All this brings us to the curious case of career minor-leaguer Trevor Gillies—who hasn’t yet perfected the art of when to scrap or how exactly to engage an opponent. Not sure this role should be filled by a 31-year-old who has never gained a foothold in the NHL—not when there are plenty of options available at both the NHL and minor league levels. However, the jury is still out on Gillies and he has certainly proven he can scrap with a decision over the Flyer tough guy Riley Cote and a toe-to-toe go with the Senators menacing Matt Carkner this week alone.
And, let’s not overlook the play in goal of Martin Biron, the forgotten man, who everyone is assuming won’t be back next season. Well, he’s 6-1-2 in his last nine starts and is on a very short list of UFAs for this summer that stop pucks for a living—you never know.
The only negative these last couple of weeks is the fact the Isles are blowing their draft position. While the second pick was looking like a real possibility, this recent solid stretch could put them as far out as the ninth pick. Of course the NHL’s ping pong ball lottery system could change all that anyway.
While most of the experts are claiming this is a solid first round, we are told the first five-to-six picks are being tabbed potentially NHL-ready out of the chute and a step ahead of the rest of the pack. Would kinda be a shame to run the table and miss out on one of these guys.
ICE CHIPS
Coach Scott Gordon has tossed out gallons of vanilla ice cream quotes all season but has occasionally surprised us with a few eye-openers. He provided one such moment earlier this week after the loss to the Rangers when he said, “We won two periods and they won one but they win the hockey game. That’s how it’s gone all season.” What game did he watch? The Isles completely disappeared after a solid first period last Tuesday night and to be honest, how many times this season have they completely outplayed an opponent and lost…three, maybe four?
Nice to see the Isles finally break the embarrassing losing streak to the Flyers. Conjured up memories of a famous sports quote by the late Vitas Gerulaitis who, after losing to Jimmy Connor 16 straight times before finally beating him, quipped, “Nobody, and I mean nobody, beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row.” Was hoping someone on the Isles might make the same joke after the win last Thursday night stopped a 15-game losing streak against Philly.
OK, we complained about this earlier in the season and simply couldn’t bite our lip any longer but—who is coming up with the remarkably stupid and completely inane poll questions during Islanders telecasts? It’s time they be relieved from their duties.
Saturday’s doozy: How far will the Ottawa Senators advance in the playoffs? Wow! With all that is going on with the Islanders right now, that’s the best they could come up with?
Interesting poll taken by ESPN the Magazine as they sent out a long list of questions to see where the league’s players stand on a few pretty provocative issues.
Isles were picked as the 28th worst franchise in the league with Phoenix and Atlanta the only two finishing lower. Best franchise…Detroit.
How about this one: Do you have any gay teammates? Many (42 percent) think yes. “Statistics say there should be two in each locker room,” says one defenseman. “They may go after girls, but they prefer guys.”
Dirtiest player in the league? Philly’s Chris Pronger. That step he’s lost is being compensated for with a nasty stick.
We’ll take a look at a few more question from this poll in the coming weeks. Some of the responses, and questions, are pretty surprising.