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ISLES INFO |
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ISLES INFO |
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IslesInfo Comments: Every time the Isles come into a game with the Ottawa Senators they are reminded of the numbers, especially when at home. Yet every time they fall flat on their faces, and most of the time due to a slow unenergetic start. The Islanders played a good 35 to 40 minutes to start the second period. But it was the first period that did them in tonight, as well as some more bonehead plays by guys the Isles are counting on to win games. Over the summer, GM Mike Milbury said the Isles would put faith in forwards Brad Isbister and Oleg Kvasha to provide some offense on the first line instead of go after a free agent like Tony Amonte. Well, early in the game tonight both players took a penalty which led to Ottawa jumping out to a 2-0 lead. Kvasha, who was given a chance on the first line tonight after being scoreless in 7 games this season, took a hooking penalty at 4:46. That would lead to a powerplay goal by none other than 6'9" Zdeno Chara. Big Z got his first goal of the season off a rebound by Marian Hossa that took Chris Osgood down to the ice. He couldn't get back up before Chara roofed it to the top of the net. Isbister took his penalty at 6:38 which eventually led to a powerplay goal by Todd White, his second of the season. Ottawa leading scorer Daniel Alfredsson took the shot from the point and White was there to tip it in. The Senators came into the game ranked second in the league on the extra man, while the Isles still rank last in the league on the penalty kill. The Isles continued to stand around and watch Ottawa make pretty plays like they were the only team on the ice and by period end the Senators held a 14-8 lead in shots. - The first 5 minutes of the second period was pretty much more of the same. Radek Martinek was guilty of making yet another terrible play as he tried to send the puck up the middle of the ice to clear the zone. The pass failed and as usual when you try and make a play like that, ended up on an opposing players stick. It happened to Jason Wiemer earlier this year against Carolina as well. Peter Schaefer, who was recently acquired by Ottawa, would notch his first of the season when the Isles failed to get the puck out of their zone. Kvasha had a glorious chance to take the puck to the net, but instead decided to make an extra move and took himself out of the play. He didn't play for the rest of the second period. Soon the Islanders began to play better and take the game to Ottawa offensively. On the Isles fourth powerplay of the game(they failed to score on two of their own in the first), Shawn Bates found Adrian Aucoin over in the left circle and practically down on one knee Aucoin shot the puck just inside the post on the opposite end of the net. Mark Parrish and Alexei Yashin helped to screen the Ottawa goaltender Martin Prusek, who started surprisingly in the place of Patrick Lalime. Aucoin's goal was his defense leading 4th of the season and cut the score to 3-1. As far as Prusek starting the game, coach Jacques Martin said he planned last week to give the 26 year old rookie his first career NHL start in this game against the Isles. Prusek came in for relief in their last game, a 7-1 loss to Boston. Prusek was sent back to the AHL to play a game before getting called back to start tonight. To me, this is just another example of how Ottawa and Martin show no respect for the New York Islanders. Now that I got that out of the way, on to the third period. - This was a WEIRD period of hockey. First, the Islanders thought they had closed to within one when Dave Scatchard batted in a puck from the air. But it was called a high stick, and rightfully so. Then the Islanders thought they had closed to within 3-2 when Scatchard, Isbister and Asham crashed the net. With Prusek out of his goal area, Ottawa defenseman Curtis Leschyshyn fell down on the puck in the goal mouth. Video replay showed that Isbister had somehow jarred the puck across the goal line before Leschyshyn could scooped it back out with his hand. Referee Kerry Fraser looked as if he was signaling a goal, but went to the scoring table. Next thing you know he calls a penalty shot in favor of the Islanders because Leschyshyn supposedly put his hand on the puck before it crossed the line. Now a penalty shot is the most exciting play in hockey. But there was NO Islander fan who wanted to see it at this point because