Looks like I chose just the right time to come back

There aren't really any words to describe what kind of effort the Isles put together in Carolina last night. Their fifth straight loss now drops them to twelfth in the conference, and their once-strong +8 goal differential now sits at -11, third worst in the NHL. Tough to find any positives, so I'm frankly not including any. Some negatives are self-explanatory but nevertheless necessary to state for the record.

Negatives

If Rick DiPietro keeps handling the puck like this, we're all in a lot of trouble. The Isles clearly had the better of play in the first ten minutes, then DiPietro's goof with the puck-- again-- completely deflated the team. Once Corvo slapped that laser by DP, who was sorely out of position after his puckhandling gaffe, the game was over. Sergei Samsonov put the nail in the coffin with his beautiful stick work on the Hurricanes' second goal.

I understand that Ricky D's advantage is his above-average ability to play the puck, but his hesitation right now is inexcusable. There's no other way to put it. Rick has now let up three goals (by my count) simply due to giving the puck away when he wasn't even pressured. That is ludicrous. It's tangibly hurting the team.

The Isles still can't knock anyone out of the crease. Sound familiar? Bruno Gervais getting minutes again doesn't help this cause at all, but nevertheless, it's still a huge issue. It was an issue even when the team was semi-healthy at the start of the year. Wanna know why Eric Staal runs roughshod over the boys in blue and orange every time he plays them? The guy is a bull on his skates and owns his section of the ice with impunity. He's one of the top five all-around players in the NHL, and just in case you forgot, he had it all on display tonight.

Nobody's playing the body anymore. Nevermind that the team's body language in general is just horrific, the style of play has taken a serious turn for the worse. In the beginning of the season, the team was spirited for at least 45 minutes of every game, making sure they threw bodies into oncoming skaters and establishing at least some sort of physical presence. Now, the only guy doing that is Matt Martin, who really does not belong in the NHL to begin with at this stage of his career.

I really hope this isn't some sort of revolt against the coach. I'm a fan of Scott Gordon generally, but I really hope my worst fears aren't confirmed. The way the team isn't trying on D, isn't staying true to the system, and isn't playing with any sort of punch for this kind of extended stretch indicates that they're either (a) demoralized due to getting shut down four times in a row by two really good teams and the general bad luck with health, or (b) sick of Flash.

Matt Martin and Bruno Gervais need to be exchanged for Jesse Joensuu/Rhett Rakhshani and Dylan Reese. Joensuu and Rakhshani at least have the hockey sense to play the bottom six effectively. I love what Matt Martin brings to the table, but that kid's game needs a lot of work. From what I've seen of him, first NHL goal aside, his game needs a ton of work before he comes back. Meanwhile, Joensuu is polished and might actually be a better skater than Martin at this point. Alternatively, Rakhshani is great on the PK and can at least be some sort of offensive threat on the fourth line while Martin gets much-needed minutes in the AHL. Reese is flat-out better than Bruno, and I think it's high time the Isles cut the cord.

On the Canes

Eric Staal is maybe my favorite non-Islander player in the NHL. Because he plays in Carolina, he gets constantly overlooked, but as I mentioned above, I have no problem calling him one of the top five all-around players in the NHL. The Isles seem to consistently have tons of trouble with Staal and the Canes; during the Tavheduch season, the team took their worst loss in franchise history in this very building. Cam Ward always performs well against the Isles, and that trend continued once again this evening.

Carolina's a write-off every season, and I was guilty of this sentiment as well, but management there puts together a pretty good roster on a budget all the time. Staal is the headliner, Gleason is the rock, and Ward is the stalwart goaltender, and the pieces around them seem to come together nicely. This year, it's the likes of Samsonov and impressive rookie Jeff Skinner holding it down. I'm on record at IslanderMania as a Skinner supporter, and I maintain that after watching this game. He's in the mold of John Tavares, a guy who may not have the greatest athletic ability but really knows his way around the ice.

The Isles head to Ottawa next, and I don't know if you can find anyone who isn't dreading this game.

