9:36 pm: I can't take this any more.
Breakdown by Streit and Tavares causes the go ahead goal for the Pens and no one could do anything after that.
There are no answers to this one.
8:38 pm: The score is even at 2 as Mark Streit and Josh Bailey have both scored for the Isles. But Nabby let in a goal right before the buzzer which will pretty certainly deflate the Isles as they headed to the room.
Only 20 more minutes to play and while the Isles played the first period with a better sense of "urgency," in my humble opinion the only ones who really can live up to Jack Capuano's 'Battle level' rhetoric are Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin.
Marty Reason came close to scoring, but we all know about 'close.' No, there was no cigar -- or goal for that matter.
Also, I don't know if I'm just that angry or if I really watched both Frans Nielsen and Michael Grabner fail to go after a puck they were only feet away while they watched a Penguin take the puck and skate up ice.
"Good things happy when you get to the net." Yes, Josh. Trouble is you guys spend so much time in your own zone.
2 pm: I'm still reeling from last night.
Not so much that the Islanders lost once again by falling apart in the third period. But more because I still cannot get over the embellishment call on Keith Aucoin. I used to love this game. LOVE it. This season the officiating has made it bearly tolerable.
This morning I heard there was talk of creating a "divers list" of repeat offenders for the refs. I can't even imagine that someone would put Aucoin's name of that list for trying to stay upright and not fall and crack his head on the ice after being pushed.
I am lucky I was not there last night as I probably would not be writing this right now. I would probably be still trying to make bail.
Okay, so Penguins come to town without Malkin tonight. But Cooke will be in the line up. Nabokov will be in net tonight and Finely replaces Hickey and the forwards will remain the same.
How many times have we heard Jack Capuano discuss "battle level"? How many? He must have said it at least five times last night alone. So I am guessing that he's trying to say some of his bench are a little lazy? A lack of urgency? A wrinkle in the work ethic?
Then how about you bench someone Jack? How about it?
He was asked if he was being hard enough on the players. He mentioned he was being hard enough -- with the video reviews. Somehow, I don't think that's all winning coaches use to motivate their players.
There are so few games left in this short season. The Islanders are wasting their chances at any playing time in the post season. But maybe some of them just don't care.
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