Hockey World Blog

All Things Hockey

Posts Tagged New York Islanders

Fantasy Hockey Friday

Jan 20

Posted by Chris in Fantasy | No Comments

Two weeks ago, we brought you an in depth breakdown of team stats around the NHL that could help give a better indication on how your goalie may fare on any given night against any given opponent. This week we turn the tables a bit to analyze more team stats, but this time focus on the impact of these stats for forwards and defenseman.

A good Fantasy Hockey league setup has roster positions and bench positions so that on some nights, when most everyone on your team is playing, you have to make the tough decisions regarding who to bench and who to play. So as a Manager, how do you decide which players to play and which to sit?

Sometimes it comes down to a “hunch” or intuition. Obviously your star players will likely get spots because they are more likely to put points on the board. Players on hot streaks may also get the nod over someone that is slumping. Or you may choose to go by which team any given player is playing against that night.

For instance, if you’re trying to decide between two players, and one is playing against the New York Rangers while the other is playing against the Tampa Bay Lightning, you may want to consider playing your guy against Tampa Bay. Why? Because Tampa Bay averages 3.47 goals against per game while the Rangers average 1.98 goals against per game, meaning there is a greater probability that your player will score against Tampa Bay.

Here is a breakdown of the top five teams in the league with the lowest goals against averages per game:

New York Rangers (1.98)

St. Louis Blues (1.98)

Boston Bruins (2.02)

Los Angeles Kings (2.13)

San Jose Sharks (2.28)

Similarly, here are the worst five teams in the NHL with the highest goals against averages per game:

Tampa Bay Lightning (3.47)

Columbus Blue Jackets (3.22)

Carolina Hurricanes (3.17)

Ottawa Senators (3.08)

Toronto Maple Leafs (3.07)

The Anaheim Ducks, Buffalo Sabres and New York Islanders also have averages of 3.00 goals against per game or better as well.

You can also get a good idea of how your players will fare by looking at which goalie he will face that night. And these numbers don’t always correlate with the team average.

Boston has a low enough team goals against per game average, but backup netminder Tuukka Rask actually has a lower goals against average than starter Tim Thomas. This means that your player is more likely to score on Thomas than on Rask, but the likelihood that he will score against Boston at all is slim.

Consider the Colorado Avalanche as well. As a whole, the team averages 2.85 goals allowed per game. However, goaltenders Semyon Varlamov and J.S. Giguere have basically split time, but Varlamov’s goals against average is much higher at 3.00 goals against per game than Giguere’s 2.12 goals against per game. So if Varlamov gets the start, play against him with confidence.

The Philadelphia Flyers have a similar issue with Ilya Bryzgalov (3.00) and Sergei Bobrovsky (2.42). Thankfully for Fantasy Managers, Bryzgalov gets the majority of the starts with 30 this season compared to Bobrovsky’s 14.

It doesn’t happen often when you have a full slate of games and have to make the tough choices as a manager on whom to bench and whom to play, but knowing the odds can help you make the right decision in the future. It’s not fool-proof by any means, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Time to Retire

Jan 15

Posted by EB in Soap Box | No Comments

Today’s NHL is younger, faster and stronger. Yet, today’s NHL still has some old guys refuse to understand that. Sure, they were once something in their day, but that was in their day. Here’s a list of players that should think about hanging ‘em up and begin to enjoy the golf season a little more.

Teemu Selanne, quit playing games with the fans Sir. Commit to a year or don't, no in between.

Rick DiPietro – New York Islanders goalie at the age of 30 has seen better days. Playing only 47 games dating back to the 2008-2009 NHL season, and now out for most of the rest of the season with surgery to repair a sports hernia, how much play does he really have left? DiPietro signed a 15-year, $67.5 million dollar contract before the 2006-2007 season. If the Islanders can opt-out of the agreement because he is unfit to do the job, maybe then they can continue with their youth movement and start winning some games.