Taking their talents to South Beach... and forgetting to use them

I hope tonight isn't a reflection of the Isles possibly getting complacent with their modicum of success to begin the season. As encouraging as their start has been, this game might've been equally discouraging. Keep in mind for a second that Florida is the consensus pick to finish last in the League, and they have by far the least talent of any team in the NHL. No disrespect to David Booth, who is good, but he's their headliner. He's complementary top six on any other team. Tonight, though, he and the Panthers outworked the Islanders so badly that it was legitimately appalling. The game ended 4-3 because John Tavares has unbelievable hockey sense.

Positives

John Tavares had a hat trick.

Negatives

The Islanders were badly, badly outworked at even strength. Two heads-up power play goals from Tavares disguised what was a horrible effort 5-on-5. The Panthers spent long stretches in the Isles' zone, and their trap was excellently game-planned to totally frustrate the visiting team. They screened with impunity, absolutely owned the crease area, and peppered DiPietro with shots at every turn.

I hope you're sitting down for this bombshell: The Islanders were abjectly unable to clear the zone all night. Twice, this led to goals. The Panthers' cycling looked like Philly's during last year's playoffs. The likes of Steve Reinprecht, Rostislav Olesz, and Stephen Weiss-- all respectable players, sure, but come on-- cranked up the pressure in the Isles' zone and never let up on the gas pedal. DiPietro obviously didn't have a wonderful night, but regardless of his bad pass and squeaker on a deflection that should've been called a high-stick, he made some pretty damn good saves. The Islanders let up 30 shots to the worst offensive team in hockey, and they paid for it, plain and simple.

Somebody needs to clear the crease when the opposing team decides to screen. Nobody stepped up to the plate tonight. Granted, I'm not a coach, but why Jack Hillen is on the PK while Mike Mottau plays the PP is completely beyond me. Hillen was absolutely dominated in the crease all night-- to be expected considering his size-- and Mottau struggled to run PP2 (overshadowed by the success of PP1). Mottau, the vet with the mean streak, makes a lot more sense in the role of punishing Reinprecht when he tries to get cute in front of Ricky D; the shifty, creative Hillen makes a lot more sense in the quarterback slot on the second unit. Or maybe I'm delusional.

Rick DiPietro has to lay back with the puck. His turnover led to the first goal of the night, which made the difference. A total brain fart. He had Wisniewski unmolested right next to him, and he instead chose to try to clear it himself. A totally boneheaded decision, and I'm sure he knows it. The Rick needs to understand that he doesn't have to be a hero anymore. He's not trying to singlehandedly generate offense for the likes of Ruslan Fedotenko and Josef Vasicek; the team in front of him is more than capable of handling things by itself. Just how DP settled in with his technique and awareness, so too will he settle in with this puck decisions. Frustrating as tonight was, it's worth the wait long-term.

On the Panthers

Give the Panthers a ton of props for game-planning correctly. Tomas Vokoun came up huge tonight as well in spite of being conquered by Tavares three times. His play in the last 60 seconds was phenomenal. The Panther forwards were money, and with the support of Weaver and Wideman, they were able to generate enough offense to topple the Isles. That's a team pretty devoid of any talent whatsoever outside Booth and Weiss; DeBoer is just trying to do whatever he can to score some goals while hoping Vokoun steals a few.

I'm a little leery of Tallon's 2010 draft; I think he could've done a lot more with the picks he had. I'm not very high on Gudbranson, and though I do like Bjugstad, I'm unsure of how the rest of the picks will turn out. Florida will be able to leverage Vokoun for a king's ransom come the deadline, considering they have both Jakob Markstrom and Marc Cheverie primed to take over. That should get them a headstart with regard to talent importation and securing the #1 pick in the upcoming draft, which will end up being Adam Larsson unless either Sean Couturier or Ryan Nugent-Hopkins can cure testicular cancer, genital herpes, and the common cold.

The Isles needed this one going into the home-and-home with Montréal. They'll very certainly welcome the return of Josh Bailey when that one comes around.

The Return of Ricky D

Tonight's game in Tampa was a heart-pounding affair with a bizarre ending as the Isles notched a victory in OT after a ten-minute review that came almost two minutes after the play in question occurred. Rick DiPietro and the Isles' defenders came up huge against a star-studded group of Lightning forwards that could comprise the most dynamic top six in the entire NHL. The whole team gutted out another quality performance on the road against a quality team, walking away from this one with two points. Though the Isles are now tied with the Fighting Sidney Crosbies for first place in the Eastern Conference, they have a game in hand.

