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IslesInfo Comments: As we all know by now, Hamrlik returned tonight after missing the last 6 Islander games since sustaining a grade 3 spearated shoulder back on December 10th against Chicago. Originally expected to miss a month at best and not return until mid January, Hamrlik made a miraculous recovery and returned after just missing 2 1/2 weeks. Besides Hamrlik, the Islanders got Brad Isbister back in the lineup after he missed the win over Montreal with a sprained ankle. Though Isbister seemed to be favoring the ankle all night. Shawn Bates, suffering from a chronic groin strain, was unable to return to the Isles lineup. With both Hamr and Izzy's return, the Isles returned LW Raffi Torres and D Sven Butenschon to Bridgeport prior to the game. The Islanders set the tone right from the opening faceoff tonight with the physical play and their captain Michael Peca led the way. Peca, playing in his 500th NHL game and 100th as a New York Islander, threw a big hit early and had one of his best games all around this season. The Islanders out shot Carolina 11-8 in the first period, but recorded the first 5 shots of the game as they jumped all over the Hurricanes. At 8:51 of the first, Hamrlik would relay the puck up into the neutral zone to Peca, who would follow it up with a swift pass at the Hurricane's blueline to Mark Parrish. The Islanders leading goal scorer made a nifty move as he skated in on the lone Carolina defenseman as he cut to his right and put the puck through the d-man's feet. As Parrish gained the open lane, he let go the shot on former Islander Kevin Weekes who made the initial save. But the rebound came right back to Parrish and he quickly put it dead center to the back of the net for his 13th of the season giving the Isles a 1-0 lead. The Isles, leading in shots at this point 9-3, got a scare when Bates Battaglia almost converted on a passing play by Carolina, but instead he shoveled a shot into the left goal post. Defensman Mattias Timander had a glorious chance to put the Isles up 2-0 after skating in on a breakaway after being released from the penalty box. He took a beautiful pass down the middle but the puck bobbled on the ice as he beared down on Weekes. Timander was able to get a nice backhand shot off on Weekes, but the goalie made the save. Late in the period, Erik Cole and Sean Hill got into penalty trouble for Carolina which put the Islanders up on a 5 on 3 man advantage for 40 seconds. The Islanders didn't waste time as 15 seconds later they gained a 2-0 lead when Alexei Yashin would notch his first goal in 9 games. Yashin would score from his familiar top left circle position as he fanned on the Hamrlik pass. It turned out to be a blessing because the shot fooled Weekes and slid into the open side of the net to Weekes left. Mattias Weinhandl also got an assist. - The Islanders, thanks to 4 straight powerplays that extended into the second period, once again jumped out to a 5-0 shots advantage in the second period. The Isles would end up killing off a 31 second two man advantage in Carolina's favor midway through the period. Just seconds before that, on the initial penalty to Isbister, the Islanders got a big shorthanded goal from their leader, Peca. After receiving a pass near the right boards from Weinhandl, Peca skated down the wing and blasted a shot that went through Weekes to put the Islanders up by a comfortable 3-0 score. The goal was Peca's 4th of the season and his first shorthanded goal of the season, giving the Isles a total of 6 shorthanded goals on the year. Peca had 6 shorthanded goals all of last season. Late in the period Chris Osgood, making his second solid start, kept the Hurricanes off the scoreboard as he robbed former Islander draft pick Jan Hlavic from tucking a shot underneath his pads after a rebound off the back boards. When the Islanders took their fourth penalty in a row late in the period, coach Peter Laviolette took a wise timeout to rest his penalty killers who were once again stellar all night long. The officials were very whistle happy all night long, especially Tim Peel who called a majority of the penalties tonight as he was teamed up with veteran Paul Stewart. - The Islanders were strong in the third period and didn't allow any real scoring chances or give Carolina any reason to believe they could come back in this game.Radek Martinek had a scary moment when he fell down in the Islanders end after an attacking player was all over him. Martinek spun the puck around directly on the Islanders net and Osgood has to make a kick save to keep his shutout going. Jason Wiemer took a double minor midway through after taking exception to the play of Sean Hill who just earlier gave Weinhandl a good crunching hit behind the net. Weinhandl was a bit shaken up at first but he eventually returned. Remember