Nov 29, 2011

Game Recap: New York Islanders 2, Buffalo Sabres 1

The New York Islanders (7-11-4) defeated the Buffalo Sabres (13-10-1) by a score of 2-1 in Buffalo, New York tonight. The Islanders gained the lead back after an early 3rd period goal by Buffalo and held on for a big road win, only their second such of the season.

Boxscore:
(G, A)

1st Period:
NYI: 1, BUF: 0 - Matt Moulson (PP - 8), Mark Streit (10), P.A. Parenteau (13)
2nd Period:
None
3rd Period:
NYI: 1, BUF: 1 - Jochen Hecht (2), Jason Pominville (17), Thomas Vanek (15)
NYI: 2, BUF: 1 - Brian Rolston (3), David Ullstrom (1), Joshua Bailey (4)

Goaltending:

Al Montoya - 30 saves on 31 shots, .968 SV PCT
Jhonas Enroth - 28 saves on 30 shots, .933 SV PCT

Final Score: 2-1 NYI
Attendance: 18,690

Notables:

Al Montoya has once again solidified himself as the #1 goaltender on this team. Neither Nabokov or DiPietro can come close to matching the positional awareness, the quickness or the general efficiency of Montoya. He has now only allowed 4 goals in the past 3 games and is simply stealing games for the Isles in games they might not have necessarily been able to win with another goaltender in net. He was most notably efficient on a 5 on 3 after two bad penalties by Streit and Bailey, blocking a bunch of shots in succession and helping to lead to some very important clears. Goalies coming into their own at age 25 or later isn't a new thing, and it's clearly happening with Montoya. As soon as the new year hits, Snow needs to be on the phone with his agent.

After a couple of shaky games, it looks like Travis Hamonic is back to his old self. He was blocking shots all night, and there were several times where he took one that looked like he was in a bit of pain. He left for the locker room after one but didn't even miss a shift. He is without a doubt our future #1 defenseman and showed himself as that tonight once again. He's sound positionally was very physical all night. Great job. He and Andrew MacDonald were fantastic tonight, with MacDonald also taking a painful shot at the end of the 3rd with Enroth pulled that might have saved the game. 

John Tavares is just itching for a goal after not having one in 10 games. He had 6 shots on goal and had one drive to the net in the 3rd period that went just off the post after beating Enroth. He's such a dynamic player that we know the goals and points will come, but obviously seeing him consistently denied is unfortunate. Would have been nice for him to pot one in front of Mom and Dad who were in attendance tonight, but he played such a well rounded game once again that they should be proud regardless.

Mark Streit had a terrible game. Although his shot on the first goal was what led to the Isles first goal, he was terrible defensively tonight, making some really pisspoor decisions on defense. Even on the PP, most notably the second one, he was not exactly the most efficient we've seen him. After being set up right in the slot, he elected to attempt to pass it to the right point and was intercepted in what should have been a nice shot on goal for him. He also took a very, very poor penalty that, combined with Bailey's, created a very scary moment for the Islanders. Just not a very good game.

The third line of David Ullstrom, Josh Bailey and Brian Rolston was outstanding tonight. While Rolston needs to learn to finish his checks, Ullstrom and Bailey were clicking well once again and really putting a lot of pressure on Enroth. Right before the 2nd goal, there was yet another opportunity between Ullstrom and Rolston where the puck just trickled short of the goal line. Consistent pressure finally led to the game winning goal, but it was great to see such great chemistry going on between the three. Perhaps, just perhaps, Bailey and Ullstrom are benefiting from Rolston's veteran prescence. 

Matt Martin had a hell of a fight with Zach Kassian. You couldn't count the amount of punches thrown if you tried. Great job by Martin to pull Kassian's jersey off revealing the lack of the jersey being tied down as well, getting him a 10 minute misconduct penalty.

In his 9 minutes of ice time, Nino Niederreiter somehow was able to land 5 hits. Great job, but he's touted as a goalscorer, and can not continue to play on the 4th line where he goes out, checks someone, then goes back to the bench. I truly believe his right role his rookie season is on the 3rd line with Bailey and Ullstrom.

