New York Islanders
Isles Blow Two Goal Lead in 4-3 Loss to Buffalo
Uniondale, NY — The Islanders lost a crucial game to the Buffalo Sabres, 4-3, last night at Nassau Coliseum. After jumping ahead by two goals early in the game, Buffalo was able to close the gap and win in the shootout.
“Unfortunately we couldn’t come away with two points,” Al Montoya said after the game. “We knew it was going to be a tough weekend. We played well last night, coming in here against a good team, huge points on the line and we didn’t have many chance. And when we did we beard down and made them count. Just there is going to be momentum throughout the game.”
The Islanders did not start the first period the way they wanted to. They looked tired from having just played the night before. The Islanders managed to power through it and get the games opening goal. A bad give away behind the net allowed Michael Grabner to feed Frans Nielsen in front. Nathan Gerbe countered it with a goal for the Sabres four minutes later. Josh Bailey would put the Islanders back on top scor…
Goalie Miller sets Sabres win record
Brad Boyes and Jason Pominville scored shootout goals, and the Buffalo Sabres rallied from an early 3-1 deficit to beat the New York Islanders 4-3 on Saturday night.
Buffalo’s Paul Gaustad tied it 3-all midway through the third period to send the game to overtime. The Islanders had a power play in the extra session when the Sabres were called for a bench minor, but New York couldn’t get past Sabres netminder Ryan Miller.
The win gave Miller 235 career victories, breaking a tie with six-time Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek for the most in franchise history.
The Sabres beat the Islanders for the first time in three meetings this season, preventing New York (21-22-8) from reaching the .500 mark for the first time since Oct. 22.
The Islanders led 3-1 after the first period, paced by two goals from Frans Nielsen and one from Josh Bailey.
It was the Islanders’ first shootout at home this season. Nielsen and P.A. Parenteau failed to score for New York in the shootout.
Derek Roy made it 3-2 late in the second before Gaustad’s wrist shot beat Al Montoya to tie the game.
The Islanders are still 5-1-2 in their last eight and 10-5-2 in their last 17 contests. New York beat Carolina 5-2 on Tuesday night and topped Ottawa 2-1 on Friday night in overtime. Both wins came on the road.
Buffalo, beset by injuries all season, played without leading scorer Thomas Vanek, who missed the game with an upper-body injury.
Nielsen opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the season at the 1:39 mark of the first after the Sabres gave away the puck behind their own net.
Nathan Gerbe tied it at the 5:32 mark with his fifth goal before Bailey beat Miller – on an assist from Nielsen – with about 4 minutes to go in the period to put the Islanders ahead 2-1.
Bailey’s sixth goal of the season came just as a high-sticking penalty to the Islanders’ Nino Niederreiter expired.
Nielsen knocked in his own rebound with 2:43 to go to make it 3-1.
Derek Roy’s 10th goal late in the second closed the gap to 3-2.
The Islanders, who are 16-3-5 when scoring first, beat the Sabres 2-1 at Buffalo Nov. 29 and 4-2 at home Jan. 14.
NOTES: Islanders C John Tavares led the league with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists in January) becoming the first Islander to be first in the league in points in a given month since Bryan Trottier had 28 points in November 1980 … Sabres coach Lindy Ruff has 548 wins with Buffalo. Only former Islanders coach Al Arbour (740) has more victories with one NHL team … Buffalo has only two players (Pominville and goalie Jhonas Enroth) who have dressed for every game this season.
Sabres 4, Islanders 3, SO
Brad Boyes and Jason Pominville scored shootout goals, and the Buffalo Sabres rallied from an early 3-1 deficit to beat the New York Islanders 4-3 on Saturday night.
Buffalo’s Paul Gaustad tied it 3-all midway through the third period to send the game to overtime. The Islanders had a power play in the extra session when the Sabres were called for a bench minor, but New York couldn’t get past Sabres netminder Ryan Miller.
The Sabres beat the Islanders for the first time in three meetings this season, preventing New York (21-22-8) from reaching the .500 mark for the first time since Oct. 22.
