Don't think they are smiling tonight.
A little late but here's my Islanders season wrap-up. It's pretty clear to most who don't live in a cave that the Islanders have a lot of work ahead of them. I don't believe much will come of the team until a change of team ownership occurs. With that in mind, in the spirit of Angie's grading system, every Islander has earned an 'A' for the simple fact of being an Islander. I do believe something came out of this season; that being a manifestation of the mantra posted at the top of this blog: "Sticks in a bundle are unbreakable". I chose this mantra because it seemed important that some type of bond form on the team, a core energy to draw from to calm the instability that is the makeup and management of the team. Didn't see much of an Alpha male on the ice taking up a leadership role but time and time again these fellas (or at least most of them) made lemonade out of lemons. What I liked most about the season, again related to the mantra is that there seemed to be an increase in contributions made throughout the entire team, none too small, and that the workload was shared among many players rather than a handful who were expected to excel at the game. Sure I'd like to see the Isles kick it to the play-offs but until that happens I can handle it if they don't win as long as there are points of growth, subtle as they may be, to bank for a later date.
in other news...
Was called a hockey geek by those who know geekiness...MAC geeks. This is how the story went - Islanders playing the Rangers - needed to get an adaptor from the Apple store - torn between watching the game and going to the Apple store - problem solved - watched 1st period - drove to Apple store during intermission - watched 2nd period at Apple store - drove back during intermission - you know the rest. Proof of hockey geek title worthiness below:
So far only two NHL fan sightings in NYC during the playoffs.
For $400 it probably should look like DP
Even in the cold, Jones Beach is the place to be. Pictured below are the new Islanders starting forwards. Would be great if one of them pooped on Darcy Tucker. 
To the guy on the Meadowbrook Parkway who used his jacket to carry a dead goose to the grass median and then nuzzled the goose's beak into its wing - you are awesome and should be cloned. A Fu Man Chu to you sir, well deserved.
and last but not least:
Dear Blackhawks,
I am writing regarding the Stanley Cup Finals that begin tonight. The Flyers have gained a momentum during the playoffs so if you don't stun them in the 1st period, by the middle of the 2nd period it will look like they were only stretching/warming up until then. More importantly, they believe they can win which is more of a threat coming from a lower seeded team. Sit back on your heels at any time and I will be forced to endure more texts like this one. 
Please do what you can to make these texts stop because there is nothing better than a silent Flyers fan.
Sincerely,
Christine
Ya so Angie is having computer issues so for now ya’ll are stuck with just me. Lucky you. Thing is, I’ve been uber busy so the Islanders and hockey in general this season have been a blur.
Brendan Witt has left the building. That sucks. What sucks more is too many Isles fans yapping about how #32 didn’t fit into the system (which may not have been a bad thing mind you), was too slow of a skater blah blah blah blah. How short of a memory some Isles fans have. When Ted Nolan left as coach it was Brendan Witt who was the glue that held the team together and dare I say the fan base. Everyone, meaning everyone collectively looked to Witt when Isles fans were like WTF? is with this ownership and with the future of the team? It’s one thing for a player to be a commodity to management, but it’s a sad day when someone as dedicated to this team and a lover of Long Island becomes a commodity to a fan base that Brendan Witt served well both on and off the ice.
Moving on –
Let’s see…Angie covered Andy Sutton being traded, Isles win over Chicago followed by loss to Atlanta…uh hold on….ring ring…yes this is she who is this…Satan is that you? I thought you were in hell?...oh you’re on the Bruins now?...same thing?...what? Comeau? Hat-trick? Hell froze over? Excellent. Quite possibly Mr. “six goals in two games” figured it was better to play like he is able than to be right as I suggested some blog posts ago…or not as the case may be.
Islanders lost to the Bruins 3-2, Satan came to town for real, Mark Streit earned his 200th career NHL point, Josh Bailey scored his 14th goal of the season (you can do better than that though…stickwork stickwork stickwork) and Matt Moulson scored his 23rd goal of the season, excuse me Mighty Matt Moulson as I understand him to be…the dark horse coming from behind and now in front as the Isles leading scorer.
The Isles then tripped to Philly. Let’s get the most important point out of the way –
(Getty Image)
THERE WILL BE NO MORE OF THAT MARTIN BIRON! I don’t care if you played for that team, you are an Islander now so knock it off.
Although not at the Wachovia Center for this game, I was able to watch it on TV until sometime late in the 2nd period, once the energy of the Islanders shifted, I turned the game off to avoid the outcome - although my friend AJ was more than happy to text me updates. FlyerDork. Despite the fact that the Isles started off strong with goals from both John Tavares and Kyle Okposo in the 1st period, the Flyers won afriggingain! 15 in a row. What a way to ruin a game that started out so well for the Isles with three penalties in the 3rd period causing two goals for the Flyers. High-sticking and boarding were the penalties – will they ever learn?
Was able to watch most of the St. Louis game. To sum it up – ping pong hockey ending with Martin Biron looking completely unaware he was a NHL goalie in a shoot out. Where he ‘went’, only Biron knows…or not as the case may be.
