SB Nation - New York Islanders

Islanders, Blue Jackets Are Both Really, Really Dumb

Travis Hughes — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:14:52 -0000

The New York Islanders did something over the weekend at the NHL Draft that may just be unprecedented. According to the Columbus Dispatch, Garth Snow offered up his entire draft to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for the No. 2 pick. How would that deal have looked on paper?

To CBJ: Pick Nos. 4, 34, 65, 103, 125, 155 and 185.
To NYI: Pick No. 2

It's really hard to determine which team here is dumber.

The deal would have dropped CBJ just two spots in the first round of the draft and it would have given them six extra picks overall in the draft. The Islanders clearly wanted the opportunity to draft defenseman Ryan Murray, but in talking with Matt Wagner of The Cannon in Pittsburgh over the weekend, it seems as though Columbus was all-in on Murray to the point that the Blue Jackets may have taken him over consensus No. 1 pick Nail Yakupov had both been available at No. 2.

But while they may not have had the chance to select Murray had they made this deal, it would have been an unbelievable score for Columbus. The team would have selected a really solid player with the No. 4 pick -- potentially Griffin Reinhart, the defensive prospect the Islanders wound up taking in that spot -- and would have ended up with 12 (!) picks over the course of the seven-round draft.

Scott Howson could have had Pick Nos. 4, 31, 34, 62, 65, 95, 103, 125, 152, 155, 182 and 185 on Friday and Saturday. Oh, and he had the option of taking the Kings No. 30 pick in the first round this year as well, which would have given Columbus four of the top 34 picks in the draft.

Ryan Murray is a fine prospect, but two NHL teams ridiculously overvalued him this past weekend. It's not hard to understand why these are the two of the worst teams in the league we're talking about here.

CSN Washington To Air 8 Classic Capitals Games From 2011-12 Season

Samuel Chamberlain — Fri, 22 Jun 2012 18:44:08 -0000

Summer is here, and let's be honest, unless you're a child who's just been let out of school, it's not fun. With the exception of this weekend's draft and the beginning of free agency July 1, it's even less fun if you're a hockey fan.

Luckily, Comcast Sportsnet is riding to the rescue with re-airings of eight classic Capitals games from the 2011-12 season.

The re-airings will take place over part of the next two weeks, beginning Monday, June 25 and running through June 29 before picking up again on July 2 and continuing through July 5. During the second week, CSN will air Games 1, 3, 4, and 7 of the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against Boston. After the jump, the four regular season games that CSN has highlighted.

Monday, June 25 at 7 p.m.

Capitals vs. Hurricanes (October 8, 2011) -- Mike Green scores the OT winner in the Caps home opener.

Tuesday, June 26 at 7 p.m.

Capitals vs. Senators (December 3, 2011) -- Brooks Laich's late winner gives Dale Hunter first NHL win.

Wednesday, June 27 at 7 p.m.

Capitals vs. Bruins (January 24, 2012) -- Capitals rally three times before defeating the defending champions.

Thursday, June 28 at 7 p.m.

Capitals vs. Islanders (March 13, 2012) -- Matt Hendricks shows off his ridiculous moves in a 5-4 shootout win.

Capitals Get 25-1 Odds To Win Stanley Cup In 2013

Samuel Chamberlain — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 16:54:56 -0000

The 2011-12 NHL season ended shortly before 11 p.m. Eastern time Monday night, as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the New Jersey Devils, 6-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals to win the franchise's first NHL championship in its 45-year history. Congratulations to them.

However, life moves on quickly in hockey, and it wasn't long before speculation had already turned to who would contend for the Cup in 2013. Bearing in mind that the season may be shortened by a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad lockout, Bovada put out some fresh odds Tuesday morning. The notable ones are after the jump.

The Pittsburgh Penguins are the early favorite at 7-1 (presumably as a reaction to the Tomas Vokoun signing). The Los Angeles Kings are second-favorites, as they have 11-1 odds to successfully defend their title.

As for our Washington Capitals, Bovada puts their odds at 25-1, which puts them on equal footing with Anaheim, Buffalo, and Tampa Bay, and actually leaves them shorter odds than New Jersey (this year's other finalist is at 30-1), Toronto (35-1), Montreal (60-1), Columbus, Minnesota, and the New York Islanders (all with the longest odds at 75-1).

