Friday, February 11, 2011

Isles vs. Pens the rematch



Interesting night so far at the barn. Decent crowd here for the grudge rematch between the Penguins and the Islanders They are both wearing #1. Pretty funny.

Both Haley #59 and AL Montoya #35 are in the lineup tonight, but the story is mostly about Michael Haley, the leading goal scorer and pentaly box sitter for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

PA Parenteau began the period thinking he had an early goal on Johnson, but it was deemed batted down with a high stick. No goal. That didn't stop the Isles as Travis Hamonic put the Isles on the board with a huge smile.

Mikko is sharp in net, but things are chippy. Haley took a roughing penalty first and then a fighting penalty after battling Adams to the ground.

Jesse Joensuu put the Isles up by 2 at 12:52 which seemed to infuriate the Pens. Grabner had yet another breakaway and was pulled down to the ice and hit the boards. He was awarded a penalty shot at 6:35, but was stopped. It's obvious the Isles have intention of getting in Johnson's kitch.

During the TV Time out, Hamonic joined Haley in the box. He took a hooking penalty which will put the Pens on the Power Play for the first time in the game.

The Pens were called for too many men penalty and during the course of their PK, two players broke their sticks defending. Pretty funny. But it wasn't until everyone had their equipment replaced that PA Parenteau made it 3 - 0 Isles at 17:48 his 14th of the season.


A blink later, Trevor Gillies squared off with Eric Godard. I have to say I always hate watching Godard fight. I just do.

Then with his amazing speed, at 19:12 Michale Grabner scored for the Isles and the crowd went wild. Shouldn't they? These are the Penguins, but the Islanders are not afraid. They're going after them like any other team.

In the final seconds of the first period. Kris Letang takes John Tavares into the boards behind the Pens net and JT gives him a what for. Letang spun around on the ice on one knee and could not get up. A trainer had to be called and he could not put pressure on the knee. The buzzer sounded and the Isles left the ice.

JT was given a slashing penalty on Letang who did reappear for the second period. Mikko stood tall against the Peguins power play and even got a pat on the head from Andy MacDonald before he headed to the bench for a shift change.

After John Tavares was sprung from the box, he put the Isles on the board for 5 right in Johnson's paint. But that wasn't as bad as having Michael Haley skate in and make it 6 - 0 unassisted.

And then all hell broke loose. Gloves everwhere. This would take a while to sort out. but I kept my Josh Bailey fighting with DuPuis. Everyone was sent to the box. Martin, Bailey, Hamonic. Then for some reason, Matt Martin was sprung and told to leave. As he was skating off, he said something to Fluery. $5 says it had something to do with Fluery laughing about Rick getting decked by Johnson.

This is going to get ugly for sure. The Penguins, the stars of the league, don't like to lose. Especially not on Long Island. Talbot seems to be a huge factor in this.

There are still gloves adn sticks all over center ice.

Trevor Gillies just took everyone's place in the box. He tussled Bailey's hair before Bailey left the ice. And somehow after all is said and done the effing Penguins are on the power play with #17 (Martin) on the board with a 5 minute major. The Pens score and they are still on the power play for another 4 minutes and change. I don't like how they called these penalties. All the Islanders got game misconducts

And then some how, Frans Nielsen ends up in the box too and the Isles are down two men. I do believe this is getting out of hand now. I guess the refs want it to be a little closer than it currently is.

Matt Moulson scores his 20th goal of the season and puts the Isles up 7 - 2. It was sweet. and with 2:23 left of the 2nd the Isles have a 5 on 3 advantage. and because as I'm told, if you can't score 5 on 3, you shoudln't be playing, they didn't give up on the play when Fluery was down in his net.

Tavares kept wacking at it and then Matt Moulson just snuck it under Fluery for his 26th of the season. 8 - 2 and the Isles still have a little bit of a power play to go.

The third period started with Brent Johnson in the Pittsburgh net. Didn't see that coming. But I'm sure he saw Grabner coming at him within the first two minutes of the period. Grabner was pushed into Johnson by Orpik received 2 minutes for charging. Kyle Okposo received two minutes for roughing when he went in to protect Grabner.

The teams skated four on four and no goals scored. But after the penalty expired Bruno Gervais took a puck to the foot and went down. The shot ws blocked but he was in considerable pain.

Eric Tangradi and Trevor Gillies tangle at the door to the tunnel. Tangradi goes down and it turns into dog-pile on the rabbit. Then -- all hell broke loose. There were fists flying and punches being thrown everywhere. Haley fought Talbot and took him down and then Brent Johnson, who said he hadn't fought since juniors when he knocked down DiPietro, decided to skate up the ice and challenge Haley who was happy to oblige.

The two had this opportunity because Tangradi was down on the ice and needed to be tended to while they forced Gillies behind teh glass into the tunnel. The penalties took forever to figure out and the camera zeroed in on the pad and pen they were using to try to figure it all out.

If it wasn't so upsetting -- it would be comical. Jack Capuano had no one left on his bench and looked like he sprouted ten more gray hairs while the camera was on him.

When all was said and done, the Islanders ended up on the PK and the Pens had a power play. Of course.

with 12:13 left of the third, Tyler Kennedy of the Pens scored their 3rd goal close in on Koskinen. There was still two minutes left to the Pens power play.

every time the puck comes anywhere near Johnson, he gets booed.

More fights, more fights, more penalties. There are only ten players on Jacks bench and one of them is Al Montoya. They need to end this game now.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The Islanders are an embarrasment to the game of hockey, PERIOD!