CALLING MR. SHANAHAN: Niederreiter Knocked Out of Game By Dallas’ Mark Fistric
Thanks to Keith for the video.
During the first period of tonight’s game in Dallas, Stars defenseman Marc Fistric left his feet for the hit on Nino Niederreiter that you see above. Fistric received a minor for roughing for the ensuing tussle with Matt Martin, who received a double minor for his trouble. There was no penalty on the hit itself which is very hard to believe (that sound you hear is palms smacking foreheads all across Long Island).
Fistric clearly left his feet — the video was helpfully paused on-air by MSG to emphasize this — and clearly made initial contact with Niederreiter’s head. Leaving his feet and making contact with the head should have been a minor penalty. That none was handed out for the hit is, to be completely clear here, asleep at the wheel officiating. It’s hard to tell whether Fistric led with an elbow or a shoulder, my two cents is that it was somewhere in between. A better camera angle would be nice. Fistric should certainly be getting a call from Brendan Shanahan for this one.
What you don’t see in the video is the aftermath. That would be Niederreiter trying to get up, and failing, having to be helped off the ice by two teammates as he was very woozy. It’s an obvious concussion, injury speculation be damned. The Islanders are now left with the minimum number of healthy forwards on their roster, with Niederreiter and the broken ankled Jay Pandolfo also on the active roster.
About Kevin Schultz
Kevin was formerly an NHL blogger for the now defunct AOL Fanhouse and was the creator of the hockey comedy blog Barry Melrose Rocks. He now covers the Isles for Islanders Point Blank. You can follow him for instant updates on the team and talk hockey with him on Twitter @schultz88. View all posts by Kevin Schultz →66 Responses to CALLING MR. SHANAHAN: Niederreiter Knocked Out of Game By Dallas’ Mark Fistric
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Al R. says:
Parenteau was called for a “head check” a few games back that wasn’t anywhere near as bad as this one. The double standard that the Isles are subjected to clearly radiates down from the NHL offices to the on ice officials. If an Isles player made the same hit there would have been a 5 minute major and a 5 game suspension.
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claude says:
Fistric left his feet. Nuf said
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IslesFan says:
Left his feet and made contact with Nino’s head.
ok, now its nuff said.
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Danfromouteast says: Changed the channel rick dipietro sucks ass. Im watching PFC enough said. Ricky can ruin any ones in net good day. Snow I hope you know you are a complete moron so ix your husband Wang for keeping this crap in net
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Kevin says:
Pitiful. The Ref was looking right at it. Head shot + leaving his feet. Disgusting, truly disgusting…
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Junior junior says:
Maybe they couldnt see it clearly because they are forced to watch the game in low definition.
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Can someone explain the need for Enforcers to wang….
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Phil L says:
I’m actually starting to feel bad for Di Pietro, I mean isn’t he embarrassed? He clearly isn’t NHL material anymore.
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Danfromouteast says:
I hope capuano takes his cell phone out to call snow for permission to pull dipietro
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Al says:
Why the hell is Dp still in net??? What is going on??? Capuano, grow some balls.
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now that’s funny!
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Danfromouteast says:
Moulson sucks! Rick dipietro is trying so hard to lose this game.
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jeff w says:
DP is a joke…the goals not not have been his fault but the team doesnt have confidence when he is in the net….how he wasnt pulled after the third goal is beyond reason. Way to go moulson! Nino….hope he is ok…trip to the world juniors is in order for sure now
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islesrock73 says:
If he had few guys in the lineup, like Haley, Gillies, Konopka etc. this crap would not occur as much. Why not take cheap shots at the Islanders? Other than Martin, who plays a hard hitting clean game, the Isles are a bunch of smurfs.
At this point, I could care less that Gillies cannot skate at an NHL level. How worse can Haley and Gillies be then Reasoner and Ralston? We need several more nasty dudes on this team.
DP is an embarrassment! I cannot remember the last time this guy made a big save.
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Jay says:
if anyone is wondering Zenon Konopka in 20 games is 2-2-4 with 82 pim, and is 58.5% on face offs. while his replacement Marty Reasoner has 21 games 0-3-3 and 12 pim, and is 51.1% on face offs. the major differance seems to be heart. but good thing we don’t need that on the Isles. oh yeah and Comeau in 5 games since snow gave up on him is 1-2-3.
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Islesrock – this was not a cheap shot so relax. The guy move on Nino and went to nail him. The fact he lept upwards and nailed his head should have been a 5 minute plus a game however he did not receive anything. Also on NHL Center Ice they did not even mention the hit while on the topic of suspending player (Ryan Miller incident).
