11:07: Frans Nielsen goes first. How about that patented move Frans?
Denied.
Towes scores immediately. Yikes.
Wow!! Nino! heads up ice. Too many moves and is easily stopped by Crawford
Hossa for Chicago misses so the Isles stay alive.
Matt Moulson next up but he hits the post and the Blackhawks win by default.
Good game though. Nothing to be upset with. They managed a point and came back from a miserable second period to redeem themselves.
10:59: No pulling goalies here tonight so each team gets a point and heads to overtime. Four on four hockey for five minutes as someone tries to get that second point. Nielsen & Grabner rush up ice, but Nielsen can't be the hero.
Mike Mottau is having one hell of a game. It's almost as if he's a different player.
Shoot out time.
10:49: JT "missed it by THAT much." If you remember Maxwell Smart, that should ring a bell. I could not believe that puck could squeeze through Crawford's pads that slowly to just dance in the paint behind him until someone batted it out instead of in.
10:32: Isles back onthe power play with a chance to even it up - again. Crawford made at least three saves on Matt Moulson who doesn't give up easily. And while the Isles had a few shots on goal, they couldn't score .
Once at full strength it looked as if the Blackhawks would score again. Until Matt Martin strips the puck from someone on a bad change and passes it to Nino who scored easily all alone. He is then mobbed at the glass. Okay, maybe that made up for a few defensive lapses Nino.
10:30: Oh, come on. With Jurcina in the box, Patrick Sharp gets a power play goal due to a screen on Montoya. Now, had Josh Bailey been able to score on his short handed breakaway not moments before, this would not be a problem.
10:26: Completely lacking in the second, the Isles got a lucky break at the beginning of the third with a power play goal by PA Parenteau. it wasn't pretty, but it was needed. The puck bounced around between Moulson and PA and Matty didn't even know where it was. PA just batted at it and it went over Crawford. Yep. sometimes it's better to be lucky.
10:04: The Isles that played the first period somehow got left in the dressing room. The second period, they didn't seem as if they were the same team.
Toews scores a shortanted goal on Montoya for his 14th goal of the season. Pretty sure they're not going to be happy when the return after the second intermission.
9:40: Ben Smith ties the game at two on a second attempt with Al sitting on the ice in his crease. That was a no-no. Whose fault was that?
9:33: So Al Montoya spent $3800 on tickets for friends and family tonight and his Mom is in the stands struggling to take a picture of him with his little camera. The guy is in the NHL. She can get a great photo of him from Getty Images. But a Mom is a Mom and she wants it with her own hands. Love it.
9:06: Matt Moulson didn't expect to score that goal. he wasn't planted on the doorstep for that one, but it went right over the shoulder of the Blackhawks goalie for Matty's team leading 9th goal. Nice!!!
9:03: Crap. I go to let the dogs out and the Blackhawks score. okay, all tied up. Let's see what the Isles can do.
8:45 pm: Hello Kyle Okposo! Power play goal gives the Isles a 1 - 0 lead early in the first.
How many of you actually read the post and saw that I was a half hour off on the start time here. Even with the extra half hour, I'm sort of late.
Just as fast as the Isles went on the Power Play, Steve Staois puts the Isles on the PK for slashing. `14:37 1st. But we know the Isles PK is very good, with Al in net.
1:00 pm: Yep, Al in Net for tonight in his home town. Read the Isles game day report on how excited he is about this. AMac is a game time decision. Lines the same as Tuesday.
It’s Game Day! Finally. I’m not used to games being on Friday nights, but here we are. I took the time between games to hit to stores and chip away at the Christmas shopping. Hope you all did the same.
So while I was otherwise preoccupied, the Islanders called up Dylan Reese to take the place of a bruised Andy MacDonald. Why Reese? You ask. I don’t know. But it seems that with his record from last season’s call-up schedule and the work he has done in Bridgeport this season under his new head coach, they felt Dylan was the more likely call up.
I can hear it now… Will DeHaan ever have a chance? Where’s Wishart? What about Donovan? They’ll all get their chance at one point this season. Tonight is Dylan’s.
What a great (long) article on the Isles main site about Al Montoya. As I Tweeted yesterday after reading it, “How can you not love this guy?” You can’t. Well, unless maybe you’re Rick DiPietro who perhaps is struggling with the thought of being the #2 in the rotation now that Al is establishing himself as the clear cut Islanders starter.
He’ll have a tough time tonight in his old home town if he is between the pipes. The Blackhawks are 14-8-3 with 31 points. On Tuesday they lost to Phoenix after returning from an extended road trip. Maybe they’ll still have jet lag tonight. Can we hope?
Like the Islanders, the Blackhawks have had a problem scoring goals in their last few games. Perhaps this will be a low scoring and hard fought game and maybe the Islanders can pull the two points out of Chicago as a thank you to the Big Cubano.
The Islanders PK success is 81%, but that should not mean they can find it comfortable in the penalty box. No. That would be bad.
This will be a later puck drop, 8 pm, so that means I won’t have to rush around to be in front of the TV when it starts and yet not so late that I’ll pass out before it’s over.
More information as it is reported from Art Staple who arrived in Chicago last night and took advantage of the evening.
Oh, and if you missed it, which you probably did, there was a brief blog entry on the Isles ex-Arena Hostess Jill Nicolini on my 7thwoman blogspot.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»