Alumni In The Pros - October 2009

It's October now...

Moulson opens the season on a line with Tavares and Okposo.

Moulson assists on Tavares's first NHL goal!

Through two periods, Matt does not look the least bit out of place on that line with Kyle Okposo and John Tavares. He is creating as any offensive chances as his linemates, and he is playing well defensively, too.

Bitz is on the second PK line. I can't remember if he was there in the last game.

Just heard that O'Byrne left tonight with an injury. Only caught the news flipping through center ice channels.

From the Montreal Gazette

Montreal Gazette
Montreal was fortunate to be tied 1-1 after two periods. They were outshot 23-14 and were literally playing shorthanded after Ryan O’Byrne (lower body) left the game after the first period and Glen Metropolit (upper body) exited midway through the second. Metropolit and O’Byrne were both in the dressing room and both accompsnied [sic] the team to Calgary where they will be evaluated Sunday.

That was awesome seeing Moulson out there tonight with that top line. As an Isles fan, happy to see Moulson on my team.

Isles keep giving this line a chance together, and good things will happen ... Moulson's never gonna be a burner, but he's always had awesome hands, he's in great shape, knows where to go - and will be a great complement to that line of two high No. 1 picks. ... I hope that line stays intact for a while. ... And who else does as intelligent/humorous between periods interview than an Ivy Leaguer?

First time I've felt hopeful in about five years. Now, Town of Hempstead, stop dicking around and give the Islanders what they want fer crissakes!!

adamw
That was awesome seeing Moulson out there tonight with that top line. As an Isles fan, happy to see Moulson on my team.

Isles keep giving this line a chance together, and good things will happen ... Moulson's never gonna be a burner, but he's always had awesome hands, he's in great shape, knows where to go - and will be a great complement to that line of two high No. 1 picks. ... I hope that line stays intact for a while. ... And who else does as intelligent/humorous between periods interview than an Ivy Leaguer?

First time I've felt hopeful in about five years. Now, Town of Hempstead, stop dicking around and give the Islanders what they want fer crissakes!!

I agree.

And, Matt Moulson looked like he belonged on that first line and top power-play unit tonight. He also played a regular shift in the overtime. He has earned the coaching staff's trust.

I don't know whether Matt and his two-way contract will stay with the Islanders after Doug Weight and Frans Nielsen and return. He will make it hard to demote him.

adamw
Now, Town of Hempstead, stop dicking around and give the Islanders what they want fer crissakes!!

I think they already made a deal last week.

Flyers1037
Just heard that O'Byrne left tonight with an injury. Only caught the news flipping through center ice channels.

TSN.ca is reporting that O'Byrne was hit in the foot with a shot.

ftyuv
Bitz is on the second PK line. I can't remember if he was there in the last game.

I was thinking the same thing. I don't remember him getting much PK time in the first game, but he sure spent a lot of time there last night. Had two grade A scoring chances too - the best one coming on a wrap around that had Leighton out of position. However, it looked like his stick broke as he was trying to stuff it in.

Article on Tavares on NHL.com

Seems that Tavares and the coaching staff are happy with the Okposo-Tavares-Moulson line. Could be a big season for Matt...

Jacob '06

adamw
Now, Town of Hempstead, stop dicking around and give the Islanders what they want fer crissakes!!

I think they already made a deal last week.

They definitely have not, unfortunately ... owner Charles Wang said last night that the town finally requested a meeting - after all these years .... but since they already passed their deadline, he's still going to talk to other cities too. I don't blame him. They've dicked them around so much.

oceanst41
However, it looked like his stick broke as he was trying to stuff it in.

adamw

Jacob '06

adamw
Now, Town of Hempstead, stop dicking around and give the Islanders what they want fer crissakes!!

I think they already made a deal last week.

They definitely have not, unfortunately ... owner Charles Wang said last night that the town finally requested a meeting - after all these years .... but since they already passed their deadline, he's still going to talk to other cities too. I don't blame him. They've dicked them around so much.

Charles Wang made a deal to lease the county-owned land through 2030. However, the area needs to be rezoned to permit the dense, mixed-use development that Wang has in mind for the Lighthouse Project. The Town of Hempstead has the zoning power and has essentially pocket vetoed the rezoning proposal.