Chris Pronger – Pronger has had a good run of being one of the dirtiest, biggest and toughest defenseman in the league to go up against. Nowadays though, he has turned into that old guy at drop-in who can’t really skate anymore so he slashes the heck out of you. That is of course until his concussion like symptoms after taking a stick to the eye from Toronto Maple Leafs’ Mikhail Grabovski. The snow-ball effect kicked in and eventually Pronger had knee surgery that is seeing him sidelined for the remainder of the season. His age has set in and everyone would respect him for retiring, knowing that Pronger is Hall of Fame bound, won Gold medals as well as the Stanley Cup and that he could kick the crap out of you and me with one hand tied behind his back.

Teemmu Selanne – When you think of Selanne you can’t help but be amazed that the 41 year old put up 80 points in 73 games last season. Absolutely amazing. But, with every great thing comes something bad. Selanne is bordering the Brett Favre of the NHL. (besides that of Peter Forsberg) Selanne continues to go year by year, not letting the Anaheim Ducks or any team know if he plans on playing. That’s great when he does play, but what happens when he just retires when the Ducks are leaving a roster spot open for him? Leaves them high and dry. Time to hang ‘em up or quite playing games in the off-season.

Tags: , , , , ,

Bobby Ryan Nets Ducks First Shorthanded Goal of Season

Jan 7

Posted by Eddie in Media | No Comments

Not much good has gone right for the Anaheim Ducks this season. Yours truly drafted Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf in the second and third rounds respectively of our fantasy hockey league. The Ducks have already fired their coach and have the second-worse record in the NHL. They got themselves a good coach now in Bruce Boudreau, who was fired by Washington a couple days prior to coming to Anaheim.

The one bright spot the Ducks have had this season was last night’s shorthanded goal by Ryan. At New York, he was able to use his stick handling ability to skate around the defense and use a beautiful sweeping move from his backhand side to his forehand to score for the Ducks. It was the teams first shorthanded goal of the season, leaving Calgary and Detroit as the only teams not to score while shorthanded.

 

Tags: , , ,

Evgeni Nabokov Activated from Injured Reserve

Dec 13

Posted by EB in Fantasy, News, Rumors | No Comments

The 14th placed New York Islanders have activated goaltender Evgeni Nabokov off injured reserve. With very little fantasy owners owning him, he may be worth looking into for some depth.

The 36 year-old Nabokov began the season with a horrible 1-5-0 record in 8 games started. Of the time played, Nabokov has a rather high 2.83 goals against average and a .910 save percentage. So why in the world would any fantasy owner be interested in him?

Nabokov’s career has been played with the San Jose Sharks where he won the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie of the year in 2000-2001. Since then, his stats have not been Patrick Roy like, but still a solid number one net-minder. In his 571 games played he has a winning record of 294-183-29-51 with a 2.39 goals against average and a .912 save percentage. Furthermore, his playoff stats have been 2 games over .500 with 40 wins and a 2.29 goals against average with a .913 save percentage.

OK, the stats have been pumped but why is Nabokov a potential steal in fantasy pools? Nabokov is a solid net-minder despite lacking a team in front of him with the New york Islanders. He may not get as many wins as some other goalies but he will definitely get a decent save percentage by facing an average of 31.1 shots per game (21st in the NHL). The Islanders are still young and developing, they can only get better as a team. The real possibility however comes in the possibility of a trade.

Last year Nabokov made headlines by being signed as a free agent by the Detroit Red Wings. However, due to his play oversees, Nabokov needed to clear waivers before re-entering the NHL. This is where the New York Islanders came to pick him up and tried to work out a trade. Nabokov on the other hand refused to play, eventually was suspended and sat out the remainder of the year. Well he is back, the Islanders still need a goaltender and the Red Wings may be willing to trade. Backup Ty Conklin has only seen 4 starts, a 1-3-0 record with a 3.26 goals against average. Ouch!

