Panthers 3, Islanders 2
Power play flourishes, Isles still fall short
By Kevin Schultz
Point Blank guest contributor
The Islanders lost by a goal tonight in Florida, ending their four-game win streak. The Panthers came out of the gates and played a totally different game from what we saw when the two teams met last Saturday. Florida was much more physical and seemed to work a lot harder this time around. In the end, they held on and took home two points in regulation.
At the start, it looked a lot like Tuesday night’s game. The Islanders came out downright flat and struggled during the first period, the exact opposite of their opponents. Passes were poor, the play was disorganized at times and it showed on the scoreboard. The Cats put two on the scoresheet as Bouwmeester and Skrastins each tallied.
Joey MacDonald appeared to be screened on both goals, each shots that came from high in the zone. In his first game back following injury, MacDonald played well. He played aggressively but struggled many times to control rebounds. Overall, it was a solid effort in which he didn’t get much help during the first. On the Skrastins goal, no Islander challenged the puck, leaving Skrastins all along in the high slot. That’s something which is hard to excuse when playing 5-on-5.
After the first intermission, it was clear the Islanders had woken up. Their passing was much better and you could see they shook out the cobwebs and played with a lot more energy. The Isles scored two power play goals in the period to pull within 3-2. Despite the absence of their power play specialist Mark Streit, the team looked great with the man advantage, going 2-for-4 on the game. During one advantage, they held the Panthers’ line on the ice for more than 90 seconds before Josh Bailey was able to fire a shot past Panthers’ goaltender Tomas Vokoun. Bailey assisted on the Isles’ second goal of the period – also on the powerplay – when he dove after a faceoff, poking the puck to Trent Hunter who was all alone in front.
The third was hard fought on both sides, but neither team would break through on the scoresheet. Florida held on for the 3-2 victory in regulation. For the Islanders, Josh Bailey ended up with two points on the night and Joey MacDonald made 26 saves. The next stop for the Islanders is Tampa Bay on Saturday night.
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Take another look: If you missed it here it is, and if you didn’t, it’s worth seeing again. Florida’s Richard Zednik had a highlight reel goal in the second period. He broke in on the right side of a 2-on-1 and hurdled the Islander defender when he slid to break up the play. As Zednik landed, he poked the puck through MacDonald’s five hole.
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Injuries continue to mount: This isn’t an injury bug going around the team. At this point it’s some kind of weird disease. During the first, Nate Thompson took a hit from David Booth and went straight to the locker room. He would not return due to a shoulder injury. In the second, Doug Weight tripped on some rough ice and appeared to hurt his side. Weight did return for the rest of the game and appeared to be alright.
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Discuss.
37 Responses to Panthers 3, Islanders 2
Power play flourishes, Isles still fall short
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Dally Mac says:
Has anyone heard what happened with Jussi Jokinen on waivers? Did he clear yet or is the deadline tomorrow at noon (eastern).
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Mike from Philly says:
Okposo, Bailey, and Nielsen looked great tonight. I drool at the thought of these 3 and Tavares playing for the Islanders next year!
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Ryan Tendrup says:
I’m not even gonna ask anybody.. Zednik’s goal, a sportscenter top 10 nominee!!
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toorude says:
didnt get to see the game but you have to be happy when our youth movement gets three points tonight (bailey and Frans).
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steve says:
i mean, this is exactly what we need every night. production from young guys and losing. gotta have the #1 pick y’all.
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Besides the youth contributing,Hunter, someone who will be here next year, is also starting to be a presence on the score sheet.
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Justin says:
or HEDMAN. This team is also in dire need of a stud defenseman, something we haven’t had in a very long time.
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Streit is becoming that stud. His 1st season when a team actually trusts him in the defensive zone. Streit is great.
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Vlad from Brooklyn says:
Speaking of Comrie, he just refuses to put on at least some numbers to increase his trade value. He doesn’t want to leave.
