Game 4 tonight is serious stuff for the Islanders, who need a win over the Sabres if they don’t want to face elimination Friday night in Buffalo. At this morning’s skate, coach Lindy Ruff made it clear his team is bracing for the Isles’ best shot, saying, “The Islanders will bring everything they possibly have, and when they do that, they can compete with anybody. We feel it’s do or die for them.”
There’s no doubt a hockey season is on the line tonight, and it’s important to a lot of people. But another story has been going on the past few weeks within the Islanders’ family that reminds us that, no matter how passionate we might feel, the outcome really isn’t “do or die.” The story is about the courage and sunny disposition of 6-year-old Cole Botta, the son of Islanders vice-president of media relations, Chris Botta and his wife, Catherine.
I’m going to skip straight to the happy ending and tell you that the Botta family, including Cole’s twin brother, Luke, and older brother, Aidan, are celebrating Cole’s successful recovery from open-heart surgery on April 4, the morning after the Isles kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a win over the Rangers. As trying as these times have been for the Botta family, they might one day look back on this part of their lives as a series of fortunate events.
Diagnosed shortly after his birth with a heart condition that one day would require surgery, Cole learned not long after his and Luke’s birthday in December that he needed an operation to correct a condition known as subaortic stenosis. It was to be performed by Dr. Jonathan Chen of the Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan, who was described in one recent magazine piece as “the Derek Jeter of pediatric cardiology.”
The surgery originally was scheduled for March but was postponed so that it coincided with the final week of the NHL regular season. For Chris, the Islanders’ playoff push and hockey talk served as a diversion from the mounting anxiety over how Cole would handle the surgery. The day after the Isles’ win over the Rangers, the good news everyone in the team office wanted to hear was delivered in the afternoon when Cole’s surgery was pronounced a success.
Members of Botta’s staff visited Cole in the hospital two days after his surgery and presented him with a mini-DVD player. When Cole pressed the play button, he saw a video on which a series of Islanders players sent him their best wishes for a speedy recovery. As Chris tells it, “It did wonders for Cole, who was still struggling when he saw it.” The last person to appear on the video was Isles coach Ted Nolan, who said he was hoping to “win the games this week so we’re still playing when you get home.”
Thanks to a little unexpected magic from backup goaltender Wade Dubielewicz, the Islanders backed up Nolan’s words by winning four straight to reach the playoffs. Chris and Catherine missed Dubie’s poke check at the end of the shootout win over the Devils in the last game of the season because that was the day they brought Cole home from the hospital.
A good story grew better after the Islanders lost Game 1 of their first-round Stanley Cup series in Buffalo. Following the morning skate before Game 2, defenseman Bruno Gervais telephoned Cole at home and told him the Isles were planning to beat the NHL’s top team and that Bruno was going to try to score a goal for him. The same player who had not scored once all season.
Call it good karma, a miracle, mere coincidence or whatever you like, but when Gervais managed to put a soft wrist shot that Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller saw from 55 feet away into the net for the second goal in the Islanders’ 3-2 win, Chris Botta was sure he knew the reason why.
Like many athletes, Gervais is no stranger to superstition. He tried to contact Cole before the Isles’ Game 3 loss but was unable to reach him. In case you’re wondering where things stand tonight, Bruno had a nice telephone conversation with Cole this afternoon. “Bruno has a good heart,” Chris said without a trace of irony. “They mostly talk about Playstation.”
I don’t know if Gervais’ karma will hold up tonight or not against an explosive Buffalo team. It will be fun to find out. But no matter what the outcome, we already know the ending is happy for one little Islander.
Comments (71)
Nice piece Greg. Is the Isles display the kind of heart that kid di, we will win. No one thinks we can skate with them...but they cant match our physicality IF we play hard....Asham will be big tonight. I feel it.
ya gotta BELIEVE!
Wow Greg, that story really hits home. My four year old was in the hospital for several days, April 2nd, 3rd and 4th. Almost the exact same time. She was in an isolation room with an infection that wasn't responding to antibiotics.
The Isles have been a great distraction for me, but an annoyance to my wife!
Kevin T.
I agree with GDog.
