Soulless

The Islanders travel to Pittsburgh to face Sidney Crosby and the Penguins.  The Penguins are 0-2 at home vs your New York Islanders since erecting that tasteful statue of Pilon and Norton outside the Consol Energy Center.  An Isles victory tonight will bring them closer to a playoff spot (tied, but behind NJ) if they can continue playing well enough to beat the second place team in the east who will take the ice without Evgeni Malkin in their line up.  A win would also lift the Islanders above the .500 mark and make a statement for the second half surge.

 

Forwards:  Moulson-Tavares-Boyes, Bailey-Nielsen-Okposo, Grabner-Reasoner-Ullstrom, Martin-Cizikas-McDonald

Defensive pairings:  MacDonald-Hamonic, Hickey-Visnovsky, Streit-Martinek. Finley is out.

Evgeni Nabokov is in net with Kevin Poulin backing up.

 

In the first period, Isles come out with some bounce.  Penguins getting more pressure in offensive zone of Isles.  Penguins Dupuis sets up in Isles crease, scrum ensues with Crosby punching a downed Nabokov, Officials award matching 2 minutes penalties.  NHL is all Crosby, all the time.  Pens score to take a 1-0 lead at around the 13:00 minute mark.  Nabokov wants that one back, wasn't set.  Isles need to get their game back on track.  Time to bring back some toughness and grit.  Isles take consecutive minors and give Pittsburgh a 5-3 PP opportunity.  2-0 Pittsburgh.  The Isles making mistakes and not be aided by laziness or officiating.  3-0 Pittsburgh.  Isles out shot 12-4 in the period.

 

The team is out of sync and unorganized.  They are being victimized by terrible officiating and the sloppy play the coaches spoke about at the start of yesterdays game.  It needs to be addressed again tonight.  Here is where your head coach takes control of his teams situation and refocuses them.  We shall see.  We should see Poulin to start the second.

 

Evgeni Nabokov is back in the Islanders net to start the second.  Truly amazing.  Capuano should write a book on optional coaching.  The Islanders seem to have forgotten how they played the last few games and have settled into a wait and see style of game play.  Moulson makes a nice play to Cizikas who sets up Boyes for a nice shot over Vokoun's shoulder cutting the Pens lead to 3-1 at about the twelve minute mark.  Seconds after, Michael Grabner puts the puck into a net off its moorings, no goal.  Penguins have lost some energy and the building is quiet.  Crosby beats Moulson to the puck and Boyes in late getting back, Kunitz gets a hat trick, 4-1 Penguins.  Neil scores immediately after play resumes just :16 seconds apart.  Nabokov remains in net.  The period mercifully ends with the teams even on shots in the second period, 5-5 and the Pens with a 17-9 advantage for the game.  Nabokov was less than stellar, but this disaster is not all on him by any stretch.

The Isles have not showed up tonight and another blow out is in the making that John Tavares and all the other "core" players have to swallow.  Explain how free agents will want any of this.  This team has talent and needs a real experienced NHL coach that knows how to win.  The deal with officiating aside, the team needs to bring the physical edge and fight their way back into the game.  Again, consistency in the recipe for success and we dont even seem to have a kitchen.  Poor coaching is destroying their consistency.

 

Kevin Poulin will start the third period.  Evgeni Nabokov gave up 5 goals on 17 shots with a .706Sv%.

 

Islanders finish off a PP chance to start the third period and generate some movement, but fall short.  Play continues with a slow pace, a little back and forth.  Another turnover leads to hanging Poulin out to dry and a 6-1 Penguins lead.  Per Eric Hornick, "Crosby 1st player to have 5 assists vs Isles since Scott Gomez on 3/30/03 for NJ."  The Islanders have had little physical play in the game.  Penguins win by the score of 6-1.  Kevin Poulin went 10 for 11 and a .909Sv% in the third.  The Isles were out shot by a 28-24 margin in the game.

 

Turnovers and uninspired play plagued the Islanders tonight.  Its a shame that each time they get to the precipice of progress, they falter or deconstruct and fall into disarray.  The team has no ability to find consistency with their roster.  I am big on adding a veteran goal scorer, veteran defensemen and a coach to find it, but I dont see that happening before the off season.  There is always a chance a team that finds themselves out of the playoffs wants to unload salary, but we will have to wait and see.  Damage is being done to the core by fostering this losing culture and I can only hope I am over reacting because I am an Isles fan first.  Truth is, it is only one game and they don't play again until Thursday.

 

My problem is that the Islanders manage to keep replaying this "one game" over and over again.  Then is becomes inconsistency, which becomes losing.  Again.

 

 

Isles Notes:

 

Michael Grabner makes his 200th career NHL start tonight.

 

Per Islander Mania, Today in 1980 - The Isles acquire @91Goring from the LA Kings for Bill Harris and Dave Lewis.  Butch was the missing piece to the Dynasty.