Evgeni Nabokov. (Photo: Robert Kowal/flickr)

The revolving door of goalies continued in the 2011-2012 season for the Islanders. Rick DiPietro was once again MIA for most of the year, and Al Montoya and Evgeni Nabokov bounced in and out of the lineup with various injuries, including a concussion apiece. That made room for young netminders Kevin Poulin and Anders Nilsson to get some ice time — and it also gave the Isles the chance to sign veteran John Grahame to a short-term contract.

The five goalies that posted ice time on the Island combined for a 3.03 GAA and a .900 even save percentage. It certainly wasn’t easy to keep it above or even at .900, what with the holes on defense and all of the injuries, but they managed to do so. Let’s see how each goalie fared individually.

Evgeni Nabokov: The 36-year-old Russian got over his earlier temper tantrums and decided to try it out for the orange and blue — and he looked disinterested at first, but slowly turned it on, and somehow his indignance turned into a positive attitude. In the end, he posted the best GAA and save percentage of all five goalies (2.55 and .914) in 42 games- exactly half of a season. Nabokov had become the Isles’ most stable, consistent goalie as the season went on, even though he suffered from a few injuries. With a fresh new contract under his belt, he’ll no doubt hope to continue that success. Grade: A-

Al Montoya: Monty started out strong, suffered a concussion on Dec. 20, and missed a month’s worth of ice time. After coming back, his play certainly suffered, his save % below .900 for the final six games of the season (and nine of 13 games started post-concussion). Part of it was, in my opinion, a result of his perhaps not being given (or giving himself) enough recovery time from his initial injury, as well as not being played enough in order to shake off the rust, but the fact remains that he did not deliver when the team most needed it. As a result, he could (and probably will) be out of a job next season. Grade: C-

Rick DiPietro: This just isn’t fair. 8 games played? Nah. You be the judge. Grade: INC

(Kevin Poulin and Anders Nilsson will be assessed in my Call-Ups post.)

Overall Goalie Grade: B-

Does this seem high to you? Perhaps it is, but I’m a little biased. Also, you can’t really discount the great two and a half months Monty had, or the remarkable consistency Nabokov displayed after getting off to a shaky start. I can only hope the goalies can get some more goddamn support in front of them. 

Until next time.

Milan Jurcina was one of the three goalscorers in the Isles' last game of the season, a loss to Columbus. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

82 games is all she wrote for the New York Islanders and the Columbus Blue Jackets… but at least the latter team showed up for the final puck drop.

Milan Jurcina, Kyle Okposo and Michael Grabner were the only Isles to get past Steve Mason, while Al Montoya was lit up by the Blue Jackets’ offense and defense alike, in a 7-3 drubbing at Nationwide Arena. Cam Atkinson scored two goals (one on the power play), while Rick Nash, Vinny Prospal, RJ Umberger, Jack Johnson, and former Isle James Wisniewski also tallied goals for Columbus. Shawn Hunwick would replace Mason for the last few minutes of the third, but it wouldn’t matter; the Islanders were not on their game offensively at all.

This game also saw three fights break out- two of them between Matt Martin and Derek Dorsett, one between Micheal Haley and Jared Boll. Other than that, there wasn’t a whole lot of nastiness or penalties for that matter- but both Wisniewski and Atkinson made good on their man-advantage chances, while the Islanders went 0-2 on the PP.

Can I say much more about this game? No, except for the fact that it’s definitely discouraging to see the Isles drop their season closer, especially after the emotional high of the win against Winnipeg two days ago. It’s as if no one thought this game was that important- and even though it wasn’t, not really, what happened to wanting to win anyway? Just because this will be the last bit of pro hockey you’re going to be playing for a few months doesn’t mean it doesn’t count somehow. I just found it very underwhelming and not at all a good way to end a year of hockey.

At any rate, the Isles’ season is over, and when it reconvenes for training camp, it will likely be missing a few faces from this year’s camp. That can be a good or a bad thing, depending on the player; I’ll explain why as the draft gets a bit closer. In the meantime, I’ll have to find an Eastern Conference playoff team to root for (the Blackhawks are my choice for the West, of course); if anyone has any suggestions (NO ONE IN THE ATLANTIC, PLEASE), I’ll be grateful.

