Farmers Reap A Win

It was hockey night in Canada on Saturday!  The red hot New York Islanders traveled to Montreal after blasting the Pittsburgh Penguins for a tilt against the Canadiens.  Montreal was in a little bit of a tailspin entering the game with only one win in their last four games.  To make matters worse the Canadiens started Dustin Tokarski over Carey Price due to a upper body injury.  Ironically, it was Price's injury that paved the way for Jaroslav Halak to make the all star team.  

In addition, P.A. Parenteau, the former Islander was also out with an illness (officially not characterized as an upper or lower body injury).  No worries.  P.A. had a prime seat in the skybox for the game where I am sure he dreamt about all the points he would have had on the wing of John Tavares and Kyle "Hat + 1" Okposo.  Can't blame him.  When he bolted the Islanders a couple of years ago he was looking for a big pay day and he got it from Colorado before he being subsequently traded to Montreal.  The Islanders had bigger and better plans.

The official name of the Montreal Canadiens is "le Club de hockey Canadien", but the team is also widely known as "Les Habitants" or "The Habs".  By the way, what is a Hab anyway?  I always wanted to know. So I decided to go to Wikipedia, the source of all knowledge, and discovered that "Les Habitants refers to French settlers and the inhabitants of French origin who farmed the land along the two shores of the St. Lawrence Gulf and River in what is the present-day Province of Quebec in Canada.  The term was used by the inhabitants themselves and the other classes of French Canadian society from the 17th century up until the early 20th century."  Now armed with that important piece of useless knowledge it made perfect sense to start referring to the team from Montreal as the "Farmers."  That seemed a bit more appropriate term for French settlers that played with hockey sticks.

The Islanders went with what was working which is the same line-up.  Halak got the start for a number of reasons.  First, coming into the game he had not faced a lot of shots in beating both the Rangers and Penguins.  Second, playing him in Montreal meant that the Islanders could start Chad Johnson for the Monday MLK matinee against the Philadelphia Flyers.  That will give Halak some rest going into the All-Star game.  Third, the Canadiens historically have not been able to score on him. Halak is 4-0 in his career with a 0.98 GAA and .960 Save Percentage vs. Montreal.  Fourth, Halak likes to take it to the Canadiens because they gave up on him and traded him away in 2010.  You had to like the Islanders chances against a tough Montreal team.

The game started with a bang.  Just 54 seconds into the first period Ryan Stome was called for tripping and that turned into a quick 1-0 lead for the Farmers.  John Tavares' good friend Farmer Subban blistered a one-timer past Halak who was screened in front of the net.  The key for the Islanders penalty kill seems to be to not commit penalties.  If you don't sit in the sin bin then you don't have to kill penalties.  Easier said than done.  

The Islanders had their own power play during the period but it went nowhere as usual.  I find it hard to believe that the Isles power play is ranked 14th in the league because it seems like they never score.  Special teams is something that needs to get better before the end of the year or it will come back to bite the Islanders in the playoffs.  That's right I said it on January 17th... I officially declared the Islanders are already in the playoffs.   In the first period New York created a lot of chances five on five.  However, there were mot a lot of shots in the first as both teams were in the single digits.  The Islanders were positioned for a big second period.

The Farmers plowed the field early in the second period when Farmer Weise scored to make it 2-0 off a quick rush off of the face off.  The goal came at the ten second mark and was the second time within the last week that the Islanders gave up a quick goal at the start of a period.  New York found themselves in the same position as Friday night down two goals.  However, that changed at around the 11 minute mark when Kyle Okposo (who was told before the game that he was really playing this game in Pittsburgh) took a pass from Tavares in the slot and went over Farmer Tokarski's glove and underneath the bar to cut the lead in half.  For the Penguin-killer it was his 5th goal in less than 24 hours and his 14th goal of the year.  Tavares and Josh "I am just content with assists" Bailey got the helpers.

Thomas "Fish Oils" Hickey then proceeded to take down a Farmhand who had a breakaway.  Might as well have just added the goal to the scoreboard at that point as right off the faceoff, Farmer Plekanec one-timed it for a 3-1 lead.  It looked like that would be the score going into the last period, but a long pass from Bailey to Brock Nelson started a breakaway way down field.  Nelson got bottled up with two defenders, absorbed contact and somehow dropped a pass back to Nickolay Kulemin who put one past Farmer Tokarski to make it a one goal game again.  Halak played well and made some big saves to keep the Islanders in the game.  Even though he had given up three goals to the Farmers he had been solid through the first 40 minutes with 20 saves (which is approximately the amount of shots he has been facing for an entire game over the past couple of weeks).

Onto the third period and another quick goal.  What is it with Farmers trying to get their work done early?  It only took Farmer Galchenyuk 52 seconds after a broken play to get a shot by Halak to make it 4-2.  It was the third two goal deficit of the game.  But in this case the third time did not turn out to be the charm.  Farmer Desharnais picked off a pass, skated into the New York zone and got one over Halak's shoulder to make in 5-2.  Then a couple of minutes later Farmer Plekanec got off his tractor and made it 6-2 with a little over six minutes left in the game.  At that point Halak ran back to the barn and Chad Johnson came in to finish the period.

As I was looking down typing away Anders Lee got his 12th goal of the year from Strome to cut the lead in half at 6-3.  Then just to make things interesting the Farmers got called for over feeding their livestock and had to send one of their own into the pig pen.  The Islanders took advantage and scored on the ensuing power play as Tavares netted his 20th to make it 6-4 with a couple of minutes left.  However, there was no comeback on this evening.  A late penalty by Frans Nielsen after the Islanders pulled their goalie ended the game.  The Farmers settled in for the win.  It was the first time in a long while that the Islanders were out shot as the Farmers took 34 shots to the Islanders 31.

The other night the question was could the Islanders win every game and the obvious answer was no.  This won was a sloppy game by a tired team.  They are entitled to a bad game here and there.  The Islanders "fell" to 30-24-1 and remained at the top of the Metropolitan Division with 61 points and "fell" to a point behind Tampa Bay for the Eastern Conference lead (with a couple of games in hand).  Monday it is back home at the Nassau Coliseum to take on the Flyers.  Will Johnson play or will the Islanders go back to Halak one more time?  My money is on Johnson simply due to the fact that Halak faced more shots than normal tonight.

You can't win them all.  The Farmers were the better team tonight.  They planted six goals and reaped the benefit of a win against one of the best teams in the league.

Very Good Times Indeed

Fresh off an emotional and exciting shut out of the New York Rangers, the Islanders took on the Pittsburgh Penguins at the Nassau Coliseum on Friday night.  The Islanders came into the game a single point ahead of the Penguins in the Metropolitan Division and only a single point out of first place in the entire Eastern Conference.  No one would have faulted the team if they had lost this one as you can't win every game on the schedule....or can you?

It was Bryan Trottier mini-locker night as the team once again paid tribute to one of their legends.  Each one of these events has turned out a sell out crowd and a great game to boot and this night would be no different.  Trotts was the glue that kept their top line together during the cup years.  After retiring he had a fallout with the team and it was a number of years before he was welcomed back.  It was nice to see him honored one last time.

It was about six or seven years ago that I was sitting in Champions bar in the Long Island Marriott after an Islanders game.  I was there to meet Chris Botta who use to work for the team and also ran a popular Islander fan website.  Islanders Point Blank was about to be shut down and Chris needed a sponsor to help supplement the cost of operating the web site.  For some reason I reached out to Chris and helped him get a new job at AOL Fan House writing a hockey column.  That helped finance the web site during an important time.  Over time Islanders Point Blank was eventually transitioned to new management, however it still is alive and well today.  It turned out that my involvement kept the site operating during a critical time.  No telling what would have happened if I did not come forward.  Glad that I did.

It was the first time I had met Chris in person and as we were sitting there in a booth having a drink all of a sudden someone sat down right next to me and it was none other than Bryan Trottier.  I sat next to an Islanders legend for a good half an hour just talking hockey.  I was excited on the inside but remained calm on the outside.  I wanted to come off as a normal person and not a crazy fan.  To this day I am not sure if that meeting was staged by Chris as a "thank you" for helping him out.  It did not matter.  It was a memorable experience all around.

After Trottier was introduced to the crowd and the ceremonial puck was dropped it was time for hockey in front a another sell out crowd.  It was the same line-up once again and Jaroslav Halak was in net against Marc-Andre Fleury.  The Islanders started their fourth line to not only reward them for their recent play, but also to send a message to the Penguins that they needed to bring their lunch pail to the Nassau Coliseum.  A lot of the Islanders success lately has been due to the fact that they have been able to roll four lines and not worry as much about match-ups.  That also enables them to limit minutes, keep everyone well rested, and simply wear teams down over the course of sixty minutes.  

Right at the drop of the puck Martin-Czikas-Cutterbuck applied a lot of pressure and nearly scored.  The Islanders  had the better of the play for the first part of the game and also had the first power play.  But they could not convert.  What else is new.  Same result, different day.  Some say that the definition of insanity is "to continue do something over and over again and expecting a different result."  If that is the case then the Islanders need to think about checking into an asylum pretty soon.  The power play looked slow with too much passing and a lot of indecision.

