Champ:
Brad Isbister - 2 goals; strong physical presence up the middle at the center position; #1 star of the game; +2 on the night; I think somebody will be getting a pay raise next year.
Chump:
"Ranger guy" - there was a fan in section 104 cheering for the Rangers...are you kidding me? Who comes to an Islander/Predator game in a Ranger's jersey? Next time, stay home pal.
I was browsing my
ESPN The Magazine
the other day and I came across a comment that displayed the lack of respect our Islanders are getting these days. To quote the magazine: "Election Day: Predators at Isles. We vote not to care." With the win tonight the Isles moved into a tie with the Devils for first place. Yes, you heard right...first place. Now I know it is extremely early in the season, but can anyone recall the last time the Islanders were in first place? (1995 by the way). As a sports nut, I am the first guy to appreciate the value of ESPN but can they please give the Islanders some respect? And are they in love with Theo Fleury, or what? Yea, he couldn't buy a goal last year and now he has finally found the net, but do we really care?
On the night of the election with various battles going on throughout the country, banners in the Coliseum displaying "Beezer for President", "Mariusz for King", and "Hamrlik 4 Roman Emperor" made me feel like I was back at the voting booth. Like candidates all over the country, the Islanders desperately needed a win tonight. With a solid all-around effort on both sides of the puck and some fine goaltending the Islanders now sit atop the Atlantic division with 15 points.
The Predators opened up the scoring off a harmless shot from the point by Kimmo Timonen at 5:28 of the first. However, the Isles dominated the remaining minutes of the first period, with both Toms and Czerkawski squandering excellent scoring opportunities near the end of the stanza. After a slow start in the second, the Isles seemed to gain some life with a little tweaking of the forward lines by Goring. He switched Lapointe with Kvasha, reshuffling the lines to Lapointe/Connolly/Parrish and Kvasha/Scatchard/Lindgren. Lapointe added some needed grit to the Connolly line and Scatchard and Lindgren opened up the ice for Kvasha, yet it was the Isbister/Czerkawski/Pyatt line that deadlocked the game at 1.
In the third, after Isbister tallied his second of the night off a beautiful feed from Czerkawski, the Islanders appeared to be back on their heels. Fortunately the Beezer, the Isles "D", and penalty killing units (killing off a 4-minute minor to Lapointe and 2 minute minor to Haller to end the game) were able to hold down the fort and keep the 2-1 win.
Isbister and Pyatt for President??
Isbister's move to center and an increase in playing time for Pyatt were slight changes that attributed to significant results tonight. Brad Isbister's move to the center position obviously paid off immediate dividends with his two goals. He had plenty of goal scoring opportunities and made them count when the Isles needed them most. Secondly, its about time Taylor Pyatt was given the opportunity to show us his talents. The kid has size, speed, and great hands. Watching him work the corners, throw his body around, and handle the puck this evening made me, (and I hope you), appreciate the kind of talent and potential Pyatt has.
Ice Chips
(tid bits you may have missed)
:
The total attendance tonight was 6,528...everyone must have been home glued to their sets watching the exciting election. I actually heard a guy sitting a few rows below me say "you gotta learn to drink beer especially when you have been watching the Islanders for the past seven years". This guy is a real Einstein huh? If you were at the game you may have noticed a particular Predator, Richard Lintner (#41), doing his best impression of Greg Louganis. I gave him a 9.5 for both of his dives in the 3rd period. Fortunately, the referees didn't fall (no pun intended) for his little act. In a sort of rite of passage, it was wonderful to see veteran Garry Galley snatch the puck out of the net for Pyatt who got his first NHL assist on Isbister's first goal tonight. Considering that the Isles are 5-1 on election night, is a presidential election a few times a month out of the question?
Until next time..."Hockey is Life"
- Mike