Boston 3, New York 1 |
Islanders Website: Has the recap of tonight's 3-1 loss to the Boston Bruins.
"You just have to stay with it," said captain Bill Guerin. "The good thing is we're not out of it. Everyone has to get better and start producing. We all know how to play in this league and score goals, it's just a matter of fine tuning it and bearing down. With the start that we had, we're no secret anymore. We play hard, but teams are ready for us."
NYI Fan Central Comments:
Not sure what I can write that's much different than most of the recent losses.
Bill Guerin's best contribution was his comment in the post game that maybe teams have figured the Islanders out and they are no longer a surprise. I think he had a good centering pass in the first and one good chance late, aside from that the usual bad angle shots as players skated past him.
The passes and plays are too slow and predictable, the players paid to score cannot finish. Clearly the club is pressing and the more they try the tougher it becomes.
They played a Boston team that looked like they were content to lose the game that did not put much pressure on and just got in front of the Islanders chances because they were easy to read. Again the Islanders did not work to get in front of Tim Thomas often with their thirty four shots which there is no excuse for.
They came out, worked hard and you could see the frustration taking over after they got nothing early and then a bouncing puck finds Glen Murray, who makes a nice
play and finds the upper corner with a perfect shot.
Bergenheim was the best Islander in the first period and almost wrapped one in. Jeff
Tambellini had a good angle chance but that was about it other than a few hits he threw.
Having written that before Satan's chance in the second period did Tim Thomas have to make one good save until the last few minutes when Fedotenko charged the net and then he made a save on Vasicek?
The powerplay strategy was to feed the point and no one crashed the net, easy saves outside of one bad goal given up to Campoli in garbage time. Of course Guerin and Comrie got chances and did nothing with them afterward.
After the game Bill Guerin and Ted Nolan are talking about the Devils struggles, that sounds nice but New Jersey demonstrated a scoring ability when they were losing the Islanders have not shown for thirteen straight games. Isles do not have Gionta, Parise, Langenbrunner or Elias, it's not the same thing at all.
You can see the frustration building. Hunter with a terrible penalty, Comrie taking his nightly bad penalty in the offensive zone. Andy Hilbert showed his best hand-eye coordination of the season and put the puck in the stands for a delay of game and a two man disadvantage.
It was too easy for Boston and frankly the Bruins were almost as bad as the Islanders. They read the passing lanes well and skated but put almost no pressure on DiPietro.
Defense overall was not bad, they blocked a lot of shots in the first. Bergeron gave up the puck for an odd-man rush by Boston before a late offsides whistle saved him in the first peirod. Boston had it's best chances close in late in the first on another Bergeron-Campoli miscommunication. I think Gervais was banged up and got a night off.
Do you really want me to comment on Sutton's whiff and Petteri Nokelainen showing the hands of Gretzky for the 2-0 goal and his first since before his knee injury?
Thought not.
Good thing the official gave the Islanders a break on a third peirod Boston
goal where they lost sight of the puck.
Ok, now the Islanders get out on the road and face teams who will be looking to score goals early to put them out of the game until the Islanders prove otherwise, starting with an Atlanta team that ate them alive Saturday.
Either this club starts scoring or they are going to keep struggling, it's that simple. Tonight was as easy as it get's and they looked lost and frustrated.