It was great to hear such an intelligent hockey mind in former Islanders captain Pat Flatley between the benches and as commentary between the periods. I would love to see him replace Butch Goring after this season if possible. Really adds insightful comments and knows the game well.

Thoughts:

AT: Still need to score more, but a great game defensively all around complete with some stellar goaltending. The Isles are playing hard again and are on the right track. We have some big tests coming up, and we're still 4 games under .500, so it's now or never to begin a comeback.

Next game: The Islanders face the Chicago Blackhawks in Chicago on Friday, December 2nd at 8:30 local time. The game will be broadcasted on MSG+.

Nov 27, 2011

Opinion: What's Next For Islanders?

After a Thanksgiving weekend record of 1-1-1, the Islanders enter the upcoming week a different team, despite a similar record. They won their first road game on Saturday in New Jersey, headlined by inspired goaltending from Al Montoya and a huge shorthanded goal by Michael Grabner. They probably should have won Wednesday at home against Philadelphia, but that didn't happen for a multitude of reasons, most notably three soft goals let up by Rick DiPietro.

Either way, the roster from last Monday night in Pittsburgh will be somewhat different than the lineup that will skate in Buffalo on Tuesday. For one, Blake Comeau was waived after a disappointing beginning to the season. He was picked up by the Calgary Flames (0 points in 2 games) on Friday. Mark Eaton sprained his MCL and won't be back until after the year turns. The Islanders called up Micheal Haley for some jam. David Ullstrom continued to nail down a spot on the third line. Marty Reasoner didn't play a shift. And then there is the curious case of Nino Niederreiter, who is still sitting in the press box, but now tweeting that he doesn't know why.

Quite simply, it is a mess right now. The Islanders are all but out of the playoff race by Thanksgiving for the second year in a row. Questions have risen regarding the status of Jack Capuano's job security. General Manager Garth Snow has been in hiding, aside from a few short-worded answers to reporters trying to get a little more out of him. All the while, the team continues to struggle and and the fans remain irate.

Chances are that Saturday's win just delayed the inevitable firing of Capuano. With three road games this week against good teams, it's certainly plausible that Capuano does not make it through if the team puts forth a few lackluster efforts. While the Islanders have stayed within their organization for personnel changes on the roster, it is clear at this point that it is not enough. That said, it's hard to expect the Isles to make a trade, so unless Capuano is able to mix and match to perfection, the Isles will have to fight through it themselves.

There were some promising signs this week. John Tavares was extraordinarily good on faceoffs against New Jersey, which means that he's still helping the team despite not finding the back of the net much. Kyle Okposo finally looks like the Okposo of old, as he's starting to use his body to go north-south as opposed to unsuccessfully attempting to dangle through defensemen in an east-west game. Al Montoya looks like he has no rust whatsoever, despite not playing much over the past six weeks. Travis Hamonic and Andrew MacDonald are showing signs of being the defensive pairing we saw over the last 45 games last season. Josh Bailey looks like he's found his game in all three zones.

However, until the necessary chances are made, which stem from hiring an experienced coaching staff (when the inevitable firing happens) to dropping the dead-weight on the team, things will remain in status quo. The only question will be is if the Islanders can pick their game up enough to be competitive for the rest of the year. If not, this team will lose. A lot. And we all don't want to be back in the draft lottery. So after twenty games, it's time for management to evaluate what they have and make changes accordingly.

-CH

Nov 25, 2011

News: Flames claim Blake Comeau off of waivers

One day after he was waived following not a single point in 16 games, Blake Comeau was claimed off of waivers by the Calgary Flames.



AT: I believe this is the best for all parties. Blake had a good season last year but was just not doing much this year and clearly needed a change of scenery. Calgary isn't exactly a good team so it's hard to see him putting up much more than he did last year playing with the Flames, but he was simply not working for the Islanders anymore, and certainly not worth $2.5M with his play.

