All Entries in the "Pittsburgh Penguins" Category
Well, That Was Fun. Now Back to Work!
We know it’s been a while since we posted, but we wanted to bask in the rare light of an Islanders playoff appearance by taking in the games, atmosphere, and enjoyment that came with a series that ran one game longer than we predicted which included two embarrassing shutouts, yet somehow left Islander fans with the feeling that [...]
Hockey Independent Playoff Roundtable: 2013 Round 2 Predictions
With the second round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs set to begin just a few hours from now, five members of the Hockey Independent writing staff have come together to predict each and every first round series of this year’s postseason. The contributing authors to today’s piece will be Cris Cohen (New York Rangers), Seth Levin (New Jersey [...]
Isles-Pens Series Recap: What Went Wrong, What Went Right, Top Moments
The New York Islanders and the Pittsburgh Penguins just wrapped up the most exciting Islanders’ playoff series since the Islanders and the Maple Leafs went seven games in 2002. The series was physical, even nasty at times. There were a ton of goals scored. There was plenty of drama. The heavily-favorited Pittsburgh Penguins were given [...]
Wow, with a capital W!
In the words of George Tekai, “Oh my.” While the Islanders certainly did not answer the playoff bell or to some specious coaching decisions in game one of this series, both games two and three were something else. Capuano and Isles fans alike have been saying that for the past two months there has been [...]
Enjoy the Extra Two Weeks
To start off, if you have been reading our blog this season, thank you. We appreciate the time you take for such, and the comments left on the page. Especially the combative ones, because it shows the passion that Islander fans have for their team. Also, if you have been reading this blog this season, [...]
NY ISLANDERS vs PITTSBURGH PENGUINS ROUNDTABLE PREVIEW
It’s an 8 seed versus a 1 seed. The up-and-comer taking on a Cup-chasing, playoff-proven contender. We have a singular superstar and a veteran goalie leading the underdog’s charge against a relative murderer’s row of names. But the New York Islanders/Pittsburgh Penguins quarterfinal matchup carries significant intrigue and no shortage of [...]
Playoff Preview: Isles, Penguins Set to Meet in Postseason for the First Time Since 1993
The playoffs are upon us, Isles fans. You may have wanted Pittsburgh. You may not have wanted Pittsburgh. Regardless, the New York Islanders drew the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Could it have been prevented? Sure. The Islanders didn’t close out the season as we would have hoped [...]
Fleury, PK both critical for Pittsburgh in 1st round match against Islanders
Most pundits have selected the Penguins to easily cruise by the surprising New York Islanders, but as someone who was scarred for life by last spring’s 30-goals-allowed-to-Philadelphia debacle, my approach to fandom and blogdom this year is to adopt a “prove-it” approach. At the end of March, a friend on Good Friday morning jokingly shook [...]
Hockey Independent Playoff Roundtable: 2013 First Round Predictions
With the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs set to begin just a few hours from now, four members of the Hockey Independent writing staff have come together to predict each and every first round series of this year’s postseason. The contributing authors to today’s piece will be Cris Cohen (New York Rangers), Seth Levin (New Jersey Devils), Bill Philp (Tampa Bay Lightning) [...]
Rink Recollections: Jeff Odgers, NHL, 1991-2003
By Brian D’Ambrosio Jeff Odgers played every NHL game as if it were his final. He never took a game for granted –scared that his career could fade away at any moment. Odgers scrapped and gritted his way onto the roster and he made sure he never provided his coaches with a sufficient reason to [...]
Pens Complete Season Sweep of Bruins with 3-2 Win at TD Garden
BOSTON, MA – 1-5-1. What’s the significance of the number above, you ask? Well, that’s the record the Boston Bruins finished the season with against their two biggest competitors atop the Eastern Conference standings; the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Saturday afternoon’s 3-2 defeat at the hands of the injury-riddled Pens (playing without Sidney Crosby, [...]
Is This Their War Face?
Before we take a look at are what may be considered success by some- and more of the same by others- let us state this: We very much want to see this team win. We have been fans of this team for as long as we have been alive. We have seen this team win, [...]
The Rebuild Needs Better Blueprints
When Garth Snow announced the rebuild before the 2008 season, somehow his terrible draft of 2007 was expunged from his resume, and he was FINALLY able to build a team with first round picks that would be a representation of his vision. Nitpickers like us will argue that Snow actually got a 2007 lottery pick, [...]
Honey, I Lost the Kids (part 2 of 2)
In the first part of this epic, we promised three pieces of evidence to explain how Garth Snow does things with the sole intention of job preservation. We pointed out how he is relatively awful at drafting in part one. Part two will speak to other shortcomings, starting here: Two- Garth Snow uses salary cap [...]
Honey, I Lost the Kids – part one of two
It’s almost like a reflex when you ask hockey fans about the best way to build a winner “It’s the draft!” Drafting allow you to develop players or trade for established ones. Since the Isles have had no playoffs since 07-08, they’ve been in rebuild mode. We’re going to look at this draft rebuild with [...]
Why Was John Tavares Holding His Head in His Hands?
For the 9,000 or so fans in attendance (way below the average of 13,000 that they had when they were a winning team), the debacle that was the 6-4 loss at the hands of the not that good Carolina Hurricanes had a few unusual moments. The Islanders scored 4 power play goals and lost. That [...]
Hockey Myths Exposed – Defensemen Need Time to Develop
Anyone who has watched more than a handful of hockey games gets serenaded with statements that are undisputed in the hockey world, but in reality it doesnt make a lot of sense. We’ve already disproved the myth that power forwards need years to develop in our article “Ninogate,” in which we use the “talent is [...]
Rink Recollections: Chris Tamer, NHL defenseman, 1993-2004
By Brian D’Ambrosio Dearborn, Michigan native Chris Tamer grew up watching Bob Probert play hockey. Tamer even had a picture of the rugged Detroit Red Wings battler on his wall when he was attending college at the University of Michigan. It was the only photo on his wall, he says. Probert will always evoke memories [...]
WHEN does the rebuild begin?
As constructed on paper, the 2012-2013 Islanders seemed as if their goal was to have a competitive shot at the #1 pick in the 2013 NHL entry draft. That is mildly surprising, considering that two other teams in recent memory – Pittsburgh and Chicago- also used a five year rebuild plan, each culminating with a [...]
Mistake riddled game puts Devils on four game slide
The Devils have not won since last Friday in overtime against the Washington Capitals. Since then, they lost three straight games in overtime and a shootout. New Jersey’s mistakes led them to their demise, but they’ve played well enough to earn a point in each game. This afternoon in Pittsburgh they showed no reason they [...]
