ISLANDERS 5, LIGHTNING 1
All Around Effort in Most Impressive Game Yet
Box score :: AP Recap
written by Kevin Schultz
Sometimes teams have those nights where everything goes just right. When Victor Hedman opened the game by swatting a puck into his own net, maybe that was the cue. The Islanders jumped out to 4-1 lead after one period and Michael Grabner added a goal in the second to make it 5-1, a score that would hold.
The story of the game was the first line, of which Matt Moulson and John Tavares had been held scoreless through the first two games. Had they not shown up on the scoresheet again tonight, you would probably be hearing a few gripes about that from the gallery. Of course, it was exactly the opposite. After the flukey goal that Hedman batted in, the Moulson-Tavares-Parenteau combination took full advantage of a Lightning defense that stood around and watched most of the offense coming their way. The second goal of the period came from Moulson in typical Matt Moulson fashion by banging home a rebound in great position at the front of the net. Tavares would notch his second after some tic-tac-toe passing and earn an early nomination for play of the season. This isn’t one of the top lines in the league but these guys deserve to be where they are and have earned their spots.
As you can see, the Tampa defense didn’t really mind when the puck was carried right into their zone. Kudos to the Isles trio for some absolutely beautiful tape-to-tape passing. Parenteau would close the period with a slam dunk of his own, a beautiful feed from Tavares in the slot.
Parenteau and Moulson take their shots from critics but nights like this show you why those claims are mostly unfounded. This isn’t a top line with some impressive resume and list of accolades, sure. Maybe the criticism comes because the pedigrees of Tavares’ wingers aren’t like that of his own. Maybe it’s because Moulson and Parenteau were both AHL cast-offs of their former teams. Regardless, these guys are for real and there’s a clear chemistry when they’re on the ice together. They all have the ability to start and finish plays, as we were witnesses to tonight. They absolutely shredded an average NHL defense and bounced Dwayne Roloson who, to be fair, wasn’t to blame on more than a couple of those goals. The inability of his defenders to move bodies out of the crease and flat out get their sticks in passing lanes did him in.
But the great effort didn’t end with the first line. The second line of Okposo-Nielsen-Grabner was absolutely buzzing and notched the 5th goal in the second period. A bounce here or there and they certainly could have had more. Both of the bottom two lines were solid as well with Josh Bailey pulling out an eye catching spinorama.
In my pre-game earlier today, I doubted the ability of the Islanders’ defense to keep up with a speedy Tampa Bay team. Consider me proven wrong. Up and down the line up, this was a great game. The defense continued where they left off on Monday in terms of clogging passing lanes and blocking shots. To a man, they were able to isolate and shut down their opponents, the only goal coming off a deflection from Steven Stamkos. Even on that play, Stamkos was off balance and headed away from the crease thanks to a shove from Andy MacDonald.
As for the man in net, Al Montoya, well what is there to say? 34 saves on 35 shots. Montoya will surely be the starter on Saturday against the Rangers, something he certainly deserves. As the solid starts keep piling up, the leash on Montoya gets longer and longer.
The only real concern coming from this game are the liberties a few Lightning took with John Tavares. Victor Hedman had a hit on Tavares in the first of questionable timing, throwing him towards the boards at an odd angle. In the third, Hedman was back for more in a sequence that saw a few small cross-checks and Steve Downie starting some stuff. That’s just what Steve Downie does and it’s hard to say that Tavares was in any significant danger in the latter situation. For those that are concerned have no fear, earlier today Katie Strang tweeted that a Gillies return is near.
NEWS AND NOTES
- Former Islanders coach Steve Stirling is back on the bench in Binghamton after going through a quadruple by pass earlier in the year. An absolutely great story and best of luck to Mr. Stirling. (TheAhl.com) Thanks to Anthony L for the link.
- After being returned to juniors, Ryan Strome had a hat trick tonight. Not too bad of a start!