Until next time, Isles.

(Photo: Marc Haserodt/flickr)

The Islanders and Blue Jackets alike have no postseason plans, but there’s always pride to consider as each team closes out its year against the other tomorrow night at Nationwide Arena.

Each of these teams has a similar story- seemed poised to surprise, and yet went nowhere in the end. But the Islanders still have the guy who was meant to be their top player, and the Blue Jackets have not lost a league-high nine games after leading over two periods. They inhabit similar space- the Isles sit at 27th in the NHL, the Jackets dead last- but both have beaten teams higher than them in the standings as of late (the Isles beat Winnipeg Thursday 5-4, and the Jackets eliminated Colorado’s playoff hopes, winning 5-2). Overall, this should be interesting.

Standouts for Columbus include rookie Cam Atkinson, who scored his first career hat trick in the Avs game and has seven points in his last five games (3 G, 4 A). Rick Nash also scored two goals, but per the Jackets’ preview, his status for tomorrow night is uncertain due to a back problem. Meanwhile, Steve Mason will likely be in net after winning last night and missing the last four with an upper-body injury. He’s 1-0-1 with a 0.96 GAA against New York (yowza), but he hasn’t played them since the end of 2009, and he also has been up-and-down this season. In his last six, he’s 3-3-0 with a 3.67 GAA.

Meanwhile, the Islanders have a hole to fill (most likely) with PA Parenteau being injured last night. He’s not on the injury list for the Isles, but with his free-agent status looming on the horizon and New York not vying for a playoff spot, it would be silly for him to be in the lineup after a nasty-looking ankle sprain against Winnipeg. The usual suspects (Matt Moulson, Kyle Okposo) are on hot streaks, and one unlikely customer (Michael Grabner) preserved two points for his team last night with his penalty shot goal and late game-winner. He still hasn’t reached as many points (30) as he had goals last season (34), but it’d be nice to see him rack up another goal or two tomorrow. As for starting goalie… hell, it could be Montoya, it could be John Grahame. Neither seem to be in the Islanders’ future (more on that to come), so it’s a toss-up, really.

I just hope to see the Isles having some fun out there now that it’s all over and done with. After all, I’m used to saying “Next year’s our year.” Maybe by this time next year, I’ll have actually been right.

Let’s go, Isles!

Kyle Okposo scored two goals to help the Isles past the Jets, 5-4. Michael Grabner scored the game-winner late in the third. (Photo: Joshua David Brown/flickr)

There was some good, some bad and definitely some ugly, but the Islanders pushed past all of that to make their last home game of the season a win, beating Winnipeg 5-4.

The night started out with a ceremony honoring defenseman Steve Staios, who played in his 1,000th career game tonight. His wife and children were all there to see the veteran be commended on such a lengthy career. Also, Matt Moulson won the media’s “Good Guy” award (and really, why wouldn’t he… if you don’t like Matty, you’re just wrong).

Once on the ice, the Isles got out to a quick 2-0 lead on Moulson’s 36th of the season and then Kyle Okposo’s 22nd. Then, just as quickly, they coughed it up, as Tobias Enstrom and Andrew Ladd took advantage of defensive mistakes and shaky-at-best goaltending from Al Montoya. It was a classic example of start-strong, finish-weak, a style that has plagued the Isles for so much of the season.

Okposo got the lone goal of the second period, shortly after the Isles got over five minutes of power-play time that went absolutely nowhere (five shots on goal, that’s it). During this stretch, pending UFA PA Parenteau was injured on a scoring play. Mark Stuart barreled into him as Parenteau drove to the net, bending PA’s leg underneath Stuart’s own body. At first glance, it looked as though PA had suffered a knee injury- he wasn’t able to put any pressure on his left leg, and Josh Bailey and Matt Moulson had to help him off of the ice and to the trainers. In the third period, however, the Isles announced Parenteau had suffered an ankle sprain and would not return. An ankle sprain is a bit better than, say, an MCL or ACL tear, but it still puts PA’s future as a free agent in doubt. Here’s to hoping it’s not as serious as it first looked.

