SB Nation - Richard Park

Where the Islanders goals are coming from

Dominik — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:21:55 -0000

The easy answer to the headline -- is: "Duh! John Tavares and Matt Moulson."

That's the issue of the moment: That these two childhood friends and 2009 newcomers are the only ones scoring for the Islanders. Outside of Richard Park's tally in a 6-1 loss in New Jersey, no Islander besides JT and Mighty Matt has scored a goal since Nov. 27, a 3-1 win over Pittsburgh six games ago.

But when we jump on guys for not scoring, it's good to remember a huge chunk of scoring comes from the powerplay. Of the Islanders' 79 goals so far, 22 (28%) have come via that route. Eight of Tavares's 15 goals have come with the man advantage. If you're not on the powerplay, it's that much harder to wrack up points. Worse, if most of your ice time is spent killing penalties or carrying subpar wingers at 5-on-5, then you're spending most of the time just fighting to keep the puck out of your own net.

So one way to look at this issue: Take the powerplay out of the equation. Who are the Islanders' best scorers at 5-on-5?

One metric, with the aid of Gabe at Behind the Net: Who is scoring the most goals per 60 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time?

As you'll see below [Warning: Table ahead!], the answers are ... the usual suspects. However, the order has been shuffled a bit, making Matt Moulson look even better than you might already think. And by this metric at least, one much-debated streaky forward still looks pretty good -- even though he has scored exactly one goal since his October hat trick.

	Goals	PP Goals	ES Goals	G/60min. 5on5
Moulson	14	3	11	1.57
Tambellini	7	3	4	1.02
Tavares	15	8	7	0.98
Hunter	5	2	3	0.94
Bailey	7	1	5	0.73
Nielsen	3	0	3	0.65
Bergenheim	4	0	3	0.49
Sutton	3	0	3	0.44
Jackman	2	0	2	0.43
Witt	2	0	2	0.33
Park	2	0	2	0.31
Okposo	5	2	3	0.3
Martinek	2	0	1	0.2
Sim	2	1	1	0.19
Hillen	1	0	1	0.14
Striet	4	2	2	0.11

Matt Moulson, with 11 even-strength goals, is the team's 5-on-5 king to this point. [Video fun: His recent natural hat trick in Atlanta, captured below, featured two even-strength goals and one powerplay goal that wasn't even a traditional setup-in-the-zone PP play]:

But back to that table: Other than Jeff Tambellini at the high end and Kyle Okposo at the low end, where everyone ranks isn't too shocking. Okposo gets a lot of minutes, period, so his low goal total thus far makes him stand out (in a bad way), even though he's still been generating a lot of chances. Tambellini, who scored once in November, is (numerically at least) living off that October hot streak.

Okposo's experience -- clanging shots off crossbars, yet setting Tavares up in his office -- tells us that even after 30 games and good linemates, your numbers won't always reflect the work that you've been doing. Meanwhile, the two young centers we're hoping will be two-way producers, Josh Bailey and Frans Nielsen, each have fewer even-strength points (7 each) than Richard Park and Sean Bergenheim (9 each), who are hardly looked at as scorers.

Of Course I Will Find a Way to Blame This on the Blueline

There are a hundred ways to try to get a handle on what's happening in hockey's flowing, chaotic, difficult-to-encapsulate game -- both in strictly numeric terms and in nebulous descriptive terms. (Who's been playing with better linemates? Who's been playing against tougher competition? Who's been fatigued from playing so much PK? Who can't find a groove because they're never on a consistent line and they never get more than 11 paltry minutes? And of course the tried-and-true: Who suffers because the coach just hates him, I know it, I can see it in his eyes?) Everything is a cascade of factors, from the goalie behind you to the health of the lineup to the luck of the schedule.

So subjectively, I look at the names on that table and see the makings of a passable "top six" forward corps that ought to put up decent numbers over the long haul. And if that supposition is true (you may easily disagree), you know what I keep coming back to as a reason it's not happening? The blueline. The transition game. Aside from Jack Hillen, probably Andy Sutton (who's frankly been good this year by any measure), and certainly Mark Streit (who has not been as dominating as he was last year, in part because partner Bruno Gervais has not replicated last year's growth), this group isn't fit to consistently get the puck out and supply the Islanders forwards at 5-on-5.

As has been the issue since Scott Gordon arrived, the group as a whole cannot consistently deliver the promise of Gordon's scheme, so we're going to get fits and starts. We're going to get glimpses of the excitement the future will bring, mixed with doses of reality about the blueline Garth Snow has gone with and the below-average forwards who remain.

Until the cavalry of better defensemen arrive. I think.

That's one round-about theory. With the given that the eternal answer is "The Islanders need better players," I'm curious to hear yours.

New Jersey Devils Rout the New York Islanders with a 4 Goal Third Period, Win 6-1

John Fischer — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:46:01 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

The New Jersey Devils, seen here, celebrate one of their six goals scored against Martin Biron. I believe this is after Parise's goal, the fourth goal by New Jersey. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

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The New Jersey Devils didn't start off this game so well. The New York Islanders immediately swarmed the Devils' defense. The Islanders got the first few shots and scoring chances of the game. The Devils looked a bit off, with their passes consistently just out of the reach of their target. And Richard Park unloaded a rocket of a shot off the rush that just beat Martin Brodeur to put the visitors up one goal.

