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ISLES INFO |
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ISLES INFO |
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IslesInfo Comments: Making his first start in the Islanders net since April 7, 2001 Rick DiPietro returned a little bit older and a little more mature after spending the last year and a half in Bridgeport of the AHL. Even his number was different, as the often perceived brash goalie decided to ditch his old #1 and put on #39. Since he wore #29 throughout his college and minor league career, DiPietro went with #39 since Kenny Jonsson already wears #29. Things did not look good early on in this game. In fact it looked downright scary. DiPietro almost gave the puck up early overhandling the puck when he either nervously or mistakenly played the puck off the back boards, causing him to have to dive across the goal crease when a Wild player jumped on the puck. Just 5:15 in, Minnesota took a 1-0 lead when Sergei Zholtok skated in on a two on one. The normally defensive minded Zholtok didn't even think of passing the puck and basically just placed an easy shot through DiPietro's five hole for his 6th of the season. 1:57 seconds later, Cliff Ronning notched his 7th off a two on two. Marian Gaborik dropped the puck to Ronning to let a shot go at the top of the slot. The puck may have deflected up off Jonsson's stick and ended up behind a befuddled DiPietro for a 2-0 Minnesota lead. As this point things were looking very bad for the Islanders who are desperate to stay in the Eastern Conference playoff race. But around the 10 minute mark the tide totally shifted to the Islanders favor thanks to increased pressure and a powerplay goal by Mark Parrish. Receiving a pass in close from Alexei Yashin, Parrish slammed home his team leading 10th goal of the season to cut Minnesota's lead in half to 2-1. Only 1:26 seconds later, as the Isles continued to overwhelm the Wild with their speed, the game was tied at 2-2 at 17:49 when Jason Blake rounded behind the net with the puck. Michael Peca was took a man in front and screened Wild goaltender Dwayne Roloson while he told Blake to walk out with the puck. Blake turned and fired a shot that hit Peca's skate and redirected into the net. The Wild, especially Roloson, argued that Peca kicked the puck in, but after further video replay the officials ruled that Peca turned his skate and only kicked his skate after the puck was redirected, which is legal. Peca notched his 3rd of the season with Blake, who was placed on the second line tonight because of his great play this season, doing much of the work. The Isles out shot the Wild 11-7 in the first. Dave Scatchard has a wide open net when the Isles were still down 2-0. Roloson made a spectacular save. Eric Cairns had an all out heavyweight fight with Matt Johnson, which may have sparked the Isles to turn the tides. - Early in the second period, Gaborik hit the goal post behind DiPietro with a chance to regain the lead for the Wild. The Isles would gain their first lead of the game at 13:36 when they scored their third straight goal. Jason Wiemer relayed the puck back to the point for a shot by Sven Butenschon. As the shot came in, Parrish was there once again with his deft deflecting skills and redirected it by Roloson for his second of the game, 11th of the season, putting the Isles up 3-2. The Isles began to frustrate the Wild and most notably goaltender Roloson. The officials failed to penalize him after he went ballistic follwoing the Peca first period goal. Roloson slammed his stick into the net and broke it. Apparently he then slammed his replacement stick into the net and broke that too. Then he skated by the net and pushed it off the moorings like an immature baby. Thanks to the video replay referee Kerry Fraser only gave the goaltender a warning. Even though DiPietro seemingly settled down, there were some more harrowing moments. Later in the second he lost his goalie stick. He called for Mattias Timander's stick, but Timander saw an opportunity to clear the Islander's zone and made a good play. - The Islanders got into some penalty troubles when they took three straight early in the third period, including a too many men on the ice call. Even without Shawn Bates in the lineup, the Isles penalty killing unit was up to the task. The Isles have now killed off 33 straight advantages against over the last 7 games. They are also 61 for 63 in the last 63 penalty kills. One player who had a very good