Rick DiPietro out for who knows how long, Doug Weight out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder boo-boo and to make this rainy day darker – the Flyers beat Chicago today.
My eyes burn when seeing Phoenix that high in league standings? How the h-e double hockey sticks did that happen?
Tonight the Isles host the Devils (7pm) and then host the Maple Leafs tomorrow (5pm).
LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!
ps. the WTF? is with this ownership and with the future of the team? still stands.
Last week I listed three potential outcomes for the Islanders when they played in Philadelphia Tuesday night. The Isles chose option two -
2. Get sucked into Flyers drama, lose the game and potentially someone gets hurt.
Islanders 2 : Flyers 6
Isles quickly got sucked into Flyers drama, they L-O-S-T and Tim Jackman left the game in the 1st period with a boo-boo and did not return. So my thought is now that if I keep going to Isles games in Philly sooner or later they will win at the Wachovia…or not. It is amazing how regressed the Isles look when playing Philly. A win for Biron would have been nice being back at his old stomping grounds for the first time since leaving Philly but he looked out of it most of the game, culminating in the 3rd period when he was knocked down during a gloves off pile up where Flyers defenseman Matt Carle landed on Biron. Where do you go from there? The club box bar or home I guess…beer it was since the only superstition I have about watching the Isles (since being a kid) is leaving the game before it’s over.
The Isles did rally in the second period. John Tavares scored two power play goals and as an added bonus said goodbye to part of a tooth, wonder if the tooth fairy gives partial payment. Kyle Okposo busted quite a few moves this game, he just never let up which made other Isles look “lazy” as one Flyers fan put it. Why Blake Comeau was not in this game, against this team is beyond me. But that’s why I’m the fan and Scott Gordon is the coach.
Islanders 2 : Leafs 3
Didn’t get to see the Isles in Toronto but seemed to mirror some aspects of the Flyers game, coming back from behind with two goals from Tavares, except the gap in score was smaller in Toronto, 2-0 before Tavares’s goals compared to 4-0 in Philly. On a side note, don’t know if I’ve ever witnessed a scoring pattern like Philly had, Mike Richards with two in the 1st period, Jeff Carter with two in the 2nd, and Claude Giroux with two in the 3rd. Freaky deaky.
Bruins 2 : Islanders 3 (OT)
Then came a big win against Boston which Angie has recapped, a fine recap at that, so I’ll just add some notes. Howie Rose stated this was Blake Comeau’s best game this season and it appears many Isles fans agree. Isles fan comments also seemed to relay that this was a team win, as Angie pointed out – who didn’t play well? Although I was thrilled to see the Isles prevail against a solid opponent, something about the way goals were celebrated by some players, including the pile-on when Frans Nielsen scored in OT for the win was bittersweet. On one hand it was great to see what looked like shear infectious joy and on the other I thought to myself…dudes it’s not the playoffs, it’s one game of many, with many more to go. Reactions like these are always hard to put in writing so I’ll sum it up this way – I love this team, always will but let’s not look like the Bad News Bears of hockey and hockey fandom. And yes Howie, Billy and d’lovely Angie…the team is ‘young’ – I get it…learning curve and all. Last note - saw the post game interview with Bruin’s coach Claude Julien where he made a few references to Dwayne Roloson keeping the Isles in the game…er…what game were you watching? Come on coach, give credit where credit is due – the T-E-A-M d’Isles outplayed your team.
And then there’s Maude…
For those who are not from in and around my generation – and then there’s the Panthers game.
Panthers 7 : Islanders 1
O to the U to the C to the H. The return of Andy Sutton didn’t seem to make a dent and as it was with the team win vs. Boston, this was a team loss, so much seemed to go wrong for individual players and the team as a unit. Beyond that, Roloson looked as exposed this game as Biron did in Philly on Tuesday. The play-by-play wasn’t pretty as you probably saw or read by now and bleh that the Isles have to head into a home ice exchange with the Rangers so soon after. Since this NY rivalry is as much a mental one as it is physical, let’s see if the Isles can do what Mark Streit suggested in an interview after the game, “…Every player needs to do some soul searching and go home and think about what happened” (1). Along with that I’d like to add ‘go home and get some rest’ which will be the topic of a blogpost follow up to this one regarding what I think is the Isle’s biggest challenge, the ability to rest and rejuvenate between games. Athletes, especially hockey players, must either know how or learn how…and that’s ‘must’ as in, if they want to.
And with that I should take my own advice at 4:30am, exhausted and one too many Swedish Fish eaten. Goodnight.
LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!
(1) quote from www.nhl.com
Islanders 4 : Maple Leafs 3 (OT)
Tonight’s matchup brought about the final game of the Isle’s 7 game road trip and a chance to redeem themselves from their unfortunate outcomes versus the Wild and Blues. On the other bench…Toronto possibly flying a bit higher having just beat #8 and the other dudes on that team on Saturday night in a shoot out.
