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Around SBN: Blue Devils Upset At Cameron Indoor Stadium

Islanders 3, Maple Leafs 1: 90 seconds & Roloson seal home win

I didn't see the good chunk of this game live -- just the part where Dwayne Roloson shut the door and saved the Islanders from squandering a good two periods via a rather apathetic third.

But that's what good goalies do for you. And everything before my tuning in for an apparent jinx attempt sounded good: Solid 5-on-5 play, outshooting the Leafs 14-8 before they let the Maple Leafs surge at the end of the second and continue that throughout the third.

Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Corsi | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles



The goals, 90 seconds apart: Holy cow, what a great bad-angle rifle shot by Trent Hunter. Quite pleasing also, the Blake Comeau drive -- yes, he drove to the inside! His CPU is a learning computer! -- to the Leafs net before setting up John Tavares for the easy tap-in. (Loved Francois Beauchemin gliding and allowing Tavares a free ride there. Ace.) And cheers to Comeau again, for doing the smart play on the empty-net goal: assuring either an easy empty-net or a Leafs penalty (culprit: Beauchemin again) that would equate to the same.

Tavares was curiously awarded the "first star" for that low-labor tap-in, the game-winner. But if you're into the Corsi (a plus-minus measure of shots directed at either net during a given player's shifts), then Tavares, Matt Moulson and Comeau had the raw end of their shifts, with some ugly negative figures. (Not that I'm going to let that get in the way of the greater importance of, you know, scoring goals.) For the game, only Jeff Finger/Luke Schenn and Andy Sutton/Jack Hillen figured as poorly. For the latter, I suspect part of that was due to their presence during the game's waning moments.

Nonetheless, small victory appreciated: The Isles bent, but didn't break. They kept a pedestrian team from blitzing them like the Leafs did in the previous two meetings. They kept the Leafs' best weapon -- a sluggish Phil Kessel -- off the scoresheet, minus-2, with just three shots on goal and another four blocked. For an up-and-down season, I will accept this as a small holiday gesture, oh yes I will.

Highlights and mega Roloson saves video posted after the jump. Have an awesome, safe hockey holiday.

Star-divide

Game Highlights


P.S. Trent Hunter, your release is made of gold, and I apologize -- again -- for ever doubting that it was the best on the team.

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Pedestrian?

I’ll have you know that the Leafs take public transportation.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.

by PPP on Dec 24, 2009 9:47 AM EST reply actions  

They kept a pedestrian light-rail, subway and/or bus-using team from blitzing…

My editor thought that would sound awkward.

Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.

by Dominik on Dec 24, 2009 11:06 AM EST up reply actions  

nothing to do with the game, but kudos to the camera man for lingering on some Gordon shots, more than normally, because of the very beautiful woman sitting behind the isles bench (in a leafs sweater)

why isn't #16 hanging in the rafters?

by bob l on Dec 24, 2009 11:09 AM EST reply actions  

/runs to DVR to dig up the tape…

Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.

by Dominik on Dec 24, 2009 11:42 AM EST up reply actions  

god bless hd broadcasts btw :-)

why isn't #16 hanging in the rafters?

by bob l on Dec 24, 2009 12:31 PM EST up reply actions  

no mention of KO’s post-ringing inability to get the monkey off his back

nor of sim’s awful breakaway

or of streit’s (possibly) worst game of the year – or at least a very poor one

and yes, blake shoulda got the #1 star but they’re creating the franchise mystique and also it was probably a media shot at the toronto crowd to make JT the #1 star vs them…

why isn't #16 hanging in the rafters?

by bob l on Dec 24, 2009 11:13 AM EST reply actions  

no mention of…

I was drunk.

I thought about mentioning the Sim breakaway, but it was so par for the course. I tried to cut him some slack for going from a cold start in the box to corralling that pass.

I was thinking Roloson for first star since he saved the game, but maybe he was penalized for not having much work the first 35 minutes. Definitely some media/marketing agenda with giving it to JT.

Lighthouse Hockey: Eyes on Tavares, mug full of Moulson.

by Dominik on Dec 24, 2009 11:45 AM EST up reply actions  

I was drunk.

haha, me too

why isn't #16 hanging in the rafters?

by bob l on Dec 24, 2009 12:31 PM EST reply actions  

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Josh Bailey 12 LW 10/2/1989 190 6-1
Rick DiPietro 39 G 9/19/1981 190 6-1
Mark Eaton 4 D 5/6/1977 215 6-1
Michael Grabner 40 RW 10/5/1987 185 6-0
Travis Hamonic 3 D 8/16/1990 203 6-2
Milan Jurcina 27 D 6/7/1983 253 6-4
Andrew MacDonald 47 D 9/7/1986 196 6-1
Matt Martin 17 LW 3/8/1989 210 6-3
Al Montoya 35 G 2/13/1985 203 6-2
Mike Mottau 10 D 3/19/1978 190 6-0
Matt Moulson 26 LW 11/1/1983 205 6-1
Evgeni Nabokov 20 G 7/25/1975 200 6-0
Nino Niederreiter 25 RW 9/8/1992 205 6-2
Frans Nielsen 51 C 4/24/1984 184 6-0
Kyle Okposo 21 RW 4/16/1988 205 6-0
Jay Pandolfo 29 LW 12/27/1974 190 6-1
P.A. Parenteau 15 LW 3/24/1983 193 6-0
Rhett Rakhshani 49 RW 3/6/1988 190 5-10
Marty Reasoner 16 C 2/26/1977 205 6-1
Dylan Reese 42 D 8/29/1984 201 6-1
Brian Rolston 11 LW 2/21/1973 215 6-2
Steve Staios 24 D 7/28/1973 200 6-1
Mark Streit 2 D 12/11/1977 197 6-0
John Tavares 91 C 9/20/1990 202 6-0
Tim Wallace 36 RW 8/6/1984 207 6-1
Calvin de Haan 44 D 5/9/1991 187 6-1

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