From then on, the game slowly but surely became dominated by the New Jersey Devils. Like a snowball rolling down a mountain, the New Jersey Devils just went from strength to strength as the game went on. Not that they were perfect, but the Devils had momentum building after the Park goal. The passing improved. The Devils were able to get more shifts in Martin Biron's end than in Martin Brodeur's end. The Devils, get this, started maintaining and keeping possession more often. Their penalty kill was excellent in preventing the Islanders adding to their lead in the first period. They started throwing more pucks into traffic, leading Mike Mottau to get a lucky re-direction in front of the net for the Devils' equalizer.

The Devils put more and more shots on net, leading them to hit the post 4 times - most notably Dean McAmmond's shot off a rebound hitting both pipes and Matt Halischuk hitting the far post that was initially thought to have gone in, but waived off after video review. The Devils' struck ahead on a power play, well set up by Jamie Langenbrunner and Patrik Elias, and finished off even better by Brian Rolston. Yet, it was still 2-1 and the Islanders were still in it. They got 12 shots on net, and they beat the Penguins in the third period from such a deficit.

Then the third period came and it was a veritable avalanche of goals for New Jersey. As a testament (and evidence) to the importance of possession, the Islanders had a mere 4 shots on net. And with a power play, no less. They had as many shots on net as the Devils had goals in the third. When you own the puck like the Devils did, good things happen. Converting 25% of the team's shots on net in the third period, Patrik Elias (twice) Brian Rolston, and Zach Parise poured on the misery for Martin Biron and the Islanders. The Rock could have easily been called High Five City with all of these goals being scored. The Devils won 6-1 with a fantastic third period performance that was the logical conclusion of what they built up after Park's goal. They have now won 3 straight, and get a much needed 3 days off before Vancouver visits next Wednesday.

NHL.com has the recap of the game up, complete with stats and other bits of interest. Dominik at Lighthouse Hockey, like much of the Islander faithful, are probably not happy with the loss. He'll have a recap up later on. I called into Hockey Night on Long Island for their post-game show and gave a few thoughts about the game and the Devils literally from the Rock. That's up as Episode 6, Post-Game Edition for November 28, 2009. As usual, I have much more to say, so please continue after the jump to find that out.

First and foremost, just like with the last Washington game, you need to see the goals in this game. Even if you were there, watch them again. How often do you see the Devils score 6 unanswered goals? The answer is almost never. So savor these highlights from NHL.com!

There's just so much to like. So many goals, scored in so many ways. It's important that the Devils kept looking for the opportunity to score after going up 2-1 or 3-1. They didn't sit on the lead or play it safe on offense, the Devils went forward when they had the chance and they were rewarded. It's an excellent habit to form, in my opinion.

But I fully believe this is all the result of being the dominant team in terms of possession. The Devils got the Islanders into that cycle of clearances-right-to-the-other team that just kept giving New Jersey the space to go ahead and attack some more. That's how 32 shots in the last 2 periods happened, that's how beating the Islanders in shots on net 42-23 happened, that's how Martin Biron had a very difficult afternoon happen, and that's how most of these goals happened. I said it in the preview and I think I was proven right - puck possession makes things a lot easier for the controlling team.

Of course, the only real criticism one could have for the Devils today was how they started the game. The Devils responded well after the Park goal and handled the Islanders' aggressive forecheck well overall. But the first period could have been real ugly for New Jersey if it wasn't for Martin Brodeur. The defense, if not all the skaters, were a step behind to start and Brodeur had to come up big. Again, the Devils did make adjustments and improved their overall performance. That's very good; but the slow start was bad.

Everything else was great. The penalty killing units were on the top of their game, holding the Islanders to a mere 2 shots on net across 4 power plays. The power play units were also great and let me emphasize watching the Rolston and Elias goals on the video. Those are perfect examples of why players on the PP don't just fire away when they have the puck for a second. They look for an open man who is set-up for the shot. With a man advantage, someone has to be open and the puck is moved around to get someone open in a good position. Those two goals are perfect examples of this idea; both goals were set-up well and the players in question were in a great position to fire it home.

Speaking of Rolston and Elias, they were magnificient together! Rolston followed up a strong game in Boston with another great performance today. While he only had 2 hits today, he had 7 shots on net again, scored 2 goals, and picked up 2 assists with 19:20 of ice time. While one can't expect a 4 point game from any player all the time, any Devil has to be pleased with this kind of effort from Rolston. Elias had a huge game with 4 shots on net, 2 goals, 2 assists, and 18:22 of ice time. The only downside to his performance was winning only 3 out of 14 faceoffs, but I tell you, Elias is back. In this post game post, Tom Gulitti noted that the two are playing very well together and that's an excellent sign. There very well could be great chemistry between the two forwards, which gives Lemaire an easy decision to make with respect to putting together a second scoring line he can count on. We should all hope Rolston and Elias continue to produce.

But in a 6-1 win, lots of players have had good games. The defense was actually led by Bryce Salvador, who played 25:34 and looked real solid in doing so. Yes, Andy Greene played "only" 22:36 and Mike Mottau played "only" 23:02, but both contributed on the score sheet with Greene's shot leading to the rebound Parise smashed home and Mottau equalized the game early in the second period. Zach Parise had his usual game - 5 shots on net, a goal, and 20:30 of solid play. Travis Zajac was the Devils' best faceoff man, winning 12 out of 19 draws today - the only Devil to have won more than 50% of faceoffs. Mark Fraser again got 15:29 as a sign of Lemaire and the coaching staff trusting him more and more; and Matthew Corrente got 12:27, another sign of a young defender starting to grow into the system. Matt Halischuk very nearly had a few goals today, but he was denied by the iron (especially on the third one, nullified by video review). He was named the game's third star by the media, perhaps as a sign of recognition of what could have been. At least he drew a minor from Jack Hillen (a minor the Devils scored on, thanks to Richard Park taking a second minor during the PP).