NHL 13 Cover Vote: Pavel Datsyuk Eliminated

James Brady — Thu, 24 May 2012 17:45:08 -0000

The Detroit Red Wings have fallen short of joining the Detroit Lions and Detroit Tigers in having a player represent them on the cover of one of the big sports video game franchises. Justin Verlander of the Tigers is on the cover of MLB 2K12, while Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson will grace the cover of EA's Madden NFL 13.

Pavel Datsyuk advanced all the way to the quarterfinals in the NHL 13 cover vote (another game from EA), but according to the Red Wings' official Twitter account, he did not make it past his opponent, New York Islanders forward John Tavares. Coming into this matchup, Datsyuk had bested T.J. Oshie, and this is considered an upset, given Datsyuk's No. 1 seeding.

Tavares, seeded No. 5, will go on to face Pekka Rinne in the semifinals, and the winner of that will take on the winner of Evgeni Malkin vs. Claude Giroux in the finals. It was a good run for Datsyuk, but one has to feel that he matched up well with the other three remaining.

2012 NHL Playoffs: The Mind-Numbing Numbers And Dazzling GIFs Behind Caps/Rangers Game 3

Samuel Chamberlain — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:00:51 -0000

You want to know exactly how long Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Capitals and New York Rangers was? Here's how long it was:

-At 114:41 of game time, it was the third-longest game in Capitals history, behind only Game 7 of the 1987 Patrick Division Semifinals against the New York Islanders (128:47, the so-called Easter Epic) and Game 4 of the 1996 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins (139:15). The Capitals lost both of those games as well. Also, since both those games were played at the old Capital Centre/USAir Arena, Wednesday night's game was the longest game in the 15-year history of the Verizon Center.

-This was the fifth-longest game in Rangers history and their longest since March 21, 1939, when the Blueshirts lost Game 1 of their playoff series against the Boston Bruins, 2-1, on a goal by Mel Hill. Hill, who also scored OT winners in Game 2 and 7 of the series, earned the nickname "Sudden Death" Hill for his heroics.

-This was the 20th-longest game in NHL history, and the longest since Brendan Morrow's goal lifted the Dallas Stars over the San Jose Sharks at the 129:03 mark of Game 6 of the 2008 Western Conference Semifinals.

-Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh deserves special recognition for logging 53:17 seconds of ice time. Since the NHL began keeping official track of ice time in the late-1990s, no Ranger has played more minutes in a single game. A few minutes of Googling, which is admittedly an inexact science, tells us that McDonagh's feat of Wednesday night is only surpassed by defenseman Sergei Zubov, who logged 54:09 in the Dallas Stars' triple-overtime win over the Sabres in Game 6 of the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals.

At a certain point, words fail you, so here are some GIFs that encapsulate the entire game. Get ready.

And finally ...

Black Jerseys Lead To More Penalties For NHL Teams, Study Finds

Travis Hughes — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 20:54:49 -0000

Nine NHL teams have a black jersey as part of their uniform collection. Those nine teams may want to reconsider.

According to a new study brought to our attention by this NPR report, teams that wear black uniforms are penalized "significantly more" than teams in white or other-colored jerseys. The study analyzed 50,000 NHL games across a nearly 25-year span and found that teams wearing black uniforms were penalized about two minutes more per game on average.

That's quite the impressive find, but why is this happening?

The study didn't necessarily look into the "why" question, but the researchers have a few theories. We'll get your first thought out of the way, though: It's not a home vs. away thing, as the analysis spanned the 2003 NHL rule change that shifted the long-standing tradition of "home whites" to "road whites."

One intriguing theory: Black jerseys may simply stand out more easily on the white ice surface, which lead to more penalties because the officials just happen to see players committing infractions more easily. Another possibility? Officials simply associate the color black with bad things, and subconsciously blow the whistle more frequently against teams wearing the color. Via the NPR report:

"There is this very strong cultural association that comes through in how we think about colors in terms of white being associated with good and black with bad," Webster said in an interview. "Many of us are raised from childhood with some of these associations. And over time, we develop a kind of cognitive bias. That's been shown time and time again in social psychology."