The Montreal Gazette says the best guess is that O'Byrne will be out for six weeks with a knee injury. Sabres fell O'Byrne

cbuckser
The Town of Hempstead has the zoning power and has essentially pocket vetoed the rezoning proposal.

There's also a local yokel politico trying to make her bones by playing Gunfight at OK Corral. Too bad Senator Pot Hole isn't still around -- he'd have had it grafted and delivered six months ago (with a nice slice for the sanitation industry on top).

Trotsky

cbuckser
The Town of Hempstead has the zoning power and has essentially pocket vetoed the rezoning proposal.

There's also a local yokel politico trying to make her bones by playing Gunfight at OK Corral. Too bad Senator Pot Hole isn't still around -- he'd have had it grafted and delivered six months ago (with a nice slice for the sanitation industry on top).

If only public subsidies for sports arenas weren't a total waste of money!

ugarte

Trotsky

cbuckser
The Town of Hempstead has the zoning power and has essentially pocket vetoed the rezoning proposal.

There's also a local yokel politico trying to make her bones by playing Gunfight at OK Corral. Too bad Senator Pot Hole isn't still around -- he'd have had it grafted and delivered six months ago (with a nice slice for the sanitation industry on top).

If only public subsidies for sports arenas weren't a total waste of money!

As with most things, it depends how they're structured. At this point both sides are behaving badly, but my sympathies are with the Islanders because the County has been dicking with them for a decade.

Trotsky

ugarte

Trotsky

cbuckser
The Town of Hempstead has the zoning power and has essentially pocket vetoed the rezoning proposal.

There's also a local yokel politico trying to make her bones by playing Gunfight at OK Corral. Too bad Senator Pot Hole isn't still around -- he'd have had it grafted and delivered six months ago (with a nice slice for the sanitation industry on top).

If only public subsidies for sports arenas weren't a total waste of money!

As with most things, it depends how they're structured. At this point both sides are behaving badly, but my sympathies are with the Islanders because the County has been dicking with them for a decade.

Maybe they're holding out for an NHL team?

Trotsky

ugarte

Trotsky

cbuckser
The Town of Hempstead has the zoning power and has essentially pocket vetoed the rezoning proposal.

There's also a local yokel politico trying to make her bones by playing Gunfight at OK Corral. Too bad Senator Pot Hole isn't still around -- he'd have had it grafted and delivered six months ago (with a nice slice for the sanitation industry on top).

If only public subsidies for sports arenas weren't a total waste of money!

As with most things, it depends how they're structured. At this point both sides are behaving badly, but my sympathies are with the Islanders because the County has been dicking with them for a decade.

In this case, the public subsidies are quite modest. If the Lighthouse Project is approved, Nassau County would retain ownership of the land. I don't know if the lease terms would be at a below-market rate and constitute a subsidy. The direct costs of all the building (including office space, housing, and the arena) would be borne totally by Charles Wang and the Lighthouse Development Group. The costs of upgrading the infrastructure (widening roads, extending sewer & water lines, etc/) would be split.

This is not a situation in which a municipality pays for the costs of an arena and the team owner receives a profit without taking a risk.

Trotsky
Too bad Senator Pot Hole isn't still around -- he'd have had it grafted and delivered six months ago.

Alfonse D'Amato now opposes the Lighthouse Project. He said he doesn't want Nassau County to become more like Queens. He also may be upset that Charles Wang blew off Alfonse's request to hire his infamous brother Armand D'Amato to spearhead the Lighthouse Project.

Harvard's Dominic Moore:

Boston Globe
Ex-Harvard forward Dominic Moore signed a one-year deal worth $1.1 million with the Panthers over the weekend. Moore put up career numbers in Toronto last season (12 goals, 41 points in 63 games), then fractured his hand shortly after being dished to the Sabres at the trade deadline. The Leafs reluctantly traded him but felt his salary demands, upward of $2.5 million a year, were too high.

profudge
Harvard's Dominic Moore:

Boston Globe
Ex-Harvard forward Dominic Moore signed a one-year deal worth $1.1 million with the Panthers over the weekend. Moore put up career numbers in Toronto last season (12 goals, 41 points in 63 games), then fractured his hand shortly after being dished to the Sabres at the trade deadline. The Leafs reluctantly traded him but felt his salary demands, upward of $2.5 million a year, were too high.