he recently came back from a shoulder sprain. One player who did not return was Steve Webb. He had made a couple of big hits early in the first period but apparently had to leave the game with back spasms. This is a bit of a chronic injury for Webb as he has had it right from the start of the season. He tried to return in the second but did not come out for the third period. Anyway, the Islanders shut the door the rest of the way and in the game total killed off 10 Carolina powerplays, which means the Isles have now killed off 47 of the last 48 man advantages against and 77 of the last 80. They have allowed only one powerplay goal in all of December. Osgood posted his first shutout since 3/12/02 vs. Buffalo and it was the Islanders first blanking of the season. Once again when on the edge of dropping out of it the Islanders come up with a huge effort and now with 2 games remaining in 2002, are two games under .500 at 14-16-5-0. More stats: The Islanders are 3-1-1 in their last 5 games.Chris Osgood has only given up 3 goals in his last 3 games. The Islanders are 6-3-2 so far in the month of December which is their best month of December in 9 years. The Isles snapped a 3 game losing streak to Carolina and a 2 game losing streak to Carolina on home ice.Hamrlik was named the third star, Peca the second star. Peca won 81% of his faceoffs on the night. Osgood with the shutout was named first star. Next Up: The Isles will host Florida Monday night, playing them for the fourth and final time this season. The Islanders are 1-0-2 against the Panthers so far this season winning the first game at Nassau Coliseum before tying the last two in Florida. The Standings: The Islanders still find themselves in 13th place in the East with 33 points. The Rangers got a win last night in OT against Florida and remain 1 point ahead of the Isles, but having played 4 more games. After the Rangers face Tampa Bay Sunday night the Isles will have 5 games at hand. The Isles gained a point on Florida who earned their 35th point in the loss. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Montreal Canadiens and still remain 4 points ahead of the Isles. The win helped draw the Isles to within 6 points of Montreal for 7th place. Washington, after a 2-1 OT loss to New Jersey, moved ahead of Carolina with the point earned and now hold the eighth spot, 5 points ahead of the Isles. Funny
Moments: Roman Hamrlik and tonight's backup Rick DiPietro were seen
singing to each other on the bench at the start of the third period as the
Coliseum speakers blasted Metallica's "Enter Sandman"....Mark
Parrish said the best Christmas present he got was a Paul Bunyan and wife
bobblehead set that was given to him by his Grandmother to help remind him
of life back home in Minnesota. Parrish just recently got engaged. Fight Card: none. Commentary: A nice 100% effort by the Islanders from start to finish. Once again with their backs against the wall they really came through. Hopefully they can keep this thing going and move even closer to a playoff position and draw to within .500 by the years end. This 3-1-1 streak is almost better than the earlier 5 game unbeaten streak the Islanders had in the season as it has been more of a team effort with all parts contributing to the success. And the Islanders top players came to play tonight as Osgood got the shutout, Peca set the tempo with his big hits, and Mark Parrish along with Alexei Yashin got the big goals the Islanders needed.
Report Card: Brad Isbister: He was clearly favoring that bad ankle and may have returned a game too soon. Izzy was not able to skate as well as he usually does, which is a part of his game he needs to excel at if he's going to be a factor because even then he has trouble handling the puck. Alexei Yashin: Broke an 8 game goal-less drought. Even though it was a fanned shot, it still went in and maybe now this will help him start to put some more pucks in the net. Shawn Bates: Scratched fourth straight with groin strain. Hopeful for Monday? Mark Parrish: Has 6 goals in his last 9 games and is starting to look like that 30 goal scorer we all remember from last season. Dave Scatchard: Had a pretty good game along with his line. Jason Wiemer: Played well and gave a little payback in the third to Sean Hill after the Carolina defenseman took some liberty with rookie Matias Weinhandl. Jason Blake: Played well, but I have to say I thought he played a little selfish tonight as he took every shot he had an opportunity to take. Which is not such a bad thing. Though there were a couple time that his 5 shots could have been converted into wide open passes, especially on one occasion to Martinek who was all alone in front. But you can't blame the hot hand. Claude Lapointe: Played well up on the first line once again with Yashin and killed penalities very well also. Steve Webb: Had a very