113 Responses to ISLANDERS 5, LIGHTNING 1
All Around Effort in Most Impressive Game Yet
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Mike says:
If JT is hurt we are DONE!!!! Someone should have gone after hedman or stamkos!!! PROTECT the BEST player we have!!!!
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I hate to rain on the parade, because I was very happy to see the team play like they did. However, if I was Tavares, I would be furious at my teammates. Four Lightning are allowed to go after him with no consequence? Disgusting.
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A Real hockey fan. says:
.. Nice effort from EVERYONE (4 lines, Dman and Montoya) They played well from Montoya going out, no rebounds, no 2nd chances
.. Tavares had a monster game (1st period) and looks like hes picking up his game
.. 1 minus, is he was taking a couple extra hits, over the course of a season that will add up. Lets not make a habit of him getting hit, im glad Matt Martin went over to Hedman at end of game. We need EVERYONE standing up for EVERYONE on this team, we will not get pushed around!
.. Good effort all around and i hope it continues
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Blizzard says: I have to agree that liberties are being taken with JT. Someone has to pound someone there…..
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Bring up Haley!!!!!!!! Protect JT!!!
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Isle Fan in Rye NY says:
Hedmon needs a little retribution– next game
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Turgeiton says:
Great game but Martin played good tonight but was he comes up to hedman after the game and says something? WEAK Now we have to see if he is ok. He better play sat!!! Montoya is coming into his own
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BTW…
Don Luce would have crushed Hedmon!! -
Staten Islander says:
Katie Strang tweeted that JT had a leg cramp
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Tom D in NJ says:
Solid win but wish we had more toughness. JT should be protected.
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Matt says:
Haleeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyy….. Duhhhhhh
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BringBackNyles says:
Great sign that we have come out with jump the last two games
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Madchef says:
Not so sure we dont have enough toughness but need somebody to shadow JT or at least make Hedman pay,(or Downie with the cheap shot punch during the same play) Tampa does not have any goons employed in their everyday lineup and were a game short of the finals.Great showing by the team, looks like they are picking up steam. Now go get them Rags!!
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therain93--terriers fan says:
Great Game….you can expect Haley up for the Rangers game I suspect….
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Jonathan, Smithtown says:
well, the play was dead and JT decided to just throw out a left jab.. by that time all the other islanders probably skated away from the scene because it was over.. still should have caused a big fight just based on principle haha
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first off all the whole game on msg was unwatchable due to technical difficulties. the audio and video stopped every 10 seconds. again this was for the full 60 minutes not just once in a while. this happened a lot last year as well but i never saw a technical problem with rags games. i believe msg does this on purpose since they own the rags and hate the isles. it doesnt mattter how many millions msg pays the isles to broadcast the games. msg doesnt care and it seems the isles dont care either. also as i always mention how all the other teams use j.t. as a pundhing bag and you sure saw that tonight. give it a few more games til j.t. is out for a very long time. cheap and arragant wang do nothing and dont care that there star player is brutalized every game. how sad is that. at the very least haley and even wishart should be brought up as protection for j.t. with strome sent down, nino should be sent down as well to open up these spots, especially since he is still hurt. hats off to montoya and let him ride til he loses. thought it was bush when reasoner came out when j.t. was announced as first star raising his stick but of course mgt. thinks isles fans are stupid so this shouldnt be a surprise either.
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Al says:
Just a matter of time before our best player goes out with a concussion. You can’t have other players taking runs at him without consequences. Why can’t we protect our best players???
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#20 your out of line lol.. broadcast was fine, looks like you gotta run to cablevision and pick up a new box.. and too negative, shape up!
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Paul says:
Great! JT and Montoya are beasts! But this wouldn’t last without Haley. Bring him up.
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NYIchamp39 says:
According to NHL.com recap. Tavares said he had a muscle cramp in his quad. Came in and had a drink of water and felt fine. Good news! Just pray that’s all it was!
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Battfist says:
M broadcast of the game was interrupted the same way…every ten seconds. Real annoying. All my other channels work great.
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Nick says:
Konopka would have looked very useful on this years team.
