1:29 pm: Ugh! The Isles can't catch a break as it was just now announced that Travis Hamonic required surgery to repair a broken nose from last night's incident with a puck. he is expected to miss 2 weeks.

Well, that means there is a hole at D. Does Dylan Reese get another shot or does Matt Donovan get his first crack at it?

7 am: Due to other responsibilities last night, I couldn’t watch the Isles lose a point to the Sabres. I asked a life-long fan to have a crack at covering it for me in my absence. What I got was not only a very comprehensive recap, but some point personal opinions as well. See if you agree. (My comments are in parens)

1st Period:
Both the Sabres and Islanders were off to a quick start. Grabner did a great job in behind the Buffalo net forcing a turnover leading to a goal by Nielsen. This is what the Islanders seemed to have lacked in the beginning of the season, forcing and capitalizing on the other teams mistakes.

"Bad luck" or what I call a bad line change with miscommunication lead to a turnover by Hamonic and a Buffalo goal. They were allowing Buffalo to spend too much time in their zone and creating scoring opportunities. The Islanders need more time of puck possession. (Don’t we hear that from Jack all the time?)

The Islanders power play in the 1st was ineffective because they couldn't set up in the Buffalo zone. On the penalty kill Matt Martin continued to impress me. He was hurt blocking a shot but stayed on the ice and continued with the play to clear the puck out of the zone. (Never give up on a play Scott Gordon used to scream at practice.)

Bailey scored a nice goal, once again on the rush, by sticking around in front of Miller to capitalize on his own rebound. Sometimes I wonder if playing the puck behind the net and allowing a turnover is just a trait of Islander goalies.

Nielsen scored his second of the night by staying back in the slot on a broken play. At the end of the first the Islanders were being out shot, but have luckily capitalized on their rush plays to take a 3-1 lead. Despite this, they can't always rely on the rush. They need to keep control of the puck and set up in the Buffalo zone to create more opportunities. On a side note, good to see other lines start scoring and no just the Tavares line.

2nd Period:Start of the second and a quick fight between Matt Martin and Patrick Kaleta. I love Matt Martin fights; instead of just grappling like most fights nowadays, there were good clean punches.

Midway through the second the Islanders had done a better job keeping Buffalo out of their zone. hfiudshfuoshfouhgifhsl sorry, just fell asleep on my keyboard.

Alright, so the second period wasn't THAT boring. Buffalo did score, thanks to sloppy play late in the period by the Islanders, cutting the Islander lead to 3-2. There weren't many scoring chances, but Buffalo started to control the puck in the Islanders zone again. Islanders need to come out for the third strong and STAY strong. I have witnessed too many games where the Islanders blow the lead with under two minutes left.

3rd Period:
Start of third period with back and forth action. I have also just realized that there is actually a crowd at the coliseum tonight. Hamonic took a wicked shot right to the face and is bleeding very badly. My thoughts exactly are, "Oh god no, not your precious baby face" and "Please be ok". (He was taken to the hospital for review.)

Five minutes into the period, the Islanders were once again allowing Buffalo to set up in their zone. The Islanders shouldn’t sit back and play defense with this lead, they were lacking that “attack” mentality.

Buffalo tied it up almost 12 minutes into the third, which seemed inevitable considering that Buffalo had complete control during this period. Right now I am truly frustrated with the Islanders. Countless times they show up for only half the game and I can't help but watch and think "Where is the passion?" I just don't see it, especially there in the third.

When this team isn't playing well, you don't even see the frustration. I wish there was more emotion. Hit more. Hit harder. Skate harder. Get into a fight. Even take a penalty. ANYTHING. Capuano or Streit or SOMEONE needs to get these guys going.

Overtime:
Odd man rushes in both directions and a few great saves by Montoya. A bad change by the Sabers lead to a power play for the Islanders with two and a half minutes left in OT. (Now that’s a chance!) An aggravating power play with one too many passes in the beginning then many blocked shots by the Sabers. This lead to the shoot out; for the record I hate shootouts.

The moves the players are allowed to make are almost unfair for the goalies, I mean have you seen some of Bertuzzi’s goals? Leaving a game up to the goalie and trick moves seems just stupid to me. I want 15 minutes of overtime back. You tie or you win. Simple.

Shootout:
Parenteau is denied by Miller. Boyes scored on Montoya who didn't seem ready. Nielsen is denied by Miller on his classic backhand attempt. Pominville scored on Montoya five hole to win the game.

Well, that was a complete disappointment. But, what can you expect when your team shows up for one period. Whether you don't "deserve" the win or your not in the race for the playoffs, you have to show up for 60 minutes of hockey. The Islanders just couldn't do that last night.

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