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Snap Shots: New York Islanders @ Ottawa Senators — 11/1/13

ByRich Dias-Rodrigues|

Nov 1, 2013; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Ottawa Senators goalie

Robin Lehner

(40) as New York Islanders right wing

Kyle Okposo

(21) looks for the rebound in the first period at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-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 Islanders (5-5-3, 13 pts) at Ottawa Senators (4-6-3, 10pts)

Canadian Tire Center, November 1st, 2013

Game 13

Islanders (5) – Senators (4)  OT/SO

SOG: 53-27 NYI

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

Both the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators enter this second month of the season under .500, and with issues on both ends of the ice that need immediate remediation.

The Senators have lost their last 3 contests to the strongest teams from the West (and in all of hockey, actually):

  • ANA 2-1 on 25 Oct.
  • SJS 5-2 on 27 Oct.
  • CHI 6-5 on 29 Oct.

The Sens have lost 7 out of 8 to the Western Conference this month, yet they’re still just 1 pt behind the Islanders.

They’ve also succumbed to a 4-game losing streak at the season’s onset, but turned things around slightly by beating the weaker/struggling faction (at the time, anyway) from the East: BUF, NJD, and DET. Their only OT win came against the Phoenix coyotes, and even then, it looked as if the Senators would lose to yet another Westerner.

The Islanders, as most everyone in the NHL knows by now, had their share of woes these past 12 games, culminating in the Matt Moulson trade this past Monday. New York has yet to string together any sort of winning streak, but certainly a pair of loses here and there that have them sitting, hovering really, at the center of the Metro division standings.

So, tonight pins two teams in desperate need of resurgence and a month filled with consistency and victory.

Consider each team using the other as a measuring stick for how much work is needed to take the next step toward securing a better standing in the Conference.

Players to watch tonight:

Islanders

Senators

Let’s see how it all played out…

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Lineups

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

Scratches

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Goals

  • Period 2: (9:07) John Tavares (5). Thomas Vanek, Kyle Okposo
  • Period 2: (9:35) Matt Martin (2). Matt Carkner, Brock Nelson
  • Period 2 (12:34) Bobby Ryan (7). Patrick Wiercioch, Erik Karlsson
  • *Period 2: (14:47) Clarke MacArthur (1). Bobby Ryan, Kyle Turris  *denotes a possible no-goal that was allowed
  • Period 2: (18:24) Pierre-Marc Bouchard (2). Matt Donovan, Kyle Okposo
  • Period 3: (3:14) Frans Nielsen (8). Thomas Hickey, Pierre-Marc Bouchard
  • OT: No goals
  • FRANS NIELSEN SCORES THE SOLE GOAL FOR THE SHOOTOUT.

Penalties

  • Period 2: (1:03) John Tavares. Hooking
  • Period 2: (16:54) Zack Smith. Roughing
  • Period 2: (16:54) Cal Clutterbuck. Unsportsmanlike 
  • Period 2: (18:24) Zack Smith. Interference
  • Period 2: (19:04) Jared Cowan. Holding

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+/

Period One

  • Evgeni Nabokov staves off a slew of early shots from a surging Senators team, allowing for the Isles to turn the momen
  • Casey Cizikas with a nice rush, taking the puck around the Sens net, feeding a trailing Matt Martin was in the left slot area.  Also showing tremendous effort on the PK, once again. Always good for a second and third effort on every PK shift. Sens 0-1 on the PP.
  • Isles have taken the momentum completely, as he 17:00 mark sees them outshooting the Sens 14-6.

