The cliche goes, “The best defense is a good offense.” That may be true, but when your offense is inconsistent much of the time, it helps to have a decent blueline to fall back on. Not the case this season.

The Islanders allowed the fourth-highest number of goals in the NHL this regular season (255). That’s a combination of defensive and goaltending mistakes, but in order for the goalie to even touch the puck, it has to get through those two guys on the blueline first — and this D had some serious holes. The top six D on this team — Mark Streit, Travis Hamonic, Milan Jurcina, Steve Staios, Andrew MacDonald, and Mark Eaton — combined for a rating of -96. Two of them — Streit and Jurcina — were a -61 together. Add in 238 PIM among the six and you have a recipe for disaster.

Let’s break it down by player, shall we?

Mark Streit: The captain had a bit of adjustment to do after missing a full year with a shoulder injury and then being given this shiny new leadership position. The first half of the season was miserable for him, as he posted a -21 and was almost a non-factor on the PP, but in the second half he rebounded, scoring 21 points and only managing a -6 overall. Still, he managed only 47 points on the season (7 G, 40 A), a significant drop from his first season on the Island (though not much from his second). Grade: C

Travis Hamonic: Often the best defensive player on the team, Hamonic logged major minutes this season. He posted the highest plus-minus on the blueline with a +6.  Not a typical goal scorer, he still managed 22 points on the season (20 of them assists), showing that he’s still a factor in the offensive rush. Though he still drops the gloves every now and then, his PIM have declined significantly (73, down from over 100 last season); he still has the highest PIM total on the defense, though many of those minutes were BS, in my opinion. Plus, he was a shot blocker extraordinaire. Grade: B+

Andrew MacDonald: Another top D, A-Mac picked up much of the slack alongside Hammer. Only a -5 all year, he played in multiple situations and showed a bit of a scoring touch with five goals. He also displayed smart, relatively disciplined play and blocked a fair few shots himself — one of which even sat him out earlier in the season. Grade: B+

Mark Eaton: Blah. Blah numbers, blah play, blah everything. His one goal this season was a showstopper (literally- it won us a game in OT against Ottawa), but other than that… just BLAH. No telling whether he’ll be back for another year, but I’d prefer someone a bit younger and less prone to mistakes on the D. Grade: C-

Milan Jurcina: This dude’s been the whipping boy all year, and mainly for good reason. A -34 on the year and often the reason for bad mistakes on defense, Jurcina doesn’t bring to mind any positives right now. He’s big, no doubt, but he doesn’t use his size for anything except getting in the goalie’s way most of the time. Grade: D-

Steve Staios: Older and slower, and his 53 PIM are basically due to him trying to slow down opponents with his stick or his arms. He can definitely serve as a role model — Hamonic says he’s learned a lot from the veteran — but we can find more mobile players than him. Grade: C-

Dylan Reese: Only played 28 games this year due to injury, but Reese still managed a decent 28 games, with seven points and an even rating. Can’t ask for much more than that. Hope to see more of him next year, as he’s a smart, well-spoken guy and a smart player on the ice too. Grade: B-

Overall Defensive Grade: C-. Some flashes of brilliance, but not nearly enough to help out the goalies or the offense once it managed to score some goals. Better luck next time.

Next up, I’ll be talking about the goalies. Nabokov will be here another year- who will back him up? (dun dun dunnn) Stay tuned.

(Above Photo Credit: Robert Kowal/flickr)

Matt Moulson is one of the finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy, awarded to the NHL's most gentlemanly player. (Photo: Robert Kowal/flickr)

The NHL announced their finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy Monday morning. Among them is the Isles’ top goal scorer, Matt Moulson.

Moulson has managed only six PIM over the course of 82 games played (four of them in one game, against the Calgary Flames). In the process, he has had the most productive offensive season to date in his career- 36 goals, 33 assists, for a 69-point total. It’s only one of the many positive things we can say about Matty’s game this year.

Jordan Eberle (Oilers)  and Brian Campbell (Panthers) were the other nominees for the Lady Byng, awarded to the player who best exemplifies gentlemanly play and sportsmanship as well as playing ability. For some background on the trophy itself and predictions on who would win or be nominated, see Kat Velez’s article here. Two of three is NOT bad at all, Kat.

Congratulations to Matt Moulson, and I hope he gets recognized for a stellar (and clean) season.

John Tavares and Matt Moulson provided a combined 34% of the Isles' entire goal production this season. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

Let’s start off with the bad news: the Islanders were second-worst in the league in goals forced with 196. That’s 29 fewer than last season, which means that Michael Grabner’s bust of a sophomore season made much more of a difference than some might have originally thought.

