Sharks 3: Islanders 2 (OT)
If any of you follow me on Twitter, then you should already have a good idea of how I felt about the outcome of this game. Caps lock is usually my friend when I'm inclined to live-tweet games, but it was in especially generous use last night after the entire officiating staff working the game between the Isles and San Jose dropped the ball- right onto the Isles' toes.
It was an incorrect "delay of game" call that cost New York an extra point- and after watching refs and linesmen together review the play and come to a consensus, it's a wonder that they still got it wrong. The puck clearly deflected off of the glass, as an irate assistant coach Doug Weight yelled repeatedly, pointing to the Jumbotron. Then, as Brent Burns scored on the ensuing power play at 1:07 of overtime, the little wind left in the Isles' sails blew completely out.
It's a shame, too, because this really was an entertaining game. It started out rather slowly for starting goaltender Rick DiPietro (yes, him) after Steve Staios took a penalty ten seconds in, and Joe Pavelski potted a power play goal seven seconds after that. But he shook it off admirably and went on to make 27 saves, many of them during the penalty kill. On the other end of the ice, Thomas Greiss gave the Isles fits for much of the first period as well. He ended the night with 35 saves.
The Islanders were able to tie it up at 3:15 of the second, however, on their own man advantage. John Tavares picked up the rebound from a Matt Moulson shot and placed it over a sprawled-out Greiss for his sixth goal of the year, on a great net-crashing play by the top line. Then the Islanders had a brief lead halfway through, as Kyle Okposo made an excellent play to catch a streaking Michael Grabner at the front of the net. Grabner scored his third of the year on that play. But fellow Calder nominee Logan Couture tied it up two minutes later, and the Isles found themselves deadlocked.
As disappointing and frustrating as this loss was to witness, it can't be blamed on the team. As Jack Capuano said in his postgame interview, "This was probably the best game we've had all year." That remains to be seen, of course, but I was pleased to see all four lines trying hard to get to the net, as opposed to just the top line. Josh Bailey had a decent game, which was in stark contrast to the last two games he played against Pittsburgh. Blake Comeau also had a good game, and he finished with four shots on the night. The third line was the line a few people, myself included, were worrying about- the top line has definitely produced as of late, the second line is getting there, and the fourth line always provided some energy and defensive upside, but until last night the third line was in a sort of limbo. Brian Rolston often seemed to be the only one working out there, while Bailey looked lost and Blake Comeau tried, but more often than not missed the net. Last night, though, there was a bit more cohesion, which makes me optimistic. Maybe it'll take a couple more games, but I'm hoping to see them score some goals soon.
Well, not much else to do except collect the point (the Isles' second in two nights- they're still winless in five) and move on. The team doesn't play again until Thursday, when the Winnipeg Jets come into town. This should be an interesting game. The Jets played a topsy-turvy game in Philly that ended 9-8 in their favor (after holding a 5-1 lead at one point), and then their offense was stumped by Dwayne Roloson in a 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay. Don't know which team will show up, don't know who will start, but I do know I will be watching on my computer. :)
See you then.
No comments:
Post a Comment