Islander Musings, In-Game Scribbles

Montreal 5 at Islanders 1

Very young team facing Montreal tonight. Streit is injured and a number of AHL call-ups in the Long Island lineup.

Jacques Demers tells us that the Canadiens will win by three or four goals and that he is not fond of making predictions. Joel Bouchard says that Bob Gainey looked at him as if he had four heads when he made the suggestion that Dandenault start on defence.

Laraque is in. Sergei is injured. Greg Stewart is in the lineup and Dandenault is actually on defence.

First Period

This appears to be a darker arena in the manner of the shadowy Madison Square Garden or the old Los Angeles Forum. It could also be a function of the cameras used when RDS is on the road.

Chris Higgins is on the second line with Andrei Kostitsyn and Thomas Plekanec. Higgins told us earlier that he believes it’s just coincidence that his numbers are good in New York. He said that he prepares for the game in the same way every time. He and Mike Komisarek call New York home. Both have family and friends here tonight.

Yann Danis is in goal for New York. He has had some success in recent months including two shutouts in a three-game span in February.

International Line puts some pressure and Koivu gets away with hooking. Koivu cannot control the puck in the same way he used to but he’s still game.

Now Mike Komisarek takes a roughing penalty.

Glen Metropolit and Mathieu Dandenault are the first pairing. They create a chance early in the penalty-kill. Lapierre now replaces Metropolit.

Maxim Lapierre controls it on the boards very well … several seconds killed. Islanders finally set up and move in. Bruno Gervais gets a shot from the point but Halak is centred and moving up to challenge. Good save. Price is sick with the same virus that got some other players in recent days. Just how strict is the Montreal quarantine?

Now Kostopoulos creates a rush of his own. Slapshot is harmless. Park is a dangerous player in the way that Hagman can be in Toronto. Both are good at unexpectedly appearing from the side of the net for scoring chances.

Penalty is killed and the Canadiens look to make an imprint on this period.

Plekanec is a great passer. Both long and short-range. Same diligence in his play tonight. Seems every night. With Higgins and Kostitsyn, he will be able to freewheel a bit more.

Kostopoulos takes a hooking penalty. Hamrlik is on with Gorges. Metropolit and Higgins are the forwards. Islanders keep just one player on the blue line. Aggressive. And Montreal nearly generates a two-on-one early because of it. Isles return to two point-men including the older Doug Weight.

Montreal extinguishes the penalty and as Kovalev takes the puck over the Islander blue line in the closing seconds, he is held and Montreal goes to l’attaque massive.

Two great chances for Koivu and Tanguay. Kovalev creates. Should have been a goal. Two goals.

KTK remain on ice and Kovalev has more on his palette. Koivu converts on this pass. Backhand.

1-0, Montreal.

There are enough Montreal fans that we can hear the olé, olé from the seats.

Islanders take another penalty. Blake Comeau. He hit Kostitsyn from behind. Could have been a payback hit but it looked chicken cheap. Strutting tough in the barnyard.

Canadiens give up a two-on-one immediately. Halak makes the save on Thompson and is forced to freeze.

KTK start this sequence. Schneider and Markov on the blueline. Thompson gets another shot after a Kovalev weave fails. Latendresse is on the ice. Anti Chamber guys will be pleased. But wrong. Latendresse does not deserve all sorts of extra time on the power-play. He has to prove himself as a five-on-five guy first.

Laraque line puts on unexpected pressure. No real quality shot. Laraque also manages to check Comeau. It’s Stewart with Metropolit and Big Georges.

Higgins and Kostitsyn both trying to create deep. Nothing yet. But the right idea.

Islanders take a bad penalty. Tim Jackman. Unnecessary and with under two minutes left in the period.

Schneider scores soon off the draw. Blast from the point. Return pass from Markov. Koivu may have deflected.

2-0, Montreal.

Lapierre comes in with Latendresse. Great pass and Latendresse is stopped somehow. Danis got his stick on it. Barely.

Canadiens create yet another chance with just under five seconds left. This time it’s the Plekanec line.

