Islanders Break Losing Streak, Win 3-2

After going 0-2-1 in their last 3 three games the Islanders finally picked up a win defeating the Edmonton Oilers by a score of 3-2. Despite a span 8 seconds where Edmonton’s Taylor Hall scored two goals and another where Edmonton had 3 power plays in 8 minutes, this was a game completely dominated by the Islanders. Josh Bailey got the scoring started with a goal in the first period. Kyle Okposo scored the game-tying goal on a power play and then later in the period John Tavares would score the eventual game-winning goal on a wrist shot from the slot area. This was an important win for the Islanders who were in danger of losing to a team with only one win.

Feisty Islanders Faultier Late, Lose in Shootout

The Islanders made drastic changes to their line-up tonight, and it looked as if it was going to pay off until late in the third period.  Leading 3-2 with just under 2:05 to play the Islanders failed to clear the zone and the Sabers scored a soft goal on Nabokov to tie the game. The Islanders would go up in the shootout 1-0 thanks to Matt Moulson but Nabokov allowed the next two Sabre players to score and the Islanders lost the shootout 2-1. The good news is the Islanders did pick up a point, but they handed the Buffalo Sabres their first win of the season.

Islanders Lose to Nashville, Losing Streak at 2

October 12, 2103

On a night where the Islanders were out played and out skated most of the night, they only lost 3-2 and at one point in the second, even led the game 2-1. Tonights loss is solely on the hand of goal-tender Evgeni Nabokov, where all the goals against him were shots that should have been stopped. The goal scorers for the Islanders tonight were John Tavares and Frans Nielsen. Kyle Okposo picked up assists on both goals.

The Important Things:

After a lack-luster first period, and going down by 1, Islanders head coach Jack Capuano made a bold change to his line-up. He swapped his top two centers Tavares and Nielsen and it had immediate impact. After the switch the two lines seemed energized and were skating hard, which led to the two quick goals. It will be interesting to see if Coach Capuano will stick to these changes going into the their next game on Tuesday. This is one of the few times Tavares and Moulson have been split up since both joined the team 5 seasons ago.

Islanders Rout Coyotes 6-1

October 8, 2103

The New York Islanders completely decimated the Phoenix Coyotes tonight by a score of 6-1. The Islanders improved their record to 2-0-1 and now have picked up 5 of 6 possible points to start the season. The scoring was led by Captain John Tavares who scored two goals and was searching for the third goal late into the final period. The only Phoenix goal came seconds after the Islanders scored their third. The whole second line of Grabner, Bailey and Nielsen each had three points a piece with Bailey having the only goal. Nabokov was excellent, stopping 33 of 34 shots. Peter Regin, Matt Donovan and Colin McDonald also added goals.

The Important Things:

John Tavares notched his first two goals of the season so Islanders fans can stop panicking over when Tavares will finally score. The second line was tremendous tonight and Frans Nielsen was star making three excellent passes that led to the goals. Peter Regin scored his first goal of the season as well, making the choice of who should be benched for when Cal Clutterbuck returns, which may be soon than people think.