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ISLES INFO |
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ISLES INFO |
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IslesInfo Comments: You almost knew right off the bat that the Islanders were not going to have a good night, when in the first 5 minutes of the game they squandered away a 5 on 3 man advantage for 1:42. Assistant coach Kelly Miller, who runs the powerplay, insisted for going practically the entire powerplay feeding Alexei Yashin the puck up at the point. Now we all know that Yashin has a great shot and can score from the top of the left circle at will. But he's most not likely going to score from the point like an Adrian Aucoin or a Roman Hamrlik would. And choreographing every pass, virtually telling the defense that you are going to go to Yashin every time is the worst thing the Islanders could do. In the past, one could say that if a team does not score on their 5 on 3 advantages then they probably will lose the game. But with the new rules and the speed of the game that is not always true this season. Yet if the Islanders had scored at least once early on this powerplay than perhaps the final outcome would have been much different. Shortly after the powerplay fizzled, Jason Blake missed on a chance when he backhanded the puck off the post to the far side of Jocelyn Thibault. Later on in the period Igor Korolev would hit a post of his own for the Hawks. Fleury, who was serenaded for most of the night by the Islander faithful, ended up with a breakway chance when he basically hovered by the red line and waited for his teammates to clear it. As he beared down on Chris Osgood, Aucoin amazingly caught up to Fleury and hooked the forwards hand off the top of his stick. Fleury was unable to make a shot and the officials called it a good play. Fleury sat on the ice with his hands in the air in disgust. A few minutes later on the bench Theo, who made obscene gestures to the Islander fans last season, sat up on the boards with his back to the officials in another form of weird gesture that only he knows. Late in the period, Oleg Kvasha lost his stick in the Islanders end and proceeded to take the dumbest penalty of them all by reaching out and hauling down a Hawk player. The Isles were out shot in the first 14-7 and only had 2 shots on goal in that early 5 on 3. - In the second period, the Islanders amazingly still looked like they couldn't get up for the game. But luckily the score was still 0-0. That was until 7:52 of the first period when Steve Sullivan would knock in his 9th of the season off a soft shot from within the slot in front of Osgood. Sullivan was being watched by Aucoin, but the pass out from the corner by Eric Daze seemed to have surprised Aucoin and Sullivan was free to just get his stick on it. The Blackhawks kept the 1-0 lead for just about 5 minutes. At 12:51 the Islanders, who were dominant all night on faceoffs, won another one in the offensive zone. Jason Wiemer would win the faceoff and get it back to Radek Martinek, who had been very good as of late. Martinek would get the puck back to Wiemer along the right end boards. Wiemer spotted an open lane to Hamrlik across the ice. As Hamrlik took the pass he paused and then wristed a hard shot by Thibault into the open right side of the net. The goal was Hamrlik's 3rd of the season, and his 100th point as a New York Islander. It tied the score at 1-1. The Islanders had a chance to take a 2-1 lead later on in the second when Mattias Timander found another open lane after a Blackhwak player fell. Timander ripped a shot that clanked off the right goal post. For the second half of the second period the Islanders actually played quite well, but unfortunately that was all they put in. The Isles out shot the Hawks 18-7 in the second and both teams entered the third tied with 25 shots a piece. - Between the second and third periods Wiemer admitted during an intermission interview that the Islanders were not satisfied with how they were playing. It looked as if they were going to perhaps come away with a win without playing their 'A' game. At 3:52 of the third Wiemer would grab the puck at the center ice red line and dump it into the Hawks zone. The puck