Today is a sad day at NHL Hot Stove as we close up shop.

I would like to thank every one who has ever contributed, commented and read our site. It was a fantastic ride which unfortunately we can no longer keep up.

Myself and David Strehle are taking on bigger roles at RLDHockey.net while Dustin Leed and The Hockey Guys has been generous enough to give a home to our other excellent contributors. Please be kind enough to give both sites a read.

By Christian Arnold
NHLHS New York Islanders Correspondent  

Uniondale, NY – The Islanders 3-2 overtime loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night was a tough loss to swallow for fans and players of the Long Island based organization. But the Islanders ability to come back from a 2-0 deficit and take one of the best teams in the NHL to the brink speaks to how quickly the Islanders have turned their season around from just two ago.

In their last six games the Islanders have gone 4-0-2 and secured 10 out of a possible 12 points. The recent hot streak has propelled them back into the playoff hunt; they are six points out of eighth place in the eastern conference.

In prior weeks the Islanders had seemed lifeless, being shutout in back to back games. Even when they had played well they did not have the confidence level to stay in a game should the other team take an early lead or stage a comeback. There was chatter about a lack of identity and fears that a repeat of last season’s early collapse was immanent.

Now the outlook is much more hopeful. The Islanders have played, and earned points, against some of the leagues best teams. They’ve played well in the third period, something that had been a shortfall several weeks back, and are getting production from guys like Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo, who’ve struggled earlier in the year.

“I think we came along way since three weeks ago,” PA Parenteu said Thursday night. “Three weeks, a month ago, we didn’t have the confidence to comeback like that. We would have got scored on and get down on our selves. Right now we’re not doing that, we’re sticking with the plan, we’re working even harder when we’re down and I think that’s the key to success.”

According to Parenteau the team held several meetings to try and figure out what the problem was.

“We got together,” he added. “We got some good veterans, we got some good young players too and everyone got involved. We had to realize how good we were. We hit this rough patch again, but hopefully it wasn’t as big as last year and now we’re in the hunt. It’s fun and hopefully we can keep it going.”

Islanders assistant captain Steve Staios notices a general improvement in the teams work ethic.

“I think we had to learn how hard we had to work to win in this league,” Staios said after the 3-2 overtime loss to Chicago. “We feel like we have a template of how we need to play to be successful and then we just have to put the effort in. We feel like if we do that on most nights we’re gunna win. We got a confident group that way and it’s showed.”

He later added, “Work ethic, forwards are back pressuring hard, Dmen are getting more active, and we’ve been quick and physical on pucks in our own zone. It’s a number of things, but really bottom line is we’re outworking teams right now.”

Head coach Jack Capuano is happy with the way his players are performing. After the game on Thursday he told reporters that his team showed that they could play with good hockey teams. He also acknowledged that his team may have not been able to compete like the way they are now.

“Mentally and emotionally the way that the bench was at the start of the year possible,” Capuano responded when asked if Thursday’s game was one the Isles would have lost earlier in the year. “But right now our guys are resilient. They’re showing a lot of character…we’re playing with an attitude, we’re playing with an edge, we’re playing with a little bit of a swagger and that’s what we need to do.”

Parenteau feels the team’s renewed confidence will carry them a long way.

“We weren’t a confident group three weeks ago and now we found this confidence,” He said. “I feel like when we had that nice run after Christmas last year, after the all-star break, I feel the same way right now in the locker room. It’s good and it’s looking bright for the future.”

The NHL announced tonight that they will change their current six-division setup into four conferences. For the first time since 1998, the League’s board of governors reached an agreement that not only alters the current outlook but also will allow every team to play a home-and-home series. The NHLPA will still need to approve the realignment but that appears to be a formality at this point.

These four conferences break down as the following:

Conference 1

Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Colorado Avalanche
Phoenix Coyotes

Conference 2

Winnipeg Jets
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Nashville Predators
Columbus Blue Jackets
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild

Conference 3

Toronto Maple Leafs
Montreal Canadiens
Ottawa Senators
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning

Conference 4

Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Carolina Hurricanes
Washington Capitals

The current playoff configuration will also change with the first two playoff series coming within the Conference. However, eight teams will still make the show but there should be much more parity. For example, a team in a ‘weaker’ division would not be allowed to grab the third seed if they narrowly make the playoffs.

Furthermore, the schedule works out well for all teams. Home-and-home series should account for roughly 44-46 games with the remaining games getting played in rivalries within the conference. This change, as well as keeping natural rivals like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia; Chicago and Detroit; Calgary and Edmonton; should pave way for more excitement and interest around North America.

