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Summer 2002: After losing a hard fought 7 game series to the Toronto Maple Leafs, one in which the Isles came to within a game of advancing, Milbury felt he had to make some moves over the summer to make the team tougher. Even though the Isles played hard against the likes of Darcy Tucker, Gary Roberts, Shayne Corson and crew, they still lost Michael Peca and Kenny Jonsson to major injuries. So last summer, starting with the 2002 draft, Milbury went out and made the team tougher with some deals. Not too many people knew it at the time, but Milbury pulled off a steal when he acquired Arron Asham for Mariusz Czerkawski. Asham turned into a player under coach Peter Laviolette's system with 15 goals, while Czerkawski toiled in the AHL with the Canadiens for most of the season. While Asham turned out to be a good move, two other acquisitions did not fare as well. Right before the draft the Islanders acquired Mattias Timander from Columbus for a 4th round draft choice. Milbury believed Timander would provide some depth for the Islanders on the blue line. Instead he had a very up and down shaky season and in the end Laviolette lost confidence in even dressing him. The final move, with toughness in mind, was the deal that saw blue chip prospect defenseman Branislav Mezei dealt to Florida in exchange for Jason Wiemer. Now Wiemer had some history with the Isles newest hated opponent Darcy Tucker. But Milbury insisted that was not the reason he brought Wiemer in. Jason struggled early and got on the bad side with the fans. He later redeemed himself with some hard nosed play on the work horse line consisting of him, Dave Scatchard and Jason Blake. IslesInfo comments on the deals: Asham turned out to be a steal and will remain with the Islanders. Though he will be best suited as a third line player in the future who has the ability to move up in certain games to the second or even first line. But he should not be a regular linemate of Alexei Yashin's. In my mind, after the fact that most Islander fans would admit they killed Milbury over this deal when it happened, would attest now that this was the best move made last summer. As for Timander, the Islanders official website compared him to Kenny Jonsson when they acquired him. But in actuality, Timander was not even a Kenny Leiter. If the Islanders can somehow hoodwink another NHL GM into giving them back their 4th round pick for him, they should jump on it. Finally, Wiemer will probably be back in 2003-04. But an Islander fan has to ask himself if it is any coincidence that since Wiemer entered the NHL in 1995, this was only his second playoff appearance? Perhaps this guy has been on some bad teams for a reason. He's slow, not the greatest at dropping the gloves and can't score. The fact that Asham had 6 more goals than Wiemer is a bit mind boggling. Wiemer only scored 9, which is around his average during his career. He did open the ice more for Blake and Scatchard to score, but should have been able to contribute more than he did. In the end, the toughness that the Islanders felt they had acquired backfired on them in the playoffs. You can only blame the Islanders for finishing in eighth and pitting themselves against perhaps the best team in hockey for the first round of the playoffs. But the Senators chose to not get involved in any chippy tough play with the Islanders, and when they did the Senators came out on top. Plus, the Islanders did not show this supposed strength or use the toughness as a strength. Season Recap: The Islanders got off on a bad foot without their captain Michael Peca. They opened with a 5-11-1 record after their first 17 games and looked in bad shape entering November. Goaltender Chris Osgood turned down a new deal offering him about the same as his $4 million salary and after a strong training camp opened the season playing absolutely uninspired hockey. Peca, who had surgery over the offseason to repair an ACL tear suffered during the playoffs against Toronto, was recuperating from shoulder surgery as well. With a return date set for December 3rd, just a few days before the first meeting with the Leafs, Peca actually made a cameo appearance against St. Louis early in November. Two weeks later he returned for good in Boston in an effort to help the team get back into the race.With Peca back in the lineup the Islanders would go in a run that would see them return to the .500 mark by January 1st. Hovering within the 6th and 8th spots in the East, the Islanders were dealt with another challenge late in January when the team lost both Osgood and Eric Cairns to long injuries suffered in a game against the rival Rangers at the Nassau Coliseum. The sentiment was that the Isles may struggle without their number one goaltender, but Garth Snow, long thought of as a career backup finally got his chance to shine. And he did, especially through a 4 game West coast trip in February. During that trip the Islanders posted an impressive 3-0 shutout win over San Jose, a game in which Peca would score twice. Following the game, Laviolette touted Peca as a Hart Trophy candidate. When the month of March rolled around, the Isles were in 6th place and the Boston Bruins were