Child's Play: Islanders take Kids' Day shootout from Penguins
by Dominik on Feb 16, 2009 5:27 PM EST
in New York Islanders Game Recaps
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PrintOperation Spoiler has begun. The Islanders can't make much of an impact on their own ranking the rest of the way, but they can put dents into the hopes of Gary's little underachievers. Underachievers such as the Penguins, who are one more game and one less point away from where they need to be. (On that topic, gauge Pens fan reaction at Pensburgh.)
Game Summary | Event Summary | nhl.com Recap (AP)
As pondered in the pre-game, to deprive the Penguins of another crucial point down the stretch is to cast serious doubt on whether the Pens can crawl back into the playoff picture. Pity Dan Bylsma's fix. This really makes me wonder, again: Why Ray Shero didn't make a coaching move sooner? Billy Jaffe described the Pens as "flat-footed ... caught between systems," as they played for a coach who took over less than 24 hours ago. If you're making a big move, why wait this long -- and why make it in that time crunch?
I only caught audio of this matinee, but thanks to Twitter and blogger friends, I got a picture of the Islanders youngsters really putting in a strong effort despite being dominated in faceoffs, 41-21 (Young Josh Bailey, however, was 7 for 14 in the dot).
I liked the names I heard in OT (Kyle Okposo defending Sidney Crosby -- twice), which sounded like a back-and-forth cardiac test. I liked Frans Nielsen picking up two points and a big shootout goal. And what's this? Even Jeff Tambellini converting in the shootout? Is there new faith in him from Gordon, or is he just using an asset for its chief purpose?
But Nielsen and Tambellini's efforts don't matter without Joey MacDonald, who denied Evgeni Malkin and out-waited Crosby in the shootout. For the Pens, that's who you want taking the shot in a moment like this -- your two big stars. That they came up empty must feel like a bad omen.
Not so for the Islanders fans, who took in an exciting holiday game during Kids' Day at the Coliseum. In a season like this, take joy in the little spoils.
(Speaking of kids, Blake Comeau's post-game Facebook chat should start in a few...)
And speaking of new media: Any new friends and visitors via Twitter are welcome to chime in on these: We don't bite! An SBN account is easy and free to set up -- and mostly allows you to interact with a bunch of sports fans (check the team lists to the left) without the troll-ish headaches. My only warning: It can be addictive.
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I’d like to see your team get wins for Joey MacDonald in all the rest of his games. He was a trooper with the Red Wings, and I’m so happy to see him getting a chance to start and playing well.
(Especially against the Penguins.) :)
"A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature replaces it with." -- Tennessee Williams
Whoa, easy, easy! We didn’t tank this long just to throw it all away on a few wins!
No, it’s been a pleasant surprise to see the play of both MacDonald and Danis this year. It’s difficult to imagine how truly, expansion-ugly this would be if the Isles had bad goaltending, too.
Lighthouse Hockey: SBN's New York Islanders blog with hip issues.
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1979-80
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May 24, 1980: Tonelli to Nystrom. At long last, the steady build of the New York Islanders from expansion doormat to surprise semifinalist to annual contender reaches the promised land: Buoyed by a late season trade for Butch Goring that gave the team the depth up the middle GM Bill Torrey had been seeking, the Islanders knock off the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The victory justified the faith in coach Al Arbour who guided them from their second season to their first Stanley Cup seven seasons later. The Islanders would not be the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup, but they would be the only one capable of a dynasty.
1980-81
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May 21, 1981: This time it was much easier. After falling to "only" 91 points in the 1979-80 season, the Islanders returned to their division title tradition, piling up 110 points -- a whole 13 points over second-place Philadelphia.
Between the quarterfinals (where they beat the upstart Oilers in six games) and the finals, the Islanders reeled off eight consecutive wins -- with a four-game sweep of archrival Rangers in between. As they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in five games for their second Cup, their goal difference in the final was a combined +10.
1981-82
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May 16, 1982: Another year, another landslide title. The Islanders won the Patrick Division by a whopping 26 points over the second-place Rangers, and were seven points clear of their nearest competition for the President's Trophy, the still-not-quite-ripe Edmonton Oilers.
A first-round scare against the Pittsburgh Penguins turned in the Isles' favor thanks to John Tonelli's heroics, and a true dynasty was on its way: Past the Rangers in six games, then an eight-game sweep of the Quebec Nordiques and Vancouver Canucks to run away with the Stanley Cup.
1982-83
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May 17, 1983: Not so fast, whipper-snappers. The Edmonton Oilers' steadily rising challenge for league supremacy took them all the way to the finals for the first time, where the New York Islanders summarily dispatched them in a four-game sweep. For the Islanders, the Dynasty was secured. For the Oilers, it was a powerful lesson in where talent ends and the demands of playoff hockey begin.
Four years, four Cups, 16 consecutive playoff series wins (a record that would grow to 19 until the rematch with the Oilers the following year). Mike Bossy scored 60 goals yet again, and Wayne Gretzky became acquainted with Billy Smith's crease.