First Intermission

Saku answers a bland question with some bland accuracies.

Second Period

Lapierre intercepts a pass at the circles but is stopped from taking a shot. Gervais slides like a rogue curler to smother the puck.

Now Tanguay loops and glides, turns and shoots. All net. Very nice wrist shot.

3-0, Montreal.

Jackman takes another penalty and swears all the way to the penalty-box.

Koivu line with Markov and Schneider.  Markov scores. Swoops in from the left for a good feed from Koivu.

4-0, Montreal.

Laraque is going to fight. And does. Smiling. Before and after.

We are told that Montreal has scored 23 power-play goals since the acquisition of Schneider.

Plekanec line is spending too much time puckless. Metropolit line is creating chances, however. They make it look like a power-play. Kostitsyn seems to be a new addition to the line. Or is it a late line-change?

Latendresse makes a nice puck-possession move in the high slot with the back of his skate. After a control fails, he bumps the puck backward to a teammate.

Plekanec line is showing more control of the puck. But a miscue on a pass ends the sequence. And suddenly a three-on-one for the Isles and they score on a short-side slapshot. Ugh. And it’s Tambellini. How embarrassing.

4-1, Montreal.

Kostopolous can’t create on a two-on-one with Lapierre and goes around the net and gives up the puck. Russ Courtnall also wore number six. Faster than Kostopoulos but not as vigorous.

I get a sudden feeling that we will see both Philadelphia and Boston in the post-season. Or maybe it’s just the good soup I’m having. (Broke my game rule)

Every time Tanguay comes down, it’s a digital, glistening moving mural. This one is another almost. There is no solving this line so far.

Metropolit is on next and he creates a nice chance at the side of the net. Cashman type of play. Wind it around, little dipsy, little doodle and the puck appears in front of the net. Voila! But no shot.

Now a rarity, Koivu line trapped in their zone. Not for long. Kovalev stays late on the shift. He is goal-hungry and stays an extra minute. Gets one shot.

We are told that the Rangers-Carolina game is now tied 2-2. Makes me think of the urgency of playoff updates. One good thing about the playoffs is that all the teams one dislikes will almost surely get eliminated.

Back in my beer-drinking days, I don’t think I would have let a random woman finger-print my bottle. What are these commercials trying to tell us? That’s Molson. Coors, however, tells us that beer is actually more important than the forwarding of the human race.

Brunet is now saying that he doesn’t understand how Islander owner Charles Wang runs his team. Suggests that the magnate is a meddler. I assume he’s a magnate. Only a magnate would meddle.

Again Higgins and company are puckless for most of their shift. Higgins does not have a lot of gas. Again. When it comes to short bursts to the puck, he is very optional. When it comes to a longer sprint or chase, he’s game. Reminds me of former Los Angeles Raider cornerback Terry McDaniel’s enthusiasm for covering deep passes and his disdain for defending the short throw.

Period is winding down and Lapierre’s line is back on. Lapierre whips a surprise pass through to the slot from the boards. Good notion.

Now with nine seconds, Ligne Internationale is on and they manage to create a quality shot from the slot. But it misses. Kovalev from the captain.

Second Intermission

Demers accidentally calls Tanguay, Tango. Alain Crete particularly seems to enjoy this gaffe.

Michel Bergeron’s wisdom; (1) we shouldn’t give the Islanders the lead because that’s bad for Halak, (2) we’re playing the right way, (3) the first line is giving the right example and that is why things are going well. Merci, Michel. Let me jot that down somewhere.

Third Period

Komisarek bangs home a point-shot. What happened? Screen? No, Danis saw it but it deflected. Imagine if deflected shots were made illegal. They’d have to increase the net size then, for sure.

5-1, Montreal.

Koivu gets a point-blank rebound. Fires it directly but Danis makes the stop.

I have a suspicion that the Islanders have a history of weird player surnames. Perhaps I will have to research this. Just tonight we have two guys who have names that sound like Malvolio and Martinet. Apparently, some consider Scotty Bowman a martinet.

