover, the inability to overcome injuries, or all that missing depth from last year, they look to be headed toward the land of post-Cup finalist failures.

But the Penguins are untapped potential, too. It's such a fine line. If they miss the playoffs (they're currently five points and two teams out of eighth), in this summer's draft they'll add one more young stud to their young core and -- with the hiring of the right coach -- could easily be poised for the great things many expected of them after so many good lottery picks fell into their hands.

So the Penguins are not the sad-sack Lightning or Senators, Gary Bettman's 1992 expansion vintage. They're still the explosive squad that torched the Isles 9-2 in December. So will they respond to this shock -- yet another statement underlining that their seasons is slipping away? They've certainly got the firepower to do so.

But if they don't -- if they fall flat in a day game against a wounded 30th-place club -- I think we'll know where they're headed this spring, and it doesn't involve ice.

Roster Notes (pending updates)

Don't know if Mark Streit will play today, but he didn't sound likey after practice. [Update 1:40p: From the pre-game sheet, looks like Streit is in, Callahan is out.] ~~Without him and Weight, the Islanders lack their top two scorers and power play QB's. To me, that's the story right there.~~
Mitch Fritz, called up to provide muscle and avoid the Philly Flu, is off the roster again. We'll see if Trent Hunter is back, or if Jon Sim and/or Jeff Tambellini gets another shot.
That ~~MySpace~~ ~~Twitter~~ ~~BFFlopedia~~ Facebook the young fellas are talking about? One hour after today's game, Blake Comeau will log on for 30 minutes of fan questions. Have to friend the Islanders first, before the game, to take part in this PR-meets-social networking bonanza.

67 seconds down Islanders in Philadelphia

Dominik — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 21:34:26 -0000

Such is life without Doug Weight and Mark Streit: The Islanders were brutal the first 10 minutes and fell behind 2-0 before the game was six minutes old. But they rebounded to control play in the 2nd, and even potted a goal back in the third -- Andy Hilbert scoring to tie Mike Comrie for 20 points on the year. Three minutes later, three Flyers goals in 67 seconds sealed the day. Struggling Martin Biron had 38 saves to collect his usual (10 wins in a row) Islanders tonic.

Game Summary | Event Summary | nhl.com Recap (AP)

Final - 2.14.2009	1	2	3	Total
New York Islanders	0	0	1	1
Philadelphia Flyers	2	0	3	5

Complete Coverage >

Post-game podcast discussing the game and Islanders at Hockey Night on Long Island, with new Lighthouse Hockey contributor Mike as guest co-host.
Flyers reaction at Broad Street Hockey. (If you missed it, Travis of Broad Street Hockey answered five questions I had for him about the Flyers here. Interesting perspectives). My Islanders answers to his queries are also at BSH. Thanks again to Travis for some great insight and one-liners.

Even when the Islanders controlled the flow of play, their lack of offensive depth meant goals -- er, "the goal" -- were typically hard to come by. A few quick Flyers moves through the neutral zone -- one leading to Simon Gagne's penalty shot -- and the Flyers had three quick goals to show the Isles what offensive depth looks like.

Jeff Tambellini was a healthy scratch, which spoke volumes about the status of his umpteenth quasi-chance to show he can be an NHL scorer. This time frequent scratch Jon Sim got his turn, with Weight's injury opening up another slot in the lineup.

Why no Tambellini? Well, they were in Philadelphia, where Gordon likes to dress towering Mitch Fritz to fend off the Broad Street Bullies. Fritz actually got 6:19 of TOI -- about three times his NHL season average. Alas, de facto enforcer Tim Jackman was again the only one called to the ring, dropping the gloves early with former Islander Aaron Asham.

Without Weight, Time for Someone to Step Up

I've mentioned before how, despite the Tavares-worthy record, this season hasn't been miserable to watch. BUT: Without Weight, particularly while powerplay key Streit is also on the shelf, the Isles will need someone to step up or we may have many more like this Valentine's Day in Philly.

That could be the youngsters: (Josh Bailey has gone a little quiet again, Frans Nielsen has not gotten back to where he was before Mike Mottau clotheslined him). Or it could be a UFA veteran like Mike Comrie -- but Comrie's career record doesn't indicate a major surge is in the cards.