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Stumpy32 says:
Jesus…everyone, we just beat a team picked to finish near the top of the conference, beat them handily, and for the first time in 3 games, we saw the awesome potential of this team. Top line was sick…totally in sync throughout. Ditto the second FNgo line. Hell, the fourth line – Martin, Reasoner – had a ton of chances, and looked dominant. Our PK was perfect. We had a ton of great chances, and buried nearly every one.
This is a GOOD thing. Doesn’t mean we’re winning the Cup tomorrow, but can we calm down from all the negativity and realize that tonight was exactly what we were hoping the Isles would look like all summer. I mean, hell. Calm down.
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KOkid21 says:
Same here my MSG feed sucked ! Its like they knew the channel was messed up and said let’s put the Isles on there, oh BTW MSG+ where we normally play was clear and watchable. Once again the Dolans effing with us !
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Mark from massapequa says:
The boys played great hockey tonight! All three periods! My broadcast was fine.
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Paul M says:
like the way pandolfo and rest of 4th line played. run the 4 lines every night. some talent there too.
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rpchief2 says:
Some people just live in the negative. We play a great game and still the same complaints. If JT was really pissed he should drop the gloves, that will get everyone involved. Lets stick it to the Rangers on Saturday.
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Winning says:
5 goals so quick i was bored had to watch tv shows…Mustbe killing wang n dipietro to see them win without dipietro.
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islesrock73 says:
Great win, but we need Haley, ASAP. Late in the third, JT was flat on the ice and was getting double teamed by Hedman and Downie. There was an Islander in the corner too, I think Bailey, just watching passively. Who ever the sissy Islander was, he should be benched. At the very least, a push, shove, a glove to the face, was in order to protect your teammate. Just gutless!!
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Will says:
i agree this team need toughness but who are you gonna scratch to put in haley, pandolfo rolston reasoner they all played great tonight haley cant kill penalties like thoes guys
other then that great game tonight -
Numbers65 in Ohio says:
I was getting ready to cancel Center Ice because the video quality and try it on Gamecenter thru PC instead, but if the feed is comming from a poor source it doesn’t matter which vendor I get it from I think. ANYWAYS What a game. Montoya better be staying in net. If this is JT 2011-12 we are in for some fun with line 1. I agree we need to protect our investment!
Counting down till the Rangers!!!!
LET’S GO ISLANDERS!!!!
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Orange&Blue says:
Best Islander game I have watched in a very long time. They need to play like this every night. They made a very good Tampa team look awful. We need the same effort for the Rangers on Saturday. We play like tonight and we will beat the Rangers with ease.
Nice to see Josh Bailey show up. Its about time. Another solid game from our checking line. They have been great every game.
Montoya is going to win this job in the first 2 weeks of the season.
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okpososcores21 says:
Granted its only been 3 games this season but im mostly impressed with what was suppose to be this teams weakness. The defense. Only giving up 4 goals in 3 games is impressive not to say, against Tampa and a completely retooled dynamic offense in Minnesota. We really have to be proud of what our defense has accomplished thus far this season. On another note. Good to finally see the big guns get going and when they are going may be one of the fastest most dangerous in the league. Yes I said it. Picture perfect game from the goalie on out. Where are all the Parenteau haters now. Face it hes got some skill and is continuing the chemistry he exhibited with Tavares and Moulson last season. He made a nice play that resulted in Tavares second goal. Eaton has looked alot better out there and the same can be said for Motau except for a few minor blunders. Looking forward to a solid win against the Rangers when they come to town. Nice to hear the lets go islanders chants in abundance tonight. Lets get that place rocking again like the 80s and early 90s again LETS GO ISLANDERS!!!