On the other hand, Pittsburgh got two straight power plays and netted two quick goals.  Crosby got the first one when he charged the net and got a lucky bounce of the puck off of his kneecap that scooted past Halak.  Then less than two minutes later Perron scored off of a slap shot to the right of Halak.  It was not a good sign.  Whenever the Islanders play the Penguins and special teams are involved it always seems that the Penguins  score with the man advantage while the Islanders struggle.  Maybe the trick to beating the Penguins is to not commit any penalties.

Before the period was over the Islanders were able to get one back.  Right after failing on their second power play, John Tavares came across the blue line into the Pittsburgh zone and stick handled past Despres and found Kyle Okposo's skate to make it 2-1.  Tavares' play was very impressive as he nearly broke the ankles of the defenseman.  It was Okposo's 10th goal of the year from Tavares and Bailey.  It was not pretty, but BookerT certainly took it as goals have been few and far between for him.  Islanders barely beat out the Penguins on shots 11-10 for the first period.

The Islanders started their fourth line again to start the second period and once again they applied a lot of pressure and nearly scored.  The play then started to open up in the period as there was a lot more end to end action.  Both teams were getting chances and it felt like someone was going to break the ice.  That would end up being one Ryan Strome about twelve minutes in.

Strome led a two on one deep in the Pittsburgh zone and dropped a pass into traffic.  He should have shot it himself.  Fortunately the puck went into the corner and found its way back to the center of the ice where Strome was waiting for his second chance.  He wristed one past Fleury to tie the game at two apiece  It was Strome's 8th goal of the year from Lee and Nielsen.  The 21 year-old kid can certainly play the game. 

It looked like that would be the score as the period wound down.  Travis Hamonic took a penalty with seconds left and let up a bit on the delayed penalty.  However, the Penguins did not let up and Crosby slid the puck past Halak after some nifty passing for a 3-2 lead with five seconds left in the period. Usually goals at the end of a period end up being very demoralizing and the momentum usually carries over to the next period.  Once again, not a very good since going into the third.

In the last frame the Penguins dominated play for the first five minutes.  It was looking more and more like the Islanders were going to lose this game as expected.  However, that was not to be.  The Islanders top line pushed the play a bit and banged around in front of the Penguins net.  Okposo was standing to the right of Fleury and got a rebound off of a Tavares shot.  Kyle backhanded it in and the game was tied once again at three apiece.  Bailey ended up with the second assist on Okposo's 11th goal of the year.  Islanders Nation was happy, but what they did not know was that Kyle was far from over on this night.

A little bit later on Tavares found Okposo once again in the slot and he wristed one more goal past Fleury for am improbable 4-3 lead with about eight minutes left in the game.  It was Kyle's 12th goal of the year and his first professional hat trick in his seven year career.  Tavares and Hamonic had the assists.  At this point the hope was to just get to overtime and steal a point, but Okposo again had other ideas. 

Play in front of Fleury started to get nasty with a lot slashing by both teams.  Sticks were broken on both sides.  The Penguins were getting more aggressive.   Steve Downie, in particular, from the Penguins was not very happy with the referees and voiced his displeasure.  He felt that the someone from the Islanders should have went to the sin bin.  However, play continued on and after the puck was cleared all the way back to the Islanders zone, Downie sought out his own revenge and checked Brock Nelson in the back right in front of the referee.  He took a stupid two minute penalty with a little less than three minutes to go in the game.  

It only took the Islanders a matter of seconds to get the puck in front of Fleury on the power play.  A number of people wacked at it, but Okposo had the last wack for his 4th goal of the game and 13th of the season.  It was the first time since 1992 that an Islander had four goals in a game in the Nassau Coliseum.  The crowd was going nuts.  It was about time that the Islanders got a power play goal.  I guess timing is everything.  Michael Grabner then potted the empty net goal for his 3rd goal of the season.  All of a sudden a game that looked like defeat ended up being a 6-3 Islanders win.

Overall, it was a very exciting game.  The Islanders bombarded the Penguins with 16 shots in the third period and ended up out shooting Pittsburgh 35-24 for the game.  The Islanders reclaimed the top spot in the Eastern Conference and opened up a three point cushion on Pittsburgh heading into Montreal on Saturday night.

Just when you think this team has done everything it can they somehow figure out a way to do the unexpected.  It is amazing to see how even-tempered they are as a group.  Everyone has the same mentality and are on the same page.  They constantly tell the media that "they have not won anything yet."  They are right.  They haven't until they win the Stanley Cup in June.  This is starting to feel like a team of destiny.

I started out wondering if a team could win every game.  Perhaps they can't, but the Islanders are starting to make their fans believe that they can.

These are the good times....very good times indeed.

Sending A Message

Right from the start, Tuesday had a different feel to it. There was a definite buzz in the air in Atlanta, but it was not because of the Hawks. The buzz was generating all the way from New York City. With the Jets, Giants, Knicks and Nets having just completed losing seasons (I know basketball is only halfway through their season, but trust me it has been over for quite some time now), the Islanders and Rangers have become the focal point of New York City. The Islanders came into this game in first place with 57 points and the Rangers came in with 52 points, which was only the second time in their history that both teams had amassed greater than 50 points by the all-star game.

The Rangers came into the game as arguably the hottest team in the league winning 12 of their last 13 games including a road sweep on the west coast for the first time in their history. The game at Madison Square Garden was being touted as one of the most important games in this rivalry in many years. Even though the Islanders have had the more consistent season, most pundits were saying that the Rangers had the advantage. The feeling was that they could not wait to beat the Islanders at home and pound their chests. In some respects the Islanders were the underdogs and still needed to prove to the general public once again that they are real. I guess most people out there failed to get the message this year. It was time to deliver it in person.

I rushed to get home in time for the start of the game in order to get into my Islanders garb before the game started. But before that could happen the were a couple of small matters to take care of. First, there was a pizza to pickup and then when I got home the little monsters had to be fed. I quickly found my lucky Islanders hoodie and cap, put on a pair of sweatpants and just as I put on my second slipper the puck dropped. Perfect timing indeed.

The start of the game found both teams playing very cautiously. The forwards got back on defense and both teams were pushing the play. There was a lot of back and forth with few chances to during the first ten minutes. The Islanders gave the puck away a number of times which led to some good chances for the Rangers. Thomas “Fish Oils” Hickey, who has struggled in the past week, made a dangerous pass that led into two chances for the Rick Nash line. Zuccarello was stopped in close by Halak on two consecutive shots.

The Rangers had the better of the play. In the final ten minutes of the period, Nash barreled past Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy and then promptly hit the post. The rebound came right to Derick Brassard who had a wide open net but he hit the post as well. After the game Halak was asked what his best stop was on the night and his reply was “the posts.” The Islanders had a few chances themselves, but Henrik Lundqvist was up to the test. The Islanders won on the shot clock 13-9, but the Rangers played a bit better. The team was definitely fortunate to get out of the period with no score.

The second period was dominated by the Islanders. It was not even close. Most of the first five minutes was spent in the Rangers zone. The key was in the face-off circle. The Islanders after winning 13 of 18 face-offs in the first period continued to do so in the second. Most of those face-off wins were in the Rangers end which made it easy for the Islanders to maintain possession for long stretches.

It started to look like the second period would end up a lot like the first with no score and with the better team having nothing to show for their effort. However, that would soon change. After a shot from the point from Calvin deHaan, Anders Lee spun around in front of the net and back-handed the puck past Lundqvist for a 1-0 lead. Travis Hamonic got the second helper on Lee's 11th goal of the year right before the nine minute mark.

The Islanders then started to get physical as Johnny Boychuk leveled Rick Nash and put him straight on his back in the Rangers zone. Casey Czikas also got into it with some fisticuffs on a couple of occasions. The Islanders got the first power play of the game and had some chances but could not convert. There was a sense that the tide was starting to turn.

Then with a little under five minutes left in the period the Islanders won another face-off and kept the pressure on the Rangers. Hickey then tried to pass the puck from behind the net, but it got deflected and landed on the stick of Nickolay Kulemin in the slot and he roofed one past Lundqvist. It was Kulemin's 8th goal of the year. At this point the Islanders were just hoping that they could just somehow end the period with a 2-0 lead, but that would not be the case.

With less than two minutes to go in the period, Travis Hamonic took a crosschecking penalty and it seemed like it was just a matter of time before the Rangers goal song would be blaring in the Garden. The red light did come on, but it turned out to be a short-handed goal at the other end of the rink. Boychuk started a two on one breakout, but Frans Nielsen had the presence of mind to not ice the puck. He saw an opportunity and, with Kulemin by his side, took a shot that just got through Lindqvist for, dare I say it, a 3-0 lead. It was Fransy's 9th goal of the year. It was probably the Islanders most impressive period of the year. The y out shot the Rangers 19-12 during the period and dominated the face-offs and time of possession.

Cam Talbot came in to replace Lundquist to start the third period. The Rangers still had some power play time left which was promptly killed off. As opposed to other games this year in which the Islanders had and surrendered three goal leads, they stayed on the offensive and took it to the Rangers. The Islanders maintained pressure and had a number of opportunities to get a fourth goal, but Talbot was very sharp off the bench. Islanders out shot the Rangers in the third period 1-5 and 42-26 for the entire game. The Islanders kept the Rangers off the score sheet and shut them out 3-0 for their second win at Madison Square Garden this year (which was only one win shy of the New York Knicks which had won only three games there this year in almost half a season).