I'd like to highlight the two forwards from Lowell. First, there was Ilkka Pikkarainen. Back after a conditioning stint, the fiesty Finn played a great game. Yes, he only got 6:58 of ice time but he made the most of it. He hustled, he threw four hits, he moved the puck decently enough, and he drew Jack Hillen into shoving him and saying some nasty things - earning Hillen an unsportsmanlike conduct minor. The Devils scored on the ensuing power play, so credit to Pikkarainen for playing well on the fourth line today. That was exactly what I want to see him do on the fourth line. Throw some hits, bring some energy, and draw a call here and there.

Second, there was Vladimir Zharkov. Today was his first NHL game and did he make a mark with 5 shots on net. Seriously. He had as many shots on net as Parise did - only Zharkov had McAmmond and Halischuk as his primary teammates and Zharkov did all this in 14:40 of ice time. One of his shots forced a highlight-like sliding save from Biron and another led to a McAmmond rebound that struck iron. According to this postgame post from Gulitti, Zharkov was rightfully praised by the fellow teammates. After all, he came real close to getting his first NHL point; if he continues plays like this, he'll get that sooner rather than later.

There was a lot written here, a lot of praise for the Devils, because they won in such a big fashion. They didn't just ride momentum to take a lead, but they did it to just overwhelm the Islanders. It's the team's third straight win and now they have some deserved rest. Today, they showed the Islanders what exactly they can do when they grow to dominate possession and keep building off good shift after good shift. Hopefully, the rest of the league paid attention as well.

Thanks to all the readers and commenters. Please leave your thoughts about today's big win in the comments.

Minnesota Wild vs. New York Islanders: Game Recap

nathaneide — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:57:12 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

26 days ago: Minnesota Wild's Owen Nolan celebrates his tie-breaking goal against the New York Islanders in the third period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Nov. 20, 2009, in St. Paul, Minn. Nolan scored two goals in the Wild's 3-2 win. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Minnesota Wild 3-2 New York Islanders

Ahh, when in doubt, put your faith in Owen Nolan.

"He showed great composure on the game-winning goal," said Head Coach, Todd Richards. "A lot of guys get in that situation and rush it a little bit. Great composure."

Umm, could that be because he has scored 412 NHL goals? Maybe because he's 37 and has 19 years of NHL experience? No. I think it's because he embodies everything a professional hockey player should be. He's tough, has great hands, sees the ice, knows where the play is going to be, shows heart, emotion and plays with grit. Oh, and he's simply awesome.

This was a big win. The Wild were without six regulars and three guys who were in Houston a week ago.

In a game with so many young guys in the lineup, it was nice to see the veterans play such a big role. Nolan scored twice, Mikko Koivu got a power play goal (which is nice to see, considering how anemic the man advantage has been), Andrew Brunette got an assist, Marek Zidlicky factored in the scoring and looked solid defensively, even Shane Hnidy played a tough game, amassing 19 PIM (though his instigator call was a complete joke).

You could tell that the crowd was poised to erupt all night. They were ready to either boo the Wild off the ice, or jump out of their seats at any moment in jubilation. Sure, part of it could have been because of Josh Sacco's rendition of Herb Brooks' pregame speech from the Miracle on Ice, but no matter the reason, it was nice to see an energetic crowd at the X.

Tonight wasn't a brilliantly played game by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a hard-fought victory, and it was great to see the Wild come from behind, play for 60 minutes and get off the ice with the two points.

Now, get healthy and we'll see you on the 25th.

Please read the game recap over at Lighthouse Hockey

Hockey Wilderness Three Stars

Owen Nolan (2 G)
Eric Belanger (2 A)
Mikko Koivu (1 G)

Questions to Answer

How much better will the Wild be with no Martin Havlat? Well, to be honest, they were better defensively without Havlat.
Will we see the future of the NHL in John Tavares? Tavares only had two shots on goal, but looked awfully good out there. He's going to be a very good player. Tough on the puck, fights to get position and works on every shift. He and Kyle Okposo make a fearsome duo.
Richard Park is still in the NHL? Seriously? Wow. Park was a -1, but didn't look to have lost a step. He's still awfully quick.
Will the aggression from yesterday's practice show tonight? The guys were playing with a bit of a mean streak tonight. It's nice to see, frankly.
If they come out flat, should we start to wonder whose job it is to motivate professional athletes? They didn't come out flat, but let's see if they can continue to build. It's not hard to show more effort than they did against Phoenix.

Game Recap: Bruins vs Islanders

timmorrison23 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:06:10 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

about 1 month ago: Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask, right, of Finland, makes a save as New York Islanders center Josh Bailey hits the ice during the second period of an NHL hockey game in Boston, Monday, Nov. 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

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What began as a pretty solid night for the Bruins certainly did not end that way, as the Bruins suffered a crushing loss to the Islanders 4-1 at the TD Garden. The Bruins and Islanders both played a pretty solid 1st period with both teams getting some solid goal scoring chances. The Islanders took the lead 6 minutes into the period. After a crucial offensive zone turn over by the Bruins Matt Moulson cashed in on a feed by Jack Hillen for the 1-0 lead. The Bruins had a great chance to make their mark on the game early with a 5-3 power play, however as the case has been lately they were only able to manage 5 shots on net during their 2 man advantage. After the 1st period the Islanders led 1-0.

