OffThePost.org

Isles vs Hurricanes. Chance for last year's 6 game series loss to the Canes.

I still say that series was closer than people give the Isles credit for. Canes won 2 games in OT, one moments after Mayfield was clearly high sticked in the face when he had the puck, and he continued to skate around the empty ice, dumbfounded that there was no penalty, after both teams and most of the fans had left the building. The other was the series clincher, when Pelech whiffed on a pass for what should have been a 3 on 2, but stayed in the zone and was passed to a wide fucking open Cane who would have been 2 miles behind the play if Pelech's pass had gone as it normally does 99,999 times out of 10k attempts. The Canes scored only one more goal than the Isles in the series. But if I'm being totally honest, the Canes were also missing Svechnikov, and they've really reloaded since then. Barzal had just returned from injury last year, and hadn't really played with Horvat that much. Hopefully them being healthy and having chemistry now will help the Isles.

Time to make some noise.

Game 1 - Saturday 4/20 at 5 PM EDT.

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Series schedule (times eastern of course, because no other time zone matters)
4/20 5 pm
4/22 7:30 pm
4/25 7:30 pm
4/27 2 pm

if necessary
4/30 time TBD
5/2 time TBD
5/4 time TBD

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Great news for the Isles- Dobson joined practice. Regular jersey. Phew!

Pageau not practicing. Kyle MacLean to 3rd line, and (checks notes) Clutterbuck is centering the 4th line. Clutterbuck? What the??? Weird.
MacLean has done a really good job so far.
As has Ruslan Iskhakov, who is currently a point per game player! (1 assist in 1 game ) He's still with the team though, so that's a good thing. Not sure if he or Wahlstrom will get into the lineup in Pageau's place. I'd like to see the kid. Wahlstrom looked good in Game 82, but we know what he is. Iskhakov is an unknown. Shame he didn't get to go in a shootout.

Lines at practice today:
Cizikas-Horvat-Barzal
Fasching-Nelson-Palmieri
Lee-MacLean-Engvall
Martin-Clutterbuck-Holmstrom

Romanov-Dobson
Pelech-Pulock
Reilly-Bortuzzo

I disapprove of those in bold.
I'd drop Cizikas back to 3C, keep MacLean at 4C and move Holmstrom to LW1. But I'm no NHL coach.
I'd also have Aho in for Borsnoozo.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Lee got called for a pretty good dive by Skjei a little over a minute into the game, and as feared, the Hurricanes PP didn't take long at all, scoring 13 seconds into their first PP, a whopping 1:35 into the series. Shortly afterwards, Martin got called for a weird penalty. Pulock tried to lift the puck out of the zone and with the puck about shoulder height, Matt Martin tipped it higher- aaaaand clear over the glass. Got called for delay of game. I thought if the puck was already in the air and you deflected it out it wasn't a penalty. Nobody argued, so I guess I was wrong, but I could have sworn that was the rule.

Rookie Kyle MacLean tied it with some hard work and not quitting until the whistle, scoring off a goal mouth scramble.
1-1 after 1.
1-1 after 2.
Noesen knocked in a loose puck that had hit Pulock in front. Bummer of a bounce.
Canes hit the empty net.
3-1 Canes in.

Isles played well. Just didn't finish. Bad time of year for that though. Back at it Monday.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Pageau back in tonight. Not that I expect him to score, since his offensive capability seems to have dried up, but he's great on faceoffs, which are huge in playoffs.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

And this donkey show of a season is continuing*. Blew a 3-0 lead to lose 5-3. 12 shots on Anderson. Great fucking job.

*Probably for just 2 more games.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Read that Pesce is out for the series. Hopefully that means the Canes bring Tony Q'Angelo in.

Isles are saying all the right things; they've put Game 2 behind them, they're focusing on nothing but Game 3, they need to win 1 game to get back in the series, and all the other standard quotes of a team down 2-0. Now shut the fuck up and win Game 3. Then win Game 4. Bring it back to Carolina tied up. Then, if it's not too much to ask*, win Game 5.

*I'm well aware this all probably far too much to ask.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Sorokin shits the bed. Gets pulled after letting in 3 on 14 shots. Varlamov stopped all 8 he faced. What the fuck is wrong with the goalie they’ve got signed for 8 years? Wondering if Roy intimidates him, he’s drunk all the time or what.
I didn’t think they’d win this series but being down 3-0 is bullshit.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Why in the world would they have gone back to Sorokin? Varlamov's performance was insanely good, it ain't his fault he got deluged with more shots than frat party in the Hamptons.

This one looks pretty wrapped up. Isles have some work to do with their netminder of the present/future. But really, they should just nuke this roster. It ain't anywhere near good enough.

