Islanders vs. Devils Final - Saturday Night Fervor

From the desks of:   THE BROAD STREET DEMONS  &  BROOKLYN's FOSTER HOCKEY CLUB

FINAL:

Devils       1

Islanders  5

 

 

Islanders and Devils Finish Season Series Tied 2-2

I - NJD 2; NYI 1

II * NYI 5; NJD 4

III - NJD 3; NYI 0

IV - NYI 5; NJD 1

 

 

Isles Wreck Devils; Tie Season Series.  John Tavares Nets Hat Trick.  Evgeni Nabokov Helps Push Long Island By Philadelphia in Atlantic Division Standings.

Brooklyn's foster hockey club played an outstanding game in Long Island last night.  In their final regular season meeting, John Tavares and the New York Islanders overwhelmed the first place New Jersey Devils.  Long Island out-shot the Devils, threw more hits, had more take-aways, and won more face offs, en route to a 5-1 victory.


With Johan Hedberg in net for New Jersey, the Islanders unleashed a second period barrage led by the John Tavares line.  Within a span of 2:20 minutes, John Tavares scored twice, and his line mate, Matt Moulson, added a third goal just before the period ended.


In the third period, Marek Zidlicky scored his first goal of the season, to get New Jersey within two goals.  But at the 14:40 mark, John Tavares completed a hat trick by scoring his second power play goal of the evening.  Then at 19:25, Michael Grabner got credit for a Devils assisted goal, completing Long Island's 5-1 victory.


John Tavares now has eleven goals in his last ten games.  Matt Moulson has seven, and Michael Grabner has six.  The Islanders also continued their prowess on the power play, scoring three times in six chances.  Only two Eastern Conference teams have more goals than the Islanders.  Ivgeni Nabokov was stellar in net.  He faced thirty three shots, and allowed only the one second period goal to get by.


The Pittsburgh Penguins did not play Saturday, and so the Devils remain in first place of the Atlantic Division by a point.  The Penguins play Sunday.  The Devils are off.  By virtue of two less losses, the Islanders slipped past the Flyers into fourth place.  The Islanders and Devils split their season series with two wins apiece.




Mike.BTB

Rangers vs. Islanders: The Rivalry - Game Two

From the desk of:   RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS

Thursday Night Hockey

 

The Rivalry - Game Two

Rangers Lead Series 1-0

I - NYR 4; NYI 1

 

 

Atlantic Division:

#1 - N.J. Devils        8-2-3

#3 - N.Y. Rangers   7-5-0

#5 - N.Y. Islanders  4-7-1

 

 

VALENTINE'S DAY SHOWDOWN

 

New York Islanders

vs.

NEW YORK RANGERS

FROM

Madison Square Garden

33rd Street and 8th Avenue

NYC

 

 

 

 

B'klyn/New York Islanders - Lack of Defense Is Getting Offensive.  Poor Goal-Tending Is Outright Insulting.

 

 

Doesn't anybody here know what defense is all about?  Good Grief!  Offensively speaking, Brooklyn's foster hockey club is doing many things right this season.  But their defense and goal-tending have been so wrong.  They are second to the Pens in the Atlantic Division with thirty six goals, and place seventh overall.  John Tavares is their triple crown scorer.  He leads the Islanders with fifteen points, on seven goals and eight assists.  The Isles also own the NHL's 5th rated power play and rank fourth on the penalty kill.  Yet, they are last in the Atlantic Division in goals against, and rank 29th worst overall.

 

 

This current five game losing streak the Islanders are on started when they dropped the back end of a home-and-home against the Devils.  They then lost to the Penguins and the Rangers.  You can't find fault with the Islanders offensive effort in their Saturday loss to Buffalo - not after taking forty three shots on goal against Ryan Miller.  The Sabres goalie was just unconscious.  But Evgeni Nabokov needed to do better.  He only faced fifteen shots all game.  The Isles limited Buffalo to single digit shots in all three periods.  Yet, Nabokov let three pucks get by him in a 3-2 loss.  For the season, he is sporting a troublesome .897 Sv% and an .300 goals against average.

 

 

Over those four losses, Islanders scoring dropped off.  They only scored five goals, including getting shut-out by the Devils.  This past Monday night against the Carolina Hurricanes, Long Island's  scoring reignited.  The Islanders had five power play opportunities and converted on four occasions.  However, Rick DiPietro allowed Carolina four third period goals, and six goals overall, in a game the Isles were leading 3-2 after two periods.  That was DePietro's second start of the season, and his second loss.  Combined, Rick DiPietro has faced fifty seven shots, and allowed ten goals, for an awful .833% save percentage.