This should, by logic, pave the way for Niederreiter to take his place on the 3rd line, but supposedly Niederreiter and Reasoner are the scratches today against the Devils, which makes very little sense at all. You have a 19 year old power forward just itching to play, and you continue to scratch him in favor of Brian Rolston who has easily been one of the most inefficient players for the Islanders all year long.

Nov 24, 2011

Recap: Flyers - 4, Islanders - 3

Last night at the Nassau Coliseum, the Philadelphia Flyers defeated the New York Islanders by a score of 4-3. The Islanders blew a 3-1 lead over the course of the game, culminating in a Danny Briere overtime goal after a failed two minute 4-on-3 Islander powerplay. The Islanders have now dropped 13 of their last 15 games, and will go into Friday's matinee against the Devils with a 5-10-4 record.

Usually, we would harp on the negatives to start, but I think Kyle Okposo deserves some recognition for the effort he put together last night. A three point first period was the flashy part of Okposo's night, but what we saw was the Okposo of two years ago. Okposo backchecked extremely hard, won board battles, went towards the play head-on, and crashed the net. He got to the soft areas of the ice and created chances for himself, which is the first time we have seen that from Okposo this year. Last night, he and Michael Grabner came alive and gave the Islanders a second scoring line for the first time all year. It was long overdue, and if he keeps it up the Islanders will be much better for it.

On another positive note, Josh Bailey had a very nice game as well, which included a nice cross-crease pass to Okposo for the second goal. But Bailey was engaged last night. He was good on the PK. He played a smart game, showing off his hockey sense - the main reason we was drafted when he was. It's too early to call this a coming out party for Bailey, but last night he played like an NHL player with a purpose. Hopefully he gains some confidence out of it and keeps playing like that.

As soon as the Islanders went up 3-1, they went into a shell like usual. Using a 1-2-2 style of play, the Flyers entered the zone with ease, despite not always getting shots off. The team put forth a good effort in the third, but were on their heels too much with the Flyers pushing. This type of style does not suit the Islanders well at all. They are too slow on the defensive side to compensate for mistakes, and not active enough with their bodies to stop any east-west play. Eventually, this caught up to the Isles as the Flyers tied the game in the third.

However, this playing style does not exclude Rick DiPietro from blame. DiPietro was downright horrific last night, letting up three goals that were beyond brutal and a fourth on a tricky bounce that went off his glove. It is perfectly clear that DiPietro is not good enough anymore to be an NHL goaltender. He is slow side-to-side, he goes down early on every shot, he plays the puck with too much frequency, and when he does play the puck does not make enough smart plays with it. His rebound control is terrible, which causes him to flop a lot. Defensemen must have quite the adventure playing with him, as he is too predictably unpredictable for them to be proactive about the play ahead. The Islanders must do something about this situation before it gets any worse, even if their hands are tied. He is negatively affecting the team at this point.

A lot of people have been clamoring for Matt Martin to be placed up on the second or even first line. Last night proved that Martin is not ready for that responsibility. Twice he was fed in the slot by Josh Bailey with no one on him. He fanned on the shot both times. Now, Martin is still developing as a player and may very well get there, but his time isn't now. That said, I am quite confident as Martin gets more acclimated to the NHL game, those chances will not be passed up, even if he shoots the puck in the goalie's chest every time.

The defense played a good game as a whole last night. There were a few rocky shifts last night from Steve Staios, but overall the team play good defense. But with a team like the Flyers, you can't take the pedal off the metal. And that may have happened, which was essentially a complement to DiPietro's struggles. With a better goalie, these breakdowns become less magnified.

The powerplay was putrid last night. With a two minute 4-on-3 in overtime, it's a must score. There was zero reason to have that kind of awful powerplay. There was no movement or creativity. Mark Streit and John Tavares just repeatedly passed the puck back and forth with P.A. Parenteau activating on the half-wall from time to time. It's too predictable and is not good enough. They needed to get shots to the net, and that just didn't happen there. Very shortly after the powerplay ended, Danny Briere put one past DiPietro and the game was over just like that.

