We've Got Stats, But No Show: Isles Fall Again to Flyers

Flyers 3: Islanders 2

Too little much too late, in the case of the New York Islanders.

Though John Tavares continued his scoring streak with a goal in the final minute, the Isles ultimately ran out of time against the Philadelphia Flyers, a team that has given them fits for years. Kyle Okposo was the only other goalscorer, and Sergei Bobrovsky improved his record to 7-0-0 against New York. Both Isles goals came in the third period.

It was another one of those games in which the Isles dominated the stats, but had no finish. They led in shots 35-22, hits 28-22, and faceoff percentage 52% to 48%. But the differences were big, and they were mainly contained in net.

Evgeni Nabokov, in his quest for 300 wins, did play admirably to begin. The first goal he allowed, a deflection by Scott Hartnell on the man-advantage for Philly, wasn't something he could control- especially when the penalty was questionable. (It was a tripping call on Nabokov himself.) But in the second period, he flubbed a play behind the net and then got caught out of position at the post by Wayne Simmonds, who tucked it between Nabokov's pad and the pipe for the 2-0 lead. After that, with Okposo having scored to cut the lead to 1, it was simply over for him as Sean Couturier wristed one right over his shoulder, capping an end to a frustrating night made only mildly interesting by the Tavares goal shortly after. It's a shame, because he had some brilliant saves to keep the game tight, but Isles fans will certainly only remember the gaffe that led to the Simmonds goal- and it's one he's made in the past.

I don't know what else there is to say. Except all we have to do is move on to Saturday night against Buffalo, a game that I might not even be able to watch, because (surprise!) I live in Buffalo and have Time Warner Cable, and there's no viewing party at First Niagara because of the Bandits' home opener. Sigh. Oh, Time Warner. Why couldn't you and MSG reach a deal again? I don't understand it.

Until next time.

Tavares Named NHL All-Star!

John Tavares, the Isles' top center and leading scorer, has been named to the 2012 All-Star Game roster.

The 21-year-old has 39 points and currently stands at 22nd in the league in scoring, tied with Florida's Kris Versteeg. He has 10 multi-point games and one hat trick so far this season. This is his first All-Star mention.

More info here:

http://islanders.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=611364

Congratulations, JT!

Preview: Philadelphia Flyers @ New York Islanders, 1/12/12

If the Islanders always manage to have the Red Wings' number, be advised- the Philadelphia Flyers have the Isles on speed dial.

Since the end of the 2006-07 season, the Islanders are an abysmal 1-17-5 against their division rivals. Tomorrow night, they play host to the black and orange in hopes of making that 2-17-5.

Philadelphia has a very good club this season as it did last- currently standing fourth in the East and sixth overall. Claude Giroux is fast becoming the centerpiece of the team, leading his team and standing second in the NHL in scoring with 48 points. However, he won't be the biggest threat to the Isles, strangely enough.

No, that honor goes to noted Isle-killer Daniel Briere, who has 24 points (half of them goals) in his last 19 games against us. In fact, he scored the OT winner the night before Thanksgiving, after the Isles had had a 3-1 lead. Briere is sneaky and gifted, and I'm sure he'll be a handful tomorrow if the Isles' D doesn't keep up.

Taking Marty Biron's place in net for the Isles killers is Sergei Bobrovsky. The young netminder has good numbers as it is- 9-3-1, a .919 sv % and 2.45 GAA- but against New York, he is 6-0-0 with a 1.84 GAA. That is scary good, and it almost guarantees he'll be in net against us tomorrow, even with the Flyers' astronomy specialist, Ilya Bryzgalov, ready to go.

Granted, the Flyers have been up and down lately in terms of play. After a poor third period against Ottawa that ultimately cost them the game, the Flyers buckled down and their rookies came up big to give them the win. However, their top line (Giroux, Scott Hartnell and Jaromir Jagr) hasn't scored in three games, and some of their losses have been big this season. Still, they are not going to be easy against the Isles, and players have found ways to break slumps against this team as well.

The best thing the Islanders could do is be aggressive. Philadelphia is a strong team that has skill, but loves the rough stuff as well. The Isles need to answer that bell with a strong, energetic forecheck and plenty of support, and try their best to draw penalties without taking any themselves. The power play has had its struggles, but it's managed to break through in recent games for some pretty sweet goals. The main idea is to throw the Flyers off of their game early and go from there. If the score is 1-0 at the end of the night, in our favor, it'll be an accomplishment, what with Bobrovsky's talent. Just focus.

Until next time.

Islanders Take Care of Business Against Red Wings

Red Wings 1: Islanders 5

What was all that noise I was spewing about Evgeni Nabokov being sub-par against the Red Wings?