The Islanders improved to 10-3-1 in past 14 games and improved their overall record to an impressive 29-13-1 for 59 points. They remained in first place over the Penguins by a single point in the Metropolitan Division, but moved into first place in the entire Eastern Conference with a Tampa Bay loss. Next up is a showdown with the Penguins at the Nassau Coliseum on Friday followed by a road game in Montreal on Saturday. It will be interesting to see if Chad Johnson plays one of those two games. The Islanders close out the first half of the year next Monday afternoon with a home game against the Flyers.

Tonight was a statement game. Many have come to realize that the Islanders are for real, however there are some that are still out there that still need convincing. This game went a long way in making that statement. After the game a reporter asked Johnny Boychuk about playing a “red hot Rangers team” and his response was “ We aren't playing too bad ourselves.” Some people just still haven't gotten the message.

Columbus Flattened

The roster for the NHL All Star game came out and it included the Islanders Captain John Tavares.  No surprise there.  But here is a list of his teammates that will be joining him.....[cricket sounds].  That is right.  One of the best teams in the league this year had no one else selected for the team.  It is probably due to the fact that the Islanders are such a well-balanced team that it is hard to pick someone that has stood out.  However, how could the voters not select Jaroslav Halak who is second in the league in wins?  How about Johnny Boychuk or Nick Leddy on the back end or Kyle Okposo or Brock Nelson on the wing?  A lot of fans are sure to be upset, but one must look at the silver lining.  The team will have some much need time to rest up and get healthy for the stretch run.

The Islanders travelled to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets in the Nationwide Arena for the first time this year.  Columbus, hmmm that reminds me of..."In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue and found this land, land of the free, beloved by you, beloved by me."  Anyway, enough of the history lesson.  Both teams played on Friday night and both teams travelled to Columbus for the game on Saturday night.  The only change in the Islanders line-up was Mikhail Grabovski who got injured in last night's Devils game (D2D with a UBL).  He is replaced by Cal Clutterbuck who had last night off to heal up.  As suspected, Jack Capuano is taking advantage of having a full complement of players and is giving some players an off night here and there to recover from injuries.  

As far as the lines go, Bailey was re-inserted into the top line and Nickolay Kulemin was moved to the third line with Michael Grabner and Frans Nielsen. The Kid line and the NHL's Greatest Hits line stayed the same.  Chad Johnson got the start after a couple of weeks of inactivity.  He needed to respond with a big game to get his confidence back.   The Islanders need a capable backup to take some of the pressure off of Halak.  Columbus went with Sergi "Bob" Bobrovsky in net who just signed a multi-year agreement with the Blue Jackets and also got selected to the All-Star game. So that meant he must have been having a great year...maybe not so much.

The Islanders came out like a house on fire and dominated play in the Columbus zone which resulted in a goal just 31 seconds into the game.  Nick Leddy took a shot from the point which hit Kulemin and bounced past Bob for a quick 1-0 lead.  Grabs40 got the second assist on Kulemin's 7th goal of the year.  After the goal the Islanders continued to push the play.  Kulemin took a penalty and right on queue Chad Johnson let one in from Jack Johnson to tie the game at 1-1.   It was such an easy power play goal one only hoped that Chad let it go in the net because it was from a Johnson.  

The Islanders did not let that get them down as they continued their assault in the Columbus zone.  They had to kill off a second penalty during the period.  New York's domination was evidence by their 16 shots to the Blue Jacket's 4.  It was a shame that the Islanders did not have a lead after the first period, because they did play very well.  The good news for Chad Johnson is that he only gave up one goal but the bad news is that it was only on three shots.  He did not look sharp at all.  Then again, he did not have many chances to get into a rythym.

The second was pretty even for the first ten minutes.  However, the Islanders effort was finally rewarded during the period.  The Islanders got their first power-play chance and got some good shots on Bob but couldn't score.  Then a breakout gave the Islanders the lead back.  Casey Czikas walked across the blue line and dropped a pass for Thomas Hickey who then threaded the puck to Ryan Strome who then directed a shot right onto the stick of a hard charging Matt Martin. It was a beautiful play all around. Unfortunately, the rules state that you cannot give three assists on one play.  So that was not so good for Czikas.  It was Martin's 6th goal of the year.

Shortly thereafter, a misplay at the blue line provided a breakaway to Anders Lee who put it through Bob's five hole for his 10th goal of the year and a 3–1 lead.  The Islanders did not stop there. A crazy bounce of the puck ended up a few feet in front of Bob and landed on the stick of Brian Strait who got his first goal which came from Czikas and Clutterbuck.  Chad Johnson had probably his best period in months and seemed to get some of his mojo back.  The Islanders out shot the Blue Jackets 11-8 in the period and took a commanding 4-1 edge and the dreaded three goal lead into the last frame.  

Just three minutes into the last period, Columbus got a goal from Nick Foligno to cut the deficit in half.  Islanders nation started to gasp for air. However, they would not give up a three-goal lead on this evening. New York played solid defense throughout.  With about five minutes left, Kyle Okposo got his 9th goal of the year from Bailey and Strait to reinstate the three goal cushion.  That made what would be the final score 5-2.  The Blue Jackets were clearly frustrated and started committing a bunch of penalties the rest of the way.  In fact, the Islanders had a five on three advantage for the last two minutes of the game.  Columbus got a little upset that the Islanders put out their first line for the power play. However, they should not complain. If they didn't want the Islanders to rub salt in there wound, they simply needed to score more goals. 

Big win for the team. The Islanders moved to 28-13-1 which is good for 57 points. Pittsburgh won in overtime over Montreal, so the Islanders remained in first place by a single point in the Metropolitan division.  Starting with the third period in Friday night's game against the Devils, you could see that the Islanders we're starting to get back to what made them successful. A very strong game. It was much needed, to give them some momentum going into the big one against the New York Rangers next Tuesday at Madison Square Garden. 

Overall, Chad Johnson had a pretty decent game.  He gave up two easy goals, but did not make any other big mistakes. It was his first win in a very long time. The Islanders domination was supported by the shot clock, as they more than doubled Columbus' shots 40-18.  It was nice to hang a five spot up on Bob who should not have gotten the All-Star selection over Halak.  

When Columbus discovered America he set out to prove that the world was not flat.  However, that was not the case on this night.  With a lop-sided Islanders win everyone that watched the game saw that it was not the world that was flat but Columbus that was the one that was flat after all.

The Captain Wills A Win

The New York Islanders remained on their seven game road trip and at the same time started a critical two week stretch in their schedule.  With Friday's game against the New Jersey Devils at the Rock, the next two weeks will see the Islanders take on a number of Metropolitan Division and Easter Conference opponents that are inching ever closer to the top.  Fresh off a two game losing streak, the team made some changes for the Devils game.  Josh Bailey came off of injured reserve and was replaced by Cal Clutterbuck (D2D with a UBI).   Brian Strait got a rare start for Matt Donovan as Lubomir Visnovsky still remains out.  Also, Capuano moved Mikhail Grabovski up to the top line as the team still looks for that permanent third wheel.  Jaroslav Halak got the start against Kevin Kincaid, who played well the last time he faced the Islanders at the Nassau Coliseum.

There were a lot of "Lets Go Islanders" chants in the crowd as the game got started. As the Islanders have gotten better the fans are starting to travel with the team to offer support.  The first period was a pretty boring.  Not much to write home about.  The Islanders got the only power play of the period and did not score and the rest of the period was mainly played in the neutral zone.  The Islanders did not give the Devils anything to work with and out shot them 7-2 in the period.  It was fun watching 68 year old Jaromir Jagar go one on one in the Devils zone.  Its almost as if he was playing in slow motion.  He created a lot of space with that huge bum of his and whenever he got the puck on his stick everyone else just stood around and watched.  Sad to say, but that was the highlight of the period.

In the second, the Islanders played slightly better.  The Devils got an early power play, but Halak stood tall.  Michael Grabner got a good short handed chance but Kincaid, the Long Island boy was pretty sharp.  The top line of Tavares-Okposo-Grabovski finally woke up and started to get some good chances as the period wore on.  However, the Devils sprung out to a 1-0 lead with a give and goal from Travis Zajac.  The score came after a play where Okposo broke his stick.  

There was a very strong feeling at that point that it was going to be a very low scoring game.  Matt Martin tried to shift the momentum by picking a fight with Mark Fraser.  Martin got the best of him, but unfortunately that did not improve the scoreboard.  Almost immediately thereafter, Tavares drew a penalty and the Islanders went on the power play.  However, Tavares gave it right back when he committed his own tripping penalty.  As the period wore on the Islanders started to get better chances.  The Islanders out shot the Devils 13-11 in the period.  It was starting to look like a three game losing streak.

For the past two games and for the first two periods of the Devils game the Islanders simply did not look like themselves.  The entire team looking a bit off.  As the third period started the Islanders seemed to have a bit more urgency.  They would quickly tie the game at the one minute mark when Calvin deHaan took a great slap shot and Josh Bailey tipped it in for his 7th goal of the year.  The Islander fans at the Rock started getting very loud.  The score was tied and the Islanders had a chance to steal a win.  Just as the fans got back into it Halak took them back out of it.  For the second time this week he made a bad play behind his net and it cost him.  Scott Gomez got an empty net goal after Adam Henrique stole the puck from Halak.  It was a "DP-esque" type of a mistake.  The Devils had their one goal lead back at 2-1.