If Gillies, Hailey etc were on the bench the hit still happens. Goring go this one right, when you are new in this league you have to learn you do not have any time. Dallas is big and hit oh by the way we still won the game! -
You know, keep in mind here that when the Isles had the scrum with Pittsburgh last season, a lot of people came down hard on the Isles for their role in the scrum, including Magnificent Mario himself. In fact, over the Summer, there was much criticisim about the game being replayed at an Islander fan meeting.
However, if the refs are not going to call a penalty and if the NHL decides not to discipline Fistric for this hit, then no one should be surprised if there is a repeat of the Pittsburgh scrum the next time that Isles play Dallas. The NHL cannot expect that the Isles or any other team is simply going to forget this and walk away.
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Blizz says: refs just standing there…classic
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Buster says:
Shanahan do your job!
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Mike says:
The Ref should get 5 games without pay also!!!
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islandersfan4ever says:
dp is an fing wastoid
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Danfromouteast says:
Wow pulled groin for DP. There is a hockey god
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Alfred says:
I was getting worried, since we were already in December and Rick hadn’t reported his annual season ending injury yet.
I’m not sure if this groin injury is it, or tonight was really just an injured ego after those three quick goals against.
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Don from Levittown says:
2 of his 4 goals really weren’t his fault. They were tipped. DP can’t even get any credit when he plays well.
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rick says:
I think 3 of the 4 were not really his fault, the 2 tips were not him, the third was where reese had his back to the dallas player and decided not to take his stick out 2 feet infront of the net. by the reaction reese had, he knew it was 100% his fault.
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I think 2-3 of the goals were not DP’s fault. I think the Isles got lax when they went up 3-0 and that helped feed Dallas’s comeback. However, while I don’t think 2, maybe 3 of the goals were not DP’s fault, I do think some goaltenders can come up big for the team and make a game saving save. There were saves made by Montoya in the third period that could have been goals and which would not have been his fault. DP does not seem to be one of those goalies anymore, certainly not on a frequent basis.
I think the Isles should play Montoya as much as possible, within reason, as long as he is the hotter goaltender.
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i dont know what is a bigger joke. d.p. in goal tonight to keep daddy happy, nino out with a concussion and of course the refs look the other way like usual when something bad happens to the isles or nino being attacked in the most vicious dangerous way because cheap, arragant and dysfunctional wang and his puppet snow do nothing to prevent these vicious attacks to the head since they do nothing in bringing in tough sical talented players because that would cost to much money. or maybe wang charging money for reporters who want to drink bottled water. which ever one you pick, the outcome is the same. a last place dysfunctinal organization as long as clown wang ownes the team.
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thank god montaya is in…..2 points in the bag
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7 out of 8 points on the road trip. Playing well, scoring goals. DP played well tonight.
Quit complaining for a change everyone.
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PuckDaddy99 says:
Levittown,
<>
You must have been watching a different game than me. Maybe you were watching the Rangers game and had mistaken Lundqvist for DP.
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DP did play really well…..in the first period. Then it was back to normal in the second. Maybe the 4th goal was blown and the others you could say not 100% his fault, but the point is correct, can the guy make a big save….once.
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Danfromouteast says:
I agree dipietro played great… in the third period
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Don, you must be kidding. The bearded wonder cannot make a big save. Please tell me when the last time DP made a game saving save? I am sure the guy is trying, but at this point, maybe due to injuries, he just stinks. Without a shadow of a doubt, we would have lost tonight if DP played the third period.
Very happy with this road trip. The team really stepped up.
JT is a unbelievable!!
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At least 2, maybe 4, of Montoya’s saves would have been DP goals.
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Staten Islander says:
I’m thinking nino will get 5 games for hitting him in the elbow with his head
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Whaaaaaaaaaaaat says:
Can niño get another conditioning stint in the AHL now if he misses significant time?
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uwe says:
the islanders bias lives on! -how is no penalty called on that play?!
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Jim says:
This hit has to lead to a suspension if there is any fariness at all in the NHL. I’m sure Nino will be out for a long while and at best there will be may a 2-3 game suspension.
If Gillies did something like that he’d be gone for 20 games or more. That was a cheap and dirty hit and the NHL needs to deal with it or they could be staring at another Friday night at the fights like last year’s Penguins game.
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Frustrated Voter says:
There had better be justice for Nino. We are praying that the injury is only minor, otherwise this is another huge setback for the Isles. Remember Brett Lindros? Nino, get well soon! Shanahan better review this. The hockey world is watching.