game for the Islanders tonight was Mattias Weinhandl. He was even better tonight than he was against Detroit when he returned from a shoulder sprain. Weinhandl exhibited excellent anticipation all night as he stole Wild passes and the puck just seemed to follow him everywhere he went. When Gaborik, who the Isles kept pretty quiet for the rest of the night, took a holding penalty midway through, Parrish almost netted the hat trick on the powerplay. With about 5 minutes remaining, it seemed like Minnesota had got one by DiPietro but Pascal Dupuis couldn't handle the puck in front and shot it up over the net. With 9 seconds remaining in the game, DiPietro perhaps made his biggest save of the game when he pushed Timander in the back and cleared the lane so he could make the save on the point shot. Off the final faceoff, Scatchard rushed the Wild defense and grabbed the puck as he broke down alone on the Minnesota open net. Taking his time he closed it off with his 8th of the season giving the Isles the 4-2 win. - The win was DiPietro's first in the NHL since a 4-3 win in St. Louis on March 20, 2001 and it was his 4th win of his career. The Isles out shot Minnesota 11-4 and 10-6 in the final two periods for a game total of 31-17. They improved to 6-6-3 on the road and 12-15-5 overall, 29 points. The Islanders snapped their 4 game winless streak at 0-2-2. Minnesota lost only their 5th game at home this season and dropped to 11-5-3. They dropped to 18-9-6-1 overall and were overtaken for first place in the Southwest Division by Vancouver. Minnesota's 4 game unbeaten streak at home( 3-0-1 ) came to an end. Next Up: The Islanders return home for a crucial 4 game homestand. This is a perfect opportunity to climb back to .500 and make a move in the standing before the new year. The Islanders will face the Washington Capitals Saturday night as they look for revenge when Washington defeated the Isles 2-1 in the Islanders home opener this season. The Islanders have only beat the Capitals once in the last 22 games. The win was a 5-4 triumph last March 30th when the Isles clinched their first playoff spot in 8 years. The Islanders will also face Montreal, Carolina and Florida on the homestand. Three teams directly in front of them in the East standing. The Standings: The Isles are still 5 points out of a playoff spot, this time trailing Carolina for 8th. They remain 6 points behind the Maple Leafs who defeated the Lightning 2-1 in Tampa last night. Pittsburgh is now winless in their last 10 as they fell to the Devils 3-1. The Islanders tied them in points with 29 but now have one more win, so the Isles moved into 12 in the East and tied for 4th in the Atlantic Division. The Isles, one point behind Florida, remain 2 points behind Washington and move to within two points of division rival NY Rangers after Montreal won 3-1 in MSG. Montreal remains 7 points ahead of the Islanders for 6th. -
Friday night, the Panthers and Hurricanes will visit bottom feeders
Buffalo and Atlanta respectively. Fight Card: Eric Cairns vs. Matt Johnson. This was an all out heavyweight battle. Both players held the other with extended grip as they tried to avoid any heavy punches. Most of the punches barely connected but each player threw flailing, wild haymakers. Cairns got a bit of a take down. When the players got up it seemed as though Cairns feel back to the ice. Either he tripped or was hurt in some way. For the rest of the game he seemed to be favoring one of his legs and even missed some ice time in the third period. Decision: Draw, but this fight may have rejuvenated the Isles and sparked them to turn the game around. Commentary: This was a very pleasant win! When the Isles dropped down 2-0 I thought it was going to be another long game, unbearable to watch for the next 2 hours. But the Islanders, who always seem to overcome when their backs are against the wall, got a great effort and turned the entire game around in their favor. DiPietro looked very shaky early on and perhaps could have had nervous jitters. He didn't get tested much the rest of the way but he is going to have to get better to stick around for the long term. But the main thing is the Isles got the two points and remained in the playoff race, inching closer to the pack once again. Personally, I say start DiPietro again Saturday night against Washington. Osgood and Snow had their chance. Let's go with the kid until he loses or has a bad outing. Of course if they do come back with Osgood that won't be a bad decision either.
Report Card: Brad Isbister: Not bad. Didn't get into any significant plays but played well with the puck. Alexei Yashin: Has started another point scoring streak, currently at 4 games after assisting on Parrish's first goal of the game. Though he still is struggling to put the puck in the net. He had 3 shots on goal and eventually should break out with some goals. He also was a -1 and is now -11 on the season. Yashin was still named 3rd star of the game. Shawn Bates: Sat out with a slight groin injury. Coach Laviolette said that the Islanders doctors don't deem it to be serious. But the Islanders performed an MRI to check it's severity to be sure. He may be back Saturday night but that's hopeful. Mark Parrish: An excellent night for the Minnesota native. The former St. Cloud State star notched 2 goals and was named the #1 star of the game. He also took a commanding lead in the team lead for goals with 11. Dave Scatchard: Is struggling to put the puck in the net. He was stopped with a wide open net by Dwayne Roloson in the first period. Perhaps netting an enpty netter late in the game for his 8th will get him back on track. Jason Wiemer: Was very solid and grabbed an assist on Parrish's game winning goal. Jason Blake: His speed frustrated the Wild and with more ice time tonight Blake got a big assist on the tying goal by Peca, which was really all his work. Claude Lapointe: Missed an almost empty net on a pass down low when the game was tied at 2-2. Played well defensively. Steve Webb: Had a couple good shifts. Nothing too memorable. Arron Asham: Played well, as he normally does following a scratch. He also assisted on Peca's goal and his puck possession was very good tonight. Looked good with Peca and Blake. Oleg Kvasha: Was ok. Spent most the night on the 4th line as usual with Lapointe and Webb. Got some time on 4 on 4 in hopes that the open ice would suit him better but Oleg didn't do much. Michael Peca: A much better game for him offensively as of late thanks to being at the right place at the right time on the tying goal. Was nice to see his excitement shared with Blake after the goal was scored. Mattias Weinhandl: His presence in the lineup just flat out makes the Islanders a better team. Another offensive force to be reckoned with when opposing defense's are out there, Weinhandl's anticipation and smarts have been outstanding. And he's only going to get better. Defense: Roman Hamrlik: Out with separated shoulder. Adrian Aucoin: Led the Islanders with 5 shots on goal. Was very good in his own end. Notched an assist. Eric Cairns: Had the big heavyweight fight against Matt Johnson that may have helped turn the tides for the Isles. He also may have injured himself a little and his ice time dwindled down as the game went on. Kenny Jonsson: Played well defensively. Radek Martinek: Was solid on the blueline. Mattias Timander: Just like Jonsson and Martinek, was good in the Islanders zone and good at carrying the puck into the neutral zone. Goal: Rick DiPietro: Was scarily shaky early on and it seemed like he would have trouble stopping anything coming his way early on. But the Islanders put in a great team effort 10 minutes in and totally stopped the Wild from getting anywhere near DiPietro for just about the rest of the way. DiPietro did make a few good stops, but struggled with his stick at times. His puck control behind the net did play a factor in helping the team defensively. Bottom line is he only had 15 saves but he didn't let up that third goal and that's all that counts. He was noticeably nervous even following the game in a post game interview and very thankful to have gotten the call. The Islanders will most definitely give him another look soon. Could it be Saturday night against Washington?
Coaches Laviolette called a timeout midway through the third to keep Weinhandl, Yashin and Isbister out on a strong powerplay attempt. The Islanders took a too many men bench penalty early in the third, which sometimes and not always fairly, reflects the coach. Special Teams The Isles were a respectable 1-5 on the powerplay. They are hovering around 20th in the league on the extra man and could be better if they were getting more than just the occasional powerplay goal. The penalty killing has been an absolute wall. 33 straight kills in the last 7 games, impressive in the absence of Shawn Bates. They have now killed 61 of the last 63.
Islanders Defeat Wild 4-2
Lineups: ISLANDERS DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS MINNESOTA WILD DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS
Power-play Conversions:
NYI - 1 of 5, MIN - 0 of 4.
IslesInfo Pregame Preview Preview Can Rick Get Isles on Track? Oct 19: The Islanders travel to Minnesota tonight to face one of the surprising teams in the NHL, the Wild. The backbone of the defense will have a new look when the Isles take the ice as Rick DiPietro will make his first start since April 7, 2001. Isles vs. Wild Preview: The Islanders have finally decided to give Rick DiPietro a chance. And you can't say they specially hand picked this game for him to make his return debut after playing in Bridgeport for the last year and a half. The Isles are in Minnesota to face the third year expansion Wild, a team with a record anything unlike an expansion team. DiPietro, who won only 3 out of 20 games late in the Islanders horrible 2000-01 season, will be thrust into the fire to show what he has learned. He's earned this chance after keeping his mouth shut and going back to Bridgeport for the second straight season. With the season long struggles of Chris Osgood and Garth Snow, DiPietro has been given this chance and a perfect opportunity to run with it. In 23 games with Bridgeport this season, DiPietro holds a record of 10-7-6 with a 2.18 GAA. Earlier this season, he set a personal best 14-game unbeaten streak. He joins the Islanders in the midst of a 4 game winless streak, 0-2-2, after they began the month of December with a 3 game winning streak. The Islanders are 1-3 all-time against the Wild, winning the most recent meeting back in March, 2-1 at the Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders have never won in two visits to the Xcel Energy Center. They will have to win tonight without one of their best players. LW Shawn Bates tweaked his groin in Tuesday's practice and will be re-evaluated Thursday. Bates, second on the Islanders in scoring with 21 points, will most especially be missed on the penalty killing unit, where thanks to his play as of late the Islanders have been potting some shorthanded goals along with killing 29 straight advantages against. Arron Asham will most likely take his place in the lineup. Battle of #1's: Rick DiPietro will have his hands full tonight. The former 2000 1st overall pick will have to face a potent offense that features rising superstar Marian Gaborik off the right wing. Gaborik was the 3rd player taken in the 2000 draft after originally being the top rated player overall. Road Trip: The Islanders trip to Minnesota will be a brief one game road trip as they will return to a 4 game homestand against Washington on Saturday, Montreal, Carolina and Florida. Standings: With the 2-2 tie last night between Toronto and Florida, the Isles are 6 points behind the Leafs for 8th in the East. They are 7 points behind both Carolina and Montreal who are tied for 6th. The Leafs visit Tampa Bay, who skated to a 1-1 tie with Carolina last night. Montreal will face the Rangers in MSG. Directly ahead of the Isles with 29 points, both Pittsburgh and Washington are in action tonight. Pittsburgh hosts New Jersey, who lost to Ottawa last night 3-0. Washington hosts the slumping East leading Boston Bruins. If the Isles can win and Pittsburgh loses, the Islanders can move into 12th in the conference, with more wins than Pittsburgh. DeePee Gets the Call!!!, Oct 18: The New York Islanders have called up G Rick DiPietro from Bridgeport of the AHL. At first it was announced that he would just be practicing with the club during their trip to Minnesota. But you knew there had to be something more to it. - It was later announced today after statements by GM Mike Milbury and head coach Peter Laviolette that DiPietro would actually START tomorrow night's game against the Wild in Minnesota. - "He's here because he has earned a chance to get a Major League paycheck," said Islanders GM Mike Millbury. "He's done what we have asked him to do and now he'll get some NHL practice time. It's up to the coaches beyond that." - Head coach Peter Laviolette said following practice today that, "He's (DiPietro) earned a shot because he's played very well in Bridgeport. Right now we are going to carry three goalies. The games are up for grabs." - "I'm very happy about this," said DiPietro from the Islanders practice facility. "I guess it's an early Christmas present for me. It's exciting and I can't wait." - This will be DiPietro's first start since April 7, 2001. In 23 games with Bridgeport this season, DiPietro holds a record of 10-7-6 with a 2.18 GAA. Earlier this season, he set a personal best 14-game unbeaten streak. - Even though Chris Osgood has played well as of late, the goaltending all season long for the Islanders has often left something to be desired. It has opened the door for the young DiPietro to possibly come in and shine. It could also have the opposite effect, but the Islanders have been in need of some kind of change. This could be viewed as a final change before Milbury decides to make a move. Though he wouldn't really have time to do anything with the NHL Holiday trade freeze coming up after tomorrow nights game.
Minnesota Wild About Gaborik The flu bug has hit many of the Wild's top players, but that hasn't stopped them or slowed them down. In their third year of existence, the Wild have vaulted into first place in the Southwest Division and have the second best record in the NHL.
Notes: The Wild are 18-8-6-1 with 43 points, 2 more points than Vancouver who went on a 10 game winning streak earlier this season. They trail Dallas by only one point for first overall in the league. The Minnesota Wild look to establish the second-longest home unbeaten streak in franchise history when they host the New York Islanders, who have never won at the Xcel Energy Center. Minnesota extended its unbeaten run at home to four games (3-0-1) on Tuesday night by rallying from a 3-1 deficit in the third period to beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 in overtime. Marian Gaborik scored his 20th goal of the season to pull the Wild to within 3-2 midway through the third, and Richard Park scored the tying goal and added the winner at 4:43 of overtime as Minnesota beat Edmonton for the first time in 13 meetings. Minnesota, which has won two straight and five of six overall, went a club-record nine straight games at home without a defeat in its inaugural season of 2000-01. The Wild will be looking to extend their run against the Islanders, whom they've beaten three times in four all-time meetings, including both at St. Paul. The Wild wrap up a three-game run at the Energy Center with Thursday's game, trying for a clean sweep of the homestand after beating the Hurricanes and Oilers. In front of the usually sold-out home seats, the Wild are a solid 11-4-3-0.
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1998-2003 Tom Mascioli
