Islanders, like the economy and Avery's career, are sinking fast

So I was at a Christmas party Saturday night when a friend of mine asked if I was still blogging about the Islanders.

"Yup."

"Really?" another friend said. "Not a lot of positives there."

"Uh... No."

The party coincided with the Isles' 3-1 loss to the force of nature that is the Columbus Blue Jackets, so I was spared having to witness the team's sixth straight loss and eighth in their past nine. Good to see Richard Park score another shorthanded goal, his fifth tally of the season. And I guess Joey MacDonald played better than he did in the landslide in Pittsburgh.

But, again, not a lot of positives to speak of.

The Dallas Stars, meanwhile, said they are moving on without Sean Avery.

What a shock.

Where Avery will end up is anyone's guess. His own teammates and coaches, as well as opponents, despise him. The only ones who like him are the fans who like seeing him stir the pot, but they don't have to put up with him on the bench, in the locker room, in practice, on the team bus, or (God forbid) on a plane flight.

He is currently in an "undisclosed location" undergoing treatment for his anger issues.

One wonders if he is getting the Alex DeLarge treatment for his problems.

Avery could go back to the minors, then if he clears waivers and someone claims him, the Stars would split his salary with that new team.

Here's hoping he just quits the game and pursues his true passion -- fashion. I hear Christian Siriano is looking for an intern, and it's rumored he has an Avery poster on his bedroom wall.

Islanders say: Yes, we can

Now THIS is change we can believe in.

Just 24 hours after winning in overtime at home and avoiding another blown three-goal lead, facing the division- and conference-leading Rangers at the Garden, the New York Islanders proved Tuesday night that they can weather a hell of a storm without Rick DiPietro, and came away with a 2-1 victory that gave them a small winning streak and a ton of hope that, maybe, things are actually looking up.

Credit Joey MacDonald for coming up huge while the Rangers swarmed him like he was Marisa Miller at a frat party. MacDonald was so busy in the first two periods that Scott Gordon called a timeout with seven minutes left in the second just to "give him a blow," with the Rangers at that point holding a 25-9 advantage in shots on goal.

Credit also the penalty kill, which incredibly scored both Islanders goals. Nate Thompson converted a 2-on-1 with Franz Nielsen, breaking a scoreless tie early in the third period, and after a classic "let's give the home team a chance to get even" penalty on Brett Skinner, Richard Park stole a weak cross-ice pass by Michal Rozsival and scored on a breakaway, beating a rusty Henrik Lundquist.

MacDonald missed getting his shutout in the final two minutes, but no matter. With DiPietro out for a month or so, MacDonald is proving to be more than capable in the pipes.

And maybe his performance is helping fuel the growing confidence that the Islanders have shown in the last week. Sure, they lost in overtime in Philly and blew a three-goal, third-period lead at home to the Canadiens, but players and Gordon insisted that progress was being made. Against the Bluejackets and Rangers, they've provided tangible evidence instead of just hopeful quotes.

The victory over the Rangers also proved that the Islanders don't have to play their system to perfection to win, even against a top team like the Rangers. They have a goaltender they can be confident in, one that can keep them in games where the system isn't working. And they have players like Park who make things happen with smarts and hard work.

America saw a new day dawn with Obama's victory Tuesday. Is it morning for the Islanders as well?

Game recap: Islanders 4, Rangers 3 (SO)

Ted Nolan put it best after the season finale when he said, "The one thing with this group of guys is they never quit... We didn't take the easy way out, which is a good sign."

Certainly, the Islanders are disappointed with not making the postseason, and for much of the season this looked like a playoff team. There was a time when things were really clicking, and the chemistry looked great with additions like Josef Vasicek and Ruslan Fedotenko and Mike Comrie playing well, and we thought we might have something here. But water seeks its own level, and then when the injuries piled up -- a rash that included starting goalie Rick DiPietro -- the writing was on the wall.

That said, beating the Rangers at the Garden in a shootout to deny them home-ice advantage in the first round isn't the worst consolation prize. Wade Dubielewicz played great, making 48 saves, and we'll say it again -- he can be our backup goalie for the duration of DiPietro's contract if he wants. The guy has the ability to come up big in the clutch.

