This week Stan Fischler invents a new verb for the lethal Colorado Avalanche attack, and along with Zach Weinstock, the guys discuss Stefen Rosner's (sort of) MSG Network debut.
Every week Stan "The Hockey Maven" Fischler, Stefen Rosner and Zach Weinstock gather for a lively Islanders shmooze.
This week Stan invents a new verb for the lethal Colorado Avalanche attack, and the guys discuss Stefen's (sort of) MSG Network debut, a mini Islander identity crisis, ill-fated offensive zone faceoffs, Brock Nelson's place in Islander history, Ilya Sorokin's improving English and the pitfalls of early aviation.
ZACH: Well, we're through five games.
STEFEN: Six percent of the season – gone!
ZACH: And in theory 2-2-1 isn't too bad.
STEFEN: Last night felt icky though.
ZACH: It was an exciting game, we can at least say that.
STEFEN: But Islander games aren't supposed to be that exciting.
MAVEN: Correct. Foe speed was an issue against New Jersey and they were plain outraced against the Sabres. Can they keep up with these fast young teams? We knew Colorado would provide a big time litmus test.
STEFEN: And there's no question the Avs played the game they wanted to play.
ZACH: At times the first period looked like the 1980 Olympic Exhibition game between U.S.A. and Russia at Madison Square Garden. Stan, were you at that game?
MAVEN: I was not at that game. And neither was Team USA! But look what happened two weeks later. That's why I preach patience.
ZACH: The Isles don't want to play a "track meet" against anybody, and they're not designed to succeed in these up-tempo games. Have they lost the ability – or the will – to inflict their pace and their style in these games?
STEFEN: I don't think they've lost the will. The ability? It's too early to declare one way or another.
ZACH: So that was one thing. Then you had some execution issues in the second half of the game.
MAVEN: Those things are going to happen against a great team.
STEFEN: No doubt. One answer from Coach Lambert that made me smile was about MacKinnon's goal. "The puck came off the boards to the wrong guy."
ZACH: Whoa! He didn't mean Clutterbuck, did he?!?
STEFEN: Haha, no, of course not. He meant MacKinnon. Right guy for the Avs. But yeah, it did go off Clutterbuck along the boards.
ZACH: I think it was a simple miscommunication between Clutterbuck and Dobson on who was going to take the puck. What I think is more on fans' minds this morning is the faceoff before the game-winning goal.
MAVEN: That was what we call a "faulty faceoff."
ZACH: Tie game, mid-third, offensive zone draw. You're playing one of the most talented teams ever--
STEFEN: On the right side, that line runs that play every time. Barzal lines up in "shotgun" every time.
MAVEN: Well, maybe he shouldn't?
STEFEN: I'm just saying – it wasn't a set play they called specifically for that spot.
ZACH: I get it. You line up Barzal at the top of the circle so he can swoop in and take a contested puck.
STEFEN: He always lines up there on a right-side o-zone draw. I believe.
MAVEN: But it was Lee who kicked the puck back to the right point.
ZACH: Right. And because you gave Tomas Tatar a free run to the right point--
STEFEN: Hello game-winning takeaway. I get it. I was there when Coach Lambert was asked about it after the game. He called it "missed assignments."
ZACH: I want to be fair - just because they gave the winger a free run to the point doesn't mean it had to result in a turnover. It's well within Adam Pelech's discretion to make the safe play there. And he had support all along the strong-side boards, starting with Barzal.
MAVEN: And by the way, I'm still waiting for a backcheck. The Second Avenue Subway developed quicker than that backcheck!
ZACH: Well that was a whole other issue.
STEFEN: It's not a good look to win a faceoff that cleanly and have it become that big of a disaster.
ZACH: Happened earlier in the game too. Second period - led to a breakaway for Johansen.
STEFEN: Right, on an offensive zone faceoff controlled by Romanov.
ZACH: I'm glad you bring Romanov up, because I feel I should stand up and face the music. I know you guys are both Romanov fans and last week I expressed a touch of skepticism. So I would be remiss if I did not mention that, yes, I saw him blanket MacKinnon in a footrace late in the third. That was stunning.