The 2nd period started out strong for the Bruins, as they buzzed and created many solid scoring chances. After Blake Wheeler, Patrice Bergeron, and David Krejci were all turned aside by "The Pride of UMass Lowell" Dwayne Roloson, Daniel Paille was finally able to cash in. With David Krejci working the puck strongly against John Tavares, Paille snuck to the net and tucked in a backhand off a the dish by Krejci. Unfortunately for the Bruins the lead didn't last long. With the 2nd period winding down, Tuukka Rask handled the puck behind the net, he tried to pass it up the boards to Zdeno Chara, however the puck bounced right to RIchard Park, he fed Matt Moulson in front for his 2nd goal of the night and a 2-1 Islander lead.

The 3rd period went much as the 2nd did. Only 2 minutes into the 3rd the Islanders and John Tavares struck again. John Tavares fired the puck on net, as it went towards it deflected off Matt Hunwick to put the Islanders up 3-1. With just under a minute left in the game Trent Hunter would put the exclamation point on the win for the Islanders and make it 4-1.

My 3 Stars of the Night

1)Dwayne Roloson - he was very solid and made big stops when he needed to.

2) Richard Park - he had 3 helpers tonight and was around the puck seemingly all night.

3) David Krejci - looked fantastic tonight, the lone bright spot for the Bruins, was flying all over the ice.

Islanders 4, Bruins 1: Honk if you love Mighty Matt Moulson

Dominik — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:06:00 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

Matt Moulson's 9th and 10th goals of the season sent fantasy owners scrambling.

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Pinch me. The feel-good Matt Moulson story is real (and here's a great version of it at nhl.com). Two more even-strength goals from the 26-year-old last night were a boon to tuned-in fantasy owners everywhere and fuel for more joy among Islanders fans. As the final seconds ticked away and Trent Hunter iced things with an empty-netter, the [some-bank-or-enema-or-something-brand] Garden in Boston emptied out except for ... "Let's Go Islanders" chants? December 2008 this is not.

Game Sum. | Event Sum. | Recaps: nhl.com | Isles | Stanley/Chowder

Final - 11.16.2009	1	2	3	Total
New York Islanders	1	1	2	4
Boston Bruins	0	1	0	1

Complete Coverage >

Said the eminently likable Moulson after the win, in which he told officials the third goal was not his first career hat trick but in fact linemate John Tavares's ninth NHL goal:

"Johnny'd kill me if I took one of his goals. Yeah, I told them I didn't score. I'm an honest guy...

... My future brother-in-law Sean [texted] me he needed a big fantasy night out of me tonight."

A little bit of fun for Doug Weight's two tenants and the Isles' top two scorers. And so many ingredients to a refreshing regulation win -- the first win in which a goalie saved their bacon early so they could run away with it in the third.

The critical moment -- and where Dwayne Roloson bailed them out most of all -- was the first-period 1:35-long Bruins 5-on-3. You need luck, smarts, and big saves to kill off 95 seconds of two-man advantage, and the Islanders got all three. Their positioning was perfect, and Nate Thompson performed the ~~Sybil crazy~~ courageous job of standing in front of Zdeno Chara's heavy slapshots, which were coming from even closer in than normal thanks to the extra space.

Roloson even made the initial save on the Bruins' lone goal, but Andy Sutton -- spinning pretty aimlessly with the puck around his feet -- couldn't break up the pass nor clear the rebound.

The Story of A Forecheck Done Right

Beyond that and the worst faceoff performance of this road trip, the Islanders simply created their opportunities through the Gordon forecheck and took advantage of them:

Tavares forced a Tuukka Rask turnover that Richard Park fed to the front for Moulson's second goal near the end of the 2nd. And don't underestimate just how difficult that one-time/redirect was by Moulson. With 30 seconds left, Trent Hunter repeated the feat on the forecheck, feeding Jon Sim who hit the post. Early in the third, Park again pressured behind the Bruins net, stole the puck, and got his third assist when he fed Tavares at the back door. (The shot went off a defenseman's skate, ~~where Moulson could have tapped it in but instead chose not to make Johnny kill him~~.)

Early on, it was clear the B's were in Claude Julien trap mode -- how many times did you watch the islanders two defensemen slowly carry it out of their zone, because the opponents were waiting in the neutral zone? So it was nice to see the Islanders not panic with trap-drunk frustration, and instead capitalize by playing their game. For 60 minutes. Hardly a dominating performance (outshot 29-21, in part thanks to 4 shots on the 5-on-3), but all of the right factors and timing came together to create what became a sure win mid-way through the third. Such a difference from the last time the Islanders held a late lead over Boston.

Stat Sheet Oddity of the Night: Richard Park got the second assist on Moulson's first goal, but did not receive a "plus." He was on the bench by the time Hillen -- who Park passed to -- had rushed behind the Isles net and fed Moulson.

'This is our concern, Dude' Stat of the Night: The Islanders were again butchered in the faceoff circle, 43-18. Tavares was best at 6-8. Previously reliable Nate Thompson was 2-9 in the defensive zone alone.

Top Line of the Night: With all even-strength goals, the top line did not miss Kyle Okposo on its right wing this night: Richard Park gathered three assists, playing in Okposo's spot while Okposo paired with Frans Nielsen. Not a long-term solution, but as usual Park's versatility gets it done.