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Ted says:
The Islanders this season have become frequent victims of bad calls and non-calls. But what happened to Nino tonight takes this to whole new level. If the ref were any closer to the play he would of gotten checked too. How do you not call that?! No excuse! The tape of this game better be on it’s way to the NHL offices, and on Brendan Shanahan’s desk Monday morning. I expect swift justice, including a heavy fine and suspension by the end of the day. Nothing else will suffice.
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KEVIN says:
I was at the game tonight {6th row seats) and I am truly amazed at how talented a player Tavares is. The guy never stops. He doesnt float like a lot of superstars, but is constantly looking for an angle to the puck. He looks like Joe Sakic but plays more defense! Okposo is definitely back and playing very hard. Great to see him back.
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Sidd.Finch says:
I was at the game tonight, sitting in the far endzone at the top of the arena behind the hit and clearly saw it what it was for, Fistric leaving his feet, with the elbow leading to Nino’s head. Glad to see Matt Martin jump in and do what he needed to do. Would have been a PO’d had they scored on the ensuing PP. There is no doubt that there needs to be 2 suspensions here, one to Fistric and one to NHL referee Brad Meier (#34). Furthermore, the penalty to Josh Bailey was freaking weak, he gets called for a trip on a thigh tap. Shanny definitely needs to answer the bell on this one…and from my perspective, there needs to be reprecussions on the officials for this call not being made on the ice in the first place.
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Al L says:
It was only a matter of time before DePietro would go into his soft goal mode tonight. Understandably his teammates play under extreme pressure in their own zone,albeit some challenged defensively. When you don’t have confidence in your goaltender,you tend to compensate by trying to doing too much. That leads to running around and turning the puck over.
This should have been a wire to wire win. Thank goodness for Montoya. I have no doubt a couple of his timely saves would have been in the back of the net had RD not tweeked his groin.
It has now gotten to the point where DePietro is holding the Goalie situation and fanbase hostage. He is now stealing money. Do the right thing,Ricky. You have banked enough to take care of yourself and family for two generations.All you are doing is giving your owner another excuse not to spend. Give him one less excuse and release we the fan from bondage!
RETIRE NOW! DOING SO WILL PLACE WANG’S PAYROLL UNDER THE CAP FLOOR AND FORCE HIM TO ACQUIRE SOME QUALITY YOUNG VETERAN DMEN! You owe it to those who supported you over the past ten years and more importantly your dignity!!! -
You’re right on,Kevin! Tavares had obviously worked his butt off during the offseason. His conditioning and effort is unparalled. I’m amazed at his development as a skater. Never did I believe a plodding skater could morph into one with a burst. The kid actually has become a multigear weapon. So much for the myth he was only a sniper. His playmaking,anticipation and precision passing is as good as anyone in the League.
The goals will come in bunches,but the overall contribution will be consistently brilliant! This is a special kid!!!!-
JT is a superstar! Moulson and PA are nice players with heart but do they have the success they have without him? A true superstar makes his teammates better.
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D in Big D says:
Was @ the game section 219 row B seats 3 & 4 w/ my son.Glad to see Isles win.DP is not an NHL goaltender.DP defenders STOP already w/ this guy.He is absolutely horrendous.Leaving the net in the first & getting knocked down behind the net.We didn’t pay the price w/ goal against but that move was one of many by DP that made no sense!This guy is DONE!The hit on Nino shown on jumbotron showed a CLEAR elbow to head of NINO.Suspension needs to follow.ALso not dressing Haley was a mistake.Ott was running any Isle including JT in the beginning of game.Never would haappen w/ Gillies suited up,period.Say what you want but team plays better w/ those types suited up.Thank GOD for Big Al.
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The problem is the team needs to have 4 lines and Gillies cannot play a regular shift. The need you state is correct and while I love what Gillies brings, the team is too thin to sacrafice one of the lines. I am sure there not a plethera of heavy weights available on the trade route so it is a difficult problem to solve.
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Will says:
Willing to bet that if there is even a suspension for this hit it will be less then 4 games
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justin says:
Three things, One Martin your the man two Nino this ain’t jr. hockey keep your head up,Three nice job Martin not stepping on Nino in the scuffle while he was laying between ya’s
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Ct 74 says:
Damn few goal scorers go into the corners to feed others. Congrats Tavares. Congrats to Molson, four goals, wow. Hit on Nino a disgrace to NHL. Can’t believe wang is so blind to the need for guys such as Haley and Gillies. Does he care about his players? Wonder what shanahan will do if anything? Wonder what the lague will do with their incompetent refs, if anything?
