Eyes On Isles
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Top Shelf : Islanders Daily 10/12/13

By Andy Graziano

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Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Islanders suffered their first regulation loss of the 2013-14 season last night in Chicago, falling to the Blackhawks 3-2.

It was an uneven performance, especially offensively, but did provide some positive aspects as well.

Kevin Poulin looked sharp in his first start of the season, moving well and making difficult saves through tremendous traffic in front of his goal. The second line of Josh Bailey, Frans Nielsen and Michael Grabner continued their excellent play early and are proving to be quite the handful for opposing defenses.

On the not so good side, the defense was pressured all evening and clearly had their struggles in the transition game. Matt Donovan was welcomed to the NHL and while he did not play poorly overall, most definitely will learn some valuable lessons to take forward in his career ascension.

Overall, Jack Capuano was not happy with the performance and let his feelings be heard in the post-game presser…

“A few guys could probably learn from watching a game,” he said. “To me, it’s about work ethic and battle level.”

“We didn’t win the wall battles and when we did win a wall battle, we threw it to the middle of the ice. When you mismanage the puck against that team, when you don’t make them play a 200-foot game, you’re going to get hemmed in and have trouble.”

They do not have much time to dwell on the loss however, getting right back at it tonight in Nashville with an 8pm start against the Predators. The Islanders will then fly home for a homestand next week that includes games against the Sabres, Oilers, Hurricanes and Canucks.

Don’t forget to check out the link below to enter our Eyes On Isles contest giveaway! There are three great prizes to be won, including an Islanders hat, shirt and 2 tickets to a late season home game.

In Case You Missed It

Two Minutes For Tweeting

  • The ‘GIF’ heard around the world this morning is of Tavares doing his own dental work on the bench after taking a puck to the mouth.
  • The Chicago Blackhawks have won two Stanley Cups in four seasons not by accident and have tons of experience over there on that roster. The Islanders are not quite there obviously, but did not look totally outmatched thats for sure.
  • Yep – and a quick turnaround to Nashville tonight, which could erase any feelings about the loss real quickly.
  • Capuano is the right man for this team and I agree Ryan, the accountability he makes them feel is crucial to future success.
  • Tony is a respected Islanders journalist, and I agree with him 100% here. I felt Brock and his size would have been an asset last night, especially with the Islanders coming in at one of the smallest teams in the league.

Around The NHL

Scores from Friday, October 11,2013

  • Phoenix 2, Philadelphia 1 –  Pho (Klinkhammer, Larsson) Phi (Talbot)
  • Los Angeles 2, Carolina 1 (SO) – LA (King) Car (Skinner)
  • Florida 6, Pittsburgh 3 – Fla (Barkov, Boyes 2, Fleischmann, Huberdeau, Versteeg) Pitt (Adams, Dupuis, Malkin)
  • Stars 4, Jets 1 – Dal (Benn, Chaisson, Seguin 2) Wpg (Wheeler)
  • Flames 3, Devils 2 – Cal (Giordarno, Monahan, Wideman) NJ (Henrique, Zubrus)

Across The Sound

The Sound Tigers end their six day break as they get back to action tonight in Bridgeport, taking on Manchester. They will remain at Webster Bank Arena for a back to back tomorrow against Springfield before another six day hiatus.

Andrey Pedan, Ryan Strome and Anders Lee have paced the Tigers after two games in scoring, all looking effective. Anders Nilsson with an .867 save percentage, stopping 52 of 60 shots.

-Andy (@tazman19)

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