Kyle Okposo was called for hooking 39 seconds into the 1st period, not much came of it. Okposo’s second penalty for tripping (@5:30) opened a door to more intense hockey with the Isles mustering up a few chances at a short-handed goal. Once again at even strength we saw a couple of pile-ups in front of Vesa Toskala and some steady pressure applied by the Isles including a Trent Hunter – Matt Moulson – John Tavares combo ending with Moulson spinning around to shoot on goal, denied by Toskala but a nice effort and for Moulson, foreshadowing. The rest of this period brought about some ping-pong hockey, Jack Hillen in the sin bin for holding the stick of John Mitchell (@11:36), Alexei Ponikarovsky denied on a one-on-one with Dwayne Roloson, Trent Hunter’s shot that sounded like it hit the cross bar, and Mitchell trying to put a hit on Okposo which only seemed to cause discomfort for himself. Towards the end of the period Toronto was getting too close to Roloson for comfort, however little did anyone know that Roloson was in a zone that would define this game whether the Isles won or lost.
I was able to get back to watching the game seconds before the Isles first goal in the 2nd period. Ian White took a shot on goal, Mark Streit retrieved the puck off the rebound and sent it up to Jeff Tambellini who was already headed in the right direction at center ice - he continued to boogie down, Toronto’s defense MIA, then shoots one-on-one up high past Toskala (@ 11:04). About a minute or so later Hunter brings the puck out of a race for the puck match with Luke Schenn, sends it cross ice (a hold yer’ breath moment waiting to get past the potential interception/breakaway a cross ice pass can bring) to Hillen who sent it in towards the net only to be tipped in by Moulson (@12:23), his 11th goal of the season. In about as much time between the back-to-back goals Sean Bergenheim scored a short handed goal while Andy Sutton was serving two minutes for holding (@12:43). It was like Bergenheim had a quarterback split second moment, deciding whether to pass the ball or run with it – instead of clearing the puck Bergenheim chose to skate with it, cross ice (L to R) into an open pocket (rt. circle) that gave him enough space to send a wrist shot past Toskala (@14:17). It was at this point when Toskala left the game with what was later reported as a groin injury. The hope that the Isles would head into the locker room with a three goal lead was thwarted starting with Brendan Witt knocking Matt Stajan’s stick down on the ice behind the Isle’s net – puck rounds the boards leading to a four man dig between Freddy Meyer, Ponikarovsky, Tambellini and last into the mix Tomas Kaberle - his dig at the puck popped it out across the net, picked up by Stajan who had turned back to retrieve his stick and then came around the net wide open to give a short pass to Phil Kessel (two-on-one with Brendan Witt) who then scored and made it a 3-1 game.
Ending with a goal in the 2nd period must have lit a fire under the Leafs, they brought back their momentum seen in the 1st period which seemed to drop quickly after Tambellini’s goal. A few minutes into the 3rd period Wayne Primeau scored (@2:10) shortly followed by Streit in the sin bin for holding (@4:10). Even though the Isles were up by 1, at this point, the game outcome was anybody’s guess - with Toronto driving at the net, Isles doing too much chasing, Roloson exhibiting super powers but for how long? Ugh…Toronto scores and ties the game – Stajan passes to Niklas Hagman who blows past Meyer and then Roloson (@9:18). Camera pans to Coach Gordon who looked pissed. Who wouldn’t be? One last Isles penalty on Nate Thompson for holding (@17:04) before the period ended, into OT they went.
Roloson came up with a spectacular glove save on a shot by Hagman and Josh Bailey came up with a spectacular winning goal (@4:17) assisted by Bergenheim’s spectacular pass…BUT before the pass and goal happened was Bruno Gervais coming up behind Kessler and sending the puck in on net. The way he surged, the right timing, the right place is what I’ll remember most about this game.
So in the end Roloson kicks NHL butt at age 40 with a career high of 58 saves, Tavares and Moulson get a win with added bonus of Moulson’s goal, in front of their hometown family and friends, Josh Bailey shows up yet once again and Coach Gordon’s head did not explode…all is well.
Next up – Flyers come to town on Wednesday. As fate would have it, I will be at an event in Philly that night which means talking trash with Flyers fans and hunting for a TV. Oh joy.
Now that Tambellini and Bailey are off ‘code red playing less than capable’ radar…
Attention Blake Comeau - sooner or later you are going to have to decide whether it’s more important to be right or play great hockey. It’s not often that I walk into the Coliseum, watch a game and ask…WHO is that new guy? Top draft picks are great, so are raw pieces of clay.
LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!
Islanders 0 : Sabres 3
The recap of this game could probably not be stated better than Butch ‘fly suit and tie’ Goring’s post game analysis. This was one of those games where even if you possess only basic hockey knowledge, it would not be hard to understand why the Isles lost. Penalties without purpose, shots on goal and face-offs won. Oh and Ryan Miller was his own fortress. Now that I can finally root for my favorite NHL goalie, props given to Martin Biron for stopping 34, almost all healthy, shots on goal.
What stuck out most was the Isles defensive positioning on the first two goals of the game. More specifically, Brendan Witt and Bruno Gervais’s positioning on Derek Roy’s power play goal (1st period @ 8:27)…
…and then Gervais’s positioning on Thomas Vanek’s power play goal (2nd period @ 17:13).