We may not know exactly why this phenomenon occurs, but the data is pretty profound. If you're a fan of the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars or Carolina Hurricanes, you may want to start the petition to get rid of those black jerseys.

Vote For The SB Nation NY Player Of The Week

Jeff Freier — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 13:01:01 -0000

It's Monday morning, which means it's time to vote for the SB Nation New York Player of the Week. Last week, in the battle of Linsanity vs. Timsanity, the people spoke as Jeremy Lin took 92% of the vote (214 votes to Tim Tebow's four), but unfortunately it looks like his season may be over. It was a winning week for all the teams, though, as the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets and New York Rangers all went 3-1, the New Jersey Devils 3-0 and the New York Islanders 2-2. Here are the new nominees. Vote now!

Carmelo Anthony: Even though he's dealing with his own banged-up body, Anthony has picked up the slack for his injured teammates, with four impressive games this week: 28 points with 12 rebounds in the win over the Bucks on Monday, a 25-point, five-rebound, six-assist performance against the Magic, 36 points, nine rebounds and five steals vs. the Hawks and 19 points in the romp over the Cavaliers.

Iman Shumpert: Anthony needed help, and Shumpert was one of the Knick players who stepped up when he was inserted into the starting lineup, scoring 25 points in consecutive games and then adding 10 points with five steals vs. Cleveland. And he's always a force on defense.

J.R. Smith: While his off-the-court behavior is usually questionable, on the court, Smith always gives a full effort, even if his shots aren't falling. Though he only managed nine points in the win over the Bucks, he hauled in 10 rebounds. He only scored 12 and five points in the next two games, but he was the star in Saturday's win, with 20 points, nine rebounds and five steals.

Deron Williams: The Nets may be out of the playoff picture, but they had a successful week nonetheless, and their star point guard was a big reason why. After a ho-hum 17 points and 11 assists in the loss to the Jazz, he scored 30 points with nine assists in the victory over the Pacers, nine points with a whopping 20 assists against the Warriors and 19 points and 15 assists vs. the Kings.

Marian Gaborik: The Ranger right wing scored his 40th goal of the year on Sunday for the second time in three seasons with the Blueshirts. For the week he netted three goals, assisted on three others and was a plus-4. And he has a five-game point streak going.

Josh Bailey: The Islanders piled up goals at a dizzying pace this week (until Sunday, that is), so there were numerous players who are deserving of a mention, but we'll go with Bailey after what he did to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the back-to-back victories, Bailey scored two goals and added six assists, with five- and three-point games.

David Clarkson: We'll give Clarkson credit for his impressive season, as he scored his 30th goal in Saturday's playoff clincher (which was also his 28th birthday), and he also had a goal and an assist in Tuesday's win over the Lightning and was a plus-2 with four hits this week.

Poll

Who should be the SB Nation NY Player of the Week?

Carmelo Anthony

6 votes

Iman Shumpert

13 votes

J.R.. Smith

2 votes

Deron Williams

2 votes

Marian Gaborik

1 votes

Josh Bailey

0 votes

David Clarkson

0 votes

24 votes | Poll has closed

TV Schedule, March 31: Bruins, Red Sox, Revs In Action On Saturday

sportsgirlkat — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:39:55 -0000

Saturday's TV schedule, complete with channels and times, customized for the Boston sports fan. Click on highlighted teams' names for complete schedules, scores, and previews, plus an active community devoted to your team. All times ET and approximate.

NHL

Boston Bruins vs. New York Islanders - 1 p.m. (TV: NESN) The Boston Bruins technically clinched a playoff spot while idle Friday night. Saturday, they face the Islanders, who have two straight victories over playoff bound teams.

MLB

Boston Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay Rays - 1 p.m. (No TV, Radio: WEEI) Opening day draws closer as the Boston Red Sox play one of their final exhibition games this spring training against fellow AL East team, the Tampa Bay Rays.

MLS

New England Revolution vs. LA Galaxy - 11 p.m. (TV: NBC Sports Network) The New England Revolution defeated Portland at home last weekend to gain their first win of the season. Can they finally win out West, where they have been unsuccessful since 2009?

College basketball listings after the jump!