Guerin looked very old. The only Weight is skating like a young kid. But on the bright side – The kidz are growing fast and playing some darmn good hockey. And 2-point night for the youngest! If only Callahan and Hillen had more size. They did good tonight. I wish Park and Nielsen scored some to regain their confidence. -
goislesgo105 says:
I don’t think that a team should be allowed to play ice hockey in the NHL with a palm tree on it’s uniform!! A PALM TREE ??? This is ICE HOCKEY, NOT SUNBATHING. Great to see Bailey get a goal and an assist. Zhednik’s goal was AWESOME!!!Can’t complain when you lose because of a goal like that.What a play!
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I like Streit a lot, but in no way is he a stud, he just doesn’t strike fear into an opposing forward the way Pronger in his prime or Chara does now. I’d rather get Tavares, but getting that type of d-man would be a very nice consolation prize.
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TM says:
Danis goes 4-0-1 with a great GAA and Gordon doesn’t play him? Rookie coaching mistake.
Can NYI play 1 game without an injury? Are the trainers from Ethiopia?
Kids look alright.
Taped the game and watched later since I couldn’t hear it on radio. How is it Wang has a gazillion dollars for the Lighthouse but won’t pay to have the games heard on radio?
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Dommy says:
TM… so you now want Wang to pay more money out of his pocket for you guys so you can hear better on the radio? How about he stops losing tons of money first, gets that lighthouse deal going so money comes in and then he could pay Howie and Billy to follow you around and announce the game right to you… granted it might be hard since they wouldn’t be seeing the game but he also could pay for a roving satellite linkup so they could watch the game. now it might be easier just to give you the feed no matter where you are like a directv truck satellite or something… anyway… the two of you could figure out the specifics.
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UIF says:
“In his first game back following injury, MacDonald played well.”
Err…not sure I agree there. Second and third goals were clearly stoppable. I missed the first one. I know, I know…the third was Zednik’s move. The moves were great. The shot itself? It went right through Joey, and there was really no move put on the goalie. Marty and Witt were the ones who had moves pulled on them. Plus Joey was flopping around on some pretty routine saves. No knock on him at all – it’s his first game back! But I’d probably call it “rusty” rather than “playing well”.
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Jim says:
The Isles are pretty much laughed at and treated like a joke on the road.Wonder if we will see any brawls from the fathers that made the trip. Hey, they need to stick up for their children.
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I will say this…if Fla. is a “playoff team,” then maybe the Isles aren’t as far away as I think they are. For a team that had something to prove against the Isles, they certainly didn’t look imposing or dominant, except for maybe parts of the first period. Playoffs? If Fla’s in the hunt, I’d say the Isles can do it in a year or two. Stanley Cup? Well, OK, that’s a different story altogether.
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jbranny says:
Martinek and Witt did not look very good last night. They both looked silly on the Zednik goal.
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The Commodore says:
WHY WAS MCDONALD IN NET? NO REASON FOR THAT. PLAY DANIS, NOT MCDONALD. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE.
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MSA says:
I am no expert, but I do not think Wang would pay to have the game on the radio. I believe he would get paid, but only if the local station thought its advertising revenue would be greater then the expense of the rights to play the game. So, not Wang’s fault, unless you want to blame the lack of interest in the team on poor management. Not a stretch there.
Putting aside draft picks (as I believe no team will actually overtly play for last), the biggest egos in sports would belong to starting QB’s in the NFL, and usually their coaching staff will let a back-up on a tear keep playing until they deserve to lose the shot. After Danis’ run, it was pathetic to pull him…
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Scott W says:
It is not a ridiculous request to have a good radio signal/station for fans to listen to Islanders games. And if managed properly, should not be a huge cash burden on Wang.
Big thing i have noticed this season is our inability to clear our crease when the puck is lose. Last night, at one point the puck is lose in front of McDonald and Gervais and Comeau are trying to poke at it while 3 panthers are trying the same. The Panthers should have been drilled in front. Send that message. Teams do not fear that with us, maybe with the exception of Witt. Our D right now is just too small.
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“Teams do not fear that with us, maybe with the exception of Witt.”
