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IslesInfo Comments: The Islanders came out with good jump to this game, but it would be Montreal to take the early lead off an Islander mistake. At 5:55 of the first, Karl Dykuis took a shot from the point on Garth Snow, who allowed a bad rebound. Frozen in position, Snow could not get across quickly enough as a wide open Joe Juneau dished the pass to his right to a wide open Niklas Sundstrom in the slot for an easy goal which was a virtual 2 on 0. Sundstrom's goal was only his 4th of the season and second as a Canadien. The Islanders had so many chances to tie it in the first period, but Montreal was very lucky to come out of the period with the 1-0 lead. Michael Peca must have had at least 3 quality chances to score, missing the net on a couple of chances. Jason Blake and Dave Scatchard missed their chance on a 2 on 1. The closest the Islanders came to tying it was a Mark Parrish rebound off a Shawn Bates shot that deflected off Montreal goaltender Jose Theodore and smacked off the left post. The Islanders out shot Montreal 15-6 in the first. - The second period went by with more great chances by the Islanders to tie the game up. Peca seemed to get a lot of ice time as coach Laviolette must have sensed he was having a good game and was primed for a goal. Early on Peca backhanded a shot over Theodore and off the crossbar. The Islanders picked up their physical play as well. By the end of the second period the Islanders held a 23-13 shots advantage. - Early in the third period it seemed as if the Islanders were headed to possibly another blanking on home ice by the stingy Montreal defense. But persistent plugging led to the tying goal at 3:39 when Oleg Kvasha received a pass from Alexei Yashin in front of the net. Yashin rounded the net and seemed to lose control of the puck, but still somehow got it over to Kvasha. Oleg took the shot and banged it in off Theodore for the 1-1 goal. For Kvasha, it was his 7th of the season. The Islanders, really pumped up now with the sight of a win within reach, had to kill a hooking penalty to Parrish. During the kill, the speedy Blake gained the puck in the neutral zone, but lost it from an attacking Canadien. But right there to back Blake up was defenseman Roman Hamrlik. Hammer skated the puck into the Montreal zone and faked a shot before taking it further in. Suddenly he wheeled it across the slot to a rushing in Peca, who fanned on his initial shot. Peca smacked at the puck a second time to totally fool Theodore and put in the shorthanded goal to put the Islanders up 2-1. The goal was Peca's 8th of the season and 2nd shorthanded of the season. More great play by Kvasha and Peca ensued. Yashin even got into it with fellow countryman Andrei Markov. Blake forced yet another turnover behind the Canadiens net. He circled the net with the puck all alone and took his time as he tried to fool Theodore once again. This time the save was made. Nearing the last minute of the game, Montreal pulled Theodore for an extra attacker. Peca would gain the puck in the Islanders slot and relay it up to Bates. As Bates got to the center ice red line he tried to put the puck in the empty net, but shot it way wide. The puck took a bounce off the backboards, and Parrish jumped on it with an attacker on his back. Mark backhanded the puck into the empty net for his 20th of the season to end the game at 3-1. The Islanders enter the all-star break at 24-20-5-2 with 55 points, 7th place in the Eastern Conference.
