Lighthouse Hockey - Coverage: New York Islanders vs. Tampa Bay Lightning on MLK afternoonLighthouse Hockey: Try to fixate on something else.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50729/lhh-fav.png2013-01-22T06:30:03-05:00http://www.lighthousehockey.com/rss/stream/36642292013-01-22T06:30:03-05:002013-01-22T06:30:03-05:00Islanders Send Message with Pre-Game Fisticuffs
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<img alt="Who wants to dance?" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/acdRASosxPQTuWKTn8OjM_nxPSA=/2x0:3996x2663/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/6915999/159837365.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Who wants to dance? | Bruce Bennett</figcaption>
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<p>After coming out flat in the season opener on Saturday, the Islanders wasted no time showing the hockey world that they were ready for yesterday's game against the Lightning.</p> <p>The television cameras weren't ready. The announcers weren't ready. But the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Islanders</a> were ready.</p>
<p>Before the opening drop of the puck could even hit the ice, before a second could even tick off the clock, the Islanders and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.rawcharge.com/">Lightning</a> were throwing fists on Monday. Staged fists? Yes. Emotionless fists? For the most part.</p>
<p>But meaningless fists? Negative.</p>
<p>After the sloppy, passionless first period the Islanders offered up against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">Devils</a> on Saturday, it was nice to see that the Islanders were ready to play from the opening faceoff against Tampa Bay. They didn't wait to show us some effort in the second period. They didn't wait until the back end of the first. Heck, they didn't even wait until the networks came back from commercial.</p>
<p>I'm sure both teams thought an extra kick-start was needed for this early season, post-119 day lockout, 1 p.m.-start game. The Lightning know they haven't performed well at the Nassau Coliseum in the recent past. The Islanders were asked by starting goalie Evgeny Nabakov to come out angrier in games. Messages were in need of being sent.</p>
<p>So a couple Islanders (<span>Matt Martin</span> and <span>Joe Finley</span>) and a couple Lightning (<span>B.J. Crombeen</span> and <span>Pierre-Cedric Labrie</span>) scheduled a date to dance at 19:59 of the first period.</p>
<p>Normally, these beginning of the game, scheduled fights are boring and useless. And while yesterday's fights were boring, I believed there was some use in them.</p>
<p>Maybe they weren't the direct reason, but there is no denying the Islanders looked a lot more alive than they did in the first period on Saturday. The 10 first-period shots on goal yesterday were more than a three time improvement on Saturday's first period total. The skating, passing and defense were all better as well.</p>
<p>Before you dismiss the correlation and write off Saturday's start as the result of it being the first period the team had played in over nine months, remember that the first 20 minutes of a game have been an Islanders' nemesis for a long time now. A huge criticism of this team in past seasons has been the way they have come out in the first period, not just by fans, but by the coaching staff as well.</p>
<p>Whether the arranged fights did or did not spark the club, it sent a message. It sent a message to their opponents that the Islanders were ready for this game. But more importantly, it sent a message to the coaching staff and to the fans.</p>
<p>This isn't the kind of the thing a team can do before every game. You can't just start all of your games off with a premeditated fight to rally the troops. It's a stunt that usually holds very little merit. But in this instance I believe it was needed and appreciated.</p>
<p>It will be important for the Islanders to bring the same spark and passion to that first period when they visit the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/">Maple Leafs</a> on Thursday. And hopefully, the message will be sent without the aid of a pre-game donnybrook.</p>
