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Al Vs. The BlackHawks Part 2 3 - 2 Loss update 10:32 pm |
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10:32 pm:
After listening to Phil Esposito tonight on XM radio talk about keeping a score sheet on the refs this year, I’m thinking he better get more paper. Tonight the Isles were victim to a very soft call on Josh Bailey that resulted in a Blackhawk’s goal by Hossa. His 400th with 8:18 left of the first period.
So once again the Isles gave up the first goal of the game. They had their own power play only about a minute prior, but couldn’t convert on it.
Michael Grabner is not 100% and it was obvious. He seemed just a little slower than his normal rocket pack skates. Milan Jurcina took a shot off his hand was shaken up a bit. I worried that they were down another body, but he came back out to play on a 4 on 4 taking hard shots from the blue line.
JT slid into Emery’s net with a little help from Hjalmarrson, but there was no penalty call on #4 BL on what could have been a hooking call.
Leave it to Travis Hamonic to finally get the Isles on the board with 1:38 remaining in the 2nd with a slap shot skating in over the blue line from a pass by PA Parenteau . It is his first goal of the season. Moulson gets an assist point on that one goal continuing his point streak.
The Isles were back to the power play as Patrick Kane threw an elbow because he was angry with Matt Martin’s check. With Kane in the box, Boland put the butt end of his stick up into JT’s head on the face-off and the Isles were up 5 on 3 with less than a minute left in the 2nd.
Tim Wallace continues to make a case for his call up. He’s drawn 3 penalties from the Blackhawks, but the Blackhawks did a good job clearing the puck from their zone. Montoya wanted to help the team and play the puck in the corner but he ended up rolling like a box turtle against the boards.
The Isles had a two man advantage for the first 50 seconds of the third period on a fresh sheet of ice to try to tie this game up.
The Isles had 15 shots on net during the second period, but at 0 for 5 on the power play, they’ll have to do better. As Travis Hamonic said, the balance of that 5 on 3 to begin the third period had to be huge for the Isles to even the score up early in the final period.
They come up short having to chase the puck back from their own zone repeatedly. That was a waste of fresh ice.
Also a waste is having to count the mistakes that MSG announcer Peter Ruttgaizer makes every game. If it was a drinking game, you wouldn’t get past the second intermission.
Ray Emery decided to play one of his best games tonight against the Islanders. His positioning was excellent. While the Islanders hadn’t really tested him, when he had to make the perfect save, he did. Damn you Emery.
Josh Bailey may still be getting stripped of the puck, but now he is not giving up and the second and third efforts are retrieving it. That is not part of confidence. That is part of maturity.
Isles tied it 2 - 2 as Staois surprised Emery using Grabner and Okposo as a screen with 9:05 left of the 3rd. Frans Nielsen gets the assist for the pass and Michael Grabner gets one as well. It’s Staois’ first goal since March 26th.
Holy Moulson! A scuffle broke out by the side of Montoya’s net and Matt got in the face of Frolik while holding onto his jersey. How very unlike him. I wonder what he said.
With 6:48 left of the third, Steve Staois fliped the puck over the glass and was boarded by Frolik. No call on Frolik but Staois sat in the box for delay of game. The Isles PK had to keep the score even with only a few minutes left of the third.
The Isles very effective PK killed off another Blackhawks chance. The game was very chippy on both ends and every time there was a stoppage, punches were thrown. But no one went to the box for fighting.
Instead when Carcillo took a few cheap shot punches at Kyle Okposo he was off to the box with less than 4 minutes left of the third.
The Isles were 0 for six with three shots on their final power play. The game went into overtime with both teams earning a point in regulation.
A two on one opportunity gave Patrick Sharp the game winner in overtime for the extra point. Staois lost the puck to Hossa and left Jurcina to defend alone with Sharp skating up on his left. Hossa ended as the third star of the game with Travis the second and the game winner, Sharp as the first.
The Isles threw 27 hits on the Black Hawks, four of them were from Matt Martin, the NHL’s leading “hit man.” You just gotta love him.
Brian Rolston was very active tonight, as Howie and Butch pointed out. He had seven shots on net. If not for Emery having a great game, there’s be a point in the goal column for him.
John Tavares has become much stronger as indicated by his 24:11 of total ice time. Very impressive, but not as impressive as Mark Streit’s 27: 08. How do they do that? Even 21 year-old Travis Hamonic ended with 22:24 TOI. even beat out Mark Streit in ice time at 19:51 to Streit’s 19:32.
“It was a great effort.” Jack gave credit to his team playing against “…one of the better teams in the league.” He wants to make sure that no team takes the Islanders for granted. They‘ll make you work for a win. They will have to do better on special teams because the goal tending Jack is getting out of Al Montoya is not a problem.
Chicago could have been a little fresher as they hadn’t played for four days while the Islanders have played a lot in the last few days as. Jack said that could be the reason they looked like they were chasing the puck in the first period. “We came back. We played a solid game. I’m not disappointed tonight.”
With the Isles down 2 - 0, he admitted that had it been last month, they may have packed it in. “Mentally and emotionally, the start of the year, we may have lost. The guys showed a lot of character and are playing with an attitude and a swagger.”
And Capuano loves that swagger. Maybe that’s the difference causing the defense to finally contribute in the goal totals. Two goals from the defense instead of the top goal scorers. “You get pucks and bodies to the net and good things happen.”
Travis Hamonic in the dressing room with Stan Fischler, “Steve and I were talking the other day that we wanted a little more attention to the D.” and he smiled a little from beneath the brim of his blue cap. “The forwards are going in to the front of the net and creating traffic.” And screens when all else fails.
While Jack was happy with the game, Hamonic is wrestling with the loss. “It was kind of a strange game. In a way we had a lot of momentum shifts in that game. At points in time we played really well and points we didn’t play as well as we have in the past few weeks. By no means was it acceptable not to win this game, but they’re a good team there and we’re looking forward to Saturday night.” Travis, like all the others in that room knows they can’t dwell on the loss. They have to look forward to the wins.
When The Maven asked him about the fans, there was no question for Hamonic who sees so many signs with his name on them in the stands. “We have some of the most faithful and best fans here on Long Island. We want to give them a reason to come to the rink.”
You keep playing like that Travis and they will.
1 pm: The Big Cubano has been given the nod to once again face his hometown team while Kevin Poulin waits for his chance to play in an Isles Jersey this season.
In the good news department, Michael Grabner will be in the line-up tonight. Bad news department; Michael Haley is the healthy scratch.
Tim Wallace has made such an impression that he has been changed from emergency recall to regular recall. Um. Did that really matter? Is that a CBA thing or something?
There is no word on Nino Niederreiter's return, but Evgeni Nabokov was skating today. With Rick DiPietro's status unclear, will Nabokov return to be Al Montoya's back up? Count on it as we are getting closer to the roster freeze of December 19th, Evgeni won't be going anywhere and Kevin Poulin is needed in Bridgeport.
If you are going to the game tonight, please do not forget about the "Toys for Tots" toy drive. Every child deserves a toy for Christmas. Help make that happen.
Ray Emery is expected to play tonight for the BlackHawks who'll try to win in regulation this time. Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp are the ones to look out for as they've been game changers for the Hawks. Matt Moulson will be looking to continue his goal streak along with John Tavares who finally got a "G" instead of an "A" on Tuesday.
Like every other game, it will all come down to special teams and who will allow that surprise break-away goal. Hopefully, it'll be Emery.
With so much to do I'll be on the couch and not in the press box. I'm almost as crowded there with the three huskys as I am in the press box with six bloggers, but at least the internet connection is better. And there's TEA!
Later.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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