The Isles need to throw Buffalo a physical beating to get back in the fight. Buffalo has no business taking game 3 on our turf.
Here's to hoping that Asham, Witt, Hunter and Hill knock those pretenders on their keisters.
End of the 1st, 2-2. Lovin' that goal by Sillinger with slow skating Smyth beating faster Sabres players to negate the icing call!
He He He,
Another heartbreaker for the Islanders.
On a brighter note, my Rangers looked good didn't they boys?
He He He
Sorry guys, they couldn't call it a goal because it didn't show up until after the whistle. Buffalo just played to ware out the Isles defense. Win by attrition.
It ain't over till it's over.
Couldn't be more frustrated with the horrendous officiating than I am now. Cost us the game again! Jeez. Terrible calls, no goal? Absolutely horrendous!
Now it's the officiating - I LOVE ISLANDER FANS!
Not that your team is hilariously pathetic, it's the refs.
Another goal waved off, I understand that ref has to blow their wistle there but the replay clearly shows the puck in the goal as the whistle is being blown. It is getting to the point of the reffing just being an absolute joke.
On the bright side, the Rangers won tonight. They swept Atlanta. Just wanted to tell you that, in case you didn't hear.
LOL...thanks Rangers sweep. Enjoy the Sabres, everytime you score it has a 50/50 chance of being waved off!
are these refs for real?
puck on the ice, loose, sitting between miller's pads - witt slaps it 5-hole, miller sliding backward across goal line with puck under his pads before miro (who was falling down from the check of the buff. d-man) even touches him...
how the heck is that not a goal?
isles are played their a$$e$ off tonight-
but -
can't catch a break...
ps-forget blake or smyth- isles need to sign drury!!
i hate to say it but-
congrats to rangers - they look dominant right now..
Stop whining, you can't score by shoving the goalie in the net...download the rulebook and read it yourself (rule 69.6). http://cdn.nhl.com/rules/20062007rulebook.pdf . The referee was right over the net watching the play, but of course Nolan had a better view from the bench, right?
Congrats Rangers fans. Hate to say it but when you're team is hot they're hot.
As for the game, tough no-goal call for the Isles. According to Rose and Jaffe the league states that if the goalie is pushed in and the puck goes in, it is a no-goal. Unfortunately I didn't see it like that. Seemed like Drew Stafford (#21) caused Miller to be pushed back into the crease. Unfortunately we didn't get the call and dropped another tough one. Good teams create their own breaks. Time to start on Friday Isles. Better late than never.
And IMO this garbage with the fans throwing stuff on the ice must stop. It is a horrible reflection on the Isles fan base and is NOT what we are all about. With that, I am out.
LETS GO ISLANDERS!!
I hate the nhl's rulebook sometime, It was correctly ruled no goal because the ref lost sight of the puck. Once the referee loses sight of the puck the play is considered dead no matter whether a whistle is blown or not. Thats the explanation the Nhl gave when I wrote them an email. Im proud as hell right now to be an isles fan though, they played their butts off tonight and once again came up one bad break short.
I posted a blog after game 3 and said dont blame officiating for the game and that the islanders were making excuese.Not the case tonight!CLEARLY! the islanders were hosed. AGAIN! The ruling was that Miller was pushed? If you look at the replay the puck is between Millers legs ACCROSS the goal line before Miro falls into him. Miller was scrambling to find the puck and it was in. Thanks to Nolan saying it was a goal in the press conference. Considering the circumstances playoffs and all, that call was an absolute TRAVESTY AND DISGRACEFUL!!!!! Leggo should never ref another game again. What a total joke! The Islanders played super hard tonight and that should have been a goal. I have never been as frustrated about a call than this. AWFUL REFS!Whew that felt good. Now we face elimination in buffalo friday night. I was at the islander ranger game April 3rd, they won. they beat toronto,philly and NJ to make the playoffs. So they are in a familiar spot. I still believe. We are over the non goal call and lets get game 5 and come home Sunday for game 6. LETS GO ISLANERS!!
Thought the isles played well...especially in the 1st and 3rd periods...quick non-hockey question...