Now, the good news. The Isles still had four 20+-goal scorers, including two 30-goal scorers in John Tavares and Matt Moulson. Kyle Okposo, Michael Grabner and Josh Bailey helped out in the back half of the season as well, but the fact remains that this offense is wildly inconsistent. Let’s go through it player by player and see where things even out.

Josh Bailey, C/LW: This guy is definitely better at the wing than at center, and it should have been evident since last season. This year, he scored 18 points in the final 20 games, playing with Frans Nielsen. He also found his chemistry with good buddy Okposo for part of the year. For much of the beginning of the year, he played a bit lazy (though maybe that’s more accounted to his assertion that center was tiring him out) and he held onto the puck too long; he slowly began hitting his stride, and though sometimes his cutesy-ness with the puck wasn’t warranted, he managed to score three lovely shorthanded goals. Grade: C+

Michael Grabner, LW/RW: Oh, boy. Opposing teams found him out quick. His slump is mainly due to a mix of savvy D staying back on him and his own hands failing to catch up with his skates. Either way, he got to 20 goals, but that’s 14 fewer than last season. We needed him to be stellar, and unfortunately that did not happen. Credit to him for still making the 20-mark, though. He needs to work on finishing his chances, particularly on the breakaway. Grade: D

Matt Martin, LW: Not a goalscorer by any means this year, the 22-year-old still managed to win the Bob Nystrom Award, and for good reason: he racked up 121 PIM and led the NHL (and broke records) with over 360 hits. He’s hustled and worked hard, and you rarely see him take a shift off. Would we like to see some scoring? Sure, since we know he can do it, but if he keeps doing what he’s doing now, that’s okay too. Grade: A-

Matt Moulson, LW: What more can we say about Matty Moulson? Three straight 30+-goal seasons, a durable and consistent presence in the lineup, and definitely a Lady Byng candidate- and STILL no All-Star nod? That had better change next season. But this guy is everything we could have asked for and more. Never afraid to provide the dirty work for John Tavares, either. Just solid. Grade: A

Nino Niederreiter, RW: This should have been a breakout year for Nino according to most people, but after a groin injury and then being stuck on the fourth line for most of the season, that didn’t exactly happen. I’d suggest a year in the A to get him going. Grade: D

Frans Nielsen, C: A career year in goals (17) and points (47), and solid two-way play as usual- the Danish Prince rarely if ever falters. He wasn’t as flashy as far as shorthanded scoring went, and he also was a minus on the year (-3), but that’s still decent compared to some of the ratings on the roster. Plus, only 6 PIM this year (tied with Moulson for fewest on the team). Grade: B+

Kyle Okposo, RW:  It was a tale of two KOs this year- sluggish in the first half, strong in the second, scoring 20 of his 45 points in the span following the All-Star break (and the bulk of his goals). His hustle and defensive play improved over that time as well, and you have to give him points for finally getting to that 20-goal mark. Grade: C+/B-

Jay Pandolfo, LW: Obviously in the twilight of his career, Pando nonetheless provided some decent PK and defensive hockey. Three points all season, however (1 G/2 A) doesn’t really do anything for a goal-starved offense. Grade: C

PA Parenteau, RW: An ankle sprain cut his season at 80 games, but up until that point Pierre-Alexandre had proven to be durable and dependable. He covers the ice well and works hard every shift, and had 67 points this season (49 of them assists). Some explain away his recent success as a result of being on a line with John Tavares, but he’s a good player in his own right, scoring on the second line as well during a stretch in which Kyle Okposo played alongside Moulson and Tavares. Grade: A-

Marty Reasoner, C: It took 77 games into the season for the man to score a goal (against Pittsburgh, no less). It also took him a while to get situated as a fourth-line center, and while he did as well as he could in the faceoff circle (see last column), I feel like he had bigger shoes to fill than everyone expected (ahem, Zenon Konopka’s, I mean). He does decent defensive work, but after ZK’s season on the Island I feel like anyone else in the fourth-line center position is just a notch below. Maybe that’s just me. Grade: D+/C-

John Tavares, C: Best for last? Maybe so. His first 30-goal season, his first 80-point year and his first All-Star nod- all of it well-deserved. He’s also emerging as a leader on the team, which is encouraging. Seven PPGs (which can be better), eight game-winners (which is just splendid) and a new edge to his game, including better skating and tons more confidence. And the best part is that he’s still not satisfied. I look forward to seeing what JT will bring next year, and I know other Isles fans out there are, too. Grade: A

Overall Offensive Grade: C+/B-

Too much inconsistency, even with the few bright spots. The top line can’t do it all.