it should have been called a goal right off the bat. The Islanders decided to give Scatchard the attempt, even with penalty shot attempt king Isbister on the ice. Scatch broke down on Prusek and once he reached the slot ripped a shot on goal. Prusek got in front of the shot and made the save. Still 3-1 Ottawa. The Senators would then stretch their lead to 4-1 at 5:23 on a goal by Shaun Van Allen, his second of the year. The play was totally made by Islander killer Hossa as he skated in with a checking Islander all over him. He still managed to softly dish the puck over to Van Allen in front of Osgood. Van Allen just gift wrapped it up over Ozzie who ended up on his back. But the Islanders continued to battle away and get their offensive chances. They had out shot Ottawa in the second 15-7 and had taken over the game shot wise 23-21. But we all know what happens when the Isles out shoot a team. The Isles sent out their best line as of late and generated a goal to make it 4-2. - Isbister, Scatchard and Asham fore-checked hard into the Ottawa zone and Asham fired in a rebound to make it 4-2 at 6:22. It was his 2nd of the season. His first was an empty netter. Then, it was time for another weird moment at 8:30 of the third. Eric Manlow grabbed a loose puck in the high slot and shot a puck by Prusek that seemed to go into the top corner of the net. It sounded like there was metal hit, but the overhead camera on the net seemed to show the puck crossing the plain and hitting net. Fraser even went to video replay once again. Manlow was credited with his second goal of the season and the Isles only trailed 4-3 with 11 minutes left to play in the game. Plenty of time. Later on, after the play had resumed, another video replay angle showed that the puck may have hit the crossbar and then the post, actually not going in. The Senators at the time seemed to question the goal but replay affirmed it. Kinda makes you wonder what replay is looking at, especially since it was recently acknowledged that a called off goal by Adrian Aucoin was actually good one week ago against Calgary. At the same time i'm still unsure if it was a goal or not, but the Isles got a gift perhaps for the goal that should have been scored earlier. To cap of the weirdness, Kvasha was credited with an assist on the goal, his first point of the year in game #16. The Islanders tried to get the equalizer but Ottawa then got a little better defensively. The Isles pulled Ozzie in favor of an extra attacker. They gained a faceoff with 3 seconds remaining in the Ottawa end. Off the faceoff, Chara fired the puck down the ice and found the net with tenths of a second left to score his second of the game to earn the 5-3 win for Ottawa. The Islanders have not beaten Ottawa at home since January, 6 1996. None of the current players played in that 5-4 win and Mike Milbury was the Islanders head coach(the first time around). - The Islanders dropped to 5-10-1-0. Ottawa improved to 6-6-1-0 and 13 points as they take lone possession of 11th in the East. The Isles dropped to 13th with the Leafs defeating LA 4-3 in overtime tonight. They now embark on a 5 game road trip with stops in Boston Thursday night, Pittsburgh, Florida, Tampa Bay and the Rangers. The first four teams have been a surprise in the East so far this season and any game with the Rangers is always a good one. It won't be an easy trip. The Isles will return home November 24 against none other than Ottawa. That night they will unveil their new third jerseys, which are rumored to include their normal logo with lots of orange.
Fight Card: Jason Wiemer vs. Shane Hnidy. Not much of a fight. In fact, all three of Wiemer's fights this season have been nothing to write home about. They all have been grappling sessions as he and whoever he's gone at it with have struggled to get a clean punch off because of standing too close to each other. Commentary: How can they come out and play the way they do against a team that has owned them on OUR own turf?? It's pathetic. It should have them MAD and PISSED off right from the drop of the first puck. Ottawa knows they always dominate us, even on our home ice. And that gives them an arrogance over us. Martin shows no respect for the Isles by deciding give Prusek his first NHL start. Why are so many guys on the Isles struggling?? Why are these guys firing the puck up the middle? That is the worst play in hockey and is taught to youth hockey players as something you should never do. Watching them miss the net on every other shot on goal is just frustrating as hell.