Haven't been to other arenas outside the coliseum and garden really but thought it was a little ridiculous that in the middle of a one goal game, in the most important game of the playoffs, and they do that stupid "kiss cam" on the scoreboard...couldn't they put something hockey related up there..seemed more like a circus to me..
Calm down, Ranger fans. Next round, you'll have to play a real team. They should cut out the divisions in hockey. Something's wrong when it's more advantageous to be a 6 seed than a 4 or 5 seed.
It's that darn league wide anti-Islander conspiracy once again . . . AHHHHH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Great game 2nite... just got done watching it on tape... I thought we had them after the late 1st period goal... even yashin looked good... for himself.
The no goal- it was in... yes... but according to the rules it can't be called.. Its like saying we would've had a 2 on 1 if it wasn't called off sides... these are the rules, and they are part of the game.
I'm proud of of my team and I refuse to believe its over until we lose 1 more. The sabres are affective in their own zone.. These guys get dirty... for real
Finally... damn, I hate to say it... congrates to the ranger, and my cousin panagiotis... I know he and the rest of you rag-fags are flying high tonight.
Hope blakey's alright... we've proven we can play with buff... but not beat them.... fridays game on will be seen on tape again.
LETS GO ISLANDERS
GONNA GET DIRTY IN GAME 5... SMYTH IS MY KIND OF PLAYER.... FILTHY AS SH*T.... OH YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just back from the game ...
Couple of topics I wanted to throw out there ...
1) The people throwing things on the ice ...the sad thing it really is only like 15 morons doing it, but it makes us all look stupid
2) The style of play/up coming off-season ...I really have loved how hard the team has worked this season, and it's not over yet. But, hard work can only take you so far. The Isles have been getting beat in this series because they don't have the skill to match the Sabres. The Isles need to not have a full team of "gritty" players. They need some pure skill guys.
3) Yashin ...I have to say that I don't really think it's a matter of him "not trying" or "not skating" ...he just isn't the type of player that can thrive in this new NHL. The reason why it looks like he's not skating is because the other guys are just too fast for him. I understand the reason he was signed to that deal, and I don't blame Wang for doing it, but it's time to buy him out. Sign Smyth and Blake and some of our key RFA's (Hunter and Poti) and try and convince any skilled players to come here.
I'm very curious to see how this offseason plays out ...hopefully we'll have some more time to worry about it, but the Isles need to have more balance of grit and skill ...
thoughts?
This is a direct quote from Leggo after the game:
"Rule 78.5 says after a goaltender makes a save, they can't be pushed into the net after making the save. I deemed the puck was under him and he made the save, and then he was pushed into the net. After he was in the net, I saw the puck came loose. I didn't see the puck until he got up, actually."
I assume this is reviewable because they spent time reviewing the play. If it was a matter of Leggo deeming it a save and the play is over--then why have any review?
So, if this was reviewable, the replays I saw conclusively showed the puck was loose and slapped through Miller as he fell into the net with the puck.
I just don't get it. It reminds me a little bit of divorce court, but not as bad.
In a series where even if the Islanders executed their game plan as effectively as possible, they still probably needed some breaks and lucky bounces from the hockey Gods to win 4 of 7--they have not received either one. They did work their tails off tonight and never quit--and for that, we can be proud.
One question--I was at the game and saw only the tail end of the Park fracas at the end of Period 1. Why was he the only one to draw a penalty?
we got screwed again, but whatever. lets play hard next game and try to extend the series. we've had a great season no matter what the outcome and next year we'll be even better, as long as nolan's the coach! i don't think we're built well enough yet to beat the devils and senators of the world yet, but soon will be. the rangers were fortunate enough to draw one of the weakest playoff teams i've ever seen. if the rags were playing the flames, for example, it would probably be a tied series right now! they will be in for a big suprise next round
Apr 18, 2007 11:57:59 PM 0 Replies
the Breaks..........We got bent over.......... Show/Enter Replies
Author: d. islander
this is bull!!!!!! no justice!!!!!!! i know the call didn't come from Toronto, it came from the official. the play was never under review. i can't understand how these refs can take the whole game into their own greasy hands and decide the outcome. the puck was in the net before they pushed Miller in and the ref blew the whistle. i know non-islander fans are going to say tough luck, but for christ sake. we got hosed again and the NHL and it's puppets are a freakin farse. buffalo should also feel ashamed of itself for gloading in these two unjustifiable wins. it's like they beat up elderly people, that's what their doing. if you can take joy in that, then you are not morally or ethically sound. just had to vent .