The third goal was a matter of Paul Gaustad picking up the puck from the boards and winning a dig match versus Mark Streit and Biron @ 16:19 in the 3rd period. The ref’s call on this was ‘no goal’ until reversed by formal review.
Beyond the Islander’s contributions to the outcome of the game was most likely the Sabre’s intention to not get spanked again by the Isles like they did on Halloween. Simply put, they had to win - anyone who ever had to compete knows how strong the drive is to avoid getting shut out…again…by a team you think you’re better than.
Next up – Isles @ Devils tonight, 7pm.
Josh Bailey – you’re still up. Don’t get lost between 21 and 91. Better yet, Coach Gordon don’t let that happen.
Let’s Go Islanders!!
Oilers 1 : Islanders 3
About ½ hour before scaring the bejesus out of my dogs, I took this picture of Lily and Maddy. We’ve been at my mom’s while Lily recuperates from fracturing her L6 for which I am to blame – tripping over her as we were on our way out the door last week. Even though Maddy (11) is younger than Lily (14), like a Boxer she is protective over those she loves and has been by Lily’s side 24/7 – nurse Maddy as we now call her. So there they were fast asleep as I was doing this and that for work with NHL on the Fly in the background. On came the recap of the Isles/Oilers game, the outcome of the game not known prior to the recap - Ethan Moreau scores…John Tavares scores…Brendan Witt scores…
“awesome”
look up at TV for the replay
type type type on laptop type type type
Brendan Witt scores again…
WHHHHAAAAATTTTTT???
The loudness of WHAT? = Maddy jumping up to her feet and Lily jumping up to her shoulders…both looking at me as if to say “Where’s the fire?”. Would have texted Angie as she had probably already been celebrating aka tweeting about one of her favorite Isle’s accomplishment but was too busy wiping up the tea I spilled when standing up to reassure the dogs I hadn’t lost it completely – so Mr. Witt is to blame for the spill as well. If he would have gotten the hat trick quite possibly that would have warranted assigning him blame for the US economy.
Because we bloggers are of the opinion that Witt can do no wrong, rather than assign pseudo blame a Fu Man Chu is awarded instead.
As for the team, whatever is fueling ya’ll, make sure you take it with you as you shuffle off to Buffalo. Shuffle all over Buffalo.
Josh Bailey…you’re up.
LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!
Post blog note: it was pointed out to me this morning that Lily and Maddy's position sorta looks like the letter W, obviously they are fans of Witt. Yes it does, yes they are, dude you need more hobbies. : )
Sabres 0 : Islanders 5
Tampa Bay 1 : Islanders 3
Youth movement. Did the Islander powers that be really have a choice? Sorta. Management’s decision to focus on youth has become an organic process all on its own due to the number of Isles sidelined with injuries. According to my math skills here are some stats:
Average age of Isles main roster is 28
Average age of Isles stats roster is 26.63
Average age of Bridgeport players called up is 23.9
Five Bridgeport players were called upon to fill in the gaps against Tampa Bay; Mike Iggulden, Jesse Joensuu, Joel Rechlicz, Mitch Fritz and Jamie Fraser who made his debut in the NHL.
Richard Park wowed the crowd by scoring just 23 seconds into the game, his 14th goal of the season. After receiving a pass from Joensuu, Park spun around on the left side of the net and wrapped the puck past Mike McKenna. A few minutes later Mitch Fritz and David Koci went at it (4:55) resulting in both serving 5 minutes for fighting and Koci also serving a 10 minute misconduct. Radek Martinek joined Fritz after being called for hooking (5:38) and although Tampa Bay fired off a round of shots on Yann Danis, it was clear that Danis was back on track after Thursday night’s loss to Montreal and after TBs Ryan Malone crashed into him earlier in the period. Isles defense did a nice job at protecting their goalie who made 29 saves while maintaining his usual calm aura. The Isles also took their own round of shots midway into the 1st and then there was a loud ‘thud’, looked around to find the cause of the thud but nothing…until, like jack(s) in the box, Brendan Witt and Ryan Malone both popped up from below the boards – thud mystery solved. At 17:37 Adam Hall served two minutes for hooking while his team denied the Isles scoring chances. Park was called for off sides during the power play and with under a minute to go in the period, Blake Comeau lost his stick while taking a shot on goal.
Don’t know what was said to Tampa Bay players during the intermission but it was clear they redirected their play, drilling off some shots on Danis, some close calls about 5 minutes into the 2nd period. That was followed by some ping pong hockey surrounding two Tampa Bay penalties, Martins Karsums for hooking (6:21) and Paul Szczechura for hi-sticking (13:01). While Szczechura was in the box, Bruno Gervais faked a shot and then passed to Martinek who fired the puck over McKennas’s shoulder (14:52), putting the Isles up 2-0. Although Rechlicz exchanged words with Koci a few times this period, Rechlicz found a new fighting partner in Zenon Konopka - both served 5 minutes for fighting and Rechicz was also pegged with a two minute charging penalty that was served by Mike Iggulden (14:59). While on the power play, Tampa Bay scored their only goal of the game, Matt Pettinger with a backhand wrist shot (16:38). Jack Hillen was called for hi-sticking (17:26) and after the buzzer sounded players from both teams piled up in an unfriendly group hug against the boards before leaving the ice.
