Is Jack Capauno The Right Coach For Your New York Islanders?

I’m still not sold on Capuano as the guy that can take the Isles to next level and, at times, I would swear that the team wins despite him as coach. This could also be due to the more improved roster the Islanders have to work with this season.  What isn’t for sale, however, is that he has everyone on the roster playing better in 2014-15. They have well balanced scoring and an improved defensive game on most nights -- all showing that this team has pretty consistently been able to overcome much adversity. That's a fact.

Capuano has gotten better, along with the team around him. We are told that players like and respond to him as their guiding leader.  Several players have matured as pros under his watch & Garth Snow has supported him enough that he is now the second winningest Isles coach behind the legendary Al Arbour. Snow has made it clear to me that Capuano should be the guy, at least as long as he calls the shots.  Consider that the team’s depth is beneficial to the organization for injuries or underperforming players and that their deep and maturing prospect pool is an even bigger bonus. That has never been more evident than the past two seasons with guys like Lee, Strome, Nelson & de Haan contributing as much as they have. Not to mention the Isles injury issues over the last several seasons have probably impacted their record more than we care to admit.  The team’s defensive lapses and their struggling special teams should evolve as the season goes on.

Watch the maturation of teams like the Blackhawks, Kings and even the surging St Louis Blues. They all took time to mature and grow into consistent winners.  That included finding the right coach and allowing him to play his system and find synergy with his squad.  As with Garth Snow’s master plan, the Islanders are doing things the same way. Jack Capuano has the Islanders in control of their own destiny. 

When you check out the NHL stats at the time of this article, the Islanders are:

2nd in the NHL in wins with 37.

3^rd in NHL scoring with 172.

5^th in goals per game with 3.07.

1^st in 1-goal game winning percentage (.815%).

1^st in OT/SO wins with a 12-1 record.

5^th in plus/minus at +21. 

They have a 13-6-1 record (.650%) when leading after 1^st, 18-2-1 record (.857%) when leading after 2^nd. 

The Isles are 21-11-1 when scoring 1^st and an impressive 16-7-0 when they yield the first goal to the opposition.

 

Special teams and team defense have struggled this season:

The Isles are 23^rd in goals with 2.77 against on defense and while they are ranked 11^th with a 19.1% on the PP, their PK is 29^th in the league at 73.6%.  Only Buffalo (16-36-3 w 35pts) is worse at 73.5%. 

When trailing, the Isles have a 7-7-0 record (.500%) when trailing after 1^st, 4-11-0 (.267%) when trailing after 2^nd.

So while there are more positives, than negatives, Coach Capuano has the Isles going in the right direction.  We all need to be realistic and have even more patience.  This team has a good thing going and have become the envy of many around the NHL.  The chronic shortcomings have been frustrating, but we all need to have a little well deserved faith and practice even more patience before complaining about how good we really have it as fans of this team right now.  The glaring missteps in the defensive game & special teams are on watch, but even their inopportune lapses in focus and occasional meltdowns aren’t enough to keep this team from winning their share of games.  They are a tight-knit group that has dangerous ability to come back from adversity to get the win.  And remember that just like when the team unravels can be pinned on the coach, the ability of the team to execute the improbable comeback must be credited to him as well. 

So, while my fist line of this article says “I’m still not sold…”, as of right now, at 37-18-1 with 75 points (1^st in metro, 2^nd in east), Capuano deserves to remain head coach and see where he can take this team moving forward this season.  He has earned that right.

Weekend Lookback: Columbus

The Islanders welcomed the injury plagued Columbus Blue Jackets to the NVMC last night and they came out like the team we have been accustomed to watching in the first half of the opening period building a 2-0 lead.  Unfortunately, they got sloppy and gave up that lead as the CBJ tied the game before the first intermission.  What would happen in the later stages of the contest?  Read on.

 

 

Forwards:  Lee-Tavares-Bailey, Grabovski-Nielsen-Strome, Kulemin-Nelson-Clutterbuck, Martin-Cizikas-McDonald.

 

Defensive Pairings:  Leddy-Boychuk, Strait-Hamonic, Hickey-Visnovsky.

 

Jaroslav Halak is in net with Chad Johnson backing up.

