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Live Blog: Flyers 4, Islanders 3, SO |
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Streit: Save
Richards: Goal
Nieslen: Goal
Briere: Goal
Brendan Witt? Save.
Here come the shots...
The answer is...no one. Yet. We're going to the short program. The Flyers outshot the Isles 4-2 in the overtime session.
4:20 Since there's no intermission before overtime in the regular season, the cries of "Who's gonna get it, boys?" will have to come on the bench.
OVERTIME
0.0 Blake Comeau punctuates the final 15 seconds with a big hit in the corner. We're going to OT and the Islanders inch a point closer to 29th place.
25.5 Scramble in front of Danis as time dwindles. Witt gets into a wrestling match but it won't go further than that.
3:43 Jackman appeared to get a stick to the face but it went undetected by the officials.
5:50 Carter snuck in from the blue line and squeezed between two defenders to get a good scoring chance on Danis, but the Isles' goalie was up to the task.
6:56 Danis squared up nicely on that one.
11:07 In the second it was fights. In the third it's goals. The never-say-Dielanders return! The rebound of an Okposo point shot is put home by Mark Streit. Second assist to Gervais. Tied 3-3.
11:41 And there you have it. Lupul swoops in alone on Danis and beats him with a high backhander. Flyers lead 3-2.
13:22 Danis left a big rebound off that Carter shot and Hartnell found a way to scoop it by the Isles' goalie. If the Flyers go on to win this game and the Isles finish 30th by one point, you can thank me. Tied 2-2.
15:36 I swear I won't jinx an Islanders goalie like that when it matters if they win. Lupul beats Danis. Isles lead 2-1.
16:16 Some stats through two periods: Isles led in shots 23-19. Faceoffs were dead even. Flyers 0-2 on the power play, Isles 0-4.
18:00 Danis is more than 2/3 of the way to meeting the Joey MacDonald challenge. And the Isles as a whole are that far away from being a mere 4 points behind the Colorado Avalanche.
THIRD PERIOD
20.0 Isles survive a 3-on-2 break with some help from a post.
1:29 Security has just escorted two Flyers fans from section 336. My guess is they won't be the last to go.
3:32 Despite all the stoppages, the Islanders continue to control this game and look hungry to add to their lead.
7:30 Gagne gets an extra 2:00 for holding, which was started the extracurriculars in the first place.
7:43 Now Weight is scrapping again, this time with Simon Gagne? Doesn't develop into full-blown fisticuffs, but both will go to the box.
8:15 Some good work by that unit, which included Weight, but they were unable to convert a couple of good chances down low.
10:24 Coburn trips Weight to break up a 2-on-1. Isles to the power play.
10:42 Now it's Asham and Jackman engaging. Asham tagged him good. No damage to Jackman it appears, but once he went down the linesmen weren't going to let him get back in it. I think all the fighters have fought now. Once, anyway.
12:00 We have some enthusiastic call and response cheers going back and forth between the two rooting factions now. Meanwhile, things are bouncing all over the ice: sticks, pucks, players. The puck just pinballed between Carle and Biron's bodies about four times before finally dropping.
13:57 Apparently that was the undercard. Rechlicz and Cote just duked it out in a long one. Give that one to Wrecker even though he appeared to tire first. The youngster did a good job of staying with it until the end.
13:58 Thompson and Carcillo square off for a good scrap. Thompson got in the first good shot. It looked like Carcillo probably got the better of it overall, but they disappeared into the corner and behind some standing fans at the end.
16:40 Jackman and Cote take coincidental unsportsmanlike minors. Give the assists on Tambellini's goal to Okposo and Nielsen. You've gotta like the sound of that.
16:57 Tambellini with a swinging volley from near the top of the right circle slaps it by Biron. Think that guy has some hand-eye? Isles lead 2-0.
17:36 Streit's high laser from the point also finds Biron's glove. Isles lead in shots 16-9.
18:28 Biron's glove is quick enough to snare a McAmmond shot. Dean was in the clear.
19:20 Nielsen with a neat little pass from the wall to Bailey at the doorstep, but his redirection is turned aside by Biron.
20:00 Isles will begin with 45 seconds remaining on the power play.
SECOND PERIOD
1st Intermission: Indeed, the puck did not cross the line before the clock ran out and the score remains 1-0 Isles. The first three minutes of that power play lacked organization and the breakout was rough, but it was nice to see them put together some good spacing, cutting and passing at the end there.
Before I forget, congratulations to the Cornell Big Red for defeating Greg Cronin's Northeastern Huskies today in Michigan. Cornell trailed 2-0 in the game but came back and eventually scored the game-winner with 17 seconds left in the 3rd. It's been a wild NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament so far.
00.0 Isles scramble to finally get a good setup on the power play, which concludes with a currently unidentified Islander diving to poke the puck across the goal line. Early replays indicate that time had expired and it will be no goal.
3:15 Isles get their first power play, two in fact, as Braydon Coburn is assessed a double minor for high sticking Jackman.
5:48 Radek Martinek threads one past Biron with Andy Hilbert providing distraction in front. Assists to Jackman and Thompson. Isles lead 1-0.
8:25 Streit and Gervais do a nice dance at the offensive blue line while the puck was in the zone so Gervais could get over to the bench to grab a new stick.
9:36 Danis takes one high, sounded like it got mask. He appears to be fine.
11:28 The Islanders have answered the bell for this one--no question they came out energized despite a hard-fought victory against the toughest of teams on the road last night.
13:55 Okposo uses strength and speed to create a shorthanded break, drops the puck to Nielsen, whose shot bounces off Biron's shoulder and nearly trickles in. Second successful kill.
15:52 Doug Weight drops the gloves to take on Darroll Powe in response to a hit. Weight leaves to thunderous applause after taking Powe down. Weight gets the extra two for instigating. Bailey serves. Weight also gets a ten.
16:54 It's saying something when Okposo and Nielsen, two youngsters who make up part of the Islanders current go-to line, also take a regular shift on the penalty kill.
18:35 Danis got drawn out to the side of the net, but a pass through to the crease in front of an empty net found only Islanders.
18:52 Tambellini will serve a too-may-men bench minor.
19:05 It's all "Let's Go Flyers!" here right now.
20:00 Scott Gordon is starting with his momentum line of Dean McAmmond, Nate Thompson, and Tim Jackman. The Isles will need some momentum to quiet a large contingent of loud, visiting Flyers fans.
FIRST PERIOD
****
Following their most impressive win of the season, a 2-0 blanking of the Red Wings in Detroit, the Islanders return home tonight to face a Philadelphia Flyers team in the thick of the playoff race. The Flyers enter the game with a record of 40-23-10 record, good for a 4th-place tie in the conference with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who defeated the Rangers earlier today.
The Islander are winless in four meetings with the Flyers this season, gaining only a single point with an overtime loss on October 30th. The teams will meet one more time after tonight.
It will be interesting to see how the Islanders come out tonight after putting forth a supreme effort last night on the road. Joey MacDonald was sensational in making 42 saves for his first career shutout.
Despite MacDonald's heroics, Yann Danis will return to the crease tonight. After two softer outings, Danis should be motivated to turn in his best performance as he and MacDonald compete for 2009-10.
We're almost ready for the opening faceoff. As always, new entries appear at the top of the blog and timestamps refer to the time remaining in the period.
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