Snap Shots: New York Rangers @ New York Islanders – 10/29/13

Oct 29, 2013; Uniondale, NY, USA; New York Rangers defenseman Anton Stralman (6) shoves New York Islanders left wing Thomas Vanek (26) during the first period at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome to ‘Snap Shots’, our condensed, quick-fix post-game follow up after every match.

Gives you, the reader, bulleted results/impressions/reactions of the game in a flash.

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New York Rangers (3-7-0, 6pts) at New York Islanders (4-4-3, 11pts)

Nassau Veteran Memorial Coliseum, October 29th, 2013

Game 12

Rangers (3) – Islanders (2) 

SOG: 24-24

Pre-Game Quips & Questions (Stats courtesy of NYI Gameday Notes)

A rivalry is renewed tonight as the New York Islanders hit the Nassau Coliseum ice opposite their cross town rivals, the New York Rangers. The Islanders enter the 245th matchup against the Rangers at 106-113-25.

The most notable difference in tonight’s game will be the absence of Matt Moulson on John Tavares’ left wing. Instead, Thomas Vanek will make his debut on the Islanders top line. Between the chemistry built between Moulson and Tavares, how will Thomas Vanek’s game impact the team, more specifically, how will Vanek impact the way John Tavares plays?

With Henrik Lundqvist taking a breather after last nights 2-0 loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Cam Talbot will be between the pipes tonight. Although Talbot remains winless, his numbers in net have been strong, allowing just 4 goals on 61 shots faced (.934 SV%). The Islanders saw something similar in Steve Mason last Saturday. Will they be able to get the puck past Talbot and recharge the offense they’ve shown early in the season?

Another notable point on Moulson’s departure is how the power play will be impacted. Moulson lead the team with 5 of 10 power play goals. With the power play being such a strong point for the team, will Vanek and the rest of the roster be able to continue the pressure and find the back of the net without Moulson?

The Islanders look to bounce back after a disappointing loss against Philadelphia. No matter what either team’s record indicates, Islanders-Rangers games are always entertaining. A large trade just prior to the matchup will make it that much more interesting tonight.

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Lineups

• O:  Vanek-Tavares-Okposo; Bouchard-Nielsen-Bailey; Grabner-Regin-Clutterbuck; Nelson-Cizikas-Martin
• D: MacDonald-Hamonic; Hickey-Carkner; Donovan-Martinek
• G: Evgeni Nabokov

Scratches

• Eric Boulton – Healthy
• Colin McDonald – Hip (day-to-day)
• Brian Strait – Upper body injury (day-to-day)
• Lubomir Visnovsky – Upper body injury (IR)

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Goals

• Period 1: (12:30) Chris Kreider (1). Brad Richards, Derek Stepan 0-1
• Period 2: (03:40) Cal Clutterbuck (1). Matt Carkner 1-1
• Period 2: (19:19) Travis Hamonic (1). Andrew MacDonald, Brock Nelson 2-1
• Period 3: (04:59) Ryan McDonagh (2). Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello 2-2
• Period 3: (13:46) Benoit Pouliot (2). Carl Hagelin, Michael Del Zotto 3-2

Penalties

• Period 1: (09:45) Carl Hagelin. Slashing
• Period 1: (11:03) Kyle Okposo. Hooking
• Period 2: (00:31) Kyle Okposo. Slashing
• Period 2: (10:25) Matt Martin. Fighting
• Period 2: (10:25) Derek Dorsett. Fighting
• Period 2: (10:40) Derek Stepan. Tripping
• Period 2: (15:30) Travis Hamonic. Holding
• Period 3: (04:29) Too many men on the ice
• Period 3: (06:44) Carl Hagelin. Slashing
• Period 3: (06:44) Kyle Okposo. Roughing
• Period 3: (08:32) Mats Zuccarello. Boarding

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Period One

• Cal Clutterbuck starts off very strong. Gets a good look on net, intercepts a pass in the neutral zone, and also dishes out a few solid passes.
• Casey Cizikas draws a penalty and the Isles go on their first power play.
• Islanders unable to convert in the first but outshoot the Rangers 9-4.

Period Two

• Islanders kill off the Okposo penalty. Nabokov has some big saves while the PK unit in front of him is out there for almost the entire two minutes. Solid effort by all.
• Cal Clutterbuck outhustles Marc Stall which creates a 2 on 1 with Grabner to Clutterbuck’s left. Clutterbuck fires a wrist shot which finds the back of the net over Cam Talbot’s glove.
• Andrew MacDonald makes a nice move trying to play the puck in the corner of the Islanders, which draws a tripping penalty and the Isles go on the power play.
• Following a tremendous effort on the penatly kill (especially from Casey Cizikas) which included a couple short handed opportunities, momentum took a huge swing. Travis Hamonic rips a shot on net, which bounces off Talbot’s glove, off Dan Girardi, and sneaks into the net.

Period Three

• Michael Grabner hit hard from behind by Mats Zuccarello, creating an Islanders power play.

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Period One

• Kyle Okposo is called for a hooking penalty.
• Rangers score the first goal of the night on the power play.
• Isles doing a poor job in the faceof circle. Rangers won 11 of 16.

Period Two

• Kyle Okposo goes to the box for the second time in the game just 31 seconds into the period.
• Isles have a tough time trying to clear the zone for an extended amount of time which leads to a holding penalty called on Travis Hamonic.

Period Three

• Islanders do a poor job changing lines and get called for too many men on the ice.
• Early into the Rangers power play, Ryan McDonagh scores on a slap shot.
• Good effort on the power play but overall, nothing comes of it. Rangers kill the penalty.
• Benoit Pouliot has a wide open shot in front of the net and rips it past Nabokov. Rangers take the lead.

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Post-Game Responses & Reactions

• The first period started with a lot of back and fourth action. Evegeni Nabokov made some huge consecutive saves before giving up a rebound that Chris Kreider put to the back of the net. Pierre-Marc Bouchard was much more visible on the ice during the first period. He did a great job creating plays and controlling the puck. Islanders were out-hit and lost a lot of draws on the face-off.
• During the second period, the Islanders played a much stronger game. A Matt Martin fight, followed by a phenomenal penalty kill, sparked the team and tilted the ice in the Islanders favor. Clutterbuck’s play through two periods continues to shine and be a surprisingly strong point through 40 minutes. The second Isles goal wasn’t pretty, but extended pressure in the Rangers zone created the opportunity.
• The third period contained a lot of sloppy play by the Islanders. Too may men on the ice and multiple neutral zone turnovers allowed the Rangers to reclaim momentum and score two goals in the period. Evgeni Nabokov made plenty of great saves and kept the Islanders in the game. On the other end of the ice, Cam Talbot continued his strong play, allowing the Rangers to walk out of the Coliseum with two points.