 

 

The first period saw a dominant start by the Islanders.  The first line dictated play with Josh Bailey (Tavares & Lee) finding the net twice in the first eight minutes.  That 2-0 lead would hold until the Islanders changed their style of play, something that has been an alarming tendency for a team that has been so good, most of the time.  Columbus would tie the score (Dubinsky & Atkinson) before the second intermission, despite being outshot 16-1 to start the period, that finished with a 17-11 Islanders advantage in shots.  Strome & the Blue Jackets’ Foligno would trade goals for their respective teams in the second to head to the third tied at 3-3.  Columbus was playing a much better game and fought back physically to erase two NY leads.  Their rookie goaltender, Forsberg had a rough start, but improved as well and was keeping them on pace in the game.

 

 

The third was another statement period by the Islanders as Frans Nielsen (Hickey & Grabovski) put them ahead for the night with what would be the start of another dominating period of play.  The Isles moved the puck well and played hard throughout, behind the example of their captain.  John Tavares (Lee & Strait) - (Bailey & Lee) would score twice to give the Isles the 6-3 win.  Jaro Halak was huge in the third, repelling all 19 Columbus shots for his 31^st win of the season.  He was 34 of 37 with a .914Sv%.  The Isles ended up outshooting Columbus 46-37 in the game.  They struggled again, going 0/4 on the PP.  They were improved on the PK with a 4/4 effort on the night.

 

 

John Tavares lead by example again and finished the night with 2 & 2 for 4 pts, Anders Lee had another impressive game with 4 points and Josh Bailey was very good, scoring 2 goals and adding an assist.  Anders Lee is 1st among rookies (5th in the NHL) in GWG with 6, 3rd in rookie goals with 18 and 7th in rookie points with 27.  It was Lee’s first multi-assist game of his career.  More juicy stats:  Isles top line w 11 points (most by trio since 2007) -- 19 over NHL -.500 for 1st time since 1983-84; 37 W in 1st 56 for 1st x since 81-82, per Eric Hornick.  I don’t think Lee is going or moving anywhere on this team anytime soon.

 

 

John Tavares, Josh Bailey & Frans Nielsen were the three stars of the game.  Tavares & Lee were named the first & second stars of the night as designated by the NHL.

 

 

The Isles were able to comeback three times and overcome their mistakes yet again to get the victory.  This win was the Isles 4^th in a row and puts them at 37-18-1 with 75 pts in 56 games played, good enough for 1^st, with a 3 pt lead in the metro and 1 pt out of first (Montreal) in the eastern conference. 

 

 

 

 

 

Isles Notes:

 

 

 

Matt Carkner has been removed from the team's IR list and placed on waivers.  He will most likely go unclaimed, report to the BST & get into game shape, adding to the Isles emergency depth.

 

 

Calvin de Haan was scratched again last night along with Matt Donovan.  Not a move I understand.

 

 

Per Arthur Staple, “Isles have had 3 three-game losing streaks this season. Next five games after each streak: 5-0-0, 4-1-0, 4-1-0.”

 

 

“2009 Draft may turn out to be Isles signature year: Tavares (1st overall), de Haan (12th), Cizikas (92) and Lee (152) all playing key roles.”

 

 

Per The Score, “Islanders, Leddy discussing long-term contract extension.”

 

 

Be-LEE-ieve: Isles Find A Way Against Toronto

R.I.P. Russel Hayes

 

 

The Toronto Maple leafs come to the NVMC to face your 1^st place New York Islanders.  Jaro Halak (29-11-0) has already set a career high in wins, so tonight he will be pushing for his 30^th of the season.  While there are a lot of things to be excited about with the team on the Island, their PK is not one of them.  It is the worst in the NHL after allowing goals on 9 of their last 11 PKs and has allowed 49 goals in 149 man down situations.  However, Cal Clutterbuck makes his return tonight replacing emergency call up, Harry Zolnierczyk in the line up. “I play a certain way and that’s the way I have to play to help the team be successful. I’m just looking to get back into the swing of things. I missed a few games, so I’ll try to get my feet wet and help those guys in any way I can,” said Clutterbuck.  He will be moved up to the 3^rd line to play with Brock Nelson & Nikolay Kulemin.  Brock Nelson has will be looking to break out of his slump tonight. He has gone 15 games without a goal, scoring just once in his last 22.

Forwards:  Lee-Tavares-Bailey, Grabovski-Nielsen-Strome, Kulemin-Nelson-Clutterbuck, Martin-Cizikas-McDonald.

Defensive Pairings:  Leddy-Boychuk, Strait-Hamonic, Hickey-Visnovsky.

Jaroslav Halak is in net with Chad Johnson on the bench.