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nick m says:
i honestly dont know who to replace in order to bring up toughness. the fourth line is so vital to the islanders success. without them the penalty kill wouldnt be so great. pandolfo? i dont know
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Juniorjunior says:
My broadcast was fine….no problems at all- great job by all tonite
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The crowd was not exactly large but the fans were into it. Taking out the matinee I have no idea why they continue to play, the first two night games fans seem to have an energy to them that we have been lacking
A win Sat would go a long way with the fans
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Jerome says:
A little reality check is in order: The Rangers are coming to town and are coached by Tortorella. You really think he’s not going to have the Rangers ready to play us? They will try to not allow us to do the things we like to do, specifically the transition game. They will clog the neutral zone and try to stand us up at their blue line. We need to beat divisional opponents(yes, the Flyers too) to be taken seriously in the Atlantic and the East.
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german islesfan says:
Great first period and a solid second and third period. The MSG broadcast on NHL Gamecenter was perfect nothing to complain here in Germany. Go Isles !!
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West Coast Fan says:
This paragraph was in the Newsday article: “Roloson was not good, but he was hardly to blame as his Lightning teammates gave the Isles free reign to rush the zone and create chances. Roloson did not leave the Isles on great terms, with several players feeling the goaltender was not a good teammate before he was dealt. “So happy [we chased him],” Parenteau said. “You can write that one down.”
Did I miss something with Roloson? I had no idea there was bad blood between he and the rest of the guys…
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Roli can be a little moody. I’m not surprised he may have been perceived this way.
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does anyone know what the attendance was for tonights game??? i was there and it looked like less then mondays game which i was also at i dont think we broke 10000 ppl today which is sad
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Strummer's Army says:
See stick Bruno on the other team and it is easy to score goals. Have not gotten to watch full game yet but the video I saw and the comments are not surprising without Gillies and Haley teams have been going after the Isles all season. We see this every time a team doesn’t have enough toughness.
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Keep winning games like this and the coli will fill up every game
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Swan says:
After a complete game like this one, no need to change the line up for the Rags. The Pandolfo line has been the most consistent Isles line so far this season. Clearly the most veteran line and they play like it. Silly to consider sitting Jay.
If we must have Gillies or Haley in the lineup, Comeau is the only one we can sit, imo. None of them are critical on the PP and useful on the PK. Haley would provide as many hits as Comeau and drives to the net much more consistently.
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Matt says:
A couple of points:
1. Matt Martin can not play the role of enforcer by himself. Haley or Gillies has to be in the lineup too. The only other guy willing to drop the gloves regularly is Hamonic and he is way too important to have in the box for 5 – 10 minutes a game.
2. As much as I would like to see Nino on the JT line instead of PA, I can’t deny the chemistry that PA has with JT and Moulson.
3. As many PIM’s as Konopka took, we miss his faceoff prowess. Last night wasn’t so bad, but over the first 2 games, the Isles lost way too many faceoffs. Especially in their own zone.
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Beautiful win last night. Hope that the Isles put in a similar effort against the Blueshirts on Saturday.
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WM says:
Who sits when Nino comes back? I vote Bailey or Comeau.
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Adam says:
I usually don’t care too much about toughness, but man, we really nead someone to mix it up a little. Tavares had downie and hedman pushing him, with lecavalier dropping his stick and holding him from behind. It took way too long for another islander to get in the mix. Otherwise great game. But can we be honest about the second JT goal. Moulson’s “pass” was either going wide or going right into the goalie, but it hit the defenseman’s stick and deflected right to JT. I wouldn’t call that play of the year material.
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Frustrated Voter says:
Great job. Now keep doing it.
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claude says:
Great win. However want to see where we are after 10
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gary says:
as i mentioned previously, i really think the short exhibition season number of games hurt the team in prep—i hope they learned their lesson as they are starting to jell more now
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PA ISlanders says:
I thought this game was going to be 5-1 tampa,i agreed with you kevin and thought tb fast offense was going to make fools of our d. i am happy that i was completely wrong.
wow thats what i wanted to see game one and two.
as for the short exhibition season we had, i think your playing with fire remember we lost two stars last season in meaningless pr scrimage?On to saterday, wipe the floor with those rags.
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Piper (in DC) says:
#32 with fans like you the team is in great shape.. #31 you are correct.