The Islanders led 3-1 after the first period, paced by two goals from Frans Nielsen and one from Josh Bailey.
It was the Islanders’ first shootout at home this season. Nielsen and P.A. Parenteau failed to score for New York in the shootout.
Derek Roy made it 3-2 late in the second before Gaustad’s wrist shot beat Al Montoya to tie the game.
The Islanders are still 5-1-2 in their last eight and 10-5-2 in their last 17 contests. New York beat Carolina 5-2 on Tuesday night and topped Ottawa 2-1 on Friday night in overtime. Both wins came on the road.
Buffalo, beset by injuries all season, played without leading scorer Thomas Vanek, who missed the game with an upper-body injury.
Nielsen opened the scoring with his eighth goal of the season at the 1:39 mark of the first after the Sabres gave away the puck behind their own net.
Nathan Gerbe tied it at the 5:32 mark with his fifth goal before Bailey beat Miller – on an assist from Nielsen – with about 4 minutes to go in the period to put the Islanders ahead 2-1.
Bailey’s sixth goal of the season came just as a high-sticking penalty to the Islanders’ Nino Niederreiter expired.
Nielsen knocked in his own rebound with 2:43 to go to make it 3-1.
Derek Roy’s 10th goal late in the second closed the gap to 3-2.
The Islanders, who are 16-3-5 when scoring first, beat the Sabres 2-1 at Buffalo Nov. 29 and 4-2 at home Jan. 14.
NOTES: Islanders C John Tavares led the league with 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists in January) becoming the first Islander to be first in the league in points in a given month since Bryan Trottier had 28 points in November 1980 … Sabres coach Lindy Ruff has 548 wins with Buffalo. Only former Islanders coach Al Arbour (740) has more victories with one NHL team … Buffalo has only two players (Pominville and goalie Jhonas Enroth) who have dressed for every game this season.
GARTH: Johnny Dangersously
You want an example of the type of difference -making, top line centre that the Sabres so desperately crave? Look no further than John Tavares.
In his last 16 games, Tavares has 11 goals, 15 assists, eight multi-point games and eight First Star Of The Game selections.
The National Hockey League announced Wednesday that Islanders center John Tavares was named the First Star of the Month for…
Islanders’ Eaton scores OT winner in 600th game
Mark Eaton’s latest goal was as important to the New York Islanders as it was rare for him to score.
Eaton scored 2:35 into overtime in his 600th NHL game to give the Islanders a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Friday night.
The 34-year-old defenseman took a pass from Milan Jurcina and put the puck into an open right side for his 24th NHL goal – his first since Nov. 28, 2009.
”The circumstance is the big thing. We’re just trying to get points and keep climbing up the standings,” Eaton said. ”Every point’s big and for it to be an OT winner makes it a little more memorable.”
Matt Martin scored the tying goal in the third and Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for New York, which is on a 5-1-1 run.
The Islanders tied Tampa Bay for 11th in the Eastern Conference with 49 points, nine points behind eighth-place Toronto, which plays in Ottawa on Saturday night.
”We play Buffalo at home (Saturday) and we’re a confident bunch right now,” said P.A. Parenteau, who assisted on both goals. ”We play with a lot of passion and we know what’s at stake in the next two weeks. Nothing’s impossible for us.”
John Tavares, chosen the NHL’s first star of the month on Wednesday, failed to record a point for the second time in four games following a 12-game points streak. The Islanders’ first overall pick in the 2009 draft had nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points in 13 games in January, including four in a 5-2 win at Carolina on Tuesday.
”Obviously it was a pretty tight hockey game and a big game for both teams,” Tavares said. ”We came back, down by a goal, and it was nice to see a guy like Mark Eaton – who has done a lot of great things for us this year, the little things that don’t get a lot of the press – score, and it’s a nice win for us.”
Zack Smith scored a short-handed goal late in the second for the Senators, who have lost five in a row, the last four in regulation.