 

Anders Lee dekes Bernier with a Leafs defensemen draped all over him for his 17^th goal of the season & gives the Isles a 1-0 lead just 1:11 into the game.  A few minutes later, Colin McDonald makes a move on net and Casey Cizikas (McDonald & Martin) is there to put in the rebound, 2-0 Islanders.  That’s 2 goals on 5 shots just 5 minutes into the game.  On the other side of the ice, Jaro Halak has made a few good saves to keep Toronto off the board.  The Islanders are doing a better job of controlling the play and keeping the opposition on the defensive tonight. Anders Lee draws a holding penalty from Robidas, Isles to the PP.  Strome’s hooking penalty negates the man advantage and gives the Leafs a PP opportunity to end the period.  Halak didn’t see a lot of shots in the first period, but stayed sharp when he had to be.  Isles led 18-8 in shots for the period. 

The Maple Leafs PP expires to start the second, but they have more jump to start the period.  Panik scores at the 1:32 mark to make it 2-1 Isles.  New York to the PP as Smith is called for holding, but they aren't able to generate very much offensive pressure.  Back to 5 on 5, Smith ties the score at 2-2 for Toronto. Capuano calls a time out.  Shots are at 7-0 Maple Leafs, and that included an Isles PP.  Their first shot doesn’t come until the 8 minute mark.  John Tavares is called for a delay of game penalty.  Isles muff several clearing attempts, but somehow keep the Leafs without a shot against on the PK.  Anders Lee (Hamonic & Tavares) scores again to make it a 3-2 Islanders lead.  With the goal, Lee ties Forsberg for the lead in goals by an NHL rookie.  The Islanders end the period strong and see Nelson & McDonald come close to scoring.  Mew York had a back and forth period, but were good on the fore check and turned things around late in the 2nd.  Toronto held the 12-8 edge in shots, but the Isles are ahead 26-20 for the game.

In the third period, Halak gets caught away from the goal trying to play the puck and somehow, Toronto was unable to put it into the open net.  Trevor Smith lays on top of Matt Martin in the Leafs’ crease, but there is no call on the ice.  A few minutes later, frustration builds as Nick Leddy is knocked over in the Isles zone.  Tavares & Bailey take exception, JT and Panik sent off for roughing.  Brock Nelson continues to work hard, but can’t seem to find a way to score.  Maple Leafs call a time out with 1:46 remaining in the third.  Bernier goes the bench, leafs up a man.  Nelson comes close again with the empty net as time expires.  The Isles hold on to win by a core of 3-2.  Shots were 15-14, Isles in the 3^rd and 41-34 for the game.  New York was 0/2 on the PP and 2/2 on the PK.  Toronto had 22 blocked shots.

The Isles were guilty of some shoddy play in tonight’s game.  These physiological let downs and blown leads are troubling for a 1^st place team.  I give them all the credit in the world for getting the team so high in the standings to this point in the season, but it’s time for the coaching staff to get these melt downs in check.  They seem to control play in these kind of games, but can’t seem to dominate these teams consistently.  This is especially true against those that are below them in the standings.  But they did hold on to win and improved to 18-2-1 taking a lead into the third period.  The Isles are holding strong and have been able to overcome most adversity that comes their way.  Thomas Hickey continues to be a pillar for the Isles blue line and the team's PK was pretty good again as well.

Anders Lee looked good before his elevation to the first line, but he is making a case for serious Calder consideration as he transforms into an elite power forward right before our eyes.  He may indeed have found a permanent home on wing for the first line.  The fourth line continues to play solid hockey for this team.  Cizikas had a goal, Martin made things happen and Colin McDonald had another strong game.  Anders Lee & Casey Cizikas were named the first and second stars of the game. 

 Jaro Halak (32 of 34 with a .944Sv%) gets his 30^th win.  Billy Smith, Rick DiPietro & Chris Osgood are the only other Islander goaltenders to have that distinction.  Smith reached the mark in 42 games, but Halak was able to do it only 41.

 

 

Excited?

Sound Tigers Notes: 

Harry Zolnierczyk has been returned to the #BST from the #Isles.

The #BST have released Jack MacLellan from his PTO. Peter Sivak has been recalled from loan from @OrlandoHockey.

Islanders Endure Oilers

Your New York Islanders got their 17^th road win last night in Buffalo to tie them for the best road record in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks.  Tonight, they will face the Edmonton Oilers at the NVMC without the services of  Kyle Okposo, Cal Clutterbuck, Michael Grabner & Calvin de Haan who are all out due to injury.  Colin McDonald & Harry Zolnierczyk will remain in the line up to try and extend the Oilers Island losing streak to 8 games for their final visit to the Coliseum.  Even though Edmonton is struggling, the Isles better be ready to play at a high level because the visitors will be playing with something to prove.