Overall, yes, the team had a better effort, but with the season essentially on the line, saying "at least we got a point" is not good enough anymore. Granted, if the team wins both games this weekend, they'll be "just" three games under .500 going into next week, which may keep their playoff hopes on life support. Maybe that happens if they build off this type of effort. Either way, with seemingly no changes on the horizon, it looks like the team is going to have to fight through this themselves. And that is the real shame.

The Islanders next play Friday afternoon at 3 PM against the New Jersey Devils at the Nassau Coliseum. Once again, they will be wearing their new third jerseys.

Nov 21, 2011

Game Recap: Pittsburgh Penguins 5, New York Islanders 0

Until this team starts looking like a professional hockey team, there seems to be very little point to showing how many points the other team scored. We pride ourselves on being a professional blog with our own opinions interjected into it as most bloggers try to do, and that's exactly what I'm going to do here.

Another pitiful, disgusting loss once again. I knew when Nilsson was announced as the starter, he was going to be the one who was going to have to take this beating. Sidney Crosby was announced as active for this game for the first time in almost a year, so suddenly every sports outlet decided to pick up and watch this game. And oh boy, did Crosby show he was back all right. He made our defense look silly and the Penguins, being faster, tougher and actually having a structure, danced around the Islanders the entire night. The only player who looked to me like he gave it all tonight was David Ullstrom, who clearly went out knowing he had to prove himself. I would keep him up for the foreseeable future, but at the same time I wouldn't want him part of this charade.

This team is just not good. Every aspect of the game they are outplayed in. I place a key part of that on the coaching, as for yet another game the Islanders looked like they had the structure equivalent to peewee hockey. It's becoming embarrassing to watch as a fan. We had somewhat of an excuse last year when we lost Streit and Okposo, 2/3 of our best players. Now it's inexcusable. On the players parts, on the coach's part, and on the owner and GM's parts. How do you explain this to a fanbase that has been dying to see the 2nd round since 1993? How?

You have to congratulate Sidney Crosby on a heck of a comeback, though. Say what you want about Pittsburgh and hate the team all you want, but he showed once again why he is a generational talent that nears, and may very well surpass Gretzky in terms of level of skill. He is one of the most exciting players you can possibly watch in any sport.

What do you do at this point? What can you even hope Snow would do besides trade our upcoming UFAs for draft picks?

As for the next game, the Islanders play the just as tough Flyers at home. I expect a dismal crowd except for the huge influx of Flyers fans. And rightfully so. I wouldn't, nor would I get mad at anyone for not paying to see this product on ice.

- AT

Nov 20, 2011

Recap: Bruins - 6, Islanders - 0

Blogger's Note: We apologize for our inactivity over the past week. Both Alex and myself had prior obligations that prevented us from consistent posting. We will be back to normal starting next week as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday.

The night started out with a buzz as the Islanders inducted original captain Ed Westfall into the Islanders Hall-of-Fame, a well deserved honor for the former color commentator and beloved figure in the franchise's community. After a somewhat late start, the game began - only the Islanders did not bother to show up. A 6-0 loss to the Bruins dropped the team to 5-9-3 on the year, which is good enough for last in the Eastern Conference. Of course, these nine losses include their four shutouts against at home. approximately 25% of their total games palyed.

Essentially, the story of the game is that nothing really went right for the Islanders tonight. The offense was non-existent, the defense was putrid, and the goaltending was just as awful. Rick DiPietro started but only made it through 20 minutes before getting pulled after allowing three goals on thirteen shots, including a Nathan Horton goal off a turnover and an easily savable shot off the stick of Chris Kelly. From then on, it was the Anders Nilsson show in his NHL debut. Nilsson was solid in the second, but allowed three goals in the third period despite having no defensive support, especially by the forwards.