Positives

Rick DiPietro is back, baby. DP looks a lot like he did before he got hurt, needing only a couple performances before regaining something resembling his old form. He made several really good-looking stops when the Isles were getting outclassed at even strength, especially in the third period. Particularly good was his stop on Marty St. Louis when he had to go East-to-West to get in the correct position.

The PK came up enormous. Constantly aggressive with tons of movement, and Tampa had a great deal of trouble working around it. The biggest moment, obviously, was when the blue and orange killed off a five-on-three that lasted for an eternal 40 seconds and made it look easy. Mark Eaton has been the unsung hero here, proving that the Isles needed to bring him in simply for his ability to clear the zone in these situations. That goes for Milan Jurcina as well.

Nino Niederreiter sure does look like he belongs. El Niño came up big again in subtle ways, always finding the right spot on the ice to make a contribution. On the Isles' first goal, he made the first shot on Dan Ellis before Michael Grabner swooped in to bury the rebound. However, even before that, Niederreiter was strong on the cycle and got himself open in the low slot. He may not be exceptionally noticeable, but give him time: he's already shown he can make it here, and sooner or later, he'll prove he can thrive at this level also.

Just in case you didn't believe, Matt Moulson is for real. The guy knows his way around the front of the net, he works harder than 90% of the other players in the League, and his hands are very, very good. I advocated a long-term extension for him this summer, but it wasn't to be. He has four goals in seven games, and the likelihood is that this'll be his second 30-goal season. We can only hope he's willing to stay on for a reasonable price come season's end.

The team refuses to fold in high-pressure situations. Down two goals? No problem. Third period deficit? No problem. Killing a five-on-three? No problem. Four of your top eight players injured? No problem. Rolling three lines for two periods in the Air Canada Centre? No problem. Five defensemen for two periods against a Tampa offensive juggernaut? No problem. The team just keeps on rollin'. Gotta love the fight in this squad.

Negatives

James Wisniewski needs be more careful. Couple gaffes from him tonight, two of which led to Bergenheim's breakaways. What's surprising about the Wiz through the five games he's played is that he doesn't seem like a traditional Garth defenseman. The Isles didn't miss him very much for the two games he was gone. He does add some good power play skills, but he's almost a liability at even strength.

The Isles need to be more effective as a team at clearing the zone. The problem came up once again this game: the team had a shot to clear, and the player with the puck on his stick was overanxious to start the rush. The funny thing about this phenomenon is that Gordon preaches to keep things simple, but I've seen nearly every member of the squad pass up a very good opportunity to send the puck out of the zone. Eventually, that'll come back to bite them as a team. In the third, the Isles spent way too much time in their own end for this reason.

On the Bolts

Good to see Sean Bergenheim, one of my favorite Islanders of recent memory, continue to do what he's known for doing, even if it's in another uniform. I'm obviously way more happy about this idea because the Isles ended up winning the game. He generated a couple breakaways and nearly missed the shot he ended up scoring on, but he causes so much havoc and frustration through his relentless puck pursuit that all his warts make him a worthwhile player if you can notch the right contract.

As for the rest of that team, it's gonna be a serious contender for awhile. Victor Hedman is already exceptionally impressive for such a young kid. The Isles would've been very well off with him on the team also, though it's not like I'm complaining about Tavares. The addition of Gagné rounds out a ridiculous top six with arguably the most talent in the whole Show. Stamkos is such a beast at this age that it's astounding; the sky is truly the limit for him. Marty St. Louis looks like he'll never get old-- a constant threat every time he's out there. His goal tonight was insane. Tampa, lest we forget, also finished tonight at the top of its own division despite losing in OT.

Next up, the Isles enter the time machine to play the 2008-2009 version of themselves in Miami.