Forwards:  Lee-Tavares-Bailey, Grabovski-Nielsen-Strome, Zolnierczyk-Nelson-Kulemin, Martin-Cizikas-McDonald.

Defensive Pairings:  Leddy-Boychuk, Strait-Hamonic, Hickey-Visnovsky.

Jaroslav Halak is in net with Chad Johnson on the bench.

In the first period, The Isles came out with some jump and dominated time of possession & shots on net, but Fasth is keeping his team in it.  Anders Lee gets called for a suspect hooking call & Hamilton makes it a 1-0 game for the Oilers after beating Halak on a soft goal.  The Isles come close off an Anders Lee tuck attempt, but fail to score on their first PP chance of the game.  Colin McDonald (Martin & Hamonic) finds a way & puts in his second goal in as many nights for the Islanders, evening the score at 1-1.   Islanders start strong, then struggle to find their rhythm though the rest of first period.  They finish the period with an 11-8 edge in shots.

The Islanders come out strong again, but can’t convert on some quality scoring chances.  A much better effort is needed by the Islanders to close out “weaker” teams earlier in the game.  To make it worse, they seem unable to jump on numerous rebounds given up by Fasth.  Matt Martin with a nice feed to John Tavares who can’t convert, but Josh Bailey (Hickey & Lee) deflects a Thomas Hickey shot from the blue line, 2-1 Islanders.  Officials missing several would be penalties that could be called on the Oilers.  Hendricks goes after John Tavares, Josh Bailey goes back at him, standing up for the captain.  Isles to the PK.  Strait plays way too deep and Lander ties the game at 2-2 with a PPG late in the period.  PK has been awful again and is a real problem for this team.  Shots are 23-21 after 2.

 

Isles come up empty with 49 seconds on PP time to start the period and fall behind in shots 8-0 by the midpoint of the period and are playing a weak defensive game.  Colin McDonald repeatedly works the puck to Casey Cizikas who puts a one timer past Fasth for a 3-2 Isles lead with 5 minutes remaining in the game.  Empty net for the Oilers in the final minute.  Jaro Halak (34/36 with a .944Sv%) makes a huge save with time running down to preserve the lead and secure the 3-2 win.  Edmonton able to finish with a 36-28 advantage in shots, including a 15-5 edge in the third period.  Isles were 37-25 in face-offs.

Colin McDonald, Casey Cizikas & Thomas Hickey were named the 3 stars of the game.
 

The Isles started the first two periods with energy, but trailed off against another inferior team tonight.  It is a huge point of concern for the Islanders who need to finish the season well to secure a solid playoff position.  Aside from the play of Thomas Hickey, the PP was weak (0/2), the defense was soft for most of the game and the PK (1/3) was uninspired.  But there were some positives.  Anders Lee had another strong game.  Colin McDonald continues to inspire the team with his hard-nosed, relentless work ethic over the last couple of games.  The fourth line was definitely a bright spot tonight.  Both Matt Martin & Casey Cizikas grind the opposition until the brink of frustration.  It was a great comeback win & this team is thick with character, but their depth will be tested throughout the remainder of the season.  Good thing the Isles are 14-5-0 when John Tavares is kept off the score sheet.  It’s going to be hard to send Colin McDonald back to Bridgeport if he keeps this up.  Good for him.

Another big thing to look forward to is that 18 of the final 29 games are at home where the Isles are 18-6-0.  Isles are in 1st place with 71 pts.  They will test that stat again on Thursday against Toronto.

Isles Notes:

Former Islander goaltender, Evgeni Nabokov has been traded back to San Jose from the TBL for purposes of retiring as a Shark.
 

 

***

 

Thanks to Michael Alexy (@MichaelAlexy) for the cool KoC graphics!

 

 

 

 

Weekend Lookback: Boston & Buffalo

Your New York Islanders met the Bruins in Boston and the Sabres in Buffalo this weekend. They fought hard, but lost to Boston by a 2-1 score and held on to get a 3-2 win against a struggling Buffalo team to end their latest road trip with a 2 & 1 record.  Details below.

Vs. Boston:

Forwards:  Lee-Tavares-Bailey, Grabovski-Nielsen-Strome, Grabner-Nelson-Kulemin, Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck.

Defensive Pairings:  de Haan-Hamonic, Leddy-Boychuk, Hickey-Strait.

Chad Johnson gets the start with Jaro Halak backing up.

Calvin de Haan played in his 100^th NHL game.