They played a sold game and it was a great game to be at.. -
Tom NYC says:
My MSG feed was terrible…maybe it was a Time Warner issue? Great game, consider me a PA fan now.
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Jim Clark says: Our powerful 6th place Islanders just keep rolling on. BTW, Brutal Gervais was a 0 yesterday, it was Brewer as worst ex-Islander on ice with a -3.
Bring on them Blueshirts!
Get well soon, DP
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Joe in Massapequa says:
Two things regarding the toughness – Vinny Frenchman ran Montoya a little and Travis Hamonic would have none of that. I was impressed by Hamonic all night and he isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty. The second thing that bothered me a little was when Grabs had a scoring opportunity and Roli made the save. Then there were two Tampa players pushing Grabs around with KO at his side looking like a pedestrian. I am not asking the guy to drop the gloves but even up the sides and just grab and face wash or something for crying out loud. I wasn’t around for the dynasty years but I would bet that if that was Bossy in the crease being pushed around then three Isles would be by his side pushing back twice as hard.
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BanGarth says:
We played great last night , JT is coming into his own and showed poise and the skill of a budding super star. I am not one who thinks fighting is always the answer but we need someone in this lineup to protect him. No one ever took liberties like that on Bossy, Gretzky, Lemiux etc. If this isn’t addressed he will be hurt sooner or later. I understand that playing Gillies over Pandalfo their is a dropoff in skill but having JT out of the lineup b/c someone cross checked him into the board or hit him with an elbow is 100 times worse. We want Haley….
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markp says:
Finally, two years later I think I finally have found out who CB claimed was a phoney in the Locker Room….PA and Arthur Staples outed Roloson.
Haley needs to play in the TB rematch-for Pandolpho….and when Nino is ready…Roloson drops to the 4th line…..and Pandolpo sits regularly -
Bubs says:
Agree with the MSG comments, but when I switched to HD, the broadcast was fine…dont know if anyone else noticed that.
Dont want to see anyone from the 4th line scratched right now for a guy like Gillies or Haley but agree that I would bench Comeau for a game and put a guy like Haley on the 3rd line. Cant agree with shaking up the 4th line to put Gillies in just for the Rangers game but agree we need a touch more toughness if people are going to run at JT
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Tony says:
I’m glad the Isles won but don’t get too happy–3 of the goals were of the fluky/lucky variety.
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goislesgo105 says:
Please, enough with the Haley man crush. He is a career 3rd/4th line AHL’er who’s plus/minus for Bridgeport this year is -3!! I want to win games, not fights. If we need toughness to protect JT, Caps can put Martin on the first line for a few shifts. We should be excited. This team looks like they are taking the next step, JT looks like a super star and the Isles have one of the top prospect pools in the NHL! Garth’s doing a great job. GO ISLES!
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Cdu says:
Great game by the isles. I was impressed with how they were able to actually carry the puck out of their own end. Usually it’s the repeated failed clearing attempts. No problem on the MSG feed for me yesterday on Comcast.
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Mike says:
Just enjoy the win some people have to stop being so negative
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mht says:
On Sept 23 the Federal Communications Commission ruled that Cablevision has 30 days to furnish the MSG HD signal to Verizon Fios and AT&T subscribers on reasonable terms and conditions.As a recent convert to Fios from Cablevision,I hope the FCC has the teeth to enforce this ruling.Cablevision in a subsequent press release claims with the SD broadcasts Fios and AT&T customers are not being short changed.When I was a Cablevision customer I was constantly being reminded by their obnoxious commercial spokesman that all 9 NY sports teams can only be seen in HD on Optimum.
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DD says:
I’ve not been a Parenteau fan up to now but I have to admit he looks like he’s blossoming here..
Great win! -
Oh...Marrone says:
Can someone tell the isles that this is a contact sport. They need to start sticking up for themselves. the lack of toughness on this team will hurt us in the end.
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Randy says:
If Konopka were still around, as he most definitely should be, Hedman and/or Stamkos would be limping today.