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Brian G says:
he should get 4 games
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moonshine says:
of course it needs to be a suspension.
what i’m most worried about, though, is niederreiter. a couple of hits like this can derail a career. i’m in favor of kids playing with the big club, but the one condition is that you don’t put them in harm’s way. if niederreiter doesn’t read the speed and the dangerous situations of nhl play, he’s better off brought along more slowly.ps-a thumb down for those who immediately jumped into this serious topic only to vent on the lousy goalie again.
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I think you are right here, and Goring was actually making a good point on the topic as well, Nino has to be aware of the speed. I really hope this is not a 6 month injury or career, that would be a huge setback for the team and of course I hope Nino is OK. I haven’t seen someone go down (after the hit) he looked like a boxer after a knock out. I am hopeful his recovery will be similiar.
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isles71 says:
Nice to know a young players’ career could be in jeopardy and nothing called on the play, but they never miss a Holding the stick or too many men call!! Time I think for Shanny to start FINING THE REFS!!! as well. Only regret was that Martin wasn’t able to break his f*&king face. Speedy recovery el NINO
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Also trying not to look at the hit through Islander fan eyes it still looked really bad. I am unclear how 1: no call on the play at all. In this era of erring on the side of caution and sending a clear message, how can the ref not access even 2 minutes and 2: I cannot understand how the NHL Center Ice does not even question the head shot during the replays. They just passed it as a good hard hit…that is why I was asking myself, am I just an Islander fan looking at this….??
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Orange&Blue says:
Fistric will end up getting 3 games most likely. He should get more. It really should depend on the severity of the hit. Nino needed help off the ice, Fistric left his feet and aimed for the head. Shanahan should be dropping 10 games suspensions with this nonsense. This would alter players behavior. Shanny’s discipline is still too much like Colie’s. Not severe enough. I wonder what Tootoo will get for running Miller in his first game back from a concusion. There is clearly a total lack of respect in this league between players.
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billy from RYE NY says:
True,DP is no longer a reliable goalie.Sorry to Rick’s mom ,no offense.But this guy is costing us too many games and $!
By the way,has anyone heard what Billy Joel’s stance is on the ‘ New Arena’ issue is ? -
kingdm9 says:
Thanks Al for getting me that win love RICKEY ..
Isles fans must have been over praying 3 guys got hurt.
Now Nino’s hit better draw a suspension.
Poulin better get the call.. though he is playing like ass in bp but i liked what i saw last year.
7 of 8pts on the road trip Isles looking to pull the ship back on course. Next stop 500 record !!
Tampa playing night before Isles need to come out hard and jump all over them.
Isles still streaking!!!! God does have pity for us isles fans.
Grabs get well soon and learn to put the puck under the crossbar .
Nice Job Matt !!
Billy is helping the ex pay her taxes…..
And any major contact with a goalie with intent to hurt while in his crease.. should be at least a double minor or “roughing the goalie” type penalty ..unsportmanlike + interference… something.. outside of the net is fair play as they can throw checks too..
Dp file the claim like little lindros and end the saga..No come back story for you. sorry it happens, blame mad mike for all i care. do whats best for the team you got your money.
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chris says:
get ready for a 1 and 3 homestand…
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Glens says:
wow he should get at least 5 game’s IMOP, left his feet, targeted the head and an injured player. The ref #34 is 15′ away how do you not make a call, come on Shanny do your job. The league say’s they are taking head shot very serious this season (REALLY)the REF was 15 FT away, I know he didn’t see it the puck was there the two players that the puck was near were there. I just hope Niono is fine but one way or the other Fristic needs to be suspended for @ least 5 game’s, lets wait and see??????
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montoya is our savior says:
Still no word on Fristic cause he won’t be suspended shanahans a ranger and like the nhl he hates the islanders, its rediculous that we go from one asshole who’s son is in the league as the head of discipline to this tool bag. Fristic clearly left his feet and launched him self into Nino head and not even a charging penalty was called is that not the clear deff of charging. P A twice been called for a head check this season do these refs just make up special penalties for islanders only. How bout GM meetings topic was goalies r not fair game can not be hit no matter where on the ice they are Montoyas been run over every game he has played in the last home game he was blatantly checked behind the net by the devils no call this league needs to wake up, u dnt wanna lose a team in this market but ur employs continue to sabatoge it. The nhl refs r as bad if not worse the NFl. AL Montoya is Christ in pads thank god for this kidd Ricky u should sign every check u get from this team over to Al ur clearly a thief to continue to take Mr. Wangs checks Do us Islander Fans a favor and retire.
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I can’t believe there was no penalty called on that hit. Plus the ref was looking RIGHT AT THE PLAY! Just crazy!