2006–07_New_York_Islanders

2006–07 New York Islanders season

2006–07 New York Islanders

Division 4th Atlantic

Conference 8th Eastern

2006–07 record 40–30–12

Home record 22–13–6

Road record 18–17–6

Goals for 248

Goals against 240

General Manager Garth Snow

Coach Ted Nolan

Captain Alexei Yashin

Alternate captains Mike Sillinger
Brendan Witt

Arena Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

Average attendance 12,886 (capacity 16,234)

Team leaders

Goals Jason Blake (40)

Assists Tom Poti (38)

Points Jason Blake (69)

Penalties in minutes Brendan Witt (131)

Plus/Minus Radek Martinek (+19)

Wins Rick DiPietro (32)

Goals against average Wade Dubielewicz (2.06)

The New York Islanders finished the 2006–07 Season with a record of 40–30–12. They qualified for the playoffs in the last game of the regular season. They lost to the Buffalo Sabres in the first round, four games to one.

Season synopsis

After the Islanders' upper management cleaned out the team's front office during the 2005–06 season, owner Charles Wang was faced with the task of finding a new coach and general manager. Initially, he hired Ted Nolan as coach and Neil Smith as GM, but Smith was removed after a few weeks on the job. Wang envisioned team management making decisions by committee, and Smith was uncomfortable working without the large amount of control that NHL managers usually have. Wang hired Garth Snow, who was the team's backup goalie the prior year, to take over. Pat LaFontaine, who had intended to return to the team as Senior Advisor to the Owner, resigned the post the same day that Smith was fired. Reports indicated that LaFontaine decided the fit wasn't right after Wang ignored his advice to wait a few days before making a final decision about Smith.^[1]

Prior to Smith's firing, the Islanders made several free agent acquisitions, including defensemen Brendan Witt and Tom Poti and forwards Mike Sillinger and Chris Simon. Andy Hilbert, Sean Hill, Viktor Kozlov and Richard Park signed on after Smith was dismissed. Additionally, in a controversial move, the Islanders signed goaltender Rick DiPietro to a 15-year, 67.5 million dollar contract, among the longest in professional sports history.^[2]

The Islanders opened the season on a losing streak, but then began to play well enough to temporarily move into first place in the Atlantic division by December. On December 16, 2006, the Islanders traded two-year veteran Alexei Zhitnik to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Freddy Meyer and a conditional third round draft pick.^[3] On December 20, they traded forward Mike York to the Flyers for forward Randy Robitaille and a fifth round pick in 2008.^[4]

Starting at the end of December, the Islanders went on a seven game losing streak, which ended with a victory over the Rangers. Since then, the Islanders have hovered around the last playoff spot. In advance of the February trade deadline, the Isles made a pair of deals with the Edmonton Oilers. On February 18, 2007, the Islanders traded defense prospect Denis Grebeshkov for defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron and a 2008 3rd Round Draft Pick. Nine days later, the Islanders traded a first round draft pick and prospects Robert Nilsson and Ryan O'Marra to the Oilers for all-star Ryan Smyth.^[5] In March 2007, Chris Simon was suspended for the rest of the season and playoffs following a match penalty for intent to injure.

The last four games in the 2006–07 season were crucial and most thought a playoff spot would be out of reach. However, the team won each game and edged out the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs for the final playoff spot in the process. The playoff-clinching game ended in a shootout win over the New Jersey Devils. In their first round matchup with the Buffalo Sabres, the NHL's best team during the regular season, the Islanders lost in 5 games.