Bottom Line of the Night: With a win, the Islanders -- who have played the most games (21) of any Eastern Conference team -- are tied for sixth in points with Philadelphia and ... the Rangers. The Rangers have one game in hand. The Isles are 5-2-2 in their last nine games.

Parting Quote: From Moulson again, when asked how it felt not to go to OT [joking]: "It was weird. I was expecting to play another five. I was saving a little in the tank for that last five minutes."

Islanders Gameday in Buffalo: The drive for five resumes

Dominik — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:45:11 -0000

New York Islanders (5-4-5, t-4th/Atl) at Buffalo Sabres (8-2-1, 1st/NE)

7 p.m. EST | [some London bank of Buffalo] Arena | MSG+2 (twice the plus!)

Sabre-wielders: Die by the Blade

"The biggest thing is that our identity needs to be 'relentless.' For us to be successful, we've always got to be backing up each other. And I don't mean in a fighting way. I mean in a skating way, in a forechecking way. ... If we're playing the way we can, at the end of the day, we're a hard team to play against, because we try not to let the opposition make plays with time."

>>Scott Gordon, as reported by Katie Strang (emphasis mine)

Remember the Montreal game? Not the decent one, but the awful one? Yeah, me neither -- I tried to toss it out, and suggest you do, too. They get a mulligan. Still, I've been thinking about why the Habs gave the Islanders fits -- twice -- and I'm wondering if part of it comes down to team speed.

At the heart of Gordon's system, the Islanders try to take away other teams' time, which results in some hilarious opposition mistakes. But speed can help a team evade Islanders pressure. The Habs have it, and the Sabres do, too. Tonight should be interesting. The Sabres sound much healthier than they were four days ago, and just as the Islanders played the Habs much tighter in the rematch (an OT loss), Buffalo should do the same.

As much as win streaks alter expectations -- and why shouldn't they? We're fans, aren't we? -- my expectations remain guarded because the Isles are a young, developing team, and among their victims on this four-game win streak were two teams battling the flu bug, plus the Rangers, a rival in the middle of losing 6 of 8 games (2-5-1). I know. Here, giver your Ranger friend/brother a tissue. Tonight begins 9 of 10 games on the road; the challenges don't stop coming.

Though the Islanders blew out the Sabres Saturday, their formula remains the same: Play Gordon's system, get key saves, stay healthy. Kill penalties better than the other guys.

Speaking of the Isles PK: The Sabres did "extensive work" on their powerplay in practice to better prepare their 21st-ranked unit to crack the Islanders defenses.

Meanwhile, Botta just took up the theme of the Islanders' continued faceoff success, but there's more to those numbers than just overall percentages: Richard Park's 57% is impressive, but it's flat-out amazing when you consider he's 22-23 on shorthanded faceoffs. (Faceoff % on the PK is typically much lower, since five bodies are better than four when it comes to winning the puck off the draw.) Meanwhile, Frans Nielsen is 14-6 on powerplay faceoffs. It's early, but the video work of Scott Allen that Botta wrote about is a sign this is quite sustainable.

Tonight's Matchup

This is already the third Sabres-Islanders meeting. Whereas one was a (perhaps illness-aided) blowout, the previous one got out of hand for Buffalo thanks to Dwayne Roloson's worst performance of the year. Martin Biron seeks to duplicate Saturday's shutout of his old team with victory #201.

The difference today from the previous two meetings? Well, the Islanders are in a groove and carrying the confidence that comes with it:

"The guys have been on the same page now for a little bit and we're starting to see some results. I don't think that we've changed a ton of how we've played, but I think that the team has a lot of confidence."

>>Kyle Okposo

Maybe they haven't changed how they're trying to play, but during this four-game streak they've certainly improved their execution. As always, though, that begins with goaltending. Against both Buffalo and Edmonton, despite their mojo the Islanders actually came out to tepid starts. But Biron and Roloson held the fort until Operation Gordon took effect.

Brendan Witt's go-ahead goal in the 2nd may have been a bit of luck via Khabibulin, but the way the Islanders suffocated the Oilers the rest of the game was reflective of this improved execution.

I'll say it one more time for enjoyment: Four wins in a row. Tonight, does the "Drive for Five" at long last come to fruition?

Prediction: Ryan Miller doesn't get pulled.

Biron Continues to Haunt Sabres

David Oleksy — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:09:26 -0000

More photos » by Stephen Chernin - AP

about 1 month ago: New York Islanders' Jeff Tambellini, left, celebrates his goal with teammate Josh Bailey, (12) in the second period during an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009, in Uniondale, N.Y. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin)

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Everyone expected the Sabres to come out flat and suffer a loss against the Islanders tonight. Everyone was half right. The New York Islanders came away with a convincing 5-0 victory on the strength of a shutout by Martin Biron and a hat trick from Jeff Tambellini. The Buffalo Sabres did not come out flat. In fact they were the better team until the goals started piling up for the Islanders.

The Sabres outshot the Islanders 14-9 in the first period and had plenty of real good chances on Biron. Biron did his best Ryan Miller impersonation and stopped everything the Sabres put on net. He was outstanding to put it mildly. Richard Park put the Islanders on top 1-0 in the first period despite his team being thoroughly outplayed.

It was the Islanders second goal that came near the half way point of the second period that sealed the Sabres fate. Tambellini scored his first of the game with a shot through his legs that snuck past the goal post and by Miller. It was a fanatstic play by Tambellinin but a save Miller should have made and one he probably wants to have back. It was after that goal the Sabres seemed to let down their guard and the Islanders took over the game.