Shortly into the 3rd period it appeared as if both teams got their second wind. Another pile up occurred involving Martinek, Steve Stamkos, Witt and Ryan Malone but no penalties were called. While Matt Smaby was serving time for hooking (8:54), Comeau did what he does well (and needs to be utilized more for) – a sweet pass to Josh Bailey who scored his 7th goal of the season (9:14), Isles up 3-1. After Bailey’s goal, some people in my section started chanting “John Tavares”…alrighty then. Yet another pile up took place, this time involving Tim Jackman (ha ha I typed Hugh Jackman at first) Karsums and Witt. Witt served two minutes for roughing while Karsums was assigned 4 minutes, two of them served by Evgeny Artyukhin (13:52). After Tampa Bay pulled McKenna with a minute to go in the game and then called a time out, two things were broken - Richard Park’s stick and the Isles three game losing streak.
Granted playing with new teammates can take up a lot of energy/focus, but what I didn’t see during this game from the youngins’ were sparks of their individual style of play. There is a wide open space of opportunity for any Bridgeport player called up. Who knows how long the Isles roster will remain fragile soooo young grasshoppers, Carpe Diem or in this case Carpe Game!
LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!
Montreal 5 : Islanders 1
Some rewind…saw some of the worst Isles hockey against the Wild, saw what was probably the best Isles hockey against the Wings. And then came the Flyers…what the??? Angie I don’t know whether or not there is anyone who dislikes the Flyers as much as I do, but one thing is for sure – there is no other team that I detest the Isles losing to than the Flyers. My sister Donna was able to come to the game so…ah never mind…it was great to have her there but it didn’t make our team losing to Silladelphia any less suckier, especially after texts from Flyer fan friends started rolling in during the game. And just for the record - no S. Jersey and Philly people I will not say ‘park the car in the garage’ for your amusement. Eat your cheese steaks while watching your hockey team again and again choke in the end…and have a nice day. Oh and Angie – Witt in the shoot out - thought that was possibly a symbolic gesture that Coach Gordon and Witt have kissed and made up. Missed the Isles vs. Caps game…bleh the Isles lost.
I flaked out on who the Isles were playing last night until entering the Coliseum and hearing the shrieking noise Habs fans make which goes right through my spine. Although Freud might say I have fan envy because it would be great to hear Isles fans cheer as loud as Habs fans cheer, no matter if their team is winning or losing. This time around Habs fans cheered for their team as they scored, scored, scored, then scored, then scored again.
I arrived to the game at the beginning of the 2nd period, greeted by a scoreboard that read 2-0 Habs, Saku Koivu (13:03) and Mathieu Schneider (18:31) both scoring on the power play, and an Isles bench missing Kyle Okposo and Mark Streit due to injury and Dean McAmmond due to illness. Filling in the gaps were Bridgeport’s Trevor Smith and Sean Bentivoglio, playing in his first NHL game. Andy Hilbert left the game due to a rib injury.
Shortly into the 2nd, Alex Tanguary sent a wrist shot past Yann Danis (1:11) and a few minutes later while Tim Jackman was in the sin bin for slashing (2:44), Andrei Markov brought the score to 4-0 by building on a nice pass from Saku Koivu, a snap shot goal (3:12). Seconds later Joel Rechlicz and Georges Laraque dropped the gloves, both served 5 minutes for fighting. Psst…Joel…don’t let your opponent take the stance of ‘so are you going to fight or what?’ especially on home ice. At 9:05 in the period Jeff Tambellini scored his 7th goal of the season – a slap shot that sailed past Jaroslav Halak. Psst…Jeff…just keep on shedding that underachieving skin and all will be a-ok.
44 seconds into the 3rd period Mike Komisarek scored the Habs final goal with a slap shot that flew past Yann Danis. Although Danis appeared tired during this game, he rose to the occasion when stopping Tom Kostopoulos’s penalty shot, the shot was a result of Joe Callahan hooking Kostopoulos on a breakaway. A funny moment came with about 6:30 to go in the game when Habs fans attempted the wave – across the ice a young Isles fan stood up to continue the wave but was tugged down by another young Isles fan sitting next to him – who appeared to then explain to him that doing the wave with Habs fans was not cool. It was also at this time when Habs fans began singing ‘nah nah nah nah hey hey goodbye’ and Isles fans obliged with a mass exodus from the Coliseum.
The downside to this game beyond losing was the Isles racking up 10 penalties. The upsides to this game were watching what the Isles defense has been able to do well lately – clear the puck out of their zone. This is the kind of defensive momentum the Isles are in need of and if this effort stays alive and bridges over into next session, no doubt fewer goals will be scored against the Isles. Also, the Isles offense made some decent rushes on net and despite the score, didn’t play it safe. No risk no reward is the way to go next season for the offense and the team overall.