on a tailspin dropping down the standings. Alexei Yashin, having one of his worst seasons offensively in the NHL, often found himself demoted to the fourth line through February as he received criticism from some of his teammates for not trying hard. As March went on, the Bruins rebounded after dealing for goaltender Jeff Hackett and suddenly it was the Islanders turn to freefall a bit. - The Islanders struggled so bad throughout the month of March, that they allowed the Rangers to climb back into the playoff race. At the trade deadline the Islanders finally got tired of waiting for Brad Isbister to become a consistent power forward and dealt him along with prospect Raffi Torres to Edmonton for defenseman Janne Niinimaa, giving the Islanders 4 top NHL defensemen. They also sent longtime Islander Claude Lapointe packin to the Philadelphia Flyers and acquired LW Randy Robitaille from the Pittsburgh Penguins. After the deals, the Islanders went 5-6-2 down the stretch and managed to beat out the Rangers by 5 points, getting in with 83 points. The 2002-03 Islanders had followed the opposite script from the team the year before as they struggled early on, played great in the middle and slumped at the end. While the Isles struggled, Yashin suddenly found his game again, but mysteriously the rest of the team went cold at the same time. Now the same players who criticized Yashin for not showing up during the early part of the season were no where to be found. Peca had suddenly gone 20 games to close out the season without a single goal. Now, in a season where the only measure of success was improving on their previous season of just making the playoffs, the Islanders would have to face the President's Trophy winning Ottawa Senators in the first round as the 8th seed. The Playoffs: Many observers thought at the trade deadline that the Islanders should have found a scoring winger to play with Yashin, and that it would be a lack of offense that could cost them in a series against Ottawa. While others felt it was a solid move to acquire another defenseman as you can never have to many, and the depth could become important. As the series began the focus by the Senators were centered around their former leader Yashin, who is now hated in Ottawa by just about everyone and their mother. The Islanders came away in Game 1 on the road with an impressive 3-0 win. Yashin scored and Snow boasted about how the toughest shot he faced was in warmups. But with three days until Game 2, the Senators heard it from the Canadian media and their fans and promptly came back with a solid 3-0 victory of their own to even the series 1-1. But the Islanders accomplished their overall goal of at least splitting the first two games and taking home ice advantage. The Islanders were excited to return to their home crowd, the loudest perhaps in the entire league. What would turn out to be the most crucial game of the series, the Islanders dominated the first 50 minutes of Game 3 but lost a 2-1 lead after not being able to capitalize on 10 power play opportunities. The game would go into overtime, and eventually double overtime before Todd White won it with a redirection in front of Snow to give the Senators a 3-2 win and 2-1 series lead. The Islanders, playing for the most part only 4 d-men were deflated by the loss and the Senators took over from that point on. The home fans were disappointed by pretty much a no show by the Islanders in Game 4 of the series, witnessing a 3-1 defeat. The Islanders returned to Ottawa the next night for Game 5 and saw their season end with a 4-1 defeat. The lone goal was scored by Mark Parrish, who slumped with only 3 goals in his final 33 games played. But he wasn't the only one. Peca went without a point in the series and without a goal in 25 straight games. Jason Blake, Arron Asham, Shawn Bates and Oleg Kvasha all went without contributing much at all in the series. Yashin scored 4 points and Adrian Aucoin along with Snow were really the only Islanders to give a decent showing. Off ice squabbles?: As Milbury stated, this team, for whatever reasons just did not come together like the 2002-03 team. The chemistry wasn't there even though there was a large amount of returning players. Rumors swirled around the team early on in November when it was reported that some members of the team were not enamored with coach Laviolette. Reportedly Yashin is not a big fan of Laviolette. Also, there were reportedly some bad apples on the team, who apparently would voice their displeasure with some of the other members of the team quietly. Brad Isbister was rumored to be one and was later moved at the trade deadline. Supposedly some players had something to say about Yashin's contract. Claude Lapointe criticized Yashin midway through the season and said he would learn something by playing on the fourth line with Lapointe. Claude was later moved to Philly before the deadline as well. Then the rumors began to swirl about a supposed dislike by many of the players for Jason Blake, who was having a breakout season after being moved up to the third line. There were some instances down the stretch drive of the season, one in which we witnessed Blake get punched during a warmup by Roman Hamrlik for shooting