Report Card: Brad Isbister: Playing on the Islanders best line as of late, but I still got problems with his game. Too often he gets shaken off the puck, whether it's a bumpr from behind or he just loses it. Sometimes you wonder if he is soft, as he got some kind of leg injury when his skate caught a rut early in the second missed the rest of the period. He did come back though. Alexei Yashin: Yashin went pointless tonight against his old team, a stat that should make all of Ottawa happy. Chara had a big night and Spezza looked promising. Yashin only had 2 shots in the game, including one he failed to finish on when he was given a gift chance right in front of the net late in the second period. He also went -2 on the night and is now a team worst -9 on the season. Shawn Bates: Assited on Aucoin's powerplay goal. Hurt his hand, probably on a slash, in the third period and missed a few shifts because of it. He still fakes the shot too much on the powerplay. Mark Parrish: Could have been better. The Islanders need him to pot a goal here or there when they are playing in a close game like this. He did possibly screen Prusek on the Aucoin powerplay goal. Dave Scatchard: Give credit to Scatch for actually playing in this game when it seemed like he may not after bruising his heel on Sunday(and it WAS Isbister who took the shot as I had reported and NOT Aucoin). Scatch took a good shot on the penalty shot so you can't fault him for that. There never should have been a penalty shot in the first place. Jason Wiemer: This guy STINKS. We gave up Branislav Mezei for this guy? If Mezei ever turns out to be a player Milbury is gonna rue the day. This guy simply cannot skate. Maybe there was a reason he has never played on a good team up til this season. Jason Blake: When Jason Blake is the best player on your team for long stretches of time, than you know you have a problem. Nothing against Blake though as he played fantastic once again. If you take Blake's brain and put it into Brad Isbister's head, you have an all star in the making. Claude Lapointe: Not bad. Not a whole lot of ice time. Steve Webb: Perhaps there is a reason the Isles weren't in a rush to sign Webb over the summer. They didn't have much plans to use him. Webb hardly played tonight and has not been much of a factor lately and we haven't seen any big hits. Eric Manlow: Even if it wasn't a goal, you still have to say it was a nice one. It doesn't matter if you were credited with one. Hopefully he can keep contributing. What worries me is if he's for real or not. Is the reason he's on the team is because we lack depth up front? Or can he be an emerging player in the line of Bates was last season. I don't know if he'll have that big an impact, but so far he has been good. Mattias Weinhandl: scratched. Arron Asham: Even though he had struggled early on, he has played with passion lately. He actually has played into good graces as compared to Wiemer, who has proven to be a bust in every game this season except Atlanta. Oleg Kvasha: Did he really make that play that I saw him make in the second period?? Did he actually take himself OUT of the play all by himself by trying to make it fancy? Unbelievable. When is this guy gonna learn. You get a wide open chance and you take it. You skate in and you TAKE the shot. Coming out with nothing is NOT the way. What's even more frustrating is that you can tell he knew it upon skating back to the bench. The coaching staff knew it and he sat for the rest of the period before getting yet another chance to redeem himself in the third. HEYYYY, he got a point. Defense: Roman Hamrlik: Assisted on Aucoin's powerplay goal. Overall he was pretty steady tonight. Adrian Aucoin: Got the goal that got the Isles on the board and changed the momentum for the Isles. Eric Cairns: Gave up the puck once in the second that almost led to a goal, but otherwise not too bad. Kenny Jonsson: Damn, that must be SOME flu bug Kenny has. Supposedly it has depleted his system really bad, but he has now missed three games over it. The Isles won the first two, but after this they definitely need him back soon. Radek Martinek: What else can you say? He just keeps struggling along game after game. I'm sure he has lost his confidence. I'm not sure if he would have to clear waivers but perhaps when Jonsson returns they should send him down instead of Butenschon. Mattias Timander: Tonight was his turn to make a blunder as he lost the puck by the Isles bench in the third period. He lost it to Hossa, the worst possible player. Hossa showed why he is an all-star and an Islander killer by dishing the puck off for a goal. Sven Butenschon: Played well again tonight as the coaching staff grows more and more confortable with him. He switched his uniform number to 44 from the 64 he wore in his first two games. Goal: Chris Osgood: Was good tonight, but the errors his teammates ahead of him made tonight made the team and eventually him look bad in goal. Both Osgood and Snow have been pulled for 4 empty net goals against this year with 2 each. Last season they combined for 8 in an 82 game season. Coaches, PP & PK: The Islanders played one of the best powerplay teams tonight, so I can't get on Isles hall of fame assistant Jacques Laperierre. But just because Peca is out of the lineup does not mean the Islanders should be 30th in the league on the PK. What is up with that??? Also, the Islanders are struggling at times on the PP with Hamrlik and Aucoin because other teams are on to the Islanders strength on D and are trying to put pressure on the Isles at the blueline. Lastly, the coaching staff, knowing the history between these two teams and how Ottawa owns the Isles on home ice, should have these guys prepared to play and play angry right from the start. Here's an alarming stat: the Islanders were down a man over 40 more times than the Edmonton Oilers through the first 12 games of the season. Yes, 40! GM: Milbury will probably be watching this road trip very closely and will learn some more about the chemistry of the team by the end of November. Hopefully he won't have to make any drastic changes if the Isles have a good trip.
Senators 5, Islanders 3
Lineups: ISLANDERS DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS OTTAWA DEFENSEMEN GOALTENDERS
Missed penalty shots: Dave
Scatchard, Nyi, 2:01 third.