Next up is Isles vs. Tampa Bay on Saturday night.
LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!
Islanders 3: Sabres 4 (SO)
In Buffalo, where the snow piles high and the hockey is fierce, the Sabres haven't been exactly consistent lately, and it almost showed last night. But they were able to cling to the two points, besting the Islanders in a shootout after receiving the scare of their season.
New York took the first three shots on goal and then had the first power play, which started out tight but slowly faded in the last minute after a couple of great saves by Ryan Miller. Throughout the period, they had some spurts of offense but nothing really flowed. Buffalo, meanwhile, got things cooking on the power play as Ales Kotalik passed to Maxim Afinigenov down low, who in turn hit Jochen Hecht in front for Hecht's fourth of the year.
The Islanders tied it up in the second with help from an unlikely source: Jeff Tambellini, the struggling young left wing who finally found the break in the clouds. Josh Bailey passed to Tambellini in the corner, who passed cross-ice to Mark Streit and then darted to the net to collect Streit's pass on a practically empty net, with Miller out of position. It was a well-deserved break for Tamby, who has improved his play steadily over the past few games. Jason Pominville put the Sabres up once more, though, on the PP at 13:09 of the second (Sean Bergenheim the guilty party).
All night, the Isles kept up great work along the boards and were able to get some good chances, but no finish. Brendan Witt had an improved game, helping out on offense as well as providing solid defense. Also, Kyle Okposo had a great game, skating hard and getting to the net often- the only thing I'd love for him to do is not miss the net, but as a young player with plenty of learning to do, his accuracy will improve over time. He, Mike Comrie and Blake Comeau seem to be jelling very well on a line together.
In the third period, Clarke MacArthur showed how perseverance pays off; he absorbed a big hit from Comrie, got right back up, and joined the play a few seconds later, ripping a shot from the point that beat MacDonald and made the score 3-1. Buffalo was rolling with the lead, although the Islanders led them 10-2 in shots at one point in the third. As a fan, you started to lose hope seeing the play yo-yo back and forth and the Islanders unable to capitalize on anything they threw at Miller (who had a solid game).
The momentum would change late in the game, however, as the Isles made great use of what little time was left on the clock. MacArthur took a tripping penalty late that turned into a golden opportunity for Comrie. With the extra attacker (Joey MacDonald having been pulled with a full three minutes remaining), Blake Comeau passed to Bill Guerin on the right, and then Guerin found Comrie in front, who put in his third goal of the season to make it 3-2. And then, a crazy last minute of the game in which Joey was pulled yet again saw Okposo use both his passing and his physical presence to protect the puck, and found Campoli in the slot, who wristed the puck right over Miller's shoulder and into the net with two seconds left, to Okposo's sheer joy, and that of the rest of the Islanders as well (especially Blake Comeau and Richard Park, who I saw jumping up and down like little boys on Christmas morning). Campoli has showed quite a bit of last-minute heroics this season, and despite his frustration early on, he showed good patience and placement with his shot even with only a couple of seconds left.
His goal sent the game into a frenzied overtime, in which Witt and MacDonald were the two stars; Witt had two huge blocks on the odd-man rush, and MacDonald a few great saves, as the Sabres were on the power play for the last two minutes of OT (once again, Sean Bergenheim in the bin- something is just not right with this kid at the moment). Then came the shootout, and a lesson in actually shooting the puck. Joey Mac was beaten by both Kotalik and Drew Stafford, and neither Richard Park nor Okposo got past Ryan Miller. The explanation here is easy- when you beat a goalie three times up high, wouldn't you think to go up high in the shootout, especially when he once again gives you half the net to shoot at? Not so for the Isles; both Park and Okposo elected to go low on Miller, who made two easy saves. So it goes, and so went the extra point, but nonetheless, the Isles show life now, and as they go into MSG Monday night against a floundering Rangers squad, let's hope they show that persistence once more.
Islanders 2 : Penguins 4
Nearly a year ago, Rick DiPietro had a game not unlike the one Ty Conklin had last night at Nassau Coliseum. With an unbelievable 56-save performance, he stole a point and would have stolen the game last March, had it not been for that one Matt Cullen shot that turned into the shootout winner.
The goaltender really can make a difference. As did Conklin, whose 50 saves stole two points for a lethargic, not to mention depleted, Pittsburgh team, who was reeling with the loss of two players, including beloved youngster Colby Armstrong and last year's first-rounder Erik Christiansen, who are going to Atlanta in exchange for Marian Hossa.
The biggest winners in this trade deadline race barely looked it if not for their goalie- and though the Islanders, statiscally, dominated the game, they didn't dominate the scoreboard. Rick DiPietro, with 17 saves, allowed four goals once again as the defense, even with newly-minted Isle Rob Davison playing the second and third periods, was caught running around, and the power-play was powerless except for late in the third, when Ruslan Fedotenko scored his 15th with 1:17 left. Frans Nielsen (1st of the year) also scored for the Isles in the 2nd.