MAVEN: Tremendous! Play of the game as far as I was concerned.
STEFEN: I wouldn't go that far. Quick question - does the sight of #7 in Colorado purple still make you guys cringe?
ZACH: Yeah, a little. I happened to watch the game on the Altitude broadcast. The announcer called the Toews trade "one of the greatest trades in Avalanche history." Barf.
MAVEN: Listen – faceoffs, structure, turnovers - these things can work themselves out. A trade from three years ago?? Move on! You guys sound like you're talking about a team with a 0-5-0 record. Wake up, willya! They played what is arguably the NHL's best team. Perhaps Colorado "Toewed" with the UBSers a bit, but it was still a 4-4 game which could have gone either way in the third.
STEFEN: "Toewed" might be your best play on words ever.
MAVEN: The season is – as the song from "South Pacific" goes, "Younger Than Springtime." Less than a month old. The Isles are - as they were last year - starting slow and should find their form, Thankfully by Thanksgiving.
STEFEN: And that might be your worst play on words ever.
ZACH: Stan's right. On paper, things seem fine. But I don't think Isles fans are very comfortable right now. Things just feel a little…
STEFEN: Stale.
MAVEN: Not to sound like Robert Rahrah, but I might remind both of you that Rome (Upstate New York) wasn't built in a Billy Dea. They have two nice wins. Good goaltending so far, by both guys.
ZACH: He's right. Let's focus on the good.
MAVEN: I loved the Star of David on the big screen on opening night.
ZACH: What? When was that?
STEFEN: Right before the start of the game. Nicole Raviv posted it on Twitter.
ZACH: That's nice.
MAVEN: And I loved the fact that we won the opener.
ZACH: The best part of opening night was when they showed Stefen's Twitter on TV! How great was that!
STEFEN: It was a pretty cool moment, but it wasn't about me at all. Credit Barzal, who said the quote. I just typed it and clicked send.
ZACH: Typing is harder than saying. You don't need hands to say a quote.
STEFEN: But in terms of mental output--
ZACH: He's too modest. Stan, what burns more calories, saying or typing?
MAVEN: When I was Stefen's age definitely typing because we'd take the quote from the locker room back up to the press box and punch it in on a typewriter that weighed more than your car.
ZACH: Exactly.
MAVE: So Stefen had a strong start to the season. Know who else did? My boy, Brocktober. Four points in the first three games.
ZACH: That train's never late. He's unbelievable.
STEFEN: Yeah, he hasn't lost his shot, apparently. That line will be lethal.
ZACH: Bigger picture - I'm about to pose an odd question to both of you, one you probably have never considered, but which may arise in due time.
STEFEN: Okay.
ZACH: Every Islander with a retired number comes from the dynasty. But this "Silver Age" is undisputedly the next greatest generation of Islander history, and when it's finally over, a bunch of these players are going to be held in very high esteem around here forever, with Brock right at the top of the list.
STEFEN: I don't like where this is going—
ZACH: So this might sound nuts—
STEFEN: Just say it already—
ZACH: After Brock Nelson, should any Islander wear 29 again?
MAVEN: Way premature.
STEFEN: Way way premature.
MAVEN: First of all, I place all jersey retirement questions under my desk in a file marked Who Cares.
STEFEN: I do think he's surpassed Kenny Jonsson for most beloved Islander 29 - I'll give you that. But is that enough to retire the darn thing?
ZACH: I'm just asking the question.
MAVEN: If he would have beaten Vasilevskiy on that breakaway in overtime in the bubble I'd say yes, how's that.
STEFEN: Here's what I'll say – he is among the most underrated players across the league.
ZACH: Good. Let's move from an underrated player to a very highly – but accurately – rated player. I can't remember the last time S&L Deli on Marcy and Dekalb – which is what Stan calls the sportsbooks – made any Islander such a heavy favorite to win the Vezina Trophy. But that's where we are with Ilya Sorokin.
MAVEN: And deservedly so.
ZACH: Last night the Avs announcer told his largely Denver-based audience, "Now you see why Ilya Sorokin is one of the best goaltenders on planet earth."
