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Dump & Chase: April 26th, 2013

Rich Diaz — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 23:52:07 +0000

Feb. 23, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; New York Islanders right wing Colin McDonald (13) skates to the puck against the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

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New York Islanders (24-17-6, 54 pts) at Buffalo Sabres 20-21-6, 46 pts)

First Niagara Center; April 26th, 2013; 7 pm

Islanders 1 – Sabres 2 (OT/SHO)

Game Recap

Another lackluster and sluggish performance this evening by the New York Islanders, as they force a shootout against the Buffalo Sabres only to lose on a failed 5-hole attempt by John Tavares.

The first period bore witness to more lazy and disoriented backchecking, likewise in regards to puck cycling inside the Isles’s own zone. Turnovers and lackadaisical defensive play have defined this seemingly unfocused club as of late, especially this entire week. The Islanders stumble a bit into the postseason, garnering zero points in the past three games; their last regulation win was back on 18 Apr against the Toronto Maple Leafs–a game that now in hindsight seems to have been the apex for this rollercoaster type of season.

Ryan Miller ends his career as a Sabre on a win, but the organization will see to rebuilding around the likes of Jhonas Enroth, Thomas Vanek, and Steve Ott for quite a few years to come. There but for the grace of the Hockey Gods go the New York Islanders, shuffling down their respective runway, into the locker room and into their short time off; having many more questions to answer than they had expected at the end of the aforementioned Leafs game.

The Isles are playing “dreadfully,” but most assuredly the emotional high of having reached the playoffs may have sapped some of their momentum and gusto. No one should be too worried about this outcome, or that of the last two games, especially having seen Evgeni Nabokov play solidly in goal throughout the night.

You have a hot goaltender, you have a shot to win. And win big. I say, bring on the Penguins. Have faith, Islander nation. The regular season is over, but not our hopes and dreams for this club. The fun’s just beginning.

–RD

The Dump

Because they failed to garner at the least one point in last night’s game against the Philadelphia Flyers, the New York Islanders’s postseason seeding is tenuous at best.
First period a bit more of an energized Islander club, skating legs showing some of the old pep familiar throughout most of April, but overall the momentum was touch and go among both teams; Islanders’s forecheck lacking spirit on the onset even; Sabres outshoot Isles in the first 10 to 9
More sloppy and sluggish play in the defensive zone for the Islanders: Kyle Okposo with miscued clearing attempt ,and Buffalo’s Brian Flynn capitalizes, scoring at the 3:29 mark of the second
Refs blow a call early in the second: Thomas Hickey receives a blatant high stick that causes an obvious cut on his face. Regardless of the blood all over his jersey, no Sabre is called for the infraction.
Michael Grabner picks up the temp for the Isles on a breakaway late in the second….but to no avail.
Islanders flat once again at the beginning of the third period, trapped in their own zone for considerable amount of time. Team playing with little identity tonight and for this entire past week
Nabokov solid in the OT Shootout, but Sabres and Miller beat the Isles
Senators, Rangers still have hockey to play, and depending on those results, it will either be the Penguins or Bruins. (I say the Penguins is the better draw)

The Chase

Not to worry: If the Islanders face the Pittsburgh Penguins, keep in mind that New York hasn’t lost a 7 game series to them in their history: ’75, ’82, ’93: thank you Eddie Westfall, John Tonelli, David Volek
Evgeni Nabokov looks sharp in the first, handling odd man rushes and stopping a partial breakaway. He was caught off position at times, but his vision on the ice looks to be in tune and ready for the playoffs by the end of the first
Matt Carkner and John Scott draw penalties after a scrum; Carkner faces off against a taller and heavier opponent in Scott and holds his own
Michael Grabner picks up the tempo for the Isles on a breakaway late in the second
Early in the third, Evgeni Nabokov stops Thomas Vanek on a breakaway. Rest assured Nabby is ready for the playoffs–at this point, the only one who appears to be, in any case
The Islanders “Dump and Chase” catching Ryan Miller off guard, and Keith Aucoin scores the tying goal. 18 games scoreless streak comes to an end. March 19th against Ottawa his last time lighting up the lamp
Thomas Hickey is the game’s unsung hero: play a solid board game, doing the Isles’s dirty work along the corners
Aucoin’s goal put back a sense of urgency in the Islanders’s forecheck
Last 5 minutes of the game, we see an uptick in Islander speed and skating
Jack Capuano sat Hickey and Carkner for last four minutes of the third period
Aucoin draws a hooking penalty in OT, and the Isles do play vast majority of the period up a man, but teams go to the shootout nevertheless

The Goals

The Saves

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See you all in the postseason.

