Back to the Drawing Board... Again

Maple Leafs 3: Islanders 1

The Islanders finally scored a goal. They had jump. They had life. They had the crowd at Nassau Coliseum cheering. But what they didn't get rid of was penalties- and consequently, what they didn't keep was the lead. Again.

Three third-period Toronto goals carried the Leafs over the Isles, 3-1, after two periods of a 1-0 lead which, if kept, would have given them their first win in six games. Instead, the Isles are sent further into their tailspin, with their losing streak now at six. Vesa Toskala made 24 saves, shaking off a major miscue that led to the Islander shorthanded goal- a 188-foot cruiser that eluded his glove and was eventually credited to Rob Davison (his first goal as an Islander). On the other side, with Rick DiPietro out reportedly for the rest of the season (hip- more on that later) Wade Dubielewicz was in net, and was strong with 26 saves, but he couldn't overcome the penalties his teammates were taking- last night, the game-winner by Pavel Kubina was a power-play goal. Kyle Wellwood also scored and had an assist, and Alexei Ponikarovsky had the empty-netter and an assist on Wellwood's goal.

Kyle Okposo's NHL debut went well- one thing I noticed was the power he has on his skates. He's a strong skater, and he definitely like to shoot the puck- he even had a wraparound attempt after Wellwood's goal in the third. He still has some work to do, no doubt- but of course it's only his first game; he has a while to work on it, especially considering the Islanders don't need to worry about the playoffs anymore.

As for Rick DiPietro, he's now added to the ever-growing list of injuries, as his hip troubles have cost him the season (as per TSN: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=232336&hubname=nhl ). He has undergone an MRI; the broadcasters at MSG Plus report that he will be re-evaluated Wednesday, but TSN says that surgery may be performed on Wednesday as well. Either way, Dubielewicz is the starter from here on out, with Joey MacDonald up from Bridgeport as backup.