BREAKING NEWS: Roloson Traded To Lightning

(This piece can also be seen at SportsHaze)

The Islanders reportedly have traded goaltender Dwayne Roloson, who's been hot as of late for the young Islanders, to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for defensive prospect Ty Wishart, who was selected in the first round of the 2006 NHL draft by the San Jose Sharks.

Wishart currently has four goals and 14 assists in 31 games with the Lightning's AHL affiliate, the Norfolk Admirials. This explains why the Isles dealt defenseman James Wisniewski to the Habs earlier this week.

Clearly, the Islanders know they can rely on goaltender Rick DiPietro, who has battled multiple injuries in his NHL career. I would expect Nathan Lawson to be called up for the remainder of the season to back DiPietro up.

An official announcement has yet to be made, but Chris Botta, the one who reported this, is a well known and trusted guy around the NHL and has the inside scoop around the league.

This is just one of many moves to come for the Islanders, since we're still some time away from the trade deadline. Good move by General Manager Garth Snow, in my opinion.

Islanders 2, Penguins 1 (Shootout): DP! DP! DP!

Photo Credit: Isles Official Website

After being defeated 7-2 at the Garden Monday night, the Islanders bounced back and won 2-1 in the skills competition against the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby Wednesday night. There's no one better then Rick DiPietro to get the job done.

Bailey opened up scoring for the Islanders - and the game, actually. He picked up a rebound off of Fleury and fired home for his third goal in five games since being called up from his stint with the Sound Tigers, the Islanders AHL affiliate.

At 16:33 of the second period, the Penguins tied it up with Chris Connor lighting the lamp. No one would score for the remainder of the period and the Isles would go into the second intermission all tied up at one.

 The Penguins were awarded a penalty shot in the third period. Apparently Gervais covered the puck in the crease but before anyone could fear a goal, DiPietro came up big with a glove save on Letang. I'm sure that gained his confidence back, if it wasn't already gained.

No team would score and the game would go to OT. With 25.7 left, a scrum broke out in front of DiPietro's net with DP involved. Kunitz was called for goaltender interference, and Nielsen was given a penalty as well.

It would go to a shootout to decide the final score. First up for the Isles was Rob Schremp, who put a series of moves on Fleury and lit the lamp. Letang tied it up, though. Nielsen was the next Islander up and backhanded one past Fleury giving the Isles a lead.

It would stay 2-1 Islanders after Crosby was denied by DiPietro. John Tavares failed to get one past Fleury and the shootout continued on. Though Malkin put one past Rick DiPietro on his turn, Parenteau scored and DiPietro stopped the next shot to win the game. DiPietro darted out of his crease and jumped on 210 pounder Matt Martin.

It was a great win for the Islanders, who now hold a 10-19-6 record. They're still in the playoff picture, in my opinion. They're only nine games under the NHL's version of .500, and can very well still compete for the eighth seed, especially with Okposo coming back in early January.

Semin To The Island?

Updated/revised
Last night it was reported by IncarceratedBob on Twitter that there was a possible deal in place that would involve the Capitals shipping winger Alexander Semin to the Islanders. I would expect goaltender Dwayne Roloson getting shipped the other way, since the Caps need a goalie and are rumored to show interest in Roloson.

We all know Roloson is wanted by many teams - especially including the Caps. If Snow gets a good offer for Roloson, I'm sure he'll trade him. But, this Semin/Isles rumor is starting to heat up and Rollie very well can be involved. No doubt he's not the only one going to Ovi's team, though. Bailey is a possible candidate as well.

Apparently, there's a deal on the table and Snow is just waiting for Wang's permission. Bob tweeted a series of tweets both last night, and this morning:

"**NHL RUMOR** Source is claiming the deal needs to be approved by WANG because Islanders will want to sign Semin ASAP."

Some may doubt his rumors, but this guy has called Scott Gordon being fired (as well as I did), Weight seeking a coaching job, and Wisniewski being traded.

**I'm also hearing that Brian Rolston - the Devils forward that was placed on re-entry waivers today - is most likely going to be claimed by the Isles. Not sure if it's 100 percent true or not, but stay tuned.***

BREAKING NEWS: Wisniewski Traded To Montreal

(Rumor was reported by Islanders411 a few weeks ago)

As first tweeted by Dee Karl, James Wisniewski has been traded to the Montreal Canadians for draft picks. Can something else be brewing? Only explanation...