Stay tuned for some thoughts on the defensive end and how it can (and should definitely) improve for next year.

John Tavares is one of the Islanders playing in this year's IIHF World Hockey Championships in Finland and Sweden. (Photo: Robert Kowal/flickr)

A number of Islanders players will be going international for the IIHF World Hockey Championships.

John Tavares will help out Team Canada and Nino Niederreiter and captain Mark Streit will play for Switzerland. Kyle Okposo has also been named to the roster for Team USA. The tournament will be from May 4-20 in Helsinki, Finland and Stockholm, Sweden.

Michael Grabner is also currently playing on Team Austria in the IIHF Div I World Championships in Slovenia. Austria is 2-0 so far, and Grabner has two assists in two games.

You can stay in the loop on all of the games with the blog on islanders.nhl.com. , which has the schedule, breakdown of groups, and much more. Be sure to check in and root for your Isles! (Unless they play each other, in which case… you’ll have to pick a side. )

Islanders assistant coaches Scott Allen and Dean Chynoweth will not be back with the team next season, as per the Isles’ Twitter.

Not sure what exactly this will do for the team… seeing as I think the Isles need to look a step above the assistants when it comes to accountability… but what’s done is done. I’ll miss Scott Allen’s second-intermission interviews with his Boston accent, that’s all I’m saying.

Will we ever see him this way again? (Photo: 5of7/flickr)

It’s a little sad to think about when you first saw someone on your favorite team play a game, and then fast-forward a few years to see that same player so far from where you, he, or anyone else had expected him to be.

But that’s exactly what I’ve experienced now with Rick DiPietro, the now-you-see-him, now-you-don’t man with an anvil of a contract who’s just trying to regain his footing in the NHL. Twelve years ago, the then-eighteen-year-old DiPietro was drafted out of Boston University No. 1 overall by the Islanders. After leaving BU, he bounced in and out of the minors and got brief playing time on the Island before coming up for good in 2003-04. Then he played a couple of seasons before the first of his myriad injuries.

This season, on Fan Appreciation Night against Ottawa, he was seen giving out autographs and passes for a free hot dog and a drink at the Coliseum, detailed in an article titled “Have Lunch At the Islanders Game on Rick DiPietro.”

Indeed, how the mighty have fallen.

Where and when did the “tragedy” start? You can say it began in 2007, when DiPietro suffered his first major injury. He’d played admirably in 62 games, posting a .919 save percentage and a 2.58 GAA, as well as 32 wins. But on March 13, 2007, he collided with Steve Begin of the Montreal Canadiens after a headlong rush toward him, in an attempt to bat the puck away. He suffered a concussion, came back, left again after suffering another (or perhaps re-aggravating the first) and then, after Wade Dubielewicz poke-checked the Isles into the #8 seed in the Eastern Conference quarters, taking over the reins. He posted a .898 save % and a 3.31 GAA, far from the stellar netminder he had been.

Then came the surgeries. In the 2007 offseason, it was a hip surgery. Then the 2007-08 season, when he “f***ed up his hip” in the NHL All-Star Skills Competition, kept playing until the Isles were eliminated from playoff contention, and then had another hip surgery. From then on, it seemed to be endless: two knee surgeries (both to repair meniscus tears) and complications from those surgeries that had him done for the 2008-09 season. A return in January 2010, only to bow out again with more knee problems. Emerging healthy in the 2010-11 season, ending up back on IR in December 2010 with knee swelling, watching Dwayne Roloson become the #1 guy and then, after Roloson was traded, he ended up with an orbital bone broken thanks to playing Muhammad Ali with Brent Johnson.

And then the 2011-12 season. DiPietro lost footing to Al Montoya, who was picked up by the Isles in the wake of Evgeni Nabokov’s refusal to report and DP’s umpteenth IR stint and played admirably. (Side note: Ironically, DiPietro and Montoya also fought each other a few years back in a preseason Isles-Rangers game.)  Three games into the season, DP was once again on IR with a concussion due to a Brian Rolston shot that caught him in the temple. He returned, won a game, and then left the ice once more with a sports hernia. Which brings us to this point, and his playing lunch-lady to fans who have been mocking him for years.