You also love how the Park-Comeau-Okposo line played the last two weeks, and that's something to look forward to for next season. Okposo scored the first goal of the game with assists from both his linemates, and Park's shorthanded goal gave the Isles a 3-2 lead after two periods. All three scored in the shootout, with Park's fourth-round tally the game-winner after Dubie stoned Prucha. Niiiiiice.

Jack Hillen also looked solid and assisted on Miro Satan's goal and again, here's someone who could contribute big-time, a puck-moving backliner with some poise. Add him to a list of young players like Okposo, Comeau, Neilsen, Bergenheim, Campoli (remember him?), Tambellini and Gervais, and there's plenty of reason to hope.

Meanwhile, the Isles have an 8.1 percent chance at the top pick in the draft and will otherwise pick fifth in what looks to be a loaded field.

We'll post a season-ending report card in the next few days, but in the meantime -- other than rooting for the Mets -- we'll be looking for the Devils to bounce the Rangers in the first round. And why not? Brent Sutter was an Islander.

Game recap: Flyers 4, Islanders 3 (SO)

There's been some scuttlebutt in the Blog Box about the Islanders possibly adding a different backup goaltender next season, perhaps a veteran former starter who could provide a bit more experience behind a presumably healthy Rick DiPietro.

It's certainly possible, but I'd be just fine seeing Wade Dubielewicz on the bench again.

He's shown to be a capable backup with the ability to come up big, which he did in the shootout loss to the Flyers. Dubie made 51 saves and gave the Isles a real chance to win, and while you hated to see the team blow the 3-2 lead with less than six minutes left, it was a solid effort all around. Great to see the youngsters like Nielsen and Comeau scoring goals, and Comeau's was a beauty. Congrats also to Richard Park for winning the coveted Nystrom award.

Just two home games left: Tuesday against the Devils and Thursday against the Rangers before closing the season out at the Garden. The Isles can still win the Hummer Metro Ice Challenge, standing in first place at 10-3 with 20 points, just a point ahead of the Rangers....

What's that? It doesn't really count for anything? Not even some free chili?

Rats.

Game recap: Islanders 4, Penguins 1

When I golf, I find I play much better against good players, like my man Frank Pasquale, and when I'm paired up with other duffers, we slog around the course like a bunch of Al Czerviks. The level of play is raised by better competition.

I guess that's the deal with the Islanders, because just a couple of days after improving to 6-1 against the Devils, the Islanders blasted the division-leading Penguins, 4-1, at home and in front of a national television audience. Sure, there was a 3-1 loss to Philly in between, but the Isles were done in by the power play that night, and hey, you can't win 'em all.

With so many young players fighting for 2008-09 roster spots, it was nice to see the veterans step up, with goals by Guerin, Park and Hunter, the last one created by Satan's superior effort. Bergenheim also scored and he's fast becoming a favorite. Dubie also played strong after getting the Flyers game off.

A couple of side notes for you: With so many eyes looking ahead to the draft, here's an interesting story by ESPN.com's Scott Burnside on the sorry state of the Atlanta Thrashers. The best part is that Ilya Kovalchuk's contract runs out in two years. Now, everyone will be after him and why wouldn't a superstar like him want to play for the Rangers? But Charles Wang threw a ton of cash at Yashin and isn't afraid of the big contract (D.P.). Hey, we can dream, right?

Also, you may have seen the video but what Jonathan Roy -- son of Patrick -- did in a QMJHL game the other day was disgusting. Thankfully, his cheap shot has been punished by the league, and so was Papa Roy, who denied that his gesture from the bench was meant to encourage his son to charge the opposing goalie at the other end of the ice. Roy senior was one of the all-time greats, but he and his son apparently have a lot to learn about sportsmanship and class.

D.P. rocks All-Star weekend, mic

Did Rick DiPietro also drive the zamboni between periods Sunday night? Because he did just about everything else over All-Star weekend in Atlanta.

DiPietro provided in-game television commentary for both Sunday's All-Star game and Saturday's skills competition, did not allow a goal Saturday while scoring two of his own, and allowed only one goal as the Eastern Conference starter to help stake the East to a 5-1 win en route to an 8-7 victor over the West.