Agreed Troy...Atlanta isn't in the same class as Buffalo. Rangers were dominant, no question, but they played basically another 6-8 seed. There is a clear drop off in the East after Ottawa, Buffalo & Devils. Rangers don't shape up nearly as well against them as they did against the rest of the teams in there. Oh well, I'm not taking anything away from them, just wished the Isles had an easier 1st rounder- get the legs going!
Aside from getting the wins, this series has been more than I was expecting from the guys. Everyone expected them to be completely dominated, but they've kept each game coming down to the smallest margins for error- they could have gone either way.
One more thing- I'm not sure what the new note I'm seeing on my screen about approval needed by the site owner actually will do, but I think I like it. This blog has become 100% worthless since the playoffs began for the Isles, while it was one of the richest hockey discussion boards I've ever seen during the season. I hope this screening allows the conversation to remain about hockey, and thats it. It never ceases to amaze me how the lack of accountability for posting in online forums brings out the worst in people. So thank you Greg, or Newsday, if you are able to get rid of the garbage on here, and focus on hockey.
the crazy thing is while you're at the game you don't get a really good view of how all things went down, but seeing a replay of the "non-goal" it's becoming clear the league has some issues with our team.
I mean how could anyone look at that and say that it wasn't in the net before Miller was touched?
I can deal with my team losing, but I don't like watching them get cheated ...
also what the hell was up with the Blake hit? how does the guy get only a minor penalty for running a guy from behind? oh, but Poti gets a double minor for protecting himself against that russians fist coming up. bull!!! should've been 5 minute major for boarding. and people wonder why simon Koho'd that puke hollweg?
Let's try to make this clear and simple, sticking only to the facts:
* After the puck went in the net, Islanders center Mike Sillinger was told by the referees that the decision of “goal or no goal” would ultimately be made by NHL headquarters in Toronto.
* In a phone conversation after the game, Stephen Walkom, the NHL VP and Director of Officiating, told Islanders general manager Garth Snow that the call was made by the referees on the ice.
* Walkom told Snow the referees disallowed the goal because Islanders defenseman Brendan Witt crashed into Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller, causing the puck to cross the goal line.
* There is at least one clear, definitive replay that shows the puck sitting on the goal line between Miller's legs and then Brendan Witt, uncontested, skating in and slamming the puck into the net. Not a player on either team touches Miller until well after the puck crosses the goal line. Witt never touches Miller at all.
* The Islanders practice at the Coliseum tomorrow before traveling to Buffalo. Game 5 is Saturday at 7:05 at HSBC Arena.
Islander Website
Agreed- time has come for Yashin to be bought out. I think this one decision will prove the mettle of the new administration. It is the ultimate sandbag left as a remnant of the previous GM, and yet has remained the 800 lb. gorilla in the room no one aside from the fans have spoken about. I understand nothing can be done about his contract mid-season (or shouldn't be at least- its not like there were free-agents floating around we could sign in his place), but come one- no one even calls him out. He's still got the C! But I'm seeing thats not Nolan's style, and one has to respect that. I'll give them a mulligan for this season, but this has to be it. That money for someone who physically can not play is crippling, and when given an option to get out from his contract is available, they need to take it. If they do it, I think it shows to us, as well as the rest of the league they're ready to move on and truly be competitive. If they keep him, its simply embarrassing.
Bunch of crap from tgraham@buffnews.com
Nassau Coliseum erupted with 1:42 left to play, when it appeared the Islanders had tied the score after a long stalemate. Former Sabres winger Miroslav Satan plunged head-first into a pileup and bowled over goalie Ryan Miller. The puck slid over the line, but referee Mike Leggo waved it off. After a video review, the call stood.
AZS-
Your observations about the grit versus skill level of this team has been an issue from the first day of the season. I'll wait until the Isles have no more playoffs games before adding my two cents, but it goes to the heart of something said here before: What is the plan? Is it to build a 6-8 playoff seed every now and then or is to build a team over a few seasons that can seriously compete for the Cup? I have no idea what the plan is or if there is one.