If I sound flippant, it’s not out of any kind of disrespect. I seriously was a Rick DiPietro fan. I wore his number, #39, as my number in high school, because we’re both goalies. I was considering going to Boston University, what would have been Rick’s alma mater,  after high school; yeah, I was “that girl.” And I enjoyed it. But then the injuries happened, and admiration turned to sorrow, turned to exasperation, and finally, turned to pity.

There’s no telling exactly what is going to happen with Ricky, but this is for sure: he’s no longer a reliable option for the #1 netminder on the Island. He’s still a decent goalie, with a career .903 save percentage and a 2.86 GAA, but he’s only played 42 games in three seasons, and his last two years are marred by sub-par numbers.  Evgeni Nabokov has provided the bulk of the Isles’ wins this past season after December and is locked in for another year; as for Montoya, he may not be on the Island next season, but younger goalies such as Anders Nilsson and Kevin Poulin are no doubt hungry to prove themselves as worthy of a backup position at the very least (and each of them has the talent to do so, as far as I can tell). Garth Snow’s made it clear that DiPietro is a part of the franchise, but he also needs to realize the value of these two goalies- and come training camp, if either of them outplays DiPietro, then they deserve the #2 spot.

I can’t ignore the emotional toll this has to be taking on DiPietro; he’s always been a competitive person and hockey player, and I’m sure he hates to be on the sidelines. After years of trying to get back into it, no doubt he’s suffered his share of bad days and hopeless feelings.  It’s obviously important for him to be involved with the team, and I’m sure this “Have Lunch on Rick” day was meant to convey that. I just don’t know how much more he can do for the Isles- and if he somehow does come back, it will have to be as a backup, because there’s just no way you sit down Nabokov now. As Arthur Staple said in his “5 Ways to Make Islanders a Contender,” there really can’t be any more kid-glove treatment with DiPietro. He’s not 19 anymore- and he’s still got almost a decade to go on his contract.

Yep, it’s a clusterflunk as usual. Not much more we can do but wait and hope that Rick can somehow pull it together- and if he can’t, that the Isles act accordingly.

This year hasn't been an easy one for the Islanders, and there are all sorts of opinions on what can make the team excel next season.

The curtain has closed on yet another Islanders season, and like many others, there have been good and bad things to take from it.

Let’s look at some of the stats:

The Isles finished at 34-37-11, good for last in the Atlantic division, with 79 points- six more than last year, but still mired in 27th place in the league. They had fewer goals allowed (255, down from 264) but also fewer goals forced (196, down from 225 in 2010-11). Their winning percentage climbed a tiny bit up to .482 from the .440s. And that’s it. Same place, same lack of offense and same lack of consistency.

Is it on purpose? I doubt it. This team, however flawed it may be, also has a lot of good going for it, not the least of which are offensive studs John Tavares and Matt Moulson. Also, Kyle Okposo seemed to have woken up and gained tremendous ground on the season, and Matt Martin set the standard for toughness with a record number of hits this year. Finally, Evgeni Nabokov gradually warmed to the idea of being an Islander and emerged as the go-to goalie between the pipes. However, consistency is the biggest issue, and as long as this team remains young and inexperienced, it’s going to stay that way for a while.

Arthur Staple of Newsday posted this article today which listed five ways the Islanders can “contend” next year. I agree with pretty much all of them. He first mentions that the Islanders need to make a decision about Rick DiPietro, and I still have a post pending about that, so I’ll save my thoughts on Ricky for that. But I do agree on Staple’s assessment.

Perhaps the one thing that has broken this team is its free-agent choices in the past offseason. I understand where Garth Snow was coming from with a desire to age the team a bit, but close to none of his choices have worked out. Steve Staios, bless him, finished with a -19 and eight points on the season, Marty Reasoner with one goal, six points and a -25, and Milan Jurcina, often the scapegoat for many an Isles goal or loss, with a whopping -34. Mark Eaton as well was not what the Isles had hoped for, with one of his worst seasons to date.  Snow wised up a bit when he dealt Mike Mottau and Brian Rolston to Boston, but there’s still a lot of dead weight on this team that must be cut loose. So again, when Staple mentions the Isles’ need to make better FA choices, I agree with him.