More stats: The Islanders are 12-4-0-2 in their last 18 games....The Isles went 8-4-0-2 in the month of January....The Isles improved to 14-12-2-0 at home....The Isles are an outstanding 21-11-4-2 since beginning the season 3-9-1-0....The Isles are 2-1-0-0 against Montreal this season, winning both games at home. Previous results: 3-0 loss in Montreal Nov 7th, 3-1 win at home Dec 23rd....The Isles are 4 games over .500 for the first time this season....Garth Snow posted his first win at home this season....Peca's shorthanded goal gave the Isles 9 on the season, second in the NHL only to the Detroit Red Wings....Montreal's 3-0-2 streak came to an end. Their 3-0-2-1 streak under new coach Claude Julien came to an end as he loses his first game in regulation. Next Up: The All-Star weekend is up next. Mattias Weinhandl will be in Florida Saturday night to take part in the NHL Young Guns game. Participants for this game are selected by NHL GM's around the league. Sunday afternoon, Roman Hamrlik will take part in the NHL All-Star game, playing for the Eastern Conference. IslesInfo will have brief updates of both Islander representatives. Up next for the Islanders are the Philadelphia Flyers at the Coliseum Tuesday night, February 4th. That will be the last game of a 3 game homestand for the Islanders. They are 2-0-0 so far on the homestand having defeated Pittsburgh 5-2 Tuesday night and Montreal 3-1 Thursday night. The Islanders are 1-2-1-0 this season against the Flyers, having won the most recent 3-1 Jan. 24th in Philadelphia. The Islanders are 0-2 against the Flyers on home ice. Previous games: 3-3 tie Oct. 17th in Philly, 6-2 loss at home Oct. 26th, 4-0 loss at home Jan. 9th. Garth Snow and Jeremy Roenick have exchanged words through the media in the last week regarding Roenick's remarks on the officiating in the Isles recent win in Philly. The Standings:
The Islanders with 55 points are tied with Tampa Bay for 7th place, with
the tiebreaker of wins going to the Islanders, 24-22. The Islanders moved
into 7th by defeating the Canadiens. With Tampa Bay defeating Carolina 3-1
at home, Montreal dropped into 9th in the East with 54 points. Pittsburgh
remains in 10th with 51 points after losing in Washington 2-1. The
Penguins drop a game under .500 after losing twice this week, once earlier
to the Isles on Tuesday. The Rangers, 50 points, remain in 11th by coming
away with a point in an OT loss at home to Colorado. 12th place Florida,
48 points, remained in the playoff race by the skin of their teeth after
skating to a 2-2 tie in Detroit. They made a big trade before the game by
sending Sandis Ozolinsh to Anaheim, just about conceding they are out of
the race. The odds are against them with only 15 wins. The Chicago
Blackhawks finally defeated an Eastern Conference team in Boston, 3-1. The
Bruins dropped back into 6th place with 58 points. Toronto climbed back
into 5th with a 5-2 win in Atlanta, winning for the second straight night
and gaining 59 points. Fight Card: none. Commentary: The Isles are just playing awsome right now. You almost rather not see the all-star break slow things down. But you take what the schedule brings you and I don't think it will phase them any. In fact it will only stand to help as the Isles get about 5 days of rest for the injuries and bumps. Adrian Aucoin will undoubtedly be back against the Flyers on Tuesday. But I'm extremely happy the Isles accomplished their goal and defeated two teams this week that they are in the playoff hunt with. Michael Peca was absolutely great tonight in leading the Isles to the win. Now I am hoping they finally give the Flyers a solid effort at home in their last meeting of the season. And maybe Garth Snow will smack Jeremy Roenick in his big mouth. After the break I would like to see the Isles separate themselves from the pack looking to just make it into the playoffs, mainly Tampa Bay and Montreal. If the Isles can come up with a big win against the Flyers Tuesday, they could cut the gap between the two teams to 7 points and maybe have a chance to catch them coming down the stretch. The Flyers are struggling right now and that may be the Isles only hope of gaining a home ice position for the playoffs.