I forgot the best part of the night--PARKING, which was run on-site by a former GM who signed Yashin to a lengthy deal.
Pre-paid parking is set-aside for season ticket holders, and as has been done all year when arriving early, people park close to the Coliseum. Tonight when arriving early, they had about 30 people guiding cars to the hinterlands of the lot leaving those close to the NVMC open for later arrivals.
Putting aside the wisdom of tonight's parking policy, a friend still tried to park his car close to the Coliseum--and this former GM who still holds a senior position with Mr. Wang's Sports Properties, told the friend, "Move your f***ing car!" When the friend said, F.U., the former GM continued to swear that he'd have the "F***ing car towed!" Thereafter, the former GM manned the lot to direct and try to pacify all the early season-ticket holder arrivals placed at the outskirts of the lot by blaming Nassau County Exec Tom Suozzi for not paving the lot in a manner more amenable to parking.
I now have a pretty good hunch who might have been throwing all those beer bottles!
Well two games in a row where they got close but no cigar. I think Nolan has to change up the lines. split up the Yashin Line and split up Smyth and Hunter.
They suprised Bufallo in the second game because they weren't prepared for the competition. Now Bufallo has adjusted. So if they try the same thing again, it will be more or less the same result.
I'll name line 1:
Yashin - Smyth - Sillinger
That's right Yashin. Either he plays hard or we lose anyway. We need everyone to contribute. And we need to spread out the skilled players with the grinders.
Kevin T.
Please sound off and let the league and officials know how you feel about the past two games:
http://www.nhlofficials.com/contact.asp
tenny.....be gone
i like how ESPN shows the highlights and not a mention of the nongoal. then they basically bash the isles d on the forth goal.
maybe poti and bergeron were a little deflated afer getting screwed once again.
Nolan's after game comments are definately a character flaw. Great Coach, but enough with the wining. It is rubbing off on your players and fans base.
Better to state the insincere party line to press and fight your cause behind closed doors.
Kevin T.
tenny are u an isles fan? cause if you are you have to feel a bit pissed off right now. fact is you're probably a fan of a different squad. tell me truthfully, if your team had gone through some of the questionable calls the Isles have had to deal with, you'd be ok with it??? go preach your all-knowing stuff somewhere else.
Why do you even bother having this blog? You're always a day or more behind on it. It's 1:40 a.m. and you still haven't shared your thoughts about the ruling on tonight's apparent (obvious?) tying goal. Blogs exist so that one can share his or her thoughts and observations in short order. You're not doing readers a service here. If you can't keep it up in a timely manner, don't bother. Just get your stories done and go home -- which is apparently exactly what you are doing -- and don't make us waste our time looking for your insights.
might be a carachter flaw Kev, but thing is he's a tad bit angry. it seems like these things have been happening all year to this team. you're gonna say that if these goals/nongoals happened in the van/stars series you'd be ok with it? come on man. nolan just feels like he's wronged, he'll wake up and realize it's over and done with and concentrate on friday's game.
Oh my god, could you guys whine anymore? The Islanders got beat, rule 69.6 proved the fact that it was not a goal, and it has nothing to do with the refs. There have been calls and no-calls for both teams, get over it we lost and there is still a game on friday. No one screwed the islanders, the Sabres beat them. Stop whining like a little kid.
ok
i think the Isles have been in this situation before, or something very close to it. weren't they, at one time, in need of a lengthy winning streak? that's right. they were counted out of the p-offs with four games to play. to get in they needed to win those four games and have other teams beat the teams they were chasing. i think they did alright on that front. this is similiar in the fact that they have nothing really to lose, as being one-game from elimination. what do they have to do to survive? win three straight? no problem. oh, i forgot, they're playing the President Winners. darn! everyone counted them for dead a few times this year, and what happened? every time they came out as the good guys and squeaked through. this is a different animal they're in here, the p-offs. i see no way why they still can't make a series out of this. it ain't over till it's over!!! i think a bunch of us were preaching that during the p-off qualifying run. let's stop the whining and moaning and just WIN!!!!!