too high. Some of Blake's comments and the fact that at times he has been a bit of a puck hog has irked some of the players as well. It was rumored that Blake's only friend on the team, his best friend, was Peca. Finally, the team struggled all season long on special teams, particularly the power play. While some might attribute that to not having the finishers the power play needed, some may blame it on bad coaching. Kelly Miller, who is the Isles power play coach, could find himself without a job if Milbury believes Miller played a hand in the power struggles. So now what?: It will be a long summer for the Islanders who as Parrish put it "did not really have much of a playoff at all." Milbury goes back to the drawing board as he attempts to figure out what went wrong. With a potential lockout taking place in the NHL following 2003-04, the offseason could be a tighter one than normal as teams will be careful who they sign and for how long. The draft will be the next big event for the Islanders, who will lost likely just take the best players available. They may focus on scoring forwards and tough defensemen, but that surely won't help them towards next season. But the Islanders will need to help restock the system and are in good shape as they hold 4 picks, 3 in the second round, among the first 60 selections. While the Isles search for that needed scorer, it is doubtful they will find him in free agency. The Islanders historically have never been a huge player in the free agent market. While there are already some big names sprouting up, Teemu Selanne for one, once again it is doubtful owner Charles Wang would open up the pocket book for a high priced player. Once again the Islanders are up for about $4 million in possible raises and Milbury will have to come up with some crafty moves to keep the payroll around $40 million while bringing in some players who could help fill their needs. Look for Milbury to at least continue to tinker with the blue line, as the Islanders desperately need some capable depth at the 5th and 6th positions which could surely come through free agency as they might be able to uncover a gem. Prospects: The Islanders are in pretty good shape down on the farm. Bridgeport swept Manchester 3-0 in their first round best of 5 and are poised to make another run at the Calder Cup. They just got even stronger for their next round series against the Binghamton Senators, Ottawa's farm team, as the Islanders have returned Justin Papineau, Justin Mapletoft, Eric Godard and Rick DiPietro for the AHL playoffs. But the Islanders are in definite need of stocking up the depth. They don't really have many scoring forwards in the wings. They will most likely give Trent Hunter another chance to make the team next year. But after him, Mattias Weinhandl and Papineau there's not much more down there. On defense, after marginal prospect Tommi Pettinen there is a shortage on depth there as well. In goal, the Isles are looking pretty good there. DiPietro is being groomed as the #1 for the Islanders in 2003-04. Stephen Valiquette and coach Steve Stirling's son Scott have played well in DiPietro's absence. The Islanders should sign 2002 5th round pick Andy Chiodo, who is having a great playoff in the OHL as he has so far led his Toronto team to the semifinals. He will surely battle for the number one job in Bridgeport next season. In the next couple of days I will have more on the Isles possible prospect signings over the summer. Chiodo really is the only significant one though. If the Isles do not sign him he could re-enter the draft.
Islanders Not Happy After Elimination
Islanders Mixed About Split in Ottawa
Blackboard Fodder...Don Brennan: "He Don't Like Me." - It amazes me the extent of the hatred Ottawa fans and especially media have shown for Alexei Yashin. One man I feel really stepped over the line today and that is some moron named Don Brennan from the Ottawa Sun. Maybe he is just upset that he is a second class citizen to another moron Bruce Garrioch. But to come out today and put focus on HIMSELF as a writer and say that Yashin purposely ignored him because he didn't take Brennan's question of "Are we still on for dinner tonight?" as a joke is childish and self centered. Brennan went on today to totally rip Yashin because he felt shot down by the Islander star and he couldn't take it. So he writes an article today about how Yashin wasn't the best player on the ice in Game 1 and how Alexei will eventually stop playing hard. Brennan: "History shows that Yashin -- who is always "just doing what he can to help the team" -- cares only about Yashin, and it's only a matter of time before he decides it's no longer worth battling back from such abuse. Yes, you've been recognized in Ottawa, Alexei Yashin. You've been recognized for what you really are." IslesInfo: Hey Brennan, try growing up! Get over it already! Maybe by the time the series is over you and your pinheaded favorite team will realize what it takes to win in the playoffs. And that's grit combined with scoring. Not finesse and softness. But you and your cronies in the media along with the fans just care about one thing and one thing only....Alexei Yashin. Even as they try and rebound from the beating they