Report Card: Brad Isbister: Sat out for the 9th time in the last 12 games. Alexei Yashin: Had a great game. Assisted on the game tying goal by Kvasha. Recorded 7 shots on goal which was by far more than any other Islanders as a few had 4. Was a +1 and is now a -18 on the season. He has spent most of the last month between -19 and -21. Shawn Bates: Was a +1 and recorded an assist on Parrish's empty net goal. Mark Parrish: His only shot of the game was his 20th goal of the season, the empty netter. +1. Dave Scatchard: Only had 1 shot on goal and was one of only 2 Islanders on the night that was a minus, -1. Still wore the visor to protect his stitches for the second straight game. Wouldn't be surprised if he removed the visor come next week. Jason Wiemer: Same as Scatchard, -1 with 1 shot on goal. Jason Blake: Had 4 shots on goal and assisted on Peca's winning shorthanded goal. Claude Lapointe: Played well on the fourth line with the kids, Weinhandl and Torres. Sometimes Godard. Steve Webb: Sat out his 16th game with chronic back spasms. Is not really listed as day to day anymore. Some sources have him as indefinite as to a return. Still don't know when he will return. Arron Asham: Was a +1 with 1 shot on goal. Assisted on Kvasha's game tying goal. Both he and Wiemer were brought in to change the team structure during the offseason and provide some toughness. Both have done that and added some offensive ability. While I think they could provide a little more, they both have performed very similar this season. They basically have put up the same stats, with Asham scoring 1 more goal in 4 less games. Wiemer has put up a few more PIM's. Oleg Kvasha: Had another great game as he seems more focused than ever. The talk has been that Kvasha has possibly turned the corner as he has realized what he has to do to stay consistent. He finally got the big goal that tied the game for the Islanders and ignited them on their third period win. He was a +1 with 4 shots on net. Michael Peca: Was the clear cut and away 1st star of the game, but was overlooked by the media that selected. The home radio crew usually selects, so I don't know what they were thinkin. Peca had 4 shots on goal, including the big shorthanded game winner. He also assisted on the empty netter by Parrish. Was a +2 on the night. Mattias Weinhandl: Got a couple good shifts on the 4th line with Raffi Torres and Claude Lapointe. Perhaps playing in the young guns game this weekend will give him some more confidence. He has not scored a goal in a long time. Raffi Torres: Had some shifts on the 4th line. Seems frustrated by the fact that he can't score and show more of what he can do. Helped to pick up the physical side of the Islanders game in the second period by laying a big hit along the boards. Maybe next season Torres will be in the young guns game. Eric Godard: Got in just over 2 minutes of ice time. Defense: Roman Hamrlik: Was a +2 with 1 shot on goal. Assisted on the Islanders game winning goal, when he carried the puck into the Montreal zone, faked the shot and then dished it off to Peca for the shorthander. Now it's off to the All-Star game for Roman. Had over 35 minutes of ice time as he and Jonsson flipped back and forth between the brunt of the ice time while Aucoin was out. Adrian Aucoin: Missed eighth game with a groin strain, the same amount of game Shawn Bates missed with a groin strain earlier in the season. There was video on Fox Sports of Aucoin skating suring practice with the team and looking almost ready to return to the lineup. In fact Adrian wanted to play Thursday night, but the coaching staff felt that with 5 days rest coming up with the all-star break, Aucoin could only benefit from the extra rest. Eric Cairns: Missed fourth game with dislocated shoulder. Will miss the next 4-6 weeks, as of January 22nd. Kenny Jonsson: Was a +2 and had 2 shots. Was named the first star of the game by Islanders radio media. He was great defnesively, at one time carrying the puck out of his end in the third period from behind the net, threading through two Montreal attackers. But I don't know about first star of the game. Maybe 2nd or third. But there were so many possible stars in this game. Kvasha could have been given a star as well. Jonsson had 26 minutes in ice time. Radek Martinek: Was even with 1 shot on goal in 22 minutes ice time. Mattias Timander: Even with 2 shots in 25 minutes ice time. Sven Butenschon: The Isles once again went with 5 d-men. Boots served as the 5th man, playing just over 9 minutes. Ray Schultz: Was returned to Bridgeport earlier in the week. Goal: Garth Snow: Besides the bad rebound which led to the Canadiens taking a 1-0 lead, Snow was very strong the rest of the way as the Isles finally broke out in the third. He was named the third star of the game after winning his first at home all season. The Islanders will need more strong play from him in the coming weeks and he needs to improve on his 5-8-1 record.
Coaches It was a tough decision for Laviolette to come back with Snow after DiPietro played so well in the win over Pittsburgh. I liked the decision to play Peca a lot throughout the second and third periods. Special Teams The Islanders PP, ranked 18th in the NHL, went 0-2 on the night. The PK, ranked 17th went 2-2 and produced a shorthanded game winning goal by Michael Peca.
Lineups: ISLANDERS DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS INJURIES: D Adrian Aucoin (groin, days-to-days), D Eric Cairns (dislocated shoulder, 4 to 6 weeks as of Jan. 22), G Chris Osgood (ankle sprain, 3 to 4 weeks as of Jan. 22) and RW Steve Webb (back, day-to-day). MONTREAL CANADIENS DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS
Power-play Conversions:
MON - 0 of 2, NYI - 0 of 2.