I STILL BELIEVE !!
GO ISLANDERS !!!
PS: Please don't throw anything on the ice on Sunday night.
I don't even care if the islanders win or lose anymore. I really thought the sabres would win every game by a wide margin and that only half our team would be able to play against them. But I was dead wrong and I'm really excited for next seaon because I know Nolan is going to work well with wang and snow to continue to build this team into a real contender. We've stuck with the sabred every game and I'm extremely proud of the team. And who knows, we aren't out yet.
LETS GO ISLANDERS
well, it's apparent now who Toronto wants to advance
ANother moral victory for the ISLES and if moral victories counted then the Isles are up 3-1 in this series! Opps unfortunately they don't count. Throwing trash has become an Olypic event for the ISLE fan-base and getting TV time for the ICE Girls is a priceless pursuit. Maybe the Trash throwers should travel to Buffalo and see if they can produce long delays by littering the Ice. I'm sure the League has nothing better to do then to conspire against he mighty Islander organization. Of course the league would have to stop this exceptionally strong organization from being successful. Bettman surely doesn't want any success from the ISLANDERS (and why would the league have to conspire to put the ISlanders out of the playoffs?) Keep drinking koolaid!
All that have read my posts all year, know I have never made excuses for this team. Excuses are for people with sun in their eyes shagging fly balls......Buffalo is the better team. They are younger, faster, and stonger....That is obvious.
BUT........
Is the NHL kidding me with this officiating? Have we become the WWF? Do they really want the old gritty style of players bounced that bad? I counted over 6 times SMYTH being dragged to the ice. Why was Park the only one to get a penalty at the end of the first? Why was the Blake hit only 2 minutes? Why on Gods green Earth was that not a goal?
Again, I have NO PROBLEM admitting that the Sabres are better. They have a great shot to win the cup. That simply does not excuse the NHL letting the Isles get screwed like this. It is a black eye on the sport! If Nolan will not complain, then Snow should go balistic and be heard. Pay the fine. Wang has many to pay soon enough anyway. SAY SOMETHING BOBBLEHEADS!
The guys on the ice left it all out there. Although out skilled, no one can say they were out hustled. I am proud of them. Even Blake proved me right bipping one in early!
To DP ~ John...Congrats on your team...They got a real shot! To the other clueless fans that just root against the Isles.....CONGRATS...You may get what you wanted ....Isles out and Sabres in...IF that is what you wanted you should not be allowed to watch the sport...CLUELESS....If I was a rags fan, I would much rather have the Sabres OUT , so I could get to the cup easier.
Merrick....I actually sat in 212 Row A....Went with a bunch of guys that wanted to go to Champions before the game...Sorry I missed you!
Everyone else....Keep the faith...We once had to win 4 in a row to keep playing...This time only 3 in a row! If we do not make it, then we can talk about the bobbleheads agenda........
Enjoyt your day!
Now we have the Sabres right where we want them. We can't aford one single loss or any mistakes now. Is it possible, of course it is although most will feel it's unlikely. Well in the last week of the schedule we were written off and still made it to the playoffs. It's time to do the unlikely again. Blake has been reaquainted with the net and now everyone's individual scoring touches have to come alive. We need all our 20 goal scorers shooting on all cylinders, we need all our D making the big plays at both ends of the rink and DP has to stand on his head and stay there. It's not much to ask because we're all Islander fans. Go Isles Go.
Steady-
Well said on every point. What is bothering me most today is apparent lack of accountability on the disputed goal decision--with the refs and Toronto each saying different things to different people and pointing to each other as the decision maker. If the decision was on the ice, why was there a review of several minutes? To me, this captures the Gary Bettman era in one snapshot: Absolutely ZERO credibility. WWF indeed!
Sorry I missed you--you were sitting just below me.
I'm tempted to end this, "Why not us," but this morning, that begs an answer.
Keep the faith Isles fans!
First off, congrats to the Rangers for advancing. They have a hot goalie, good execution and wanted it more than the Thrashers.
Second, all you Ranger fans who call Islander fans whiners? If this had happened to your team, it would be splashed all over the papers, and you know it. There'd be a special report on officiating blunders throughout history on Sprotscenter because of it, so lay off.
