Tim Wallace clamed by TB on waivers

After being sent down yesterday and placed on waivers to possibly make room for another call up candidate, forward Tim Wallace was claimed by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Wallace was not contributing much on the 4th line with only 1 assist in 31 games and a -7 in that time. He had 20 points in 24 games with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, so the hope was that he would be able to contribute to their unbelievable run to the playoffs.

No real harm with Wallace gone as Bridgeport has been fine without him, although it unfortunately leaves BPT with no replacement should the Isles call up another forward.

Game Recap: New York Islanders 5, Tampa Bay Lightning 1

The New York Islanders swept the floor with the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight, defeating them by a score of 5-1 in a game that the Islanders dominated in all but about a few minutes in the first period. This was the second time the Islanders have blown out the Lightning while playing at the Coliseum.

Boxscore:

(G, A)

1st Period:

NYI: 0, TB: 1 - Martin St. Louis (9); Brett Clark (4), Steven Stamkos (14)

NYI: 1, TB: 1 - John Tavares (9); Matt Moulson (7), Kyle Okposo (5)

NYI: 2, TB: 1 - Matt Martin (3); Tim Wallace (1), Marty Reasoner (4)

NYI: 3, TB: 1 - Milan Jurcina (1 - PP); Frans Nielsen (7), Mark Streit (12)

2nd Period:

None

3rd Period:

NYI: 4, TB: 1 - David Ullstrom (1); Josh Bailey (5), Steve Staios (4)

NYI: 5, TB: 1 - Matt Moulson (14), John Tavares (14), Mark Streit (13)

Goaltending:

Mathieu Garon - 29 saves on 29 shots, .853 SV PCT

Al Montoya - 23 saves on 24 shots, .958 SV PCT

Final Score: 5-1 NYI

Attendance: 9,458

Notables:

- Even though he wasn't one of the 3 stars tonight, a round of applause - hell, a standing ovation - for Josh Bailey's game tonight. Hard work on the PK and a big reason the Isles were so successful on the PK tonight, setting up some beautiful passes all night long and taking shots when he knew he had to, and an absolutely outstanding drop pass to David Ullstrom without even looking. That was a pure display of the hockey sense we all knew he had. Could he break out from here on out? I don't think more than 40 points is reasonable, but a ceiling of 40 is pretty good from here on out. Any way you look at it, Josh Bailey was easily one of the top 3 forwards on the ice tonight.

- It looks like John Tavares has finally gotten his groove back. An absolute snipe following fantastic work along the boards from Kyle Okposo and a dish from Matt Moulson and a great setup right back to Moulson for the 5th goal of the night for the Isles. He's now back on track and among the best players in the league in terms of points. That's 23 through 25 for Tavares, and we can only expect many more. Tonight was his first goal in 13 games.

- Matt Moulson continues to roll. 8 shots on goal and a beauty to finally get one in on the Isles 5th goal. He's becoming a truly legitimate sniper in this league and with Tavares is making up for a dominant duo.

- Tim Wallace, coming in with something to prove, exceeded all expectations tonight. 7 hits, hard work all night and a great behind the net pass to a perfectly positioned Matt Martin right in front. Brent Thompson is clearly doing a great job in Bridgeport, because every player that has come up, as Butch Goring noted, seems to fit right in. I don't think we'll see Wallace once Niederreiter comes back, but it's nice to have true depth in the system for once.

- As mentioned, congrats to David Ullstrom on his first NHL goal, and it was a beauty. I think at this point he's considered "graduated" from the Sound Tigers and will, for the rest of this season, take the role Blake Comeau had with us previously. The only difference being that Ullstrom will do it successfully.

- Al Montoya wasn't tested very often, but it just goes to show what having a real #1 in net who can stay healthy can do for the team. They look infinitely more poised, productive and confident when Montoya is in net, knowing that it'll be very rare for a soft goal to be let in. If Montoya doesn't start at least 80% of the remaining games, it should be considered a crime against humanity. It is a shame that for the 7th time this season the first shot on goal has beaten the Islanders' goaltender, but besides that he was as confident as always.

