Bailey, Islanders keep rolling against Penguins

Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo celebrate one of five goals (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

          When center Josh Bailey entered the Nassau Coliseum last night, he entered with a purpose.  And then he left the Coliseum with a bang.  Bailey posted five points, having a part in all the Islanders' goals, in a 5-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
          It was the second consecutive game the two teams played against each other, with the Islanders winning both.  Ironically or not both games the Islanders outplayed one of the elite teams, and won both by the same score of 5-3.
          One player in particular came ready to play this Penguin team.  Josh Bailey was having a good season before these two games, having eleven goals and twelve assists, for twenty points.  In these last two games against Pittsburgh, Bailey posted two goals and six assists, for eight points.
          The Islanders are red-hot, coming off a five-game road-trip in which they won four of them, the Islanders continued their stellar play.  Now the Islanders have won five of their last six games, and have only five more left to play.  Though the Islanders have a very slim, and unlikely chance of making the playoffs, sitting nine points out, they are doing their best to fight their way in. 
          The first period saw the Islanders take their first lead eleven minutes into the game.  At the 11:07 mark, center Marty Reasoner finally broke through and scored his first goal as an Islander, putting a wrist shot through the pads of the Pittsburgh goaltender, Marc-Andre Fleury.  That lead would hold into the start of the second period.
          Pittsburgh would tie it up at the 8:37 mark of the period, when right winger Pascal Dupuis scored a short-handed goal with a wrist shot past the glove of Isles goaltender, Al Montoya.  The goal was Dupuis' twenty-fourth of the year.  After that the period belonged to the Islanders.  Starting at the 16:36 mark, when right winger Kyle Okposo would take a shot that would ricochet off the skate of Pittsburgh defenseman Deryk Englland, and past Fleury to make it 2-1.  Exactly two minutes later, at the 18:36 mark, Josh Bailey would get his first goal of the game, burying a breakaway backhand, while the Isles were shorthanded.  
          The Isles would extend their lead at the 5:52 mark of the third period, when Okposo finished off a one-timer pass from Bailey, to make it 4-1 Isles.  The goals were Okposo's nineteenth and twentieth of the year.  Pittsburgh would claw their way back with two goals in ten minutes.  It started at the 8:20 mark, when center Jordan Stall would split two Islanders defenders and bury a backhander past Montoya, to cut the Isles' lead to 4-2.  The goal was Stall's twenty-fourth of the year.  Ten minutes later, at the 18:29 mark, center Evgeni Malkin would bury his own wrist shot, to cut the Isles lead to one at 4-3.  The goal was Malkin's team leading forty-seventh of the year.  The Islanders would halt the comeback and pad their lead at the 19:55 mark, when Bailey buried the puck into the empty Pittsburgh net, to seal the game at 5-3.  
          The Isles have five games left to play, and the first of the five will be on Saturday.  The Islanders will play their first of their last three home games, against the Boston Bruins on Saturday, puck drop is 1 PM.
         

Islanders Ice Penguins

Islanders celebrate Kyle Okposo's goal (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images)