The Isles looked to get one back against Tuukka Rask & the Bruins on Saturday and put up a good fight, but Rask had their number again, making 39 saves en route to a 2-1 Boston win.  Chad Johnson played a good game for Islanders, making 34 saves and posting a .944Sv%.  Hopefully, he can build on the effort and climb back to his successes from earlier in the year.  The Isles came out fast & played tough, but were out-muscled by the Bruins for much of the game.  Even Ryan Strome dropped the gloves with Torey Krug (1^st NHL fight) early in the first period and New York responded when John Tavares (Neilsen & Hamonic) broke Boston’s streak of 16 straight PK’s with a PPG, good enough for a 1-0 lead.  Patrice Bergeron would tie the game a few minutes later on the PP after a weak hooking call was assessed against Ryan Strome.  The tie remained until late in the third period when Nick Leddy failed to clear the puck & Louie Eriksson handled Matt Martin to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead that would be the final score in the game.  The Isles were dominated in face offs (41-23) and were a dismal 1/4 on the PP.  They finished 1/3 on the PK for the night.  It should be noted that their defensive efforts and PK play were improved over the last several games, but not good enough to get the win.  Tuukka Rask was the difference maker in the game.

Lubo Visnovsky was scratched again along with Matt Donovan on defense for Brian Strait.  Coach Capuano told Visnovsky Strait would be rotation in to help the Isles on the PK, but Lubo wasn’t happy for missing his second straight game while healthy.  Per Arthur Staple, "I miss a lot of games, this year too," Visnovsky said after doing some extra work on the ice Saturday morning. "I have two concussions last year, this year my back is a problem . . . It's OK. Coach tells me they want to make a change, I try to stay positive and wait for my chance."  Viz added, "He tell me Straiter helps the PK, so I understand," Visnovsky said. "I want the team to keep winning and winning. I think I will help the team." 

 

Cal Clutterbuck & Michael Grabner would leave the game with injuries and not return.  Clutterbuck left the game after a hard hit against Krug.  He had gone into the locker room and returned earlier in the contest. I wonder if he finally reinjured himself on that hit.  Grabner looked good again & really appeared to be finding his stride.

 

Vs. Buffalo:

 

Fran's Nielsen played in his 500th NHL game.  He is the 24^th Isles player to do so.

 

Changes to the lineup:  Colin McDonald and Harry Zolnierczyk (wearing #16 in his Isles debut) are in for Cal Clutterbuck and Michael Grabner (IR retro thru 2/7). Lubomir Visnovsky in for Calvin de Haan, who took a skate to the face in the game against Boston.  These types of injury call ups are a prime example as to why Snow doesn't want to trade depth prospects now that he feels Isles are a contender.

 

Forwards:  Lee-Tavares-Bailey, Grabovski-Nielsen-Strome, Zolnierczyk-Nelson-Kulemin, Martin-Cizikas-McDonald

Defensive pairings:  Leddy-Boychuk, Strait-Hamonic, Hickey-Visnovsky.

Jaroslav Halak is in net with Chad Johnson backing up.

The Islanders wanted some payback against the Sabres as well, having lost a S.O. by the score of 4-3 that they had once led 3-0, back in December.  They start the game with a physical edge and control much of the play.  Colin McDonald fit in well with Martin & Cizikas and gets the Isles on the board for a 1-0 lead in the first period.  Anders Lee (Hamonic & Turgeon) channels Pierre Turgeon, pulls the puck from behind the net and scores a PPG halfway through the 2^nd period to increase the Isles lead to 2-0.  Its Lee’s 16^th of the season, putting him only one goal behind Forsberg/Hoffman for the rookie lead in scoring.  Mikhail Grabovski (Hamonic & Nielsen) rips one past Neuvirth from the slot to make it 3-0 Isles.  That’s 3 goals in 7 games since Garbovski has returned from injury. 

Ted Nolan called a timeout to settle things down and it turned out to be a good call.  Foligno converts a Visnovsky turnover to make it 3-1 Islanders.  A few minutes after that, Stafford makes it a 3-2 game.  The latter part of the second period was inexcusable for the Islanders who gave the Sabres all the breaks that they needed.  The third period was more of the Islanders wasting opportunities and taking needless penalties to try and keep Buffalo in the game.  But when time expired, they held on to win 3-2 & resume first in the Metro at 69 points.  They outshot the Sabres 31-10 in the game and went 1/2 on the PP and 3/3 on the PK.  Overall, it was a pretty good effort and a good platform to learn from & build on. 

