Islanders are on the back cover of today's Newsday sports section after the five hundred page Yankee wrap on Joe Torre.
Islanders Website: Has the recap of tonight's 5-2 win against the Washington Capitals. Bill Guerin delivered a hat-trick, Bergenheim had his first goal of the season. Bryan Berard had a huge goal to break a game Washington came back and tied at two.
"We bent a little bit in the third period, but Ricky made some big saves when they needed to be made," said head coach Ted Nolan. "Hopefully, we'll get going now."
"The great thing about an experienced hockey club, with guys like Sillinger, Witt and Guerin is that they don't get fazed at all," said Nolan. "Then we got a big power play goal."
"It's always special to score in the NHL," said Bergenheim. "Hopefully it's one of many to come. The line has clicked and everyone got involved on that goal. We're working well together."
"It's definitely nice to get the monkey off my back," said Guerin. "I just wanted to play my game. Berard's goal was huge. Being able to come back from adversity is something we need to do to be successful."
NYI Fan Central Comments:
Hopefully this team found it's game in the third peirod tonight and they do get going now as Nolan indicated.
For a good part of this game they were outworked and outplayed again. Even with a two goal lead where Bergenheim made a nice conversion out of a play Satan lost the puck and a low percentage shot by Guerin on a five on three where the club stayed on the perimeter going into the third peirod. Fedotenko's non-goal gave the Caps some life and Ovechkin is a great player with a fantastic shot. Martinek had another poor turnover that led to a goal against but you have to credit the shot by Ovechkin.
DiPietro was very good and kept the Islanders in the game early, his save of Ovechkin with the game time tied was incredible.
Have to give the Islanders credit showing some character here and taking control of a game Washington had all the momentum after tying it. Not thrilled with Guerin's shot selection and the biggest shock to me is Kolzig struggled and let up a few soft goals because that decided the game. That written Islanders made him work and took control with the game on the line. Berard with his second game winning goal already this season.
Guerin's hat-trick goal off the pass from Comrie was an excellent play all around, that's the kind of team play that the club has to have more of. He did not do much of anything with Sillinger or Hilbert.
Campoli had a four assist game and three of them were the first assist, the other a play that set up Comrie who fed Guerin for the hat-trick. Three of the four assist were first assist, the other one was the play that set up Comrie to Guerin for the
5-2 goal.
Johnson took a third peirod penalty the club did not need but he also skated well and avoided a first peirod icing against the Islanders.