Maybe if he took more economics classes in college he would have more accurately assessed his value.

cbuckser

profudge
Harvard's Dominic Moore:

Boston Globe
Ex-Harvard forward Dominic Moore signed a one-year deal worth $1.1 million with the Panthers over the weekend. Moore put up career numbers in Toronto last season (12 goals, 41 points in 63 games), then fractured his hand shortly after being dished to the Sabres at the trade deadline. The Leafs reluctantly traded him but felt his salary demands, upward of $2.5 million a year, were too high.

Maybe if he took more economics classes in college he would have more accurately assessed his value.

What are you talking about? He got A's in all of his econ classes.

cbuckser

Trotsky

ugarte

Trotsky

cbuckser
The Town of Hempstead has the zoning power and has essentially pocket vetoed the rezoning proposal.

There's also a local yokel politico trying to make her bones by playing Gunfight at OK Corral. Too bad Senator Pot Hole isn't still around -- he'd have had it grafted and delivered six months ago (with a nice slice for the sanitation industry on top).

If only public subsidies for sports arenas weren't a total waste of money!

As with most things, it depends how they're structured. At this point both sides are behaving badly, but my sympathies are with the Islanders because the County has been dicking with them for a decade.

In this case, the public subsidies are quite modest. If the Lighthouse Project is approved, Nassau County would retain ownership of the land. I don't know if the lease terms would be at a below-market rate and constitute a subsidy. The direct costs of all the building (including office space, housing, and the arena) would be borne totally by Charles Wang and the Lighthouse Development Group. The costs of upgrading the infrastructure (widening roads, extending sewer & water lines, etc/) would be split.

This is not a situation in which a municipality pays for the costs of an arena and the team owner receives a profit without taking a risk.

My incessant mockery of the Islanders aside, I tend to agree that the Lighthouse project doesn't really seem all that bad from a public subsidies standpoint. My biggest problem with it is that it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to call a non-waterfront building "the Lighthouse".

ugarte

cbuckser

profudge
Harvard's Dominic Moore:

Boston Globe
Ex-Harvard forward Dominic Moore signed a one-year deal worth $1.1 million with the Panthers over the weekend. Moore put up career numbers in Toronto last season (12 goals, 41 points in 63 games), then fractured his hand shortly after being dished to the Sabres at the trade deadline. The Leafs reluctantly traded him but felt his salary demands, upward of $2.5 million a year, were too high.

Maybe if he took more economics classes in college he would have more accurately assessed his value.

What are you talking about? He got A's in all of his econ classes.

Well, a different Moore suggests that Harvard's economic principles have helped destroy the economy.
[www.michaelmoore.com]
Love him or hate him, at least he has informed the world that the giant sucking sound that we are all hearing is indeed Harvard.
.....thread drift......

The Nassau Coliseum is the third oldest in the country. Hard to believe D'Amato still has power after being gone so long from the Senate. The developers might be getting tax breaks or special dispensations that are harder to calculate than upfront dollars.

Douglas and the Sharks are off to a slow start. Doug got caught napping for a split second on Jack Johnson's goal. That has to be frustrating as it's annoying enough just to have to look at Jack Johnson.

Roy 82
Well, a different Moore suggests that Harvard's economic principles have helped destroy the economy.
[www.michaelmoore.com]
Love him or hate him, at least he has informed the world that the giant sucking sound that we are all hearing is indeed Harvard.
.....thread drift......

Any thread drift that involves Harvard and sucking is welcome here.

Moulson with his first goal of the season, and also an assist on the Isles' only other goal tonight.

Since no one posted it, Douglas Murray got an assist on the first San Jose goal last night. Considering how rare points are for him, I figured it was worth a post.

I noticed the goal was scored by Dan Boyle. Can someone who watched the game tell me whether he is regularly skating with Boyle or if it was in the middle of a line change or the pairings were screwed up after a penalty or something? If he plays with Boyle regularly he may be able to put up 15-20 points.