Ottawa’s Craig Anderson stopped 30 shots in his 16th straight start.
”Their play without the puck in the neutral zone was better than ours,” Senators coach Paul MacLean said.
Smith scored with 12.6 seconds left in the second. The Ottawa center carried the puck out of his zone and raced down the ice before taking a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. Nabokov got his glove on the shot but the puck carried on and flew behind him into the net.
Martin tied it 5:27 into the third. Parenteau drew Senators defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Jared Cowen to the left side before feeding a pass to the right side of the slot, where Martin was left unguarded to fire a wrist shot past Anderson for his sixth goal.
Jurcina went to the dressing room 8:16 into the third after he was attended to on the ice by a trainer. Jurcina, who landed on his backside following a hit by former teammate Zenon Konopka behind the New York net, quickly returned.
The game was delayed with 9.7 seconds remaining in regulation because of a broken curved glass panel at the far end of the Senators’ bench.
NOTES: Former Islanders stars Denis Potvin and Billy Smith were introduced to the crowd and shown on the video scoreboard during the game. Potvin is an analyst on Senators TV broadcasts and Smith watched from the stands. … The Senators’ five-game homestand is their longest of the season. … C Jim O’Brien made his season debut for Ottawa after he was recalled from AHL Binghamton earlier in the day. RW Bobby Butler was left out of the lineup.
Eaton scores in OT in milestone game
Mark Eaton scored 2:35 into overtime in his 600th NHL game to give the New York Islanders a 2-1 win Friday night over the Ottawa Senators.
Eaton took a pass from Milan Jurcina and put the puck into an open right side for his 24th NHL goal — and his first since Nov. 28, 2009.
Matt Martin scored the tying goal in the third and Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for New York, which is on a 5-1-1 run.
Zack Smith had scored a short-handed goal late in the second for Ottawa, which has lost five in a row, the last four in regulation.
Ottawa’s Craig Anderson stopped 30 shots in his 16th straight start.
John Tavares, chosen the NHL’s first star of the month on Wednesday, failed to record a point for the second time in four games following a 12-game points streak. The Islanders’ first overall pick in the 2009 draft had nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points in 13 games in January.
Smith scored with 12.6 seconds left in the second. The Ottawa center carried the puck out of his zone and raced down the ice before taking a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. Nabokov got his glove on the shot but the puck carried on and flew behind him into the net.
Martin tied it 5:27 into the third. P.A. Parenteau drew Senators defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Jared Cowen to the left side before feeding a pass to the right side of the slot, where Martin was left unguarded to fire a wrist shot past Anderson for his sixth goal.
Parenteau also assisted on Eaton’s goal to extend his career high to 36. He had 34 assists last season, and 33 in 2009-10.
Jurcina went to the dressing room 8:16 into the third after he was attended to on the ice by a trainer. Jurcina, who landed on his backside following a hit by former teammate Zenon Konopka behind the New York net, quickly returned.
Islanders 2, Senators 1, OT
Mark Eaton scored 2:35 into overtime in his 600th NHL game to give the New York Islanders a 2-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Friday night.
Eaton took a pass from Milan Jurcina and put the puck into an open right side for his 24th NHL goal – his first since Nov. 28, 2009.
Matt Martin scored the tying goal in the third and Evgeni Nabokov made 23 saves for New York, which is on a 5-1-1 run.
Zack Smith scored a short-handed goal late in the second for Ottawa, which has lost five in a row, the last four in regulation.
Ottawa’s Craig Anderson stopped 30 shots in his 16th straight start.
John Tavares, chosen the NHL’s first star of the month on Wednesday, failed to record a point for the second time in four games following a 12-game points streak. The Islanders’ first overall pick in the 2009 draft had nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points in 13 games in January.
Smith scored with 12.6 seconds left in the second. The Ottawa center carried the puck out of his zone and raced down the ice before taking a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. Nabokov got his glove on the shot but the puck carried on and flew behind him into the net.