D.P. stopped all but one of the West's 16 shots on goal in the first period, and that one should have an asterisk on it. Rick Nash scored the first of his three goals just 12 seconds into the game, while DiPietro was talking to play-by-play man Mike Emrick. Otherwise, DiPietro was perfect. Read all about DiPietro's wild weekend here.

While starting in the All-Star game and participating in the skills competition are deserving honors, they don't count toward anything, so you're always wary of someone getting hurt in these exhibitions. Sure enough, DiPietro suffered an apparent hip injury stopping Marian Gaborik on Saturday, but he said afterward that he would plan Sunday, and he did. Whew!

Newsday's Greg Logan calls Richard Park the Isles' 'unsung hero,' and I've felt all season that other than DiPietro, Park is this team's MVP. He's responded in every role Ted Nolan has put him in (now playing with Mike Comrie and Bill Guerin) and is one of the team's most clutch players.

Game recap: Islanders 6, Hurricanes 3

So let me get this straight: The Islanders actually have the advantage when they're shorthanded, and they win more often when they're outshot. Make sense? Not really, but a win is a win.

Tuesday night's 6-3 win over the Hurricanes was the Isles' fourth straight road win (which dovetails fittingly with the team's four-game home losing streak) and got the two points back that they gave away the night before. Unfortunately, any good feelings generated by the win were tempered mightily by the news that Chris Campoli needs shoulder surgery and will be lost for the season.

It's a huge blow to the defense as Campoli has been a real asset so far this season, despite the occasional youthful mistake. The loss of Campoli means Freddy Meyer will continue to get a regular turn, and his solid play has been rewarded with a two-year contract extension.

Back to the game, and what more can you say about a penalty kill that scores three times? How messed up is this -- the first four goals of the game were scored with Carolina on the power play, and three of the goals were for the Islanders. Think Peter Laviolette had a few choice words for his club after the game?

Mike Sillinger had two of the shorties while Richard Park had the third on a beautiful breakaway triggered by Martinek flipping the puck high off the glass and out of the Islanders' zone. Park picked the puck up at center ice and did the rest.

Up 4-1, the Islanders let the Canes back into it; Matt Cullen somehow found some space between the left post and Wade Dubielewicz's pads to make it 4-3. But Dubie stood tall against a withering Hurricane attack in the third and finished with 44 saves. Brendan Witt scored the clincher off a nice drop pass by Blake Comeau, whose empty netter polished off the win.

The Isles visit Beantown Thursday night and get four days off for the All-Star Break (everyone but D.P., that is) before hosting the Senators on Jan. 29.

Looking for the rebound on MLK Day

Full house, divisional opponent, up 3-1 after one period. You cannot lose that game. But that's what happened to the Islanders against the Flyers on Saturday.

Yes, the Isles are without three starting defensemen, and a likely result is some inconsistent play. Nothing against Freddy Meyer, Aaron Johnson and Andy Sutton, but any team that loses half of its regular blueliners is going to struggle.

Besides the fact that the loss came to the Flyers (who are to the Islanders what the Islanders are to the Devils, with three wins in three games), the loss was more frustrating because the Isles looked amazing in the first period after falling behind, 1-0.

The three goals were textbook. Berard's touchdown pass to Richard Park was perfect. Satan and Vasicek executed the 2-on-1 with precision. Then Guerin absolutely roofed a rebound of a Gervais shot on the power play, giving Biron no shot at a save.

But it was all downhill from there, and now the Isles will look to get one back against the Hurricanes in a rare afternoon game. Expect another big crowd and plenty of kids -- I'll be there with my son (looking forward to the free stick) in Section 325.

And stick around for the Lighthouse Cup at 5 p.m., the Suffolk high school all-stars taking on the best from Nassau County. Hockey all day -- what could be better?

LIVEBLOG: Canadiens 3, Islanders 1

Finally, another liveblog from the Coliseum as the Isles take on the Canadiens, fresh off a successful road trip and a big win over the Senators.

It's pregame and you know what that means... SHOUT OUTS! A big howdy to my friends and Squids softball teammates Tom and Marty Stock in Section 218 (Mike Downey couldn't make it - home sick; get well, buddy). We Squids didn't have a great season but we had a hell of a lot of fun. Now THAT would have been an interesting blog.

I'd like to tell you more about the matchup but frankly, I'm freezing. Hands are like ice. And I'm the only one in the blog box right now, and it feels a little weird.