hugged tight to the goal and Thibault overplayed it a bit out of his goal crease. As the puck perfectly bounced off the back boards and back out the opposite side of the net, Dave Scatchard was Johnny on the spot with a backhand shot at the net. The puck pinballed through Thibault's open pads and into the back of the net for a 2-1 Islander lead. It was Scatchard's 7th goal of the season. So now the Islanders were looking good with a lead in the third right? Wrong. They would at least come out of it no worse than a tie right? Wrong. At 7:49 Tyler Arnason, the NHL's leading rookie scorer, fed Fleury from inside his own end. Fleury cut back at the red line and was able to find Daze streaking down the left side. Daze, who missed over 15 games this season after having back problems, ripped a heavy shot at Osgood one on one. The puck hit Osgood but got through and rolled over the line and into the net for a 2-2 tie game. It was Daze's 4th of the season. This was clearly a goal, when you're chasing a playoff spot and one on one, your goaltender HAS to stop. Then, less than 2 minutes later at 9:36, Arnason skates over the Islanders blueline and rips a shot right by Osgood to put Chicago up now 3-2. The goal was unassisted and Arnason's 8th. Osgood may have been screened by Martinek on the play. With the way the Islanders were playing, it seemed at that point that there was no way the Islanders were going to counter and tie the game up. And they didn't. And to add insult to injury, Hamrlik left the game late after sliding into the boards hard to block a shot. He tried to play on the same shift and the officials never blew the whistle. Hamrlik was in a lot of pain and could not move his left shoulder. Not a good sign. - With the Islanders loss, they dropped back down to 5 points out of a playoff position after wins tonight by Toronto and Montreal. Both Toronto and Montreal, tied for 7th with 30 points, play Thursday night. Toronto is in Philadelphia and Montreal hosts Tampa Bay. - The Islanders are now 0-8-2 in their last 10 games against the Chicago Blackhawks. The last win at home came January 25, 1997, Rick Bowness's first game as coach of the New York Islanders. The Islanders have just that one win at home against Chicago in their last 22 games. Rick Bowness and Al Arbour are the only two Islander coaches to defeat the Blackhawks at the Nassau Coliseum. - The Isles 3 game winning streak came to an end and they are now 3-1-0 in the month of December. They are 11-14-3 overall, 13th in the East. One point behind Washington. - The Isles now head to Florida for a 2 game road trip with the Panthers and Tampa Bay. The Isles right now are traling the Panthers in the East by 3 points. The Lightning are struggling a bit as of late ever since losing to the Isles just over 3 weeks ago by a 7-2 score. They are probably laying in wait to extract some revenge. So the Islanders will have their hands full on Friday and Saturday nights. Will be interesting to see if the Isles go with Ozzie against the Panthers and then Garth Snow in the back end as they have recently done with success. -
Theo Fleury gave a sarcastic wave goodbye to the Islander fans al la Darcy
Tucker as the Blackhawks celebrated their win with Jocelyn Thibault. Fight Card: Steve Webb vs. Lyle Odelein. As Webb went to the net in the first period pretty hard, Odelein took exception to it and hit Webb pretty hard. Webb then took exception to Odelein jabbing at him and they both went at it behind the Blackhawks net. Webb got in a few good punches to the face early in the fight. Odelein threw back a couple of his own and then scored a pretty hard take down when Webb lost balance. Decision: Draw. Commentary: Just a pathetic performance. You would think they would be up for this game. But right from the start it felt like they were not up for it. And even though Theo Fleury was back it just didn't have the effect you thought it would once the game got going. It was almost as if they saved the let down following the emotional win over Toronto Friday night for tonight against Chicago. Well, if they can come back now and take another 3 straight they can reach the .500 mark. Easily said than done as the Islanders head for another road trip through Florida.