As the period wore on it again started to feel like a three game losing streak was coming on.  However, the Islanders effort throughout the last frame seemed like the old team that started the road trip on a high note.  It was actually very encouraging to see.  New York got a power play, but even though they could not convert, they did take advantage.  As the penalty expired Okposo fired a blistering slap shot past the net which bounced off the glass to Tavares who knocked the puck off the back of Kincaid's pad before he knew what hit him.  It was JT's 18th goal of the year from Okposo and Boychuk.  Clutch play at a critical time.  That got the Islanders to the overtime so they could at least leave New Jersey with a point.  The Islanders won the shoot out contest (which they normally do) 31-23 for the game.

In overtime, both teams had chances.  Then after three minutes there was a scrum in the corner in the New Jersey zone.  Tavares came stole the puck from Henrique and stick-handled it straight to the net, put a deke on the defender and roofed it past Kincaid for the game winner and his 19th goal of the year.  Right after the goal, Tavares threw his hands in the air and after seeing some Islander fans did the "Yes, Yes, Yes" chant which has become a staple at the Nassau Coliseum.  The players mobbed the captain and you could tell everyone on the bench were both happy and relieved.  At that moment it seemed that the team got their mojo back.  JT willed his team to a win.  That is what superstars do.

With the win in overtime, the Islanders took over sole possession of first place from the Pittsburgh Penguins who were idle on Friday.  This was a huge win and even though they had not played well in the past seven days, the fact that they were in first place tells you a lot about where this team is right now.  Now New York goes to Columbus to try to get back to back wins on Saturday night.  

The goal is to get some confidence going into the Rangers game next Tuesday.  They really need momentum because the game at Madison Square Garden is going to be a tough one.  Even though the Islanders are right at the top of the standings, both the Rangers and Capitals are charging hard.  It remains to be seen if the standings tighten up even more or if the Islanders can get their cushion back.  With JT heating up, my money is on the later.

Lack's Revenge

After a “lackluster” game against an over-matched Edmonton Oilers team a couple of nights ago, the New York Islanders waltzed into Vancouver to take on the Canucks at Rogers Arena. Last year the Canucks got off to a three goal lead and in a wild third period the Islanders scored seven goals all from different players to win 7-4. I remember waking up the next day and boy was I surprised when I saw the final score. Eddie Lack was in net that night and in a surprising move he got the start in this game over Ryan Miller. That could have been a big break for the Islanders as they tried to go 3-1 on their Western Canada trip. Would the Islanders take advantage? Would Lack get revenge on the Islanders? It remained to be seen.

The Islanders finally activated Michael Grabner. He practiced today with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo and started the game on the top line. This was probably a good game for Grabner to return because of the fact that Vancouver was the team that put him on waivers during his rookie season. They essentially gave up on him until the Islanders were lucky and smart enough to pick him up. Josh Bailey was out with an upper-body injury so it will be interesting to see what happens with Grabner and the roster after this game. The only other change was that Lubomir Visnovsky was out with an upper body injury and was replaced by the ever patient Matt Donovan. Capuano started Jaroslav Halak in net, probably because he wanted to get him back on track after the Edmonton debacle and also because he wants to get his team back on track as well. No doubt that Chad Johnson will get a chance on Friday against the Devils or Saturday against the Blue Jackets.

The opening period was not very impressive. The Islanders looked like they were still stuck in Edmonton. They gave up a number of turnovers and were a little sloppy. They got an early power play but it went absolutely nowhere. They never had a chance to set up their offense in the Vancouver zone. Even the Islanders first goal was not pretty. Travis Hamonic was in the corner and threw it towards the net. Matt Martin charged hard and got caught up with the defender. The puck hit Martin's stick and it slid past Lack for a 1-0 lead. It was Matty Marts' 5th goal of the year.

Not too long after that the Canucks got even when Brock Nelson tried a blind backhand behind his own net which led to a steal. The Canucks tried to push it by Halak who made the save. However, the rebound bounced straight to Ryan Stanton who had a wide open net to tie the game. The Islanders did well in the face-off circle but only out shot the Canucks 8-6. Not a very good period on many accounts.

The second period was not much better. The Islanders looked a bit tired and never really were able to generate anything that resembled an offense. For the second game in a row they failed to challenge the goalie. The Canucks did not look all that much better, but just like last game if you wait around long enough for something to happen most often than not the outcome will not be good.

Vancouver finally took advantage with two goals in the period. The first by Nick Bonino and the second one by Linden Vey. On Bonino's goal Halak made the stop but the defense failed to clear it from the crease and on Vey's goal it was a break-a-away after a very bad turnover. Both goals came after bad passes by Thomas Hickey. Not a good game for Fish Oils. The Canucks out shot the Islanders 11-7 and the Islanders failed on two more power plays in the period.

The Islanders had no jump in the third period and started to look like a team that wanted to get home after a long trip. The Islanders committed their second penalty in the game for “ too many men on the ice” which was simply a result of some sloppy play and a “lack” of focus. The Islanders killed off the power play and then finally got a break when Kyle Okposo stole the puck in the Vancouver zone and was able to find Mikhail Grabovski who put one in the net after what seemed like two months for his 6th goal of the year to make it 3-2 with about five minutes left in the game. For some reason New York woke up and started to play for the first time in the game. They actually looked like they wanted to tie it. However, it was way too little way to late. The Islanders only game up 20 shots the whole game, but they only got 23 which was far below their average.

The Islanders fell to 26-13-1 and remained at 53 points. Still in the hunt for the division lead, but the bad news is the teams behind them are starting to catch up. Need to nip this two game losing streak in the bud. This was the first game this year that the Islanders deserved to lose. Not because the Canucks played well, but because the Islanders were terrible. As Capuano likes to say “there were a lot of passengers out there tonight.”

Just like in Edmonton another lackluster performance. It turned out that Eddie did get his revenge. He certainly was not lacking, but the Islanders sure were.

Late Night Letdown

The New York Islanders (Blue and Orange) took on the Edmonton Oilers (Orange and Blue) in the third game of their Western Canada trip.  It was not too long ago that both of these teams were in the same boat.  Both teams have had losing seasons for quite awhile now and have accumulated a boatload of high draft picks.  The difference is that while the Islanders youngsters are starting to pan out and contribute, the Oilers have not made any progress.  The result is that the Islanders are 26-11-1 while the Oilers have the worst record in the league at 8-22-9.  This was a classic trap game and the Islanders could not have taken the Oilers lightly.  It is much harder to get up for these type of games.  There were no line-up changes for the Islanders and Jaroslav Halak was in net against Ben Scrivens for the Oilers.  You have to wonder when Chad Johnson will be getting another chance in net. 

The first period had a lot of skating, very few stoppages in play, very few shots, and very few scoring opportunities.  The problem with playing a bad team is that you need to jump on them early and break their will.  As an Islander fan we know this all too well.  If you do not establish play early you give the underdog a chance.  All it takes is one bad play or or one bad bounce and you are behind.  Then wouldn't you know it there was one bad play that led to a Edmonton Oilers goal.  Halak got the puck behind the net and fanned on a pass and gave it to Matt Hendricks who knocked it in the empty net past a sprawling Halak.  It was very reminiscent of the type of mistake Rick DiPietro would make towards the end of his career.  After that the Islanders then seemed to wake up and drew a penalty but they could not convert.  They started to throw more pucks at the net but the period ended before they could score.  Even though the Islanders out shot the Oilers 10-5 it was pretty even period.

Early in the second period, the Islanders dug themselves a hole.  Right off the face-off Jordan Eberle put one past Halak at the eight second mark.  Not sure why the Islanders were standing around.  It seemed at that point that it was going to be one of those games.  The Islanders finally got on the board a couple of minutes later when they got a power play goal from Johnny Boychuck.  It was a laser guided missile from the point for his 4th goal of the year, all of which have been on the power play.  It was Boychuk's home coming game  as he had a number of family members in attendance. The goal was assisted by Nick Leddy and John Tavares.    

The pace started to pick up when Fish Oils Hickey got a terrific chance right in front of Scrivens on a 4-2, but Hickey broke his stick.  Because the Islanders were caught down low watching the puck straddle the goal line, the play led to an Oilers 2 on Oh in front of Halak but both players were turned away without a shot attempt.  It is hard to figure out how you don't get a shot on goal when it is two against no one.  I guess that is why the Oilers only have eight wins.  Anyway, that seemed to energize the Oilers the rest of the period as they spent what seemed to be almost five minutes in the Islanders zone.

Before the end of the period the Oilers got their first power play when Anders Lee went off for hooking and then about a minute later Casey Czikas accidentally ran into Scrivens for goaltender interference.  The Islanders were able to kill off the five on three and got out of the period without any further damage.  However, the Islanders still had to kill off another half a minute to start the third period.