MAVEN: That warms my heart.
ZACH: Last Tuesday was his 17th career shutout, which moved him past Rick DiPietro for third in team history. Considering he's played only 139 regular season games, that's pretty good.
MAVEN: It's a shame he didn't come here until he was 25, because if he had come at say, 22, and was doing this, he'd already be in rarified air.
ZACH: Stefen, how's his English coming along? It would be nice to hear from him more often.
STEFEN: Sorokin's English isn't perfect, but for a guy who had to learn a brand new alphabet, he's flourishing. He's worked hard at it too – a testament to his work ethic. Someone shared a story with me that the team was going out and Ilya said he couldn't go because he wanted to stay in and practice his English.
ZACH: I would think you get more practice by going out than by staying in.
STEFEN: I'm just telling you what I heard.
ZACH: Stan, what player can you recall – if any – came here knowing no English but eventually learned and became a good quote.
MAVEN: Alexei Kasatonov, Devils. I tried to teach him a third language – Brooklynese.
STEFEN: I thought that shutout against Arizona was a very Barry Trotz-esque showing by the Islanders. Their defense forced the Coyotes out of shooting lanes and had them overthinking all night.
ZACH: By my estimate they probably gave up fewer than five quality chances all game that night. That's the hockey we like.
STEFEN: But it's not the hockey we've seen in the past three games.
ZACH: Nope. Consider this; in two home games against elite offensive teams – Devs and Avs – Ilya played well, even really well, in both, and gave up five goals each time anyway. That is not a good sign.
MAVEN: It bears study if not concern.
STEFEN: And not for nothing, you're really not supposed to allow four power-play goals in one game.
ZACH: To me, what was frustrating about that wasn't the penalty kill, it was the juxtaposition between a Devils power play that attacks certain areas, and an Islanders power play that operates very differently.
STEFEN: The power play seems to have a lot of the same issues. They just don't move around the ice, which allows the penalty kill to be aggressive and deflect passes from the point. They're just too easy to read.
MAVE: Well the idea should be to outnumber the opposition in the scoring areas around the net, not out at the blue line. Let's leave it at that.
ZACH: To be fair, they were better about that last night. There was a lot more going on down low last night on the power play early in the game. And some of the entries were pretty good.
STEFEN: But the dud at the end of the second period shifted the momentum completely, and the double-minor in the third went nowhere.
ZACH: Baby steps.
STEFEN: I think we are seeing some awkwardness from the Islanders forward group. Coach Lambert is still trying to find the missing piece to the top line, using Wahlstrom there Saturday night over Holmstrom, then Lee last night. I think the answer isn't on the roster.
ZACH: Odd that they would remove Holmstrom from that line after only a few games.
MAVEN: Didn't they have 11 shots in Game One?
STEFEN: Lambert said Holmstrom and Fasching came out of the lineup in Buffalo because he wanted "fresh bodies." Holmstrom is their youngest skater, and Fasching isn't old, so we know it's because they weren't pulling their weight through the first three games.
MAVEN: How could a Fasching not pull his weight? It just does not jibe with all his pre-season hype.
ZACH: What did we think of Lee on that line last night? I kind of liked it.
MAVEN: I don't know if it's my age, or maybe my medication or what, but these lines are making me dizzy. So far I've seen so much juggling, I feel like I'm back at the Ringling Bros. Circus on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand.
STEFEN: Lee was back with Horvat and Barzal at practice Wednesday, so it seems like that will continue. As for the swap yesterday between Wahlstrom and Clutterbuck, I'm pretty sure that was done for defense since Pageau was playing against Colorado's top line, and after a few minutes, it appeared like that assignment might be a bit over Ollie's head at the moment. But Clutterbuck was back with Cizikas and Martin at practice.
ZACH: Lee makes total sense, but I'm intrigued by Ollie, and I wish we could have seen him get another shot on the top line. I hope this is the year he "puts it together," but I'm not holding my breath.
STEFEN: Like I said, I don't think the answer is on the roster.
ZACH: Well is there cap space to answer it elsewhere?