Meanwhile, the Penguins were slow and undisciplined, but that didn't hinder their game, apparently- Evgeni Malkin scored his 36th on the season to open up the scoring in the first. He also had an assist on Jordan Staal's 9th. Jeff Taffe and Connor James also scored. The real star here, of course, is Conklin- without him, the score might have been drastically altered.
Notes: Josef Vasicek inadvertently smacked assistant coach Gerard Gallant in the face with the puck in the first period, causing Gallant to leave the bench with "a bad headache, perhaps a broken bone," in the words of fellow coach John Chabot. Dan Lecroix took over Gallant's duties. Much luck and hope that he is okay.
More, better, news- Brendan Witt may be looking to come back from injury on Saturday. Witt suffered an MCL sprain on February 12 against the Flyers, and was projected to be out 2-4 weeks. He has been skating and he hopes to return soon- and I say, with so many D gone, the sooner the better.
With the trade deadline this afternoon, the Islanders have one target locked up for at least a year. Center Mike Comrie has signed a 1 year, $4 million contract with the Isles, as per TSN.
link-http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=230593&hubname=
Isles 2 : Devils 4
The Islanders were that close to neutralizing the losing streak completely.
They were that close to claiming a playoff spot, and holding it with the impending Rangers-Sabres game, provided Buffalo would beat their rivals.
They were close to getting back to where they were before.
But New Jersey said no.
The Devils, #3 seeded in the Eastern Conference playoff race, skated all over the Islanders at their Rock, the Prudential Center, among chants of "DP Sucks!" and "Marty's Better!" which no doubt alluded to the familiar goaltending matchup between Rick DiPietro and Martin Brodeur. In this match, Brodeur did prove to be better, if only because he was helped out by a steady defense and a dynamic offense as usual, led by young star Zach Parise and recently rumored trade target Brian Gionta. Each scored a goal for the Devils, along with Patrik Elias and John Madden, who both scored in the first period to take an early 2-1 lead after Josef Vasicek's redirection of an Andy Hilbert shot past Brodeur.
Sean Bergenheim proved to be one of the best Islanders on the ice, powering past Devils and using his body and hands to keep the Isles playing. Vasicek would also have another assist on the game as he set up Hunter for Ruslan Fedotenko's 14th of the season, early in the second period, to tie it up at 2. But that wouldn't be enough, as the Devils, hungry to settle the score with the Isles after the last feisty collision between the two teams on December 29 (a 5-2 Isles win), pounced on every given opportunity and barred the door in the third period.
The Isles' winning streak is snapped at six games, and Rick DiPietro, who tried his best to keep his team in the game, allowed four goals for the first time since February 14th (a 5-4 Isles win against the Maple Leafs in Toronto). During the winning streak, he had allowed an average of 2 goals, and posted one shutout.
Isles 1 : Lightning 0
Tampa Bay was tired. The Islanders, perhaps even more so. It came down to a practical stalemate, with an anxious goaltender, a skittish defense, and a seemingly disinterested superstar (Vincent Lecavalier) taking on one of the hottest teams in the East, with their own problems on defense, at Nassau Coliseum.
When all was said and done, the Isles came out on top.
Miroslav Satan scored the lone goal, which an excellent Rick DiPietro (32 saves) made stand up, giving the Isles their sixth straight win. Satan's goal came on an excellent play by Sean Bergenheim, who pulled up just near the blueline to feed the puck to him through the middle, where Satan shot it past goaltender Kari Ramo's pad.
The closest the Lightning got to tying up the game was on a shot by Lecavalier, which beat DiPietro, but, as the theme had been for the last few games, the post kept the score 1-0. Tampa would try to pull even, but broke down on a string of penalties, broken sticks, and increased feelings of frustration from Lecavalier.
The win brings the Isles closer to the playoff hunt, just one point outside of eighth place. It also brings back Chris Simon, who (unfittingly) was booed by the fans for his first two shifts on the ice. Jeff Tambellini, in turn, was sent back to Bridgeport.
Islanders 3 : Capitals 2 (SO)
The latest surge from the Islanders, culminating in a shootout winner at the Verizon Center last night, prompted broadcaster Howie Rose to say, "After these last five games... I have no idea what to expect from this team."
Does anyone, anymore?
After a seven-game losing streak that had the Isles all but left for dead and practically in the Eastern Conference cellar, their recent winning streak now stands at five, after a thrilling comeback from a 2-0 deficit and some feisty moments along the way that woke the team up and got the guys rolling again.
Washington would strike early, taking full advantage of the depleted Islanders defense and attacking head-on. While the D was taken aback and caught unawares, Alexander Semin made good on a breakaway chance just 2:17 into the game on a feed from Matt Pettinger. Then, while Rick DiPietro was screened slightly, Brooks Laich redirected a shot from the point on the power play to make it 2-0. The Isles looked to be out of it for a long while, and very far removed from the sharp play they were displaying in their last game, against the Sharks. Then again, they had defenseman Andy Sutton on their blueline.