Season standings

Atlantic Division	GP	W	L	OTL	GF	GA	PTS
New Jersey Devils	82	49	24	9	216	201	107
Pittsburgh Penguins	82	47	24	11	277	246	105
New York Rangers	82	42	30	10	242	216	94
New York Islanders	82	40	30	12	248	240	92
Philadelphia Flyers	82	22	48	12	214	303	56

Game log

October

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
1	October 5	NY Islanders	3 – 6	Phoenix		DiPietro	15,301	0–1–0	0
2	October 7	NY Islanders	0 – 2	San Jose		DiPietro	17,496	0–2–0	0
3	October 10	NY Islanders	2 – 4	Los Angeles		DiPietro	14,394	0–3–0	0
4	October 11	NY Islanders	5 – 4	Anaheim	SO	Dunham	12,394	1–3–0	2
5	October 14	Boston	1 – 4	NY Islanders		Dunham	14,732	2–3–0	4
6	October 16	Nashville	2 – 1	NY Islanders	SO	Dunham	9,431	2–3–1	5
7	October 19	Pittsburgh	4 – 3	NY Islanders	OT	Dunham	10,258	2–3–2	6
8	October 21	Carolina	3 – 4	NY Islanders	OT	DiPietro	12,349	3–3–2	8
9	October 26	Buffalo	3 – 0	NY Islanders		DiPietro	8,861	3–4–2	8
10	October 28	Florida	3 – 4	NY Islanders	SO	DiPietro	10,455	4–4–2	10
11	October 31	Chicago	2 – 5	NY Islanders		DiPietro	8,739	5–4–2	12

November

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
12	November 2	NY Islanders	5 – 2	New Jersey		DiPietro	8,269	6–4–2	14
13	November 4	Atlanta	4 – 1	NY Islanders		DiPietro	12,394	6–5–2	14
14	November 6	Tampa Bay	5 – 1	NY Islanders		Dunham	9,693	6–6–2	14
15	November 9	NY Islanders	3 – 1	Philadelphia		DiPietro	18,656	7–6–2	16
16	November 15	NY Islanders	3 – 0	Dallas		DiPietro	17,643	7–7–2	16
17	November 17	NY Islanders	2 – 3	Tampa Bay	SO	DiPietro	19,919	7–7–3	17
18	November 18	NY Islanders	4 – 1	Florida		Dunham	16,833	8–7–3	19
19	November 20	NY Islanders	2 – 4	Toronto		DiPietro	19,392	8–8–3	19
20	November 22	Carolina	2 – 4	NY Islanders		DiPietro	12,419	9–8–3	21
21	November 24	Pittsburgh	1 – 3	NY Islanders		DiPietro	15,625	10–8–3	23
22	November 25	Washington	1 – 4	NY Islanders		DiPietro	13,214	11–8–3	25
23	November 28	NY Islanders	2 – 3	Pittsburgh		DiPietro	17,082	12–8–3	27
24	November 30	Philadelphia	3 – 2	NY Islanders		Dunham	10,280	12–9–3	27

December

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
25	December 2	NY Islanders	5 – 3	Pittsburgh		DiPietro	17,025	13–9–3	29
26	December 3	NY Islanders	7 – 4	NY Rangers		DiPietro	18,200	14–9–3	31
27	December 5	Ottawa	4 – 2	NY Islanders		Dunham	8,741	14–10–3	31
28	December 7	Montreal	4 – 2	NY Islanders		DiPietro	9,551	14–11–3	31
29	December 9	Florida	4 – 5	NY Islanders	SO	DiPietro	12,825	15–11–3	33
30	December 15	NY Islanders	4 – 7	Pittsburgh		DiPietro	17,028	15–12–3	33
31	December 16	Atlanta	0 – 6	NY Islanders		DiPietro	10,452	16–12–3	35
32	December 19	NY Islanders	4 – 3	NY Rangers		DiPietro	18,200	17–12–3	37
33	December 22	NY Islanders	1 – 5	Carolina		DiPietro	18,252	17–13–3	37
34	December 23	Columbus	0 – 4	NY Islanders		DiPietro	11,797	18–13–3	39
35	December 26	NY Rangers	0 – 2	NY Islanders		DiPietro	16,234	19–13–3	41
36	December 27	NY Islanders	0 – 2	Ottawa		DiPietro	20,192	19–14–3	41
37	December 30	New Jersey	2 – 0	NY Islanders		DiPietro	16,234	19–15–3	41

