After two lackluster performances over the weekend in losses to Minnesota and St. Louis evened the Islanders seven-game road trip at 2-2-2, the team saved their worst for last. At least everyone but goaltender Dwayne Roloson, that is.
After blowing at least a point in Minnesota on Friday in surrendering a last minute third period goal and essentially being outclassed Saturday in St. Louis, the Isles stood around and watched the worst team in the league fire a season high 61 shots at Roloson on Monday night. After building a 3-0 lead in the second period, the Isles turned into spectators and enjoyed the one-man show their 40-year-old netminder put on in the third period, during which they were outshot 23-4 (61-21 for the game).
Despite allowing the Leafs to tie the game with two goals, Roloson amazingly got his team to overtime, where Josh Bailey zipped home the winner with 43 seconds to play. A goal that simply never happens without Roloson’s heroics.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Phil Kessel, left, tries for a wraparound past New York Islanders goalie Dwayne Roloson, right, during the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Nov. 23, 2009, in Toronto. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)
“That certainly not the way we drew it up but games like that happen sometimes,” explained Islanders coach Scott Gordon, with a hint of a smile. “Roloson was outstanding. We didn’t tell Dwayne, but we figured as long as they didn’t hit 70 shots, we’d be all right.” Toss in 28 blocked shots and it’s clear where the puck was just about all night.
What else can a head coach do but make light of the fact his team was under siege all night and had clearly turned their fate over to the old man in the pads?
While the big story before the game was the homecoming for rookie John Tavares, Roloson sent the Isles home with some renewed momentum as they now face a string of big division games beginning with the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday night.
“We’ve obviously got some things to work on,” Tavares said after the Leafs game. “But we’re headed home in good shape and looking forward to the division games coming up.” The 19-year-old, held pointless in his return home, estimated he had more than 100 family and friends in the stands.
In assessing the season-high seven-game trip (3-2-2), the Islanders have to be pleased with the eight points they grabbed, but some troubling trends surfaced in the last three games.
Gordon’s club played giveaway in mishandling the puck the second half of the trip and consistently lost the battles for loose pucks in St. Louis and Toronto. It seemed their lack of size up front became more evident as the trip rolled along.
Winning a face-off now and again wouldn’t hurt either as they were murdered from the dot in Toronto, losing two-thirds of the draws and won less than half of them in St. Louis.
With Doug Weight out until potentially the end of the next month, one of the important elements the Isles are missing is a veteran leader up front that truly knows how to win. During the trip they got a first-hand look at the value of what veteran leadership at the forward position can mean to a young club. In Florida it was Steve Reinprecht, 34, and Cory Stillman, 35, leading the way for the Panthers. Against the Wild it was 38-year-old Owen Nolan carrying the club on his back with a pair of goals. Then in St. Louis it was clear how much 37-year-old Keith Tkachuk still means to the Blues.
If Weight’s body is simply beginning to fail the 39-year-old center, Isles’ GM Garth Snow has to address this need before the end of the calendar year. If things don’t turnaround in Carolina by then, Rod Brind’Amour or Matt Cullen might be considered. New York native Craig Conroy might be available in Calgary as well.
As for positives to take from the road as the club heads home to take on the Flyers tomorrow night—well, there were a few. You can begin with the play of 21-year-old center Josh Bailey as his confidence is simply soaring right now. Three goals in the last three games (six-goal season) and a noticeably increased aggressiveness for the puck have lifted Bailey’s game considerably. Couple this with Trent Hunter’s impressive return (points in seven straight games) to the line-up and the pair have formed a formidable third line with Jon Sim. The balance this has added to the Isles’ attack up front has been huge.
Jack Hillen also seems to get better every night as his puck carrying ability and steady play in the defensive zone have been a welcome replacement for the injured Radek Martinek.
Still hovering around the playoff race, though it’s still early, the 9-8-7 Islanders have certainly made an early season statement. How loud and meaningful that statement is remains to be seen.
Ice Chips
Roloson has now stolen two games for the Isles this season—obviously last night and the 4-3 OT win in Washington on Oct. 30th.
The rehabbing Rick DiPietro will practice with the team tomorrow for the first time this year—a moment that would have to be considered a significant step toward his eventual return. The club has stated that at the point DiPietro handles several team practices without incident he will eventually head to Bridgeport for continued conditioning and then actually play a few games for the Sound Tigers before heading back to Long Island for a possible debut. The team has been very careful in not placing actual dates on any of the above events.
Interesting three-game stretch coming up for the Isles with three straight division opponents lined up this week—the Flyers tomorrow at home followed by a visit from the Cup champ Penguins Friday afternoon, then off to New Jersey on Saturday. A key little stretch for sure.
Just throwing this out there—but we see a lot of Luc Robitaille in John Tavares. Their games share a lot similarities in that neither player dazzles you with their skating ability or moves but the puck simply seems to find their sticks for that quick and accurate release. We’re not saying JT is headed for more than 600 goals, but the subtle effectiveness of his game thus far reminds us a bit of Lucky Luc.
Not to pour a bucket of ice water on what has been a pleasant beginning to the season for the Isles but remember this—the club reached their annual Thanksgiving Eve home game last season at 9-10-2 and had looked pretty good to that point. They blew a 3-0 lead that night in losing to the Penguins 5-3. That game led to a tail spin that carried well into January and destroyed their season. I’m just saying…