Period Two

  • Isles kill off Ottawa’s second PP opportunity; only one shot on net for the Sens.
  • Thomas Vanek finds John Tavares all alone in front for the Isles’ first notch of the evening–a beautiful no-look pass between his legs. 1-2 OTT
  • Seconds later, Matt Martin with a wonderful stick-toe deflection ties it up 2-2, capitalizing on a wide point shot from Matt Carkner.  14-2 Isles SOG. Complete domination inside the Senators zone for vast majority of the period.
  • Pierre-Marc Bouchard buries his second of the season, off a keen rebound scoop from a Matt Donovan shot from the point. 3-4 OTT

Period Three

  • Thomas Hickey with a wonderfully deft pass to a lone Frans Nielsen, ties it up for the Isles a second time. Bouchard with a second point, as he set up Hickey for the cross-ice pass to the high slot, where a rushing Nielsen buries the puck behind Lehner. 4-4
  • Matt Donovan makes a great block late in the third, preventing an Ottawa scoring attempt. Playing very well, along with Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Casey Cizikas, Frans Nielsen, and Thomas Hickey.

/-

Period One

  • After first 3:00, Isles fine themselves hemmed in their own zone, facing 4 SOG within the first two minutes. Cannot create a clean transition into the neutral zone, and the speed and fluency on the skates belong to the Sens after 6:00. And Andrew MacDonald having trouble shoveling passes out of his own zone, especially.
  • Michael Grabner fails at converting a SH breakaway attempt, skating the puck instead into Robin Lehner‘s stick for a pokecheck save.
  • Isles PP unit cannot properly enter the offensive zone, with Clutterbuck allowing for a key turnover. Josh Bailey and Frans Nielsen muster some outside shots without much power behind them. Isles 0-1 on the PP.
  • Bad clearing by Andrew MacDonald (deflected by Sens Derek Grant) lands on Erik Condra‘s stick, and enters the slot area and lets rip a wrist shot that beats Nabokov for the first goal of the game. 0-1 OTT
  • Nabakov does a horrendous job fending off a laser from Mika Zibanejad late in the third–a shot he needed to have–and the Sens take the two-goal lead. 0-2 OTT

Period Two

  • John Tavares starts the period with a hooking call, and the Sens go on their second PP.
  • Islanders cannot convert on their second PP opportunity, but some nice passing by Pierre-Marc Bouchard, and Thomas Vanek showing some awareness in front of the net. Isles outshooting but not outscoring Senators: always a recipe for frustration. 27-11.
  • Bobby Ryan scoops up a rebound that leaks behind Nabokov, all due to a bad clearing attempt from the defense. Ryan left alone at the right of the crease. 2-3 OTT
  • Ottawa’s 4th goal of the evening went under review, and after watching the video, the puck never appears to cross the line. Nevertheless, OTT is given the call. 2-4 OTT.

Period Three

  • Isles fail to shoot and/or score on a 5-on-3 PP opportunity; too many passes and tons of hesitation. Turning point?

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 Post-Game Responses & Reactions

  • Period 1 saw a the Islanders bookend a rather strong forechecking period, with little results. An imbalanced first 5:00 and a poor last 3:00 overshadowed the middle portion of the Isles game, which had them skating and outshooting the Senators by a relatively large margin. The Isles outshot the Ottawa 18-9 but losing all the momentum by the buzzer. And Nabokov looked terrible on the second goal, as if his confidence was robbed by the Erik Condra tally.
  • Period 2 saw lots of pinching from defensmen and an active and creative Thomas Vanek, who earned his first point as an Isles (A). But a pivotal mistake involving a deep defensive clear, gives the Senators back the lead, undoing all of the Isles hard work. Pierre-Marc Bouchard cuts the deficit by one, with his second of the season, off a Matt Donovan rebound. Ottawa is called for two consecutive penalties by the close of the period, and the Isles would have 1:00 or so of 5-on-3 to start the 3rd. Isles outshooting the Sens by an astonishing mark of 43-18, thus far.
  • Period 3 couldn’t muster a goal while on a 5-on-3 PP, but Frans Nielsen evens it up with a rope into the back of the Sens net. Strong overall play, and some major scoring opportunities. Bouchard misses alone in front of the net, and Donovan prevents Ottawa from taking the lead. SOG 53-27 for regulation
  • Overtime saw a Thomas Vanek breakaway denied. Great action but nothing doing. Skills competition.
  • Isles win in the SHOOTOUT, courtesy of Frans Nielsen.

–RD (@RDNHL)

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