First of five games in 8 days for the Isles, all against contending teams. So it's an important stretch as the team heads into the All-Star break.

Is it too much to ask to respect the nationals anthems while they are being sung and refrain from being loud an obnoxious? I didn't even post during the anthems. Just putting it out there.

Dee Karl is here - it's just the two of us, so far.

Brendan Witt still out with the ankle injury, still listed as day-to-day. We'll miss the 14 blocked shots he usually racks up. Freddy Meyer's been playing well, though, and on cue, a nice steal at the Isles blue line. Then Satan with a chance blockered by Huet.

Campoli whistled for a questionable foul at the 12:45 mark. Tripping? Welcome to the NHL. Montreal with a shot in close - wide left, then Park carries in on a shorthanded break, fires wide. Good penalty kill.

1-0 Montreal. Tomas Plekanec with a blistering shot from the top of the circle, just under the crossbar, pouncing on the loose puck for the unassisted tally. Good chance converted by the Canadiens, who are in fifth place in the East entering tonight's game.

Witt, by the way, sixth in the NHL in blocked shots with 109, 18th with 103 hits. Thank you, Islanders media guide!

Nice play by DiPietro keeping his pads at the post as Koivu tries to stuff it short side. Another good opportunity for Montreal, which has had the advantage thus far. Another chance by Higgins turned aside by DP.

A bad play by the Isles - miscommunication allows Michael Ryder to grab the puck behind the net and set up a shot from the slot. Meanwhile, the Isles have ONE SHOT ON GOAL with a minute left in the first. Yikes. Montreal outshoots them 9-1, up 1-0 after one.

Feels like a hangover after the impressive road trip. We'll see if Ted wakes the team up in the dressing room. The crowd could use a wake-up call, too.

Just walked the entire concourse looking for the nacho stand - nada. Also no sushi bar if that's how you roll. THAT'S what we're missing - nachos and sushi and the Isles would be winning this game.

Also saw a few Canadiens fans wearing their Montreal sweaters - but almost none of them had a number on them. C'mon, people, you're Canadiens fans - plenty of history - can SOMEONE rock a NILAN 30 or a ROBINSON 19 or a DRYDEN 29? Finally, I saw a girl with a LAFLEUR 10. You come to cheer on your team in someone else's house, you gotta represent.

Meanwhile, Isles on the power play but it's the Canadiens who score, 2-0 Montreal. Plekanec again, with an assist from Alex Kovalev on a breakaway after a big save by Huet. Isles seem a step behind on the ice and the crowd is getting quieter by the second. This is where LOUDVILLE needs to step it up - try and bring the crowd back into it and spark the team -- not yell nonsense during the anthems.

Isles starting to pick it up -- Satan leading a 2-on-1, looks to pass then fires a shot off the post, moments later Vasicek wrists one wide left. Later, Hilbert in front to Jackman, stopped. Then Comrie on a break, cuts right to left but Huet slides across to make the save.

Campoli with a nice breakup of a potential 2-on-1 -- a goal there would have been a back-breaker.

Sillinger and Fedotenko with a chance on the doorstep, nothing doing. Ten shots on goal, Isles down 2-0 after two. Three goals in the third period? It COULD happen.

Three minutes in and Comeau makes a nice feed to Jackman, who can't pull the trigger. Isles need a quick goal here to turn things around.

Instead, Comrie gets 2 for cross-checking - dumb play. Then Campoli gets his stick slashed out of his hands - no call. Isles kill it, though.

Park gets one back, putting in a rebound off a shot from the right boards by Guerin with 9:04 remaining in the third - Montreal up 2-1. FINALLY, someone is in front of the net, and sure enough, the Islanders score. THAT's how you get it done. And now the crowd gets back into it.

Hunter nice pass to the point for Bergeron, deflects high. Less than four minutes left - crunch time now.

Final minute, Isles with a scramble in front, then the puck back out to Campoli - he doesn't shoot - tries to pass to the left boards and it's picked off - Montreal scores with the empty net. Game over, big disappointment. Off to the post mortem.

POSTGAME COMMENTS: TED NOLAN

On the slow start: That's what they kept telling us all day, but we tried to do our best to compensate with short shifts.