Sloppy is as sloppy does

Give the Isles credit for walking away from the Consol Energy Center with a point tonight, because it certainly could've turned out quite differently if they didn't receive a friendly call from the refereeing staff on Kris Letang's shoulder to Blake Comeau's... shoulder. Granted, this is the same group of zebras that called a phantom hook on Milan Jurcina when he had the audacity to breathe in Sidney Crosby's direction, but by that point, the boys in blue and orange had already guaranteed themselves one point in the standings. There wasn't much about this game to like except for the notion that the Islanders could even exit the building with something to show for this type of effort against a premier NHL team in its own rink.

But let's try to focus on the positive, shall we?

The PK was finally on point. The right personnel were being used, everybody looked aggressive, and the Pens were frustrated throughout the game's three periods before finally breaking through in overtime after what was frankly a bad call. The Isles generated two golden shorthanded chances, both of which they couldn't convert. While the breaks of the game can unfold like that, it was encouraging to watch guys like Bailey, Comeau, and Nielsen really create something in the face of adversity.

Ricky D had a spectacular game. He gets screwed on two lucky bounces, then lets in a scorcher from Goligoski off a rebound created by the fact that an Isles defender (can't remember who right now) allowed a Pens attacker to screen DP with impunity. Other than that, he had several spectacular stops to keep the Isles in it. This was the DiPietro we know and love, the guy we remember stealing games for the team during a season in which they eventually made the playoffs. This is probably the most important takeaway of the night when you look at things in the long-term.

Josh Bailey and Blake Comeau are for real. Their all-around contributions tonight cannot be exaggerated. There was no phase of the game in which they did not have a serious impact. Bailey in particular had several unbelievable offensive moments. Comeau continues to do his thing and prove to everyone that he's officially turned the corner.

Radek Martinek has successfully re-invented himself. Not only is he positionally sound, but he's turning into more of an asshole while finding it in him to contribute offensively. I've constantly written that Martinek always had the skills to be one of the best all-around defensemen in hockey. Slowly, he's beginning to realize that for himself. Isles prospect Matt Donovan is similar: he doesn't even know his own strength, blissfully unaware of his own gifts because he's a nice guy. I hope he learns what Martinek has apparently learned: you need to get angry and you need to let that chip on your shoulder motivate yourself to achieve new heights.

But of course, how could we forget the negatives:

The horrible mental mistakes need to stop. Before the agita takes even more years off my life. I believe the team has had at least one bench minor in every regular season game thus far. That is insane any way you slice it. Nino logging six PIMs in the first period is inexcusable, even if he's 15 years old. Offensive-zone penalties are total murder on your team, and the Isles have racked up too many thus far for my liking. Mike Mottau-- who has officially converted me, by the way-- can't be making blind passes to the center of the rink in his own zone. The guys can't keep thinking 8 steps ahead and whiffing on easy clears and tape-to-tape passes. Will they sort it out? I'm confident they will, because Scott Gordon is the real thing. But I hope it happens way sooner than later.

Once more, with feeling: Andy MacDonald needs to be removed from the power play. I guess he'll be supplanted by Wisniewski upon James's return to the roster, but Andy Mac just wasn't made for this in any capacity. If Hillen's gonna play, you have to put him here. He ran one of college's most successful power plays for a very long time. This guy's completely capable of bringing that contribution to the NHL level.

If there is a God, P.A. Parenteau has played his last game in an Islander uniform. Not much more to say, really. It is what it is.

Protecting the front of the net is an area of concern. Now that Sutton is gone, the Isles don't have a guy who will flatten opposing players if they try to hang out in front of DiPietro. This was a problem on the game-winner, and it'll continue to be a problem until Travis Hamonic suits up for the Isles full-time (at least a year away) unless Snowy gets on the phone and imports a bruiser in the interim. Obviously, no one's gonna be available this early in the year. Nevertheless, I'd start giving it some real thought.

I cannot wait until the day the team learns to step on the opponent's throat. Two straight games with golden opportunities, both of them blown. In Washington, the Isles had two solid one-on-one chances with the goalie: Grabner making Carlson look like a pylon, and Moulson breaking away alone. Both didn't go their way. Tonight, the Isles went on the power play with 2:16 to go, and they couldn't hammer one home. They'll learn it eventually, but great teams always seize those moments. It's too much to ask for the time being, but the youngsters must incorporate that element to their game somewhere down the road if the Cup will ever come back to the Island. I know, I'm delusional for talking like that.

