And We Have a Winner......

With a 6-1 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Islanders are officially the winners in the NHL's race to last place. With this "victory", the Islanders will have the best odds at grabbing the first overall draft pick (48%) in Tuesday night's draft lottery and are guaranteed either the first or second pick. But what exactly does that mean?

-The Islanders will either pick John Tavares or Victor Hedman in the 2009 NHL Draft.

-There is a very good chance of being able to grab John Tavares. Despite the fact that the Isles' odds of picking first are only 48%, there is a good chance that if the Lightning or Avalanche get the first pick, they will go with Hedman. I feel strongly in this regard about the Lightning due to the fact that they drafted forward Steven Stamkos last year and already have offensive weapons in Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. They need to sure up the blue line. So, I'd say the Isles' shot at Tavares is over 50% despite what the lottery odds may say.

-The hype around this team will absolutely skyrocket after Tuesday night's draft lottery. Even people outside of hockey circles realize the hype around John Tavares and the impact he will have on a franchise like the Islanders.

Further Reading
Be sure to check out a great blog entry by Chris Botta on Islanders Point Blank about what the Islanders' PR staff should do if the Islanders get the first overall pick on Tuesday night.

Okposo Net's Ken Dick wrote a nice entry about finishing last as well.

HNLI Mid-Week Update

The latest in Islander Country:

NHL Draft Lottery TV Info: The NHL has announced that both TSN and Versus will be broadcasting the 2009 NHL Draft Lottery live on Tuesday, April 14 at 8 PM EST. The Islanders, who are close to clinching last place, may very well be guaranteed the first or second pick in the draft. Click here to check out the announcement from NHL.com.

Magic Number Down to 2: With the Islanders' 9-0 loss last night in Carolina and Colorado's 1 point in an overtime loss to San Jose, the Islanders' magic number to clinch last place is 2 points. The Islanders can clinch tomorrow night with a loss against former captain Bill Guerin and the Pittsburgh Penguins (until then Tampa technically has a shot)...and speaking of Bill Guerin......

Conditional Pick Now a 4th Rounder: Thanks to some key losses last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched a playoff berth. For the Islanders, this means that the conditional pick that the team received in the Bill Guerin trade has appreciated from a 5th rounder to a 4th rounder. If the Pens advance past the first round of the playoff, the pick will become a 3rd rounder.

Isles Sign Weight to a 1-year Extension: In what is being applauded by fans as a win-win kind of deal, the Isles signed a contract extension with Doug Weight. With a cap hit of just over $2 million next season, the Islanders will continue to get great veteran leadership and a guy who hustles night in and night out.

Interesting Roundtable and Lighthouse Discussion

Saturday's (April 4) episode of Hockey Night on Long Island was certainly a memorable one. With an tumultuous situation surrounding the chase for last place, hosts Alex and Steve were joined by "representatives" from the blogging communities of both the Colorado Avalanche and Tampa Bay Lightning. Needless to say, putting fans who have become used to losing together on the same program makes for some interesting banter. This one-of-a-kind segment is definitely worth catching on the archive if you missed Saturday's live broadcast. You can also subscribe to the podcast version by searching "Hockey Night on Long Island" in the iTunes music store.

Saturday's HNLI also touched upon the chaos that is the Lighthouse Project, the Soundtigers' playoff stint at the Coliseum, college free agents, the final four, and much more.

HNLI Home Stretch Episode Saturday

As we enter the home stretch of the 2008-2009 Islanders' season, HNLI is excited to bring you what should be another awesome episode of Hockey Night on Long Island this Saturday at 3:30 PM EST. With just 5 games remaining in the season, HNLI will spotlight the race for last place and the first overall draft pick with a truly one-of-a-kind round table. Hosts Alex and Steve will be joined by bloggers from both the Colorado Avalanche and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the remaining teams in the Tavares sweepstakes, to discuss the high stake conundrum that could change the future of three franchises. In addition to draft talk, HNLI will feature the latest in Islanders' news and the big time developments in the Lighthouse saga. Like always, we encourage our listeners to call, IM, and join us in the HNLI chatroom for the best banter around. Don't miss what is set to be an entertaining hour of hockey chatter.

The "Biggest Loser" blog can be found just below. Be sure to keep checking Alex's commentary on the race for last place.

HNLI LIVE TOMORROW 2/7 3:30 PM EST

Be sure to tune into Hockey Night on Long Island tomorrow, 2/7, at 3:30 PM EST. Hosts Alex and Steve will be joined by special guest Andy Facini (Islanders Castaway Blog) to talk about everything surrounding the New York Islanders. They will talk about the upcoming NHL Trade Deadline, the NHL Entry Draft and much more. Also, they will be joined by Cassie (Boltsblog.net) to recap Tuesday's game against the Lightning and preview that night's game. Of course, listeners are encouraged to call in (718-664-9597), IM us (AIM: hockeynightli) and partcipate in the HNLI Chat Room during the show. It should be a great episode of HNLI tomorrow at 3:30 PM. To listen, visit www.show.hockeynightonlongisland.com