N.Y. Islanders: Long Island Big Shots Fall One Punch Short

From the desk of:   BROOKLYN'S FOSTER HOCKEY CLUB

2012 - 2013

STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS

ROUND ONE

 

Game Three Final

Penguins  5

Islanders  4

overtime

 

 

Pittsburgh Leads Series 2-1

 

NEW YORK ISLANDERS - Three Penguins Power Play Goals Obliterate Long Island From Game Three.

WANTED: More Cartwheels and Handstands from Evgeni Nabokov

With the series tied, and in between a bevy of tripping, hooking, roughing and slashing infractions throughout Game Three, the Islanders and Penguins seemed content on trading hay-makers.  The lone question who was going to land the biggest shot of the game, and when.


The Isles opened the scoring with an early goal by Matt Moulson just 1:43 into the game.  Four minutes later, the ol' Barn shook when Casey Cizikas netted Long Island's second goal, off a feed from Grabner.  Uniondale was rocking loudly, but not for long.  Pittsburgh scored three unanswered goals against Evgeni Nabokov before the period expired.  Two costly Islanders penalties thirty seconds apart, inevitably resulted in two Penguins power play goals by Jarome Iginla and Chris Kunitz, just twenty seconds apart.  By 13:38, the game was tied at two.  Then with exactly one minute left in the first period, Pascal Dupuis put the Pens ahead with his third goal of the playoffs.  The Long Island crowd spent the first intermission silently.


Douglas Murray scored in the second period to extend Pittsburgh's lead.  The Long Island crowd again spent the second intermission silently.  However, the Isles have shown a lot of fortitude in this series, and continued their efforts in the third.  Kyle Okposo scored at 5:31, followed by John Tavares' first goal of the playoffs at 10:48 to tie the game at four.  With the ol' Barn rocking again, into overtime they went.


In the extra session, yet another penalty doomed the Islanders.  At 8:11, you guessed it, Brian Strait got whistled for holding Sidney Crosby of all people.  Then a 8:44, Chris Kunitz sized up a Crosby feed, and scored his second goal, and the game winner.


Although the first playoff game after a considerable time on Long Island was a loss, the game was not a lost affair.  The Islanders have proven they want to play with the #1 seeded Penguins.  The offense has been there for Long Island.  It's discipline that is currently lacking.  They just need to stay out of the penalty box.  Surrendering three power play goals was their downfall.  If Long Island keeps things at even strength, and they themselves score like the NHL's 11th ranked PP can, the series will go deep. Plus, John Tavares may have finally popped his cherry.  Perhaps better games loom ahead for him now that his first goal is out of the way.  Matt Moulson and Kyle Okposo now have multiple goals as well.  The Islanders out-shot the Pens 36-25 over the course of the game.  They especially outperformed Pittsburgh 13-3 in the third period.  In overtime however, the Isles only got off two shots versus six for the Pens.  Other than that minor detail, there are reasons for optimism.  The Islanders are now pressed however, to recover and win Game Four before heading back to Pittsburgh for Game Five.


With seemingly enough scoring in place, Evgeni Nabokov holds the keys to the Islanders near future against Pittsburgh.  He stopped twenty of twenty-five shots Sunday, thirty of thirty-three in Game Two, and got blown out in the series opener.  Nabokov can be better, and has been batter this season.  The Islanders can greatly benefit if he can provide a few more hand-stands and cartwheels than he has so far.




Mike.BTB

New York Islanders Gain A Split In Pittsburgh With Huge 4-3 Win

From the desk of:  BROOKLYN'S FOSTER HOCKEY CLLUB

GAME TWO FINAL

ISANDERS    4

Penguins        3

 

Series Tied 1-1

NEW YORK ISLANDERS - We Have A Series!  Isles Take Game Two In Pittsburgh, Gain Road Split.  Next Stop - Long Island.


After going down 2-0 to the Penguins in Pittsburgh just over three minutes into the game, it seemed a perfect time for Long Island to lie down.  Then after falling behind 3-1 after twenty-minutes, with two goals already coming from Sidney Crosby in his first game back from a broken face, it seemed like a perfect time to just punch out, or punch him.  But twenty shots on goal by the Isles were telling a different story.  The Penguins took twelve shots by comparison.  Matt Moulson scored on what is a good Islander PP unit to keep the period respectable.


