Islanders at Oilers [open game thread]

Just tuning in after getting home (TSN’s feed is on the NHL Network). Canada is up 2-0 after two.

Heard on the radio in the car that Sweden has had a bunch of powerplays but couldn’t convert, and the Sweden goalie is asking like a fool.

Who to root for … Islander property Ulstrom? Or future Islander (ha) Tavares? Or Hedman?

Seeing-eye shot from the point on the PP, just inside the post. And there goes the home team. They’ll be happily drunk in Ottawa tonight.

Guy hit him and got the worst of it, but then Ulstrom did some unadvised finishing work. Look like he kicked at the puck and then … I’m not sure what happened. Announcers weren’t appalled, so maybe he didn’t kick the guy.

They just showed a replay of Ulstrom snow-showering the Canada goalie earlier in the game, and the Canadian D-man who just drew the penalty (Subban? I don’t know these kids) was losing it.

Yay, I get the Isles’ feed. At least one more game with Jiggsy!

(Center Ice on Charter often only gives me the road feed.)

I like that they made CJ Papa do the intro from outside in the freezing freaking cold, his breath clouding up the picture.

I love that he’s getting a little love here.

A lot of non-Isles fans look at Park and think, “he’s one of your important players?!” and see it is a reflection of the weak squad. Which is fine, but people truly don’t realize how many tools he has and how hockey-smart he is. I don’t know if it was Lemaire teaching him — or if Lemaire picked him because he was this way, but he’s more than “just some Lemaire grinder” that a lot of fans remember him for with the Wild.

Yikes, apparently it goes back to the Guerin shot off him in the Panthers game. Yet he made it through two more (and collected points 1000 and 1001, of course). Don’t know if he took another shot.

Naturally, because all signs indicated he was starting. Such is the way with things this season with DP, Gordon, and whatever other mystical forces dictate his health and readiness.

Wow. Just, wow. That was a freaking missile via Okposo’s wrister. The Oiler trying to stop it with his stick from behind may have deflected its trajectory, but if so that makes the strength of the shot all the more impressive.

I like that the day I talk about Okposo’s finishing being inches away from scoring, he snipes one like that. I’m gonna go ahead and say Jeff Tambellini and, heck, Bailey and Bergenheim too are just inches from scoring more. [rubs rabbit foot]

Taking the second shift. Did fine but weren’t challenged. PP killed easily.

Wow, very weird to see them look that young. I guess more so because now, they’re older than I am, but then they were much younger than I. (No really, it makes sense. Have another drink.)

Jiggs on Nilsson: “Talking to some of the Oilers people this morning, and they said, ‘You know, he’s much like his dad. Some nights he brings it. And a whole buncha nights when he doesn’t. He brings it when he wants to.”

They follow it up with a fairly damning professionalism/work ethic quote from MacTavish.

Great forecheck by Bergenheim, great check by Okposo to win the puck from a man (again!) and he sets Bailey up sweetly in front. Whistled just wide. Islanders PP.

Horcoff is one of their best PK-ers, but with back issues I don’t know how effective he can remain.

With just 2.5 seconds left. That is sweet.

Bailey passed softly through two Oilers as they gained the blueline together.

I’m sorry I listed the Oilers injuries in the preview and didn’t even mention Hemsky. Those injury tables come from an automatic data widget, but sometimes it misses glaringly obvious (and important) ones, like Hemsky. It’s supposed to save time, but when the data feed ain’t right …

Just know my staff will be fired and summarily shot.

They show him texting/scrolling on his Balsillieberrythingy.

Message: “Who is #15 on LI? Never shoots, but something about him…”

Since the benches are on the near boards of the wide camera shot in Edmonton, you really see how much DiPietro leans forward up to the boards as he watches from the bench. Given this information, I will now write to Garth Snow demanding that DiPietro be required to wear a helmet.

The D-man over-the-glass call, but it was amid a struggle. Haven’t showed a replay yet, but I question if he even shot it cleanly over without interference on his stick.

Wife steals remote, the rest will be left to midnight DVR.

Dare I be optimistic, after the way the Isles have played the first half of this game?

Watching again, without knowing the result. God I love DVR.

Wanted to hear Doug Weight’s visit to the booth. Usually players don’t say much of substance, but Weight’s a talker. I could even see him talking about the trade deadline if they asked.

Bounce off Brendan Witt’s skate. Tough goal created by a) throwing it at the net and b) creating traffic [Strudwick] that needs to be dealt with.

He was called by the GM at the hotel in NYC. “You’re traded to Edmonton.” Wait, aren’t we playing Edmonton tonight? “Yes. Sather wants you to play tonight, too.”

And Weight’s girlfriend (now wife) famously found out by overhearing fans talk about the trade on her way into the game.

The man can tell a story, he can talk.

Interesting to hear him talk about showing the youngsters the proper respect to show a coach. I really get the feeling that they’ll lose something if they deal him instead of re-sign him. Anything less than a 1st-round pick+ isn’t worth it to me. He seems to have a presence, as was indicated when the 2007-08 Blues tailspinned after dealing him.

Another 4th-liner goal, dammit. Strudwick will get it this time. He made a kick/foot-raise motion, but more to stop the centering pass than to kick it in. And the ruling on the ice is goal…

…Yep, ruling stands.

“That’s the time, on the road you want to take it to them to make the coach think twice about throwing them back out there.”

I stepped away with optimism, come back to resume and see the Oilers tie it up with fourth-line goals. Islanders still putting together a nice, if incomplete, game so far.

Weight: “You know on the Oilers bench, they’re saying ‘these guys are vulnerable now, let’s take it to them.’”

“Last four days it’s been getting worse each day. They took some pictures of it today and found a lot of blood in there, so it’s affecting nerves…”

Intermission interview. He sounds like a solid kid, fourth-line-wise. He is programmed to do his job and focused on making it happen. Just what you want from a fourth-liner — until they start thinking they deserve more, heh. (And maybe he does. I know nothing about this kid.)

Q: You think you’ll make the All-Star game?
A: I don’t think about it much, I just try to play best I can here.
Q: Would it be nice to be in it Montreal?
A: big smile That would be sweet, yeah.

Man, where would we be without:
1) Mark Streit
2) Doug Weight
3) Joey MacDonald

Here’s the thing (which is pretty much what Jaffe said): Jackman definitely ran into Roloson. But he wouldn’t have done that if Souray hadn’t hooked his ass all the way to the net, sending him off balance with only one avenue — into Roloson.

No hooking call on Souray, of course.

No penalty call. Stortini and Strudwick both. WTF?

… while the Isles should be on the power play. I think the refs got amped up by the WJC final tonight.

“You use your speed to create the space — then you can slow play down. When I’m not playing well, I’m going slow the whole time” (_laughs_)

On the young squad: “We haven’t done a good job of responding in situations like this. Before that puck bounced in off Witt’s foot, we owned this game.”

He just created his own turnover again, but hit the post this time.

Mike Comrie? Did he get hurt? I haven’t noticed him for the last 30 minutes of play.

No call.

MacDonald pulled … Isles win the puck and feed in front, just behind two rushing forwards.

Well, the Isles crumbled after two bad-break goals off of skates. A bit perturbed that the refs did us zero favors, considering the “favours” were flowing the other direction.