          Facing one of the elite hockey teams of the Eastern Conference, the Islanders offense erupted with five goals, as the Islanders defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-3.
          Center Frans Nielsen scored two goals, and Center Josh Bailey got three assists, in the big win for the Isles. 
          With the win the Islanders concluded an extremely successful five-game road-trip, in which they won four out of the five games.
          It started early for the Islanders, just over three minutes into the game they took their first lead.  At the 3:12 mark, center Frans Nielsen put a rebound, that came off the boards behind the net, past Penguins goalie, Marc-Andre Fleury, to make it 1-0 Isles.  It would stay that score until with only five seconds left in the first, the Isles would increase their lead.  At the 19:55 mark of the period, right winger Michael Grabner would fire a wrist shot that glanced off Fleury's glove and in.  The goal was Grabner's seventeenth of the year.
          Pittsburgh would answer back in the second period.  It started at the 1:42 mark when center Tyler Kennedy would tip the puck by Isles goaltender, Evgeni Nabokov, to trim the lead to 2-1.  The goal was Kennedy's tenth of the year.  Just over two minutes later the Penguins would strike again, and tie the game.  At the 4:10 mark, left winger James Neal would fire a one-timer over the glove of Nabokov, and it seemed the momentum was shifting.  However, the Islanders would regain the momentum (and then some), in the final six minutes of the period.  
          Starting at the 12:48 mark, right winger Kyle Okposo would outskate Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik and beat him to the puck.  Okposo then fired a wrist shot from the top of the right face-off circle and buried it over the glove of Fleury, and off the crossbar, to make it 3-2 Isles.  The goal was Okposo's eighteenth of the year, and it was third straight game that Okposo has scored.  Just over two minutes later, at the 15:20 mark, left winger David Ullstrom would bury a powerplay goal past the blocker of Fleury, to make it 4-2 Isles.  The goal was Ullstrom's fourth of the year.  Finally, about three minutes later, at the 18:08 mark, Nielsen would bury his second of the game.  He was led on a breakaway by Bailey, and was challenged by a sprawling Fleury.  Nielsen would stickhandle away from the goalie and bury a wrist shot into the empty net to make it 5-2 Isles.  The goals were Nielsen's sixteenth and seventeenth of the year.  
          When the third period started both teams switched goalies, but for very different reasons.  Pittsburgh's Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled from the game after giving up five goals on on eighteen shots.  He was replaced by Brad Thiessen.  On the other hand, Evgeni Nabokov was injured in the second period when he got his skate caught in the ice and fell.  He left with a lower-body injury and did not return.  Al Montoya replaced him and stopped all but one shot.  
          Neal was only man to put one by Montoya, at the 15:42 mark.  While on the powerplay, Neal fired a snap shot by the pads of Montoya to make it 5-3, and that's how the game ended.
          With only six games left, the Islanders will now return home and face these same Penguins.  Puck drop is scheduled for Thursday at 7 PM.          

Top 20 on the Islanders: #7 Josh Bailey

Bailey is congratulated after a goal he scored (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)

          Next up on the top twenty list is a young center who has really come into his own these past two seasons.  He's shown the ability to score goals, make the pretty passes, and handles the puck with great skill.  The number seven Islanders on the list is, center Josh Bailey. 
          Bailey was drafted in the first round (9th overall), by the Islanders in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.  He was touted for being a great player at both ends of the ice, by scouts and coaches alike.  And he's starting to prove those scouts right. 
          Bailey started to play hockey as a young sixteen year old in the OHL (Ontario Hockey League).  He played two years with for a team called the Owen Sound Attack.  While there Bailey played in ninety-three games, compiling eighteen goals and thirty-four assists, for a total of fifty-two points.  He then moved on to play another two years in the OHL, but this time for a team called the Windsor Spitfires.  While there he played in one-hundred-fourteen games, compiling forty-one goals and ninety-six assists, for a total of one-hundred thirty-seven points.
          Bailey then started his career as an Islander, and he's been a great piece on the Islander roster.  In his career so far, Bailey has played in two-hundred eighty-four, compiling forty-five goals and sixty-six assists, for one-hundred-eleven points.  
          Bailey continues to improve his game and has really started playing well since being put on a line with teammate, center Frans Nielsen.  
          With his continued growth, Bailey has the chance to become a top player not only on Long Island, but in the league as well.  Islander fans are starting to see Bailey become the player he has the potential to be.  

Islanders Finally Beat Toronto

Islanders celebrate goal in Toronto (Photo by Graig Abel/NHLI via Getty Images)