Ronald '09
Can someone who watched the game tell me whether he is regularly skating with Boyle or if it was in the middle of a line change or the pairings were screwed up after a penalty or something?

I did not watch last night, but the first 2 games he was paired with Boyle at even strength.

Ronald '09
I noticed the goal was scored by Dan Boyle. Can someone who watched the game tell me whether he is regularly skating with Boyle or if it was in the middle of a line change or the pairings were screwed up after a penalty or something? If he plays with Boyle regularly he may be able to put up 15-20 points.

I seem to remember him playing with Boyle a lot last year. Alas it will take more than a good defensive pairing for Murray to get 20 NHL points.

Mark McCutcheon is joining Evan Barlow on the Idaho Steelheads:

[www.oursportscentral.com]

It's Moulson vs. Bitz on Saturday night as the B's host the Islanders. The game will be on MSG+ and NESN.

sah67
It's Moulson vs. Bitz on Saturday night as the B's host the Islanders. The game will be on MSG+ and NESN.

Both played well in period 1.

Bitz with a goal!

Against Moulson, no less

Great effort by Bitz , with the Isles blowing a 3-goal lead in 6 minutes.

Both Bitz and Moulson played solid games, with Bitz making a tremendous move on his goal.

What a treat to see two Cornellians, playing, playing well, even scoring, in an exciting hockey game that could be watched from multiple HD camera angles without worrying about the quality of the Internet connection out of Tompkins County. This turned out to be a tastier alternative to watching the snoozy battle of No. 1 Florida (only another concussion to Tebow or a bunch of U of Miami style misconduct arrests will keep them out of BCS title game) vs. No. 4 LSU (whose inability to move the ball or do much else on offense reminded me of the Big Red, unfortunately). You knew Tebow was going to play once Wm C Rhoden of the NY Times opined from afar that Tebow absolutely positively should not play; what he had to say that was new and original could have been in a Tweet with enough space left to say hello to his mom. (Sorry for the drift.)

billhoward
No. 1 Florida (only another concussion to Tebow or a bunch of U of Miami style misconduct arrests will keep them out of BCS title game) ... (Sorry for the drift.)

Depends on how real Alabama is, but you're probably right.

We were at the Bruins-Islanders game on Saturday, and it was definitely a fun one to watch, with a lot of intensity at the end. Moulson had some really good chances, and his line continues to move the puck well. I felt bad about his penalty, since it seemed like it gave the Bruins a little extra energy that eventually led to their comeback. When we watched the replay later, the NESN announcers indicated that they thought it was a bullshit call, which was our impression as well. Bitz's goal was really pretty, and it was nice to see him get the point just after we had been remarking that he hadn't had a shift in awhile.

There were a few knowledgeable fans at the game who actually seemed to get why we were there in our Cornell jerseys. After the game, in the T station, two guys approached us and asked if we were fans of Moulson and Bitz. It turned out that they were Jeremy Russell and Devin Timberlake of Brown's hockey team. I didn't have the presence of mind to ask them how their coaching change was going so far.

Also amusingly, we chose our seats randomly on StubHub, but somehow ended up sitting next to Matt's father's cousins, as well as a member of the Manchester Monarchs management, who had come down to see him play. Five Moulson fans in a row--completely coincidentally!

Moulson puts another one home to give the Isles a glimmer of hope in the last 2 minutes.

In addition to the goal, Moulson had some TOI on the kill today -- I don't think the Isles used him there before.

It is fabulous to be reading about the exploits of three former Cornell players playing in the NHL and contributing to their team's successes. Interesting that all three played for Cornell for four years!!

And more to come. O'Byrne will be back when he heals as well as Iggy and others hopefully making it to the big show.

Still more to come. Douglas Murray's Sharks at the Islanders Sat 10/17.

Douglas Murray is under the weather and expected to be scratched tonight's game against the Capitals, which will be televised on NHL Network.

cbuckser
Douglas Murray is under the weather and expected to be scratched tonight's game against the Capitals, which will be televised on NHL Network so we no longer care.

FYP

cbuckser
Douglas Murray is under the weather and expected to be scratched tonight's game against the Capitals, which will be televised on NHL Network.

You can't pound the flu into submission.

Sharks were awful last night. Caps rejuggled their top two lines and at least so far dividing up the talent seemed to work.