Kostopoulos humple-stumples his way down, loses control and tries a drop-pass that almost works. Latendresse’ back-hand fails. Kostopolous is awarded a penalty-shot.

Tom Kostopoulos does not have the quick hands and control needed for deking. Danis has no trouble. Extends his leg pad to interrupt the left to right motion of the puck. Like a grown-up stopping a driveway child.

Kovalev finds Koivu with a long cross-slot pass and Koivu shoots like a sniper. Aims deliberately and fires. But it goes wide.

Laraque and Stewart are jawing with Jackman. I’m anti-fighting, sure, but there are some pummellings that I would condone. Well, I wouldn’t condone them in front of children, of course. Refs keep anything from happening.

Commercials again. What about a channel that alternates between French and English? Is that so bold? Or what about a Czech head coach? I’m sure there’s some Mac handheld device that one could point and click at him for a text translation. (yes, good soup, good score)

Plekanec line is still trying to find its bearings. Turnover.

Now Lapierre in on another two-on-one. Trailing Kostopoulos can’t control the puck. Replace Kostopoulos with Lang and you have a very dangerous Montreal team. Put Kostopoulos with Metropolit and whoever.

Halak makes two great saves. He may, like Mathieu Garon, never be fully recognized for his abilities.

Islanders step up the tempo. And Montreal looks unorganized and unprepared for the increase. The surprise doesn’t last long. Maybe a shift and a half. Metropolit line comes on and settles things down.

Still half the period left.

Wow, St. Hubert’s Super Quart commercial manages to get more and more annoying as it goes along. I almost mute it in time. One waitress talking and then they keep adding waitresses speaking in unison about their artificial chicken (I do love the sauce). Louder and louder. And way too confident about their menu.

Jackman is causing problems but managing to avoid Laraque. Not too bold when Laraque is around. Reminds me of Darcy Regehr.  Bold when it’s small-ball Plekanec.  Not so much when it’s Big Georgie.

Montreal goes on the power-play. Almost no movement from the Islanders. And one of them has lost his stick. Higgins line starts this one.

They can’t control the puck.

KTK is back on. Kovalev hustles in from the right. Danis stops it barely.

As for teams that don’t deserve their coach, Carolina is close to the top of the list. They are up 4-2 against Rangers now. Paul Maurice might be one of the top three NHL coaches.

Canadiens fail to create enough scoring chances and the Islanders survive.

Now back to five-on-five … Higgins really is a chockful of minimum. And occasional maximum. At 25 years of age, it really isn’t a Stanley Cup-winning rate of exchange. Sorry. He has the puck just beyond him in the slot and reaches as if he has some sort of rib disease. Well, maybe he is playing hurt. All is forgiven if that is the case.

Bergeron is now telling us that the unification of Koivu-Kovalev-Tanguay is a top line not only in the East but in the entire NHL. They delay going back to the game for us to learn this bit of obscura.

Weight is now fighting Metropolit. Metropolit is not afraid. And it’s an impersonal but intense draw. Metropolit is quite strong. Holds Weight back despite a significant size difference.

Montreal goes on a last power-play as a result. Just over three minutes left. Plekanec line gets the first call again. They can’t even maintain control along the boards. Plekanec loses the battle. KTK is on next.

Isles get a breakaway soon after and Dandenault takes a penalty on it. Kovalev is one fast horse. Dandenault goes for hooking. Kovalev gets props for the backcheck.

Somehow Brunet’s voice is getting deeper at the end of this telecast.

Andrei Kostitsyn is down. In smaller leagues, Gainey might be the guy to come running on the ice. Hit is accidental but blood is drawn and Isles take another penalty.

Four on three for 19 seconds.

Lapierre can’t control deep. And then Trevor Smith gets a breakaway. And can’t beat Halak five-hole.

Canadiens’ win will move them up to seventh. For what that is worth.  Still thirty seconds left. The Montreal fans are loud in this quiet, emptying arena. And that’s the game.

Kovalev gets first star.

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