But perhaps the biggest point he made was the last one, where he mentions that the Islanders need “more decisiveness from the bench.”  And this is a MUST. When you have a player who isn’t producing, bench him. Call someone else up, a kid from the A who’s hungry to prove he can play. Show the guy on the roster that it’s more than just putting on your jersey and going for a skate- it’s giving as close to one hundred percent as you possibly can. And that should have been the case with every player out there. I can count on one hand the guys who I’ve seen give their all consistently, and- surprise, surprise- most of them are at the top of the team stats. (Save for Martin and Travis Hamonic, who are a fourth-liner and a D-man respectively, of course.) Even Micheal Haley, who’s played in a grand total of 14 NHL games this year,  has made it known that he’s on the ice. It’s up to Jack Capuano to make sure every one of his players is doing that, and if they aren’t, it’s up to him to discipline accordingly. There’s a difference between being a “player’s coach” and being a pushover, and I feel like sometimes he’s ridden that line very closely.

You can read the rest of Staple’s article for yourself. As for me, well… I’ll be grading the players and their respective performances for the rest of the month, as well as gearing up for the NHL Draft in Pittsburgh (which I’ll be going to!) and the NHL Awards. Stay tuned.

Milan Jurcina was one of the three goalscorers in the Isles' last game of the season, a loss to Columbus. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

82 games is all she wrote for the New York Islanders and the Columbus Blue Jackets… but at least the latter team showed up for the final puck drop.

Milan Jurcina, Kyle Okposo and Michael Grabner were the only Isles to get past Steve Mason, while Al Montoya was lit up by the Blue Jackets’ offense and defense alike, in a 7-3 drubbing at Nationwide Arena. Cam Atkinson scored two goals (one on the power play), while Rick Nash, Vinny Prospal, RJ Umberger, Jack Johnson, and former Isle James Wisniewski also tallied goals for Columbus. Shawn Hunwick would replace Mason for the last few minutes of the third, but it wouldn’t matter; the Islanders were not on their game offensively at all.

This game also saw three fights break out- two of them between Matt Martin and Derek Dorsett, one between Micheal Haley and Jared Boll. Other than that, there wasn’t a whole lot of nastiness or penalties for that matter- but both Wisniewski and Atkinson made good on their man-advantage chances, while the Islanders went 0-2 on the PP.

Can I say much more about this game? No, except for the fact that it’s definitely discouraging to see the Isles drop their season closer, especially after the emotional high of the win against Winnipeg two days ago. It’s as if no one thought this game was that important- and even though it wasn’t, not really, what happened to wanting to win anyway? Just because this will be the last bit of pro hockey you’re going to be playing for a few months doesn’t mean it doesn’t count somehow. I just found it very underwhelming and not at all a good way to end a year of hockey.

At any rate, the Isles’ season is over, and when it reconvenes for training camp, it will likely be missing a few faces from this year’s camp. That can be a good or a bad thing, depending on the player; I’ll explain why as the draft gets a bit closer. In the meantime, I’ll have to find an Eastern Conference playoff team to root for (the Blackhawks are my choice for the West, of course); if anyone has any suggestions (NO ONE IN THE ATLANTIC, PLEASE), I’ll be grateful.

Until next time, Isles.

(Photo: Marc Haserodt/flickr)

The Islanders and Blue Jackets alike have no postseason plans, but there’s always pride to consider as each team closes out its year against the other tomorrow night at Nationwide Arena.

Each of these teams has a similar story- seemed poised to surprise, and yet went nowhere in the end. But the Islanders still have the guy who was meant to be their top player, and the Blue Jackets have not lost a league-high nine games after leading over two periods. They inhabit similar space- the Isles sit at 27th in the NHL, the Jackets dead last- but both have beaten teams higher than them in the standings as of late (the Isles beat Winnipeg Thursday 5-4, and the Jackets eliminated Colorado’s playoff hopes, winning 5-2). Overall, this should be interesting.

Standouts for Columbus include rookie Cam Atkinson, who scored his first career hat trick in the Avs game and has seven points in his last five games (3 G, 4 A). Rick Nash also scored two goals, but per the Jackets’ preview, his status for tomorrow night is uncertain due to a back problem. Meanwhile, Steve Mason will likely be in net after winning last night and missing the last four with an upper-body injury. He’s 1-0-1 with a 0.96 GAA against New York (yowza), but he hasn’t played them since the end of 2009, and he also has been up-and-down this season. In his last six, he’s 3-3-0 with a 3.67 GAA.

Meanwhile, the Islanders have a hole to fill (most likely) with PA Parenteau being injured last night. He’s not on the injury list for the Isles, but with his free-agent status looming on the horizon and New York not vying for a playoff spot, it would be silly for him to be in the lineup after a nasty-looking ankle sprain against Winnipeg. The usual suspects (Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo) are on hot streaks, and one unlikely customer (Michael Grabner) preserved two points for his team last night with his penalty shot goal and late game-winner. He still hasn’t reached as many points (30) as he had goals last season (34), but it’d be nice to see him rack up another goal or two tomorrow. As for starting goalie… hell, it could be Montoya, it could be John Grahame. Neither seem to be in the Islanders’ future (more on that to come), so it’s a toss-up, really.