Quick thoughts on the Pens:

I understand Jordan Staal was out this game, but my goodness does that look like one shallow team. Crosby, Malkin, Staal, and a blue line that's looking awfully overhyped. Zbynek Michalek and Brooks Orpik (favorite non-Islander defenseman in hockey) being absent from this game had no impact whatsoever on the PP units, both of which looked dreadful (continuing a theme from last season). Ray Shero might end this season with serious egg on his face if he imported two defensemen to eat up the rest of their precious cap room and they didn't have the impact he anticipated.

Right now, Shero probably doesn't look too good for failing to address the age-old problem in Pitt: Crosby has no winger. The Pens draft too low for a winger to have an immediate impact, and it's an awful lot to ask of your scouting staff to identify a mid-rounder who can ride shotgun to the Next One with spectacular results. Crosby is the greatest player in the world at the moment, but he can't carry the likes of Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi to the Promised Land. When the Pens won the Cup, Crosby's superhuman effort was good enough to elevate a guy like Billy Guerin. Now, he doesn't have a guy who comes close to even that caliber. Shero learned last season that your biggest deadline import on wing can't be Alexei Ponikarovsky.

In the meantime, the Isles gear up for the Avalanche, who already head up the Northwest Division and don't figure to relinquish that lead for the rest of the year. On the tail end of slugfests with two bigshot teams from last year, the Isles will be paid a visit by another squad that saw playoff action in '09-'10. Can they come away with an impressive victory? We'll have to tune in on Saturday night to find out.

So let's talk about how good Josh Bailey is.

In spite of the warts all over this game, you have to be satisfied with the pair of balls on this Isles team. Two rousing comebacks in the third, overcoming some serious mistake-filled hockey in the first couple periods. It could've been way better, but this is as satisfying a win as I could remember. Despite the result, there are probably more negative things to take away from this game than positive things, but as you all know, I like focusing on the upside first.

Josh Bailey has become an unbelievable player almost overnight. The mitigating arguments: yes, this is one game; yes, the opponents are a little below par; yes, he's only 21; yes, he has not peaked. Fine. We've been watching his upward trajectory since he was an overmatched, fresh-faced teenager skating around on the third line for a last-place team. He made progress during that lost season, but it was subtle and slow. The next season saw him have a bit of a coming-out party in the middle of the year, stringing together multi-point games for awhile to give us a glimpse of what was to come. By the end of the year, he was noticeably affecting games, but sometimes missing the scoresheet.

These first two games of this season were entirely different, though. It's not just that Bailey has four points so far. If anything, his all-zone contributions and play without the puck have been even better than some of the spectacular plays he's made to score those points. He's forechecking and backchecking with great tenacity, he's throwing hits and winning battles in the corners, and his stick work is better than ever. Top all that off with a great sense of what to do in front of the net, and you've got yourself a pretty good NHL player.

For the record, this is all coming at the center position, where I didn't expect to see him again until two years from now. His faceoffs are still below average, but with the work this guy is putting in, I'm sure that'll eventually change. In the meantime, he's carried the team to three points almost by himself.

Is Blake Comeau really going to spell Kyle Okposo until December? Other than a few minor miscues, Comeau did everything Okposo normally does today. His forechecking is really on point, plus he's making some great defensive plays. It seems like things have officially clicked for him; he knows exactly how to translate his skill set to high-level production.

Comeau is a great example of the type of patience we need to show when young guys clearly have something to offer but aren't quite putting it together. For every Sean Bergenheim, who can't get it together mentally in time to salvage his career, there will be a Blake Comeau. At one time, I was laughed at for calling Comeau a referendum on Todd Bertuzzi. Though Comeau will probably never see 70 points in a season, it's looking more and more like Comeau can mature into a top six all-around power forward. Keep your eyes on this kid, because as I mentioned before, he's the most important forward until Okposo returns.

Andy MacDonald is officially the #1 defenseman until Mark Streit returns. This guy just continues to be steady-as-she-goes in his own end, nullifying oncoming attackers in all sorts of situations. This is my official campaign to get this guy more minutes, considering I'm most comfortable when MacDonald and (begrudgingly) Mike Mottau are on the ice (more on him later). He's showing great stick work and body positioning, and he seems to have no problem taking on the opponent's best players.