The reality is that singling players out would be unfair, as they all did not play well tonight. It's clear that a legitimate shake-up will be needed - one that goes beyond the coach. Despite the obvious notion that the Islanders are a budget team, Garth Snow is going to have to make a trade to change parts around. Blake Comeau does not have a single point this season. Marty Reasoner and Jay Pandolfo have one point each. Brian Rolston has two goals but is playing inflated minutes, a questionable coaching decision at best. But overall, no Bridgeport call-up is going to make a tangible enough difference at this point. The problem stems much deeper than that.

Defensive coverage was spotty as best tonight as well, with Mark Streit boasting a -5 rating tonight. But it's not fair to focus just on Streit, as none of the defensemen had a good game. Their gap control was terrible, there was no clogging of the lanes or board battle victories. The Bruins were able to establish a net front presence, which undoubtedly made things difficult for DiPietro and Nilsson at points.

An interesting situation to follow is the Nino Niederreiter decision - will he stay or will he go? Niederreiter has been pretty impressive, given his age, for the most part even though he had a tough game against Boston. Personally, I believe Niederreiter should be returned to Portland of the Western Hockey League. There should be no rush to develop a 19 year old power forward, especially one who is a very high-end prospect. Niederreiter does not need to be associated with constant losing when he has other options. One argument is that Niederreiter has nothing left to learn at the junior level. That is nonsense, as players never stop learning. Development is a never-ending process, and certainly staying in the WHL for one more season will not hinder his long-term development. The answer comes down to his salary cap hit and if the Islanders can stay over the cap floor without it. But the real question is with the unrestricted free agency age so low, why would the Islanders want to waste a year off his entry-level contract in such a wasted season? Time will tell whether Niederreiter is returned, but all signs are pointing to him stay on Long Island all season.

Getting back to the game, the final result is that the Islanders did not perform well at all. They looked disinterested for most of the game, especially after DiPietro gave up the third goal. The team was unable to recover and deal with the Bruins' team speed, as Boston continually was getting multiple chances in the Islander zone. The Islanders did not play with any physicality whatsoever, which makes playing a team like Boston incredibly hard. Overall, it was a terrible effort on a night where the Islanders needed a victory. Now 5-9-3 after the first 17 games, the team is already way behind the pack in the playoffs. It will be a very tough, if not impossible road ahead. With games against Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New Jersey next week, things will certainly not get easier. But things will have to get better, or else the Islanders season will be all but over before Christmas for the second straight year.

Nov 16, 2011

News: Third Jersey Unveiled

At a fan event today, the Islanders finally revealed their non-anticipated third jersey. And like everyone expected, yes, it's black.


AT: Really just a despicable job by the Islanders PR department and Terry Goldstein. Black is not in the color scheme of the Islanders and never has been. This jersey looks like Dallas' jersey in a black form. The Islanders must have known the uproar from fans after word was leaked that the jersey would be black. The Islanders must have known the uproar from fans after a leaked picture showed the jersey was black. The Islanders should now know the uproar from fans, and the laughter from hockey blogs around the league as they insist on knowing better and doing what's best for business, as usual. Just more of the same as this fanbase continues to be treated like footstools. 

Nov 11, 2011

Recap: Avalanche - 4, Islanders - 3 (OT)

The Colorado Avalanche (8-7-1) defeated the New York Islanders (4-6-3) by a score of 4-3 tonight in Denver, CO. The Islanders blew a 3-0 lead in the last 21 minutes of regulation time, and have now lost 8 of their last 9 games.

Boxscore:
(G, A)

1st Period:
NYI: 1, COL: 0 - Josh Bailey (1); Mark Streit (8)
2nd Period:
NYI: 2, COL: 0 - Brian Rolston (2); PA Parenteau (10), Frans Nielsen (4)
NYI: 3, COL: 0 - Michael Grabner (5); Matt Moulson (5), Mark Streit (9)
NYI: 3, COL: 1 - Paul Stastny (5); David Jones (4), Kyle Quincey (9)
3rd Period:
NYI: 3, COL: 2 - Milan Hejduk (6); Shane O'Brien (5), Joakim Lindstrom (2)
NYI: 3, COL: 3 - Jan Hejda (1); Daniel Winnik (4), Ryan O'Reilly (9)
Overtime:
NYI: 3, COL: 4 - Kyle Quincey (3); Milan Hejduk (4), Paul Stastny (6)