Conklin may not be a trade interest for the Islanders, however, the Red Wings do have 22 year-old Thomas McCollum. McCollum is young, currently playing in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye. His stats are not quite there but the Red Wings have belief in his potential. Not needing a goalie for quite some time with 27 year-old Jimmy Howard, on top of possibly willing to trade winger Dan Cleary, the Red Wings may be interested in Nabokov once again.

Nabokov is not going anywhere for a while, not until he starts posting a few wins. Be on the lookout for buzz about a possible trade. Once that starts to hit the headlines Nabokov might be of interest.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Alexander Semin Trade Rumors Growing

Dec 6

Posted by Matt in News | 1 Comment

Alexander Semin and the Washington Capitals

Alexander Semin has been scrutinized a lot by the coaches in Washington this season, now the trade rumors are getting hot

As it turns out, Washington Capitals winger Alexander Semin does not have a shoulder injury. Instead, new coach Dale Hunter has told media sources that Semin has been a healthy scratch the past two games. Semin has been practicing with the team, so news of his scratches has put fuel on the Alexander Semin trade rumor fire that has existed for a while now.

One possible suitor for Alex Semin would be the Detroit Red Wings. Rumors have swirled in the past with Jiri Hudler or Dan Cleary being involved in a deal for Semin. Hudler has not been the same since his return from the KHL. His off-season training program this past summer has gotten him off to a better start than last year, but he’s still not quite the 60 point player the Wings had before he left. Cleary has been struggling this season as well, and could potentially need a change of scenery. His grit and work ethic would be a good addition to a Capitals club looking to build for the playoffs. This trade would suit the Red Wings nicely as it would give them a scoring threat with huge potential, in addition to being surrounded by a mature team with plenty of Stanley Cup experience. Semin could thrive playing alongside fellow countryman Pavel Datsyuk, and all he would have to do is find open ice and wait for the pass. Beyond this season, the Red Wings would have additional salary cap space free to either re-sign Semin, or pursue a bigger free agent such as Shea Weber or Zach Parise.

Another rumored landing spot is Los Angeles. The Kings, however, have much less cap space available currently. They would be forced to make a pretty bold trade in order to acquire Semin. Nashville has been included in rumors as well, and would add a great scoring threat to the team. They have plenty of cap space available. The New York Islanders and Carolina Hurricanes are being thrown into the mix too. The Islanders have a lot of young talent they could offer to the Capitals, but Washington is probably looking for players who can contribute to a long playoff run. The Hurricanes are in a similar spot with plenty of cap space, but not a lot in terms of trade bait.

While it seems the Caps would love to unload Semin sooner rather than later, his $6.7 million per season salary will make him difficult to trade. However, it is possible that the team could waive Semin in an attempt to remove his salary. If no other teams claim him, Semin would join the Hershey Bears in the AHL where his salary would not count against the big club.

Where do you think Semin will land? Leave us a note in the comments with your thoughts on his future.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Yay or Nay: New York Islanders Third Uniform

Nov 17

Posted by Eddie in News | 1 Comment

The Islanders "Fisherman" logo of the mid-90's.

Kyle Okposo poses with the new uniform.

Wednesday, the New York Islanders revealed the new alternate kit they will be wearing during the season. They are no stranger to the alternate jersey universe, as they have graced us with the “Fisherman” logo to your right in the mid 1990′s. That was a logo you’d more see on the jersey of your Sunday night beer league team that is sponsored by a bar than on a professional franchise.

This time around, they changed things up and went with the intimidating but popular black as the main color. They kept the design simple, with an arched “ISLANDERS” across the chest with the number underneath the team nickname and on the sleeve. The shoulders are gray with orange and blue trim. The standard Islanders logo flanks the edge of the shoulders. The numbers are orange trimmed in gray and blue. The neck features the lace-tie which has become popular in recent years. The team had an event at the Nassau Coliseum team store which several players attended including John Tavares, Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo and their families attended along with fans. Check out the video below from the photo shoot the players did when they first wore the uniform after a recent practice.