"That's what happens when you start playing stupid." -- Casey Cizikas

 

Isles reach the 34 win mark on 2/8, which matches their total from all of last season.  They need to keep this going into next week against the Oilers, Leafs & Blue Jackets.

 

 

There were a few players who had big games for the Islanders this weekend, but Anders Lee & Casey Cizikas were the two players who stood out for me.

 

In my opinion, the Islanders still need to fine tune their defensive game & lower the amount of shots against per game, but the biggest thing is that their special teams need to improve and operate more consistently.  Their PP has let them down for most of the season and the amount of penalties that they have taken, coupled with an out of sync PK, has hurt them a lot lately.  Under Garth Snow’s current ideology, the challenges the Isles face when dealing with the inevitable player performance slumps and unexpected injuries need to be compensated with organizational depth & efficient coaching. The teams overall on-ice management needs to improve, particularly on Special teams.

 

Trade scenarios are complicated. We would all like to see a quick, reliable answer for things like a winger on the first line, but that isn’t easily accomplished with the existing trade market for what would be considered viable, well-fitting targets.  A team’s immediate roster need, although relevant, can’t always be pulled off without losing what the GM might see as major pieces of their carefully constructed future depth. We have learned over the last few years that Garth Snow doesn’t panic or make reactionary moves.  He certainly doesn't deviate from his plan, despite panic or mockery from fans & media. Especially now that his plan is yielding results, fans have less of a chance to see the team make the big moves.  Snow will endure challenges like Kyle Okposo's multi-week absence and try different guys on the 1^st line wing until fans foam at mouth for a trade. The only feasible scenario might be an attractive, well fitting & low cost, cap move just prior to the trade deadline.  There is no way he moves players like Lee, Strome or Nelson for something like this. They are too central to The Islanders future strategy.

 

 

Islanders Can't Be Bullied In Philly

After the last loss to the Florida Panthers, Anders Lee spoke plainly about what is ailing the Isles.  “We just have to stop the bleeding and find those pressure points — we know where they are. Our special teams..."  Tonight, your New York Islanders get the chance to stop the bleeding against the Philadelphia Flyers.  After the Isles 7-4 win on January 19^th, Flyers Ray Giroux was quoted as saying that the he didn’t believe the Islanders were as good as their record.  Their special teams and team defense will need to be that good in order to get the win against a hungry Flyers team who have been red hot (4^th in the NHL & 2^nd on home ice) with the man advantage.  After a few losing streaks this season, the Isles have responded well.  They went 13-2 after their last 3 game skid and will be looking to start the turnaround tonight after falling to 5^th in the eastern conference due to schedule inactivity and as well as watching the New York Rangers pull within a point of their 2^nd place spot in the metro division.  The only change to the lineup is that Brian Strait will be in for Lubomir Visnovsky on defense to try and improve their PK according to Coach Capuano.

 

Forwards:  Bailey-Tavares-Lee, Grabovski-Nielsen-Strome, Grabner-Nelson-Kulemin, Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck.

Defensive Pairings:  de Haan-Hamonic, Leddy-Boychuk, Hickey-Strait.

Jaroslav Halak is in net with Chad Johnson on the bench.

In the first period, the Islanders come out with some jump and immediately test Mason in the Philadelphia net.  Looking as if they intend to make a statement tonight.  Matt Martin tangles with White and both players head to locker room for repairs.  The game has definitely gotten nasty, very quickly.  A broken play ensues in the Isles zone from Bailey turn over, Schultz gives the Flyers a 1-0 lead.  Isles back to having play dictated to them midway through the period.  Halak quietly doing a good job keeping the Isles in the game with increased Flyers pressure.  Lines of Lee, Nielsen, Kulemin & Bailey, Tavares, Strome see time together to try and change up momentum in the game. Islanders doing a good job of generating pressure, but can’t find the back of the net.  The period ends with an 11-6 edge in shots for New York and a 1-0 lead for Philadelphia.   Mason was strong in net for the Flyers.  Isles were 0 for 1 on the PP.

Matt Martin will return to the Isles bench with a full shield due to a broken nose for the second period.  Islanders starting to move the puck, but fail to generate much.  Streit covers the puck in the Flyers defensive zone and the Isles will go to the PP.  Isles look lost and disorganized on the man advantage and get only 2 shots on net.  Flyers call at time out at 9:06 for the period.  Velde makes it 2-0 on only 7 Flyers shots in the game.  Brian Strait was a pylon on that play and Thomas Hickey watched it happen.    Johnny Boychuk hit on the knee blocking a shot and struggles to get off the ice and back to the room.  Things are getting worse in a hurry.  Mikhail Grabovski converts the turnover into an Isles goal, 2-1.  Halak gets stung with a high shot and falls to the ice.  Trainer oks him to stay in the game.  Anders Lee pokes at Mason on the cover and bad blood is back.  Cal Clutterbuck (Nelson & Hickey) scores to make it 2-2.  Halak with a couple of huge in the final seconds keeps the game at 2-2.  Isles lead on shots 11-4 in the period and 22-10 after two.