On to the third, and 7:03 in, Zach Bogosian found the tying goal. Things were starting to get bogged down until Michael Grabner was awarded a penalty shot- and unlike many times before on the breakaway, he made no mistake, shooting five-hole on Chris Mason to give the Isles the lead. However, just 36 seconds later Dustin Byfuglien- the guilty party on the penalty shot- redeemed himself with a blast from the blueline. 4-all, time running out. Another overtime?

Not exactly. Grabner, who until tonight had been very quiet (just one goal in his last five games), slapped the puck home with 47 seconds remaining until the extra five. He’s fallen a long way from his 34-goal rookie season (only 19 so far), but he managed to be Mr. Clutch this time around, with two goals to match Okposo’s. Game, set, match, Islanders win, and the home season is a wrap for Long Island.

Am I sad to see the season at Nassau Coliseum come to a close? Sure I am. It’s bittersweet to see us win, too, since there really isn’t much to show for it except pride (and, okay, pride is a lot when you’re an athlete- I can attest to that). But all things have to end eventually, and this season is just one of them. Before we all know it, we’ll be watching the Isles open things up again at the Coli, in what will be one of the final three years at the old barn. I know I can’t wait, and surely neither can the guys on the ice, although this summer will be a good one to relax and regroup during. As for the rest of THIS season, they travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets on Saturday in their last road game.

Game 82, here we come.

Let’s go, Isles!

Notes: John Tavares tallied his 50th assist of the season on Okposo’s first goal- he is the first Isle since Pierre Turgeon (1993-94) to have 50+ assists in one season… meanwhile, Parenteau got stuck at 49 due to his injury. Tough luck, kid. … Neither goalie fared very well, with Mason making 23 saves on 28 shots (.821%) and Montoya making 21 of 25 (.840%). … Travis Hamonic, Okposo and Andrew MacDonald all finished with +2 on the night. Hamonic and Streit also got about 24 minutes of ice time apiece, leading the team. …After tallying at least a point in each of the last three, Evander Kane finished with no points and two shots on goal.

By the way, check out this adorable picture of Grabner with a “special guest” during post-game after he won first star of the game. It’s worth a squee or two, just saying.

Objective: Keep this man away from the goalie. (Photo: Margaret/flickr)

This is it. The final home game of the season.

We’ve come so far. 42 home games, 81 total. And though many fans believe there’s nothing to show for it… at least it’s been an interesting ride. Now, they look to close Nassau Coliseum against the Winnipeg Jets and win their season series (which they currently lead, two games to one).

Valentine’s Day was the last time these two teams met up, and it was a love fest- the Islanders scored three unanswered to pull off a 3-1 win. Evgeni Nabokov was in net, but that won’t be the case this time around as Al Montoya will likely make his first start against the Jets since Dec. 20, when he bowed out with a concussion thanks to the guy in the picture above. (Sorry, do I still sound bitter? Shucks.)

The Jets, like the Islanders, aren’t competing for anything in particular, but they (unlike the Islanders) have recently proven to be a speed bump for teams like Florida. They fell behind 3-0, but ultimately came back to win in overtime 5-4, miring the Panthers in a tiebreaker with Buffalo. Captain Andrew Ladd led the way with two goals, including the game-winner. However, in six career road games against the Isles, he only has one goal. New York should look to keep it that way. Also, Evander Kane (yeah, him) has 24 points (11 G, 13 A) in his last 22 games, so the Isles need to shut him down.

Meanwhile, Matt Moulson scored the lone goal in the Isles’ 3-1 loss to New Jersey Tuesday, adding to his career year (35 goals now). Also during that game, John Tavares became the second-youngest Isles player to reach 200 points (21 years, 260 days). The youngest? Bryan Trottier, in 1977. That’s some nice company.