Report Card: Brad Isbister: Had another strong game. But he and his line could not get any pucks in the net tonight. Alexei Yashin: Another quiet night. Yashin could really benefit by the return of Mattias Weinhandl because he is not gelling with Shawn Bates or Mark Parrish. Weinhandl is reportedly a little over a week away from returning. Shawn Bates: Is in a major slump not getting a goal in something like 9 or 10 games. He's not getting much points as of late either and both he and Parrish were not clicking with Michael Peca this season either. Mark Parrish: A pretty quiet game. Had only one shot on goal. Dave Scatchard: Scored the big go ahead goal at the time. But even his celebration seemed a bit tempered as the Islanders as a whole and by a man seemed disturbed by their own play. Jason Wiemer: Has a very good game offensively with an assist on both Islander goals. But he made a crucial BAD pass along the boards, reminiscent of a play he made earlier in the season against Phoenix, where he put a pass right on the stick of Tyler Arnason for the game winning goal. Jason Blake: Used his speed to get to loose pucks well. But didn't notch any points. Claude Lapointe: Didn't get much ice time and was seen chatting with Theo Fleury at the end of the bench during the third period. Maybe they were just saying hi. Steve Webb: Tried to get the team going in the first with his fight against Odelein. Arron Asham: Had one good play in the second where he made a stutter step and faked the defender out for a shot on goal. Otherwise that line was pretty quiet. Oleg Kvasha: Totally useless on the fourth line. Which opens up a huge problem for the Islanders. What do they do with him? And when Weinhandl returns, THEN really, what will they do with him? Kvasha has a lousy 3 points on the season. 3 POINTS!!! If Islander fans are frustrated with if Brad Isbister will ever pan out, then Kvasha must really have fans and management scratching their heads. Perhaps Milbury can include him in a deal to sweeten one up. It's a shame though. Possibly one of the most talented players on the team somewhere in that big body of his. That penalty he took late in the first period was the worst i've ever seen. Michael Peca: After his big night against the Penguins and scoring his first two goals of the season, Peca and his red hot line were pretty quiet tonight except for maybe Isbister. Mattias Weinhandl: Has been praticing and is not going to accompany the Islanders to Florida on the road trip. But coach Peter Laviolette said he may be bumped up to day to day once the Islanders return. Defense: Roman Hamrlik: His goal got the Islanders in the game. Hamrlik has been playing so well this season. It will be a shame if he misses any time with this injury. The goal was his 100th point as a New York Islander. Adrian Aucoin: Still leads all skaters averaging about 30 minutes a night but hasn't been playing that much as of late. Was ok defensively but he did get beat by Steve Sullivan on the game's opening goal. Eric Cairns: Played well in his own end for the amount of time he saw. Kenny Jonsson: At times he seems back and at the top of his game. Other nights he seems out of it. Tonight he was out of it and a team worst -2. Radek Martinek: Has been playing much better lately and ever since he returned from Bridgeport. He assisted on the Hamrlik goal. He also have screened Osgood on the game winner by the Hawks. Mattias Timander: Assisted on Scatchard's go ahead goal early in the third. Almost had a goal in the second period that would have made it 2-1 much earlier. Goal: Chris Osgood: You want to keep saying that he's the #1, forget about Rick DiPietro. But the Osgood of last season would not have given up 2 mid third period goals to lose 3-2 last season. The Islanders went from almost a sure win to instant loss in just under 2 minutes. The Daze goal was a point blank shot that any goaltender should make. My problem with Osgood is that it seems like every game now he's having some sort or problem. Against Toronto he reportedly had the flu or wasn't feeling well. Earlier in the season he wasn't focused. Sometimes the contract thing comes up. When talking about DiPietro, it's a 50/50 propaganda. They could bring him up and he could make the same mistakes behind a struggling crew in front of him. OR, Osgood could be paving a perfect doorway for the young #1 overall pick in 2000 to make an impression and maybe possibly even be the reason for an Islander turnaround even stronger than what we hope will happen. It's at what point does Milbury decide it's time. Obviously it won't be after one bad game following a three game winning streak. And if the Isles go on to stay on track here then it will be a moot point once again.
Coaches The powerplay has been better as of late rising to 20th overall in the league. But the man in charge of the powerplay, Kelly Miller, has drawn some criticism as of late for the Islanders overall performance and decision. Like placing Yashin on the point tonight during an early 5 on 3 and feeding him for every shot taken. Special Teams The PK has continued to dominate as of late once again going 2-2 tonight and have allowed only 2 goals against in the last 9 games.
