NHL analysis

The good news? The Leafs picked up two points. The better news? They have plenty of room to improve.

The bad news? The Sabres are waiting, and with only a single day off between games, the Leafs don’t have much time to get better.

In a game where Wade Belak sets up the nicest goal of the night, the Leafs take 33 shots even in another flat effort, and Matt Stajan and Alexei Ponikarovsky (both in my hockey pool) both pick up points, you’d think I’d have plenty of nice things to say. But I mostly have questions.

I have great respect for Paul Maurice’s coaching, but what was Belak doing back on the blueline? With the top five spots held by Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, Hal Gill and Ian White, that sixth spot is just begging for a young developing player. Now I’m a fan of Belak, but playing him on defence with so many youngsters sitting or playing for the Marlies makes no sense when the blueline is healthy and well rested. Where was Brenden Bell? Unless he caught the flu from JS Aubin, I would much prefer to see Bell out there, even making rookie mistakes, than seeing Belak warm the bench. If you want to play Belak, play him on the fourth line where he can throw his weight around 200 feet away from his own net. Play him in a situation where holding him to four minutes of ice time won’t require playing Kaberle and McCabe 30 and 27 minutes, respectively. The Islanders are not a good enough opponent to warrant Kaberle playing half the night. It’s a long season.

Belak played less than 4 minutes of ice time. I almost missed the goal he setup with that oh-so-lovely feed because of the heart attack he gave me by pinching in. Still, it worked, and John Pohl was the benefactor, receiving a tape-to-tape pass to go along with his wide open net. The brain lapse of Brendan Witt, who chose to watch the puck rather than stick with the man open in the slot, certainly helped as well.

Nikolai Antropov and Ponikarovsky continue to impress with their play, particularly in the offensive zone. Not a pair I’d want to have to worry about. Still no word on Antropov’s skeletal improvements, however…

I am pleased to see Ted Nolan getting some success in Long Island. He certainly is proving he deserved his second chance. That being said, after watching a sluggish Leaf team handle the Islanders pretty handily tonight (New york managed only 21 shots against Andrew Raycroft, back from his groin injury), I’m certainly not convinced that even Nolan can get this team into the playoffs just yet.

I was glad to see the Leafs at least get a win after their disappointing showings in Boston and New Jersey. The Sabre’s 7 goal second period tonight is likely giving Maurice nightmares right about now, however. And if the Leafs play in Buffalo like they played tonight, they’ll be living those nightmares Wednesday night.

Additions: Andy Hilbert; Mike Sillinger; Brendan Witt; Tom Poti; Chris Simon; Rick Berry

Subtractions: Wyatt Smith; Garth Snow

Analysis

The Islanders started out of the off-season gate with all the right moves. Witt and Poti are two defencemen who will vastly improve the blueline for next season, with Witt being counted upon to shore up the defensive coverage and Poti quarterbacking the powerplay and helping with the oh-so-important transition game. Mike Sillinger, though his effectiveness las year was overrated by playing top minutes on a very poor St. Louis Blues team, is still a solid addition to the front lines, as well.

With a new GM making smart moves, a new coach expected to be very successfull (though I doubt even Ted Nolan can make Yashin worth his $7 million salary), and a number of talented young players on the team, the Islanders looked to be in at least better shape for the upcoming season. And then Mr. Wang decided that last year’s backup goalie Garth Snow would be more successful than the experienced, level-headed Neil Smith. Well, at least the Leaf fans can no longer complain about having the youngest or least experienced GM in the league.

This just goes to show why good ownership really does matter in the NHL today. To be successful, a franchise has to be committed to winning from top to bottom. A franchise also needs to have some hockey sense and keep qualified people in charge. No offense intended to Garth Snow, but the Islanders are in desperate need of experience and talent in their GM. Snow may have that in 5 or 10 years, but the team needs it now. Too many years of this once dominant team have been thrown away by Mad Mike.

The Islanders will miss the playoffs again this year. The players they picked up should have been enough to at least keep them in the hunt, and the Atlantic division, unlike most of the East, is ripe for teams to improve. Unfortunately for fans in NY, the lack of direction and common sense will trickle down and keep any chance of success grounded.