Now that we have the details down, let’s get to the fun part. What do we name these conferences? Do they get the old names: Norris, Campbell, Adams and Patrick? Do we rename them something more current like Gretzky, Lemieux, Howe and Orr? Put your vote in below and give some write-ins into the comments.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

On a night with 12 games on the docket, it should come to no surprise that we have not only one, but two controversial hits. Regarding the Jordin Tootoo incident we took a more down-the-middle approach. However, the shoulder-to-head hit from Dallas Stars defender Mark Fistric is a bit more subjective than most.

New York Islanders forward Nino Niederreiter came breaking down the side boards at top speed and just received the puck. The right wing skated from his left to his right, receiving the puck at full speed and clearly did not see the physical defender. The hit could be construed as east-west but the defender was simply stepping up to the play. Niederreiter either did not see the defender at all or thought he could skate by him but it remains abundantly clear that he should have seen him on the ice — Fistric didn’t skate from the center of the ice to the boards, he was already on that side of the ice.

The game of hockey is incredibly fast as is Niederreiter so we can only assume he wasn’t expecting the hit. As much is clear considering the former Portland Winterhawk was unable to protect himself on the play.

As Fistric hit the Swiss right wing, he left his feet but it is unclear whether he jumped pre or post impact. Nevertheless, if he was actually leaving his feet prior to making contact he probably would have fallen differently. Then again, it could be argued that he did not make an attempt to get low enough on the hit. A lower angle would certainly guarantee no contact with the head. Fistric also could miss the hit altogether which would allow for an odd-man rush.

Not making that hit is not in Fistric’s vocabulary. It’s the type of game he plays. Despite playing in only 19 of the team’s 27 games he leads the team in that counting stat. He posted 173 hits last year in only 57 games and 171 hits over 67 games the year before that. The Stars pay him to hit and frankly not to do much more.

Although the Edmonton, Alberta has never been suspended there have been a few close calls with the law. He was almost suspended by hitting current teammate Eric Nystrom with his helmet during a fight when the latter played for the Minnesota Wild. He also concussed Detroit Red Wings power forward Johan Franzen with an elbow to the head, which went unpunished. He has a history of questionable play which probably leads to a suspension of some kind.

In addition, Niederreiter is believed to have a concussion which should further place the onus on Fistric. See for yourself, courtesy of Hockey Fights, and voice your opinion in the comments.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

The New York Rangers have won their past six games while tonight’s opponent and natural rival New York Islanders have lost their past three games. Nevertheless, if there is one team that the Isles could wake up against, it would be the Rangers.

This Ranger team is playing at a higher level, one that New York City has not seen in a number of seasons. While offseason acquisition Brad Richards has not been the team’s savior, his presence in the lineup actually has helped the club field three scoring lines. It seems like the pressure on him has helped almost every other player elevate their game to a higher level.

Tonight’s expected starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist has won his past four games. Backup Martin Biron has won three straight of his own. The power play is hot with a 20 percent efficiency rate over the past nine games. Ryan McDonagh is tied for seventh in the League with three goals himself. Four members of the top six — Ryan Callahan, Artem Anisimov, Derek Stepan and Marian Gaborik — are all scoring at a point-per-game pace or more over their past couple of games. Even Dan Girardi looks like an All-Star candidate, helping the team forget about the loss of leader Marc Staal.

However, all of those accolades change against the Islanders, who are desperate for a win. In their last meeting, the Isles delivered a debilitating, 4-2 loss to the Rangers in a game where the team moved away from their game. The Isles have the reputation of going hard out of the gate which is a surge coach John Tortorella and company are going to need to prevent in order to win. From Ranger Rants:

“We’re going to play our game, that’s what we’re looking to try to do,” Tortorella said. “What’s happened here before or what you guys want to talk about, we’re going to continue to try to play our game.”

Clearly doesn’t sound like Tortorella is overly concerned in their early start but he does have their most recent loss in the back of his mind.

In the loss, John Tavares potted a hat trick can be broken down into two power play goals and an empty netter. Over this six game streak, the Rangers penalty kill is 93.3 percent which would be second in the League over a full season. If you exclude their first three games (which includes the loss to the Isles) the team holds an even healthier 90.2 percent kill rate.

On paper, these Rangers should dominate the Isles as they have outscored them by 13 goals, out-defended them by 12 goals and essentially outplayed them in every other counting stat. However, you simply cannot predict a rivalry game and a wildcard, young team like the Islanders.

The big problem with the club has been their top six. Head coach Jack Capuano will not disclose his lineup prior to tonight’s game but it is believed that red-hot, blue-chip prospect Nino Neiderreiter will draw back in tonight. The rookie skated with Tavares during the preseason to better results, so he may jumpstart a line that has previously dominated.

