Questionable Call Late Leads Devils Past Isles 3-0

 photo courtesy of http://www1.pictures.zimbio.com/

This afternoon, our New York Islanders fell to the Devils by a score of 3-0. Here are some of my notes from the game:

-Well our powerplay was bound to struggle and that happened today! They struggled with entering the zone alot and failed at establishing zone presence multiple times which is something that really hadnt been seen up to this point in the season.

-Nabby had a good game today! He kept the team in it and gave them every chance to win.

-Brutal call on Strait in the third!! It wasnt even close to a charge and it totally changed the momentum of the game.

-Matt Martin had a pretty good game! Threw some solid hits!

-Okposo isn't doing enough to be on the top line. With Bailey coming back lineup changes can be expected.

Today was a disappointing game. Two points were big and with the Penguins coming in that game just got bigger.

Next Game: Tuesday @ Home vs the Penguins

Pre Game: Devils @ Islanders

After a long 5 game road trip that saw our Islanders go 3-1-1, they return home today to play host to the Devils.

The goalie matchup will feature Johan Hedberg in place of Marty Brodeur, and Evgeni Nabokov will once again get the start for the Islanders.

The lineups appear that they will be the same as both teams iced this past Thursday when the Islanders were victorious in overtime.

If the Islanders can manage to get a regulation win today along with a loss from the Penguins they will have sole possession of first place.

Bridgeport Rangers? Not So Fast Says Sound Tigers President

 photo courtesy of http://cdn77.psbin.com/

According to the CT Whale blog at courant.com, Bridgeport Sound Tigers President Howard Saffan denied rumors that the Rangers AHL affiliate Connecticut Whale will be moving the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport. 

According to the article, Rangers executive Jim Schoenfeld said the team is keeping all its options open as they await a new arena operator to be put in place at their current venue the XL Center in Hartford.

An issue for the Whale though is that the Sound Tigers lease at the arena currently runs through 2021 and according to the article the Islanders have no interest in leaving the venue.  Over the last few years, the Islanders have put money into the venue including having LED boards and a beautiful jumbotron installed in the arena this season.  Not to mention the fact that Bridgeport is among the leaders in the AHL in attendance this season.  So it makes sense the Islanders have no desire to leave.

For more on this check out the link below:

http://www.courant.com/sports/hockey/blog/hc-sound-tigers-president-howard-saffan-denies-rumor-that-rangers-are-moving-ahl-team-to-bridgeport-20130202,0,4611929.story (h/t to Jeremy for the link)

Visnovsky Coming to LI On 2/6

According to islanderspointblank, Islanders defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky will be flying to Long Island on the morning of February 6th.

Initially, he wasn't set to arrive until February 11th because his son is set to have minor surgery on the 9th.  However, he apparently talked to his sons doctor and they found out it isn't necessary for him to be there.

A question I would ask is, why did he wait til now to talk to his sons doctor about this?  Why didn't he do it three weeks ago so maybe he could've made it here on time?

http://islanderspointblank.com/news/report-visnovsky-to-fly-to-long-island-wednesday/#more-38761

Tavares 3 Point Night Leads Isles Past Devils In OT

 photo courtesy of http://img.bleacherreport.net/

Tonight, in a rare high scoring game with the Devils, our Islanders came out on top by a score of 5-4 in overtime.  Here are some of my notes from the game:

-With this win, the Islanders moved into a tie for first place.  How good does that feel to say?

-Another multi point game from Tavares, after what for his standards was a slow start he has certainly come on in this last week.  He currently sits tied for fourth in the NHL in scoring with 11 points.

-You have to love the energy Casey Cizikas brings!  His energy was infectious tonight and because of that the third line didn't lose a step with him stepping in for McDonald.

-Brad Boyes had a good game tonight, showed great vision on his assist on Tavares first goal.

-On his first game after his extension, Brian Strait was solid once again. 

-Nabby didn't have his best game, but he gave us a chance to win which is all you can ask.

-MacDonald saved the game in OT blocking the shot with his back on the penalty kill.

-Grabner had another solid game, and Ullstrom was pretty good to.

-What a story Keith Aucoin is, a little over 100 NHL games in his career coming into this season and now he has 4 goals in 7 games.

After the Penguins game, it left many fans wondering how they would come out tonight.  Whether it would be a typical Islander let down game, or if they would bring it to the Devils and get the win.  The fact that they managed to get the win after coming back three times is a real refreshing sign and hope the momentum carries into Superbowl Sunday against the Devils.

Next Game: Sunday @ Home VS The Devils 3PM