Off topic: anyone see that 9 year old trick shot? It's pretty tough to do that even at half speed.

RatushnyFan
Sharks were awful last night. Caps rejuggled their top two lines and at least so far dividing up the talent seemed to work.

Off topic: anyone see that 9 year old trick shot? It's pretty tough to do that even at half speed.

There must be three different versions of it by 9 years olds on YouTube by now. Maybe we can get our guys to learn it.

Trotsky

RatushnyFan
Sharks were awful last night. Caps rejuggled their top two lines and at least so far dividing up the talent seemed to work.

Off topic: anyone see that 9 year old trick shot? It's pretty tough to do that even at half speed.

There must be three different versions of it by 9 years olds on YouTube by now. Maybe we can get our guys to learn it.

I think it was one of the Abbotts that tried something similar in one of the Red-White shootouts. There are usually a few guys who try something tricky like that.

Trotsky

RatushnyFan
Sharks were awful last night. Caps rejuggled their top two lines and at least so far dividing up the talent seemed to work.

Off topic: anyone see that 9 year old trick shot? It's pretty tough to do that even at half speed.

There must be three different versions of it by 9 years olds on YouTube by now. Maybe we can get our guys to learn it.

I thought it was outlawed by the NCAA post-Legg.

Matt Moulson with a goal and an assist in the Isles' 6-3 loss to the Sabres. He shares the team lead in goals and points with John Tavares.

Any news on if Murray will be back in the lineup tonight? Was considering trying to get out to the game for a Murray v. Moulson matchup.

pfibiger
Matt Moulson with a goal and an assist in the Isles' 6-3 loss to the Sabres. He shares the team lead in goals and points with John Tavares.

Foxy by proxy, but we'll take it.

Jordan 04
Any news on if Murray will be back in the lineup tonight? Was considering trying to get out to the game for a Murray v. Moulson matchup.

I see no word on Douglas's availability. The Sharks skipped a pregame skate today, so I doubt we'll here anything before you get to the Coliseum. The San Jose Mercury News ran a story about Douglas's return to Long Island.

Ryan Vesce got called up, replacing Steve Zalewski, in time to play in front of his hometown friends and family and play against his former linemate.

Moulson PPG gives Isles 1-0 lead after one. (or perhaps not. Goal was first credited to Okposo, then at end of period the announcers said it was changed to Moulson. Now they say no official announcement yet).

it looks like you can watch the game here:

[www.ustream.tv]

Ryan Vesce's first NHL goal gives the Shark's a 2-1. Three Cornellians in the Sharks-Isles game.

And a late game (need filler material) plug for Ryan Vesce's clothing line.

Hard to believe the original posts about Salmon Cove were in 2006.

It is noteworthy to point out that all three Cornellians were former captains of the Big Red hockey team:

Doug Murray '03
Ryan Vesce '04
Matt Moulson '06

All captained the team in their senior year.

How awesome is that?!

Just a mention, and the Isles are ranked 29th (heehee), but from TSN's Power Rankings:

One of two teams still seeking its first win, the Islanders at least have a sense of optimism coming from a first line of John Tavares, Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo that has combined to score 20 points.

Boston traded Kobasew and Lucic is out 4-6 weeks. Don't know if that means Bitz will move up in lines but certainly seems likely.

Ronald '09
Boston traded Kobasew and Lucic is out 4-6 weeks. Don't know if that means Bitz will move up in lines but certainly seems likely.

Bitz is apparently out, at least for a short time, with a stiff neck.

Also, Murray and Vesce are on Versus tonight, the Sharks are playing the Rangers.

pfibiger

Also, Murray and Vesce are on Versus tonight, the Sharks are playing the Rangers.

Vesce getting a lot of attention early on due to being from Long Island and being close to home. It is pretty interesting that they are playing him on the first line with Heatley and Thornton. I guess it gives him a little more space to move around as those two are going to get a lot of attention from the defense.

Jacob '06

pfibiger

Also, Murray and Vesce are on Versus tonight, the Sharks are playing the Rangers.

Vesce getting a lot of attention early on due to being from Long Island and being close to home. It is pretty interesting that they are playing him on the first line with Heatley and Thornton. I guess it gives him a little more space to move around as those two are going to get a lot of attention from the defense.