The Islanders eventually continued the onslaught on Ryan Miller and Patrick Lalime, who replaced the ineffective Miller. The lone bright spot of the game came when Patrick Lalime stopped Doug Weight on a penalty shot with 13 seconds left.

Final - 10.31.2009	1	2	3	Total
Buffalo Sabres	0	0	0	0
New York Islanders	1	3	1	5

Complete Coverage >

Myers is 19 Years Old

It is becoming more a more evident that Tyler Myers is 19 years old. He has made some suspect plays the past two nights and he single handily gave away the Islanders first goal. He hung is goalie Ryan Miller out to dry and put the Sabres behind the eight ball.

The Sabres had dominated the Islanders for the entire first period but his giveaway gave the Islanders the all important first goal. The Sabres only other regulation loss of the season came when the Thrashers scored the first goal. The Islanders have not fared well when they give up the first goal with a 1-3-3 record but they were an impressive 2-1-2 when they score first.

Miller is Human

I am not going to blame Ryan Miler for the Sabres loss tonight but he really looked human tonight. The second Islanders goal was a terrible goal and the other two are plays we have seen Miller make in the first nine games. I think Lindy Ruff will come back with Miller again on Wednesday to give him a chance to rebound from tonight's performance.

Harry Neale Quote of the Game

Once again the quote of the game is more a conversation.

Harry - "Not much of a fight there. It looked more like Dancing with the Stars"

Rick - "I was never invited to one of those"

Harry - "It's not because your not a star, it must be because you can't dance"

Up Next

Bring on the Islanders. The Sabres seek revenge on Wednesday night at the HSBC Arena.

Bruins comeback to win in shootout 4-3

Stanley Cup of Chowder — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 02:23:29 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

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The Bruins were able to score three goals in the span of 5:27 to erase a three goal deficit late in the third period to send the game to overtime and eventually a shootout, where Marc Savard would provide the game-winner to give goaltender Tuukka Rask his first win of the season.

After a scoreless first period, the Islanders drew first blood 4:04 into the second when Jon Sim roofed home a rebound in front for the power play goal and a 1-0 lead.

The Isles went up 2-0 at 12:43 of the second period. Radek Martinek received a pass from Mark Streit at the right dot with plenty of time and space and fired a hard snap shot that rang off the post and in for his first goal of the season.

The Islanders' lead was extended to 3 just over 3 minutes later when rookie John Tavares skated into the Bruins zone and fired a hard wrister from the right circle that beat Tuukka Rask up high on the glove side for his second career NHL goal.

The B's finally got on the board and pulled back to within two with 8:01 remaining in the third period. Marc Savard collected a long rebound at the middle of the right circle and quickly fired a shot that beat Dwayne Roloson nearside.

Byron Bitz got the B's back to within one with 4:25 left in the third period. Bitz skated into the slot and threw a backhander towards the net that appeared to deflect off Islanders defenseman Freddy Meyer and into the net.

Matt Hunwick tied things up at 3-3 with 2:34 remaining in regulation when he threw the puck at net from along the left wing boards at the blue line that somehow made it's way past Roloson for the game-tying goal.

With nothing settled after 60 minutes of hockey, the teams headed for overtime. Both teams got a few chances in the extra session, but neither team found the back of the net.

Blake Wheeler was the first Bruins skater to have a turn in the shootout and was able to get Roloson to open up his pads and slip it past him and spot the Bruins a 1-0 lead in the skills competition.

Rask appeared to make a pad save on Rob Schremp, but the puck tickled past the line to knot things up.

Next up for the B's was Bergeron, who rang one off the post.

Richard Park then missed wide for the Islanders.

Marc Savard roofed a backhander over Roloson to force the Islanders into a do or die situation.

The Islanders sent Kyle Okposo out as the final shooter, but Tuukka Rask was able to make the save and complete comeback win for the Bruins.

Final - 10.10.2009	1	2	3	OT	SO	Total
New York Islanders	0	3	0	0	0	3
Boston Bruins	0	0	3	0	1	4

Complete Coverage >

Notes:

- Former BU Terrier Freddy Meyer was not a very popular guy in his old hometown tonight after his late hit on Milan Lucic drew a crowd of black & gold jerseys.

- The Islanders have gone to overtime in all 3 of thier games this season.

- Dennis Wideman left the game late in the second period with an injury.

- Tuukka Rask saw a lot of rubber tonight in his first start, facing 38 shots.

- Bruins return to action Monday afternoon when they host the Colorado Avalanche.

New Jersey Devils Withstand and Surpass New York Islanders 4-2

John Fischer — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:31:30 -0000

More photos » by John Dunn - AP

Dainius Zubrus fires one of the 30 shots Martin Biron faced tonight. He stopped 27 of them, including this one. (AP Photo/John Dunn)

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It was the Devils' second preseason game this month. It was the Islanders' seventh preseason game this month. The Devils had a week long break after their first game. The Islanders played last night in Kansas City. Tonight debuted John Tavares to the Nassau Coliseum, but it was the Devils who were the stars of the night. NHL.com has their recap up, complete with their boxscore and event summary.

Overall, the Devils continued to play similarly to how they did last game and last season. They outshot the Islanders 31-22, the Devils punished Martin Biron and the Islanders defense with shots all over the place and by crashing the net. The last point can't be understated enough as all three goals scored on Biron were either off rebounds or an effort to crash the net. The defense was fairly solid, thanks to Paul Martin and Johnny Oduya playing very well in their first preseason games. The goals against are a reflection on Danis more than anything else.