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https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2013/1/22/3901798/islanders-send-message-with-pre-game-fisticuffsChris McNally2013-01-21T16:11:02-05:002013-01-21T16:11:02-05:00Recap: Islanders 4, Lightning 3
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<img alt="Tuck." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oW7gaFiYXUT1uHkpC81x3Rub5Hs=/70x89:3907x2647/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/6904953/159839394.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Tuck. | Bruce Bennett</figcaption>
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<p>A strong performance by the New York Islanders nearly went for naught after some broken plays and brief panic allowed the Lightning to narrow a 4-0 deficit to the 4-3 final score.</p> <p>You weren't worried, were you? I mean 3-0 at the second intermission leaves some room for anxiety, but 4-0 earlier in the third means game, set, match right?</p>
<p>In so many ways, the New York Islanders' 4-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning Monday afternoon was far more interesting than that.</p>
<p align="center"><a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20122013/GS020021.HTM">GS</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20122013/ES020021.HTM">ES</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20122013/FC020021.HTM">Faceoffs</a> | <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20122013/TH020021.HTM">TOI</a> (Isles) | Recaps: <a target="_blank" href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2012020021">nhl.com</a></p>
<h5>Bizarre Start</h5>
<p>The game started in curious fashion -- well, "start" might be incorrect there: Two fights at the opening faceoff happened while the clock had yet to tick off of 20:00. Opposing announcers debated among themselves who wanted that kind of start more -- Tampa Bay, who started <span>B.J. Crombeen</span> and <span>Pierre-Cedric Labrie</span> and have had poor showings at Nassau Coliseum, or the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/">Islanders</a> who were coming off a sluggish opening night loss but did not dress Eric Boulton. Crombeen went with <span>Matt Martin</span>, Labrie with <span>Joe Finley</span>.</p>
<p>The Islanders got an early but poorly executed powerplay that came after a <span>Frans Nielsen</span> scoring chance (flubbed wide) and generally drove play through the first and second periods. Rewards for that play did not arrive until midway through the second, though, when <span>Michael Grabner</span> scored on a breakaway -- yes, a breakaway -- toward the end of a powerplay on a long pass from Mark Streit.</p>
<h5>Goals and Goals and Bounces and Goals<br>
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<p>After <span>Matt Moulson</span> went to the locker room for repairs, his temporary replacement Matt Martin looked like he cost the Isles by giving the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.rawcharge.com/">Lightning</a> a powerplay. Instead, the Isles killed it -- Grabner's interception being critical after Nielsen broke his tick blocking a shot -- and <span>John Tavares</span> fed Martin for a breakaway goal as he came out of the box.</p>
<p>Martin's goal came at 16:23. A minute later, <span>Kyle Okposo</span> used an open John Tavares as a decoy while he finished a shot off the far post to change the tone of the game heading into the second intermission. A deserved 3-0 lead for the Islanders, and as a bonus <span>Keith Aulie</span> threw one crosscheck too many at <span>Colin McDonald</span> to let the Islanders open the third period with another powerplay.</p>
<p>The Islanders couldn't convert on that powerplay, so the anxieties of Islanders fans were still ripe in the air. Fortunately, <span>David Ullstrom</span> finished a sweet give and go with <span>Keith Aucoin</span> from a bad angle over <span>Anders Lindback's</span> shoulder. Safe 4-0 lead, we're on our way now, right?</p>
<p>Not a chance. First came crazy bounces, then came the fire drill. <span>Martin St. Louis</span> got one back after a scramble at the Isles net saw John Tavares clear it right to him. Then another broken play followed a series of kidnergarten-soccer-like bounces before <span>Benoit Pouliot</span> finished to make it 4-2. Neither was pretty, but neither felt like the Islanders were collapsing while hanging on for the win.</p>