Lastly, has anyone seen even one of these instances happen in the other playoff series?
The refs don't have it in for the Islanders, but it's almost like they don't care if the calls are fair. No major on the Blake hit? A crucial goal at the end of Game 4 waved off (am I the only one who saw the ref hold the whistle to his mouth, see the puck in the net and then blow the whistle)? Poti's falling backward and gets a 4 minute double? it's almost laughable at this point.
More power to the Rangers if they win the Cup. At least most of us have the class to get behind another NY team. We'll see who's whining when it happens to you.
Steady..
I agree with you. I have no problem admitting that Buffalo has a better team... They do! But when a team is playing their a**es off and working harder then the opposition, getting demoralizing BS calls like that, is not right. And the funny thing is, once the play was under review, I knew there was no shot we were going to get the call because that's what happens to the Islanders.
I don't understand what happened with the review? I was under the impression that the final decision comes from Toronto?
The bottom line is, we still don't have enough finishers on this team. They had many chances to put the puck in the net and in most cases they flat out missed the net. You can't complain about their effort. They are sticking with the best team in the league this year and have been in every game.
And I can guarantee you, they will come out flying next game and may even win that one! DP needs to be sharper though. Last night was not one of his better games...
And I was at the game and right by the Park incident at the end of the period. I have no idea why that call was made and how do you get an interference penalty when there is no time left in the period????
LETS GO ISLANDERS!!! Play your a**es off again on Friday....
YOU HAVE EARNED MY RESPECT!
I'm no conspiracy theorist... but I've just seen a smoking gun.
Since I only post on one site let me offer a job well done and congratulations to the Rangers for advancing past the first round. The disputed goal from last night seems to be a recurring theme for us throughout the playoffs. I'm not going to belly ache about it rather just hope our offensive output increases to offset this free space in bingo happening. Hopefully Hunter, Yash, Kozlov, Asham and any combination of the lesser lights find the range and get us back on track. Smyth is leading by effort and example while everyone else can improve last nights effort. The regular bloggers like Steady, Cincy and others are in agreement the Sabres are and have been the better team on paper and on the ice. However I'm not conceding ANYTHING yet. Crank it up another notch because we still have room for lots of improvement. Every player has to look in the mirror and ask themselves is there more I can do to help us win? If every player elininates one mistake, one poor decision and adds one huge correction to their own game, we can still make this interesting. We do have the variables needed; DP can stand on his head, there are 20 goal scorers still not contributing on the score sheet and the D can be smarter about PP ice time and turnovers too. Let's focus on the task at hand, forget about any excuses and just get the job done.
Go Isles Go.
Well, as much as I appreciated the effort, it appears that we are headed for another 5 game exit (2003,2004,2007) with no home playoff wins since the infamous Toronto series in 2002 and no playoff series wins since David Volek beats the Pens in 1993. I am VERY concerned about the future of the franchise. Signing Smyth has got to be a priority and is their a future on L.I. with a team owned by Charles Wang?? This CA business is not going away and I don't hear about a new arena anymore.
Steady,
First off, The Small World comment was yesterday here at work a co-worker of mine had visitors for lunch. It was a guy from Mass here to go to the Islanders game. I know it would be a long shot but, had to ask.
Now to the Hockey:
TORONTO, WE HAVE PROBLEM!
This game and sport is going to hell in a hand bag if things don't change next year. Get rid of the extra ref and stop the BS. The calls are ridiculous, inconsistent and making our sport a joke.
A story from last night at the Garden. It is easy to hate the refs when your team is losing. I say that not to take away from you guys or the Islanders. Just facts. But, last night at the Garden one of the loudest chants: "THESE REFS SUCK!"
So what does that tell you when 19,000 fans of a team that is on their way to sweep a series and winning game four are chanting that.
The Islanders have played great and this is upsetting to see they are most likely out.
To those of you that I can talk to here and keep things cool with. Keep the faith. Keep on supporting your team. I hope if they are out, it is in game six in your barn so you can show the team your gratitude for a great season.
For those of you wishing us Rangers fans and the Rangers well. That is good to see and hear.
Talk to you all soon.