Goaltending:

Al Montoya - 47 saves on 51 shots - .922 SV %
JS Giguere - 30 saves on 33 shots - .909 SV %

Final Score: 4-3 COL
Attendance: 13,221

Notables:

- This was just a brutal loss any way you look at it. The Islanders were up 3-0 with less than one minute to win in the 2nd period and lost the game. Blame it on what you want, but the answer is on the ice. The team blew the lead, not the refs. The Islanders have now lost 8 out of their last 9 games and are 4-6-3 on the season. Sound familiar?

- Not only is this team bad, they are poorly coached. Jack Capuano has not instilled a work ethic or a structured system. They look like they are freelancing out there instead of playing with a direction. That may have worked last year, as the Isles needed a break from the robotic system of Scott Gordon. But it doesn't work this year - when the team needs a direction.

- Al Montoya really deserves the brunt of the blame here, despite his 47 saves tonight. At least two of the goals he let up were pathetically soft, and the overtime winner may have been stoppable too. This is his first real blemish, so it will be interesting to see how he reacts in his next game.

- For the first two periods, Kyle Okposo looked like his old self. Then he went back to the 2011-12 version of himself. Okposo needs to get his game together and quick. Especially given the commitment the Isles have given him.

- Nice to see Michael Grabner and Matt Moulson with strong games.

- Whether it's Mike Mottau or Milan Jurcina in the line-up, the Islanders need help on defense badly. But that answer is not coming in-house right now. Garth Snow will have to make a trade, and soon - before this season is really lost. Time to shake things up.

Next game: The Islanders will face off against the Vancouver Canucks in British Columbia on Sunday, November 13 at 9 PM.

Nov 7, 2011

Game Recap: Boston Bruins 6, New York Islanders 2

The Boston Bruins (6-7-0) defeated the New York Islanders (4-6-2) by a score of 6 to 2 at the TD BankNorth Garden in Boston on Monday night in front of a crowd of 17,565.

Boxscore:
(G, A)

1st Period:
NYI: 0, BOS: 1 - Benoit Pouliot (1); Jordan Caron (1)
NYI: 1, BOS: 1 - Matt Moulson (3); Steve Staios (3), Michael Grabner (1)
NYI: 1, BOS: 2 - Nathan Horton (PP - 3); Zdeno Chara (8), David Krejci (3)
NYI: 1, BOS: 3 - Tyler Seguin (8); Patrice Bergeron (8), Brad Marchand (5)
NYI: 2, BOS: 3 - Michael Grabner (4); John Tavares (5), Matt Moulson (4)
2nd Period:
None
3rd Period:
NYI: 2, BOS: 4 - Milan Lucic (7); Nathan Horton (4), David Krejci (4)
NYI: 2, BOS: 5 - Nathan Horton (4); Joe Corvo (4), Dennis Seidenberg (3)
NYI: 2, BOS: 6 - David Krejci (3); Zdeno Chara (9), Milan Lucic (6)

Goaltending:

Evgeni Nabokov - 9 saves on 12 shots, .750 SV PCT
Al Montoya - 22 saves on 24 shots, .917 SV PCT
Tuukka Rask - 24 saves on 26 shots, .924 SV PCT

Final Score: 6-2 BOS
Attendance: 17,565

Notables:

- In what most view as as a "showcase" start so to speak, Evgeni Nabokov was given the nod to start tonight and looked absolutely abysmal. Poor positioning on the first goal and just generally poor play during his entire stint. He was pulled near the end of the 1st period after letting up two somewhat stoppable Boston goals and just did not look very good. Not to say his defense couldn't have helped him out on all 3, but this wasn't a great night for Nabby.
- In relief, Al Montoya shook off any rust he may have accumulated and went right back to the stellar form we'd seen from him earlier in the season. He was making some absolutely ridiculous saves, was showing some pure athleticism even when he had taken an accidental fall on the ice and managed to get his glove on a quick shot, and once again proved himself as the best goaltender in the organization right now. If he does not get the start on Wednesday, it will be very surprising.