The Islanders killed off the remaining penalty to start the third.  However, another mistake dug the Islanders another hole.  Lubomir Visnovsky went behind Halak and tried to clear the puck, but his pass hit the side of the net and popped out in front of Halak who had no chance as Roy scored the goal to give the Oilers their two goal lead back.  With a 3-1 it seemed pretty insurmountable.  Capuano decided to pull Halak at the three minute mark to try to get a quick goal.  But the Oilers would add an empty net goal by Matt Henddricks and then when Halak went back in net to finish the game the Oilers tacked on a fifth goal by Matt Fraser to end it.  That is when picked myself up and went to bed.  Brock Nelson would get a meaningless power play goal before time expired.  It  was his 15th goal of the hear from Tavares and Boychuk.  Islanders ended up out shooting the Oilers 33-23 but it did not matter in this one.

This was clearly a game where the Islanders played down to the competition and when that happens it gives the underdogs a little confidence.  Edmonton played harder and seemed to want it more than New York did.  After the game Capuano said that the team did not play all that poorly, but there were a number of people that did play poorly.  I would have to think that Capuano will shake things up next game by putting in Michael Grabner if he is healthy and sit someone to make a statement.  They need to do something.  The Islanders have a lot more at stake than in previous years and cannot afford a losing streak.  It is ok to lose a game here and there, but performances like this one is unacceptable.. 

The Islanders missed a golden opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference and the Metropolitan division.  Hopefully the Blue and Orange will bounce back on Tuesday with a big win against a good Vancouver team.  

Johnny Two Times

The New York Islanders continued their trip through Western Canada with a game at the Scotiabank Saddledome to take on the Calgary Flames.  Another homecoming of sorts for Thomas "Fish Oils" Hickey as he got to play in front of the hometown fans for only the second time as an Islander.  It was also the first time for the Islanders to face Johnny Gaudreau, the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner.  It seems that the Calgary faithful have already dubbed him "Johnny Hockey."  He is a good young player and has approximately 30 points on the year, but it is a bit premature to give him a label.  He is just a kid.  Furthermore, there was a better "Johnny" on the ice and his name was Tavares.  

There were no other changes at all in the line-up. You know what they say, "if it ain't broke don't try to make a roster move."  Michael Grabner was heathy, but there was no one that Snow and Capuano wanted to take off the roster right now.  I have a suggestion....Mikhail Grabovski.  But that is just me talking.  Looks like the Islanders are waiting for some sort of injury to open a roster spot.  As far as Matt Donovan, Brian Strait and Eric Boulton continue to be healthy scratches.  It must be hard on them.

It was a great start to the game for the Islanders as they had a number of good scoring chances out of the gate.  They moved through the neutral zone with ease and spent most of the first period in the Calgary zone.  At one point Boychuk got a short breakaway and was tripped in front of the Calgary goaltender, Jonas Hiller.  He went hard into the wall and upon watching the replay it looked like his ankle had buckled.  Johnny Boy was in a lot of pain and somehow was able to get up and get to the bench.  Once the puck was dropped on the ensuing face-off to start the power play, Calgary made a big mistake and covered the puck while it was still in the dot.  The result was a full two minute five on three power play.  Boychuk made it back out onto the ice in time to join in on the two man advantage.

For the first minute of the power play, the Islanders passed it around like they did in Winnipeg and were searching for the perfect shot.  They eventually got it.  Ryan Strome took a pass from Kyle Okposo and threaded another needle that crossed in front of Hiller from one side of the zone to the other and found John Tavares who put it into the short side of the net for his 16th goal of the year.  For the second game in a row, Strome made a fantastic pass that immediately led to a goal.  His ice presence is off the charts.  He can see the entire ice and is very decisive on his passes.  The Islanders had a big edge in face-offs during the period and out shot the Flames 9-7.  However, the shot total did not tell the whole story as the Islanders dominated the period and did not give up any scoring chances.

I wish I had some nice things to say about the second period, but it was pretty boring with mainly a lot of back and forth in the neutral zone.  The Islanders held on to their 1-0 lead and Calgary had a slight edge in shots.  New York killed off one power play.  Pretty uneventful.  Towards the end of the period I had fallen asleep but was fortunate enough to wake up on my own at the start of the third period.  As well as the Islanders had played defensively, there was a fear that a bad bounce would tie the game.  However, Johnny Tavares made sure that was not the case with his second goal of the game and his 17th goal of the season.  He put a nifty move in front of the net through a couple of Flames and gave the Islanders a 2-0 lead.  Okposo got his second assist of the game and deHaan got the second helper.  

The Islanders did their best to let Calgary back into the game.  They took back-to-back penalties during the third period but did a good job killing off both.  Then with about four minutes left the Flames pulled their goalie and within about 30 seconds they were able to convert with the man advantage to make it 2-1.  It was Johnny Gaudreau.  The Islanders then buckled down, Jaroslav Halak was solid and the New York Islanders got away with the 2-1 win.  

This evening was all about the Johnnies.  They got three goals between the two teams and accounted for all the scoring.  However, in order to be called "Johnny Hockey" one must earn it.  Tavares did just that with two goals to win it for New York.  It reminded me of one of my favorite movies.  There was a bar scene in *Good Fellas* where Henry Hill was going around the room introduce his mafia friends and he stumbled upon one with a good nickname - "There was Johnny Two Times...we call him that cause he says everything two times" Two Times-"I'm gonna get the papers, get that papers."  Well Johnny did strike two times and it will be interesting to see if he gets the cup, gets the cup in June.

It was not a very exciting game, but a solid win nonetheless.  The win moved the Islanders to 26-11-1 which is good for 53 points and a tie with Pittsburgh who also won.  Now the Islanders move on to Edmonton to take on a very bad Oilers squad.  It will be interesting to see if Capuano stays with Halak or dusts off Chad Johnson to take on the wannabe Islanders.  A win on Sunday would set up a potential Western Canada sweep against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.  Every opposing coach is touting the New York Islanders as one of the best teams in the league.  Will I ever wake up from this dream?

Jets Thrashed

It was New Year's Eve and the New York Islanders started their seven game road trip with a game against the Winnipeg Jets (let's face it they are still the Atlanta Thrashers...its more fun to think of them that way).  I remember when the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, the fans were so upset that about 100 of them showed up at Phillips arena to protest.  It was very embarrassing.  Atlanta was never really a hockey town to begin with.  Unfortunately after losing the Flames to Calgary years ago there will not be a third chance.

The game also represented a homecoming for Manitoba native Travis Hamonic who does not get to visit Winnipeg during the regular season all that often.  It was the same line-up for the Islanders with Halak in net again.  He was opposed by Ondrej Pavelec for the Jets.  Another point to note was that Michael Grabner made the trip with the team and may be able to play on Friday night.  That meant that Mikhail Grabovski was put on notice.

The Islanders skated well in the first period.  After killing off a Jets power play they got a terrific shift from the third line.  They were able to stay in the Winnipeg zone for an extended period of time and got some really good opportunities.  However, it was a little bit of luck that got the Islanders on the board.  You knew that if a team named the "Jets" were involved that there had to be a bad bounce sooner or later.  There was a scrum around the net and one of the Jets hit the puck with a high stick and it first bounced off of the back of Anders Lee and then caromed in the net off of the shoulder of Ryan Strome for his 7th goal of the year.  Although it was not pretty, it was well earned with hard work.  The goal came at around the ten minute mark.  Nick Leddy got the second assist.  

The Islanders finally got a power play late in the period and with about thirty seconds left with the man advantage, Dustin Byfuglien (I am still not sure why his last name is pronounced "Bufflin") pushed Brock Nelson to the ice with a forearm shiver and the Isles had a two man advantage.  Very quickly thereafter, Johnny Boychuk took a big slap shot and broke his stick.  The puck veered off to the right side of the zone near the face off dot and right on the stick of Frans Nielsen who put the biscuit in the basket for his 7th goal of the year.  It was the ole break your stick and have everyone stand still and put it in the open net play.  Works every time.  Ryan Strome got the second assist.  As bad as the Islanders power play had been it was about time that they caught a break (of the stick) for once.  During the period the Islanders had two penalty kills and were 1-3 on the power play. New York out shot Winnipeg 12-7.

In the second period, the Jets got on the board one second after they failed on a power play with a goal from Ladd (who I think was a Thrasher in the Atlanta days).  It was close quarters in front of Halak and the puck was banged home to cut the lead to 2-1.  As the period wore on the the Jets started to get a lot more offensive zone time, Halak stood tall.  

Right about the time that you thought that the defense was going to break, the Islanders got a break out.  Frans Nielsen took the puck across the blue line and dropped a pass to Ryan Strome.  Both players criss-crossed and Strome fed the puck back to Fransy for the empty net goal.  It was Nielsen's second of the game and 8th goal of the year.  It was a very impressive pass from Strome and it was hard to figure out how he threaded the needle.  Nice play by the kid to add to his shoulder goal in the first period.  

As much as Winnipeg dictated play, the Islanders led 3-1 and also still out shot them 13-11.  Towards the end of the period Mikhail Grabovski would take his second penalty of the game.  Not a good game for Grabo.  I know he is making $20 million over four years, however he is a prime candidate to sit if Grabs40 comes back off of injured reserve.  Partly because I cannot see anyone else sitting down at this point.  Perhaps there is an unknown injury that is forthcoming?