In a line-up mixed with regulars and prospects/minor leaguers looking for a job. Some did well and raised their stock. Others didn't do so well and may have ensured a trip back to Lowell by week's end. Discussion on what went right and what went wrong after the jump.

Surprisingly, Jacques Lemaire did not keep his earlier word about giving Yann Danis only two periods. Danis went the distance and made a few good saves. That said, he looked shaky when the Islanders were attacking - in a rare moment - right in front of his crease. The two goals Danis gave up were soft and were game-equalizers. Richard Park scored on a simple wraparound in the second period, right in between Danis' legs. Later on, during the Devils' sole penalty kill of the night early in the third period, Danis' 5-hole became an issue again. Mark Streit fired a shot from the point, John Tavares collected and dished it off to the side to Matt Moulson, and Moulson jammed at it until it trickled through. I'm certain Danis will still be the backup, but he's got keep his stick on the ice or close up that 5-hole in those situations.

Speaking of Tavares, I wasn't impressed. Sure, he got 20:31 of ice time and an assist; but that second Islanders goal was mostly the work of Moulson. Tavares didn't much else that was notable in the game. Him, I was impressed with. He was quick, he was energetic, he was physical, he was firing away with seven shots on net, and he gave the Devils' power play and handful at times later in the game. If I had to pick a player of the game for the Islanders, it'd be Moulson.

Yet, the Devils power play wasn't a negative. Oh, no, they were definitely a net positive with two power play goals. Brian Rolston had a great game tonight among the regular forwards and he was important on those two power play goals. On the first one, Rolston unloaded a heavy slapshot from the point. Biron saved it, but it was trickling through and he had no chance on Vladimir Zharkov knocking it in. The slapshot itself was great because it was low, it was hard, and it went through a well set-up screen by Matt Halischuk. Zharkov did well on a heads up play around the net to make the play count on the scoreboard.

For the second goal, Rolston starts off the whole sequence by taking the puck along the left wing boards. Just before heading into the corner, he dumps it off to Nicklas Bergfors. I'm not sure if he was trying to shoot it, but he sent the puck perfectly into space on the far post. Jamie Langenbrunner was crashing the net and he just bangs it home. Great move by Rolston, great pass by Bergfors, and a great finish by Langenbrunner.

The Devils didn't really "relent" in their attack except for a few minutes after the Moulson power play goal. Yet, the Devils continued and they finally scored their first even strength goal of the preseason midway through the third. Cory Murphy was having an "OK" if not quiet night, until he was wide open on the point. Colin White saw him and naturally passed it to him. Murphy, taking a page from Rolston, fired a strong, low slapshot on Biron. He stopped it, but Oliver Magnan-Grenier, the Lowell defenseman playing at forward tonight, banged home the rebound. It turned out to be the game winning goal and it was indicative of the Devils' attack.

The Devils didn't stop attacking after that goal. Dainius Zubrus powered his way to the net with a nifty move, he had a good night. Rod Pelley intercepted a bad clearance by the Islanders defense and drove it on net. The Devils continued crashing the net well late into the game. Nicklas Bergfors got rewarded for a good game by icing the game, shortly after the Islanders pulled their goalie - Cory Murphy did well to win the puck back and moved it up to Bergfors. And even after that, they still crashed the net looking for a possible fifth goal. The Devils didn't sit on their 3-2 lead

In terms of prospects who had good games, Bergfors definitely helped his cause with a lively offensive game. On his power play assist, he was the only prospect on a unit that featured Rolston, Martin, Zajac, and Langenbrunner. He got 3 shots and 18:15 of ice time in addition to his goal and assist; looking for any opportunity to go forward. Zharkov also impressed with his hustle, contributing a goal in addition to 2 shots on net; he looked good on a line with Bergfors and Tim Sestito. Rod Pelley also had a good game playing with Andrew Peters and Olivier Magnan-Grenier; putting up the most shots on net among the Devils tonight despite only 12:27 of ice time. On defense, Cory Murphy had an OK game but finally put up some points with 2 assists. Since Lemaire reportedly said that he that Murphy needs to get points, this certainly helps him.

If you don't believe me, Gulitti's post-game post focuses on Bergfors and features quotes from him and Lemaire.

The most impressive was Olivier Magnan-Grenier, in my opinion. He played defense for Lowell last season, he got slotted as a winger today, and he definitely made the most of his ice time tonight. In the first period, he was quite physical with the hitting, and got into an early fight. And he unfortunately took a lazy tripping penalty that led to the goal against. Yet, in the 7:21 he played, he didn't take a shift off, he hustled, and he scored the game-winner. I don't know if this means he'll get a longer look, but you couldn't ask for much more in such a short amount of time from a guy not playing his natural position. Well done, Oliver Magnan-Grenier

In terms of prospects who didn't impress, I don't think Jay Leach or Rob Davison didn't really impress. Leach was just OK, not much to say about him, though. Davison didn't do a such a good job moving the puck about and looked sluggish at times. Tim Sestito, I felt, was a bit quiet, but that could be due to his wingers grabbing more attention (Zharkov and Matt Halishchuk). Andrew Peters managed to get a game misconduct for...talking, he didn't fight. He hustled and worked, but I'm amazed he got 10 minutes for yapping by the ref. I think Peters and Sestito may get another look due to their roles; but Davison and Leach needed to have a stand-out game to stay in the mix. I don't think either really did.

