Devils outscore and outslug Isles

November 21, 2008   ·   Hasan   ·   Jump to comments

Another day, another DNP due to injury – today it was John Madden, whose foot swelled up after taking a slapshot off it in last night’s game.  Also, Nicklas Bergfors was mercifully sent down to Lowell at last, leaving fellow rookie Petr Vrana and journeyman Barry Tallackson to take their place.  And Scott Clemmensen was given the night off in favor of Kevin Weekes.

Yet, the Devils came up with an important 5-2 victory over an Islander team that came in on a rare three-game winning streak.  While Weekes was by no means impressive he did make 25 saves, which was more than enough to come up with the W - the 100th career victory for the classy netminder and the Devils’ third straight win after a four-game losing streak.

Ten seconds would make all the difference in the first period.  That’s the amount of time it took for a suddenly hot Devils offense to strike twice, first scoring on the power play at 18:41 when a Johnny Oduya blast was deflected home by David Clarkson.  Before the fans in the stands could even sit down from cheering Clarkson’s fifth goal of the year, the Devils’ top line created another goal when Jamie Langenbrunner’s wrister was tipped home by Travis Zajac for his third of the season.  After a fairly even (if drab) first period, a stunned Islanders team went into the locker room down a pair.

Just when it looked as if the Devils were ready to put forth a dominant performance, Weekes allowed a questionable wristshot goal from the blueline by Andy Hilbert at 3:29 of the second to let the Islanders back in the game.  Hilbert’s goal did come barely a minute after Weekes banged his right hand off a post but stayed in the game (after not playing for nine days you’d have had to drag Weekes off the ice, with his one chance to win the starting job back this weekend, or at least a time share with Clemmensen).  In any case, the Devils would again strike quickly 22 seconds later when Bryce Salvador’s rocket from the point found the back of the net for the defenseman’s first goal of the season.  Still, the hardworking Islanders would not be deterred, outshooting the Devils 14-9 in the period and again drawing to within one when an Andy Sutton wrist shot bounced off the post and right onto the stick of Sean Bergenheim who put it into an open net.  

The game’s pivotal moment came late in the second when down 3-2, the Islanders had a power play in the final two minutes but couldn’t capitalize and in fact took a delayed penalty of their own.  This gave the Devils an opening where they were able to pull Weekes for the extra skater and score the tying goal shorthanded when Brian Gionta went hard to the net and put in a loose puck from basically inside the crease with just 16 seconds left in the period.  Gionta’s goal was his fifth of the year, third in three games, and the team’s first shorthanded goal of the season.  Yet, there was time for more action when Salvador and the Isles’ Tim Jackman dropped the gloves and engaged in a short but wild fight where Salvador got the best of Jackman.

A suddenly feisty game got even hotter in the third period when Mike Mottau tried to throw a check on Frans Nielsen but during Nielsen’s attempt to avoid the check Mottau caught him on the chin with the end of his stick which was clearly a penalty…then Trent Hunter went after Mottau and they fought – with Mottau doing surprisingly well against the rugged Islander winger – and Hunter got charged with both an instigator (canceling out Mottau’s penalty) and also a ten-minute game misconduct.  While there was no malicious intent by Mottau if I were an Isles fan I’d be screaming bloody murder over the fact that the penalties canceled and Hunter got thrown out merely for sticking up for a teammate.

An already peeved Islander team was surely outraged when the Devils received a 5-on-3 for a full two minutes when both Chris Campoli and Mark Streit were called for penalties (hooking and holding).  On the ensuing power play, not one but two Islander defensemen lost their sticks and even the Devils’ offense couldn’t help but score on that.  Paul Martin got the goal - his second in two nights, which effectively sealed up the game at 5-2. 

The only entertainment left was seeing what else Chico Resch could screw up on the broadcast.  He only called the Islanders’ goaltender Andy McDonald about five hundred times (pssst…he’s a centerman for the Blues), but that wasn’t as bad as saying defenseman Anssi Salmela was from Sweden.  I bet the Finnish didn’t like that snafu.  Oh, but we love Chico anyway.

You know it’s a good night when it’s hard to come up with the three stars, a lot of players did equally well – the captain had three assists and didn’t get a star, for example.  I’ll just go with the default (NHL) picks:

BoNY Three Stars:

1. Zach Parise (three assists, +3)
2. Brian Gionta (goal, assist)
3. Bryce Salvador (goal, fight)