The first Winnipeg goal was a single second after the power play which enabled the Islanders penalty kill streak to extend to fifteen (give or take one or two kills).  However, there was a late penalty in the second period and Winnipeg still had 90 seconds left starting the third period.  They were able to convert on another goal by Ladd to make it 3-2.  So the kill streak was indeed finally over.  The good news is that it was a tight game and the Islanders did not have to worry about a three goal lead.  They actually seemed to be a lot more confident with only the slimmest of margins in the final frame.  A few minutes later, Grabovski got the puck about twenty feet in front of Pavelec and failed to put it past his five hole (that sounds so wrong).  Grabo looked a lot like Grabs40 on that one.  Maybe he was just foreshadowing the player that will be replacing him next game.  

A little past the mid-point of the period New York got their two goal lead back on a goal by the guy with the that very hard name to remember......who was that....oh it was Anders Lee in front of the net.  Where else would you find him?  The goal came as he crashed the net.  It was Lee's 9th goal of the year from Strome and Nielsen.  Ryan Strome notched his fourth point of the game.  An amazing accomplishment for a player that has not even played a full season in the NHL.  He is the youngest Islander to get four points in a game, not named John Tavares, in over thirteen years.  The Lee goal seemed to take the air out of Jet's engines.  The Islanders capped off the game with an empty net goal by Josh Bailey.  It was Bales' 6th goal of the year from Hamonic an deHaan (I left off a "d" on purpose).  Not a lot of shots in the third, but the Islanders had the edge again at 8-5.  For the game the Islanders out shot the Jets 33-23.  

Great way to kick off the road trip with a solid 5-2 win.  The Jets fell short when Nick Folk hit the upright in the third period.  New York has to hope that the officials in Toronto do not see the final score and award the Jets three goals and a point to boot.  No three goal lead is safe anymore.  It was good to beat the Thrashers...er Jets.  Somehow I do not think those 100 or so die-hard Thrasher fans will care...in fact I doubt they even know what city their team went to...or if hockey is still a sport anymore.

On to the great province of Alberta with games against the Calgary Flames on Friday and the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.  Kind of ironic to play the Jets and Flames back to back being that I live in Atlanta.  If the Isles can get by Calgary then this could be a very good road trip indeed.  As the year comes to a close, your New York Islanders will at worst be tied with the Pittsburgh Penguins for the lead in the Metropolitan Division, most likely lead the lead with wins, and be amongst the leaders in the entire Eastern Conference.  They are 25-11-1 after 37 games with 51 points on December 31st, 2014.  Let me say that again.  25-11-1 with 51 points.  Life is good sometimes.

Happy New Year to all...2015 is going to be a year to remember!!

Cat Is Out Of The Bag Again

We can all exhale now.  Jaroslav Halak came off of injured reserve yesterday and started in goal for the Islanders as they welcomed the Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin into the Nassau Coliseum on Monday evening.  The Islanders had to get back to their winning ways after two losses against Montreal and Buffalo.  No need to start worrying about getting Chad Johnson's confidence back just yet.  The only line-up change of note was that Frans Nielsen moved up to the second line to center Anders Lee and Ryan Strome.  Brick Nelson moved down to the third line to center Mikhail Grabovski and Nickolay Kulemin.  

Once they dropped the puck, Grabovski skated in and nearly put the Islanders on top at the seven second mark.  Grabo actually skated well in the first period and had a couple of chances.  Washington got the first power play of the evening but that was negated when Ovechkin held a stick so no damage done. Anders Lee got the Islanders on the board first with a little over eight minutes gone when he tipped home a short from Thomas Hickey.   Strome started the play which led to Lee's 8th goal of the year (three of which have come against the Capitals this year).  Washington got one more power play before the period ended but the Islanders were able to kill it off.  Good news is that there did not seem to be any negative after effects from the Buffalo game.  But it was early.  Halak looked sharp.  The week off probably did him good.  Islanders led the shot parade 11-6 during the period.

In the second period, once again Washington got an early power play but again they could not convert.  About midway through the period the Islanders got their first real power play of the game and took advantage when Lubomir Visnovsky launched a shot from the blue line that was going wide, however, it hit one the Capitals' defensemen and skipped past Braden Holby for a 2-0 lead. It was Lubo's 3rd goal of the year from Nielsen and Grabovski.  Jaro was not really tested all that much during the period and the shots were pretty even with the Isles having a slight 11-10 edge.  New York's defense was stellar as they really did not give Washington that many scoring chances through the first two periods.  Right before the end of the period Brock Nelson took a penalty so the Capitals were able to start the third period on the power play on a fresh sheet of ice. 

At the start of the third period the Islanders stood tall once again on the penalty kill.  Kulemin was impressive as he broke in on Holtby and nearly scored. Then after a quick turnover, Calvin deHaan rocketed one past Holtby for the short-handed goal.  It was deHaan's first goal of the year from Tavares and Kulemin.  That made it 3-0.  It was at this point that it would have been prudent to go find one of my cats for some comfort.  Surely, with a confident Halak in net the Islanders had this one in the bag.

Just three minutes later, Washington got one back as Fehr drove to the net and put one past Halak.  The play was borderline goalie interference, nonetheless it counted and it was 3-1.  It only took Washington two more minutes to get their second goal as Backstrom took a feed from Ovechkin and was in all alone on Halak to make it 3-2.  There was not too much concern, because there was no way that the Islanders were going to give up three goal leads in the third period in back to back games.  It was at this point that I was looking for a second cat and a much bigger bag.

The game started to wind down.  The Islanders had a chance to ice the game with a power play with about seven minutes left but could not convert.  There was way too much passing around looking for the perfect shot.  It looked like New York was going to escape with a win in regulation, but Red and White #8 made sure that was not the case.  Ovechkin scored with a little over two minutes left and Islanders Nation was stunned.  It was at this time that both of my cats were not only out of the bag, but they taunted me with it.  It was cruel and unusual punishment indeed.

It was the fourth time in December that the Islanders had blown three goal leads.  You would think that there would have been a better chance that the Islanders would cancel their lease with the Barclay's Center and remain at the Nassau Coliseum before that ever happened.  It was unbelievable and amazing all at the same time.

Right before the end of regulation the Islanders got a gift.  Kuzneetsov got tagged with a four minute high sticking penalty and the Islanders were in business.  They could not muster anything in regulation, but went into the overtime with almost three minutes of four on three.  For most of the power play, they once again stood around still looking for the perfect shot.  Then after a timeout, Boychuk finally put the Islander fans out of their misery with a blast past Holtby for the 4-3 overtime win.  It was Boychuck's 3rd goal of the year and his first goal since very early in the season.  Strome and Okposo had the assists.  It was a huge relief.  The good thing is that I did not have to penalize my cats before I went off to bed for the evening.

It was tough to watch the last couple of minutes of regulation and overtime, but in the end the Islanders got the two points to move to 24-11-1 which is good for 49 points.  The Islanders dominated the shots on goal 39-26 (with five coming in the overtime period).  The penalty kill improved very much over the last two weeks.  However, the power play is a concern.  They simply just need to shoot more.

I could spend quite a bit of time analyzing and hypothesizing why the Islanders gave up multiple three goal leads, but I won't.  The reason is because there really is no explanation.  It does not matter who is in goal or who is on the ice.  It just happens.  I do not think they should over react and make any changes.  They just need to accept it and move on.  If they just ignore it, hopefully it will go away.  If they pay attention to it, then it will definitely get in their heads.

It was another sell out in the Nassau Coliseum.  That means that there was 16,170 fans in the ole barn.  I love saying that number...16,170.  It has a certain ring to it.  Great to see a sell out during on a weekday, even though it was during the Christmas break.  Next up is the start of a seven game road trip starting with a game in Winnipeg on New Year;s eve.  It will be a challenge.  I'll be watching at home as always, however, the cats will be locked upstairs.  As long as they stay out of the bag then three goal leads should be safe.

Its Not Halak

Well its time to get a little bit concerned Islander fans.  Jaroslav Halak was put on the injured reserve list retroactive to December 20th with a lower body injury.  He was given the last game off as a "maintenance day", however now that he has missed a second game in a row and is on injured reserve one wonders how serious it may be.  However, Saturday morning Halak did skate so that was a good sign that it is not serious.  The Islanders are still calling it a maintenance issue so let's see what happens in the next few days.

The Islanders were in Buffalo on Saturday to play an improving Sabres team,  It was also an opportunity to reunite with former Islander Matt Moulson, who spent Christmas day with his old teammates.  The rest of the Isles line-up was the same as the one that lost to Montreal before the break.  Buffalo countered with Jhonas Enroth in net.  While watching the game I could not help but think that every time the Buffalo announcers said "Enroth" it sounded a lot like "Enron".  That is a reference to the energy and commodities company that filed for bankruptcy in 2001 in the midst of a national scandal arising from a planned accounting fraud.  Would Enroth would also turn out to be a fraud?

It was not a surprise that Kevin Poulin was called up.  But when you look at the fact that he had a 34 shot shut out Friday night and had to travel to Buffalo it was a surprise that he got the start in net.  One one hand, maybe it made sense to go with the hot hand.  Capuano said before the game that Poulin deserved the start based on his play this year.  So far for Bridgeport Poulin was 10-6-4-1 with a 2.41 goals against average and a .928 save percentage.  That makes you wonder about the lack of confidence that management and the coaching staff have in Chad Johnson.  It will be interesting to see how Poulin plays and what happens in the next few days when Halak returns.  