Here's the official press release from the Islanders official website:

The New York Islanders have acquired from the Montreal Canadiens their compensatory second-round selection in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft as well as a conditional fifth-round selection in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in exchange for defenseman James Wisniewski.

The Canadiens acquired the compensatory pick after not signing their former first round pick, David Fisher.

The Canton, Michigan native joined the Islanders on July 30 through a trade from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for a conditional third round pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Wisniewski played in 32 of the Islanders 34 games this season, recording 21 points (three goals and 18 assists). 

Last season with Anaheim, Wisniewski finished second among Ducks defensemen in scoring with a career-high 30 points (three goals and 27 assists) in 69 games. He also led the Ducks in blocked shots with 102, ranked second on the team with 129 hits and finished fourth among skaters in average ice time at 24:20. Wisniewski was Chicago’s fifth round selection (156th overall) in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Hmm...let the speculation begin!

Rangers 7, Islanders 2: Post Game Notes

Tonight the Islanders were defeated by a final score of 7-2 by the New York Rangers, which will place them with only 24 points in the standings.

You can't say Dwayne Roloson didn't play well tonight. He gave the Islanders a chance to win, especially in the second period after he faced multiple shots while the Isles spent way too much time in their own zone. That's a problem, and they need to generate more offensive chances to keep themselfs in the game.

The two Islander goals were scored by Rob Schremp, who beat Henrik·Lundqvist glove side, and PA Parenteau who's been on a hot streak. The rest were all Rangers, with Gilroy netting a pair.

Islander Players Of The Game




I would award PA Parenteau the "player of the game". In just his last six games played, he has netted four goals and three assists for seven points. He's certainly helping the Islanders offense through their recent struggles.

The next player of the game I would award would be Dwayne Roloson. Before tonight's loss, Roloson has only given up one goal a game for three straight games and he stopped 106 out of a total 109. He was also awarded the NHL's first star of the week.


The Islanders will look to improve their 10-19-6 record when they faceoff against hot Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins hold the first seed in the standings with a record of 24-11-2. Crosby has a 24 game point streak, and the Isles will look to end it on Wednesday night.

Islanders 4 Canadians 1; Pregame Notes

Photo Credit: Newsday.com

Last night the Islanders defeated the Montreal Canadians by a final score of 4-1 to win their third in a row. Islander goals were scored by Blake Comeau, Michael Grabner, PA Parenteau and from the point James Wisniewski.

The Islanders will look to win their fourth straight game tonight against their rival, the New York Rangers. The Rangers will come into the game later with a record of 20-14-2 and stand in the seventh playoff seed.

Earlier this month, the Isles battled the Rangers in a home and home series. The Rangers beat the Isles both times, but maybe the Isles will still be hot after earning eight points in their last five games played. Things are definitely starting to go the Islanders' way.

Dwayne Roloson, who was named the NHL's first star of the week today, will most likely start in goal tonight after only giving up one goal each in his last three starts. That's impressive. Capuano said after the game last night that "he'd be okay with starting Roloson tomorrow".

So let's see if the Islanders can face another challenge and overcome it to earn their fourth win in a row.

Canadians at Islanders Pregame Notes

Tonight the Islanders - who are currently riding a two game winning streak - will host the the 20-13-2 Montreal Canadians at the Coliseum. No word on who will start in goal, but Rick DiPietro has been taken off the IR and Nathan Lawson has been returned to Bridgeport.

Notes:

-Matt Martin will be back in the lineup after serving a two game suspension.
-Jesse Joensuu was returned to Bridgeport.
-Per Katie Strang, both Rick DiPietro and Matt Moulson are skating at practice today.

Who's Hot:

Josh Bailey: After being recalled from Bridgeport, coming into just his second game back with the Isles, Bailey beat Martin Brodeur twice in the first period. Bailey now has two goals and one assist in just two games so far with the Islanders.

 Frans Nielsen: Nielsen now has three shorthanded goals and they all came on the road. The last Islander to do that was Shawn Bates, who scored four shorthanded goals on the road a few seasons ago.


Who's Not:

Trevor Gillies: Gillies has been a healthy scratch multiple times throughout the beginning of the season. He's a fan favorite, a good physical fourth liner, and a great fighter but he has to step his hockey part of the game up in order to have success on the Island.