One thing is for sure, these Rangers will need to defeat the Islanders by continuing their current pace and not sitting back. If they chose the latter, then this current hot streak will be a distant memory.

By Alexander Monaghan
President

Yesterday, we let you in on our contest to play a ‘One Day FREE Fantasy Contest‘ to win $100 in cash prizes from Draft Steet. Well, I signed up, How about you?

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By Christian Arnold

Uniondale, NY – The New York Islanders made a statement on Thursday signing John Tavares to a six-year deal, which keeps the Canadian star on Long Island through the 2017-18 season.  The long-term deal for their franchise star, along with the deals given to the team’s other core players, sends a fierce message to the rest of the league.  One that could reshape the way the Islanders are perceived throughout the NHL.

While some Canadian media don’t get why a guy like Tavares would want to stay here, and most likely never will, it’s clear that Tavares likes the players here, management here and most importantly believes he can win here.

“I believe in this organization and this hockey club,” Tavares said Thursday at a press conference to announce his contract extension.  “This is where I want to live, to play and ultimately lead our team to the Stanley Cup.”

“Charles (Wang) is a great owner and has been great to all of us.  Garth (Snow has been great to all of us and we get treated well with a lot of respect, a lot of dignity.  They give us a lot of opportunity to play and compete and they want us to win.  We’re doing things the right way, we’re taking our time and now it’s starting to show.”

With a Canadian staple like Tavares’s strong endorsement of the Islanders and the team’s ability to lock up core players, there is hope that this will help reshape the perception of the organization around the league.

“There’s a little bit of a misconception with the Islanders and the way that we do things,” Islanders forward Kyle Okposo said after day one of training camp.  “Like Johnny said in his press conference we do things very professionally around here and he’s been treated with utmost respect.  He’s a top tier guy in the league and for him to say that that’s a great compliment to our organization.  With (Michael Grabner) and myself both willing to sign long-term deals I think that shows a commitment to the Islanders and that we want to be here.”

“I hope (the rest of the league) sees all us young guys really enjoy playing here,” Tavares said Thursday following his press conference.  We’re excited about it, we’ve all made these commitments and we’ve talked about it.  If stuff like this is to prove a point to a lot of people hopefully we can send that message.”

Other players see this as a good message for the players inside the Islanders dressing room and are less inclined to care what the rest of the league thinks.

“I don’t really care about the rest of the league,” PA Parenteau said candidly at Ice Works. “I think it sends a pretty good message to all the guys that are here right now. They’re pretty serious about what they are doing. I think it’s a great message that this organization is sending to the rest of the team when you lock up a guy like Johnny.”

The team’s commitment is not only a good message to send on the ice, but off it as well.  The Islanders continued struggle to get a new arena has continued to spur rumors that the team will leave New York or that management and ownership will no longer make an effort to put a competitive product on the ice.

It’s safe to say that with young stars like Michael Grabner, Kyle Okposos, and John Tavares all locked up for the long term the Islanders are not shying away from staying competitive for a long time to come.

Christian Arnold
NHLHS New York Islanders Correspondent
Twitter: @isleshockeyblog
Email: ChristianArn312@aol.com

By Patrick Powell

As the NHL inches closer to training camp and ultimately to the debut of the 2011-2012 regular season, transactions picked up in a major way on Tuesday. The New York Islanders extended the face of their franchise, the Boston Bruins extended a young playoff hero, and the Philadelphia Flyers signed a rookie defenseman.

John Tavares’ pay day with the New York Islanders was a foregone conclusion. It was never a question of “if” and always a question of “when.” The 2009 #1 overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft reportedly inked a 6 year/$33 million extension on Tuesday. The Islanders have called a Wednesday press conference to discuss Tavares and the future of the team. Tavares entered the NHL with lofty expectations as he broke Wayne Gretzky’s single season goal mark in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) in 2007, then broke the OHL’s record for career scoring in 2009 with a whopping 215 goals. Tavares starred for the Oshawa Generals (if that team sounds familiar, highly touted prospect Eric Lindros played for them in the early 90’s) in 2007-2008 when posted 40 goals in 59 contests. In his rookie campaign with the New York Islanders, Tavares amassed 54 points (24 goals), finishing second in rookie scoring to Colorado’s Matt Duchene. The Missisauga, Ontario native missed 3 games in his sophomore season (concussion), but he increased his goal output by 5 and his point total by 13, in comparison to his rookie season. The extension keeps Tavares’ cap hit for the upcoming season at $3.75 million (including a bonus of $2.85 million), and the Islanders sit slightly above the cap floor of $48.3 million, with over $15 million in available cap space. They have 10 forwards under contract (well, 11 if you count Alexei Yashin, who has been playing in the Kontinental Hockey League). Josh Bailey and Jesse Joensuu are restricted free agents, Trevor Gillies is unrestricted. The Isles have 6 defensemen on the active roster. They are a young, upcoming team that should gel in the next couple years. Their biggest challenge could be their location/arena lease as there has been speculation that owner Charles Wang may need to move the team off of Long Island for financial reasons.