took Wednesday night, they pay Yashin attention by remarking that they're paying him to much attention!! Unbelievable! More... Ottawa winger Vaclav Varada was quoted yesterday as saying their team focused too much on one guy and they need to roll four lines. Senator's coach Jacques Martin tried to match Varada up against Yashin but couldn't. Oh, why is that Jacques? You have the last line change remember? Maybe it's because Peter Laviolette is a better coach than you are?? And as for Varada? Is he going to shadow Yashin like he did in Game 1? Because I would feel a lot better if he did. We'd have a better chance of winning. This guy has the most dilated look I have ever seen on a face of a hockey player. Also, they can shadow Yashin, but not on the power play. Where he is even more dangerous as he proved Wednesday, 10 seconds after one had ended for the Isles. IslesInfo: It surprises me that the Senators, even though a few have said it will be a tough series, are still not giving the Isles any respect. They feel if they play better they will win. But the Islanders are not going to just lie down and give them Game 2. This is going to be an absolute war. The Islanders are thinking that they want this game now even more than before. They want to come back home to the most RAUCOUS crowd in the NHL up 2-0. So I ask Ottawa, what makes them think it's gonna be such a cakewalk? The Islanders are going to come out and play the same way, maybe even better. It wasn't like the first game was close! - After all the Game 1's throughout the NHL, New Jersey was the only home team to win. Shows you how important home ice advantage is. And, if Anaheim can come away with a win over Detroit then that proves there is even more parity than ever. But remember, last year Vancouver took a 2-0 lead over Detroit by winning both games in Detroit in their first round match up. Detroit then stormed back and won 4 in a row. So you can never get too over confident. Islander Edge: The Senators may be planning to insert more toughness into their lineup after getting pushed around a bit by the Islanders. But if they decide to insert RW Rob Ray into the lineup then they will probably run across a dilemma. You see, Chris Neil was their fourth line right wing in game one. If Ray comes in for Game 2 then it's most likely that Neil will have to sit. Unless they find some other way. We will see. But even with the one game suspension to Eric Godard, the Islanders still have plenty of toughness in the lineup. We don't know who Laviolette plans to put into the lineup in Godard's place, but the choice will probably be one of the two Justin's, Papineau or Mapletoft. Odds on it could be Mapletoft. He can rotate with Randy Robitaille between left wing and center. Plus Laviolette may once again not play them as a full unit so positioning may not be such a factor. Islander Edge 2: The Ottawa media were so cocky that they predicted the Senators may not have to make more than one trip to Long Island. One interesting schedule quirk that I believe could benefit the Islanders is the scheduling of Game's 4 and 5. Due to the booking of certain events, I think in Ottawa, Game 4 is scheduled for Wednesday at the NVMC. Game 5 is scheduled the next night, Thursday in Ottawa. This would be a benefit for the Islanders because they would be able to spend a very short amount of time in enemy territory. They could leave directly following the game and return home for the next game if there is one. I believe that would take away some of Ottawa's home ice advantage for that night. Though the Isles have proven at times to be a better road team. We will see. Screw Melrose: Saw him tonight on NHL tonight. He called out the Senators twice and said: "if they don't come out and show some guts and beat a team in 5 games that they are clearly better than, than (Jacques)Martin should lose his job and I would seriously question some of the people in that locker room." Hey Barry, they weren't better in Game 1. They didn't just have a clunker. They were soundly beaten. What makes you think they can turn it around? Just mad because you feel your prediction of 5 games is on the line now huh? Well, all we need to do is win one more game to make a lot of people look stupid. But the main focus is winning four. And the Islanders proved they can beat them when all is on the line. Don't expect the Senators to sweep the next four. And don't expect them to win the series either! Telling Stats... Islanders when winning Game 1 of a
series: 22-2 Ottawa
when losing the first game of a series: 1-5
Review Isles vs. Senators 2002-03: - November 12th: Ottawa defeats the Isles 5-3 at the Nassau
Coliseum
- November 30th: Ottawa defeats the Isles 4-2 at the Corel Centre - March 15th: Islanders defeat Ottawa 5-2 at the
Corel Centre - Ottawa only outscored the Islanders 13-12 during the regular season in 4 games. GAME: New York Islanders (35-34-11-2) at Ottawa Senators (52-21-8-1). PLAYOFF SERIES: Eastern Conference quarterfinal; Game 1. HOW THEY GOT HERE: Islanders - 83 points; 8th seed. Senators - 113 points; 1st seed.
Islanders vs. Ottawa
Re-live Last Season's Playoffs: Islanders vs. Toronto
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1998-2005 Tom Mascioli