IslesInfo Pregame Preview Preview Isles - Hab War Tonight Jan 30: The Islanders set a goal for this week to win both crucial games against Pittsburgh and Montreal before heading into the All-Star break. So far they have accomplished half their goal. Now they look regain 7th in the East with a win tonight. Isles vs. Canadiens Preview: The Islanders rebounded from a loss at Columbus with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. Jason Blake continued his breakout season with two goals and Mattias Timander added a goal and two assists as New York won for the fourth time in six games. The victory kept the Islanders tied with Tampa Bay for the eighth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference. New York is one point behind Montreal with two games in hand. "We know where Pittsburgh is in the standings,'' Islanders forward Mark Parrish said. "We also know where Montreal and Tampa Bay are, too. That's why Thursday night's game is huge.'' With starting goalie Chris Osgood sidelined with an ankle injury, backup Garth Snow started the previous two games before Rick DiPietro, the first overall pick in the 2000 draft, got the call Tuesday. DiPietro had a strong 24-save performance, coming up big in the second period when Pittsburgh had a two-man advantage for more than two minutes. What's at Stake?: The Islanders with 53 points are looking for another huge win over Montreal as they attempt to take back 7th place in the East. They set the goal of winning both games before the all-star break and so far they have accomplished half that goal. But a loss could be detrimental because the Canadiens could move 3 points ahead on the four point swing. Tampa Bay, also with 53 points, host the struggling Carolina Hurricanes tonight. 10th place Pittsburgh, 51 points, will be in Washington fresh off their loss to the Islanders Tuesday night. 6th place Toronto, 57 points, will be in Atlanta tonight after winning in Carolina last night 3-2. Atlanta is 6-1-1 since Bob Hartley took over as coach so they are no push over. 5th place Boston, 58 points, will host Chicago who can't seem to beat anyone in the East as of late. The Florida Panthers, in 12th place with 47 points, are in Detroit. 11th place NY Rangers, 49 points, will host Colorado tonight with Glen Sather taking over for the newly fired Bryan Trottier. Every team in the East is in action tonight. The Flyers will be in New Jersey for a battle of the top top teams in the Atlantic Division. Tidbits: D Adrian Aucoin practiced with the team yesterday and is considered as doubtful for tonight. But coach Laviolette said it will be a gametime decision as Aucoin did not seem labored at all skating with his teammates....Even though Rick DiPietro played spectacular in the Isles 5-2 win Tuesday night over Pittsburgh it does not seem to be a slam dunk that DiPietro will get the start tonight against Montreal. IslesInfo would like to see the kid start. Laviolette said he would always ride the hot hand. He did it with Snow after he won one game in Philly. Give DiPietro his due. But apparently the coaching staff may feel Snow has paid his dues and should get the chance to be the #1 while Osgood is out.
Canadiens Hot Under Julien The Canadiens, with 54 points, are one point ahead of the Isles for 7th in the East. One thing the Isles have going for them is they have two games at hand on Montreal. The Habs have not lost yet in regulation under new coach Claude Julien.
Notes: A coaching change has helped the Montreal Canadiens put together their best stretch of the season. Montreal looks to head into the All-Star break with points in seven straight games when it faces the New York Islanders for the third time this season. The Canadiens are 3-0-2-1 under new coach Claude Julien, who took over for the fired Michel Therrien on Jan. 17. Montreal had won two of 12 before Julien took over. Richard Zednik scored twice and Saku Koivu had three assists Tuesday to lead the Canadiens to their second straight win, 6-3 over the Florida Panthers. "Now whatever happens, everybody is concentrating on the next shift,'' Koivu said. "We are showing more emotion, we're more confident and when you have your confidence, you'll get your bounces.'' Now that Jeff Hackett has been traded to Boston, Jose Theodore is Montreal's undisputed starting goalie and that has been reflected in his play of late. Theodore has yielded 11 goals during a personal five-game unbeaten streak (3-0-2). He has performed particularly well against the Islanders in his career, going 8-5-1 with a 1.55 goals-against average. Though he chose not to participate in Sunday's All-Star game, Koivu is certainly worth of his selection. The Montreal captain, who has five goals and 17 assists in his last 19 games, is to undergo tests to evaluate his recovery from the cancer that took him out of hockey for most of last season.
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Lets Go Isles! |
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1998-2003 Tom Mascioli