In net, Ondrej Pavelec has the better of Montoya currently, with a 3.96 GAA (Montoya has a 4.36 GAA, but that’s in three games, while Pavelec’s number are over eight). The Isles have solved him before, though, so the key (of course) is to maintain possession in the Winnipeg zone and test Pavelec early and often. The top two lines have provided the bulk of the scoring over the past few games, so expect the Jets to try their hardest to shut both lines down, particularly Tavares, Moulson, Kyle Okposo and Josh Bailey.

Overall, I’ll be slightly sad to see the season end in Nassau County, but I’ll be even sadder if it ends with a loss. So, be ready, boys!

Let’s go, Islanders!

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.

Frans Nielsen scored two of the Isles' goals tonight in a 5-3 win. (Photo: Robert Kowal/flickr)

The top line was shut down, but secondary scoring shone, as the Islanders topped the Penguins at Consol Energy Center by a score of 5-3.

Frans Nielsen was easily the best forward on the ice, scoring two goals and posting a +4, but not far behind was Josh Bailey with three assists (on both Nielsen goals, and on David Ullstrom’s power-play goal in the second period). Nielsen started off the scoring with a nice rebound collection from the far side after Dylan Reese threw a shot at Marc-Andre Fleury. Then Michael Grabner had a little luck go his way, as Fleury got a piece (but not enough) of his snap shot with the glove. It was 2-0 Isles after one period, Nielsen with a new career high in goals scored and Bailey with a points streak extended to five games.

However, the game wouldn’t be complete without an Isles meltdown, and it came. Within the first five minutes of the second period, a 2-0 lead became a 2-2 tie, on goals by Tyler Kennedy and James Neal. The Penguins ended up carrying much of the momentum both in this period and the game, outshooting New York 54-25.  The Islanders, however, managed to capitalize on mistakes by Fleury and the defense much more readily. At 12:48 of the second, Kyle Okposo broke the tie, flying along the right side and ripping a beautiful wrister past Fleury. Then Ullstrom scored on the man-advantage after drawing a penalty to Steve Sullivan, and Nielsen took advantage of a desperation play by Fleury by pulling to the side at the last second as Fleury charged at him, leaving a wide open-net to score on. Fleury’s own man, Paul Martin, crashed into him on that play, leaving him banged up, while on the other end Evgeni Nabokov was shaking off a leg injury caused by an awkward fall in his crease just before the Okposo goal. Neither of them would see ice time in the third period.

So instead, it was Al Montoya against Brad Theissen. Though Theissen got the better of Montoya in the period save percentage-wise, the Penguins goalie only saw seven shots to Montoya’s 22, and by that time, the Islanders had gathered such a lead that James Neal’s second goal of the night wasn’t enough. Not that the Pens didn’t try- they threw tons of rubber at Monty toward the end of the night, and the defense in front of him did all it could- Nielsen, Andrew MacDonald and Marty Reasoner especially- to make sure that the Penguins did not get another goal past its keeper, ensuring the two points in regulation.

Does this win feel good? Of course it does. Is it coming too late? More than likely, considering the Islanders are in 13th place and 11 points back of eighth in the East. But it’s great to see them beat a rival like Pittsburgh, especially when there’s already established bad blood between these two teams. And although the top line of Moulson-Tavares-Parenteau didn’t record a point, the Pens’ top duo of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby didn’t do much either- Malkin got two assists, but he and Crosby were both -1 and neither of them scored goals. Not a bad attempt at shutting down one of the hottest players in the league, if I may say so.

So, what next? Another round of Isles-Pens, of course, this time at the Coliseum. I can only imagine what this game has in store… I just hope it’s nothing extreme, if you know what I’m sayin’.

Looks like Alex Ovechkin will be snowing Evgeni Nabokov for at least one more year. (Photo: Clyde/flickr)

Goaltender Evgeni Nabokov has agreed to terms with the Islanders on a contract extension through 2012-13. Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that the contract is for $2.75M, helping out the Isles’ cap issues. It does not, however, include a no-move/no-trade clause.