good, physical first period before re-injuring his back spasms. Arron Asham: Had a pretty good up tempo game, quiet offensively though. You have to say though now that the Islanders pretty much won the deal with Montreal after the Canadiens recently sent Mariusz Czerkawski to Hamilton of the AHL. Who would have ever expected it to go the way it has. Oleg Kvasha: Only played 4:37 and it seemed as though he didn't see ice until midway through the game. Even then, he takes a bad tripping penalty late in the second period and put the Isles a man down for the fourth straight time. Michael Peca: Gets better and better with each game. Lets hope that the time off over Christmas was even more help for Peca while he climbs back into form following his surgeries. Tonight was one of his strongest games of the season at every aspect of the game. And he showed why he is nromally one of the best open ice hitters in the game a couple time after an early hit and another one later in the game on Glen Wesley. Also, I want to point out that tonight was Peca's 20th game of the season. He played 80 games for the Isles in 2001-02 which would make tonight his 100th game as an Islander. Not his 99th as was reported by Fox Sports. Perhaps they forgot about his 27 second cameo back in early November. Peca has played in the last 19 games. They also reported that tonight was his 500th NHL game, which is true because coming into this season he had played 480 games. But for some reason a lot of official scoring lists have Peca with 19 games played this season. Mattias Weinhandl: Had another excellent game playing with Yashin and Lapointe. And even better killing penalties as his contribution to the Islanders stingy PK can't be overlooked in their recent dominance over the opponent. Weinhandl added two assists in the game as well for his second multi point and assist game this season. Raffi Torres: Was returned to Bridgeport with the return of Isbister to the lineup. Defense: Roman Hamrlik: Wow, what can you say? Hamrlik returned to the Islanders defense and was a horse. Even though he was probably being very careful as to how he went into the boards and things like that because of the shoulder injury he sustained, Hamrlik still logged close to 30 minutes in the game. His 3 assists on the night, playing a part in every Islander goal, was enough to tie his career high in a game. And there are rumors of him getting traded? Not a chance! In fact, there has been no evidence of the Islanders looking to deal Hamrlik and was more like wishful thinking on the Tampa Bay Lightning's part as well as the Tampa media. Adrian Aucoin: Was a +2 on the night always shows great poise on the ice. The reason he can log so many minutes is he makes great plays without exerting much energy. Eric Cairns: Was solid in his own end, though he stood around a couple times after losing sight of the puck. Kenny Jonsson: Was fantastic, making his normal smart decision all night and on the PK. Radek Martinek: Is still improving with every game and was good tonight. Except for the one play where he made Chris Osgood make a great pad save on him after Radek fell to the ice. Mattias Timander: Was very good and it would be great if we could see some more of his play on net, even if it was following a release from the penalty box. At time Timander with his size can be an imposing and physical threat. He could use that to chip in more offensively. Sven
Butenschon: Returned to Bridgeport yesterday after the Islanders
learned that Hamrlik would most likely play. Goal: Chris Osgood: Perhaps Rick DiPietro's call up truly put a spark under Osgood as he has been great in his last three starts only allowing a total of 3 goals. Osgood is 6th all-time among active goaltenders with 35 career shutouts. You'd have to think he'll be back in net Monday night against Florida.
Coaches Laviolette made a good decision to call a timeout late in the second period when the Isles were called for their 4th straight penalty. You van't fault some of the penalties though as Tim Peel was calling everything left and right. There were a total of 18 minors in the game. Special Teams The Isles went a perfect 10-10 on the PK, improving their streak to 47 of the last 48 and 77 of the last 80. They have only allowed one powerplay goal against in all of December. The PK is ranked 18th in the NHL. The Isles got an even strength, powerplay and shorthanded goal tonight. The powerplay went 1-8, which is good. But not good enough. If the Islanders had a stronger PP they could notch 2 a game instead of one most the time and put their opponents away much easier. Can someone say Satan?
Islanders Shut Out Hurricanes 3-0
Lineups: ISLANDERS DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS CAROLINA HURRICANES DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS
Power-play Conversions:
CAR - 0 of 10, NYI - 1 of 8.