January

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
38	January 1	NY Islanders	1 – 3	Buffalo		DiPietro	18,690	19–16–3	41
39	January 2	Philadelphia	3 – 2	NY Islanders		Dunham	10,461	19–17–3	41
40	January 4	NY Islanders	3 – 4	New Jersey		DiPietro	12,529	19–18–3	41
41	January 6	NY Islanders	2 – 4	Carolina		DiPietro	18,639	19–19–3	41
42	January 9	NY Islanders	5 – 3	NY Rangers		DiPietro	18,200	20–19–3	43
43	January 11	NY Islanders	5 – 4	Boston	SO	DiPietro	13,529	21–19–3	45
44	January 13	New Jersey	2 – 1	NY Islanders	OT	DiPietro	16,234	21–19–4	46
45	January 15	Tampa Bay	4 – 3	NY Islanders		DiPietro	15,426	21–20–4	46
46	January 16	NY Islanders	2 – 5	Pittsburgh		Dunham	16,958	21–21–4	46
47	January 18	NY Islanders	4 – 2	Philadelphia		DiPietro	19,118	22–21–4	48
48	January 26	NY Islanders	4 – 5	Atlanta	OT	Dunham	18,089	22–21–5	49
49	January 27	Buffalo	3 – 5	NY Islanders		DiPietro	15,218	23–21–5	51
50	January 30	Detroit	3 – 4	NY Islanders	OT	DiPietro	12,322	23–21–6	52

February

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
51	February 1	NY Islanders	5 – 2	Atlanta		Dunham	13,543	24–21–6	54
52	February 3	NY Islanders	4 – 2	Montreal		DiPietro	21,273	25–21–6	56
53	February 4	NY Islanders	1 – 2	Washington	SO	DiPietro	12,508	25–21–7	57
54	February 7	Philadelphia	0 – 2	NY Islanders		DiPietro	10,229	26–21–7	59
55	February 8	NY Islanders	0 – 2	New Jersey		DiPietro	10,110	26–22–7	59
56	February 10	NY Islanders	3 – 4	Boston	SO	DiPietro	16,854	26–21–8	60
57	February 13	NY Islanders	3 – 2	Toronto	SO	DiPietro	19,600	27–21–8	62
58	February 15	Boston	1 – 4	NY Islanders		DiPietro	10,079	28–22–8	64
59	February 17	New Jersey	2 – 0	NY Islanders		DiPietro	15,223	28–23–8	64
60	February 19	Pittsburgh	5 – 6	NY Islanders		DiPietro	15,472	29–23–8	66
61	February 22	Toronto	2 – 3	NY Islanders	SO	DiPietro	11,759	30–23–8	68
62	February 24	Montreal	2 – 3	NY Islanders		DiPietro	16,234	31–23–8	70
63	February 27	Philadelphia	5 – 6	NY Islanders		DiPietro	11,443	32–23–8	72

March

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
64	March 1	St. Louis	3 – 2	NY Islanders	OT	DiPietro	12,263	32–23–9	73
65	March 3	NY Islanders	6 – 2	Washington		DiPietro	16,453	33–23–9	75
66	March 5	NY Islanders	1 – 2	NY Rangers	SO	DiPietro	18,200	33–23–10	76
67	March 8	NY Rangers	2 – 1	NY Islanders		DiPietro	16,234	33–24–10	76
68	March 10	Washington	2 – 5	NY Islanders		DiPietro	15,764	34–24–10	78
69	March 13	NY Islanders	3 – 5	Montreal		Dunham	21,273	34–25–10	78
70	March 15	NY Islanders	1 – 5	Ottawa		Dunham	19,989	34–26–10	78
71	March 17	NY Islanders	5 – 8	Florida		Dunham	17,078	34–27–10	78
72	March 20	NY Islanders	3 – 4	Tampa Bay	OT	DiPietro	19,916	34–27–11	79
73	March 22	Pittsburgh	1 – 3	NY Islanders		DiPietro	14,574	35–27–11	81
74	March 24	NY Islanders	4 – 3	Philadelphia		DiPietro	19,422	36–27–11	83
75	March 25	NY Islanders	1 – 2	NY Rangers	OT	DiPietro	16,234	36–27–12	84
76	March 27	New Jersey	2 – 3	NY Islanders		Dunham	13,337	36–28–12	84
77	March 30	NY Islanders	4 – 6	Buffalo		Dunham	18,690	36–29–12	84
78	March 31	Ottawa	5 – 2	NY Islanders		Dubielewicz	15,598	36–30–12	84