          After losing their previous three contests against the Maple Leafs, the Islanders finally broke through and got a commanding 5-2 victory in Toronto.
          With the win the Isles moved out of last place in the conference, and nine points behind the eighth place Washington Capitals.  
          From the start it was clear the Islanders were playing with a sense of urgency.  They were out-skating, out-hitting, and out-shooting the Leafs.  By the end of the game, the Islanders had out-shot the Leafs, 34-14.  It was a season low for shots given up by the Isles.
          Even though the Islanders played like the better team, the Leafs struck first, at the 10:24 mark of the frame.  Taking advantage of the only time the Isles defense broke down, the Leafs took an early 1-0 lead.  Right winger Phil Kessel took a pass from center Tyler Bozak, and was left all alone.  He buried a wrist shot past the sprawling Islander goalie, Evgeni Nabokov, for his thirty-sixth of the season.  The Islanders would answer back just five minutes later, at the 15:34 mark of the frame.  Centers Josh Bailey and John Tavares skated on a two on one and worked it to perfection.  Tavares would skate with the puck into the Leafs zone, and made a beautiful cross ice pass to Bailey, who put the puck past the Toronto goalie, James Reimer.  The goal was Bailey's eleventh of the year.  
          Toronto would take their second lead of the game at the 4:12 mark of the second period.  Center Matthew Lombardi would take the puck from behind the net, come out to the front and slid a backhander under the pads of Nabokov.  The goal was Lombardi's eighth of the year.  The Islanders would answer back later in the frame, at the 13:08 mark.  The line of left winger David Ullstrom, center Casey Cizikas, and right winger Michael Grabner, worked hard and got rewarded with a goal.  Cizikas would poke the puck away from a Toronto player, which would land on Grabner's stick, who would slide a backhander cross ice to Ullstrom who would tap the puck past Reimer.  The goal was Ullstrom's third of the year. 
          The Islanders would run away with the game late in the third.  It started at the 13:56 mark, when left winger Matt Moulson would get a rebound and bury it by Reimer, to make it 3-2 Isles.  Under two minutes later, right winger PA Parenteau would take advantage of a breakaway he skated on, by sliding one by the right pad of Reimer, to make it 4-2.  The goal was Parenteau's sixteenth of the year.  The Isles would seal it with an empty net goal by Moulson at the 18:25 mark.  The goals were Moulson's thirty-first and thirty-second.  He now sits ahead of Tavares for the team lead in goals.  
          The Isles will play their third game of a five-game road trip, when they visit Tampa, to play the Lightning.  Puck drop is 7 PM.    

Islanders Bailed out in Montreal

Bailey scores in shootout to give Islanders the win (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)

          It took a shootout, but the Islanders won their first of five straight road games, beating the Montreal Canadiens 3-2, Saturday night.
          It was a battle of the two teams occupying the last place spot in the Eastern Conference.  With the two points the Islanders now have sixty-nine points, which is nine points behind the eighth place Washington Capitals.  The Isles have ten games left to play in the regular season.  
          Montreal got off to a quick start in the first period.  They took the early lead at the 2:53 mark of the frame, when right winger Aaron Palushaj fired a shot from a deep angle and it banked of Islander goaltender, Al Montoya's, stick and in.  The goal was Palushaj's first of the year.  The period would end with neither team scoring another goal, and Montreal had the 1-0 lead.
          The Islanders would tie the game early in the second.  At the 2:00 mark, defenseman Mark Streit would bury a backhander past Montreal goaltender, Peter Budaj.  The goal was Streit's sixth of the year.  The Islanders would take the lead at 16:05 mark of the frame.  Red-hot centerman Frans Nielsen, would bury a wrist shot over the glove of Budaj, to give the Isles the 2-1 lead.  That's how the second would end.
          The third period would see Montreal come back and tie the game.  At the 3:38 mark center, Louis Leblanc would bury his own backhander past Montoya, to tie the game at two.  The period would end with that same score and go into overtime.
          In overtime neither team could light the lamp so it went to the skills competition, known as the shootout.  It took six rounds of shooters but the Islanders finally broke through.  With Montoya stopping Montreal's sixth shooter, defenseman Andrej Markov, and the shootout score tied 2-2, center Josh Bailey stepped up.  Bailey went straight in at Budaj, and put on a nice head fake before burying his wrist shot past Budaj's right pad, and giving the Isles the victory.
          The Isles will try and continue their winning ways, when they continue their five game road trip in Toronto, Tuesday night.  Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.  

