Brian Rolston

Are The Isles Better Than .500?

October 23, 2011

Once again the New York Islanders fell to the Florida Panthers last night in a 4-2 loss to end their Florida road trip. The 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines were held scoreless as John Tavares and Mark Streit did all they could with the support of strong goaltending coming from Evgeni Nabokov in net. For a full recap, read Evan Pivnick's post-game report here at TCL.

The Isles currently sit with a 3-3-0 record, placing them at 10th place in the East and fourth in their division. The New Jersey Devils sit in third with seven points, trailing the second placed Philadelphia Flyers with nine points. The Pittsburgh Penguins sit in first with 14 and the Rangers sit in fifth with six. All indica...

Thank You, Rick DiPietro

October 18, 2011

Brian Bock

3 Comments

A letter of thanks to our "Goalie for Life"

Dear Rick DiPietro,

It has been an emotional rollercoaster since that fateful day in June, 2000 when we made you our first overall draft pick.

Our relationship has gone through phases: anxious excitement to see you establish yourself as our number one goalie, the satisfaction of seeing you rise to being an All Star (and telling Rangers fans how much better you were than Henrik Lundqvist), the despair of watching you be injured, the frustration of watching you have setback after setback on your way back to the net, to where we are today.

Today Rick, we write you to tell you that we are si...

Where Is The Isles Second Act?

October 16, 2011

Rob McGowan

0 Comments

The Islanders went into last night's game against the Rangers looking to cap off a four-game home stand with a decisive win in regulation against their cross-town rivals, and they did just that. John Tavares' hat trick, P.A. Parenteau's helping hands and Evgeni Nabokov's stonewall performance were enough to earn a 4-2 win, improving the team's record to 3-1-0.

The 3-1-0 start is the best that the team has had in ten years, dating back to the 2001-2002 season when they started off 4-0. And you don't have to remind many Islanders fans about how exciting that season was, ending in what was arguably the most brutal first round exit to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

...

Isles Need To Search For Offense

October 11, 2011

Rob McGowan

3 Comments

The New York Islanders currently sit 1-1-0 on the season, following their lackluster loss to the Florida Panthers on opening night with a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild in a Columbus Day matinee on Monday afternoon.

The goals came from Andrew MacDonald on the power play and Frans Nielsen at even strength. Both goals were also scored in the first period, a twenty minute time frame where the Isles put on the pressure early and kept the shot count to their advantage at 9-2. But the offense then began to fade off in the next two periods, only managing two and three shots respectively.

The Wild managed to increase their shot total from two to 12 by the end of the second period, fo...

Islanders vs. Panthers - Opening Night

October 7, 2011

Brian Bock

1 Comment

Preview: An opening night battle between last year's overall 27th and 28th best teams - the New York Islanders and the Florida Panthers. However with opening night comes the promise of new hope, a fresh start, and in the case of the Islanders and Panthers, a lot to be excited about.

The Islanders are opening their 40th season in franchise history and have set their goals high. GM Garth Snow has stated that the goal is for the team to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in 4 seasons. The team is also looking for their first playoff series victory in 18 seasons.

The Islanders offseason was relatively quiet following a furious finish last season, whe...

Strome and Pandolfo Earn Contracts With Islanders

October 4, 2011

Rob McGowan

0 Comments

The New York Islanders announced today that former New Jersey Devils forward Jay Pandolfo, who had been playing with the Islanders during the pre-season on a tryout, and Ryan Strome, the team's 5th overall pick in 2011, were both signed to contracts with the team before today's 5 PM deadline.

Pandolfo's contract is for one year, likely serving as a member of the team's fourth line unit and a veteran penalty killer. Whether or not he will be in the line up on opening night is unknown as Reasoner will be at center with Matt Martin, Brian Rolston and Trevor Gillies competing with Pandolfo for the names to be on the roster.

However, Gillies is currently on the IR w...

Isles Files: Inching Closer To The Season

September 30, 2011

Rob McGowan

0 Comments

Last time I checked in the Islanders had announced Mark Streit as the teams’ 13th captain in NHL history while another arena proposal had been put forth and published in Newsday. It’s safe to say that plenty has changed since then.

As far as arena news, the task force formed by the Association for a Better Long Island decided not to submit their plans for renovating the Coliseum. Too many disagreements from within the group forced the task force to dismantle. However, individual members will be submitting their ideas to County Executive, Ed Mangano this week.

Mangano has also recently stated that he plans on asking for state funds to help provide financial support ...

And The Islanders Will Finish In....

September 20, 2011

Rob McGowan

0 Comments

The New York Islanders are in the middle of training camp; plenty of fresh faces are looking to surprise the coaching staff and crack the line-up while a few other seasoned and whithered faces look to continue their NHL career with an impressive tryout.

But what everyone is hoping for is a successful season that will result in the Islanders FINALLY making the playoffs after the slow and steady rebuild began three seasons ago.

Let's take a look at some of the major events that have transpired in Islanders country during the off-season thus far:

1. General Manager Garth Snow re-signed Kyle Okposo and Michael Grabner to five-year contract extensions at an affordable pri...

Jay Pandolfo Gets Tryout With Islanders

September 3, 2011

Rob McGowan

0 Comments

The New York Islanders announced today that former New Jersey Devils forward Jay Pandolfo will be attending the Isles training camp on a tryout basis. Pandolfo's tryout is likely in the hopes of him earning a roster spot with either the Islanders or another NHL organization.

The 36-year old left wing has spent his entire 14-year NHL career with the New Jersey Devils and has won two Stanley Cups after being drafted in the second round at 32nd overall of the 1993 Entry Draft. Last year he played 12 games with the Springfield Falcons of the AHL.

If Pandolfo were to crack the Islanders line-up, he would have to earn it as the Islanders already appear to be set at forward...

One-on-One With Brian Rolston

August 18, 2011

Rob McGowan

4 Comments

The Islanders went into the off-season with a game plan of finding a top-six forward that could help the team transition from the rebuilding phase into a playoff contender. With Marty Reasoner signed to round out the bottom two lines, the Islanders traded oft-injured winger Trent Hunter to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for 18-year veteran Brian Rolston.

Rolston carries a booming slap shot along with an impressive resume that will add veteran leadership and depth to the Islanders line-up.

With training camp just a few weeks away, Rolston called me this afternoon to discuss his expectations for the upcoming year, his experiences with the Devils last season and the potential ...