–RD

Islanders at Sabres – Game Preview: Isles End The Regular Season

Michael Willhoft — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:43:10 +0000

Feb 23, 2013; Buffalo, NY, USA; New York Islanders goalie Evgeni Nabokov (20) during the game against the Buffalo Sabres at the First Niagara Center. Islanders beat the Sabres 4-0. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

Buffalo, NY — the New York Islanders will finish their regular-season schedule tonight at First Niagara Center against the Buffalo Sabres at 7:00PM ET. Despite their respective positioning in the standings, tonight’s game looks to be an evenly matched affair, considering the recent play of both teams.

The Islanders (24-17-6, 54 points) have clinched their first playoff berth since the 2006-07 NHL season, but haven’t played their best hockey of late. Preceding last night’s 2-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers was a shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

In both games, the Isles lacked the type of jump and grit they showcased during their 11-1-2 run from Mar. 24 – Apr. 20, and their fans are becoming uneasy with their team’s lack of quality play from the opening faceoff.

Ironically enough, New York has a chance to right the ship tonight in Buffalo against a Sabres team that is in rebuilding mode – a state of the franchise that the Isles know all too well, having been there themselves for the past six years.

The Sabres (20-21-6, 46 points) have been eliminated from playoff contention and will have some serious decisions to make this offseason, namely regarding their all-star goalie, Ryan Miller.

Buffalo will start netminder Ryan Miller between the pipes, in what will be his 500th career NHL start since taking over the primary goaltending duties for the team in the 2005-06 season. Viewers are almost guaranteed to hear some version of “this could be Miller’s last game in a Sabres jersey” from the talking heads tonight.

Regardless of Miller’s potential move over the upcoming summer, his current team will have to focus on the task at hand to close the books on their 2013 campaign.

Buffalo is coming off a 4-2 road victory over the Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night and will likely relish the chance at spoiling the Islanders’ hopes for a playoff seed higher than 8th.

The Isles will need a regulation win – and some help from the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers – in order to avoid drawing the Penguins in the first round of the playoffs.

Somewhat disconcerting to the Islanders fan base is the decision of head coach Jack Capuano to start winger Eric Boulton over Jesse Joensuu – or even David Ullstrom – in tonight’s contest. Boulton was indirectly responsible for the Flyers’ first goal in last night’s game after being called for cross-checking. The Flyers would capitalize on the power play early in the first period.

Also, defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky will get the night off; in his place will be Thomas Hickey. Capuano has indicated it’s purely a maintenance day for Visnovsky in preparation for next week’s playoffs.

But there’s good news for Isles supporters: veteran goalie Evgeni Nabokov will make the start in net after being given a rest for last night’s game.

The Islanders are 1-1-0 against the Sabres this season, losing at home 3-2 on Feb. 9, but winning 4-0 in Buffalo on Feb. 23 on the strength of a 35-save shutout by Nabokov. Isles fans would certainly take another gem by their star goalie to finish the regular season.

For the Islanders, finishing the season strong will do wonders for the fan base’s confidence – not to mention their own – as they enter the playoffs next week. Although the concept of momentum at the end of the regular season carrying over is debatable, there’s no denying it still feels good to see your team finish on a high note.

As was made clear in many of the postgame interviews last night, the Isles players weren’t happy with their effort in Philadelphia. Tonight’s game offers an opportunity to put it behind them. Let’s do our part and put last night’s game behind us too. One game doesn’t make or break the season.

Besides, the Los Angeles Kings went 1-0-3 in their final four games last season. They didn’t look like world-beaters back then either…

Go Isles.

Projected lineup:

26 Moulson – 91 Tavares – 24 Boyes
12 Bailey – 51 Nielsen – 21 Okposo
40 Grabner – 10 Aucoin – 13 McDonald
36 Boulton – 53 Cizikas – 17 Martin

47 MacDonald – 3 Hamonic
14 Hickey – 7 Carkner
2 Streit – 37 Strait

20 Evgeni Nabokov
60 Kevin Poulin

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