<p>Rather, the collapsing came after that, with <span>Steven Stamkos</span> finishing a pretty triangle passing play just 34 seconds after Pouliot's goal. The next several minutes were chaotic, with the Islanders top line and top four defensemen all participants in the mess that could have easily seen an equalizer go past <span>Evgeni Nabokov</span>. The top four were on the ice for all three Lightning goals -- <span>Mark Streit</span> and <span>Brian Strait</span> for the first two, <span>Andrew MacDonald</span> and <span>Travis Hamonic</span> for the third. Stamkos was on about every other shift at this point, and the Islanders were keeping their third pair from seeing more than 15-20 seconds at a time.</p>
<h5>The Finish</h5>
<p>Finally, things settled down and Kyle Okposo used pure speed to the outside to create a chance that would have yielded an insurance goal. He made too many moves though, ended up taking the puck behind the net for a wraparound that resulted with his butt sweeping up snow in the corner.</p>
<p><span>Victor Hedman</span> did well to short-circuit a few Islanders counter-attacks with attempted hip checks that disrupted Ullstrom and Okposo on separate breakouts up the right wing. Aside from the five minutes or so of headless chicken play after the Lightning made it 4-2, play returned to a more level back-and-forth rhythm.</p>
<p>With 2:28 left, old Isles friend <span>Nate Thompson</span> lost too much of Frans Nielsen breaking into the Lightning zone and pulled him down, giving the Isles a late powerplay and yet another chance to get the Isles top line out there. <span>Brian Lee</span> promptly levered Matt Moulson to the ice with his stick, creating a 5-on-3 that would keep the Isles on the powerplay for the rest of regulation.</p>
<p>The Islanders played the powerplay safe, moving the puck around and firing shots while having safety valves at the blueline. With Lindback pulled, the Lightning couldn't gain the zone and Okposo nearly iced it with an empty netter.</p>
<p>Scare survived, first win of the season, game winner provided by the third line, and the Isles are 1-1 heading into the first road trip.</p>
<h5>Highlights (when posted)</h5>
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<h5>Various Notes</h5>
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<li>Another sharp one for Evgeni Nabokov when tested. He tracked the puck well during the chaos that almost created the tying goal.</li>
<li> <span>Brad Boyes</span> again made some passes and looks that were encouraging. He also showed good strength along the boards to prevent Lightning clearances on the powerplay.</li>
<li>Michael Grabner has impressed me the most out of the Islanders in the first two games. He's flying and doing creative things. His breakaway conversion was a nice pullback under a lot of pressure from the defenseman.</li>
<li>On that note, Martin's finish on the breakaway was superb, releasing inside the post just before the pursuing defenseman could disrupt his shot. Love to see a player use juuuust the right amount of time.</li>
<li>Keith Aucoin has also earned his time in the first two games. A player like that is not going to get top-six minutes at this point, but secondary powerplay time and little bursts of creativity from the third or fourth line is just fine. One turnover he created on the backcheck single-handedly created a scoring chance and led to sustained pressure when the Lightning should have been breaking out the other way.</li>
<li>The Matt Carkner/Joe Finley pairing still looks like it could use a more mobile component. Like Thomas Hickey, perhaps?</li>
<li>Different opponent, but breakouts were much better throughout this one. Many more shorter, quicker passes to build progress out of the Isles half of the ice.</li>
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<p>Road trip begins Thursday in Toronto, followed by Friday in Boston.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2013/1/21/3900742/new-york-islanders-lightning-win-michael-grabner-breakawayDominik2013-01-21T00:32:49-05:002013-01-21T00:32:49-05:00Preview: Who are these Lightning?