IslesInfo Pregame Preview Preview Isles Try for 3rd Straight Nov 12: The Isles, winners of their last two games at home, will be looking for more of the same tonight against Ottawa. With the recent resurgence of Chris Osgood and the play of role players like Jason Blake, the Isles are lookin up. Isles vs. Ottawa Preview: Beating Ottawa tonight would be an achievement for the Islanders in more ways than one. Not only would it be their 3rd win in a row as they strive to return to the .500 mark, but it would end a string of futility the Islanders have suffered against Ottawa on home ice. The Senators are have an all-time record of 11-3-5-1 at Nassau Coliseum. Not exactly home ice advantage. In fact, the Isles are winless against Ottawa in the last 7 games on home ice. The Islanders managed to put to rest a lot of ghosts from the past last season, but a few still remain. The Isles may be without a couple of players tonight as Dave Scatchard is listed as day to day after bruising his heel in the win over Dallas Sunday, and Kenny Jonsson is still day to day still suffering from a virus that has debilitated his body. Expect Mattias Weinhandl to enter the lineup if Scatchard cannot go. The Isles will be looking for more continued leadership in goal by Chris Osgood, who has been stellar in the last two games, both wins. In the last four games he has managed to lower his GAA from 4.66 to 3.78 and his save percentage is up as well. It seems that he plays well when he sees more rubber. The fact that he has seen a few more pucks as of late could be the combination of playing better, more offensive minded teams, as well as the absence of defensive stalwart Jonsson(even though he's -7). The Islanders have also gotten key contributions from 3rd and 4th line players lately, namely Jason Blake, Claude Lapointe and surprising Eric Manlow. They have chipped in offensively, along with their usual sound defensive play, especially on the PK. Still, both the special teams units need to get even better and rise in the ratings. - Tonight will once again be a big game for Alexei Yashin. In four games last season he went 1-2-3 against Ottawa. The goal was scored on home ice. This time the Senators will not only have big Zdeno Chara in the lineup, but 2001 second overall pick Jason Spezza has been up with the team as of late and playing very well. So the entire trade will be out their on the ice tonight. Yashin will once again be under a microscope as he has become Ottawa's favorite whipping boy ever since he held out three years ago. - Both teams are tied for 11th in the Eastern Conference with 11 points. The Senators have three games at hand on the Islanders. Of course if the Isles can win they would take possession of 11th all by themselves and hopefully move closer to the top eight in the division. They are 5 points behind 4 teams tied for 7th with 16 points.
Ottawa Normally Tough Task The three players in this picture have played a big part in Ottawa's recent domination over the Isles, especially Marian Hossa. The sniper is once again right up there in team scoring as he has gone 7-4-11 in 12 games played for the Senators. While the Islanders will be trying to keep an eye on Hossa, they will have Daniel Alfredsson to contend with as well. The Senators leading scorer has taken over as Ottawa's favorite son once they got rid of the evil Alexei Yashin. Alfredsson has gone 6-9-15 in 12 games. Another player doing well for Ottawa, and a player the Islanders have been rumored to be interested in recently, is big winger Petr Schastlivy. The young Russian has compiled 4-3-7 in only 9 games this year. Schastlivy though has missed three games with a groin injury. One player the Islanders will be glad not to see tomorrow is always steady Wade Redden on the blueline. He'll be out with a sore hip he sustained Friday night against LA. But he's not the only player for Ottawa that may not play tomorrow. Both Martin Havlat and Radek Bonk have missed recent games with injuries. Havlat, another good rising star for Ottawa similar to Hossa, has missed 7 games with a groin injury as well. Bonk had missed a total of 7 games this season with a recurring shoulder-chest problem that has seen him return at times only to re-injure himself. That's what he did in Ottawa's most recent game against Boston, which was a 7-1 thumping on the road. It was one of if not close to one of the worst margins of defeat Ottawa has ever suffered. So they will be looking to get back on track after losing two straight over the weekend. Havlat and Schastlivy will be game time decisions. Most likely Patrick Lalime will get the start for Ottawa. He has started every game thus far for the Senators. Those French Canadian goaltenders seem to have the Islanders number. Lalime is 8-3-1 lifetime against the Isles. Of course the Isles will see old friend Zdeno Chara tonight. He has 5 assists in 12 games so far. Jason Spezza, the 2nd overall pick in 2001 and the second part of the big Yashin deal, is 1-3-4 in 8 games. GM John Muckler is rumored to be looking at many trade possibilities, some of which have recently involved the Islanders.
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Lets Go Isles! |
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1998-2003 Tom Mascioli