- The Isles first line of Michael Grabner, John Tavares and Matt Moulson was really clicking tonight. Moulson had a beautiful redirection on a Staios slapshot to tie the game in the first, and John Tavares and Michael Grabner were making sweet music on a nice tic tac toe-esque play to make the game 3-2. This line is doing pretty well right now, and should stay together for the time being. On a minus, Moulson was completely outgunned by David Krejci with the empty net, leading to the 6th goal. Not good.

- Brian Rolston, after having a somewhat solid game against Washington, is back to being useless. He can be repped all day long for his shot, but when the rest of his play is just flat out bad, he needs to be moved to the 4th line or scratched. Simple as that. And why on Earth would Jack Capuano put him out as the extra attacker is absolutely mind numbing. More on that in a bit.

- Where in the world is Kyle Okposo? Once again, completely invisible on the play and doing nothing to contribute offensively. For a former 50 point player, it's almost terrifying to see him become a shade of what he used to be. Not sure what happened this offseason to create this, but it's troubling.

- While I've been generally fond of him this season, and nice shot on the first goal aside, Steve Staios was terrible defensively tonight. His big defensive breakdowns were happening pretty consistently, and one breakdown on the Bruins blueline led to an odd man rush that made the game 4-2. He was moved down to the third pairing with Eaton at the end of the game, and rightly so.

- Mark Streit also had a bad game defensively. Some bad turnovers on the blue line led to some big Bruins chances.

- The defense as a whole just played a terrible, terrible game. They'd been serviceable so far, but this was no excuse. Horton and Seguin undefended in front is absolutely inexcusable. 

- I understand it would be frustrating going with a 3rd coach in 2 years, but I am losing a lot of faith in Jack Capuano's abilities to make smart decisions. Between the consistent benching of our obvious best goaltender, to putting Rolston out as the extra man, to taking forever to switch up the lines, to bad matchups against opponents (like putting Eaton out against Ovechkin the other night), to pulling the goalie tonight with over 3 minutes left and 3 goals down... it's becoming very hard to continue to be a fan of Capuano.

Thoughts:

AT: After playing pretty well as a team through 40, I'm not really sure what happened in the third period. Everything fell apart. Or, perhaps, the Isles mistakes finally caught up to them. Everything I've addressed in the notables applies to the whole game, but the Isles caught a lot of lucky breaks and still managed to generate a decent amount of chances. In the 3rd, everything went away and all the luck they'd been getting ran out. I think it's safe to say now that this team is beginning to show that they are just not very well put together. The lack of a 4th top 4 d-man is showing, the lack of more than 4 top 6 forwards is showing, and the coaching staff's inability to see who the real #1 goaltender is, as everyone knows, is most certainly showing. It's not time to start looking at the top 5 picks for the draft next year, but it is time for this team to wake up.

Next game: The Islanders will face off against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. Game time is 9PM on MSG+.

Nov 5, 2011

Game Recap: New York Islanders 5, Washington Capitals 3

The New York Islanders (4-5-2) defeated the Washington Capitals (9-3-0) in a comeback victory at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 14,812.

Boxscore:
(G, A)

1st Period:
WAS: 1, NYI: 0 - Joel Ward (4); John Carlson (4), Jeff Halpern (4)
WAS: 2, NYI: 0 - Alexander Ovechkin (6); Nick Backstrom (12), Jeff Schultz (4)
2nd Period:
WAS: 2, NYI: 1 - Frans Nielsen (3); P.A. Parenteau (8)
WAS: 2, NYI: 2 - Brian Rolston (1); Frans Nielsen (2), P.A. Parenteau (9)
3rd Period:
WAS: 2, NYI: 3 - Matt Martin (2); Steve Staios (2), Josh Bailey (1)
WAS: 3, NYI: 3 - Brooks Laich (PP - 2); Dennis Wideman (8), Nick Backstrom (13)
WAS: 3, NYI: 4 - P.A. Parenteau (2); Milan Jurcina (1), Frans Nielsen (3)
WAS: 3, NYI: 5 - John Tavares (EN - 8); Rick DiPietro (1)