My hate for Mike Mottau wanes by the day. A couple minor goofs from him, but other than that, he was sensational. As a last-minute pickup, he's been a godsend so far. Not only is he tough as nails, but he looks right at home in this system in all three zones. He's been sneaky-good on the power play, and he picked up two assists this afternoon.

We're seeing a new and improved Radek Martinek. My pre-season observations told me that Radek was putting a different emphasis on being physical and being offensively-minded this year. So far, he's shown exactly that. He's put a couple good-looking wrist shots on goal, and he was even trying his best to bring the nasty today. When he was faced with a physical challenge, he'd normally back down; these past two games, he's snarled back at the antagonist and answered in kind. Very pleasant to see that this guy's finally playing with a chip on his shoulder. He doesn't look nearly as scared or tentative anymore.

There were, of course, big negatives from this game.

The sloppiness must cease! The own-zone turnovers were horrific, and the neutral-zone turnovers were equally cringe-worthy. There are a lot of new players trying to learn the system, which probably accounts for some of this stuff, but a large portion of these gaffes have come unforced. James Wisniewski and P.A. Parenteau were the big culprits tonight. I'm giving them a couple more games to get it together, but the two of them have now put together two consecutive really bad games in the defensive and neutral zones. A lot of their screw-ups were just inexcusable.

On a team level, a second bench minor in as many games proved extremely costly. Those types of mental mistakes can't continue happening. Last year, the Isles were among the most disciplined teams in the NHL. That needs to continue if they want to stay afloat until Okposo comes back into the fold.

Ricky D must continue adjusting. He gave up two very soft goals today. I understand he's getting back in the groove when it comes to fighting through screens and moving laterally, but as I mentioned two days ago, he can't be weighing down the team while working out the kinks. He made some great, great saves, but the day when he's fully re-adjusted to the NHL game and playing close to how he used to can't come soon enough.

I think El Niño can hold his own, but he needs to show more if he's gonna stay. Niederreiter's been treading water so far and having some nice moments here and there, but we knew he'd be able to grind at this level already. The question is whether he can do something more. Otherwise, the Isles have a guy (Joensuu) who can do all these things in his place while Nino logs key development time in Portland and at the WJC.

In other news, I'm gonna try to get to some college games this week. I have Minnesota and North Dakota on DVR. Comcast sucks, so I missed UNH and Blake Kessel. On a final note, I'm sticking to what I said about Stepan: good player, but he's up too early. I think he'll definitely be a long-term second-line center, but expect the rest of the year for him to continue sort of like Bailey's first season on the Isles.

Josh Bailey is a Man's Man (and Other Observations)

In typical Islanders fashion, game one was an absolute heartbreaker, with the Isles clawing back from being down two goals in the third period only to lose in the shootout. Fun game to watch, though the mental mistakes were very ugly. Turnovers led to two goals, DiPietro leaked another, and Jurcina's failure to clear Morrow from the front of the net surrendered the third. On the positive side, the team was flying all night and overcame the early loss of John Tavares to a mild concussion. Couple key points to take from this game.

Josh Bailey is a man's man. The kid had his best game as an Islander, registering two assists and the only positive rating (+1) on the whole team. He was a man possessed, possibly the best player on the ice for either side. When Tavares went down, he slid into the #1 center role seamlessly. That's something I didn't expect out of him for another two years, but he's well on his way to assuming the role without an issue. I've always felt he'd be capable of 70 point seasons down the road, and he showed why tonight.

James Wisniewski is up to the task. A couple pylon moments from him, but those were far overshadowed by the gorgeous slapshot goal and thunderous hit on Jamie Benn in retaliation for the Tavares cheap shot from Burish. Really good showing from this guy tonight. I have faith that he can spell Streit offensively.

Blake Comeau is ready to take the next step over a full year. A crucial thing, as I have detailed previously, since Comeau will be relied on for everything Okposo used to do at the wing position. He filled in pretty admirably tonight, chipping in a key goal and throwing his weight around with abandon. He also did very well on the penalty kill.