 

Johnny Boychuk is back on the Isles bench to start the third period.  John Tavares breaks the stick of Simmonds with a slash.  The Isles are tested on the PK and escape unscathed.  Johnny Boychuk shot is blocked, Anders Lee tries for the wrap around but loses the handle.  Mason comes up big on a blast by Cal Clutterbuck from the slot.  Isles with a 4 on 2 chance, but Mason stops Hamonic.  The urgency is evident for both teams in the final minutes.  de Haan blocks a dangerous pass deep in the Isles zone as time expires.  New York gets a critical point and will try for another in the extra session.  Isles with a 7-5 shots edge in the period and 29-16 for the game.

In the O.T. period, Thomas Hickey and the Isles do a good job in their own end.  John Tavares turns the puck over but Jaro Halak makes a big breakaway save on Couturier.  The game will head to the shootout.  Shots finish at 30-18.

 

Frans Nielsen converts on the Isles opening attempt.

Voracek is denied by Halak!

Josh Bailey is stopped by Mason.

Halak poke checks Girioux!

John Tavares shoots it wide.

Simmonds scores.

Ryan Strome is stopped by Mason.

Schenn goes wide.

Brock Nelson flubs on the shot.

Lacavalier is stopped by Halak!

Mikhail Grabovski misses.

Read is denied by Halak!

Cal Clutterbuck scores!

Couturier denied by Halak!  Isles win 3-2 in the shootout and gain 2 huge points.

 

The Isles endured a strange game where they outshot their opponent, but somehow needed to fight hard to get back into the game after erasing a 2-0 lead by the end of the second period.  Anders Lee, Mikhail Grabovski, Michael Grabner, Johnny Boychuk, Calvin de Haan & Cal Clutterbuck stood out to me for the Islanders.  The team’s defensive effort was better tonight as well as their efforts to stay out of the box as they have struggled with the PK (1/1 tonight).  Jaroslav Halak (15 of 17 with an .882Sv%) didn’t face many shots, but certainly made some big saves when it mattered, especially in the 7^th round of the shootout.  Isles are back to 1st place in the Metro passing over the Penguins with the win tonight. They are now 33-17-1 with 67 pts.  Their 33 wins in 51 GP equal a franchise record set in the 78-79 season.
 

Seeing them rally behind Boychuk’s apparent injury is indicative to their talent and grit.  Watching Johnny Boychuk come back after taking a shot straight off his knee and have a huge impact on the rest of the game is a testament to the kind of player he is for this team.  With Matt Martins broken nose, Jaro Halak’s stinger scare and Boychuk’s knee shot, the Islanders better get ready to test their depth in epic ways moving forward.  Garth Snow has built a solid core, added pieces and strengthened their minor league system to be able to meet such challenges.  More to come.

 

 

The Islanders are in Boston on Saturday to face the Bruins (7PM) and Buffalo on Sunday to face the Sabres (5PM).

 

 

Sound Tigers Notes:

Colin McDonald has once again been returned to @TheSoundTigers and emergency conditions have been terminated.

 

The #BST have signed Jack MacLellan to a PTO.

 

NHL Notes:

 

Per Rick Westhead, “Breaking - TSN has learned ESPN has won the U.S. broadcast rights for the World Cup of Hockey, beating out NBC and Fox.”

Isles Reeled In By Panthers

John Tavares will play his 400^th NHL game as your New York Islanders welcome the Florida Panthers to the NVMC.  Unfortunately, we will have to endure seeing the fisherman style jerseys for warm ups.  At least the proceeds will go to charity.  It has been reported that Kyle Okposo will miss 6-8 weeks for what is being reported as a “detached retna.”  Colin McDonald was called up again on an emergency basis with the possibility that Casey Cizikas couldn’t go again tonight, but was sent down just prior to game time.

With the division lead diminishing, special teams & defense need to improve. The Isles have been sloppy, committed turnovers and allowed way too many shots over the last few games and need to reverse that trend.  These points must be treated as life or death going forward, especially against “weaker” opponents.  It’s put up or shut up time for a team that wants to be known for having taken the next step. Several strong teams around them won't allow losing streaks. It’s go time.