We didn't play as bad as I thought we would, but we just couldn't get back into it.

On the shorthanded goal: Just one of those things ... a nag-up play where the defense pinched in too prematurely. It was a good play [by Montreal] and a good goal.

If we win two or three and then lose one, I'll be happy with that.

Coming off two hard-fought games, we didn't have our legs early but we rebounded well in teh second and third periods.

To win hockey games, you have to play 60 minutes and we played 40.

Game recap: Isles win a shootout; D.P. an All-Star after all

I generally don't like being wrong, but in this case, I don't mind.

I mentioned in my previous post that Rick DiPietro might not be selected as an All-Star, but that anyone who watched this team knew how valuable he was. Well, I guess his worth was recognized as he was selected to his first All-Star game. He and Tomas Vokoun of the Panthers will back up starting goalie Martin Brodeur.

D.P.'s value was again on display Friday night as the Isles beat the Flames, 5-4, in a shootout. DiPietro made 38 saves, including two in the shootout, and while the four goals allowed isn't terrific, this was just one of those games.

It was the Islanders' first victory of this five-game road trip, which ends tomorrow night against the Senators. Mike Sillinger scored twice in the first period - the second goal coming off a sweet feed from Ruslan Fedotenko - and Trent Hunter scored on a deflection as the Isles led 3-1 after one. Calgary - red-hot with five straight wins coming into the game - rallied to take a 4-3 lead before Tenk deflected a Bergeron shot past a shaky Kiprusoff.

I loved the difference between the first two Islanders goals in the shootout. Sillinger took it straight to Kiprusoff, beating him stick side. Then Richard Park took his time getting there, before a triple deke beat Kiprusoff with a backhander. Nice change of pace. And it's clear Ted Nolan trusts Park to do pretty much anything.

By the way, it's interesting how there's not so much hoo-hah any more about long-term deals in the NHL. There was much hand-wringing and shouting about DiPietro's deal, but now it seems like a trend after the decade-plus-long contracts signed by Brad Richards and now, Alex Ovetchkin.

Read Minnesota Wild GM Doug Riserbough's comments in John Buccigross' column and you'll see that GMs are reacting to the cap in interesting ways. Maybe Charles Wang is a genius after all.

Also, ESPN's Terry Frei takes a shot at Garth Snow. What he wanted Gary Bettman to do to Snow for his comments about the Kyle Okposo's coach at Minnesota is unclear. Fifty lashes with a wet noodle? Do his laundry for a year like Dwight Schrute?

Game recap: Islanders 3, Capitals 2 (OT)

OK, so they only scored three again, and they lost the lead with less than a minute to play in regulation, but the Islanders still prevailed and sent the home crowd to the Christmas break happy with a 3-2 overtime win.

What you have to like about this team is that there are so many players that you want to root for. Take Richard Park. He never takes a shift off and he does pretty much whatever Ted Nolan asks him to. And with every shift he's taken on more responsibility, and is now much more than a fourth-liner and penalty killer. He played up with Mike Comrie and Bill Guerin tonight, and the line put in two of the Isles' three goals.

Park's game-winner came off a faceoff win -- again, the little things -- and was aided by the fact that Caps defenseman Mike Green accidentally got hit in the face by teammate Jeff Schultz as Park worked the puck. With Green down behind the net, Park took a wrister from the left circle and found the five-hole, igniting the pandemonium.

Miro Satan, as he did the night before, got the Isles up 1-0 with a second-period wrister. The Caps evened the score and it was 1-1 late in the third when Chris Campoli fired a blast at Olaf Kolzig. Bill Guerin was there for the rebound -- he's coming around again -- with what looked to be the game-winner. But Washington stunned the house when, with Kolzig pulled, the dangerous Alex Ovetchkin beat Rick DiPietro, forcing OT.

Credit Radek Martinek and the Islanders' defense for not only limiting Ovetchkin all night, the way they did against Sidney Crosby the night before, but for holding the Caps to just 14 shots on goal. Kudos also to Chris Botta, who was honored for 20 years with the team. Nice work, Chris -- you've been great to us bloggers and the Isles are lucky to have you.

In other news, an interesting take on the Kyle Okposo situation in the New York Times. I couldn't agree more.