I think Roy wanted to give Sorokin some rest and then go back to him at home. As you said, he's the netminder of their future, and he's been really good in the past, so it's not insane to go back to him. I assume Roy was thinking ahead and didn't want to create a goalie controversy, so he went to Sorokin after Varlamov gave up 4, even if most weren't his fault. Sorokin just seems so off. After he got yanked he stood in the hallway with his mask on for the rest of the game. And he didn't "have" to stand in the hallway at UBS, like the Canes did to him on purpose. That's a bullshit move, but that's a story for another time.

After Game 3, Sorokin wasn't at his stall for the press. Some reporters are making a huge deal of it, saying "he walked out on the team". No dipshits, he walked out on you, because you guys ask such brilliant questions as "how do you feel after giving up 3 and getting pulled after half a game?" or "is game 4 a must win for you guys?". He was upset, and yes, he's a pro and should talk to the media, but he's also a person and he is the kind of guy who will blame himself for the entire season collapsing there. He's said in the past "when you win you feel great. When you lose you feel like shit". So I guarantee you he really felt like shit and didn't want to talk to people.

The big thing is how he handles the off-season. They really need him to come back as himself, not the way he played this year.

And yes, the Isles have a LOT of work to do on the roster. Lou keeps giving out 7 year deals and NTCs like they're M&Ms. Enough. Time to shed some salary. MacLean makes a good case for why kids CAN in fact be called up. But I'll save my rosterbating for after they're officially eliminated. I have a feeling they'll come out well for Game 4 and take that one, then get eliminated on Carolina's home ice. Just don't fucking get swept.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Isles take Game 4 in 2OT. Live to fight another day.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

More Game 4 info.
Martin was out. Iskhakov played in his place. Well, played 6 minutes. Clutterbuck had 8 minutes. MacLean filled in for other forwards on all lines now & then. MacLean is really proving valuable. I like the kid.
Bortuzzo's assist was his first point as an Islander. 27 games in... Good first one to get. Unfortunately it probably means Lou wrote him a 4 year deal last night.
Isles dominated in the faceoffs. They were at 85.7% late in the third. Finished the game at 68%. Also lead in hits at 40-24, and that's without Martin and Clutterbuck playing limited minutes.

Roy said of Sorokin "all goalies go through this. That's why we look at a career." So I guess that means we can expect Varlamov again Tuesday, which I would do too.

3-1 series. I still doubt the Isles will win the series, but yesterday was a great game and I'm glad they won. Unfortunately I have games Tuesday & Thursday, so I'll have to miss the ends of Games 5 & 6 (if necessary, and I hope it is).

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Game 5 tonight. Time for the Rally in Raleigh! Bring it back at 3-2, tie it up at home on Thursday and then complete the backdoor sweep on Saturday.
I've got games tonight and Thursday, of course. So I'll probably miss the third period tonight (and any OT unless it goes like 3-4 OTs). Thursday my game is earlier, so I will likely miss more than half of regulation. But I'm thinking that bodes well for the Isles. They usually do better when I can't watch. Big comeback or something like that. I can watch Saturday, so maybe they're fucked no matter what. Being down 3-1 isn't what is fucking them. It's my ability to watch the games...

I assume Varlamov is in net. But I often ASSume incorrectly. Roy tinkering with the lines. Martin is apparently still out and Roy hasn't really set a replacement. Iskhakov didn't play much the other night. Could be Holmstrom or Fasching replacing him. Seriously doubt Wahlstrom worked his way back in. Dude is just banished at this point. I doubt they'll even qualify him. Probably let him walk at the season's end, and then he'll pull a Carter Verhaeghe and become a really good NHL player. Who knew? It seemed like an all minor league deal when the Isles traded Verhaeghe to Tampa for an AHL goalie. Maybe the lack of development or foresight in Bridgeport has a lot more to do with the Isles' failures than me watching. Weird. I've always thought it was me.

Semi-related fun fact. Matt Martin & John Tavares both started their NHL careers with the Isles in the 09-10 season, and both have only played for the Isles & Leafs (Martin for 2 years, Tavares for 6 now). Martin has 82 career playoff games and Tavares only 58. Weird how that's worked out.

Random note- Isles want to improve goaltending in Bridgeport, so they've signed former Senator Marcus Hogberg. Maybe not a great NHL goalie, but he's better than the guys they've had in Bridgeport.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

Not too surprising of an end, just kind of surprising how it happened. Game 2 collapse in 9 seconds. Game 5, well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by a third period collapse. They let it happen all year.