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Erika says:
Woooo!! Great confidence building game by the boys! J.T. is becoming all he was advertised to be. Also, I just don’t understand anyone who bashes P.A. at this point. The guy has great chemistry with Moulson and J.T, why in the world would you want to change that? I for one, love his game. he is an offensive threat every time he is out there. I agree that too many people are taking liberties with J.T. Perhaps the answer is not to insert Gillies or Hailey, but to coach the players on the ice to stick up for each other. Then again, I do notice that when Gillies is in the line-up, the opposing team is much more, ehem…subdued!
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Jim says:
Can’t wait for Nino to be able to play. The team looks good without him but his toughness can only help. Maybe he can protect JT a bit.
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jpow321 says:
i noticed something that really pissed me off at the game last night..the attendance was weak again and the islanders are really trying to fill the seats. me and a buddy and a few other people were sitting in our seats watching the 3 star selection and the moulson interview..all of a sudden the usher tells us to beat it and start walking down..matt wasent even done talking and i missed half of the interview because the guy was in a rush to go home..we pay alot of money for these seats and thats not a good way to win people back..the event was not even over…
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Don says:
The Islanders should be dressed in pink until they start playing like real men. You pussies who say you don’t need toughness in the lineup don’t understand the possible ramifications. If you want all these cream puffs to continue to play and ignore the abuse JT is taking, there’s going to be a serious hit on him and then he’ll be out for a while and the season will be over.
I was waiting for Martin to take a run at Stamkos since TB saw fit to abuse JT after he had 4 points in the 1st period. They target your best guy so you reciprocate. Do you think that JT would have been targeted if Haley and Gillies were playing?
I truly believe Snow is playing with fire by not having more protection in the lineup. Sooner or later he’s going to get burned.
Funny, when Snow played I don’t remember him being such a *****. I wonder what changed?
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Chris says:
Don, stop with the dramatics. They need to protect their players & will. They know JT & others got smacked around. They will respond & send a message. Hopefully, it won’t upset the great Mario. Have not seen his comment on Asham.
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Anthony says:
We get off to a good start to the season which is great to see,but the season will be over before it starts if we don’t protect JT.Its only game 3 and we already almost had a scare and we haven’t even played a bigger or physical team yet.If we lose him the season is over,coliseum would be more empty then it is now and we will have another lottery pick.PROTECT YOUR FRANCHISE PLAYER!!!!
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Don is right on , like it or not it is part of the game. Jay Beagle took a run at Letang the other night and Asham made sure he will never do that again. His actions after were bush league but i don t think amy Caps will take cheap shots the rest of the year against any of the Pittsburgh softies. I think the DP injury is scripted, beginning of the end.
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Pitt at the coliseum the 25th , Asham , McIntyre and co , better have Haley and Gillies flown in.
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Big Kev says:
I hate to have a bad taste after such a well-played game, but if there was ever a time to make a point, it should have been when we were up 5-1 with 10 minutes left. Someone should have run Hedman and started pounding him. So what if we take a 5 minute penalty. We are up 5-1. Make the point. You don’t get away abusing our franchise – JT.
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bababaoey to ya'll says:
Why do you say this isnt one of the top lines in the league???I don’t understand why that was necessary…They have been among the top lines since the middle of last year…
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Ban Garth—since when is letang a softie? he is one of dirtiest players in league…he should of handled himself and not had asham do his dirty work..thats what bother me more than anything..tough guys standing up for these dirty cheapshot artis who cant handle themselves in a fight
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MikeInNYC says:
The first line is good but off the top of my head I can name 10 teams with a better first line
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Bob E. says:
all the stars are aligning. DP on the shelf. Montoya is shining.
Isles offense+ Montoya + Health= Playoffs.
You cant say adding the vets is not helping. Isles have held 2 leads already this year.
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83 Marrone I hear what your saying but at least they stand up for each other , our guys stand around and make believe nothing is happening, did you see KO last night when Grabner was getting mugged ?