Either way, adding Weight to the long-term injury list means 30th place (and Tavares?) is now closer than ever. It also means it's time to give more shots to more prospects -- and fewer to Jon Sim.

Snow, Gordon: Forward thinkers?

Dominik — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 12:45:08 -0000

Last summer Islanders GM Garth Snow and coach Scott Gordon -- to much fan chagrin -- decided not to dress a dedicated enforcer this season. After a training camp battle between three true one-trick ponies, Mitch Fritz won the right to be shuttled up and down from Bridgeport, to be inserted into the lineup whenever a "tough" opponent (read: Philly) was on the schedule.

Fritz literally logged about two minutes most nights. It was silly, and you almost felt bad for him when he did see the ice, because he'd have to fight on completely cold legs. But then the Isles waived Fritz, and we haven't seen him since. Instead, fourth-line utility man Tim Jackman has embraced the de facto role of enforcer.

Now comes word that NHLPA head Paul Kelly is suspicious of these one-trick guys who -- enforcer poetry aside -- see zero quality ice time and don't often bring much beyond staged fights. It's an interesting thought: While some are against fighting entirely, a lot more are fine with fighting but wish the sideshow, staged battles were limited. Leave fighting only for the Clark Gillies-esque, enough-is-enough type of fights.

So, the Islanders still have fights, as we saw with Jackman v. Lecavalier the other night. Were Snow and Gordon ahead of the curve by de-emphasizing the need for a romantic goon?

Doing Alright with the 2009 1st-Round Pick, Too

Here's another contrast between Snow/Gordon ("Snordon?") and their peers: They've eased Josh Bailey into the lineup all season long, steadily increasing his ice time. Meanwhile, #1 pick Steve Stamkos has been tossed around and scratched amid the Melrose-turned-Tocchet Koules Chaos in Tampa Bay:

"I always thought the more you play, the more you learn," Stamkos said. "That's the philosophy I think works. But in different organizations, they think differently. Obviously, New York believes in that. [Bailey's] getting a chance, and he's playing well. It's good for him."

Now granted, Bailey's preseason injury was a blessing in disguise, allowing him to ease in. And Stamkos perhaps isn't the best arbiter for how he can become an NHL player.

But it bears considering that -- at this point, at least -- Snow and Gordon have the better-developed young center. And he's a happy center, to boot.

Islanders host Devils: K.C.'s past meets K.C.'s future

Dominik — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 12:00:10 -0000

[Update: I promoted it yesterday, but for this post I was remiss in not originally mentioning that In Lou We Trust's John -- and Islanders Outsider -- will be on Hockey Night in Long Island this afternoon]

The New Jersey Devils "grinded out" a win last night -- those are John's words at "In Lou We Trust," where he has the low-down on last night's game, as well as the rule by which the controversial deciding goal was called over Blue Jackets' objections.

Now bring me the head of Mike Mottau.

(via The Rivalry)

Kansas City's Past (26-15-3, 3rd/Atl) at Kansas City's Future (12-28-4, 30th)

7 p.m. | Nassau [future lighthouse?] Coliseum | MSG+

Devils blogs: In Lou We Trust (and many more - check his blogroll)

It's somewhat remarkable, for divisional opponents, that this is their first meeting since Frans Nielsen was knocked out by Mottau. Nielsen only recently returned -- and we'll never get those intervening five weeks of development back -- but it's difficult to tell whether this will be an issue. Nielsen thinks it was a bad hit, but he also doesn't (publicly) suspect the worst of Mottau.

Meanwhile, Mitchell Fritz -- who, to the chagrin of many fans, was not even used by coach Scott Gordon to exact justice -- has since been waived. Tim Jackman has become the de facto enforcer. And divisional games like these, when the standings' interests are not equal, can sometimes devolve into chest-thumping fightfests anyway. But my read is that Gordon doesn't encourage such things.

Sounds like NHL journeyman (ha) Brendan Shanahan will not be in the lineup yet, although he's aiming for a pre-All Star Break return, so ... who knows. Whenever he does debut with the no-longer-green Devils, it will be interesting to see how team chemistry -- and his own rust -- shakes out.

Speaking of returns, Wade Dubielewicz will not see action yet. It's still Yann Danis' spot to show Gordon he's worthy of trust. ... Doug Weight and Bill Guerin will be honored for their 1,000th regular season point and 400th goal, respectively.