The Islanders started well and spent almost the first two minutes in the Sabres offensive zone.  Poulin looked confident in net and had a few early kick saves to boot.  In just a few short minutes Poulin looked much better in net than Chad Johnson. On a couple of occasions, Poulin had to stretch out to keep the puck out of the net.  The Poulin Wall turned away ten shots during the period. 

New York got on the board first just before the five minute mark with a goal by Nick Leddy.  The defenseman took a harmless shot from the left point and it snuck by a Josh Bailey screen to get by Enroth for the 1-0 lead.  It was Leddy's 6th goal of the year from Okposo and Bailey.  Other than that, it was a pretty even period with the Sabres having a slight edge in shots 10-9.  Right at the end of the period one of the Sabres took an unnecessary roughing penalty on Cal Clutterbuck which gave the Islanders a power play to start the second period.

The power play to start the second period fizzled once again.  It is almost getting to the point where the Islanders should start to decline the power plays. All it is doing nowadays is wasting two minutes at a time.  During the period Buffalo had three power plays of their own and Poulin stood tall on each one.  Then at around the ten minute mark Kyle Okposo got to the puck behind the Sabres net and pushed it along the wall where Bailey pinched to keep it in the zone.  John Tavares went into full beast mode and picked up the loose puck, stick handled in tight quarters and put a backhander past Enroth for a 2-0 lead. A couple of minutes later the Islanders pressed the play once again with some crisp passing from Bailey to Okposo to Tavares for his second goal of the game and his 15th goal of the year.  The top line was on the ice for all three goals.  Good to see them clicking for the first time in a long time.  The Islanders doubled up the Sabres on shots 10-5 in the period and were in complete control of the game at that point.

Three goal lead with one period to play.  Piece of cake...except when you are the Islanders you would almost want to have a one goal lead.  With six minutes or so gone in the period, the game turned around in a five minute span. Deslauriers got Buffalo on the board with an innocent shot right in front of Poulin to ruin the shut out.  Then a couple of minutes later the Islanders went on the power play, after a Buffalo goalie interference penalty, looking to get their three goal lead back.  However a long pass from Deslauriers found Girgensons on a breakaway (glad I did not have to pronounce those two names) and he buried the shorty past Poulin to cut the lead to 2-1.  Less than a minute later, after the Islanders failed on another power play, Stewart got by the defense and swung in on Poulin to tie the game.  Not sure about the first two goals, but the tying goal that Poulin let in was very weak.  It turned out that Poulin might have been the fraud in this game after all  The Islanders ended up out shooting the Sabres 14-6 in the third period and 36-26 for the game. However, the telling stat was in the rugby scrums.  The Isles were horrible and ended up losing 64% of all face-offs throughout the game.

Five minutes and three shots is all it took to ruin the game for the Islanders.  It was the third time in the past couple of weeks that the Islanders gave up a three goal lead.  Interesting fact is that in those three games there was a different goaltender in each game (Halak, Johnson and now Poulin).  Not sure what is causing the breakdowns late in the game.  When the game is close in the third period the Islanders seem to play much better, but when they have a multiple goal lead they stop playing for some reason.  The frustrating thing is that there does not seem to be an apparent reason.  It is not just the defense or goalie.  It is a combination of both at times.

In the overtime both teams had chances but it eventually went to the skills competition.  New York came into the game winners of their last nine overtime games (six of which were shootouts) and eleven in a row if you go back to last year.  You knew that at some point they were going to lose one.  Tonight was the night.  It was a bad sign when Frans Nielsen missed his "backhand of judgement" and Tavares over stick handled his approach in front of Enroth.  All the Sabres needed was a goal from Ennis and they were able to get two points out of thin air.  The Islanders got a point, but it really felt like they lost a point in this game.

This was a very disappointing loss.  The Islanders were the better team for 55 minutes.  It goes to show you that you need to play 60 complete minutes in this league because any team can come back if they have the talent.  As far as forwards go, the top line was strong.  Bailey seems to have found a home there on the wing.  However, the other three lines were very quiet.  On the second line Mikhail Grabovski continues to be a no show every night.  The effort is there, but there is no production.  He got his wish to play with his buddy Nickolay Kulemin and he has not taken advantage.   Frans Nielsen has struggled, but that might be more of a function of who he is playing with right now.  The third line did not do anything special this evening.  Barely heard the names Nelson or Lee for the entire game.  The fourth line agitated a bit but did not produce anything of substance.

After their second loss in a row, the Islanders fell to 23-11-1 and have a total of 47 points.  They remain in second place in the Metropolitan Division.  Next up is a home game against the Washington Capitals on Monday and a road game on New Year's Eve against the Winnipeg Jets.  They are still right there, but it is apparent that they need a healthy Jaroslav Halak until they find a capable back-up that they can have confidence in.  If you had to sum up the amount of confidence that the team has in their back-up goaltenders right now well there is only one thing that can be said...Its not Halak.

Festivus Pole Dancing

Tonight was a special night.  It was the last night of Hanukkah, the eve of Christmas eve and coincidentally enough the celebration of Festivus.  That meant breaking out the aluminum Festivus pole, "Airing our Grievances" and performing "Feats of Strength", with the hope that at the end of the evening that there would be a "Festivus miracle." Oh and by the way the New York Islanders were hosting the Montreal Canadiens at the Nassau Coliseum.  I could not wait to dance around the Festivus Pole in my John Tavares hockey sweater.  

Tonight also represented the start of my staycation. I am definitely looking forward to relaxing the next couple of weeks, getting some writing in, and watching some winning hockey.  However, there are only three more hockey games the rest of the year so that means that there will be a lot of time to fill.  Hopefully the Islanders can finish strong and head into the new year a bit more healthy and with some momentum.

This afternoon there was a surprise from Head Coach Jack Capuano as he chose to start Chad Johnson in net instead of Jaroslav Halak.  Jaro had a maintenance day yesterday (as well as today) and from what I have read on social media, Johnson had looked better in practice.  There is no doubt that Cappy needs to play his backup on a more regular basis so it will be critical to find the right spots to play him.  The Canadiens countered with their number one, Carey Price.  As for the forwards and defensemen the line-up was the same as the past two games.  There was no need to tinker with something that is working.

Late in the day and before the game the Islanders recalled Kevin Poulin from Bridgeport on an "emergency basis."  I am sure there were many fans out in the twittersphere (and I was one of them) that started to panic when they heard the news.  However, it looks like that the Islanders just wanted to give Halak a complete day off.  After the game Poulin was returned to Bridgeport.  Also by calling up Poulin, who has played well for the Sound Tigers, to dress as a backup it sent a clear message to Johnson that he needed to pick his game up and soon.

As the game started New York took over where they left off on Saturday night against the Lightning and had another dominating period.  Montreal moved the puck into the offensive zone, but could not get a shot on Johnson in the first fourteen minutes of the period.  The Islanders had a number of chances, including a failed power play.  Then at around the twelve minute mark Josh Bailey started a rush with a stick check and Lubomir Visnovsky got the puck ahead to Tavares for a quick two on one rush.  The captain slid a pass to Kyle Okposo who netted his 8th goal of the year.  

The Islanders continued to force the action and cycled the puck right up until the end of the period.  However, time ran out with the Islanders peppering Price and having all the momentum.  New York ended up out shooting Montreal 14-3 in the period.  Overall, it was a very easy first twenty minutes for Johnson who was not really tested at all.

So much for world domination.  In the second period, the Islanders came out strong, but a turnover and a broken stick by Travis Hamonic in the Islanders own end led to a goal by Andrei Markov, who was playing in his 800th game of his career.  That tied the game a one apiece.  Johnson seemed to be screened on the shot, but he still needed to find a way to fight through it.  That goal seemed to energize the Canadiens as they decided to start playing.  They took it to the Islanders and spent extended time in Islanders zone.  

Montreal then grabbed the lead with a goal by Brandon Gallagher.  To be fair, on the play Johnson had no chance as Gallagher got a rebound right in front of the net.  It was a bang bang play.  However, it could not have been very good goal for Johnson's confidence.  Shots were even at nine for the period, but the momentum had clearly swung to the visitor's side going into the last period.

The Islanders had come from behind in their last four games to win.  However, against the Canadiens it was not to be.  Once again the Islanders had a few good chances in the third period, but could not put anything past Cary Price.  David Desharnais gave Montreal a 3-1 advantage with a little over a minute left as he cut right in front of Johnson and redirected a shot into the net.  It was another great crowd in the ole barn, but on this night they could not will the Islanders to make another comeback.  

New York led the shot parade in the third period 13-9 and had a healthy 38-21 advantage for the entire game.  It was the fourth straight game that they out shot the opposition by at least ten shots.  However, this was one game where the shot total did not tell the story.  The Islanders dominated in the first period, regressed in the middle frame, and gave it the ole college try in the third.  It was not good enough.  

New York might be able to turn it on and off against most teams, but when they play the better teams in the league they need to be more consistent throughout the entire game.  After the game, Capuano cited the lack of a power play and an eight minute stretch in the middle period that were the keys to the game.  There were hints that some of the personnel on the power play will change before the next game.  Also, there were some players that were not playing up to their capabilities.  But then again, he says that almost after every game.