Blackhawks 3, Islanders 2
Lineups: ISLANDERS DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS
Power-play Conversions:
CHI - 0 of 2, NYI - 0 of 3.
IslesInfo Pregame Preview Preview Captain Has Isles Focused Dec 10: Since the official return of Michael Peca to the lineup back on November 14, the Isles are 6-3-2. That includes a current season high 3 game winning streak, with Peca notching his first two goals of the year in the Isles 6-3 win in Pitt on Saturday. Isles vs. Chicago Preview: The Islanders look to make it four in a row tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks at the Nassau Coliseum and inch even closer to a playoff spot. With 25 points, the Isles trail four teams for the 8th spot by 3 points. A win could draw the Islanders back to within one game of the .500 mark. The Islanders lineup has really come together as of late and many players are stepping up that weren't there at the start of the season. Brad Isbister has been a force for the Islanders ever since the game a couple weeks ago against the Rangers. He is going to the net hard and in the last two has 7 points, 2 goals and 5 assists. Perhaps Peca's leadership qualities have rubbed off on Isbister with them both playing on the same line with Arron Asham. Already having a career year, Asham is proving that he is worthy of the spot on the second line and could be having a breakout year like Shawn Bates did with the Isles last season. Another factor has been the play of Jason Wiemer. He has rounded out the Islanders third line and along with Jason Blake and Dave Scatchard has been providing the team with speed, toughness and offense. Wiemer has 2 goals and 2 assists in his last four games. Peca has not only improved the Islanders focus and confidence, but he's improved the penalty killing which has always been his forte. The team has killed off 57 of the last 60 advantages against and they have also played a little more disciplined as of late, taking a few less penalties. As Peca improves offensively that will just make the Islanders stronger. The defense has been much more solid as of late and is looking more like one of the best units we believed they would coming into the season. And finally, goaltending has been a complete 180 degrees from October and early November. Chris Osgood has once again climbed back to .500 and his GAA is improving. Garth Snow has come up big on second nights of back to back games. Look for Osgood to get the start tonight against the Hawks after sitting out Saturday night. - If Darcy Tucker is most hated Islander opponent #1, then Theo Fleury is most hated Islander opponent #1a. The Coliseum faithful should have fun with his return tonight, first after leaving the Rangers. The Islanders don't seem to play the Blackhawks that often, but when they have, Chicago is another team they have not faired too well against. The Isles have one win in their last 21 against Chicago and only won once at the home Nassau Coliseum against Chicago since 1985. - With a win the Isles can leap over idle Washington for 12th in the Eastern Conference. The four teams with 28 points that the Isles are chasing( Montreal, Florida, Pittsburgh and Toronto ) are all in action tonight with Toronto playing host to the Penguins. So the Isles need to continue winning to get closer to a playoff position and avoid slipping back with any other movement.
Guess Who's Back in Town If Darcy Tucker is most hated Islander opponent #1, then Theo Fleury is most hated Islander opponent #1a. Fleury, who recently returned from a 25 game NHL suspension for substance abuse violation, will most likely be greeted by the Coliseum faithful.
Notes: The Blackhawks are 29th in the league on the powerplay. Thibault has kept them in games this year with a great 1.99 GAA, but the Hawks have only 59 goals on the season. With Mironov out of the lineup on suspension, their defense unit is a bit weak especially on the 3rd pairing with Steve Poapst and Nathan Dempsey, who played for Toronto as an injury fill in against the Isles in last years playoffs. The Hawks have won just three of their last 10 games, 2 of the 3 wins came at home. On a recent 7 game Western Conference road trip Chicago dropped 6 games. But they have had success on Long Island in recent years and tonight will be a chance for the Isles to snap that. Last season the Blackhawks defeated the Isles 4-3 in Chicago. It was the only meeting of the season. Chicago is 11-12-3 overall, their 25 points good for 3rd in the Central Division. But place 10th in the Western Conference. They defeated Tampa Bay 3-1 Sunday night at home.
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Lets Go Isles! |
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1998-2003 Tom Mascioli