In the second, that didn't matter. The Isles came out stronger and more supportive of one another, with the offense carrying more of the play and helping the D find their legs. The Capitals would not score again in the game, but it wasn't for lack of trying- though DiPietro was solid (28 saves, including 5 or 6 really sharp ones), the Caps did beat him a few times, only to hit countless posts and a crossbar.
Miro Satan would pull the team to within one in the second off of a Bill Guerin play, and then in the third, Josef Vasicek scored a puzzler- apparently aiming for center ice, he banked it off of goaltender Olaf Kolzig to tie it up. The second straight game resulting in a comeback for the Isles would get even better.
Perhaps the epitome of the Caps' frustration over hitting posts lay in their top goalscorer, Alexander Ovechkin, who was held to only one shot (yes, one shot) in regulation. Radek Martinek gains my recognition as the number-one star for the Isles in this game- wherever Ovechkin was, so was he, during his 28:17 of ice time. He also recorded five hits, including a monster one in the overtime that ensued, on the Russian superstar, who afterward, starving for a goal, powered past a hounding Bryan Berard and beat DiPietro- only to hit the post once again.
Then came the shootout, and Ovechkin's hat trick of posts, as said on MSG, as he beat DiPietro once again to hit- yes, the left-side post. Viktor Kozlov and Alexander Semin would both be stopped as well, and on the Isles' side, so would Richard Park and shootout specialist Miro Satan- but then came the ultra-soft hands of Mike Comrie, as he pushed it through the legs of Kolzig for the game-winner. Game, set, match, Islanders, once again, as they inch closer to the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. No doubt right now they are the hottest team in the Atlantic, and starting tonight, they can get even hotter.
Even with the depleted defense, who counts Andy Sutton now among its casualties- with a partial tear in his hamstring, he's down for 4-6 weeks.
Chris Simon, who is now just coming off a 30-game suspension tonight against Tampa Bay, will bring some much needed physicality to the Isles. Provided he could skate backwards, I'd suggest playing him as the 7th defenseman and keeping Jeff Tambellini as LW on the Kid Line, rather than send anyone down. But I'm not the coach, so... *shrug* The Isles will have to see what they can do, and seeing as they've pretty much dominated Tampa this season, they have a shot at adding another link onto this chain of wins.
Islanders 3 : Sharks 2
It looked all but hopeless, as Rick DiPietro got up and shook off another San Jose goal early in the third period, this one off of the stick of Joe Thornton. By no means had the game, to that point, slipped out of the Isles' reach entirely; however, judging by the way the Isles have fallen behind in previous games, it would be understandable if, just for a second, the sellout crowd was braced for a loss at the Coliseum.
But the Isles had other ideas.
Erasing a 2-0 deficit the Sharks had built over two periods (Marcel Goc scored the other goal late in the second period), Andy Hilbert scored his seventh, and Mike Comrie his 18th, and then, a little over midway through the third, Freddy Meyer, an unlikely sniper, scored what became the game-winner off of a cross-ice pass by Sean Bergenheim. 3-2, Isles, final.
After enduring a first period without Ted Nolan (he was attending to a matter that I will touch on later in the post), the Isles found their legs and also fell behind, after some strong goaltending on both ends by All-Stars Evgeni Nabokov and Rick DiPietro. Then, as they battled back to get on the scoreboard and back into the game, and Meyer scored his second goal of the season to put them ahead, the Isles played with a focus and a determination that earned them their fourth straight win, pulling them ahead of Atlanta and Washington for tenth place in the Eastern conference and one point (one point!) out of a playoff spot. It looks to be a good run, with some dark spots.
One is the potential loss of another defenseman, Andy Sutton, who had up until now filled a big spot in the already depleted defense with a physical presence and effective shot blocking. Late in the third, he went down hard, grabbing his left leg. That turned out to be a hamstring injury, once that may have been a spasm, but judging by Ted Nolan's claim that he will be re-evaluated tomorrow, it may be more serious, which is not a good thing for the Isles, who have Witt and Bruno Gervais skating but not one hundred percent, and can ill afford to lose another blueliner.
Another is the injury to young left winger Blake Comeau, who was boarded hard by Murray of the Sharks in the third period and got up woozy, helped off the ice by two teammates and the trainer. He seemed to be favoring a leg, but anything could be wrong with him, especially considering how he went into the boards (practically headfirst). Nothing is disclosed as of yet, but hopefully it's not too serious.
And now for more serious news.
Ted Nolan was missing in the first period, attending to a "personal matter", one that turned out to be connected to a terrible tragedy. Mickey Renaud, 19, captain for the OHL's Windsor Spitfires (also the team Ted's younger son, Jordan, plays for), collapsed and died today in his home in Tecumseh, Ont. He was a draft pick of the Calgary Flames and had attended camp with the NHL club this past summer. A potential NHLer, he had been progressing steadily prior to his death. During the first period of the Isles-Sharks game, Ted was consoling his son, who had taken the loss hard.
This is a terrible loss for the Spitfires and the OHL, and for everyone who is affected by this, including Jordan Nolan, we extend our condolences.
link- http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080218.wrenaud0218/GSStory/GlobeSportsHockey/home
Rest in peace, Mickey.
Posts
All Comments