…and Sutton, when he’s there. Streit has a mean streak at times back there too, it’s just more subtle. But overall, I definitely agree with you. For that reason, I’ll flip flop here and say unless the Isles get a really good offer, they should hang onto Witt. Not a popular statement, I’m sure, but any system should be able to find a place for a crease-clearing, leave-it-all-on-the-ice, defensive defenseman, imo. If they’re ready for a playoff run two seasons from now, they’ll appreciate having a guy like Witt down the stretch.
Also, despite me saying Mac was “rusty,” I agree with playing him last night. The guy earned his starts when he was healthy, and easing him back in now that he’s ready again seems sensible…both he and Danis should get starts from here on out to see who takes the ball and runs with it, I think. Really, what’s on the line here that was at jeopardy by starting him last night?
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I would break the rest of the games 50/50
between JMac and Danis just to give them both an equal chance. -
Matt Brosseau says:
#23 UIF:
I’m not convinced that Witt wants to play here anymore. Earlier in the season IIRC he made some negative comments about the Gordon system (which obviously is not ideal for a stay-at-home defenseman like Witt). He’s going to be 34 later this month. He’s signed through 2010-11 and probably knows that he won’t get a deal after that (when he’ll be 36 and that much slower).
Personally, I think if he gets moved, he’s going to be rejuvenated and a freakin’ beast wherever he lands, so I think his value will never be higher. To me, his play has fallen off noticeably this year (-30? What?) as compared to past seasons, despite his good health.
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Dan from Westchester says:
Never thought I’d say this – but actually missed Danis! Thought Joey was pretty shaky last night.
Surprised at how well PP did without Streit. One of Campoli’s best games of the year. Gervais had too many giveaways and one of Martinek’s weaker games.
Don’t think I’d miss Pock if he never played another game for us.
Bailey’s best game as an Islander! So much more aggression from him and his passing is sweet.
Thought they actually outplayed Florida in the 2nd and 3rd. Don’t think this team is as far away as we think they are. .
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joey303 says:
Have to dog Logan a lil. He described in Newsday today Hunters goal. Said Bailey lost the faceoff, Hunter picked it up and backhanded it past Vokoun. Lost the faceoff?? How about, he lost the faceoff, stayed with the puck, bulled his way around the Panther guy, and put in a humongous effort, diving and poking the puck towards Vokoun. That was not only a great highlight film play by anyone, but by an 18 yr old in the NHL??? Priceless !!! Give kudos, not just “lost the faceoff” Sorry, just had to say it
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JPinVA says:
I think JMAC played pretty well in his first stint, but Danis has played even better. I don’t understand changing the HOT goalie at that point… except we don’t want him having a 37 game winning streak so we can finish 9th.
Streit is a top notch “D”, but the team needs to upgrade at the position. they also need to get a little bigger throughout the lineup.
This year they need to improve the bottom six with some size. (Hilbert, becasue he is a UFA, especially).
Hopefully they will be getting one or two prospects for the top six like Figren, so maybe losing the draft lottery and being “stuck” with Hedman wouldn’t be a terrible thing. I’d shackle Cairns to his ankles for a year though, the kid needs to be a little tougher. (Most of us said that about Chara as well…so… what do we know).
What a great goal by Zednik… In the FL postgame he did not look happy at all.
Revisionist History: When Nolan was here the FATHER TRIP was his idea, now it was Snow’s idea.
CB, who’s idea was it? It was a great one. Though, the man crush Howie has on “Dancing Stan” is a little much.
I hope three years from now the same thing doesn’t happen to Al Arbour night.
If either of you guys have access to that group of dads, that could be some great stuff for this blog. -
19 ISLE in NJ 22 says:
Nobody mentioned this … but in watching last night’s game I could of sworn that Howie called Nielsen on the give and go and the goal originally? How could he screw that up?? Maybe I was wrong … I watched the game on Tivo at midnight and was half asleep.
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Streit a defensive stud? Maybe my definition of stud defenseman is a bit off … but to me it’s a defenseman that opponents fear when he’s on the ice … someone who brings a world of hurt with a body check … and anxiety when the puck is on his stick in his offensive zone.
