Islanders Edged by Rival Rangers

Islanders #41 David Ullstrom drives on Rangers #41 Stu Bickel (Photo by Scott Levy/NHLI via Getty Images)

          For the second straight game the Islanders' opponent came from behind and delivered a heartbreaking loss.  With just six seconds left in overtime until a shootout, the Rangers scored a power play goal, lifting them over the Isles 4-3.
          Since the game did go into overtime, the Islanders did get a point. However, that is not their desired outcome as they hope to make a final playoff push.  With the point the Islanders now have 66 on the season.  That is ten points behind the eighth place Washington Capitals.
          The first period saw the two teams exchange goals.  The Islanders took the first lead of the game, at the 11:15 mark, when center John Tavares had the puck bounce off his leg and past Rangers goalie, Henrik Lundqvist.  The goal was Tavares' twenty-eighth of the year.  The Rangers would answer back at the 18:47 mark, when center Brad Richards took the puck from behind his own net, skated the length of the ice, and then fired a wrist shot over the glove of goalie Evgeni Nabokov, to tie the game.
          The second period saw the Islanders take their second lead of the game.  At the 7:44 mark, with the Islanders on the power play, defenseman Mark Striet fired a slap shot that went wide and off the glass.  The puck then landed on the stick of left winger Matt Moulson who banked one off of Lundqvist skate and in.  The goal was Moulson's team-leading twenty-ninth of the year.  The Rangers would answer back at the 16:03 mark when Richards would get his second goal by firing a slap shot by Nabokov's blocker, to tie the game.  The goals were Richards' twentieth, and twenty-first.  The Islanders would get a huge momentum boost at the end of the frame.  With his penalty ending defenseman Andrew MacDonald would take a pass from Tavares and go on a breakaway.  MacDonald would capitalize on his chance by burying a wrist shot in the top left corner to give the Islanders the lead going into the third.  The goal was MacDonald's fifth and his second in three games.  
          The third period would see the Rangers score the only goal.  At the 3:29 mark center Brian Boyle would tip a shot by Nabokov, to tie the game.  The goal was Boyle's sixth of the year.  No goals were scored for the rest of the frame and the game went into overtime.
          In the overtime frame the Islanders' defenseman Travis Hamonic would take a costly tripping penalty, which would give the Rangers the four on three power play.  On the ensuing power play at the 4:54 mark of overtime, Rangers right winger Marian Gaborik would bury a wrist shot over the shoulder of Nabokov to seal the win for the Rangers.  The goal was Gaborik's thirty-third of the year.
          With the loss the Islanders record fell to 28-31-10, giving them 66 points on the year.  
          The Islanders will now travel home for a huge meeting with the eighth place Washington Capitals, on Tuesday night.  The puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.    

Devils Deliver Knockout Punch in Round 3 of Trilogy

Devils celebrate game winning goal (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)

          With under two minutes to play, in a span of fourteen seconds, the Islanders relinquished the lead they got late in the game, and lost 2-1 to the New Jersey Devils, Saturday night.
          The Islanders played a solid 58 minutes of hockey, and shutout the Devils in that time.  However, in the final two minutes the Isles' hearts were ripped out when two quick goals gave the Devils the lead, and eventually the win.
          With the loss the Islanders fell to 28-31-9 on the year.  Their 65 points is nine behind the eighth place Washington Capitals.  Their road to the playoffs has now become much more difficult.
          All the goal scoring was done in the third, but that doesn't mean the first two periods were not entertaining.  The Islanders started their rookie goalie Anders Nilsson in net.  It was Nilsson's second start in three games.  His last start came against these same Devils last Sunday, and in that game he posted his first career win and first career shutout.  The Devils countered with their backup goaltender Johan Hedberg.  
          Both goaltenders held their own as they each stopped all shots thrown at them in each of the first two periods.  The Islanders were out shot by the Devils in the first two periods 21-16.  
          The third period saw all the action.  It started at the 6:46 mark when Isles' center John Tavares would give the Islanders the first lead.  Tavares took a beautiful pass from right winger PA Parenteau and buried a one-timer over the shoulder of Hedberg.  The goal was Tavares' twenty-seventh of the year.  The Islanders held the lead for most of the period as the Devils could not find a way to get one through Nilsson.  However, at the 18:21 mark, right winger David Clarkson fired a wrist shot that found its way through the pads of Nilsson, to tie the game at one.  It was Clarkson's twenty-eighth goal of the year.  Just fourteen seconds later at the 18:35 mark the Devils would deliver the decisive blow.  With Parenteau in the penalty box, defenseman Marek Zidlicky would bury a slap shot by Nilsson, to make it 2-1.  The goal was Zidlicky's first of the year, and his first point since being traded to the Devils at the trading deadline.  
          The loss was very hard to swallow by the Isles but they must put it past them and focus on the future.  They sit nine points out of a playoff spot, and have fourteen games left to play.   
          Their final push starts tonight at the Madison Square Garden where the battle of New York will take place, against the Rangers. Puck drop is 7 PM.  