If Logan's column on how the decision was made on the Islander's goal in Game 4 is correct, why do we even how replay officials in Toronto?? What is their purpose if in a very intense playoff game, they would defer their decision to the on ice official who does not have the benefite of multiple camera angles to replay the situation over again in slow motion? Why would they think that the official who only has one angle to view the play from at a very high speed has a better vantage point to make the correct decision?
Congratulations to the Rangers. I like Avery's post-game comment as to why they had to sweep: "none of us wanted to go back to Atlanta" hahaha Enjoy the week off, all you garys of the world.
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What's up everybody. Good to read all the comments of the regulars - well stated. And great comments from the newcomer d. islanders. Great stuff.
My 2 cents has to do with what should be the perspective of a Sabres fan. If you're a Sabres fan, you should be outraged. Why? Because you have a great team - speed, skill, strength, goaltending - all the ingredients to win the cup. And you might very well win it. But if my team was sitting as #1 seed and playing the #8 seed, and if I saw just how competitive and close this series has become, I would certainly want to make sure that no one could ever make the claim that my Stanley Cup winning run was tainted. But to any objective observer - yes, that's right, objective - who saw the no-goal call in the Ranger game in March, who saw the no-goal/goal call in game 3, who saw the minor rather than major penalty and game misconduct after Blake was pile-driven from behind into the boeards, who saw the no-goal call last night and witnessed the contradictory and non-sensical statements from the referee and the league in the aftermath... this would be a tainted and suspect victory for the Sabres if they indeed do go on the next round. If the Sabres were MY team, and my team won the cup, I want there to be no doubt about its legitimacy. Well, any chance of that went out the window last night. You can now claim to have been robbed almost as badly as the Islanders. The evidence is clear and it's out there. It can be reasonably argued that your number one seeded team won the cup because thay got a first round by against a number 8 seeded team that gave you all you could handle - and more. And that you needed "breaks" to get past them. Yes, you may have won anyway. But the evidence and doubts will always be there.
So if I'm a Sabres fan this morning I'm pissed off. The league has destined that my stanley cup, if won, will forever be tainted. It's a shame for the Islanders, it's a shame for the Sabres, and it's even more of a shame for the sport of hockey.
The post by "Bob" was me. For some reason I have to post sometimes under a different name to bet my comments accepted.
Steady and the gang. If I thought that Toronto and the Refs made a mistake on the call I would say so. I think they do a pretty good job. Yes the Canucks have had bad breaks before with and without the Camera Review in place. It's hard to take, but it usually doesn't determine a series.
The only way they could have called it a goal is if there was a camera angle that showed the puck past the line before the whistle blew. Otherwise, Toronna can't do anything.
As for the Refs, I can see that the Isles aren't getting respect. Smyth drew lots of penalties for Edmonton, yet they can mug him now and no call.
If the Isles don't make it, you can bet that the next opponent will be using the Isles play as an example of how to beat them. If it wasn't for the late goal, maybe they would have got sent off with a Standing-O, as they deserve.
Kevin T.
Bob or Cincy,
I disagree with you there.
I would not be upset if I was a Buffalo fan at all. The Islanders may have been the 8 seed and that was partially because of a late season collapse and that was because or best player (DP) was out. Otherwise they wouldn't be playing us. So I don't think we are a normal 8 seed.
Yes, I do believe that we have been getting totally hosed on the calls all series and especially the goal last night, but again, the bottom line is WE HAVE NOT CONVERTED ON OPPORTUNITIES and we have a MAJOR problem with getting the puck on the net.
I think you are being a little sour here.
Buffalo is a better team. They convert on chances and the mistakes we make. Perfect example are the goals from last night. Bad rebounds and giveways... They have not made many mistakes either.
This also doesn't mean we can't win based on our heart and how hard we play. More skilled teams don't always win.
LETS GO ISLANDERS
Cincy~
Why do you and I get banned every now and then? Logan lets the rags fans (the ignorant ones) run ramped with immature stuff and never shuts them down...Is Logan secretly a rags fan?
The NHL MUST look into the officiating...It is horrible...Heck even the guys on WFAN today (who are all rangers fans) are blasting the of