Goaltending:

Tomas Vokoun - 30 saves on 34 shots, .882 SV PCT
Rick DiPietro - 25 saves on 28 shots, .893 SV PCT

Final Score: 5-3 NYI
Attendance: 14,812

Notables:

- The biggest storyline going into tonight's game was the radical line changes that Jack Capuano finally decided to enact following several games of lackluster offense. The lines were as follows:

Moulson-Tavares-Grabner
Rolston-Nielsen-Parenteau
Comeau-Reasoner-Okposo
Martin-Bailey-Pandolfo

- The first line was really solid tonight, and had several great chances in front. John Tavares was strong on the puck again and creating chances all night for himself and his linemates, Michael Grabner had his chances and Matt Moulson had a better game compared to his invisible past few. 9 shots on goal came from this line in general and there were many spots where a goal looked like it was impending. The offense will almost certainly come from this line in time. 

- The second line entered beast mode the minute the puck dropped. Brian Rolston looked like a changed man, Frans Nielsen's playmaking skills returned right back to full form, and P.A. Parenteau was playing like a man possessed. The first goal came when Parenteau fed Nielsen in front, to which he got his own rebound and sent it past Vokoun. The 2nd came when Nielsen had a beautiful pass to Rolston from the point from which he fired home his beautiful slapshot. The game winning goal came off of pure persistence from P.A. Parenteau to keep hammering at the puck until it was frozen. A Jurcina shot slid slightly past Vokoun, and PAP was there to knock it home. 

- The third line seems to be the abyss of the team right now. While Comeau, Reasoner and Okposo all had their shots and chances, nothing seems to be generated on this line from anyone. Comeau had a few nice shots in by himself and Okposo was finally hitting the net, but in general this line wasn't contributing much and was the Isles' weakest.

- The 4th line was also solid once again, though mostly due to the continuously hard play of Matt Martin. Josh Bailey probably had his best game of the season, finally registering his first point on a nice feed to Staios that he sent towards the net. Martin was there to stay persistent and got the garbage goal in front to put the Isles ahead 3-2. Martin is playing at a phenomenal level right now and should be a staple on the 3rd line. 

- Travis Hamonic had a really good game tonight. Had a near goal when he hit the post, defended well against Ovechkin and played really well rounded defense.

- Rick DiPietro had an OK game. Not good, not bad. The first goal was deflected off of Reasoner's stick, so that can't be placed on him. The 2nd was a one timer from the greatest player in the world, so it's hard to blame him for that either, although it could have been had. The 3rd goal probably should have been had, even though it was a beautiful snap shot from Laich at the point. He was making the saves he should've and continues to look healthy, and I suppose that's all we can hope for right now.

- Whatever Jack Capuano said to the team between the first and the second clearly worked. Credit to him for finally realizing the lines weren't working as is and for putting some fire into the team's soul. After getting some well deserved criticism, he's showing potential of being a great coach once again.

- A burst water pipe in the ceiling led to the entire section 306 and parts of 305 being shut down entirely. If you needed any more proof the Coliseum is in a very lackluster state (though if you did, you need a vision test as well), here it is. I'm not even sure if a complete renovation would solve the problems that this building has. 

Thoughts:

AT: Great rebound game from the Isles to beat one of the best teams in the league. This was a must win game from my point of view. The Isles could not afford to slip into a major losing streak like last year. They looked like they were heading that way after the first, but this was a really great game that gives the Isles a lot of momentum and confidence heading to Boston on Monday.

Next game: The Islanders will face off against the Boston Bruins at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on Monday, November 7th, 2011. Game time is 7PM on Versus.