Isles downed by Sabres

Well, there was not much good this postseason for the Islanders. "Doobie" didn't get the job done in the opener, and though Rick DiPietro did a good job upon his return to the ice, the team fell short. The officiating stunk, but good teams are supposed to get over bad officiating.

The final was a sort of micro-cosm of the Islanders recent woes. It looked as though the team would recover from a 4-1 deficit, and they nearly tied it up when Miroslav Satan had the puck at the Buffalo goal with but 12 seconds left. The Sabres goaltender, Ryan Miller, made a blind stab at the shot and managed to come up with the puck in the very last seconds of the game.

Shortly before the game, the Islanders learned that veteran defenseman Sean Hill was hit with a suspension for testing positive for banned substances. He has the dubious honor of becoming the first NHL player suspended for violating the league's ban on performance-enhancing drugs. A very stupid and foolish thing for him to have done, and also to have gotten caught. This conduct hurt the team. Sean now has the stigma of being a cheater to follow him for the remainder of what otherwise would have been a good career.

I have to give props to the Buffalo Sabres, they are truly a great team. Players like Chris Drury and Tomas Vanek, and Daniel Briere are all hitting their stride, and this team just could go all the way to winning the cup. For the Islanders, there is but the solace in having fallen to the eventual champion, provided Buffalo hangs in there.

The offseason is going to be one of woe for the Isles. It is clear that the big money tied up in Captain Alexei Yashin is a hindrance if they want to try and re-sign Ryan Smyth or Jason Blake, who finally lived up to his potential. It is likely that one or both of these important cogs in the Islander machinery might leave via free agency. One option for GM Garth Snow is to buy out Yashin, or even place him on waivers. I would hate to see that happen, but given the way the system works nowadays, it might be a necessary move. I would really like to see the Islanders retain the services of Ryan Smyth, but like the Yashin contract, it might be too rich for our tastes.

Never Say Die-landers

Journeying through the the great city of New York, the Men of the Island made their way to the marshlands of Jersey. With Satan (Miroslav) on their side, on Easter Sunday no less, they faced off against the mighty Devils. Losing this, the final game of this NHL season, was not an option. A loss to the veteran New Jersey squad would have meant an end to their season of strife, of blood sweat toil and tears. A victory meant a playoff berth -- life in the post season.


It looked good for the Men of the Island, as they built up a 2-0 lead into the third period, courtesy of an unlikely source. The "Godfather of Seoul," Korean-born Center Richard Park, benefited from being placed on the top line between Jason Blake and the Captain, Alexei Yashin. The Jersey Devils mounted a comeback, pushing the Islanders to the brink with two goals from John Madden, including a stunner with less than a second remaining to tie the contest at two.

The Islanders were without the services of star goaltender Rick DiPietro, who suffered two concussions in the past few weeks. Instead, the team turned to young Wade Dubielewicz, making only his 17th NHL appearance between the pipes. "Doobie" did not disappoint, making 22 saves in the game and overtime period that followed.

In a nail-biter, it came down to a shoot-out. Miroslav Satan and Viktor Kozlov scored for the Islanders on the first two tries, and "Doobie" shut the Devils down to nail it for the Isles. Although New Jersey fans may disagree, it was a fitting end of an era. This game was probably the last Devils' regular-season contest in the Continental Airlines (nee Brendan Byrne) Arena. Construction of "The Rock" (aka the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.) is scheduled to be done in time for the start of next season.

Despite the snow in April, this win warmed the heart. There is hope this spring. The records are all even now, the slate is clean. The Islanders are in the playoffs, Lord Stanley's Cup is within reach. The dream is alive -- hope springs eternal.

/R