HWB is participating in “Movember” to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer Research. Make a difference, make a donation.

Tags: , ,

2011-12 NHL Season Preview: New York Islanders

Sep 3

Posted by Matt in Season Previews | No Comments

Michael Grabner of the New York Islanders

The Islanders hope Michael Grabner can build off of his succesful 2010-11 season.

Key Offseason Additions: Brian Rolston, Evgeni Nabakov

Key Offseason Losses: Doug Weight, Rob Schremp, Zenon Kenopka, Radek Martinek

Last Season Ranking: 14th in East

Offense: The Islanders have a solid group of young players, lead by John Tavares who began to really pile on the points during his sophomore season. Tavares will try to improve upon his 67 point campaign while surrounded by the likes of PA Parenteau, Matt Moulson, Michael Grabner, and Blake Comeau. These players are not quite household names yet, but they are good young players who have a lot of potential. Adding Brian Rolston to the mix gives the forward unit a man with much more experience and great leadership qualities.

Moulson, who put together a surprise season in 2009-10 with 48 points, improved on that number last season. His 31 goals and 22 assists were both career highs, and he will be expected to continue that improvement for the Islanders this season. Michael Grabner will be an important piece to the offensive puzzle as well. Grabner lead the Islanders in goals last season as a rookie, with 34, and had 18 assists to go along with it. On a team full of minus players, his team leading plus-13 shows he is an all around player, and important to the success of the franchise.

The health of Kyle Okposo will be a bonus to the orange and blue. Okposo missed the first half of last season after having shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. He returned to have a modest 20 points in 38 games, but will be counted on to contribute upwards of 50 points this season.

The Islanders could see Nino Niederreiter return for an extended stay in 2011-12 and make the team right out of training camp. The fifth overall pick from 2010 played in only nine NHL games last season, picking up a goal and an assist. Playing full time with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL, Niederreiter tallied 70 points on 41 goals and 29 assists. When he finally makes the transition, expect his numbers to be consistent with the guys mentioned above. He’s a skilled young player, as you can tell from videos like this, and will fit in nicely playing alongside a young, talented Islanders team.

Defense: The return of Mark Streit, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury, will be huge for the Islanders defense. He typically hovers in the 50 point range, but more importantly, he can effectively captain and lead the power-play unit to much more success. The loss of James Wisniewski at the trade deadline last season will continue to haunt the Islanders blue line, however. Their defensive units, besides Streit, will be young and inexperienced. The young theme is constant throughout the squad, and on defense, it’s going to hurt more than it will help this year.

Goaltending: The goaltending situation for the Islanders continues to be a question mark. Last season, a total of six goalies started games, with the majority going to Rick DiPietro, Dwayne Roloson, and Al Montoya. Roloson has moved on to bigger and better things, but DiPietro continues to work his way through a lengthy contract. The addition of Evgeni Nabakov never panned out last season, but he is supposedly ready to give it his all in New York this season. Much of the work will likely fall in Nabakov’s lap as DiPietro has not played a healthy season since 2007-08. Regardless of who is net, however, the young squad will make some mistakes that even the best goalie will not be able to recover from. Nabakov, a steady regular season goaltender, will likely bring a solid game to help the Islanders squeeze a point or two out of some close games.

HWB Playoff Prediction: Not playoff bound. Despite having a young group of talented forwards, there is still a lot of work to be done on Long Island. Expect a season long performance much like last seasons.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Long Island Residents Reject Bond Proposal For New Arena

Aug 5

Posted by Eddie in News | No Comments

On Tuesday, residents of Long Island had the opportunity to vote on a bond issue for a new arena to replace the aging Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum and keep the NHL franchise in town.

If Charles Wang decides to move the team, this failed ballot measure could bear part of the blame.

