11:05 pm: Well, 2 points and 4 - 1 win for the Islanders.
A frightening moment late in the third when it looked like Montoya would be like another Spinal Tap drummer. He was hit high with a puck and needed some attention and time to recover. He did and finished out the game.
Back in the dressing room the music was loud and the mood was light. Winning always feels good. No matter how far out of the playoffs the Islanders are, they still enjoy the win.
Jack Capuano said he changed lines early because theere was no chemisty to start. But that changed. He also said he had never seen a clipping penalty -- except at the Superbowl.
Isles don't play until Saturday against the Blues in an afternoon tilt. But tomorrow I'll have a few minutes with Justin DiBenedetto.
9:12 pm: with 8:27 left of the third the wild get on the board with an in the crease goal by John Madden. There was nothing Montoya could do about it. Now, he has to make sure they hold onto the lead.
9:10 pm: And the internet decided to freak on us up here for awhile.
Cal Clutterbuck just doesn't like DiBo. He knocked him to the ice and Zenon went after him, but Staubitz decided he wanted to dance... and they did.
b>8:05 pm: Well, we had to know it was going to happen. at 2:23 of the second, Clutterbuck boards DiBo and Gillies comes into to do the same to Cal. Well, considering Trevor's history, he gets 5 for checking from behind and a game misconduct.
Zenon Konopka must have said a few things because he ended up with a 10 minute misconduct. Clutterbuck should have gotten more for the hit. Isles and Wild skate 4 on 4 until the wild are on a 3 minute power play while DiBo serves Gillies penalty.
8:01 pm: 41 seconds into the 2nd period, Blake Comeau deposits a Matt Martin rebound behind Backstrom for the Isles third goal of the game. That was enough for the Wild to replace him and put Jose Teodore in net.
7:46 pm: Isles up by 2 on a beautiful goal by Kyle Okposo between his feet and into the net.
He'll never be able to do THAT again!
7:27 pm: Okay, who guessed Blake Comeau for the first goal? Anyone. Well, power play goal at 10:31. Followed by a penalty to Kyle Okposo for hooking at 11:32. At least there is a large disparity now in shots on goal, it's 8 - 3 now.
7:08 pm and the puck drops here at the Coliseum. Favorite sign tonight:
A relative, Sal DiBennedetto came prepared to cheer on Justin .
Trevor Gillies is excited to be back in the line-up tonight and was flying during warmups.
4:49 pm: With an injured Michael Haley out of the line-up, Trevor Gillies, finished with his 9 game suspension will more than likely be on the bench. (Don't anyone get him angry. please.)
See you at the Coli.
12:05 pm: Michael Grabner named NHL Rookie of the Month. What an honor! Also making his audio appearance on NHL Live on XM Home Ice!
11:31 am: A note from a reader that I appreciate regarding my post:
I just read your post. Butch was wrong on the call last night (shocker). In the final minute Hamonic and Andy Mac were both on the ice… fyi.
Frank
Thanks Frank, that's what I get for listening to the game while I've got my head buried in my netbook and not WATCHING the game. Thanks for the heads-up!
While last night's loss was heartbreaking for Nate Lawson and the Islanders, there is no time to sit around and sulk. They've got a desperate team heading into their house and they need points more than the Isles do. They'll probably do anything to get them too.
While the Wild have their fair share of injuries, the Islanders lead the league in man games lost. That fact has put youngsters in the line-up without much NHL experience. That lack of experience is killer when facing teams like Washington as they did last night.
While I read that the key mistakes last night that lead to the (literally) last minute breakdown belonged to Michael Grabner in the final minute and Travis Hamonic in OT, I'd like to say one thing: Butch Goring made a point of saying that in the final minute of the game, Jack was going with four forwards and found that "aggressive." So, that goal at 47 seconds left I put on Jack's head. The overtime goal by Ovechkin was just the great 8 being the super player he is. (Not your fault Travis.)
Okay, Welcome Home Eric Nystrom who comes to town with the Wild who haven't seen the Islanders since they played them twice in 2009. The last time Eric was in the building was with Calgary. Now he is wearing a different sweater, but the memories are still the same.
Look for Al Montoya to be in net tonight (I would think!), but not sure if Radek Martinek who was listed as day-to-day is well enough to be in the line-up. Michael Haley is also expected out of the line-up as he was hit with a puck last night in the knee and is being evaluated today after not being able to continue playing in Washington.
Thanks to @IslesChick Lisa for posting that great photo on Twitter.
Also, here's a new Islanders related YouTube show by two of my best blogger buddies, JohnnyZ from Islanders Top Shelf and Brad Kurtzberg from Insidehockey.com. Give it a try.
If you're heading to the Coliseum tonight, make sure you stop at the Social Media desk at Doolin's and sign in and say Hi. Later!
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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