Flyers Soar by Islanders

Flyers celebrate one of six goals (Photo by Len Redkoles/NHLI via Getty Images)

          The Islanders could not hold onto an early lead for the third consecutive game, losing in Philadelphia 6-3.
          With the loss the Isles now sit nine points behind the eighth place Winnipeg Jets.  The Isles have eighteen games left to play and Winnipeg has sixteen.  
          The Isles opened the scoring quickly when at the 1:35 mark; center Josh Bailey was able to bury a wrist shot by the Philadelphia goaltender, Ilya Bryzgalov.  The lead would only last about eight minutes when Philadelphia's right winger Matt Reed was able to deflect a shot by defenseman Andrej Meszaros, that got by Isles goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. Meszaros would get a goal of his own at the 19:10 mark when he blasted a slap shot by Nabokov, for his seventh of the year.  
          The second period would see the Islanders score yet another quick goal.  Just fifty seconds into the frame Bailey would net his second goal of the game and tie it 2-2.  The two goals were Bailey's eighth and ninth of the year.  That would be all the Islanders would have to cheer about in the second.  Philadelphia would take over with two goals.  First, at the 8:58 mark, right winger Jaromir Jagr would find the back of the net, lifting a backhander over the pads of Nabokov.  It was Jagr's seventeenth of the year.  Under a minute later Reed would score his second of the game, with a wrist shot by Nabokov.  The goals were Reed's seventeenth and eighteenth of the year.  
          Philadelphia would extend their lead just over a minute into the frame when left winger Scott Hartnell would snap one by Nabokov's blocker to make it 5-2.  It was Hartnell's thirty-first goal of the year.  The Islanders would close the gap when right winger Kyle Okposo buried a one-timer to make it 5-3.  The goal was Okposo's fourteenth.  The Islanders would pull Nabokov with a minute left in the game.  Though they pressed a little, it wasn't enough as with twenty seven seconds left in the game, Philadelphia center Sean Couturier would hit the empty net and ice the game.  
          The Islanders now have a record of 26-29-9 and have 61 points, which places them fourteenth in the Eastern Conference.   
          The Islanders continue their four game road trip, when they travel to Boston on Saturday.  It will be the last game on the road before coming home and playing a home and home series against the rival Devils.  Puck drop in against the Bruins is scheduled for 1 PM       

Islanders Suffer Crushing loss to Capitals

Capitals celelbrate their game-tying goal (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

          The Islanders suffered a crushing 3-2 defeat to Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, Tuesday night in Washington. 
          The Islanders carried a 2-0 lead deep into the game.  But a desperate Capitals team was able to score two goals in the final 3:30 before winning it in overtime.
          The Islanders seemed to have luck on their side early in the game.  The Capitals outplayed them in every aspect of the game in the first period, outshooting the Isles 13-3.  However, Evgeni Nabokov was able to stop all thirteen Capital shots.  Josh Bailey was able to capitalize on one of the Isles' shots, netting a backhander by Caps goalie, Michal Neuvirth.  It was Bailey's seventh goal of the year.  
          In the second period the Islanders were able to right the ship, and played a much better road period.  They outshot the Caps 12-7 but none of those got by either net minder.  
         The third started out great for the Islanders.  Coming off a better second period the Isles continued their solid play in the third.  And just over two minutes into the frame the Isles were able to extend their lead.  Matt Moulson was able to tip a Steve Staios shot past Neuvirth to make it 2-0 Isles.  It was Moulson's team leading twenty-seventh goal. 
         The game clock was at 3:30 and the Islanders had a comfortable lead and seemed to be ready to skate out of Washington with two points in hand.  However, the Capitals had other plans.  
          With 3:29 left in the third Troy Brouwer tipped one by Nabokov's left pad and cut the lead to 2-1.  Then with just twenty-six seconds left in the game the Isles confidence was crushed.  With their goalie pulled, the Capitals were able to tie the game when Brouwer scored his second, tipping one by Nabokov yet again.  The goals were Brouwer's sixteenth and seventeenth.  That sent this contest into overtime.
          With the Islanders having one point secured they did not want to lose this crucial second point in a contest they thought they had locked up.  But just 1:35 into the overtime period, Alex Ovechkin snapped a shot by Nabokov and sent the Islanders to their locker room dumbfounded.  It was Ovechkin's twenty-sixth of the year.
          The Islanders did get one point, however, and now sit eight points behind the Capitals, the very team they just lost to.  They now have 19 games left and need to turn it up to another gear, and get as many points as they can.  
          The Islanders continue their four game road trip, when they travel to Philadelphia for a matchup against the Flyers, Thursday night.  Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM