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ISLES INFO |
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IslesInfo Comments: The Islanders had a bit of a sluggish and slow start to the game. They scored 8 goals the night before in defeating the Boston Bruins. But that was no excuse. The Penguins also played the night before in Atlanta. And with the Isles chasing Pittsburgh, trailing them by just one point in the division entering tonight's game, that made a good performance even more important. Pittsburgh would strike first, something new for the Islanders as of late. The all-time leading scorer against the Isles, Mario Lemieux, would be the benefactor of a down low pass by Alexei Kovalev to make it 1-0 at 8:29. Kovalev, who did not play in the last match up between these two teams, got the puck over to Lemieux to the right of Chris Osgood, who surprisingly started his 6th straight game. Lemieux shook the check of Arron Asham and put it over Osgood for his 19th of the season. Shortly after the goal, Eric Cairns got into it with Steve McKenna. Pittsburgh held the one goal lead until the final minute of the first when they took a 2-0 lead. Michal Sivek walked in alone off the left boards at 19:35 when Mattias Weinhandl failed to clear the zone. Sivek backhanded the puck into the far right side of the net for his 3rd of the season. - When the Islanders came out for the second period, Garth Snow was in net. Coach Laviolette believed the Islanders needed something to get them going. Snow was seeing his first ice time in practically a month's time. Mattias Timander would get called for high sticking early in the period. It would be the only penalty the Islanders would take all night as they were very disciplined knowing that Pittsburgh has the #1 ranked powerplay in the league. Plus they recently got former Islander Dick Tarnstrom back in the lineup, who likes to team up with Lemieux and Kovalev to make Pittsburgh very deadly with a man up. But Tarnstrom would leave the game late in the first period after apparently injuring a hamstring and the Islanders killed off the penalty no problem. It was the 25th straight kill for the Isles. Pittsburgh would remain up 2-0 until 15:34 when the red hot Mark Parrish would tip in his 17th goal of the season to cut the Penguins lead in half to 2-1. Kenny Jonsson sailed the puck in towards the net from inside the blueline and Parrish either tipped it in with his stick or possibly had it bounce it off his thigh. The Islanders were not done turning the tide once again as they tied the game 2-2 with their own last minute goal at 18:58. Michael Peca went to shoot the puck into Pittsburgh end and the puck deflected up into the air off a Penguin stick. As Peca skated in he played the puck out of the air and upon reaching the slot passed the puck over to his left to Asham. Arron took the pass and backhanded the puck into the open net above a sprawling Johan Hedberg for his career high 6th goal of the season. The Isles out shot Pittsburgh in the second 11-6. - The third period went by with not much of anything going on, except for a chance to end it for the Islanders when Pittsburgh took a too many men on the ice penalty at 11:16. Unfortunately the Isles could not muster up any good attack on the extra man and despite outplaying Pittsburgh for most of the third period, it ended with both teams still tied at 2-2. It almost seemed like Pittsburgh was playing for the tie and the Islanders were creating some good chances but couldn't finish. It was only a matter of time before the Isles could win it. - Entering the OT, the Islanders had the confidence behind them, recently winning 2 straight overtimes last week and having an extra session record of 3-0-5. Pittsburgh on the other hand had every reason not to be confident in the OT as they have compiled a record of 0-5-3. But it only took one play 42 seconds in to decide the game when Martin Straka managed to trickle one over the goal line past Snow, who was excellent up until that point in relief of Osgood. The Islanders, including Alexei Yashin, got caught with 3 men down deep in the attacking zone. Marc Bergevin, realizing the fact, relayed the puck up to Michal Rozsival who broke down on a two on one with Straka against Jonsson. Kenny played the 2 on 1 the best he could but Straka upon receiving the pass stuffed the puck into Snow who couldn't stop the puck from barely crossing the line. The Isles lose their first OT game this season but remain a game over .500 at 17-16-5-1. They gave up a point to Pittsburgh but gained a very valuable point themselves. More stats: The Islanders are 6-1-1-1 in their last 9 games. Garth Snow got the loss after coming in for relief of Chris Osgood. Snow falls 4 games under .500. The season series against Pittsburgh stands at 2-0-0-1 for the Isles. The Islanders won their previous two games in Pittsburgh 3-2 on November 16th and 6-3 back on December 7th. Next Up: The Isles return home for three straight at the Nassau Coliseum. They will face the second of a home and home with Pittsburgh on Tuesday night, then Philadelphia Thursday night and Atlanta on Saturday night. The Standings:
The Islanders moved into 10th in the Eastern Conference with 40 points,
tied with Carolina who defeated the Bruins in Boston 4-2 and the idle
Florida Panthers. But with more wins than both those clubs the Islanders
technically get 10th place. By giving Pittsburgh a point in OT, the
Islanders fall to 2 points out of 8th place as the Penguins jump over
Montreal who lost in OT 5-4 in Edmonton last night. The Canadiens are in
9th with 41 points. Washington moves into first place in the Southeast
division after a 2-2 tie with the Rangers. They grab third in the
conference thanks to a 5-1 loss by Tampa Bay in St. Louis. The Isles trail
Tampa Bay by 2 points and Washington by three. Toronto defeated the Devils
2-1 at home in the second of a home and home series so they remain 5
points ahead of the Islanders for 6th. With the point the Islanders
gained they move to within 7 points of the Flyers for 5th and the Bruins
for 4th. More importantly they move to within 7 of the Atlantic division
leading Devils and 2nd in the conference. Everyone except Ottawa seems
attainable right now. Fight Card: Eric Cairns vs. Steve McKenna. These two guys don't particularly like each other stemming back to when McKenna was with the Rangers last season. At first they both grabbed each other with one hand, trying to keep away from the others big haymaker. Cairns tried to get a few jabs in before he finally threw a big right. It may not have totally connected but it was enough to bring McKenna down to the ice. The fight really didn't bring any momentum in play to either side. Decision: Cairns. Commentary: Even though we came out of it with a point, it's still hard not to be pissed off with the outcome, especially giving Pittsburgh the extra point when we're trying to catch them. And, it thwarted our chances of 6 straight wins. A tie or an OT loss really doesn't have much difference. But it was just that we were totally outplaying them in the third period and it felt like it was only a matter of time before we won it. We were playing with that confidence like we were not going to lose the game. I doubt though that this will change out recent good play, focus and recent good feelings about the team by the players. They'll just have to come out and whip Pittsburgh on home ice Tuesday night. Also, we have to stop giving up early goals to Mario every time we play Pittsburgh. He still may be the best offensive player in the game, but shut him down early and you have a good chance of keeping him out of the game. I don't think his stamina is what it use to be to be a factor late in the game.
Report Card: Brad Isbister: Last time the Isles were in Pittsburgh, Isbister notched 4 points in a 6-3 win. Right now he is still ailing with a sore ankle, but the Isles need him to pick up his game offensively. Alexei Yashin: Played well defensively, but wasn't much of a factor offensively. When is he going to break out? Shawn Bates: Scratched eighth straight with groin strain. Is listed as day to day but Isles are unsure when he will return. Mark Parrish: Has 9 goals in his last 10 games after notching his 17th of the season in the second period on the powerplay. His goal got the Islanders going. Dave Scatchard: His line was a bit quiet last night, which is unordinary. Jason Wiemer: Usually performs well in Pittsburgh but at times he wasn't on the ice late in the game. Jason Blake: Red hot as of late but quiet last night, which is odd because the bigger ice surface should suit his speed well. Can't expect a guy to score every night though. Claude Lapointe: Good defensive game. Steve Webb: Sat out his fourth game with chronic back spasms. Arron Asham: Can't really fault him for allowing Lemieux to get that shot. It happened so fast. Asham stayed with him but Lemieux only needs a second. He made up for it by tying the game up after scoring his career high 6th of the season. He had not scored in a while. December 6th against the Leafs if I recall correctly may have been the last time he scored. He had two goals that night. The kid is extremely shy as evidenced by a second intermission interview. It almost comes off like he doesn't like to be interviewed. But he does have a nice new hairdew. Apparently he has gotten the old Eric Cairns-Steve Webb blonde and brown swirl thing going. Anyway, how does that deal look now for the Islanders?? Kudos to Mike Milbury. Oleg Kvasha: I don't know if he saw more than one shift in this game, sometime in the first period. The official stats sheet says 6:29 of ice time. Michael Peca: Peca made an excellent play to corral the puck out of the air and get it over to Asham for the tying goal. His confidence just rubs off on everybody on the team. That is why he is such a great player and captain. Larry Brooks mentioned it today the turnaround of the Islanders with Peca's return. I mentioned it many times here on IslesInfo, but Larry mentioned it today. Peca is the Islanders version of Mark Messier. The consummate leader. If the Isles get into the playoffs you can't overlook the climb they made to get back in it. Even though it came relatively early. For that, Peca could be a Hart Trophy candidate come seasons end, as well as a repeat candidate for the Selke Trophy. Mattias Weinhandl: Had a few good shots on goal. According to Islanders color commentator Joe Michelletti, Pittsburgh coach Rick Kehoe was asking who that #11 for the Islanders was. He said it looks like the Islanders got a good player there. He struggled though on the Penguins second goal and failed to clear the zone. But Weinhandl now has 11 points in 15 games and is climbing up the rookie scoring ladder. A few more 3 point nights and he'll be at the top of the list in no time. Eric Godard: Scratched in favor of Trent Hunter. Trent Hunter: With the bigger ice surface and possibility of a more offensive game, coach Laviolette inserted Trent Hunter into the lineup. Originally called up in case Brad Isbister's ankle held him out of the Boston game, Hunter was also called up because he has been playing well in Bridgeport and deserved another chance. He played well in the first two period and handled the puck much better than earlier in the season. He looked more confident. In Bridgeport he is 15-18-33 and was recently named to the AHL all-star team along with G Rick DiPietro. When Laviolette smelled a chance to gain points in the third period, he went with his guys he has confidence in and Hunter never got off the bench. Defense: Roman Hamrlik: Had a strong game and was getting involved offensively as usual. Adrian Aucoin: Assisted on both goals. Eric Cairns: Had a good fight with old rival Steve McKenna. Kenny Jonsson: Played well all night. But lets analyze the OT goal for a minute. You can't fault Kenny in any way really for the goal. He played it well and the best he could. But there are so many different philosophies and ways to go about it depending on who you ask. Eventually Jonsson got down to Straka right as he reached the net, maybe a split second too late as he was trying to cut down any final pass back to Rozsival. A defenseman could slide down on the ice but that takes incredible timing to cut off any pass as well as a shot. Or, the defenseman can decide to rush Straka, which maybe Kenny should have done because Snow would have had a much better chance of making a save against Rozsival than on Straka. Anyway, the play is over and it's on to worrying about the next game. Radek Martinek: Solid game in his own end once again. Mattias Timander: Took the only Islander penalty of the game. Was strong defensively. Goal: Chris Osgood: I thought it was a bit of a surprise that Osgood started the game. Yeah, Laviolette wanted to ride out Osgood's great stretch, where he has started every game of the Islanders 5 game winning streak. But after giving up 4 goals to Boston, even if it was not all his fault, I thought Osgood should have gotten a rest and Snow, who has been historically good on the second night of back to backs should have gotten the start. Garth Snow: Had a great game and was named the third star despite the loss. If he was in there from the beginning the Islanders may have won this game because it didn't seem like Ozzie's night. Unfortunately Snow was unable to get a handle of the puck in OT and it just managed to trickle over the line. He deserved a better fate. Who will start Tuesday night? I think they will come back with Osgood.
Coaches Hard to question the starting of Osgood, but in hindsight Snow would have been the better option, even with Ozzie's hot play of late. It just felt like a good time for Snow. But you really never know until you see what happens if whether Osgood would have another stellar game. It's hard to question after the fact he has a poor performance. Laviolette did take a good timeout in the third period right before the Isles went on a powerplay, a perfect opportunity with Pittsburgh taking one for too many men on the ice. But the Islanders never really got anything started on the extra man and squandered the chance away. Finally, you can't really blame the coaches but perhaps the Islanders were a little too aggressive in the OT before getting caught on the 2 on 1 by Pittsburgh. At the same time, if it works than the players made a great move. Special Teams The Islanders powerplay moved up to 22nd in the league after scoring 2 against the Bruins. Last night they went 1-3, getting one by Parrish that got them into the game. The penalty kill after going 4-4 against Boston moved up one spot to a ranking of 10th in the NHL, and killed off their 25th straight penalty by going 1-1. At this rate the Islanders will be #1 in no time. They just don't give up goals on the PK.
Penguins Freeze Islanders 3-2 in OT
Lineups: ISLANDERS DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS PITTSBURGH PENGUINS DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS
Power-play Conversions:
NYI - 1 of 3, PIT - 0 of 1.
IslesInfo Pregame Preview Preview Blake, Parrish on Fire Jan 4: The Isles head into Pittsburgh tonight for the third time this season as they home to continue their winning streak which now stand at 5 straight. Jason Blake and Mark Parrish head the Isles assault as they combined for 5 goals in the win over Boston. Isles vs. Penguins Preview: The New York Islanders look to stretch their season high winning streak to six games when they meet the Pittsburgh Penguins at Mellon Arena. The Islanders rode Mark Parrish's fourth career hat trick to their sixth win in seven games, 8-4 over the Boston Bruins on Friday. Jason Blake had two goals, and Dave Scatchard, Alexei Yashin and Mattias Weinhandl also scored. Chris Osgood made 39 saves for the Islanders, who enjoyed their best offensive game of the season. New York, which has outscored its opponents 17-6 during its winning streak, is above .500 for the first time this season. However, the Islanders know they still have a lot of work to do. "You still look at that board, we're still not in the playoffs,'' Blake said. "We've got to keep going and keep fighting and clawing and keep getting better every night.'' The Standings: The Islanders moved into 11th in the Eastern Conference with 39 points, one point ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes who lost last night 6-3 to Buffalo. The Sabres ended a 7 game losing streak. The Islanders are one point out of a playoff position now, and one point behind Florida, Pittsburgh and Montreal who all have 40 points. Washington is just 3 points ahead of the Islanders after a 2-2 tie last night with Columbus. The Islanders move to within 4 points of Toronto, who lost last night in New Jersey 2-0, for 6th in the East. What's at Stake?: With a win tonight the Islanders can at least move ahead of the Penguins. Florida travels to the west coast to play Vancouver and Montreal will do the same in Edmonton. With an Islander win and losses by Florida and Montreal the Isles could move into 8th place in the Eastern Conference. Carolina will be in Boston fresh of the Bruins spanking at the hands of the Islanders. The Rangers will host the Washington Capitals. The Islanders are three points ahead of the Rangers with 3 games at hand. Tidbits: The Isles home record improved to 10-10-2. On the road they are 7-6-3....Jason Blake is playing so well that he could garner All-Star recognition along with Mark Parrish when it comes time to select reserves.
Crucial Home & Home The Penguins are a streaky team, as they always seem to lose many in a row or win many in a row. That is why the Isles need to beware tonight, as Pittsburgh is coming off a 4-1 win over Atlanta. Alexei Kovalev will be in the lineup this time around.
Notes: Pittsburgh continued its resurgence with Friday's 4-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers. Steve McKenna and Dick Tarnstrom scored 2:37 apart early in the third period as Pittsburgh won for the fifth time in seven games following a 10-game winless streak (0-9-0-1). "We don't even think about that streak anymore,'' Penguins coach Rick Kehoe said. "It happens during the course of a season where a team has spells like that. It's just a matter of getting through them.'' Mario Lemieux ended a two-game scoring drought with two assists, putting him five shy of 1,000 for his career. Lemieux leads the league with 66 points. Though the Pens are again earning points in the standings, their league leading power play has been short circuiting of late. Pittsburgh went 2-for-4 on the power play in a 6-1 win over the New York Rangers on Dec. 26, but has gone just 2-for-21 with the man-advantage in four games since.
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Lets Go Isles! |
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1998-2003 Tom Mascioli