Martin tied it 5:27 into the third. P.A. Parenteau drew Senators defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Jared Cowen to the left side before feeding a pass to the right side of the slot, where Martin was left unguarded to fire a wrist shot past Anderson for his sixth goal.
Parenteau also assisted on Eaton’s goal to extend his career high to 36. He had 34 assists last season, and 33 in 2009-10.
Jurcina went to the dressing room 8:16 into the third after he was attended to on the ice by a trainer. Jurcina, who landed on his backside following a hit by former teammate Zenon Konopka behind the New York net, quickly returned.
The game was delayed with 9.7 seconds remaining in regulation because of a problem with the curved glass panel at the far end of the Senators’ bench.
NOTES: Former Islanders stars Denis Potvin and Billy Smith were introduced to the crowd and shown on the video scoreboard during the game. Potvin is an analyst on Senators TV broadcasts and Smith watched from the stands. … The Senators’ five-game homestand is their longest of the season. … C Jim O’Brien made his season debut for Ottawa after he was recalled from AHL Binghamton earlier in the day. RW Bobby Butler was left out of the lineup.
Tavares On the Rise
from Roy MacGregor of the Globe and Mail, John Tavares, the New York Islanders centre who was the NHL’s player of the month for January, is working the corners. He spins, he rolls off two checkers, he has his head raised like a cobra in search of opportunity. He works through traffic by keeping everything in so tight to his body they cannot stop him from slipping by. He sees an opening no one else has seen, passes quickly and, instantly, a goal is scored.
Tavares is only 21 years of age, and though ESPN recently ranked the “Top 25 NHL players under age of 25” and somehow left him off the list, he is today the talk of the league after scoring nine goals and 13 assists in only 13 games last month and rising into the top five in league scoring.
He is far, far from the fastest player in the game, and yet he is also unstoppable. He works corners as effectively as, but different from, the Sedin twins of the Vancouver Canucks. He has, as Ottawa Senators captain Daniel A…
Should New Jersey keep or trade Parise?
Controversy and drama isn’t limited to the Jersey Shore in the Garden State. Just north in Newark the Devils are dealing with it too.With the February 27 trade deadline quickly approaching, attention is honing in on whether or not the Devils will part ways with their young star Zach Parise. Even though the New York Post is reporting that team general manager Lou Lamoriello is not planning to trade Parise before or at the deadline.The report also said that if the Devils do not re-sign him, they would trade his rights before he becomes a free agent on July 1.It’s hard to say if that is the right move for the Devils. Yes, they are currently seventh in the Eastern Conference and have a chance at a post season run. And yes, they have come out of the All-Star break with back-to-back wins, one against the New York Rangers on Tuesday and the other against the Montreal Canadiens last night. But, can the Devils re-sign him long term?Parise, minus his rookie season and the 2010-11 campaign…
Why Brooklyn Won’t Work For The Islanders
from Stu Hackel of the Red Light, So here we go again. Islanders owner Charles Wang, still unable to get any movement in Nassau County on a new arena, has decided to have his team host a preseason game in a large arena elsewhere, one that does not already house an NHL club. The obvious implication is that if he can’t get a deal to his liking on Long Island, he’s got options. Look out Long Island — Charles Wang is moving his team.
Well, he’s done this before with Kansas City. This time he’s doing it with Brooklyn. But, like the Kansas City ploy — where the game drew only 9,792 people, thus cooling any ardor Wang may have had for relocating there — this Brooklyn gambit is likely more of a charade than a bona fide threat.
It’s not because the Islanders-Devils game on Oct. 2 won’t draw well. It probably will. It’s just that the new Barclays Center, a state of the art arena designed for the NBA’s New Jersey Nets (who, qu…
Kichton Cooking Up A Win
Tuesday night was the night for the 2011 fifth-round picks of the New York Islanders to have the spotlight all to themselves. It’s interesting to watch these two because of the contrast of seasons they’ve had.
John Perssons had a great first half but has struggled the last couple of months. Brendan Kichton had a so-so first half, but has been on fire the past month.