And Nolan had extra reason to smile Saturday night when son Brandon made his NHL debut for the Carolina Hurricanes, where of course he plays for ex-Isles coach Peter Laviolette. Brandon got an assist on Carolina's first goal in its 4-1 victory.

So with no games until after Christmas Day, allow Still Drivin' to wish a Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

Game recap: Penguins 3, Islanders 2

Plenty of Islanders fans and personnel (and this blogger) have defended Chris Simon these last few months, noting that he is a good teammate and person and shouldn't be judged for the swipe he took at Ryan Hollweg's head last season. And by all accounts, Simon is a good guy who has made some bad decisions.

What he did against the Penguins, however, goes well beyond that and there is no defense for it. Slew-footing Jarkko Ruutu as he's stepping into the bench is one thing. Intentionally stepping on his foot with your blade while he is down is quite another.

It doesn't matter what the situation is, or how tense the game is, or who the opposing player is or what he may have said or done to possibly instigate such an act (and Ruutu has a rep) -- it's wrong, and Simon had plenty of time to think about it. That it happened with less than six minutes left in the third and the Isles down a goal makes it more mind-boggling. What was accomplished? How does that help the team? You have to be smarter than that, there's just no excuse.

The five-minute match penalty just about killed any hope of an Isles comeback, although they did have some shorthanded chances, including a great one on a breakaway by Mike Sillinger that was stopped by Dany Sabourin.

That the Islanders were that close seemed unlikely after a first period that saw the Pens dominate, jumping out to a 2-0 lead with goals less than four minutes apart. A giveaway led to Sidney Crosby's goal and then Ryan Whitney beat Rick DiPietro (37 saves) with a wrist shot. (Full disclosure, Whitney - like D.P. - went to my alma mater, BU, and is on my fantasy hockey team. So I wasn't THAT upset.)

Give the Isles credit for battling back at home, netting two in the second on a nice goal by Richard Park off a feed from Mike Comrie. Then just 45 seconds later, a beautiful breakout from Bergenheim to Vasicek to Satan and then back to Vasicek charging the net, tying the score. Things were looking up and the crowd was rocking.

It didn't last, as Tyler Kennedy (three points) scored on the power play to put the Pens up, 3-2, before the end of the second. It was Pittsburgh's only PPG in six chances.

The Isles will get ready for the Sabres at home Wednesday night (can we draw more than 10,000 on a weeknight?), and wait to hear from the NHL about Simon, who will likely get the seventh suspension of his career. You have to question what he's bringing to the table at this point, and whether it's worth it.

Game recap: Islanders 3, Senators 2 (OT)

There are games over the course of the season that are measuring-stick games, and this was one of them for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the Senators are one of the best -- if not THE best - teams in the NHL, and they have absolutely owned the Islanders, winning the last eight games between the clubs.

Not this time. Thanks to tremendous goaltending by Rick DiPietro and terrific efforts from players like Mike Sillinger, Richard Park, Josef Vasicek and Bill Guerin, the Islanders overcame two fluky goals by Andres Meszaros of all people and came away with a 3-2 shootout victory Wednesday night at the Coliseum, before another disappointing crowd of just over 9,200.

Maybe the Isles' dismal recent history against the recently-cold Senators kept fans from coming to the barn, but past performance is no guarantee of future earnings. The Islanders came to play in a hard-hitting, tightly-played game that featured yet another standout performance by DiPietro, who's certainly playing up to his contract now, isn't he? D.P. made 35 stops in the first 65 minutes, includes a few of the WOW variety, and then came up huge in the shootout. He made the final stop on Dean McAmmond look easy, moments after Sillinger beat Ray Emery for what proved to be the game-winner. Guerin scored the first shootout goal for the Isles on their third shot, after Ottawa had put one in off the stick of Daniel Alfredsson.

The Isles continue to live dangerously. This was the 11th game in the last 12 decided by one goal, and the ninth straight game where the Islanders scored two or fewer goals (shootouts notwithstanding). When the margin for error is that thin, you're going to get burned by goals like Meszaros' second, which deflected off Park. But give the Isles credit for not letting the second point get away from them, as happened the game prior against Dallas. Fun fact - the Isles are now 11-1 against Eastern Conference teams who made the playoffs last season.