 

 

Slumping to a 4-7-1 record, the Islanders currently reside at the bottom of the Atlantic Division, four points behind the Flyers, and six points behind the Rangers.

 

 

NEW YORK RANGERS - Tweaking Roster Starting To Pay Off.  The Big Blue Glacier Is Starting To Lurch Forward.

 

 

One quarter of the regular season is done.  Since starting the season 0-2, the Rangers have posted a 7-3 record, and are currently riding a three game winning streak.  They scored twelve regulation time goals over that span - a marked improvement upon their season output so far.  Entering tonight's game against the Islanders however, they still remain at the bottom of the Atlantic Division in scoring.  They are currently 15th in the NHL.  Defensively, the Rangers rank 11th in goals against.

 

 

Thanks to Carl Hagelin with three goals in the team's last two games, the Rangers are showing signs of a break through.  Derek Stepan is starting to score, the Captain scored his third goal in nine games, and they received secondary scoring from Stralman, Asham, and J.T. Miller's first two NHL goals.  Unfortunately, Brad Richards, and to a lesser degree Marian Gaborik, continue to circle in holding patterns.  Yes, they both have nine points apiece in twelve games played respectively.  But those two are required to do so much more, and in a word, they are, not.  However, Rick Nash is starting to deliver on the hype, and is turning into everything Rangers fans anticipated he could be.  With each passing game, he gets more and more comfortable.  Through finding comfort, his skill is starting to prevail.  He recently scored only his third goal, but leads the Rangers in assists and points.  Marian Gaborik still leads the Rangers with six goals.

 

 

Coach Torts isn't the only one who thinks the accumilation of too-many-men on the ice penalties are egregiously ponderous.  Well, Coach said they "sucked!"  I just say ridiculous.  The Rangers are now up to six infractions.  That is more than they should have all season.  And Lord Stanley knows Tex's Rangers can't live life killing penalties.  Defensively, the Rangers rank 11th in goals against this season.  That is a considerable drop off from last year's effort.  On the penalty kill, they rank 13th at the moment, which also reflects a drop off from last season.  The Rangers 4-3 S.O. win over Boston shows how scoring can make mistakes like J.T. Miller's too-many-men infraction go away.  Later in the second period, Derek Stepan gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead, and all seemed well again.  When the Rangers aren't scoring, a mistake like that kills.

 

 

One aspect of the Rangers game that has remained consistent since last season has been the futility of their power play.  They currently own the 29th worst unit in the league.  As mentioned above, the Islanders recently scored four power play goals against Carolina.  They Rangers have four power play goals all season..!  Ryan Callahan has two of them.  The Islanders by the way, have thirteen power play goals this season.

 

 

Last Time They Met: Feb. 7, 2013 - Rangers 3; Islanders 1.

 

 

When they last met one week ago, J.T. Miller scored his first ever NHL goal just 1:29 into the game.  Twelve and one half minutes later, Marian Gaborik scored his sixth goal of the season.  Half way through the second period, John Tavares brought the Islanders to within a goal.  At the 18:11 mark, J.T. Miller answered for the Rangers with his second NHL goal of the night, and of his (then) four game career.  His power play goal made it a 3-1 game.  Just prior to the third period ending, Ryan McDonagh scored, unassisted, to close out a 4-1 victory.

 

 

Henrik Lundqvist faced twenty eight shots, and made twenty seven saves, to earn his fourth (of six) win of the season.  Evgeni Nabokov faced twenty four shots on goal, and only managed to save twenty one.

 

 

For a game, the Rangers and Islanders changed roles on the power play.  The Rangers were 1 for 2 with the man advantage.  The Islanders floundered, going scoreless in five attempts.

 

 

 

Happy Valentine's Day...Chump!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike.BTB

Hockey Round-Up: Arnott Deal Off - Devils and Islanders Both Lose In Canada

 

 

Metropolitan Area Hockey Report: Sunday Night Pucks

 

1) - DEVILS............3-0-1   7 pts.

2) - ISLANDERS.....2-2-1   5 pts.

3) - RANGERS........2-3-0   4 pts.