Both are key players for their respective teams and how far either team goes is going to depend on how well both players finished the season.
First, we start with Brendan Kichton who just so happens to be the current Islander prospect of the week. Always nice of the prospects to have a good night right after earning prospect of the week.
As we said yesterday; Kitchen is somebody who is quickly becoming a favorite with us because he makes plays, whether they’re on offense or on defense. He’s not the biggest dog on the blue line, but one does not become the leading scorer among defensemen in the WHL without having some serious talent.
Spokane is on a quick two-game road trip facing Seattle on Tuesday and then up I-5/ BC-5 northbound into Canada for a game Wednesday against the Kamloops Blazers the team with the best record in the WHL. It’s not an easy trip as while it’s only two games you’re looking at close to 18 hours of bus riding.
It’s a slow Tuesday, which allows us to give give you guys back east a sense of what these kids go through trying to make it to the NHL. If you see the map and you start from Spokane driving through I-80 to reach Seattle. It is not a joyride, even with ideal conditions but we are in the dead of winter with a Pacific storm hitting the Northwest.
We put up the entire road trip round trip to give you an idea of what these young men go through and if you want to play around with it. Go get a copy of the WHL teams and start making your own road trips one we recommend anywhere to Prince George and see how far trip that is just play two games.
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As it is Spokane has been on a roll but Seattle was a dangerous game because the Thunderbirds may be in seventh place but they are also a team was made the playoffs in several years and they are currently in a fight with four other teams for the last two spots in a WHL’s Western Conference playoffs.
And of course there is the danger of overlooking a seventh-seeded team when the next night you know you’re facing the team with the best record in the WHL. Spokane has been one of the hottest teams as of late and in large part due to the play of Kichton.
Tuesday was no different as Kichton earning a game’s third star after a 1-1-2 led the Chiefs to a 5-3 win over the Seattle Thunderbirds. The win extended Seattle’s unbeaten streak to seven games as well as pull to within six points of 3rd place, Portland (Spokane owns a game in hand).
Kichton’s first point of the game was a secondary assist on a power-play goal in the first period giving Spokane a 1-0 lead at 9:28. This game went back and forth which two teams trading goals until third period.
In the third period, Kichton gave Spokane a 3-2 lead when he scored his 11th goal of the season at even strength at 12:07.January was very kind to Kichton as he wound up 5-14-19 (11-41-52) to lead Spokane to a 11-5 record in the month, which has Spokane back in the hunt for both the WHL’s US division lead and the Western Conference championship.
John Persson and his Red Deer Rebels would be holding a playoff spot right now had they defeated the Brandon Wheat Kings last Saturday night. Going into that game, the Wheat Kings held a two-point lead over the Rebels and by winning stretched it to four points.
Red Deer has three games in hand on Brandon and they used one of those games in hand against the Medicine Hat Tigers on Tuesday night in a must win situation for the Rebels.
The Rebels scored two goals in each of the three periods to earn a 6-3 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers. The win pulls the Rebels back to within two points of 8th place Brandon.
Persson scored his 18th goal of the season an empty net goal at 18:53 to seal the win for the Rebels. It also extended Persson’s scoring streak to six games (3-3-6) and if he starts scoring like he did last season; it will greatly help Red Deer’s hopes of making the playoffs.
At 18-27-45, Persson is way off at least the goal scoring pace that he had last season when he went 33-28-61. The Rebels have 22 games remaining on their schedule and the way things are looking it’s going to take at least 20 more points for them to make the playoffs.
(Kichton- Spokane Chiefs, Persson- Red Deer Rebels)
Islanders 5, Hurricanes 2
John Tavares scored two goals and had two assists to lead the New York Islanders over the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Tuesday night.
P.A. Parenteau and Matt Moulson scored power-play goals to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead after two periods and help New York move two points ahead of Carolina at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Carolina rallied with goals from Brandon Sutter and Tim Brent early in the third period to get even, but Tavares put the Islanders back in front, and Kyle Okposo added an empty-net goal with 1:22 left.