April

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Record	Pts
79	April 3	NY Rangers	2 – 3	NY Islanders	SO	Dubielewicz	15,591	37–30–12	86
80	April 5	Toronto	2 – 5	NY Islanders		Dubielewicz	14,352	38–30–12	88
81	April 7	NY Islanders	4 – 2	Philadelphia		Dubielewicz	19,412	39–30–12	90
82	April 8	NY Islanders	3 – 2	New Jersey	SO	Dubielewicz	18,111	40–30–12	92

Green background indicates win.
Red background indicates regulation loss.
White background indicates overtime/shootout loss.

Playoffs

Main article: 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The New York Islanders earned the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: vs. (1) Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo wins series 4–1

#	Date	Visitor	Score	Home	OT	Decision	Attendance	Series
1	April 12	NY Islanders	1 – 4	Buffalo		Dubielewicz	18,690	0 – 1
2	April 14	NY Islanders	3 – 2	Buffalo		DiPietro	18,690	1 – 1
3	April 16	Buffalo	3 – 2	NY Islanders		DiPietro	16,234	1 – 2
4	April 18	Buffalo	4 – 2	NY Islanders		DiPietro	16,234	1 – 3
5	April 20	NY Islanders	3 – 4	Buffalo		DiPietro	18,690	1 – 4

Season Stats

Scoring Leaders

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

Player	GP	G	A	Pts	+/-	PIM
Jason Blake	82	40	29	69	1	34
Ryan Smyth	71	36	32	68	2	52
Miroslav Satan	81	27	32	59	-12	46
Mike Sillinger	82	26	33	59	5	46
Viktor Kozlov	81	25	26	51	12	28

as of April 9, 2007

Goaltending

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; OT = Overtime Losses; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	OT	GA	SO	Sv%	GAA
Rick DiPietro	62	3626	32	19	9	156	5	.919	2.58
Wade Dubielewicz	8	379	4	1	0	13	0	.934	2.06
Mike Dunham	19	979	4	10	3	61	0	.889	3.74

as of April 9, 2007

Transactions

Trades

October 25, 2006	To New York Islanders Eric Boguniecki	To Columbus Blue Jackets Ryan Caldwell
December 16, 2006	To New York Islanders Freddy Meyer conditional 3rd round pick in 2007	To Philadelphia Flyers Alexei Zhitnik
December 20, 2006	To New York Islanders Randy Robitaille 5th round pick in 2008	To Philadelphia Flyers Mike York
January 5, 2007	To New York Islanders Tomas Malec	To Ottawa Senators Matt Koalska
February 18, 2007	To New York Islanders Marc-Andre Bergeron 3rd round pick in 2008	To Edmonton Oilers Denis Grebeshkov
February 26, 2007	To New York Islanders Richard Zednik	To Washington Capitals 2nd round pick in 2007
February 27, 2007	To New York Islanders Ryan Smyth	To Edmonton Oilers Ryan O'Marra Robert Nilsson 1st round pick in 2007