Then at just 5:12 of the second period, Colin McDonald gained the crowd's attention when he stuffed a puck past Marc Andre Fleury to make it a 3-2 game.  That came on the heels of Kyle Okposo's first ever fight, as he got in some knuckles in against Matt Niskanen.  In fact, the Islanders spent a lot of time in the Pens zone after the fight.  A little later on, when Sindy Crosby got rolled by Brian Strait, Ivgeni Malken got whistled after sticking up for his girlfriend, and the Igloo fans started littering the ice with stuff.  Sensing the home town situation was rattled, Matt Martin tied the game at three goals each at the 10:37 mark of the period.  Shots on goal were a lot more even during the second twenty minutes of play.  But the Islanders were alive and well, and had the Pittsburgh crowd in a really foul mood.  Ivgeni Nabokov made thirteen saves in the second session.  Long Island took fourteen shots against Fleury.


Playing in only his sixth period of playoff hockey, Kyle Okposo translated all his game energy into an ugly, Fleury gaffe, go-ahead goal at the 12:23 mark.  And that's the way this game finished - effectively wiping out a drubbing the Isles suffered in Game One.


Ivgeni Nabokov rebounded from a sub-par Game One, in which he may also have had his bell rung via a puck to the head.  Friday, he made thirty stops in thirty-three chances.  He remained perfect after the Pen's three early first period goals.  The Islanders took forty-two shots on goal.  Fleury made thirty-eight saves.  The Islanders can stand to win some more face-offs though.

It's never a series until the home team loses a game.  Both teams travel back to Long Island now for Games Three and Four.



Mike.BTB

N.Y. Islanders ~ Long Island Clubs the Penguins..., TWICE!

From the desk of:   NYR  ~  A "RAISE GRESCH WITH THE GREATS" - Special Report!

THURSDAY NIGHT FINAL

New York Islanders   5

Pittsburgh Penguins   3

NEW YORK ISLANDERS:  Hey Rangers!  Look What Long Island Did to Pittsburgh..., Again!


Tonight, the New York Islanders completed a two game drubbing of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  And no one is more happier than Blueshirt Nation.


In the series' first game played Tuesday evening in Pittsburgh, the Islanders repeatedly beat Marc Andre Fleury high on his glove side, on their way to a 5-3 victory.  Frans Nielsen netted two goals for the Islanders.  Kyle Okposo, Michael Grabner, and David Ullstrom, also scored for Long Island.


The Isles jumped out to an early 2-0 first period lead.  But Pittsburgh answered back within the first five minutes of the second period to tie the game at two.  Long Island then reeled off three goals to close the period.  The Penguins picked up one more goal in the third.


Early in the third period, Ivgeni Nabokov left the game with an injury.  Al Montoya filled in.  He and the Isles held on for a 5-3 win.


The series shifted to Long Island Thursday night, where the Isles picked up where they left off.  Only this time, the Islanders found success against Pittsburgh's goalie by simply keeping the puck on the ice and sliding it passed him.  In the two games, the Isles wound up giving Marc Andre Fleury the 'ol High-Low treatment.  In outplaying Pittsburgh over the course of six periods, the worst scoring team in the Eastern Conference clubbed the Penguins with ten goals.  The NHL's top scoring team responded with six against two different Islander goalies.


Former Rangers' farm hand, Al Montoya made Thursday's start for the Isles in place of injured Ivgeni Nabokov.  He faced twenty-nine shots.  And over the first eighteen and a half minutes of the game, he limited the Penguins to just two goals.  In all, he stopped twenty-six shots for his seventh win of the season.


In the first period, Marty Reasoner scored his first goal of the season to stake the Isles to an initial lead.  After Pittsburgh tied the game 1-1 midway through the second period, Kyle Okposo scored on a power play, and Josh Bailey scored a shorthanded goal to close the period.


Kyle Okposo's third period goal was his third in two games against Pittsburgh, and his second of the night.  Then Pittsburgh struck back.  After Jordan Staal scored to make it a 4-2 game, Al Montoya gave up a late goal to Ivgeni Malkin with a minute and a half left in regulation to bring the Penguins to within 4-3 of the Isles.  But with ten seconds left, Josh Bailey out hustled Pittsburgh who had six skaters on the ice, and scored his second goal of the game into an empty net.


The Islanders skated away with their second straight 5-3 victory over the Penguins.


Brilliant!  Great freakin' job!





Mike.BTB