Hockey From The Blind Side, Canadians Beat Isles, The Comeback Falls Short

The good news is that the Islanders, though trailing in the third period 3-1, came back to tie the game. The bad news was that the Canadians got the 4th goal and then an empty netter to win the game 5-3.

Obviously, a loss is a loss. It’s no points gained in the standings. It’s games in hand squandered. Close isn’t good enough.

However, to me, viewing things from the positive, the Islanders didn’t show quit. They didn’t simply lay down and die when the game was 3-1. We have seen that happen before in the past, but it didn’t happen this time. Instead, They fought back, and really did control the third period of the game.

The Islanders did score the first goal of the game. Matt Moulson netted his 15th of the season, but the lead was not to remain for long. Andrei Kostitsyn and Mathieu Darche scored two quick goals after that to give Montreal the lead.

The Islanders were shorthanded for almost 7 and a half minutes in total in the second period, but Al Montoya made some 15 saves throughout that span. After the Canadians took a 3-1 lead, Josh Bailey and John Tavares scored goals to tie the game up in the third period. Unfortunately, X-Islander, Petteri Nokelainen came off the bench and fired a slap shot that got passed Al Montoya to score the game winner, Montoya not seeing the blast until it was too late.

Although the Islanders still did not quit, Hall Gill got the empty net goal to seal the game for Montreal. To me, it was a disappointing ending to a pretty exciting third period.

“We were down by two goals and we kept coming,” Jack Capuano said of his team’s effort. “We didn’t quit. Those guys aren’t going to quit. That’s part of the effort tonight. There’s no excuse for losing and sometimes you get sick and tired of hearing it, but this was a game I thought we should have come out with a point.”

As some “blind Observations” I took from the game;

• JT scored another goal. It’s nice to see him back on the scoring sheet with more than assists.

• Matt Moulson continues to find the twine. Remember what I said about the lack of respect he gets because he’s an Islander. I’m sick of reading things along the lines, “despite being an Islander, Matt Moulson ….”

• Josh Bailey is coming alive. Confidence is a real good thing. Keep it up, Bails.

• Al Montoya didn’t deserve to lose that game. His GAA might have gone up from the last couple of games, but he still has not deserved the losses.

• This team gets no respect from the officiating. No, I will not jump on my soap box, and I am not a “conspiracy theory” guy, but even being blind, I can “see” the reality.

• Why does it always seem that one mistake ends up costing this team games? Maybe, I’m just a bit extra sensitive and notice it, and, perhaps, fans of other teams can say the same thing about their team, but man oh man ….

So, the Stars come a calling Thursday at the NVMC. We get to see Mr. Fistric after his hit on Nino, and right off of his 3 game suspension for said hit. And why was Micheal Haley sent down? Someone better pay Mr. Fistric a little visit on the ice. Yeah, I’m old school … I know if I were playing the game, I’d be hunting bear out there Thursday night.

Will we see Montoya again in net, or will Nabbie be back between the pipes? After the Stars, the Isles go to Minnesota to play the red hot Wild, so things will not get any easier for them. One game at a time, though. A nice rebound with a win on Thursday will be just what this team needs.

For the Canadians perspective and their team coverage, please visit their blog,
A Winning Habit

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