The Islanders fell to 23-11 and are off until Saturday when they travel up to Buffalo to play an improving Sabres squad.  It will be interesting to see if Halak is in net.  Johnson did not play poorly, but the sense was is that he still does not have all of his confidence back.  It is tough for a back-up goalie to stay sharp, but that is what he is being paid to do.  

It was probably a coincidence that it was the last night of Hanukkah and the eve of Christmas eve, but at the same time it was very appropriate that it was also Festivus.  There certainly were no "Feats of Strength" during the game and I am sure that in the locker room that Capuano and the coaching staff "Aired Their Grievances."  However, unlike the game last Saturday night when the Islanders scored three goals in the last three minutes to win in exciting fashion, there was no "Festivus Miracle" this evening. 

Lightning Struck

Tonight the Islanders played the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Nassau Coliseum.   While the Islanders were beating the Red Wings and flying back to Long Island from Detroit, the Lightning were in the process of losing an overtime shootout to the New Jersey Devils at the Rock.  The teams split the first two meetings this year with each home team winning by a 5-2 score.  Coming into the game Tampa Bay was on top of the Atlantic Division with 44 points while the Islanders were second in the Metropolitan Division with the same point total.  

The Islanders went with the same line-up from Friday, giving Jaroskav Halak his first back-to-back starts this year.  With Halak only facing 18 shots the night before, Capuano felt that it would not be an issue to stay with the hot hand and for him to play again tonight.  Tampa Bay was going to go with their back-up goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy in net.  Ben Bishop was out with an injury and Evgeni Nabokov played against the Devils.  The game was the seventh sell out of the year at the Nassau Coliseum (five of which have come on the last five Saturday evenings).  It's starting to get very easy to memorize the number 16,170 when you see it so often.

In the last two games, the Islanders had started flat footed and it took them a full period to get their legs going and for each of the lines to get onto the same page.  However, tonight in front of the home crowd they looked a lot better from the jump.  The only real excitement in the first period came when Brian Boyle kicked a puck past Halak into the net.  The goal was reviewed in Toronto and quickly overturned to keep the game scoreless.  Each team had a power play during the period and came up empty.  The Islanders led the shot parade 12-5 and even won in the face-off circle.  Overall, it was a pretty even period.

In the second period, the Islanders had a couple of more power plays, but once again could not convert.  It is very obvious that New York is really struggling on special teams this year.  It is hard to imagine what their record would be if they were just fair to middlin' on both sides of the power play.  That being said, the Islanders ran into a very hot goalie as Vasilevskiy who had to stand on his head to keep the Islanders off the board.  As the game progressed it was clear that the Islanders were getting the better of the play as more time was spent in Tampa Bay's end of the ice.  In fact the Islanders were starting to dominate.  The Isles had a big edge on the shot chart 15-4 for the period and through two periods they had a 68% edge when they were in the dot.  However, the game remained scoreless at the end of two.  

The last frame saw more domination from the Islanders, however as the game wore on there was a strong feeling that a lucky bounce would give someone the advantage.  With a little over nine minutes gone Connolly got that lucky bounce as he tipped a pass past Halak to give the Lightning the 1-0. It certainly looked like that was going to be the final score sending the home crowd home with a very disappointing loss.  After all, when your team totally dominates the opposition your team is supposed to win, right?  That answer would be a resounding "Yes! Yes! Yes!" After the Lightning goal the Islanders started to play with more urgency.  It reminded me of the Stanley Cup Teams of the past.  Whenever those teams got into a similar situation they played like "they were afraid to lose".  This team is starting to exhibit those very same characteristics.

With a little over three minutes left things got interesting.  John Tavares evened the game at 1-1 with some hard work right in front of Vasilevskiy.  After the goal, Tavares looked to the sky as if a huge weight was taken off of his shoulders.  It was his 13th goal of the year from both line mates Okposo and Bailey.  Then only twelve seconds later, while everyone was still celebrating the tying goal, Anders Lee tipped home a quick shot from Hamonic and in a blink of an eye the Islanders had a 2-1 lead.  It was Lee's 7th goal of the year and second goal in two games.  Nelson got the second helper.  The crowd was beside itself.

Now all the Islanders had to do was withstand a furious Tampa Bay comeback attempt to try to even the score and that is what they did.  Tavares took a slap shot to the ear and had to be helped off the ice.  He looked to be in a lot of pain, however after the game Capuano said he was fine and only needed a couple of staples to close up the wound.  Nickolay Kulemin got the empty net goal, his 6th of the year from Clutterbuck to ice the game at 3-1.  Even though Tampa Bay had the better of the play in the third period, the Islanders still out shot them 19-12 in the period.

A look at the final statistics is telling.  The Islanders out shot the Lightning 48-21, inclusive of Kyle Okposo's eight shots.  New York out hit Tampa Bay 46-25 and were 27 for 47 in the face-off circle.  The Lightning had 17 blocks to the Islanders 15, but that is a bit misleading when you look at the overall shot total.  After the game Steve Stamkos said it best, "We were dominated."  It would have been a shame to not get a point after such a great effort.  Getting two points was a well-earned reward.

The fairytale season continues.  The Islanders moved to 23-10 which is good for 46 points on the season as they won their 13th home game which equalled their home win total for all of last year.  Next up is a tough home game against Montreal on Tuesday before the Christmas break.

Getting Healthy

Having three days off between hockey games during the week is sometimes bad and sometimes good.  When the Islanders are going bad those days can not go by fast enough.  The bad taste in my mouth needs to be cleansed like a palate between entrees during a five course dinner.  On the other hand, when the Islanders are going good those days are more manageable.  It provides time to reflect on how well the team is doing and it creates more excitement for the next game coming up.  Right now, I could not wait any longer for Friday's game against the Red Wings in Detroit.  I have reflected long enough, time to get back to winning hockey games.

Good news going into this one.  Not only was I getting healthy and getting rid of my Rhine River cold, but the Islanders were getting healthy.  Johnny Boychuk and Travis Hamonic were taken off of injured reserve and were back in the line-up tonight, which meant that Griffin Reinhart was targeted to return to Bridgeport.  The kid played well and has improved, but needs to develop a little bit more and will do so with top line minutes with the Sound Tigers.  The Islanders went into the game with a healthy defense for the first time in weeks.  First time in a long time you saw Leddy-Boychuk, Hamonic-deHaan, and Visnovsky-Hickey out there.  With a confident Halak in goal it was going to be interesting to see what would develop.  As for the forwards, the only change was Josh Bailey moving up to the top line to play with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo.  Nikolay Kulemin moved down to the second line to play with his buddy Mikhail Grabovski and Frans Nielsen.

The first period started with the Islanders on their heels.  They did not spend a lot of time in Detroit's zone and when they did get there they could not generate a coordinated attack and looked to be rushing everything.  Detroit on the other hand did a good job controlling play in front of Halak.  At about the nine minute mark, Zetterberg got the Red Wings on the board with a screen shot after an turnover by Lubomir Visnovsky at the Islanders blue line.  New York picked up their play after killing off a penalty and started to generate some good scoring chances.  Hard work paid off when Brock Nelson banged home a rebound past Jimmy Howard for his 14th goal of the year.  The goal came with a little over three minutes left in the period and was helped by Visnovsky and Lee.  The Red Wings dominated the first ten minutes of the period, however, the Islanders dominated the last ten minutes.  The Isles had the edge in shots 8-6.  It basically looked like New York had to get some rust out of their system after having three straight days off.

To start the second Petr Mrazek replaced Jimmy Howard in goal for Detroit due to a lower-body injury.  New York got an early power play and the Islanders looked pretty crisp.  They had five scoring chances and four shots on goal but Mrazek off the bench was sharp out of the gate.  The Islanders continued their strong play and then pressured the Red Wings into their own turnover right in front of Mrazek.  Brock Nelson stick-handed a couple of times and was stopped only to have Anders Lee swoop in and jam it home a couple of inches in front of the goal line for a 2-1 Isles lead.  The rest of the period was pretty even even though the Islanders out shot Detroit 16-7.  Over the first two periods the Islanders not only led in shots they also dominated the face-off circle by winning 64% of the rugby scrums for the first two periods.  Those stats reflected the obvious shift in the momentum and validated why the Islanders had the lead going into the last period.

I wish I had a lot to write about in the third period, but I don't, and that necessarily is not a bad thing.  The Red Wings started the period with about 90 seconds left on a power play after a Clutterbuck penalty at the end of the second.  The Islanders killed it off and then locked down defensively for the rest of the period.  They had a couple of empty net chances after Mrazek was caught wandering away from his crease.  Overall it was a very boring but very steady defensive effort in the third period.  The only scare came on an Islanders power play with about three minutes left when Zetterberg got a short-handed opportunity but missed the net wide right.  The Isles barely out shot the Wings in the third  7-5 but dominated over the course of the game 32-18.  Probably one of their best defensive efforts of the year.

The Islanders improved to 22-10.  The kid line (i.e., Strome, Nelson and Lee) shined tonight and factored in both goals.  The top two lines are still a concern and need to start generating some offense.  Its nice to get balanced scoring, but balanced means that everyone needs to contribute.  After a short flight home, the Islanders will be at home to face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night.  It will be interesting to see if Capuano gives Chad Johnson a shot or goes back to Halak who has been consistently hot for quite awhile now. It wasn't a very exciting evening, but winning never gets boring.