Still, Nabokov has apparently come a long way from refusing to report to the Island last year, after he was picked up off of re-entry waivers. He expressed his enthusiasm at playing for another year:

“I’m thrilled to commit to this team for next season… We have a great group in the locker room of young, talented players and we’re heading in the right direction. I’m excited to have the chance to help get this team back to the playoffs.”

Sounds like good news for the Islanders, who have longed for stability in net after going through a gauntlet of goalies young and old, short and tall. However, this may put Al Montoya’s position with the Islanders in limbo. If Rick DiPietro makes his umpteenth comeback claiming a clean board of health, the Islanders will probably cling to him and get rid of the odd man out, which would be Monty- especially when you consider that he’s only signed through this year, and not a peep has been made regarding an extension. This worries me greatly (as you all know, I’m a Montoya fan and I want to see him get back to speed on the Island).

I guess we’ll see once the off-season comes. As for Nabokov, thanks for sticking around.

(Photo: Haley Siegelson/Twitpic)

After popping in and out of the lineup for the past couple of months, Al Montoya finally felt up to donning the helmet and getting back in net for the Islanders in Montreal.

The result? A rousing shootout victory.

It started out rocky, with an early Habs lead. Aaron Palushaj was able to sneak the puck through Montoya’s five hole at a bad angle for his first NHL goal. But the Islanders were able to escape with a 1-0 deficit thanks to some good saves by Monty and some chances by the offense that kept the puck away from the defensive zone.

The second period was much better, with the Isles jumping all over the Montreal defense, eventually breaking through on the PP at 2:00. Mark Streit split the D and pushed the puck past Peter Budaj for the tying goal. (I dare you to say “pushed the puck past Peter Budaj” five times fast.) Streit finished the game with a -1 and four shots, along with his goal, in about 24 minutes of ice time. He had some key defensive plays and seemed to really thrive playing against his old team.  The game remained tied until the final five minutes, when Frans Nielsen scored his first goal in nearly a month, giving the Isles their first lead of the game. (Keep Nielsen’s name in your head. He’ll pop up again.)

Unfortunately, New York still can’t close a game out in regulation, it seems. Louis Leblanc scored early in the third, and from then on it was a fierce battle between teams, with both defensive cores working overtime to ensure the game stayed tied. At one point, Al Montoya came way out of his crease to try and knock the puck from an oncoming Montreal attacker. At the other end, former Isle Chris Campoli came up big with a defensive play of his own, foiling a good chance for New York. It was that kind of game- equal turns exciting and frustrating, with a bit of “heart attack” thrown in.

Overtime started with a Habs man-advantage, and quickly became the Andrew MacDonald show. The defenseman isn’t the biggest guy on the ice, but his stick has a longer reach than most, and coupled with his willingness to block shots and be aggressive, that made him the best D for the Isles during the five-minute frame. Both teams had some great back-and-forth play, making for an entertaining overtime, but not one that yielded a goal.

So… on to the shootout, and even that needed extra rounds. At the end of three, the teams were still tied- David Desharnais with a nice fake-out goal for Montreal, Nielsen with one for New York- and for once, Nielsen did not use his backhand. Nope, instead he showed off a pretty quick release and got it through Budaj’s five-hole on the forehand. For shame, Fransy, are you changing it up on me? Sniff

Now, I hate shootouts, so for every round that drags on, I just get a little more desperate to see it end. And finally, after the next two shooters failed, it did. After Rene Bourque scored, Matt Moulson kept the Isles in it with a beautiful stutter-step move, the next three shooters were stopped, and then finally Josh Bailey squeaked it past Budaj for the game-winner. Montoya wasn’t perfect, but he did what he needed to do- and his skaters picked up the rest of the slack.

Now, the Isles probably feel very good right now, but they need to keep going. This is just the beginning of their road trip that will have them out of Nassau Coliseum for the next week and a half. Next up is Toronto, and those games are frustrating to watch. I’ll be hoping to God we don’t have another meltdown- and if we don’t, that we at least gather both points in regulation, for once.

Will Montoya be in net? No telling right now, but after tonight, I’d say he deserves at least one more go.

Until next time.