Overall, the Devils played a good game and a number of prospects should be pleased with how they performed. How will the "other squad" will perform tomorrow in Philadelphia will certainly be worth watching as well. Check out Lighthouse Hockey for their recap later. It's now onto Philly. Leave your thoughts about the game, how the prospects did, and how the team played overall in the comments.

Grading the Islanders: Hey Richard Park!

Dominik — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:45:17 -0000

Do you know the Foo Fighters song, "Hey, Johnny Park!"? ... Can't think of it? You actually might know it, but they never even say "Johnny Park" anywhere in the song.

Every time I need a headline for Richard Park (granted, that's not often), I think of that song. And yet, tragically, there is no way to work a cheap pop reference in to the chorus, so it just gets lost in an endless loop in my head. Park's honorary report card poem -- which I hope to have contrived by the end of this post -- does not reference that song. Because it can't. Dammit.

But enough Foo. Players like Richard Park remind me how truly, stunningly, insanely, top-percentile elite the NHL is. Because with the exception of a few enforcers and a few body-moving defensemen, every player in this league has world-class speed and hands. Every player in the NHL would be the top player -- by several furlongs -- in the top local amateur league you've ever seen or played in, racking up more points and flashing more moves than NHL 2010.

What they don't have in the NHL is the ice time and the team role to flash their skills on a regular basis -- because there's six or seven forwards who can do it even better, even more frequently, against even better NHL-level competition. So these guys have to adapt their games for a different role if they hope to stay in the league.

Richard Park is such a guy. It takes one shift to notice his speed; you might need 10 games before you get the chance to notice he has hands, too -- and it will more likely come on a shorthanded breakaway than as pivot on a scoring line. But anyone who reached double-digits in goals three times under Jacques Lemaire knows a thing or two about two-way play.

After the jump, the usual report-card fodder to grade Park's 2008-09.

Richard Park

#10 / Right Wing / New York Islanders

Height: 5-11

Weight: 190

Born: May 27, 1976

NHL Seasons: 11

Contract: 1 more year at $750k, then UFA

'08 Preseason View: No worries about steady Richard Park.

	GP	G	A	P	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	TOI	PKtoi	PPtoi	FO%	Sh%
2008 - 09 Richard Park	71	14	17	31	-13	34	4	2	17:10	2:47	1:37	49.0	10.1

Random Fact: Four years into his NHL career, Park went two seasons between NHL games, as he spent time in the IHL with Cleveland and Utah. That's how uncertain -- and remarkable -- his regular spot today is.

"This is our concern, Dude" Fact: Honestly, Park's game is pretty steady, solid, predictable and useful. If you have a concern, do share. With any player whose game depends on upper-level speed -- hi there, Mike Sillinger -- I always have that back-of-mind fear of injuries or age taking it away. But Park isn't that old yet. Speaking of Sillinger, Park took the most Islanders faceoffs last season: 809. (Josh Bailey was second, with 807.)

The Story: So here's a new narrative: The Islanders had injuries last year. Like every Islander, Park was not immune. But by only missing 10 games -- and playing through pain in quite a few others -- he carried more than his share of the burden to fill in for the rest of the guys in the infirmary. That's probably why he had so much PP time -- which accounted for seven of his points, while four of his points came shorthanded. He tied his career high in goals (14, with pre-lockout Minnesota) and fell one point short of the career high he established with the Islanders in 2007-08.

Among Islanders forwards who played 40 games or more, at 5-on-5 Park was in the top half in goals scored per 60 minutes. (Of course, Jon Sim was even higher.) In relative +/-, he was in the bottom half. Support-wise, the quality of the teammates he played with was also in the bottom half. (His two most frequent line combos were Park/Comrie/Okposo and Park/Jackman/Bergenheim.) At 4-on-5, Park, Nate Thompson and Andy Hilbert were the most frequently used forwards and each had fairly similar results.

Given the injury-induced ever-changing roles last season, I'm not sure any of the advanced stats tell us more about Park than we'd already infer: As a checker, he had weaker teammates and the team as a whole suffered. As an injury fill-in on the higher lines and power play, he had more opportunities to collect points.

As far as intangibles go, like Mark Streit it is said of Park that he is a vocal and respected leader behind closed doors. Certainly nothing in his interviews and quoted comments would lead me to believe otherwise. Entering his 12th NHL season, Park is a seasoned veteran who has seen every kind of situation in stints with six different NHL teams.

The Poem:

The dependable Richard Park
Might've been signed on a lark
But the native of Korea
With skills short of Kariya
Is nonetheless good for a spark.

The Grade: If you accept my suggestion that Park is a pretty defined quantity who delivers with Maytag consistency -- a never-takes-a-shift-off type of guy -- then I'm still curious whether you thought last year's production was to be expected given his abilities, or if they were inflated (or even too low) considering the extra opportunity provided by the Islanders' Biblical plague of injuries.

Yesterday, the Danes filled Frans Nielsen's grade with "10s" (although, if they really loved Frans, they would have voted "5" as a show that they expected nothing less from their hero). Will today be Korea's turn to spike the vote?

Poll

Relative to your preseason expectations, how do you think Richard Park did in 2008-09? 10=way, way above expectations; 1=way, way below.

10 - The pride of Seoul runneth beyond all imagination

15 votes

9

1 votes

8

15 votes

7

21 votes

6 - about right +

23 votes

5 - about right -

0 votes

4

3 votes

3

1 votes

2

0 votes

1 - I was expecting play like Kariya, not Park of Korea

0 votes

79 votes | Poll has closed