I begrudgingly left for my game with it 3-2 in the 2nd. I wasn't even at the end of our road when the Isles tied it and the period ended. It's like an 18 minute drive to the rink. I assumed I could throw my stuff in the locker room and run up to the bar to check the score. Teammate came in after I dropped my bag and said "don't bother. They're down 5-3." I couldn't believe the third period had even started yet, let alone they gave up 2 goals. Yep. He said they looked like shit in the third, as usual, so I shouldn't bother watching. Sounds like he was right.

Time for a lot of moves. Lou stepping aside is the first one that should be made. It's not 2003 anymore. You can't win today with a roster full of grinders. His son can't take over. He's made shit of Bridgeport. I really hope the rumors of Roy moving to GM aren't true, and I doubt they are. I can't see why they'd bring him in to coach half a year, and then move just after players start to get his systems.
The strength & conditioning trainers need to either be replaced or seriously step their game up. The team always looked out of shape and Roy said it.
Time to let a lot of UFAs go. Even some RFAs. I can't see them even offering Wahlstrom a QO at this point. Three coaches have healthy scratched him a lot. They supposedly tried to trade him but nobody wanted him. Holmstrom should get a QO, but not much more.

Let Aho, Martin, Clutterbuck and Bortuzzo all go. I liked Martin and Clutterbuck, but it's time. MacLean has shown he can replace them, with less hitting but much more skill and speed. Which means he'll probably be Lou's choice for LW1 next year if he's still in charge.

A month ago I didn't think they had a shot at the playoffs. They were too high up to get a decent draft spot, so I'm glad they added a week or so to the season. Still wish they'd forced a longer series, but oh well. Hopefully a short series convinces management that some real changes are in order.

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Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

No match for the Canes, I'm afraid. I saw Botta also call on Lou Lams to ride off into the sunset. They could always promote P. Roy and either have him do double duty for a year, or he could call on one of his trusted associates to coach, like Phil Boucher.

The current Isles gen had that one conference final, but they could never get over the hump.

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They talked about the Isles on the newest 32 Thoughts, and the name Mark Hunter came up. The London Knights are still playing, but once they're done and the Memorial Cup is handed out, I imagine speculation is gonna ramp up. Hunter and Lamoriello already worked together in Toronto, and Hunter also has ties with Rick Nash and Basil McRae, who are both in the Columbus Blue Jackets front office. They also talked about the possible end of the "Identity Line" but really...isn't it time to move on from some of those guys?

I also listened to a bit of the Too Many Men podcast, and they spoke about how much things had improved from Lambert to Roy. Mainly how the pace of play had picked up considerably.

So things are on the up in Long Island but they gotta make some changes. That much is obvious. Question is, who's going to be the guy who makes those decisions?

Point of order- they made two conference finals recently, losing in 6 and then 7 to the Bolts, who won the Cup in both of those years.

I don't want to see Roy as GM. As much as he might make a good GM, he seems too valuable as a coach right now. Maybe in a few years when the team grows deaf to him he could move to GM. But for now, they all seem to be willing to run through a brick wall for him, and then eat the brick fragments. I don't want to move him upstairs and then put a guy behind the bench who might be another Lambert. Too much change, too quickly. And I don't know if Roy is ready for double duty. He's still getting re-used to the NHL coaching game. Giving him another full job seems like too much to me. Plus one quick tempered person having that much power could be disastrous. If someone pisses him off, would he make a rash "get this guy the fuck out of here, NOW" type trade? No reason to find out.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.

The best thing the Isles can do is tank next season and get a shot at drafting Long Island's own James Hagens first overall.

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Roy was a fucking horrid GM in Colorado. Yes, he will forever be praised and rightfully so for telling Rick Pracey to shut the fuck up in 2013, because the Avs were taking Nathan MacKinnon, who was reportedly not even in Pracey's top five. But a lot of the other moves credited to him ranged from bad to disastrous, the worst being him negotiating exclusively (as in completely independent of then-GM Joe Sakic) to bring in the corpse of Francois Beauchemin. I'm pretty sure he played a part in getting other complete washouts like Brad Stuart and Jarome Iginla as well.

So yes, keep him the hell away from the front office.

Thanks. I didn't realize he was that bad. I always wonder if recently retired guys want to bring in friends or guys they found were tough to play against, but they never seem to give a thought to age. That baffles me. I guess they figure guys have another year or so before they fall off, but so often they bring in the "veteran presence" guys who are little more than a veteran taking up a roster spot at that point. Being retired for a long time, I'd hope Roy would be over that phase. But I also hope he doesn't get anywhere near the GM seat.

Side note- who did Pracey have above MacKinnon? And is Pracey still working in hockey after such an oversight?

At least I don't have to worry about being late to my game tonight due to Game 6.

_________________
Posting your political views on social media is like sticking your head up your ass & whispering: You're just as likely to change someone's mind, and you'll always come out looking like a shithead.