IslesInfo Pregame Preview Preview Last Chance for This Group Dec 28: The Islanders needed some help last night, and they got it from an unsuspecting source. The Atlanta Thrashers, under interim coach Don Waddell, defeated the Carolina Hurricanes, the Islanders opponents tonight, by a 5-3 score. Isles vs. Hurricanes Preview: Of all the scenarios entering last night, none would have expected Atlanta to come through. Of the three teams the Islanders trailed by 7 points for a playoff position last night, Carolina was the only one to lose. Montreal lost, but in OT to Ottawa thereby gaining a point. And Toronto came back in the third period to defeat the Flames in Calgary 4-3. So the picture is set for the Islanders tonight. Mandatory win against the Hurricanes. Nothing else can be accepted. A loss would clearly drop the Islanders out of the playoff race. Montreal is in action again as they travel to Pittsburgh and Toronto will be in Edmonton. If the New York Islanders ever manage to make their move toward a playoff spot, Mark Parrish will have to be one of their driving forces. Parrish will look to add to his team-leading goal total when the Islanders welcome the Carolina Hurricanes to Nassau Coliseum. Playing alongside playmaker Alexei Yashin on the Islanders' top line, Parrish is beginning to look like the player who had a career-high 30 goals and 60 points last season. The 24-year-old Minnesota native plays bigger than his 5-foot-11, 194-pound frame, earning rave reviews from his peers for his dirty work in front of the net. "I don't know if I've seen anybody better in front of the net,'' Islanders coach Peter Laviolette said. "But that's the place to be. If you want to make a lot of money, you have to score goals, and the puck invariably finds its way to the net for tips and rebounds.'' Parrish has helped the inconsistent Islanders stay on the fringe of the Eastern Conference playoff picture with four goals and two assists in his last five games, including a big third-period tally in Monday's 3-1 win over Montreal. Still, the Islanders need more players to perform like Parrish because they have just two wins in their last seven (2-3-2) and would not be in the playoffs if the season ended today. - The Islanders are 0-2 against Carolina this season, having lost twice to them in October. On October 22nd, Claude Lapointe scored the Isles lone goal in a 4-1 home loss where the Islanders out shot Carolina 37-18 but allowed 2 goals on the Hurricanes first 4 shots. On October 30th, the Islanders took a 2-0 lead on goals by Shawn Bates and the first NHL goal by Justin Mapletoft, only to give up 4 straight and get the door shut on them the rest of the way by former Isle goaltender Kevin Weekes. - The Islanders are looking to finish the month of December in strong fashion. They are 5-3-2 this month and are 2-1-1 in their last four. A victory in one of the Isles final 3 games of the year will ensure the first winning December for the since 1993. Last season, the Isles were just 4-6-1-1 in the month. The Isles set forth on a stretch of three games in four nights. Monday night they host Florida and then fly to Buffalo for a game on New Years Eve. - No definitive word on which of the trio will start in goal for the Islanders, though you'd have to believe it will be Osgood following his performance against Montreal Monday night and considering the fact that he is 11-3-0 lifetime against the Hurricanes. Garth Snow started the two losses in October. - D Roman Hamrlik, LW Shawn Bates and LW Brad Isbister will all be evaluated Saturday morning and each will be gametime decisions to play. All three have been upgraded to Day to Day. It is now believed that Bates and Isbister may not play while Hamrlik is the more likely of the three. Standings & Sched: Besides the teams mentioned, the team directly ahead of the Islanders by one point, the Rangers, will be in Florida tonight. Florida lost last night to Dallas 4-0 and remain 3 points ahead of the Isles. With an Islander win tonight and a Ranger loss, the Isles can jump into 12th in the East. Washington defeated New Jersey 3-2 last night and are on a roll as they move to 6 points ahead of the Islanders. The Caps visit New Jersey tonight for the second of a home and home.
Ageless Wonder Three months shy of turning 40, Ron Francis keeps plugging away for Carolina. The 5th all-time leading scorer in NHL history with 1,728 points, skates into Saturday nights showdown with the Isles on a current six game point scoring streak( 4-4-8 ).
Notes: The Hurricanes are coming in off their first-ever loss to the Atlanta Thrashers. Carolina, which had been riding a 14-0-3 streak against Atlanta, fell 5-3 on Friday at the RBC Center. Carolina, which had been enjoying a 3-1-1 stretch after losing a season high 4 straight, missed out on an opportunity to keep its share of first place in the Southeast Division. The Hurricanes now sit two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-2 victors over Boston on Friday. Kevin Weekes had a rare off-night in goal, stopping 23 of 28 shots. The former Islander might sit in favor of Arturs Irbe on Saturday. Carolina has struggled offensively. Young players counted on to produce offense like Josef Vasicek, 3 points, and Jaroslav Svoboda, 2 goals, have not produced the way Carolina would have liked. Expect to see Carolina's top offensive unit consisting of Ron Francis at center with O'Neill on the left and Sami Kapanen on the right. Kapanen had a pair of goals in the teams' first meeting on Long Island. In last night's defeat, Francis has an assist in four straight games. The 'Canes come back with an equally potent second line, with one of the best two-way centers in the game, Rod Brind'Amour centering grinder Bates Battaglia and triggerman Erik Cole on the right. Kevin Weekes has 10 of the Hurricanes 15 wins.
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Lets Go Isles! |
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1998-2003 Tom Mascioli