I just hope to see the Isles having some fun out there now that it’s all over and done with. After all, I’m used to saying “Next year’s our year.” Maybe by this time next year, I’ll have actually been right.

Let’s go, Isles!

Kyle Okposo scored two goals to help the Isles past the Jets, 5-4. Michael Grabner scored the game-winner late in the third. (Photo: Joshua David Brown/flickr)

There was some good, some bad and definitely some ugly, but the Islanders pushed past all of that to make their last home game of the season a win, beating Winnipeg 5-4.

The night started out with a ceremony honoring defenseman Steve Staios, who played in his 1,000th career game tonight. His wife and children were all there to see the veteran be commended on such a lengthy career. Also, Matt Moulson won the media’s “Good Guy” award (and really, why wouldn’t he… if you don’t like Matty, you’re just wrong).

Once on the ice, the Isles got out to a quick 2-0 lead on Moulson’s 36th of the season and then Kyle Okposo’s 22nd. Then, just as quickly, they coughed it up, as Tobias Enstrom and Andrew Ladd took advantage of defensive mistakes and shaky-at-best goaltending from Al Montoya. It was a classic example of start-strong, finish-weak, a style that has plagued the Isles for so much of the season.

Okposo got the lone goal of the second period, shortly after the Isles got over five minutes of power-play time that went absolutely nowhere (five shots on goal, that’s it). During this stretch, pending UFA PA Parenteau was injured on a scoring play. Mark Stuart barreled into him as Parenteau drove to the net, bending PA’s leg underneath Stuart’s own body. At first glance, it looked as though PA had suffered a knee injury- he wasn’t able to put any pressure on his left leg, and Josh Bailey and Matt Moulson had to help him off of the ice and to the trainers. In the third period, however, the Isles announced Parenteau had suffered an ankle sprain and would not return. An ankle sprain is a bit better than, say, an MCL or ACL tear, but it still puts PA’s future as a free agent in doubt. Here’s to hoping it’s not as serious as it first looked.

On to the third, and 7:03 in, Zach Bogosian found the tying goal. Things were starting to get bogged down until Michael Grabner was awarded a penalty shot- and unlike many times before on the breakaway, he made no mistake, shooting five-hole on Chris Mason to give the Isles the lead. However, just 36 seconds later Dustin Byfuglien- the guilty party on the penalty shot- redeemed himself with a blast from the blueline. 4-all, time running out. Another overtime?

Not exactly. Grabner, who until tonight had been very quiet (just one goal in his last five games), slapped the puck home with 47 seconds remaining until the extra five. He’s fallen a long way from his 34-goal rookie season (only 19 so far), but he managed to be Mr. Clutch this time around, with two goals to match Okposo’s. Game, set, match, Islanders win, and the home season is a wrap for Long Island.

Am I sad to see the season at Nassau Coliseum come to a close? Sure I am. It’s bittersweet to see us win, too, since there really isn’t much to show for it except pride (and, okay, pride is a lot when you’re an athlete- I can attest to that). But all things have to end eventually, and this season is just one of them. Before we all know it, we’ll be watching the Isles open things up again at the Coli, in what will be one of the final three years at the old barn. I know I can’t wait, and surely neither can the guys on the ice, although this summer will be a good one to relax and regroup during. As for the rest of THIS season, they travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets on Saturday in their last road game.

Game 82, here we come.

Let’s go, Isles!

Notes: John Tavares tallied his 50th assist of the season on Okposo’s first goal- he is the first Isle since Pierre Turgeon (1993-94) to have 50+ assists in one season… meanwhile, Parenteau got stuck at 49 due to his injury. Tough luck, kid. … Neither goalie fared very well, with Mason making 23 saves on 28 shots (.821%) and Montoya making 21 of 25 (.840%). … Travis Hamonic, Okposo and Andrew MacDonald all finished with +2 on the night. Hamonic and Streit also got about 24 minutes of ice time apiece, leading the team. …After tallying at least a point in each of the last three, Evander Kane finished with no points and two shots on goal.

By the way, check out this adorable picture of Grabner with a “special guest” during post-game after he won first star of the game. It’s worth a squee or two, just saying.