Sports Enthusiast? Try Extremest!

          When David Heller first got the idea to become a baseball memorabilia collector, he had no idea how big the hobby would become.
          It started back in 2005 when David was 18 years old.  He got the idea to start collecting by watching a television show about a Major League Baseball mega fan in Atlanta, Georgia.  
          He and I went to the Baseball Hall Of Fame in Cooperstown for the first time in 2006, where we met players like Gary Carter, Whitey Ford, and Yogi Berra.  From there Heller (and myself) fell in love with collecting.
          Heller has compiled an impressive collection.  Including baseballs signed by Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, and Mark McGwire.  But his most treasured piece is one he just completed, his "mega-ticket".
          Back in 2008 the old Yankee Stadium held its last all-star game before closing the next year.  To commemorate the moment every living member of the Hall of Fame was invited to the game. Forty-nine players, coaches and administrators accepted the invitation.  It was in that moment, when all the players were standing together that Heller got his biggest idea.
          "I thought how cool it would be to have all these players on one piece," Heller said.
          When he got home Heller went online to find something big enough for his project.  He was starting to believe he never would find something good enough until he ran into the website "That's My Ticket".
          The website allowed him to blow up his ticket 500-600% to make a "mega-ticket"  
          From there Heller began a journey that took him from everywhere from New York to San Diego and everywhere in between.  Meeting Hall of Famers like Willie McCovey, George Brett and even the commissioner Bud Selig.  

David Heller with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig 

          Where did he get the money for all this you ask?  "Well, I'm a general manager at Party City, and my parents helped in the beginning," Heller said.  When asked how he was going to pay them back Heller said, "I'm hoping they eventually forget about it.  But I doubt it."  
          However, it all payed off as just a month ago on February 18th the prized possession was complete.  Here are three photos of the completed project:

           Now that this one is complete Heller has started working on two more.  One of the 1996 Yankees and one of the 2006 Yankees, both teams were World Series champions.  Heller doesn't know when those will be completed.  But one thing he does know is when those tickets are done, a new project will begin.

Islanders Burned By Devils

Islanders #26 Matt Moulson dives for a puck (Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images)

          The Islanders could not get the win in game two of a rare three game set against the New Jersey Devils, losing 5-1.
          The Islanders could not carry the momentum they had from their 1-0 win over the Devils last Sunday afternoon. 
          Devils' left winger, Ilya Kovalchuk, proved to be too much for the Islanders to handle.  He scored once in all three periods to complete his thirteenth career hat trick.  
          With the loss the Islanders lost ground in their hunt for the playoffs.  With Washington beating Tampa Bay, the Isles now sit seven points out of the eighth spot.
          The first period saw the Devils take their first lead of the game.  At the 8:07 mark of the period, Kovalchuk got his own rebound off the boards and snapped a wrist shot over the sprawling Islander goaltender, Evgeni Nabokov, to make it 1-0.  
          The second period didn't start out any better for the Isles.  At the 3:33 mark, Kovalchuk would get his second tally of the night firing a one timer by the pads of Nabokov, to make it 2-0 Devils.  The Islanders would close the gap when at the 16:21 mark Islander defenseman Andrew MacDonald would score from a peculiar angle.  MacDonald would take the puck off the boards, and then from behind the net he flipped one off the back of Devils goalie, Martin Brodeur, to make it 2-1.  The goal was MacDonald's fourth of the year.  
          The third period is one the Islanders would love to wash from their memory, as it was all New Jersey.  It started at the 7:05 mark when center Patrick Elias would get a rebound off Nabokov and bury it into the empty net.  The goal was Elias' twenty-third of the year.  Just over a minute later at the 8:09 mark Kovalchuk would complete his hat trick by firing another slap shot by Nabokov, to make it 4-1.  The goals were Kovalchuk's twenty-seventh, twenty-eighth, and twenty-ninth.  The Devils would add insult to injury at the 15:59 when defenseman David Clarkson tipped one by Nabokov to ice the game at 5-1.  The goal was Clarkson's twenty-seventh of the year.  
          The Islanders and Devils will complete their trilogy at the Coliseum on Saturday night.  Puck drop is 7 PM.  