It's a much better fit for him than the fourth line where he most of his time last year. He put up a lot of points with Worcester last year so they probably want to see if he can get some points at the next level.

He did net his second goal todayy.

pfibiger

Ronald '09
Boston traded Kobasew and Lucic is out 4-6 weeks. Don't know if that means Bitz will move up in lines but certainly seems likely.

Bitz is apparently out, at least for a short time, with a stiff neck.

Also, Murray and Vesce are on Versus tonight, the Sharks are playing destroying the Rangers.

Fixed.

I was at the Sharks-Rangers game last night, and what was particularly interesting about Vesce's placement on the top line with Thornton and Heatley, was that they had Vesce taking many of the faceoffs, even without Thornton being tossed out beforehand. Vesce won the majority of them IIRC.

My Yahoo NHL feed reports that Moulson is one of the hot 3 forwards in the all important fantasy hockey league.

sah67
I was at the Sharks-Rangers game last night, and what was particularly interesting about Vesce's placement on the top line with Thornton and Heatley, was that they had Vesce taking many of the faceoffs, even without Thornton being tossed out beforehand. Vesce won the majority of them IIRC.

According to the ESPN box score, Vesce was 4-3 on faceoffs.

KeithK

sah67
I was at the Sharks-Rangers game last night, and what was particularly interesting about Vesce's placement on the top line with Thornton and Heatley, was that they had Vesce taking many of the faceoffs, even without Thornton being tossed out beforehand. Vesce won the majority of them IIRC.

According to the ESPN box score, Vesce was 4-3 on faceoffs.

NHL.com has different numbers. It seems more thorough, but I'm not positive it actually is more accurate.

Jacob 03

KeithK

sah67
I was at the Sharks-Rangers game last night, and what was particularly interesting about Vesce's placement on the top line with Thornton and Heatley, was that they had Vesce taking many of the faceoffs, even without Thornton being tossed out beforehand. Vesce won the majority of them IIRC.

According to the ESPN box score, Vesce was 4-3 on faceoffs.

NHL.com has different numbers. It seems more thorough, but I'm not positive it actually is more accurate.

No, NHL.com has the same numbers just stated differently. Vesce took 7 faceoffs and won 4 of them.

KeithK

Jacob 03

KeithK

sah67
I was at the Sharks-Rangers game last night, and what was particularly interesting about Vesce's placement on the top line with Thornton and Heatley, was that they had Vesce taking many of the faceoffs, even without Thornton being tossed out beforehand. Vesce won the majority of them IIRC.

According to the ESPN box score, Vesce was 4-3 on faceoffs.

NHL.com has different numbers. It seems more thorough, but I'm not positive it actually is more accurate.

No, NHL.com has the same numbers just stated differently. Vesce took 7 faceoffs and won 4 of them.

You're right. I couldn't make it through all four columns without getting confused, it seems.

KeithK

sah67
I was at the Sharks-Rangers game last night, and what was particularly interesting about Vesce's placement on the top line with Thornton and Heatley, was that they had Vesce taking many of the faceoffs, even without Thornton being tossed out beforehand. Vesce won the majority of them IIRC.

According to the ESPN box score, Vesce was 4-3 on faceoffs.

That would be the majority of them.

ugarte

KeithK

sah67
I was at the Sharks-Rangers game last night, and what was particularly interesting about Vesce's placement on the top line with Thornton and Heatley, was that they had Vesce taking many of the faceoffs, even without Thornton being tossed out beforehand. Vesce won the majority of them IIRC.

According to the ESPN box score, Vesce was 4-3 on faceoffs.

That would be the majority of them.

Yes it would. I was simply providing the data to confirm the "IIRC".

KeithK

ugarte

KeithK

sah67
I was at the Sharks-Rangers game last night, and what was particularly interesting about Vesce's placement on the top line with Thornton and Heatley, was that they had Vesce taking many of the faceoffs, even without Thornton being tossed out beforehand. Vesce won the majority of them IIRC.

According to the ESPN box score, Vesce was 4-3 on faceoffs.

That would be the majority of them.

Yes it would. I was simply providing the data to confirm the "IIRC".

