A Lead! A Tie. A Lead! A Tie... A Loss?

Isles 2: Ducks 4

PA Parenteau is going to have nightmares tonight.

The winger had two legitimate scoring chances stopped cold by goaltender Jonas Hiller, then took the penalty which led to the goal that put his team down for the count, as the Isles fell to Anaheim, 4-2.

The Islanders had everything in place to win this game. They had been outshooting, outplaying and outdefending the Ducks to a T. Evgeni Nabokov was making the necessary saves, and though the faceoffs weren't there, everything else was right. The offense took a while to come, and indeed the Ducks were the ones to score first- Bobby Ryan flipped a backhand that beat Nabokov up high 14 minutes into the second period.

But the Islanders put their heads down and fought back, and two minutes later Matt Martin struck gold, tucking a lazy puck past the goal line to even up the score. After relying on Nabokov for a couple of extra saves, and getting sloppier as time progressed, Kyle Okposo got the Isles a brief lead off a pass from John Tavares.

And then everything went to hell.

Ironically, I was catching up on my Islanders website reading material and had just finishing loading an article about how the special teams were contributing to New York's success, when Gamecenter erupted. Bobby Ryan had scored a shorthanded goal, striding down the ice and completely embarrassing Andrew MacDonald in the process. Such hands I can't remember seeing (oh wait, yes I can... a certain #91. But that's beside the point).

After that, things just got worse. After drawing a penalty and getting robbed on two bona fide chances, as mentioned before, Parenteau took a tripping penalty that killed nearly half of the Isles' power play, allowing Ryan Getzlaf to break the 2-2 tie on the 4-on-4 situation- though, let's be honest, the defensive pairing on that play did next to nothing to stop Getz from breaking through. As someone said on Twitter afterward, "Easiest goal [he] ever scored," and that is not a good thing. Add in a Nabokov blunder and a goal by Teemu Selanne, and you've got the whole game.

Thus, the winning streak has ended for the Isles, and perhaps it's a good thing. I mean, before this game the team had gone to Disneyland and we were treated to funny tweets by Matt Martin and Michael Grabner, which is all well and good, but one has to wonder if perhaps the Islanders thought that playing against Anaheim would be much easier than it is. News flash: wrong-o. This team is still very talented, and Bobby Ryan alone is proof of that, his two-goal night giving him five goals in five games. Not to mention Getzlaf, another slumping star able to get a wake-up call against the Isles, and of course the aging but still legendary Selanne, who currently leads the Ducks in scoring. As for Hiller, he did what he needed to do, and the Islanders just couldn't solve him as well as they needed to.

On to Phoenix, and for God's sake, let's hope there's no implosion like there was tonight.

Until next time.

Second Period: Isles 1, Ducks 1

Highlights/observations:

• Bobby Ryan breaks the tie at 14:18, and former Isle Jason Blake earned the second assist on that goal.
• Two minutes later, Matt Martin pokes in a slow-moving puck on the goal line for his second in two games, tying the score. Mark Eaton and Michael Grabner have the assists.
• Both goaltenders were much busier in this period; Nabokov particularly had to make some key saves.
• During his intermission interview, Martin said, "I want to produce more offensively." And tonight's goal marks 5 on the season for him, tying his NHL career-high.
• Faceoffs are still shoddy, but have improved- Tavares now at 36%, Bailey at 58%.
• Ducks lead the Isles in hits, 24-18.

Isles @ Ducks: 1st Period Summary.

We're scoreless in the first, and the second period is about to start, but I figured I'd post this just in case sleep gets the better of me. ;)

So, here goes. Some highlights and observations:

• Isles lead in shots 8-3.
• Faceoffs have been abysmal, for the most part- Brian Rolston won his only draw, but Frans Nielsen and Josh Bailey are at 40%, Marty Reasoner is at 50% and John Tavares is at 17%. Step it up, boys.
• Some quality scoring chances and three post shots- two by Rolston, one by Travis Hamonic
• Isles are doing a good job of keeping the scoring chances by Anaheim to a minimum and giving Evgeni Nabokov an easy night- so far.
• Anaheim and New York are both playing fairly good defensive hockey and staying disciplined.