After the showing tonight, I can happily eat my words. The veteran netminder made 23 saves to preserve the win for the Islanders over the Wings, 5-1, in an offensive explosion that would make Mike Bossy proud. Mark Streit, Matt Moulson and John Tavares each finished the night with three points. Moulson also reached the 20-goal mark, and his line finished with a goal and an assist apiece. Michael Grabner would also break his scoring drought with his 11th of the year. Justin Abdelkader kept the game from being a shutout in the third period.

Where can I start with this game? I'm just glad to see these boys rebound after a couple of God-awful losses. The top line brought its A-game as usual, carving up the Red Wings' D for some great goals. Tavares was struck in the face with a puck, but returned not even a shift later and soon after scored two of his three points (1 G, 1A). Moulson scored two goals- one on the power play in the first period, and the other in the second period, which is where the bulk of the Isles' scoring occurred. And not to be outdone, Kyle Okposo benefited from plays by both of his linemates to score his ninth of the season.

The second line of Matt Martin, Josh Bailey and Grabner also did some wonderful work. Martin in particular made an impact on offense, tallying an assist on Grabs's goal and finishing with two recorded shots and four hits. On the fourth line, Jay Pandolfo stood out, recording five blocked shots and three takeaways (and proving that he still has the chops as a defensive forward and penalty killer). His line was on the ice for the Abdelkader goal, but other than that, they were solid as well.

Of course, none of this would have mattered if Nabokov hadn't been on his game, and that he was. Some of his saves were downright acrobatic against the team he would have gone to, had the Islanders not claimed him off of re-entry waivers. Some people, myself included, questioned the decision to stick with him as starter after the Isles had called up red-hot Sound Tiger Kevin Poulin, but I doubt there are any questions tonight, as Nabokov earned the second star of the game for his efforts.

This is a huge win for the Isles against a team that is still tops in the league. Some people regarded this game as a "joke" via social media, seeing as New York is still dwelling in the bottom of the standings, but I've got news for them: Standings don't matter if a team doesn't bring its all. On any given night, a team with a bad record can beat one of the best. Clearly, the Red Wings are a great squad, but even head coach Mike Babcock admits that recently, the team has looked past the Islanders, and the Isles have capitalized on that. And they will continue to, even if they can't quite get past teams in the same boat or worse off than they are.

Until next time, against Philly (oh, that should be fun).

Let's go Islanders!

Preview: Red Wings @ Islanders, 12/10/12

I don't have a cutesy little title for this post, because honestly, there's nothing cutesy about this matchup.

The Detroit Red Wings are second in the Western Conference and fourth overall with 53 points, and that's not by accident. They have a system that has worked for years, and they're not straying too much from the game plan anytime soon. Plus, while their offensive leader, Pavel Datsyuk, only has 13 goals and 43 points, they've proven that they don't need a lot of flashy goalscorers in order to win games.

Last night, the Red Wings came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat Chicago in overtime, 3-2. The game before that, they stormed back from a 3-0 deficit against Toronto, only to fall 4-3- but that's still impressive. This team has tenacity, so while it's key for the Islanders to get that all-important first goal, they also must mount a lead and stick to it. The Red Wings can capitalize on virtually every mistake their opponents make, so there cannot be any sloppy moments if the Isles want these two points.

Not that this team has had much difficulty against the 'Wings in recent years. Some scores that come to mind involve a pair of 2-1 wins, a 2-0 win, a 6-0 win, and a 4-3 win- and in many cases, these games were the among the best-played of the year, particularly in net. However, the Islanders can't just bank on history. They have to come out and match the Red Wings in intensity for all 60 minutes. Detroit isn't a team that takes a lot of penalties for dumb reasons, so the Isles can't exactly goad them into doing that, but being aggressive can throw them off of their game.

Also, they'd do well to take their shots against Jimmy Howard- the goalie is in the top 10 in every major category in the league, including first in wins and third in shutouts. The offense has to bring the heat, and not just the top line. Of course, if David Ullstrom is able to return tomorrow night, he could bring some stability to the Josh Bailey and Matt Martin line, where he'd been playing before suffering a concussion (might I add, by Andrew Ladd's elbow- and to think I once LIKED him). Detroit's not a team that's blown out very often, due to strong defense and good goaltending, so the Isles have to preserve whatever lead they can gather with equally strong defense and two-way play.

Meanwhile, Evgeni Nabokov will likely get the nod in net once more, as Al Montoya is working toward a return. Concussions are a heady thing to deal with in terms of recovery (forgive the pun), so if I were the Isles' coaching staff, I wouldn't put Monty in net until Saturday against the Sabres, also allowing for him to shake off some rust and get back to form in practice. I know it sounds like forever, and I want to see Montoya back by all means- I just don't want to see him get placed back on IR, either. Besides, while Ullstrom shouldn't be rushed back either, I always think it's a bit easier for skaters to come back into the lineup, and I could be wrong about that; either way, it's a different story altogether.