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Witt is a -30 on the worst defensive team in hockey with the worst defensive system… he also came back from injury … Witter is not the type of defenseman that goes below the tops of the offensive zone face off circle … unless it’s in defense of a teammate … I think Gordo needs to adapt his system to accomodate shut down defenseman … those are the guys that keep the opponents from scoring. -
bystander says:
“How is it Wang has a gazillion dollars for the Lighthouse but won’t pay to have the games heard on radio?”
“TM… so you now want Wang to pay more money out of his pocket for you guys so you can hear better on the radio? ”
“I am no expert, but I do not think Wang would pay to have the game on the radio. ”
huh? normally, radio stations bid for the rights to carry a team’s games, right? they pay the team, not the other way around. a team that has to pay a radio station to carry it’s games is in seriously bad shape.
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“Streit a defensive stud? Maybe my definition of stud defenseman is a bit off … but to me it’s a defenseman that opponents fear when he’s on the ice … someone who brings a world of hurt with a body check … and anxiety when the puck is on his stick in his offensive zone.”
The man is good solid player, better than a ton of people realized.
But I totally agree with Mr. 19 ISLE. I’ve always thought of a stud D-man as an anchor and mover in his own end first, but who can also get the puck out and pitch in offensively when it’s there. Streit is competent in his own end and valuable overall, but not in that mold. There really aren’t a lot of true stud D-men. It’s a rare commodity. That’s why Hedman is so appealing and Tavares not the no-brainer to me as with most people. -
Matt says:
Bailey looked great!!!
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Bystander…when I said I am no expert (on Wang paying for radio coverage), if you bothered to read the rest of the post, you would have seen I made the exact same point you did.
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Thanks for agreeing Bystander … examples of Stud defenseman … Lidstrom, Chara, Pronger, Rob Blake, S. Niedermayer, Phaneuf and Chris Chelios and B. McCabe in their primes .. and even S. Souray … or some retired players such as Denis Potvin, Ray Bourque & Kevin Hatcher … Those are STUD DEFENSEMEN!! Captain material too.
Sure… to me anyway … there is a place for specialists such as the pure offensive defenseman … or the shut down defensive defenseman in a sub-catagory of Stud defenseman … players of the offensive / playmaker type … like Rafalski, Streit, Boyle, Green, & Markov … and the bringing a world of hurt, stay at home crease clearers such as …. Komisarek, what Luke Schenn will be, enemy #1 Mottau, Witter in better days, and young bombers Steve Montador & Shane O’Brien …
Isles of the past like Adrian Acoin, Bryan Berard (1st tour) would be Semi-Studs in their respective catagory … old school world of hurt defensemen like Kaspar, Rich Pilon, Ken Morrow & Gerry Hart … brought their own brand of pain to the opposition … and all would be considered shut down defensemen.
I know … there are some big names I left out … I was just bringing up names off the top of my head as examples.
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As far as drafting Hedman vs. Tavares … I vowed not to think of them till after game 60 … but comparing one with the other and what they will bring … both would improve the Isles’ prospect farm vastly … and both would bring something the Isles need desperately … offense and defense.
Tavares is my pick over Hedman for one major reason … marketing … and easier transition to the NHL … defense takes an extra year or two … and being Hedman is playing in Europe … he’d need a lil extra time to adapt to N. American game.
Neither Tavares’ or Hedman’s futures are set in stone … but from all the reports I’ve read on both of them … they are catylistic franchise players in wait.
The Isles would be fortunate to have either one of them … but I think it’s still way to early to start buying a Tavares 91 jersey or Hedman jersey… I’m just happy to see Josh and the rest of the “Hungry Hungry Hippo” playing crew improving every game.
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Marc from Troy says:
To Jim (17)… Forgive me missing what, I’m sure, is a tremendous analysis of something that happened last night, but just what the hell are you talking about?
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Dommy – you must work for NYI as your response is as much of a joke as them not being heard on radio is. Minor league all around. Just 1 more reason NYI is always last in attendance. Great way to reach the fans not paying to be heard on radio. Loser(s).
The kids really are gonna be good. Very nice game by Bailey.