First for a day

*The Islanders complete their six-game home stand when the Devils come to town Saturday. Regardless of the outcome, the stretch has been a major success as the Isles went 4-1 and climbed to the top of the Atlantic Division, albeit for 24 hours.

*The powerplay units continue to fire on all cylinders. They converted eight of 29 chances (27.6%) during the home stretch, though just one for 13 in the last three games. The team is currently ranked fifth in the league (23.6%) in that department. Bryan Berard’s imminent return will only add to those numbers.

*Andy Hilbert has miraculously retained his spot on a scoring line. The winger, noted by Coach Ted Nolan for his defensive play, is a team-worst –6 with no points in twelve games while averaging 14:45. Granted, he makes the occasional heads-up play on the PK.

Hot

Rick DiPietro has won four of his last five starts, not including the Penguins game when he was knocked out of action after receiving a high stick from Sidney Crosby. DP has stopped 72 of 76 shots in his last three games, good enough for a .947 SV%. He is ranked seventh in the league in wins (7) and his 2.58 GAA and .906 SV% have been significant factors in the Isles success in the early-going.

Mike Comrie (5-10=15,-1) has scored once in his last ten games since his four goals in the home-and-home series with the Sabres. But Comrie’s playmaking abilities are really showing, as he has a goal and six assists in his last five games. Four of those seven points were scored on the powerplay.

Miroslav Satan (4-6=10,+3) opened the season with one assist in his first six games, but has since turned it on in a big way. Satan has a six-game point-scoring streak going, with four goals and five assists in that span. Only one of Satan’s points this season has come on the powerplay.

Ruslan Fedotenko (5-6=11,-1) has scored three goals and an assist in his last four games. Fedotenko is currently on pace for a 34-goal, 75-point campaign.

Trent Hunter (4-2=6,-1) has brought his ‘A’ game over the past week. After going six games without a point, Hunter has scored four points in four games, including a goal in each of his last three.

Mike Sillinger (1-4=5,-4) has finally started seeing his name on the score sheet. Sillinger had just a pair of assists over the first eight games of the season, but he has scored a goal and two assists in his last four,

Marc-Andre Bergeron (2-4=6,-1) has three points (1-2=3) in the four games since his return from being a healthy scratch. Perhaps more impressive is his +2 rating over the span.

Cold

Bill Guerin (5-6=11,-2) followed his two-game four-goal outburst with just one goal in four games, though not for a lack of trying. Guerin has taken no less than four shots in his last seven games.

Chris Campoli (2-7=9,-1) has cooled off over the last three games, though his lack of points doesn’t look so bad with a +4 rating next to it. This after notching seven assists in his prior three. For all that’s said about Berard and Bergeron, Campoli has quietly led the Isles powerplay night after night. Seven of Campoli’s nine points have come on the powerplay.

Projected lines:

Fedotenko-Comrie-Hunter
Hilbert-Sillinger-Guerin
Park-Vasicek-Satan
Simon-Walter-Jackman

Witt-Martinek
Sutton-Bergeron
Campoli-Gervais

PP1: Campoli-Bergeron-Fedotenko-Comrie-Guerin
PP2: Sutton-Gervais-Hunter-Sillinger-Satan

On the mend:
*D Bryan Berard (groin) is close to returning.
*F Sean Bergenheim (upper body) is day-to-day.
*F/D Aaron Johnson (knee) is expected to miss six weeks, retroactive 11/5.
*F Shawn Bates (groin/hernia) is expected to return soon.
*F Jon Sim (knee) is out for the season.

Upcoming schedule:
Sat. 11/10 vs. New Jersey
Mon. 11/12 @ Philadelphia
Thu. 11/15 @ Pittsburgh
Fri. 11/16 @ New Jersey
Mon. 11/19 @ Rangers

Direct questions and comments to FantasyNYI@hotmail.com.