Forwards:  Lee-Tavares-Bailey, Grabovski-Nielsen-Kulemin, Grabner-Nelson-Strome, Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck.

Defensive Pairings:  de Haan-Hamonic, Leddy-Boychuk, Hickey-Visnovsky.

Jaro Halak is in net with Chad Johnson backing up.

Anders Lee is set up by a nice zig-zag pass play from Josh Bailey and John Tavares to give the Isles a 1-0 lead early in the game.  Unfortunately, the Isles have struggled again defensively and Hayes would tie the game at 1-1 on a blind shot for Florida less than three minutes later.  Butch Goring pointed out the defensive breakdowns in front of Halak and they have happened a lot in the period.  The Isles are again struggling to clear their own zone and the momentum has been almost all Florida.  They are playing a fast paced aggressive style that dictates the Isles unsettled style of play.  Conversely, Anders Lee looks really playing well on the top line and has been the Isles best player in a sloppy team period for New York.  Ekblad gets a delay of game penalty, the Isles go to the PP.  Time expires in the first with the Isles on the man advantage.  The teams were split at 12 shots a piece.  New York will need to be a lot better in the second period if they want to get back to their winning ways.  Halak did a great job without too much help keeping the tie intact.

The Isles start the second with the remaining 47 seconds of their PP, but do not generate much.  Isles are still noticeably out of sync.  Gundbranson beats Cizikas and backhands a weak one past Halak on the short side, 2-1 Florida.  Islanders are starting to generate more pressure in the offensive zone and doing a better job of moving the puck, especially out of their own zone.  Panthers caught with too many men penalty, Isles to the PP again.  Visnovsky with a huge giveaway, Halak makes the save.  Anders Lee (Hamonic & Leddy) redirects a Travis Hamonic blast to tie the game on the PP at 2-2.  Lee (15) is now 2 goals behind Forsberg (17) for tops in rookie goal scoring.  John Tavares takes a slash form Bolland without a call and retaliates.  Isles finish the period on the PK.  Panthers will have 27 seconds of PP time to start the third.  Isles with a 14-9 advantage in shots for the period and while it was far from perfect, it was a much better effort. 

The Panther PP finishes without a shot to open the 3^rd period.  Lubo Visnovsky with another giveaway and Cal Clutterbuck is called for a questionable high-sticking call on Pirri and Hayes makes it 3-2 Panthers.  Isles PK is absolutely fallen off the dramatically.  Petrovic takes liberties with a slash to Martin who obviously takes exception.  Michael Grabner with a good break away chance, but can’t convert.  Pirri called for a faceoff violation, Isles back to the PP late in the third down by one.  Isles called a timeout with 46 seconds left in the man advantage.  Halak is pulled with 12 seconds left to the PP for a brief two man advantage.  Isles with an extra skater to try and tie the game and Pirri scores the ENG for a 4-2 Florida win.  Panthers manage a 9-8 advantage in shots for the third with the Islanders holding a 34-30 edge in the game.  Jaro Halak was 26 of 29 with an 897Sv%.  Anders Lee was named second star of the game and was definitely a bright spot for the Isles.

Capuano, “I'm going to opt out on PK questions tonight.”  He also had no comment on report on Okposo and his injury.

The Islanders season is far from lost, but again, these miscues are starting to multiply and cost the team momentum, wins and points.  Key injuries are starting to test their depth and the team is struggling to get back on track with on ice management in my opinion.  A loss against the Panthers is another missed opportunity and a huge loss of two points in a tight divisional race.  It’s also the Isles first back to back home loss of the season.  Special teams were terrible again (PP at 1/3 & PK 1/2) and their defensive play was erratic.  These two things are key in the success for this team moving forward and must be improved for the team to be considered as an elite team or even stay in the thick of the race. 

 

With the Isles in first place, dropping their last three games, the Rangers who sit in third place for example now have two games at hand and only three points behind them.  Not stating this to be a hater, just reiterating the obvious. 

 

There is plenty of time and the talent is there, but Capuano and his staff need to figure this out.

 

 

The Islanders are in Philadelphia on Thursday.

 

Isles Notes:

 

Attendance was 14,407 for tonight’s game which ends the home sell out streak at 7 games.

John Tavares has been named second star of the week for the NHL. “@91Tavares shared 3rd in NHL w/ 16pts in 12 games to lead @NYIslanders to 7-5-0 January & top spot in the Metropolitan Division.”

 

Former Isles goaltender, Evgeni Nabokov cleared waivers (TBL) and is considering retirement.