Recap: Penguins 6 Islanders 3, always something as Hamonic ejected on bogus call

Caption of the year.

BComptonNHL Brian Compton
Hamonic on penalty: “I’ve watched it numerous times, and that’s a play where I probably wouldn’t even get credit for a hit.” #Isles #Pens
1 hour ago Favorite Retweet Reply

NYIslanders NYIslanders
Hamonic said he felt Orpik hit himself with his own stick. Also said, looking at the replay, his elbows were down. #isles.
1 hour ago

jessespector Jesse Spector
Brooks Orpik did not think Hamonic’s game-changing penalty should have been a major.
1 hour ago

The Hamonic penalty exists almost on a plane by itself. It will be studied and analyzed for the ages, like the Zapruder film or that grainy Bigfoot footage used on every History Channel show ever. It will be an eternal example of how an awful call change a game.

But, there are a few other things I take away from this game. One, the Islanders have a long way to go before they can skate with the Penguins on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter who’s in, who’s out or who’s hurt. That is a very deep, very aggressive, well-coached team that uses a full court press at all times. Even with a 2-0 lead, I saw Islanders pressured every time they touched the puck. While they did spend a good amount of time in the Penguins’ end in the first period, it was hard work getting in there and keeping possession. Other teams must hate playing against them because they are, literally, in your face the second the puck hits your stick. I’d appreciate it more if I didn’t despise them so much.

Two, Montoya had no shot on either of the first two goals. The third was preventable. Then the wheels fell off the entire team, including Al. I wouldn’t be surprised if the plan was to play Poulin in Montreal regardless of how this game turned out. That’s a plan I can endorse. Al deserves a night off because…

Three, the Islanders have had a good run lately, picking up points in tight games against some quality opponents. Al’s been huge in every one, some guys who started cold got their grooves back, and the team has played smart, solid hockey. It wasn’t going to last forever. The unfortunate thing was that it had to end in such a grotesque way.

Tonight got ugly and the stink will linger for some time. They lost focus and the game went from competitive to one-sided in a hurry. Down one very important man, (two if you count MacDonald) the D was asked to run when they could barely walk. But I’m more concerned with how they play Monday night and if they can truly put it behind them and pick up where they left off last week. Tonight had to be one of the more bizarre games I’ve watched in a long time. Best thing for them to do would be to forget it ever happened.

Oh, and four, thanks to Dom and Co. for creating a supportive and passionate website without resorting to frat boy nonsense like we saw in the +/- thread. If I wanted to experience that kind of horseshit, I’d wear my Fisherman jersey to a bar to watch games there.

But I can’t help but think it’s almost futile to cheer for this team.

Not only are we undermanned when it comes to location, money and an arena, it’s now become painfully obvious we are playing against the refs too.

I watched very little NHL hockey after the lockout until last season. I still went to my minor league games, and watched them whenever they would come on tv, and I watched any televised Isles games, which was very few. I still watched the olympics, but not the NHL.

After the amazing 2010 olympics, i decided to start watching again. I fell in love with Isles all over again last season. I’ve even stuck up for the NHL this season as they have tried to stop concussions. i get it, I’m no maniac, and take no pleasure in seeing a man who might be a father a husband and at the very least somebody’s son lying there with their brain falling out of their head.

But then i realized that it doesn’t matter where you hit, how you hit or when you hit. It’s really about who you are, and who you hit. Malkin can swing his elbow at soembody’s head, and not one word is said about it, yet a great young player like Travis Hamonic, who has shown nothing but class, dedication and a will to get better and learn gets thrown out of the game on a call that the ref didn’t even see be committed. He was looking at the fucking goal!! How do you turn around, and throw that kid out of that game, when you’re not even sure what you saw? To err is human, to ruin 1,000s of people nights because you think something might have happened is inexcusable, and when added to the other crap we have seen this season, isles fans have to start asking themselves what is going on? Save me the consipracy theories too , because if you don’t think they take better care of the Bruins, Pens and Canucks, you ain’t watching.

Not surprising, seeing Buttman came from the NBA where acting like it’s all about one or two guys on each team, ruined the league. It’s happening now. Crosby can’t stay healthy, and the game is going to suffer because of it. They have been throwing suspensions around and making questionable officiating calls since he missed time last year. Now he’s out again, and look at the call in last night’s game? You can call it coincidence, or say they started this after Savard’s injury, but I ain’t buying. i think it’s mosty to do with Sid being out almost a year. he’s their money maker (The pens are on versus 15 yimes this year) we all know that.

I guess I started babbling, sorry. I just can’t believe this. Now I know, that it’s not the only reason we lost, and Al played his worst game for us, and the defense was awful, even with Hammer they weren’t playing so well. Maybe that makes it worse. We weren’t playing our best and still were beating the Pens. Don’t tell me watching their best d-man skate off the ice for no reason didn’t have something to do with how they played.

P.S. Anybody see how NHL on the Fly didn’t make any mention of this horiffic call?

Shocker.