We'll see how much the Isles have left in the tank when they play the Rangers at the Garden Thursday night. One player who won't enjoy that game is Sean Avery, who's injured -- again, what a fragile flower he is -- having just had wrist surgery. Get well soon, big guy. We'll miss you. And say hi to Mary-Kate (or is it Ashley?) - we always get them confused.

Game recap: Stars 3, Islanders 2 (OT)

You should never be happy to simply get a point with a tie at home. Never. Well, almost never.

When the opponent is on a five-game winning streak and is one of the best teams in its conference, then sometimes you take what you can get and that's what the Islanders are saying after dropping a 3-2 decision in overtime Monday night against the Dallas Stars, who won their sixth in a row. Mike Modano scored twice for the Stars, including the game-winner just 38 seconds into the OT.

It looked like the Isles were going to walk away with nothing after Jeff Halpern broke a 1-1 tie with six minutes left in the third on a fluky goal. Halpern was standing all alone to Rick DiPietro's right and Sergei Zubov should have passed him the puck. Instead, Zubov let go with a wrist shot -- which of course deflected off Mike Sillinger and directly to Halpern, who knocked it into the open side of the net.

The Islanders immediately blew a power play opportunity, stretching their man-up futility streak to 1-for-29, but they were given one more power play chance in the final minutes. This time, Miro Satan got to a rebound and put it home to send the game into the extra session.

Another bad bounce killed the Isles in OT when a deflected puck landed right on the stick of a charging Modano. As Ted Nolan lamented afterwards, "the puck went right to one of the most skilled guys in the league." And so it goes.

We liked Richard Park beating Marty Turco to a loose puck and putting it into a empty net for a shortie. That's Park for you. We also liked DiPietro's 28 saves.

We didn't like all the whistles against the Isles for obstruction - five penalties, three against Bill Guerin for hooking, holding and tripping (oh, my!). The referees were Dave Jackson and Dean Morton. I know, who? Also a pathetic turnout of under 9,000 for the game. Not unusual for a non-conference game, but still weak.

Marc-Andre Bergeron was the seventh defenseman as Nolan rolled three forward lines. I'm not a big fan of the seven d-men and you wonder when Bergeron will be dealt. WIth Berard getting a regular shift, MAB is the odd man out.

Oddly enough, the Stars are now just 1-5-0-1 against the Isles over the last 6 1/2 years. Another interesting factoid - the game featured three U.S.-born players who were drafted No. 1 in Modano, DiPietro and Bryan Berard.

Doubleheader recap: Isles vs. Bruins

On the plus side, it's nice to know players like Andy Hilbert and Richard Park - who will never be confused with Mike Bossy and Bryan Trottier - can step up and score a goal when the team needs it. On the negative side, you know things are going bad offensively when the team needs a couple of grinders to give it a boost.

But a win is a win, and when it comes in front of a full house like it did Saturday night, all the better. The 2-1 win over Boston salvaged a split against the Bruins and stopped a two-game losing streak from growing any larger. What continued was the Islanders' habit of keeping it close. Since shutting out the Lightning, 4-0, the Isles have played 10 games and nine of them have been decided by one goal.

The Tums concession has never been more popular.

Friday's loss was lackluster - maybe the L-tryptophan hadn't left the players' systems after Thanksgiving. The Isles fell behind 2-0 before Mike Sillinger scored on a redirection.

What killed the Islanders was futility on the power play, a common theme lately. They blew a two-man advantage early in the third and had another opportunity wasted late in the period when they were desperate to tie the game.

After getting off to a strong start, the power play is 1-for-26 over the last seven games. Marc-Andre Bergeron, a healthy scratch in the last five games, was on the ice Saturday but couldn't spark the unit.

Not that the Islanders weren't getting chances - they outshout the B's 12-2 in the first and 23-7 through two periods. But even when the Isles are outshooting their opponents these days, it's not the quantity but the quality of the shots that are lacking.

Rick DiPietro had an eventful game, making 20 saves and getting an assist (with Sillinger) on Hilbert's goal. He was also whacked in the head in the final five minutes but stayed in the game.

In other news, Newsday reports that Shawn Bates may finally be ready to rejoin the club, which is good news for his fans and the team. Maybe he can be the spark that gets the offense going.