The ballot issue was over borrowing $400 Million to fund a new arena on the Island. Isle’s owner Charles Wang has vowed he hasn’t given up on the residents of Long Island and would love to keep his team on the island. The current lease at the Coliseum runs through 2015, so there is a good chance the team can stay on the island until then at the earliest. After that, who knows where they can go? If Wang does decide to sell the team, there is a good chance they could move to Kansas City as there is a new arena (the Sprint Center) that is without a full-time professional sports franchise. Just like Atlanta (Flames) and Winnipeg (Jets), if that decides to happen the NHL will be returning to a city that used to have a franchise as the Kansas City Scouts played in the NHL from 1974-76 before moving to Denver. That franchise relocated to New Jersey in 1982 and is now known as the New Jersey Devils.

Although a new arena would play host to concerts and other events, the election centered around the viability of the Islanders, who became a source of civic pride less than a decade after the team’s inception, winning the Stanley Cup four straight times from 1980 to 1983. Since then, they have fallen on hard times as they have not won a Stanley Cup playoff series in 18 years and have not even qualified for the 16-team playoffs in the last four seasons.

They were last in the league in home attendance last season, averaging 11,059 fans per game. The roster, however, has been rebuilt in recent years, and the Islanders are generally thought to be more competitive. The NHL and the Islanders’ two most bitter rivals, the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils, have been publicly supportive of the arena project on Long Island.

The referendum spurred much debate, including the timing of the election itself. Holding the election on a Monday in August instead of on Election Day cost the county $2 million, and turnout was light. Mr. Wang had offered to cover the cost of the election if the measure passed. That alone could have turned many voters away from the polls. If Wang was smart, he should have had the ballot measure on the November ballot to have a higher voter turnout. The county’s finances are in such poor shape that they are monitored by the Nassau County Interim Finance Authority. The authority said the county could run a deficit of up to $140 million this year. With 82 percent of the ballots counted Monday evening, the vote was about 57 percent to 43 percent against borrowing the money through a general obligation bond to pay for the plan, which also called for construction of a minor-league baseball park and convention space.

 

Tags: , ,

Chris Osgood Retires

Jul 19

Posted by EB in News, Rumors | 1 Comment

Today at Noon EST, along side Detroit Red Wings’ General Manager Ken Holland, goaltender Chris Osgood will hold a press conference. The conference will most likely be an emotional filled retirement announcement.

The 38 year old Osgood began his career in the ’93 – ’94 season with the Detroit Red Wings. Going 23-8-5 in his rookie season, it was evident he was bound for greatness. He has scored a goal in the WHL, two time winner of the William M. Jennigs Trophy (fewest goals scored during the regular season with a minimum of 25 games played), and currently holds the 10th ranking for all-time wins as a goaltender with 401. These stats are merely a glimpse of his career.

Osgood had short stints with both the New York Islanders and the St. Louis Blues, yet the majority of his play has been with the Detroit Red Wings. Being there for the Wings through the thick and thin, Osgood is most notably  known for his helmet/cage combination goalie mask. Perhaps even recognized as a feisty goalie who fought with Colorado Avalanche net-minder Patrick Roy. For Red Wings’ fans though, he will always be known as the Wizard of Oz.

Unfortunately Osgood’s time has come to an end in the NHL. With current Red Wing’s young goaltender Jimmy Howard taking the number one spot, as well as coming off of a season filled with groin injuries and surgeries, it proved to be his Achilles heel. He can hang his head high though. Through his career as a Detroit Red Wing, Osgood brought home the Stanley Cup three times, both back to back years in 1997 and 1998, as well as another in 2008.

It is a sad day indeed, as another great player retires.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Amazing Ryan Strome shootout goal

Jul 17

Posted by Chris in Media | No Comments

Check out this amazing piece of stick work from New York Islanders 2011 first round draft pick (number five overall) Ryan Strome. Last season with the Niagara Ice Dogs of the OHL, Strome racked up 106 points, including 33 goals. With hands like this, this kid could prove to be a welcome addition to a young, talented, up-and-coming Islanders roster. Check out the video below!

Tags: ,