Well, we shall see.

Montoya, Ullstrom Making Slow Progress Toward Returns

I say "slow" because in no way do I want to jinx either of them, particularly Al Montoya. But after being out of the lineup with concussions, both Monty and forward David Ullstrom are scheduled to practice today, prior to the Isles' tilt against Detroit tomorrow.

Arthur Staple of Newsday has the full story.

Montoya and Ullstrom had both been injured in the Isles' overtime win in Winnipeg almost three weeks ago. Ullstrom could be back by tomorrow; Montoya, however, will need some more practice time to shake off the rust. Which is fine, since Evgeni Nabokov (save for Saturday's huge hiccup) has been playing solid hockey in relief. Plus, Staple whispers something about Kevin Poulin, who could be called up after posting three consecutive shutouts last week.

I don't know about any of that, but if Ullstrom's return could potentially mean sitting Michael Grabner, who has been invisible out there, then maybe it's a good thing. Grabs might need a break from the ice if it means he can get his focus back to where it should be.

Until next time.

Stats are a Girl's Best Friend

The Islanders website has the most important stats lined up for last night's game against the Ducks, and I am giddy with excitement at breaking this down. So here goes.

• John Tavares and Kyle Okposo each have four-game point streaks and Matt Moulson has a three-game streak.

This top line has been the Isles' bread-and-butter ever since Jack Capuano decided to create it. They provide much of the offense, plus a lot of the jump and creativity the Isles need to score. JT is smart, Moulson's gritty and KO is energetic, making this line pretty hard to stop cold.

• The Islanders outshot the Ducks 8-3 in the first period, but the Ducks rebounded to outshoot the Islanders 9-8 in the second and 8-5 in the third. For the game, the Isles outshot Anaheim 21-20. It’s the second time this season that each team has had 21 shots or fewer in an Islander game.

Both teams played some excellent defense early on, which is probably why the shot totals were so low. I remembered seeing quite a few shot blocks, including a couple that hurt players- indeed, Marty Reasoner ended up leaving the game with a broken hand. (That should, however, give Jay Pandolfo an opportunity to get back onto the roster.) Also, there were quite a few misses- and some posts, let's not forget.

• The Islanders are 14-18-6 overall and are 6-9-3 on the road. They are 6-4-1 in their last 11 road games, after going 0-5-2 in their first seven away from home.
• The Ducks are 11-22-6 overall and 8-12-1 at home. Anaheim is 4-9-2 under new head coach Bruce Boudreau.

Clearly, something is clicking for the Islanders that wasn't before on the road. Hard to say exactly what it is- perhaps the line changes, perhaps something else- but at a time when the Isles are on a stretch with as many road games as home games, we need all the road points we can get.

As far as the Ducks go, Boudreau has not had the success he's used to as head coach. Known as more of an offense-first coach, at least in Washington, he's probably not used to either the Western Conference or the more defensive mentality of the Anaheim Ducks, even with stars like Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and last year's MVP, Corey Perry. (Speaking of Perry, his two assists last night were the 400th and 401st of his career.)

Also of note:

Evgeni Nabokov is two wins shy of 300 for his career. According to the Isles, Roberto Luongo, Nikolai Khabibulin and Martin Brodeur are the only active NHL goalies with more wins than Nabokov. Though he lost last night, he still posts 26 career wins against Anaheim, which is more wins for him than against any other opponent.

Milan Jurcina led the Isles in hits with six; Ryan Getzlaf led the Ducks with six as well, but the Isles were outhit 30-26, which isn't a huge margin, but enough of one. My question is, where was Matt Martin in this whole hit mix? He led the league at some point (and might still do so), but I don't remember seeing him hitting a whole lot. Not dropping the gloves is one thing, and I also appreciate him working on his offensive output... but we need a good physical presence, which Martin provides with gusto.

The Isles were outscored 3-1 in the third period, proving once again that the third period is not kind to them. Indeed, last night they proved undisciplined and sloppy in their own end, particularly on the Getzlaf goal (when neither Jurcina nor Eaton did anything to stop him). Nabokov was also sloppy, letting the puck through the five-hole (which sometimes can't be helped, but... you expect a goalie with close to 300 wins under his belt to make that kind of save).

Still, in their last four games, the Isles are 3-1-0, and their top forwards are producing at a satisfactory level. It's still up to the next three lines to provide energy and support, which is falling by the wayside. Josh Bailey and Michael Grabner in particular remained silent, and both were on ice for Anaheim goals (Grabner was a -1, Bailey a -2). And it can't be that way.

Until next time.