Overall, pretty boring. But we'll see what changes.

Get in Touch With Me!

Just letting you guys know, or to remind you (even though I do have it in the About section underneath the title :P), I do have an email account set up for this blog, if you'd ever like to contact me to ask me questions, give me suggestions on improving this blog, throw post topics at me, or just have a one-on-one about the Isles and NHL hockey (I'd really like this).

Whatever the case, I'd love to hear from you, so be sure to contact me at:

badangles.angie@gmail.com

Thanks a ton!

Hell-O, West Coast.

The Isles hit Anaheim on Friday night to be entertained by the Ducks, and they are doing so in style.

John Tavares tallied three points and PA Parenteau and Frans Nielsen clinched the shootout to beat Carolina 4-3. The Isles are on a three-game winning streak, and though things looked dicey in the 'Canes game, they managed to show poise and tenacity and steal the extra point. Tavares has points in four of the last five games New York has played, and has earned the first star in all of the last three. Linemate Matt Moulson also has a hot hand with four points in the last two, and Kyle Okposo has gained momentum since being moved to the top line with Tavares and Moulson. The other MM, Matt Martin, has also played key roles in the Isles' wins, providing offense and drawing penalties by refusing to drop the gloves.

Meanwhile, the Ducks are struggling something awful. Mired in last place in the Pacific and 14th place in the Western Conference, they've dropped their last three, including a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks last night (Jan. 4). They've been especially dry on offense (their top goalscorer, Corey Perry, now has 15 goals- Teemu Selanne leads with 36 points) and goaltender Jonas Hiller, currently with a .898 Sv% and a 3.17 GAA, has not been the brick wall they've needed him to be. Offensive stud Bobby Ryan also had a three-game goal streak snapped last night, and captain Ryan Getzlaf has a whopping -19 and 25 points. So it's safe to say they are not getting the production that they need from an otherwise talented group of players.

Then again, the Islanders are having their own issues. Mark Streit hasn't scored since Nov. 17 and only has two goals on the season. Michael Grabner is also unusually quiet, with only 16 points and at a -12. Streit looked almost like his old self last game, even getting a quality scoring chance that no one was able to finish on, but he's been no great danger on the PP and fans have been criticizing him for his defensive plays all season. Grabner, meanwhile, has gotten the chances, including quite a few breakaways, but either his hands can't keep up or the defense has learned how to stay with him, because he's slowed down considerably since his hot finish last year.

That being said, these two players are key to the Isles' success, and must be a lot more productive in order to provide support for top scorers John Tavares, Matt Moulson and PA Parenteau. Okposo also needs to hit his stride soon, though he's gotten points in all three of the Isles' wins and looks much more comfortable alongside JT and Moulson. (And for God's sake, everyone needs to get out of the minuses.)

All things considered, the blue and orange has been successful against Western Conference teams not named the Chicago Blackhawks all season, so now is the perfect time to continue that trend. If they stick to the game plan they've adhered to the past three games, shooting early and often and keeping the offense to the perimeter, providing Evgeni Nabokov with easy saves, another win should be in order.

P.S. Rick DiPietro managed to obtain another lower-body injury while on IR. Don't ask how. Plus, there's no timetable for Al Montoya's return, meaning it'll be Nabokov and Anders Nilsson for a while. Godspeed, and defense, please take note.

Isles Weather the Hurricanes, Emerge Victorious in Shootout

Islanders 4: Hurricanes 3 (SO)

I don't even know where to begin.

First off, a rant. I dislike shootouts immensely. It's a huge gimmick, I can never sit still during one, I'm constantly with my heart in my throat, I wish I knew what was happening beforehand (kind of like flipping to the end of a story to see how things wind up) but at the same time I don't want to know, and... yeah, I also hate how the Islanders happen to not be very good at them.

Except for tonight.