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Bob Bassen says:
Moulson can be a pretty abrasive guy on the ice at times but the Islander’s top 2 lines are soft…with a capital S! Hopefully they can at least *speak* with consistent scoring but they also VERY much need to find some edge and nasty to their game too, imo. Okposo seemingly RUNS from any conflict on the ice. Anyone think Dion Pheunuf wouldn’t think twice before cleaning his clock again?
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Puckhead says:
Haley for Pandolfo…end of story
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tonyd says:
DP are you serious Thank God Snow stole Nabakov last year.
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In no uncertain terms, Snow needs to tell DP that he is now the starting goalie of the Sound Tigers. If he puts together a good season down there, injury free, then in he can try to make the big club again next training camp.
He can get his money, but he can enjoy those buses to Hershey instead of pretending to be an NHL goalie.
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Why don’t we let Okposo focus on producing offense and creating space for his linemates, like he’s supposed to.
The Islanders have Matt Martin and Trevor Gillies to mix it up out there and protect teammates. I’m sure Capuano doesnt want KO in the box anymore than he wants people taking runs at Grabner and Tavares. Gillies has been hurt and Martin has been throwing his weight around so far this year…everyone needs to relax.
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Dan says:
Great game last night.
I just hope this is the real Islanders and not just good luck at the start of the season.
If everyone stays healthy and this is not fake, everyone should be getting really excited
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I Come In Peace says:
I’m a Rangers fan and I have to say that John Tavares is the best hockey player in New York. I root for the Islanders as long as they’re not playing the Rangers and am very excited to see this game saturday, both teams have a lot of potential and talent this year. Best of luck Isles fans!
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isleopine says:
I can understand everyone wanting to see Nino on the top line, but last nights game showed yet again what a great pair of hands nad playmaking ability PA brings. He is a great catalyst for JT. Tegrettably the building did look like it was half empty and this is against a team that went all the way in the conference with lots of former Isles on the roster. Sad.
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Wow after Saturday they don’t play again until Thursday. At Tampa Bay. Hope they can keep it together when they’re in FLA, I think that will be a good test for them.
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Haley isnt 1/3 the player pandolfo is i know we need protection but we need to win games not fights and thats all haley is really gonna do maybe the odd goal here or there
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Blizzard says:
some people don’t get the fact that if there is no intimidating presence JT is gonna be on the IR.
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This is a re-occurring problem with this team..year after year we lack team toughness..i love haley,gillies, marting but there is only so much they can do to police..the fact that our other forwards dont stick up for themselves or each other is scary..look at certain players that stick out-mike richards,ryan callahan,dubinsky,just about every player on philly…all skilled guys not huge but they dont get taken advantage of like our smurfs..is it the indivdual?the coaching?its become our team culture which is sad. i dont knwo but things better change
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mike says:
i wouldnt change a thing. Pandolfo has played well and is perfect on the p.k. Leave it to islander fans to nit pick. Looking good so far. Hopefully the days J.T’s line struggles are the days where guys like Comeau and Bailey pick up the slack. They have depth that they haven’t had in a long time. Until there is an injury or someone really struggles lets keep this lineup going. Also, Montoya is a clear #1 right now, but don’t run him into the ground. Let Nabby play one of the back to backs when they come up.
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oh and throw in about every player on the pens as well-these are all teams in our division-all with a lot of team toughness..lets get with the program isles
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Paul says:
#95, thank you for that post. Has anyone noticed how good the penalty kill has been. Pandolfo is a big part of that.
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Bryan says:
Team looks good when all 4 lines can get going like they did. 1st line is looking great, I wouldn’t change it when Nino arrives. 2nd line is set, I’d like to see Nino go to the third line with Bailey and Comeau-If they just go out there with some confidence and shoot the puck, they can be successful. The 4th line needs to be hitting, not just Martin- wouldn’t mine seeing Haley.
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mind seeing Haley.
also, we need to protect JT. When we play tougher teams we need to be able to respond because they will target him. -
Putting Haley in this lineup right now, makes the Isles line up weaker and less versatile, although they would gain toughness.
