Sergei Gonchar was one of the goalscorers for Ottawa in today's 5-1 win over the Islanders. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

It looked as though things were actually going to be entertaining from here on out, and then the Islanders fell right back into old habits again.

Despite scoring the first goal (Mark Streit), the Isles dropped this one in a matinee at the Coliseum as Ottawa stormed back and scored five unanswered goals. Milan Michalek, Kyle Turris, and Sergei Gonchar combined for nine points on four of the Senators’ goals.

Al Montoya was not as sharp as he needed to be, and neither was the defense in front of him; as for the offense, it was basically nonexistent, giving Craig Anderson a mostly easy night. Streit had this to say during postgame:

“They kept it simple and they worked pretty hard… We just played too complicated. It was pretty horrible on our part.”

This leaves Ottawa in the playoffs with the #7 spot, and the Islanders with their second straight loss after winning five of six. I don’t know what else to say except congratulations to Ottawa, and good luck in the playoffs (you might need it).

Notes: Matt Martin received the Bob Nystrom Award before the game began. The Nystrom Award goes to the Isles player who best represents “leadership, hustle, and dedication,” all traits that Martin has displayed night in and night out. Congrats, Matt.

Orlov doesn't know it, but that hit he's about to take is one of Matt Martin's record 360. (Photo: Clyde/flickr)

Well, once again, thank goodness for small miracles.

I spent the day playing and then watching lacrosse (we won, Buffalo Bandits lost), so I didn’t get to see the Isles get stung for two last-minute goals by the Bruins. But I kind of wish I had.

Why? Well, PA Parenteau scored twice, Kyle Okposo is adding to his career totals, and Matt Martin set a league record in hits with 360, shattering Cal Clutterbuck’s record of 356 in 2008-09. Also, Al Montoya got his second straight start (though unfortunately, it wasn’t that auspicious).

You can view the recap and boxscore here and see who scored when. As for me… I’ll just direct my attention to today against Ottawa. Enjoy.