And he didn’t even know it. So, what took so long? That is how I felt when Jiggs McDonald mentioned that little tidbit at the very end of the game. It almost didn’t happen though as the Leafs pulled Bernier for the extra attacker in the last two minutes of the third when the Leafs managed to score their third goal at the 16:55 mark to even things up.
This was a game of turnovers and mistakes. Stat sheet says 16 giveaways and I think that’s low. The Isles also had a parade to the penalty box in the second period. Leafs had five power play opportunities and scored once. The Isles had only one. I guess the Leafs weren’t committing any fouls.
Butch Goring described the game as “Dicey towards the end.” But a win is a win and no, it wasn’t the most exciting game they’ve ever played. Actually, I dozed off a few times. But they were just good enough to win. And as the first game of a six-game road trip, it will do them well to get off on the right foot.
Jack Capuano with Peter Ruttgaizer was pleased, but not glowing. “We did some good things. The 2nd period wasn’t good for us. We played back on our heels. We responded well in the third, our defense did a decent job for us.” When asked about Calvin deHaan’s first NHL goal, the head coach smiled slightly and said that deHaan is growing with each game. “He’s going to make mistakes but I like the way he’s responding. It’s always good to get your first goal.” But Jack admitted, “You have to score by committee. Defense first mentality. We do want our ‘D’ to activate and get up in it.” Calvin is learning and getting better each game.
The Islanders didn’t get into TO until very early this morning and didn’t have a morning skate after having played on Monday at the Coliseum. This game could have gone either way. But they worked hard and got the two points.
Jack also complimented his goaltender who has had to take over for an injured Nabokov. “Poulin did well, made some big saves.” Anders Nilsson will get his chance some time during this road trip.
JT had a five-point night on Monday and followed it up with a three-point night tonight. Grant it, he ended up in the box, but his talent just can’t be denied.
Ten Islanders were on the score sheet last night and tonight there were eight with five different goal scorers. New Dad Kyle Okposo put the Isles on the board at 19:16 of the first. Then in an amazing turn of events, Michael Grabner, finally, on a mistake by Bernier, and not on a breakaway, but a wraparound attempt, put the puck in the net. Then Nielsen scored on a rebound in the slot from Tavares and Vanek. Calvin deHann scored his first NHL goal from the blue line and it would be put down as the game winner and Cal Clutterbuck put the fork in the Leafs with the empty netter.
“I don’t think we had our best game.” Tavares told the media after the game. “We had some tough travel last night.” Not an excuse, but the truth. But when it comes to the wins they’ve managed to string together, JT said “Confidence starts to come back to our group. We did a great job finding ways to win. That’s how we got into the playoffs. It’s been our execution. We’ve found it the last few weeks.”
DeHaan was nonchalant about his first goal. “Just trying to put the puck on net. Good things happen when you shoot. I’ll take it.”
The Islanders haven’t been good in the third period , so the coaching staff has drilled into them that’s something they had to work on. They are. “The third period for awhile was our worst, and if you want to be in the hockey game, your third period has to be strong. This was a tough crowd. It’s good to get the win for sure.”
Okposo said he liked the team’s resiliency. “We didn’t play as well as we did last night. But that’s how good teams find ways to win and we did that tonight. There was no panic and no doubt in our game.”
And no doubt, if the Isles keep this up, they may find another way to sneak into the playoff race.
New York Islanders Blogger • 
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