Typical.

[watch.tsn.ca]

Not our alum but figured I'd share. Tampa Bay's "Naked Shoot out". Let the elephant walk jokes begin...

The Bruins have now lost Savard for 4-6 weeks (in addition to Lucic), and traded away Kobasew. They got Paille to fill one of those slots, and while Bitz hasn't played much, if any, center in the NHL I think he may get a few looks on one of the top 3 lines. He already got a start on the second line (with Krejci and Wheeler) when Lucic first went down. I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen again tonight against Nashville.

oceanst41
and while Bitz hasn't played much, if any, center in the NHL I think he may get a few looks on one of the top 3 lines. Nashville.

I remember Bitz playing center for a few games at the end of last year when Stephane Yelle wasn't in the lineup.

Moulson just popped in his team-leading fifth goal of the year, putting the Islanders ahead of the Hurricanes 1-0 in the first.

sah67
Moulson just popped in his team-leading fifth goal of the year, putting the Islanders ahead of the Hurricanes 1-0 in the first.

553 to catch Nieuwy, and counting.

From the pros-in-international-tournaments division:

Jean-Marc Pelletier and Charlie Cook have been selected to play for the U.S. Men's Select Team that will compete at the Deutschland Cup. It's a team made up of Americans playing hockey in Europe.

[www.usahockey.com]

The team is made up entirely of ex-NCAA players.

sah67
Moulson just popped in his team-leading fifth goal of the year, putting the Islanders ahead of the Hurricanes 1-0 in the first.

Also was the between-period interview on the Isles broadcast.

pfibiger
From the pros-in-international-tournaments division:

Jean-Marc Pelletier and Charlie Cook have been selected to play for the U.S. Men's Select Team that will compete at the Deutschland Cup. It's a team made up of Americans playing hockey in Europe.

[www.usahockey.com]

The team is made up entirely of ex-NCAA players.

Only a couple of other former ECAC players beyond JMP and Cook: Jeff Hamilton (Yale) and David Leggio (Clarkson).

Todd McLellan had some good things to say about Ryan Vesce.

Matt Moulson held scoreless in Montreal game. Ryan Vesce has scored his third goal in three games with the Sharks.

pfibiger
Matt Moulson held scoreless in Montreal game. Ryan Vesce has scored his third goal in three games with the Sharks.

And Bitz had an assist in Boston's 4-3 shootout loss to Philly.

pfibiger
Matt Moulson held scoreless in Montreal game. Ryan Vesce has scored his third goal in three games with the Sharks.

They'll have a hard time dropping him from the lineup if he keeps producing. Great to see him capitalizing on his opportunity.

I was at the Bruins-Flyers game last night. I'd forgotten how big Bitz is, possibly because Cornell was a big team when he played. But size-wise he stood out on the Bruins (Chara excepted, of course) who IMO run a bit to the small side.

He played a good solid game. Threw a bunch of good hits (but got knocked on his ass once, too). Never really seemed to be out of position. Not a huge scoring threat, but then again, with their injuries, nobody on the Bruins is.

I've been totally unimpressed with the last couple games I've seen Moulson play. If he didn't have the good fortune of being the garbage guy in front of the net while Okposo and Tavares fed scoring opportunities his way, both 5X5 and PP, I think he would be pointless and maybe a 4th line 'fill in' player at best. He frequently loses the puck on the boards, is frequently a step behind the play, is slower than most NHLers, and I've never seen him display any particular play-making skills at this level. The kid has been gifted some points so far, but his other skills are mediocre at best. Not to be a Debbie downer, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was back in the AHL by the end of the season.

Vesce a scratch in tonight's Sharks-Flyers game.

Vesce has a lower body injury, not a scratch according to the broadcast.

nr53
Vesce has a lower body injury, not a scratch according to the broadcast.

The ESPN game recap says Vesce is day to day.

KeithK
The ESPN game recap says Vesce is day to day.

Aren't we all?

KeithK

nr53
Vesce has a lower body injury, not a scratch according to the broadcast.

The ESPN game recap says Vesce is day to day.

I was watching the Flyers broadcast. They called him a "last minute scratch." Sounds like a last minute scratch due to injury.