Boxscore:
(G, A)
1st Period:
PIT: 1, NYI: 0 - Pascal Dupuis (3); Brooks Orpik (1)
2nd Period:
PIT: 2, NYI: 0 - Richard Park (2); Arron Asham (2)
3rd Period:
PIT: 3, NYI: 2 - Jordan Staal (EN - 6); Pascal Dupuis (5)
Goaltending:
Marc-Andre Fleury - 33 saves on 33 shots, 1.000 SV PCT
Evgeni Nabokov - 26 saves on 28 shots, .929 SV PCT
Final Score: 3-0 Pittsburgh
Attendance: 10,681
Notables:
After a very strong yet even start to the first period, the Islanders began to taper off about halfway into the period. They continued their lethargic play until a defensive breakdown by Steve Staios and Blake Comeau losing their men led to a Pascal Dupuis breakaway and goal. After that, even though the Islanders had their chances, none of them were solid enough to really even come close to being a goal. Lots of shots from the point and a few shots in the slot right to Fleury were about it. The Islanders played another game with absolutely no urgency.
The only player who really looked great tonight was Evgeni Nabokov, who on a 4 minute double minor to Reasoner really stood on his head and kept the game at a 2 goal difference. He was solid all night and made some saves he probably shouldn't have.
Josh Bailey had a very up and down game tonight. His defensive work was as usual pretty good, but he had some times where he had great chances and completely fanned on them. After a pass from Brian Rolston as he was set up right in the slot, Bailey hesitated for a good 2-3 seconds and didn't even get a shot on what was pretty much a wide open net. It was almost as if he'd choked up and forgot the point of the game was to shoot the puck into the net. He did however have a nice drive to the net with Rolston which he backhanded into Fleury. Although not a goal, a good drive by Bailey to get to the inside. A better game, but still pretty lackluster for his 4th year in the league.
PA Parenteau had an off game compared to what we had season earlier in the year. He was undressed on a 2 on 2 late in the 3rd which could have resulted in a fantastic chance and was just not playing with the offensive instincts we have seen. His vision in the passing lanes was not something to be desired.
Steve Staios both lost his man on the first goal and let Richard Park dwindle around the net for way too long on the first goal. He had an overall OK game and also had some nice shots on goal (and led the team in shots), but those two gaffes were unacceptable by any standard.
Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen are the lowest 2/3rds of the 2nd line right now. They are not doing a good job to create chances and generally are unseen on the ice.
John Tavares was not playing the greatest defense tonight. Most notably was when he fanned on the pass early in the 2nd that led to Park grabbing hold of the puck and firing it on Nabokov.
Thoughts:
AT: Just another lousy performance from the Islanders right now. I'm not a "sky is falling" kind of person, but falling behind this early in the season is the last thing we want to do. It doesn't create a positive mentality going forward and begins to remind the team (and the fans) of last season's 20+ game losing debacle. This team needs a swift kick in the behind and needs to realize that they ARE a team that can win games as evidenced by the first few games of the season. They are capable of putting up offense and capable of playing solid defense. What they're showing right now is a reflection of laziness.
Next game: The Islanders will face off against the Penguins once again at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 27th, 2011. Gametime is 7:00 on MSG+.
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