PA Parenteau and Frans Nielsen both scored in the skills competition to give the Isles the extra point against the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-3, after a decidedly sloppy 65 minutes of play. John Tavares earned No.1 star-like credentials yet again, tallying three crucial assists on each of the Isles' regulation goals. Once again, as he goes, the Islanders go, and he has been going strong.

The Isles jumped out to an early lead in the first on a Matt Moulson PP goal, but coughed it up 30 seconds later to Anthony Stewart, who capitalized by redirecting a shot straight off the faceoff. Both Cam Ward and Evgeni Nabokov had to make some good saves, as first the Isles, then Carolina, gained momentum. In the second period, the 'Canes took a 2-1 lead thanks to a bad mistake by Nabokov behind the net. Brandon Sutter put the puck into the wide open net, and despite sloppy play by both teams, nothing more was scored that period.

The third period scoring opened with another goal on the man-advantage, this one by Frans Nielsen, who took advantage of a beautiful bank shot by Mark Streit and put it past an out-of-position Ward. Then a bevy of turnovers by both sides created some hairy situations, and eventually a goal by Isle-killer Chad LaRose. (Carolina has a couple of those guys- see: Eric Staal.) Things were not looking good, as turnovers and faceoff losses continued to hurt the Isles' chances of tying it up. And then, at 18:30, with Nabokov heading to the bench, Travis Hamonic made a great play at the blueline to keep the puck in, JT corraled it and shot it right through the slot, where Kyle Okposo poked it home. From there, it was on to a pretty tame OT (except for the sparkling chance by Tavares that Ward just managed to stop) and then the shootout, where the Isles' shooters did work and Nabokov was perfect enough to preserve the win his skaters put in place for him.

This was not a pretty win by any means, but it is a win that the Isles will gladly take, both on the road and as the third in four games. Give plenty of credit to Nielsen, Matt Martin (who drew the penalty which led to Moulson's goal and played with a smart, cool head) and Hamonic, who continues to thrive and was among the Isles' TOI leaders yet again with a whopping 25:08. (Only Andrew MacDonald, at 25:12, had more time on ice.) Also, captain Mark Streit was the only positive number in terms of plus-minus (+1), had an assist and was very effective offensively. Great job, cappy.

On to bigger... better?... things. Well, no, on to Anaheim and a 10:00 p.m. start, which I am grumpy about. Stupid West Coast. Oh, well. It's one game out of many the Isles have left to play, and we cannot be satisfied yet. These boys have to play smarter, neater and they have to keep the ante raised. Tavares's confident play helps us loads, but we need to wake up other guys on the team, most notably one Michael Grabner. But that's a topic for another post.

Until next time.

Haley Sent Back to Bridgeport, Isles Start Series Against 'Canes

Looking at the depth chart for the New York Islanders' lineup tonight, it looks as though Micheal Haley has been sent back to Bridgeport, apparently in order to make room for Jay Pandolfo who has been scratched the last few games. Pandolfo will be traveling as an extra forward, something I'm not exactly following all the way through.

In nearly every game Haley has played for the Islanders, he has left everything on the ice and then some. He has no points in his 7 GP, but 29 penalty minutes, most of them earned from his on-ice bouts fought either to defend teammates or wake them up. He's been the energizer for the fourth line and for the entire Isles on-ice roster, and yet there seems to be very little appreciation for that. I, for one, will be disappointed not to see him on the ice to start tonight.

Whatever the reasoning may be for sending him back, the Isles still face off tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes, playing the first of four between these two teams. The Isles are coming off of a two-game winning streak, their latest a rousing 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers. John Tavares is the hot hand on this team, scoring two points and earning the No. 1 star in each win and proving that when he is on, the team is on as well. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes are faltering a bit, coming off of a 5-2 loss to Tampa Bay; they're also missing top scorer Jeff Skinner (out since Dec. 8 with a concussion). However, with captain Eric Staal rallying back from a disappointing start to the season, look for this team to follow his lead and be hungry for two points. It's another one of those games that can go very well or horribly wrong, depending on which team comes out stronger (and in that same vein, which Isles squad shows up to play tonight- good or not-so-good?).

You can view the Isles' preview here.

Let's go, boys!