New York Islanders VS New Jersey Devils 2-0
Stats
Goals
NYI- Jesse Joensuu (1), Rob Schremp (2)
NJ- N/A
Assists
NYI- Frans Nielsen (10), Michael Grabner (3), Blake Comeau (7), James Wisniewski (12)
NJ- N/A
Points
NYI- Jesse Joensuu (1), Rob Schremp (3), Frans Nielsen (12), Michael Grabner (8), Blake Comeau (10), James Wisniewski (14)
NJ- N/A
Goalies
NYI- Rick DiPietro (W)
GAA- 0.00
SV%- 1.000%
GA- 0
SA- 29
SV- 29
NJ- Johan Hedberg (L)
GAA- 2.06
SV%- .900%
GA- 2
SA- 20
SV- 18
Comments
The New York Islanders have done it; they’ve ended the losing streak. If you’ve been following the Islanders, and have been watching the past few games, this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. They, for the most part, outplayed Atlanta on Sunday, they deserved a win against Columbus on Wednesday, and finally, after one of the most gruesome months in Islander history, the Islanders beat the New Jersey Devils on Friday to bring the 14-game losing streak to an end. Rick DiPietro was sharp once again, the defense blocked shots and made plays, and the offense produced just enough for the Islanders to walk away with a victory. Blake Comeau, who was the playmaker behind Rob Schremp’s goal, put it best when he said “Ricky made the saves when we needed him to,” said Comeau “and we got some goals when we needed them.” When DiPietro, who earned his first shutout of the season and 16th of his career, was asked about the win he had this to say “It’s huge…I think it’s a culmination of a lot of hard work in the last couple of weeks. We got away from what made us successful for a while. The hard work was there, but there were a lot of mistakes. Today we limited some of our mistakes and buried some of our chances.” Meanwhile interim head coach Jack Capuano also earned a milestone; he got his first win in the NHL. When asked about what the win would mean to the team Capuano said “It’s a big win for the boys,” Capuano said while downplaying his own milestone. “I’m happy for the guys. They played well in Atlanta and against Columbus but didn’t get rewarded with the points.” Frans Nielsen and Michael Grabner both got an assist on Jesse Joensuu’s goal, thus continuing their hot play. On the downside, after getting his first goal of the season, Trent Hunter suffered a Grade 3 MCL Tear. The usual recovery time for an injury like this one is about 6 months, so he might very well be out for the season.
Meanwhile the New Jersey Devils, who walked into the Coliseum riding a two-game winning streak after beating Washington 5-0 on Monday, and Calgary in a shootout on Wednesday, were shutout by a team who’s defense is 29th in the league. This was yet another major blow to the Devils, and what was supposed to be one of the best, if not the best, offenses in the league. Head coach John MacLean was especially disappointed at his team’s performance, “You would think you’d have some guys who’ve been through this before and would pick it up and know it’s a big game. We didn’t have anybody going, and that’s what happens.” The Devils had a major chance to produce offensively when they had a 5-3 power play during the third period when Dylan Reese was called for interference, and James Wisniewski was given a 4 minute double minor for high sticking. However the Devils failed to produce a shot during the 5-3, and the 4 shots they did manage to produce during the ensuing power play were stopped by DiPietro. MacLean was particularly angered at his team for failing to produce on their chances during the power play, “Our best players are out there and they don’t get it done,” he said. “You can draw up plays, but unless the execution is there, it’s not going to happen.” The Devils however did, for the most part, completely dominate play in the 3rd period, however MacLean wasn’t encouraged at all by the period his team played. “Too little, too late,” he said. “You can’t expect to play 20 minutes and think you’re going to get a win.”