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<figcaption>Early wakeup call. | Bruce Bennett</figcaption>
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<p>The first afternoon game of the season, because this country used to be really backward and courageous people died trying to change it.</p> <p>We've talked over the Islanders loss to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.allaboutthejersey.com/">Devils</a> in the home opener till we're blue in the face, so the preview for today's matinee with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.rawcharge.com/">Lightning</a> is all about the visitors.</p>
<p><i>(For international visitors: It's an early start because today is Martin Luther King Jr Day, a federal holiday. This place used to -- well, all cultures have their scary pasts and issues with "otherness" but ours was pretty bad and lasted a really long time and required some pretty bold movements to get past it.)</i></p>
<p align="center"><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/803261/NYI-Islim.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="height: 45px;" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/803261/NYI-Islim_medium.jpg" alt="Nyi-islim_medium" height="45" width="125"></a> <img style="height: 44px;" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/585356/TB-slim_medium.jpg" alt="Tb-slim_medium" height="44" width="117"><br><b><a href="https://www.lighthousehockey.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Islanders</a> (</b>0-1-0, all is lost<b>) vs. Lightning (</b>1-0-0, champions of the world<b>)<br>1 p.m. | MSG+ | Audio: <a target="_blank" href="http://islanders.nhl.com/club/RadioPlayer.htm?id=2012020021">NHL</a> - </b><b><a href="http://www.hofstra.edu/Academics/Colleges/SOC/WRHU/wrhu_listen.html" target="_blank">WRHU</a><br>Nassau [</b>gloriously unsponsored<b>] Veterans Mem. Coliseum<br>Charged, but Hardly Raw:</b> <a href="http://www.rawcharge.com/">Raw Charge</a></p>
<p>If you slept through the lockout -- bless you -- the Lightning are still coached by the line-shaking Guy Boucher, who almost ruined hockey or something because Patrick Roy said so.</p>
<p>After a stunning run to the conference finals in his debut year, Boucher's squad regressed in 2011-12 and missed the playoffs by eight points. A huge culprit was their blueline; another was their sieve-tending. Alas, <span>Dwayne Roloson</span> was not brought back and Sebastian Caron was smuggled into the handsome draft package the Lightning sent to Nashville to import Nordic giant <span>Anders Lindback</span>.</p>
<p>In minor moves up front, the Lightning also traded for <span>B.J. Crombeen</span> (a bit of an agitator) and <span>Benoit Pouliot</span>, but the heavy lifting still falls into the capable hands of <span>Martin St. Louis</span>, <span>Steven Stamkos</span>, <span>Ryan Malone</span> and <span>Vincent Lecavalier</span>. Their version of <span>Nino Niederreiter</span>, top 2010 pick <span>Brett Connolly</span> is spending this season in the AHL and has put up similar numbers (34 points on 15 goals).</p>
<p>Instead of Connolly, the <a target="_blank" href="http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/lightning/content/lightnings-cory-conacher-its-going-be-important-me-control-my-emotions">Lightning promoted Cory Conacher</a> from their affiliate in Syracuse. (That link also explains why Pouliot wears #67: He was a Lemieux and Jagr fan.) Conacher describes <a target="_blank" href="http://lightning.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=651504">his debut and first NHL goal here</a>.</p>
<p>On the blueline, the Lightning splurged: <span>Matt Carle</span> and <span>Sami Salo</span> were brought in via big free agent deals, so you can't say the Lightning didn't make huge investments in addressing their weaknesses.</p>
<p>Former Islanders Tim Wallace and <span>Bruno Gervais</span> are no longer with the Lightning. <span>Marc-Andre Bergeron</span> is.</p>
<p>If history is any guide between these two teams, look for transition opportunities creating a large chunk of the scoring chances. Not that there will be a lot -- the Lightning often play Boucher's modified trap and the Isles do not often mount sustained pressure -- but when it happens, it tends to happen in waves of breakdowns.</p>
<p>That said, the Lightning won their opener Saturday 6-3 at home over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.japersrink.com/">Capitals</a>. Maybe the kids in attendance get a good show on Martin Luther King Jr. afternoon.</p>
<p><b>Islanders</b></p>
<p>Coach Jack Capuano <a target="_blank" href="http://islanders.nhl.com/club/preview.htm?id=2012020021">hopes to be back from his kidney stone</a> surgery, but we'll see this morning. Josh Bailey and Jesse Joensuu are still out; the lineup questions circle around the many defensemen (will Thomas Hickey or Radek Martinek appear?) and the forwards (Casey Cizikas?).</p>
<p>After this one, the Islanders go on their first road trip of the season, an extensive one with multiple border crossings and back-to-back games in Toronto and Boston.</p>
<h5>FIG Picks</h5>
<p>Leave your First Islanders Goal <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lighthousehockey.com/2013/1/20/3897950/fig-picks-islanders-vs-lightning-jan-21-matinee">picks in this thread here</a>. And come back 'round game time for the game thread.</p>
https://www.lighthousehockey.com/2013/1/21/3898720/preview-new-york-islanders-tampa-bay-lightningDominik