MAVEN: I wonder if Lou would be interested in Pat Kane. I'd love him on the first line.
ZACH: That would be something, but there are two reasons I don't think it will happen; 1) cap space, or lack thereof; 2) it's up to him, and he has no ties to Long Island that I'm aware of. Am I wrong?
MAVEN: Wake up. You create cap space. Use a Hoover vacuum cap space cleaner if you have to.
STEFEN: Kane actually has ties to Long Island. His cousin plays for LIU.
ZACH: Gosh, we're already grasping for "cousins?"
STEFEN: You asked if he has ties.
ZACH: That sounds like a pretty loose tie, no offense to any of my cousins, all of whom I love deeply.
STEFEN: Well regardless, per sources at last year's trade deadline, Kane has no interest in joining the Islanders, and one would assume that opinion hasn't changed. I would think he lands either back with the Rangers or in Buffalo.
MAVEN: Kane's thinking at last year's trade deadline means didly-squat in the Fall of 2023. As the song goes, "Everybody Has A Right To Be Wrong At Least Once."
STEFEN: Wu Tang Clan?
MAVEN: Sinatra.
STEFEN: Ah. Well I don't think Patrick Kane's coming here. As for cap space, Ross Johnston's $1.1 million will help a lot with trade deadline cap accrual.
MAVEN: That sounds more like cap dust busting than vacuum cleaning.
ZACH: Can I ask one more question about the Avs game? And I love Barzal as much as or more than anybody – but was there ever going to come a point when he was going to realize that challenging Makar one-on-one is bad for business?
MAVEN: That was a tactical Faux Pas.
STEFEN: I also found that odd.
ZACH: I love the confidence. But pick any other player on their team - heck, any other player in the league - to try to dance around five times.
STEFEN: It wasn't five. It was probably three.
ZACH: Sometimes you just ought to make the safe play. That's a big part of what we were talking about before – how to dictate pace.
STEFEN: Sure. Lane was talking about puck management even before the Avs game. I bet some of those decisions last night made his head explode.
MAVEN: Listen, we can break teeth about puck management and the offense all day, but let's face it, no matter what they do with the forwards, goaltending will be the large carrier of the team, all season. That and defense. I loved Varly's 40 saves on Saturday – showing he still has the goods - and I love that Coach Lambert is giving Dobson a lot of ice time in hopes that he can be the horse.
ZACH: Varly never lost the goods. And this is a perfect role for him, because for years he's played his best when well rested. I think even down the stretch they should remember to play him at least twice every three weeks.
STEFEN: I don't know Mave, your Dobber prediction from last week – that he would have a "major breakthrough" - seemed to be off to a rocky start there in the first game.
MAVEN: You were ready to throw my prediction out after one game!?! Of course the critics were doing their thing, picking on Dobson. But I know Dobber will shake the cobwebs and make the critics eat their Apple computers.
STEFEN: He's definitely looked better after that. Nice assist last night. I'm concerned with how Pelech has looked so far, to be honest. But Sebastian Aho has looked as good as he's ever looked.
ZACH: Aho's always been good.
STEFEN: No, he's been better recently.
ZACH: I don't know, I've always been a fan.
MAVEN: Me too. And Bolduc's pinch hitting for Mayfield as well.
ZACH: Stefen, what do you got on Mayfield?
STEFEN: Skating on his own. Day-to-day. I asked Lane this morning and he said no update. I don't expect to see him tomorrow night against the Sens.
MAVEN: That's right, another home game coming up, this time against the Senators.
ZACH: Stan, do you have any Senator jokes?
MAVEN: Sure--
ZACH: A clean one.
MAVEN: Oh.
ZACH: Who are they playing after that? Blue Jackets. Give us a Blue Jackets gag.
MAVEN: I don't even know what that is.
STEFEN: Their mascot's some sort of insect. Like a bee. But not the color of bees.
MAVEN: I'll give ya a Colorado gag, since we almost beat them last night. Orville Wright says to his brother Wilbur, "You were only in the air for 12 seconds! How could my luggage be in Denver?"
STEFEN: That works.