I thought that promotion was a smart one when I saw it two weeks ago. I didn’t know it would be a premonition. Whether it was that or the luck of Jiggs MacDonald calling the game, the NY Islanders went into Vancouver looking like a depleted team with nothing but bad luck. The IR list is almost as long as the bench roster. It even got longer when it was announced that Kyle Okposo would be missing the game with an undisclosed injury.
The article written by Gordon McIntyre of the Province newspaper was riddled with errors and jabs. The boys taped it to the locker room, just as the team before them in 2008 had done. The outcome was the same -- an Islanders win. Not just a simple, hard fought, one goal win but a spectacular record setting win.
It started with the first NHL point for Dylan Reese, the young man who wore three different uniforms in five days. This was his seventh game as an Islander, pretty “lucky” considering he was supposed to be a Sound Tiger.
Matt Moulson, suprising #26, tallied his 26th from his buddy John Tavares’ pass as he stood on Bobby Lu’s doorstep. It’s where most of his goals come from, right in front of the net. He takes abuse there, but he seems to be comfortable and he’s being rewarded.
With all the talk of the great “Bobby Lu” as they like to call him now, I was so hoping that the youngsters would be able to chase him from his net. They did. But as fate would have it, Ryan Miller was ALSO chased from his net last night. Must have been something in the air.
Freddy Meyer played like a man possessed. He had one goal and was a +2 for the night. His goal wasn’t really a goal in my eyes as it trickled off his shin pad as he was sprawled in the crease of a John Tavares shot. However, it was his hitting that was amazing and made him stand out for the night.
However, no one was luckier than John Tavares who had a five point night. The spell is now broken and his slump is forgotten. He was all smiles once again. Coincidentally, I had just spoken with someone about something I wanted to write about John, but was afraid to.
I have watched him since he was brought to Long Island and he was always very professional, yet cool, about his dealings with the media. He never let his personality show through during the multitude of interviews he endured. In recent weeks, I noticed he was taking longer to leave the locker room. He would take off his equipment slowly and listen to the other players being interviewed. Sometimes it was just JT, the throng of cameras and reporters, and whomever was the focal point for the evening. I couldn’t tell if it was bothering him or if he was using it as a learning experience. But what I can tell you is the slump weighed heavily on him. No one was harder on JT than JT.
He can ease up a bit today. Congrats JT on finding your scoring touch again.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
Join the Discussion:
»