Kevin Poulin made 26 shots to earn his first win of the season. The Islanders, who snapped a two-game losing streak, are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.
The Islanders scored two goals in four power plays against the Hurricanes, who hadn’t allowed a man-advantage goal in eight games.
Parenteau scored for the second straight game and has seven points in six games. He took advantage of Jay Harrison’s penalty for delay of game 5:49 into the game.
Moulson’s goal at 16:19 of the second gave the Islanders a two-goal cushion. Moulson got the puck in the slot off the stick of Carolina’s Eric Staal and flick a shot past goalie Cam Ward.
Sutter made it 2-1 at 3:15 of the third with help from defenseman Tim Gleason, who earned his 100th NHL assist one day after signing a four-year contract extension with the Hurricanes.
Brent tied it with a power-play goal after Poulin got caught out of the net at 6:55.
Tavares answered 41 seconds later when Ward was out of position while trying to play the puck outside the crease.
NOTES: New York D Mark Streit had two assists and posted his sixth multipoint game of the season. … Moulson has seven goals and 10 assists in his last 14 games. … Gleason, now under contract through the 2015-16 season, could have become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Ward, Hurricanes can’t stop Islanders
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — John Tavares scored two goals and had two assists to lead the New York Islanders over the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Tuesday night.
P.A. Parenteau and Matt Moulson scored power-play goals to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead after two periods and help New York move two points ahead of Carolina at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Carolina rallied with goals from Brandon Sutter and Tim Brent early in the third period to get even, but Tavares put the Islanders back in front, and Kyle Okposo added an empty-net goal with 1:22 left.
Kevin Poulin made 26 shots to earn his first win of the season. The Islanders, who snapped a two-game losing streak, are 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.
The Islanders scored two goals in four power plays against the Hurricanes, who hadn’t allowed a man-advantage goal in eight games.
Parenteau scored for the second straight game and has seven points in six games. He took advantage of Jay Harrison’s penalty for delay of game 5:49 into the game.
Moulson’s goal at 16:19 of the second gave the Islanders a two-goal cushion. Moulson got the puck in the slot off the stick of Carolina’s Eric Staal and flick a shot past goalie Cam Ward.
Sutter made it 2-1 at 3:15 of the third with help from defenseman Tim Gleason, who earned his 100th NHL assist one day after signing a four-year contract extension with the Hurricanes.
Brent tied it with a power-play goal after Poulin got caught out of the net at 6:55.
Tavares answered 41 seconds later when Ward was out of position while trying to play the puck outside the crease.
NOTES: New York D Mark Streit had two assists and posted his sixth multipoint game of the season. … Moulson has seven goals and 10 assists in his last 14 games. … Gleason, now under contract through the 2015-16 season, could have become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Islanders to Play Preseason Game in Brooklyn
It’s official. The Islanders are headed to Brooklyn, well for one game at least.
The team announced earlier today that they will play a preseason game against the New Jersey Devils, on October 2, at the Barclays Center. The game will be the first NHL contest to take place in the New York City Borough. Presumable, it will also be the first sporting event to take place at the state of the art arena.
“We’re extremely excited to play the first NHL game in the new, state-of-the-art Barclays Center,” Islanders General Manager Garth Snow said in a statement. “We already have some of the most passionate fans in the league supporting our young team, and we are looking forward to expanding our base into Brooklyn.”
The announcement confirms a WFAN report that came out earlier this month.
“We feel Brooklyn is an untapped hockey market that offers the Islanders with an exciting opportunity to grow its fan base,” Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark said in a statement. “Barclays Center will al…
Devils will play Islanders in Brooklyn
The New York Islanders are scheduled to play the New Jersey Devils in a preseason game at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn next season.
The Oct. 2 matchup will also be the first NHL game to be played in the borough.
”We’re extremely excited to play the first NHL game in the new, state-of-the-art Barclays Center,” Islanders general manager Garth Snow said in a statement.
The arena is set to be the home of the NBA’s Nets for the 2012-2013 season.