I wouldn’t mind seeing Haley replace Comeau eventually, but I think it is too soon to sit Blake and send him a message. Plus Blake should be the better overall player. There is no other player Haley could replace right now that wouldn’t seriously weaken the lineup.
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BobbyNy23 says:
Either get JT an invisible force field or bring up Haley.
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You can’t worry about moving some 3/4 liner out of the lineup, you have to worry about protecting your franchise player.
JT is in his 3rd year now and about to blossom into a 40-50 goal scorer, 80-90 point guy.
Bill Torrey recognized what he had in Trottier & Bossy and put Clark Gillies on that line for both his ability and to protect those hall of fame caliber guys.
Nino is probably too young to step into that role but at some point Snow should package guys like P.A., Comeau, Bailey & Nabokov, part with some cash, and get someone with size and strength who can step into P.A.’s slot on the 1st line.
In the meantime, Martin, Haley & Gillies are what you have to keep the other teams honest and keep them away from JT, or make them pay the price.
As to Ricky, he should man-up, do the right thing, and retire. It’s just getting absurd now, its one thing after another. If not for the team than for his own health. Wang will take care of him for the rest of his life and that would free up substantial resources going forward. He could become Assistant GM. After all, with the NYI’s, there’s no experience required.
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scott says:
love the win great effort…would love it even more with a fourth line of gillies hailey konopka…im tired of getting pushed around and lets not forget garth snow and islander fans who like fighting or not…last year, the last game of the season, no playoffs and a meaningless game against round II with the penguins was close to a sellout…coinsidence…absolutley NOT!!!
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TimQ says:
By reading the comments here you would have thought that JT was hog-tied and gang raped by the Lightning. I watched the game and I saw a couple of cheap shots taken by a team that was getting humiliated by the Islanders. Sure they could use some more toughness but lets not over react yet
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TimQ, you’re missing the point here. It’s not what actually happened last night but WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED or WHAT MIGNT HAPPEN in the future to your franchise player unless he’s protected.
The other teams just have to know that there will be retaliation if JT, or for that matter, anyone that’s hot on the Isles, say Grabner, is targeted. That was the whole point of the Pittsburgh game last year when the team sent a message.
The approach doesn’t have to be the same as that game, but solid retaliatory hitting targeting their top players, and occasionally fighting the instigators will send the same message. By using players like Martin, Haley and Gillies you send the message that it won’t be tolerated.
Most of you guys are probably too young to remember but all Clark Gillies had to do is GLARE at someone who tried to take a cheap shot at his teammates, and the message got through loud and clear. Now granted, he was exceptional, which is why his number hangs from the rafters, but the team needs that blend of skill and toughness if they’re going to continue to progress.
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nyc dork says:
If kanopka was in the line up, he would have ripped rolston and bailey for skating away.
so far i dont see “team toughness”
not good…
I think snow is ****** for not signing Rupp.
im tired of being pushed around and its only 3 games into the season.
the rangers have prust, rupp, callahan, dubinsky ready to grind out our team. snow will insert gillies into the line up for 2 minutes and think problem is solved. something has to change. -
Isles4cups says:
Ahhh…Clark Gilles, yes, I remember him. If only JT had a winger like that. Someone has to step up for JT and send a message. The last thing I want to read is that he is injured due to some cheap shot. Protect the face of the franchise.
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KaiserVanIslander says:
We do need some toughness in the line up. Martin can’t do it alone. Question is who sits right now. PK is great so can’t get rid of the old guys. Who sits when Nino comes back? Bailey or Comeau. I think we should trade Bailey and Comeau for a D man or Bailey, Comeau and PA for a top 6 winger. Mattou can go if we get a D man. If it’s the winger then we call up Haley and were good. Just think of JT feeding the puck to a real top 6 winger.
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Bababoey to ya'll says:
Im sure Cappy will address the fact that we need to stick up for each other…Calm down folks..
WOOOOOOOO. now thats the team i expected to see at the start of the season!!!!!