Islanders Defeat The Devils

Teammates congratulate Nilsson after his shutout (Photo by Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images)

          The Islanders won the first of three straight meetings with the New Jersey Devils, beating them 1-0, Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum. 
          Right-winger Kyle Okposo scored the only goal and goaltender Anders Nilsson stopped all twenty-four Devils shots for his first career NHL victory.
          It was the first time ever that an Islanders rookie goaltender got his first win while posting a shutout.  In fact it was the first time since the '08-'09 season that a goalie has accomplished such a feat.  Current Islander goalie, Al Montoya, was the last one to do it while he was on the Phoenix Coyotes.  
          With the win the Islanders now have 65 points, which puts them 5 points behind the eighth place Winnipeg Jets.  
         From the start the physicality of the game was out in full force.  The teams were trading hits with each other.  At the end of the game the Devils had twenty-three hits, while the Islanders had twenty.  
          The first period saw no scoring but many scoring chances.  A few of the Islanders chances clanked off the posts and crossbar.  The period ended with the Islanders outshooting the Devils 10-6.
          The second period saw the lone goal of the game.  Okposo was able to out work three Devils before burying a wrist shot under the pads of Devils goaltender, Martin Brodeur.  It was Okposo's fifteenth of the year.  The teams would continue to exchange chances none of which got by either goalie.  The Islanders outshot the Devils again, 8-6.
          The Devils would control more of the play in the third getting more pucks toward the rookie Nilsson.  However, Nilsson was up to challenge and stopped every shot the Devils threw at him to win the game.  
          After the game Nilsson acknowledged his teammates for the help they gave him. “I thank all the guys,” Nilsson said. “They blocked a lot of shots and when a shot got through, it was from the boards. They made it really easy for me to play out there today.”  The game ended with the Islanders having twenty-seven blocked shots, while the Devils only had eighteen.
          The trilogy now heads south to Newark, where the two teams will meet again on Thursday night.  Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM.       

Islanders Win Battle in Beantown

Islander celebrate one of three goals (Photo by Steve Babineau/NHLI via Getty Images)

          The Islanders got two much needed points, beating the Boston Bruins 3-2.   
          Isles goaltender Evgeni Nabokov was named the first star of the game, and he earned it.  He made thirty-two saves on thirty-four shots, none better than his last one.  With less than twenty seconds left, Bruins left winger Milan Lucic had a point blank shot at an empty net.  Nabokov stuck out his arm and the paddle of his stick saved the game for the Isles.  
          The first period saw a pair of goals, one for each team.  It started at the 15:10 mark when Lucic opened the scoring by burying a shot over the shoulder of Nabokov.  It was Lucic's twenty-second of the year.  Just two minutes later the Islanders would answer back.  Islanders' winger Josh Bailey would take a cross-ice feed from center Frans Nielsen, and bury it under the pads of Bruins goaltender, Tukka Rask.  The goal was Bailey's tenth of the year, and his fourth in his last three games. 
          The Bruins' Rask would not last long in the second period.  With eleven minutes left in the second period, Rask suffered an apparent leg injury, and was replaced by Tim Thomas.  It would only take the Islanders five minutes, after Thomas entered, to find the back of the net.  On the power play center John Tavares would find left winger Matt Moulson, who would bury one past the right pad of Thomas, to make it 2-1.  It was Moulson's team leading twenty-eighth goal.  
          The third period would see the Bruins bounce back and tie the game.  Off of a face off Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara passed one off the boards to center Tyler Seguin, which lead him on a breakaway.  Seguin would capitalize by burying a backhander over the blocker of Nabokov to tie it 2-2.  It was Seguin's twenty-second.  The Islanders third goal would be a result of a very confusing play.
          With five minutes left the Bruins believed they should have been called for icing, but the ref never made the call.  He seemed to believe that the Islanders never touched it before the Bruins, which negated the icing and allowed play to go on.
          With some of the Bruins standing around confused, Moulson would carry the puck up with Tavares on his side.  When Moulson skated into the Bruins zone he fired a slap shot that was tipped in by Tavares and gave the Islanders the 3-2 lead.  It was Tavares' twenty-sixth goal of the year.  Nabokov would hold off a late fury of shots in the last minute, and seal the win for the Isles. 
          The Islanders now have 63 points, which is seven points behind eighth place Winnipeg.  The Isles have seventeen games left to play, while Winnipeg has sixteen.  
          The Islanders now start a stretch of three straight games against the rival Devils.  Two will be played at the Coliseum, and one at the Prudential Center, in Newark.  
          The games start today on the Island.  Puck drop is scheduled for 3 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