The Boston Bruins lowered the blood pressure of their faithful as they re-signed playoff hero Brad Marchand to a 2 year/$5 million deal on Tuesday. The Bruins have $4.265 million in available cap space with a 22 man roster. If forward Marc Savard is unable to play due to post-concussion syndrome, the NHL could grant the Bruins long-term injury reserve (LTIR) status, which would provide the Bruins with an additional $4.007 million in effective cap space. The Bruins could theoretically bring in a $7+ million forward with that benefit. The Bruins have 7 forwards and 2 defensemen who are slated to become free agents after the 2012-2013 season, so some of the residual cap space may be used to lock up players like David Krejci, Chris Kelly, Rich Peverley, and Johnny Boychuk. The Bruins need to tread carefully, however, as star-in-the making Tyler Seguin will be due for an extension and a significant raise after the 2013 season (same as Marchand). Goaltender Tim Thomas ($5 million cap hit) is on the books through the 2014 campaign, so the Bruins may have to make some important decisions by the summer of 2013. Marchand’s $2.5 million cap hit is quite reasonable for a player who tallied 11 times with 8 assists in 25 games in the 2011 playoffs. He played with an edge as well, as he amassed 40 penalty minutes and played the agitator role well. Except for the obvious concern for Marc Savard’s future, the Bruins and their fans should be quite excited heading into the 2011-2012 campaign.

Last week, I reported that the Philadelphia Flyers had invited Blake Kessel to camp, and that the Flyers needed to make roster moves before signing him. Well, the Flyers eliminated a contract by releasing Finnish defenseman Joonas Lehtivuori. Because the contract of 2011 draftee Marcel Noebels qualifies for the “slide rule” exception (feel free to contact me for an explanation), the Flyers officially had 49 contracts on file prior to signing Kessel to a 3 year entry level deal. Contract terms are unavailable, but that is currently a moot point as Kessel will need to prove that he belongs in the top 7, and the Flyers clear cap space for him. The Flyers are within $175,000 of the salary cap.
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You may reach the author with hip checks, blind side hits, and eye gouging on Twitter @Gordsie.

The defeat of the August 1 referendum that would have allowed Nassau County, the municipality the New York Islanders call home, to borrow $400 million to build a new arena in the Nassau Hub means that the Isles will begin the 2011-12 season in a state of uncertainty.

During a late night press conference at the Coliseum, team owner Charles Wang and general manager Garth Snow did their best to bring attention to the upcoming season. Training camp opens in early September and Wang and Snow both say they are looking forward to the upcoming season.

“Training camp opens next month so hockey is right around the corner,” Wang said during the press conference. “I can’t wait till the puck drops at our home opener, October 8th at 8pm.”

“We now have a season to concentrate on with a team that is bursting with a young core of talent sprinkled with the right mix of veterans. This combination will bode well for the last 4 years of our lease.”

While Wang may be boasting about his team this upcoming season, the Islanders have not made a huge splash in the free agent market, partly to do with the teams continued state of uncertainty in Nassau County. The Islanders made traded for the negotiating rights of defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, but were spurred by him in favor of going to the Buffalo Sabres. But despite the lack of moves Snow sees them as having been able to make the jump to playoff team.

“We’re a young team that has gained a lot of experience,” Snow said following the press conference. “We’re looking to win hockey games, get into the playoffs and give our fans something to cheer about.”

Snow was mum on his response to how he was feeling about the turnout of the vote, but when asked if he was “heartbroken” he said absolutely, and “those are accurate words to describe how everyone feels here.”

However, he maintained that his focus was on the hockey operations side of things and on the upcoming season.

“My focus has been building a championship-caliber team,” Snow said on Monday evening. “Four years ago we set out on this rebuild and we went through some growing pains and some tough times, but our fans are going to see the fruits of those labors starting in September. I’m excited for this season and for me as the general manager right on through to the coaches and players to focus on taking this team to the next level.”

It will be a chaotic several weeks and months for the Islanders organization and their fans, but for now all focus will be on the upcoming season.