Andy MacDonald looks like he's for real. Did pretty well for himself tonight, logging 23-and-a-half rock-solid minutes. Let's watch his progress over the next few games and see if he solidifies the notion that he'll be taking over for Streit on the defensive side of things.

I don't hate Mike Mottau... as much. When Mottau laid out Frans Nielsen two years ago, "seething hatred" was the best phrase I could use to describe my feelings towards him. Now that he's in an Isles uni, I guess I'll have to get used to seeing him out there every night. He did well in this game, logging a healthy amount of minutes in a system he's had about two weeks to learn.

And now for the negative...

P.A. Parenteau doesn't look like an NHL player. He'll need to be way, way better than this if he wants to stick, especially on the power play. Ugly game from him tonight.

Mark Eaton needs to cut down on the pylon moments. Pens fans were talking about how he wasn't very physical, and they weren't kidding. I hope he gets steadier as the season progresses, because he didn't look like a very good fit out there tonight.

Nino Niederreiter shouldn't be doing this over a full season. I'd rather have Jesse Joensuu do what he's assigned to be doing right now. I've been saying that from jump street. Niederreiter's holding his own, but he frankly doesn't look like he belongs. Juniors is the best route for him.

Rick DiPietro needs to get back in the swing of things. Had his ups and downs tonight. Two goals weren't his fault, two were. If he's gonna stay healthy and get into games, Ricky needs to sharpen up his lateral movement and his reflexes. I think the guy deserves 10 or so games to get his legs back under him before we all call for his head, but the Isles can't afford to deal with him shaking off the rust when they're going to be jockeying for position in this division quite early.

One more thing, before we all freak out...

Derek Stepan still has a long way to go. Rangers fans will undoubtedly proclaim the kid to be the next Guy Carbonneau or something, but it's an 82-game season, and he's still only 18. An auspicious start to his career for sure, but I don't see him being a goal scorer by trade. I wrote on IslanderMania quite awhile ago that I thought Stepan was a no-doubter for a top six role. That obviously hasn't changed. However, I also wrote that he doesn't have the hands to score 30 in the NHL. I still believe that, hat trick be damned. Stepan comes off to me more like a mini-Brad Richards. Good player for sure, but let's not get ourselves carried away over one performance.

Thoughts on the Isles' 2010-2011 Outlook

Considering the season is on the verge of commencing, I thought this was the best time to share my opinion on how I regard the Isles' upcoming campaign. I understand there's a bit of a pall on Opening Night because Streit and Okposo will miss significant time due to injury, but as always, I remain pretty optimistic. I'll be bouncing between statements and questions in this post, followed by a bit of discussion.

Thought: Blake Comeau and James Wisniewski are going to make or break the Isles' season. All other things being equal, I think these are gonna be the two key guys because the team will look to them to replace the production of its injured leaders.

Comeau in particular will be the most important player-- not because he's the best, but because it's his performance that will determine whether the Isles can hold the fort until Okposo comes back. I highly doubt Comeau can bring the constant effort, hockey smarts, and grit at quite Okposo's level for these three or so months until the Ox comes back into the fold. Rather, I think Comeau will need to continue his great defensive play against the other team's top line-- an assignment Kyle normally handles-- and he'll need to toss up 55-60 points, which would be a career year. Playing with John Tavares, who's will probably have a monster year (see below), it may be possible. We all have to cross our fingers and hope that this is the year Comeau figures it out. The tools are there.

As for the Wiz, he's now thrust into the first pairing role he always wanted. His response to this new burden will determine how the defense holds up. The depth is much improved over last year, this much is true-- you can even go to war with Reese, Kohn, and Gervais as your backups in the AHL-- but Wiz will need to be a frontline guy if the Isles will succeed and fulfill expectations. Like Comeau, the talent is there, but he'll have to put it together to both keep the team afloat and justify whatever new mega-deal he seeks in the off-season.

Prediction: John Tavares, Andy MacDonald, and Josh Bailey will have banner years. This is based on how they performed toward the end of last year, how they looked in the pre-season, and their new responsibilities coming into this year.