College Basketball

NCAA Final Four

Louisville vs. Kentucky - 6:00 p.m. (TV: WBZ/CBS)

Ohio State vs. Kansas - 8:45 p.m. (TV: WBZ/CBS)

Kris Letang Crucial To Penguins' NHL Playoff Success

Pat O'Mahony — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 12:00:55 -0000

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are obviously key to the success of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but a healthy Kris Letang may mean even more to the Pens chances of lifting the Cup. After losing Thursday night to Islanders, the Penguins have lost three of their last four, and it's no coincidence that Letang has been MIA for those games. Head Coach Dan Bylsma has lately been preaching to his players about the importance of keeping the puck out of their own net. It seems the Pens have gotten goal-happy and shifted their focus away from protecting Marc-Andre Fleury's cage.

A healthy Letang is critical to the Pens because he provides much more than stats. His value to the team is more than goals, assists, and plus/minus. Letang provides his partners a security blanket. Letang's speed and skating ability allow for his partners to be more comfortable pinching for pucks and keeping possession. His skating also allows for quicker puck movement, neutral zone rushes, and, subsequently, easier puck retrieval in the offensive zone. In Bylsma-speak, he allows the Pens to get to their game. And for all of his offensive abilities, Letang has turned into a great two-way defenseman. Letang is solid on the wall, strong on his skates, and can deliver a body blow with the best of them.

It is obvious to me that the Pens miss Letang immensely. As good as Simon Despres (who I think is the next coming of Letang, and possibly even better) and Ben Lovejoy have been in spot starts, they do not allow for the same comfort level among teammates. Familiarity is key for a hockey club. The skills that Letang brings to the Pens are unique and greatly missed. If they want to go far in the playoffs, the Penguins need a healthy Kris Letang.

Vote For The SB Nation NY Player Of The Week

Jeff Freier — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 13:00:36 -0000

It's Monday morning, which means it's time to vote for the SB Nation New York Player of the Week. Last week, Jeremy Lin won in a landslide, as he proved that predictions of his Mike Woodson-era demise were premature. This week, the New York Knicks went 3-1, the New Jersey Nets 1-3, the New York Rangers 3-1, the New York Islanders 2-1 and the New Jersey Devils 1-2-1. Here are the new nominees. Vote now!

Amar'e Stoudemire: The Knick forward played his best ball of the season this past week, when he looked like last year's version of himself, scoring 22, 21, 17 and 17 points in the four games, with 12, nine, six and eight rebounds. But he tweaked his back in Saturday's win, which would be a big blow to the team if that turned out to be serious.

Gerald Wallace: We'll give the new Net his due, as he had a productive first full week with New Jersey. He scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds on Monday, and followed that up with lines of 13/3, 8/9 and 15/7.

Ryan Callahan: Twice this week the Ranger captain came to his team's rescue. After notching two assists in the win over the Devils on Monday, Callahan scored the game-winner in overtime against the Red Wings, which was his 27th goal and came on his 27th birthday. And on Saturday, he came up with the game-winning goal in the shootout victory over the Maple Leafs.

Ilya Kovalchuk: Amid the not-so-great week for the Devils was a milestone goal, as Kovalchuk recorded the 400th of his career, which also happened to be the only goal of the game in New Jersey's 1-0 win over the Senators on Tuesday. He scored again on Sunday and also had an assist this week, in the loss to the Rangers.

Matt Moulson: The Islander left wing was a goal-scoring machine this week, netting a pair of goals in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs, another one on Saturday (which was the 100th of his NHL career) and one more in Sunday's shootout win over the Panthers.

Jeremy Lin: We'll throw Lin in here again this week because everyone keeps voting for him. He scored 18 points with 10 assists on Monday and 18/3, 6/4, 13/3 the rest of the week (though he sat out the end of Saturday's win with a sore knee).

Tim Tebow: The controversial quarterback didn't play a game this week or even throw a pass, but he did cause a commotion with his trade to the New York Jets. We'll list him here just to set up a battle of Linsanity vs. Timsanity (thanks to my daughter for that one).

Poll

Who should be the SB Nation NY Player of the Week?

Amar'e Stoudemire

11 votes

Gerald Wallace

0 votes

Ryan Callahan

3 votes

Ilya Kovalchuk

0 votes

Matt Moulson

0 votes

Jeremy Lin

215 votes

Tim Tebow

4 votes

233 votes | Poll has closed