Acquisitions

Player	Former Team
F Mike Sillinger	Nashville Predators
D Brendan Witt	Nashville Predators
F Andy Hilbert	Pittsburgh Penguins
D Tom Poti	New York Rangers
F Chris Simon	Calgary Flames
D Rick Berry	Nashville Predators
D Sean Hill	Florida Panthers
F Viktor Kozlov	New Jersey Devils
G Mike Dunham	Atlanta Thrashers
D Richard Park	Vancouver Canucks

Departures

Player	New Team
F Wyatt Smith	Minnesota Wild
F Eric Godard	Calgary Flames
D John Erskine	Washington Capitals
F Jeff Hamilton	Chicago Blackhawks

Draft Picks

The Islanders' picks at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver, British Columbia.^[6]

Round	#	Player	Position	Nationality	College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1	7	Kyle Okposo	Right Wing	United States	Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
2	60	Jesse Joensuu	Wing	Finland	Ässät (SM-Liiga)
3	70	Robin Figren	Wing	Sweden	Frölunda HC (Elitserien)
4	100	Rhett Rakhshani	Right Wing	United States	University of Denver(NCAA) /US National Team Development Program (USHL)
4	108	Jase Weslosky	Goalie	Canada	Sherwood Park Crusaders (AJHL)
4	115	Tomas Marcinko	Center	Slovakia	HC Košice (Slovak Extraliga)
4	119	Doug Rogers	Center	United States	Saint Sebastian's School (Independent School League)
5	141	Kim Johansson	Wing	Sweden	Malmo Jr.
6	160	Andrew MacDonald	Defenceman	Canada	Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)
6	171	Brian Day	Right Wing	United States	Governor Dummer (Independent School League)
6	173	Stefan Ridderwall	Goalie	Sweden	Djurgarden Jr.
7	190	Troy Mattila	Left Wing	United States	Springfield Jr. Blues (NAHL)

External links

Official website of the New York Islanders

References

Game log: New York Islanders game log on espn.com
Team standings: NHL standings on espn.com

^ "Lafontaine leaves post as senior advisor" Mark Hermann, Newsday, July 19, 2006
^ "DiPietro Signed to Fifteen Year Deal". Newyorkislanders.com. Retrieved on September 19, 2006.
^ http://www.newyorkislanders.com/pressbox/archive.asp?id=1247
^ TSN : NHL - Canada's Sports Leader
^ "Oilers trade forward Smyth to Islanders". tsn.ca. Retrieved on February 27, 2007.
^ 2006 NHL Entry Draft Results nhl.com - accessed December 9, 2006

2006–07 New York Islanders Roster

Goaltenders:

1 Dunham • 34 Dubielewicz • 39 DiPietro

Defensemen

3 Poti • 4 Bouchard • 6 Hill • 8 Gervais • 14 Campoli • 21 Quint • 24 Martínek • 32 Witt • 38 Rourke • 44 Meyer • 47 Bergeron • 49 Fata

Forwards

7 Hunter • 10 Park • 11 Hilbert • 12 Simon • 15 Tambellini • 17 Bates • 18 Sillinger • 20 Zednik • 25 Kozlov • 27 Robitaille • 45 Asham • 48 Regier • 51 Nielsen • 55 Blake • 79 Yashin • 81 Satan • 94 Smyth

General Manager: Garth Snow • Coach: Ted Nolan

v • d • e

New York Islanders seasons

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Bold indicates Stanley Cup victory

v • d • e 2006–07 NHL season by team

Atlantic	New Jersey • NY Islanders • NY Rangers • Philadelphia • Pittsburgh

Northeast	Boston • Buffalo • Montreal • Ottawa • Toronto

Southeast	Atlanta • Carolina • Florida • Tampa Bay • Washington

Central	Chicago • Columbus • Detroit • Nashville • St. Louis

Northwest	Calgary • Colorado • Edmonton • Minnesota • Vancouver

Pacific	Anaheim • Dallas • Los Angeles • Phoenix • San Jose

See also	2006 NHL Entry Draft • All-Star Game • Stanley Cup Playoffs • Finals • Transactions

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