Tavares will carry the chemistry he had with Moulson and Comeau into Opening Night and throughout the season. You could already tell how much his skating has improved, and I think the year of NHL experience will be huge for him because of how hard he works and how well he learns. I don't think we'll be looking at a Stamkos-level breakout, but I do think 80 points is within reach in spite of how much other teams will zero in on him (especially with the Isles' roster being so depleted).

MacDonald will try to repeat his stellar 50-game run during his debut season. I, for one, believe he's up to the task. He's probably going to get paired with Wisniewski, an arrangement that I think will work well because of how their styles complement each other. While I don't foresee MacDonald doing much in the way of offensive production, I think he'll be up to snuff defending some of the looming threats in the Atlantic Division.

Bailey will spend the full year on the wing-- one of two or three before he is inevitably shifted back to center-- and I believe that will be a huge benefit to him because of the relaxed responsibilities. In the first month of the season, with Robbie Schremp out, Bailey will team with Frans Nielsen to make a nice all-around second-line tandem. Nielsen, who's a sneaky-good offensive player in his own right, will probably pair well with Bailey in all facets.

Question: How will the goalie arrangement work out this year? Rick DiPietro looked pretty good against Calgary, and he supposedly followed that up with another good performance. How often do you play The Franchise, and how often do you play Rollie the Goalie? Valid question, considering Dwayne Roloson thrives on a huge workload. We saw his performance dip when the Isles interrupted his rhythm for the sake of getting Marty Biron out on the ice at certain points last year. Even when DP came back, Roloson was once again thrown off his game. You figure the healthier guy gets the bulk of the time, but if his production is affected by the stop-and-start nature of his schedule, that's gonna be an issue.

DP's health is no longer a serious factor in the organization's future, considering Snowy has done a great job planning around his issues. Nathan Lawson waits in the wings as the 20-game backup in case Ricky goes down. Mikko Koskinen will probably be ready to play the part of Semyon Varlamov in your program by next season. Anders Nilsson and Cody Rosen are your lottery ticket insurance policies. So in reality, a healthy DP is just a bonus.

But it's a huge bonus if he's 80% or better. We're talking about a guy who, the occasional gaffe notwithstanding, handles the puck better than anyone else in the sport at his position. He rises to the occasion when it matters most. He can steal one game in a proverbial playoff series against any opponent. Personally, I'd rather have him playing (so long as he's still effective) than not playing. So we can sort of lay back for the very first time and see how this all plays out without freaking out every time Goalie 2021 breaks a nail.

Prediction: Barring catastrophe, the Isles will not end up with a top five overall selection in the 2011 NHL Draft. Even with the Streit and Okposo situations, plus the back spasms that will sideline Robbie Schremp for a month, I think the Isles will improve on their position last season. While they may not make the playoffs-- which is what I'd like out of them, ideally-- I just can't see them dipping down that low.

Too many substantial additions have been made to improve depth, which was the team's main problem last season (especially on defense). This season, the Isles are probably OK for the first nine defensemen (Streit included), and they can bring up Hamonic in a pinch later in the year. As far as the top six, the loss of both Okposo and Schremp hurts, but they'll both be back by New Year's Day.

During the second half of the season, if the Isles are in striking range, I see Okposo's return being a huge boost for a potential run at a low playoff spot. If they're sort of languishing, I think Okposo will propel them above the dregs of the bottom five.

Question: Will Charles Wang have the stones to stick with Gordon and Snow in the face of what already looks to be an injury-riddled season? Some rumblings are talking about Scott Gordon as a potential coach on the hot seat if the Isles don't show some improvement this year. If the roster stayed intact, I'd agree with that assessment. However, without Streit and Okposo, things will be slightly more difficult to say the least. Given the development of some of the young guys so far, I think Gordo deserves a pass unless this season really turns out to be a mess.

Snow's trade for Wisniewski, along with his Eaton signing, looks extra responsible after Streit's unfortunate injury. He's been doing a really good job in light of the fact that he's had his hands tied with regards to how much he's able to spend on the roster. I think it'd be a serious mistake to let him go, but the alarming lesson we've learned after a decade of Wang's ownership is that he's capable of nearly anything.

Here's to what will hopefully be an exciting Islanders season, even in spite of the challenges they face in the months ahead.