 

NEW YORK RANGERS - Jason Arnott Fails Physical - Deal For Free Agent Center Is Off.


Thirty-eight year old free agent centerman Jason Arnott did not pass his physical.  He will not be joining the Rangers.  Several team doctors saw him on Saturday.  But an espnNY report states the team hasn't disclosed why Arnott did not pass.  Regardless, for the Rangers it's now back to the 'ol drawing board.


As they still need to acquire reinforcements for their back forward lines, on Thursday the Rangers completed a deal with the Penguins sending Chad Kolarik to Pittsburgh in exchange for twenty-five year old winger, Benn Ferriero.  Kolarik was the Whale's leading scorer this season, while Ferriero is labeled as a strong two way player.  He immediately saw ice time as Chris Kreider spent last Thursday's game in Coach Tortorella's doghouse.  But he also did not play Saturday against the Leafs.  It turns out he is day-to-day with a bone chip in his ankle.  Kreider is also speculated to be headed back to the AHL Connecticut Whale.


The Rangers get to enjoy a rare few days off until they host the Flyers on Tuesday, and the Penguins on Thursday.



NEW JERSEY DEVILS - Lose To Habs In Overtime.  Patrick Elias Scores Point #900 Of His Devils Career.


Up in the Great White North, the New Jersey Devils overcame a 2-0 deficit, and a 3-1 deficit to tie the Montreal Canadiens, and send their game into overtime.  The Devils got a second period goal from Patrick Elias to make it a 2-1 game.  Two minutes into the third period, former Rangers, Brando Prust put Montreal 3-1 again.  David Clarkson then scored his third goal of the season on a power play.  And Dainius Zubrus tied the game 3-3 with seven minutes left in regulation time.  Four minutes into the extra session, Andy Greene got whistled for holding.  Twenty one seconds later, career long Canadien Andrei Markov scored the game winner for Montreal.  In four games played, that was the Devils first loss, overtime or otherwise.


* Patrick Elias' second period goal was the 363rd score of his Devils career.  His third period assist of Clarkson's goal was the 536th assist of his career.  He then assisted again on Dainius Zubrus' goal.    His three point evening gives him 900 points for his Devils career.  All three are Devils records.

* corrected 1am Monday morning - failed to realize Elias had second assist.



NEW YORK ISLANDERS - Brooklyn's Foster Team Starts Season With Five Points In First Five Games.


After two more seasons playing in Uniondale, Long Island, the Islanders Hockey Club will relocate to Brooklyn for the 2015-2016 regular season, and call it home for at least the following twenty-five years thereafter.  That's how long the lease to play in Barclays Center extends.  If the Islanders moving to another city represented the worst case scenario, then I guess a move to Brooklyn was a best case scenario for their fans.  After a very long and drawn out negotiation process trying to secure a deal with Nassau County on a new arena, and a No-Vote by the local residents who's taxes would have been affected by such a deal, and in addition to losing millions of his own dollars in the process, give Charles Wang all due credit for keeping the team in the area and still well within reach of its core fan base.


Sunday evening, the Islanders visited the Great White North as well.  The Isles were trailing the Jets 2-1 after two periods in Winnipeg.  It was the Islanders who jumped out to a 1-0 lead on David Ullstrom's 2nd goal of the season.  But midway through the period, Winnipeg tied it.  In the second period, the Jets went ahead.  Just 0:22 into the third period, John Tavares scored his first goal of the season, tying the game at two all.  Then at 5:09, Matt Moulson (3) deflected a John Tavares shot which fooled Winnipeg's Al Montoya to give the Isles a 3-2 lead.  At the midway point of the third, Mark Streit scored on a power play to make it 4-2 Islanders.


Three third period goals by the Islanders however, went for not.  At 12:59, Winnieg scored on a power play, after David Ullstrom got whistled for hooking.  Then just one minute and five seconds later, Winnipeg put another puck passed Isles goalie, Evgeni Nabokov, to tie the game at four goals apiece.  And so, like the Devils/Canadiens game, this contest went into overtime.


When Keith Aucoin misfired and turned the puck over in the offensive zone, Winnipeg's Olli Jokinen rushed up the left side and ripped a shot on goal at Nabokov.  At 1:59 of the extra session, the rebound went to Evander Kane who then scored the game winner.


Like the Devils, the Islanders also lose in overtime up in the Great White North.




Mike.BTB