Thoughts:

AT: Yes, Tampa looked awful tonight. But the Islanders have looked phenomenal in the past 5 games and they did exactly what they should have tonight. They beat a team that was simply not as good as they are. This is the type of game that a good team looks at as a "no reason to lose" game, and the Islanders in succeeded in taking that to heart. All out domination tonight, and it's great to see.

Next game: The Islanders get a rematch against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, December 8th at the Nassau Coliseum. Game time is 7 PM and will be shown on MSG+.

Recap: Islanders - 5, Lightning - 1

The New York Islanders (2-1-0) defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning (1-2-0) on Thursday night.

Boxscore:

(G, A)

1st Period: 

TB: 0, NYI: 1 - John Tavares (1)

TB: 1, NYI: 1 - Steven Stamkos (1); Marc-Andre Bergeron (3)
TB: 1, NYI: 2 - Matt Moulson (1); John Tavares (1), Mark Eaton (1)
TB: 1, NYI: 3 - John Tavares (2); Matt Moulson (1), P.A. Parenteau (3)
TB: 1, NYI: 4 - P.A. Parenteau (1); John Tavares (2)

2nd Period:

TB: 1, NYI: 5 - Michael Grabner (1); Kyle Okposo (1)
3rd Period:

No Scoring

Goaltending:

Dwayne Roloson - 13 saves on 18 shots, .722 SV%
Mathieu Garon - 16 saves on 16 shots, 1.000 SV%

Al Montoya - 34 saves on 35 shots, .971 SV%

Final Score: 5-1 NYI

Attendance: 9,759

Notables:

The Isles best player was their best player tonight, as John Tavares was all over the ice in the first period. He scored two goals and assisted on two others. He played physically in all three zones, and backchecked extremely hard. His linemates, Matt Moulson and P.A. Parenteau also had fantastic games as both scored a goal and had an assist in the first period as well.

Al Montoya was solid in net again tonight, stopping 34 on 35 shots. While he wasn't really tested that much, he made the saves that he needed to make as he continues to establish himself as the team's #1 goaltender. There is no reason that he should not be in net against the Rangers on Saturday night. You know it would mean a lot to him too, given his history with the team.

Words cannot express how much Mark Streit means to this team. The little subtleties he brings to the table provide a calmness to the rest of the defense. Both Andrew MacDonald and Travis Hamonic will learn a lot from him this season as they continue to progress into legitimate top-4 defensemen.

Speaking of team defense, the Islanders have allowed a total of four goals this season. A big reason for that? Attentiveness to team defense, especially by the forwards. Big marks to the fourth line of Marty Reasoner, Matt Martin, and Jay Pandolfo. They have been the Isles most consistent line, doing exactly what they need to do. Pandolfo has especially been an extremely under-the-radar acquisition, but a good one through three games.

Blake Comeau needs to pick his game up, as the third line is toiling right now. That said, Josh Bailey had a complete game in all three zones today, giving the Islanders exactly what they should expect from a third line center.

No one even bothered to try and respond to the liberties Lightning players, especially Victor Hedman, were taking on John Tavares. Matt Martin did say something to Hedman at the end of the game, but as strong as he has gotten, the Isles cannot afford to have Tavares taking huge hits every shift. The answer, however, is not Trevor Gillies.

Former Islander Dwayne Roloson never had a chance tonight. The Tampa defense was nowhere to be found, but it didn't help that John Tavares had a phenomenal night either.

OHL Alert: Ryan Strome had a hat-trick in his first game back for the IceDogs as they defeated the Belleville Bulls tonight. Clearly, he was not all that affected by getting sent down.

Thoughts: 

CH: Clearly, this was the Isles best game of the season. They played a great first period, a good attacking second period, and a smart, shut-down third period. They never let off the gas, even with a four goal lead - they just changed their style. This was obviously very encouraging based on the fact that the team can play different styles within a game to win. With the Rangers coming in after a cross-Atlantic flight and a week between games, the Islanders have a chance to make it a quality 3-1-0 homestand with a win. If they play 60 minutes, they will certainly have a great chance.

AT: Nice to see the Isles offense finally find it's groove, and the players who had been playing hard (Tavares most notably) finally get their due in the score sheet. The defense was solid even though they allowed 35 shots, the 4th line was absolutely monstrous both in forechecking and creating some offensive pressure, and the team as a whole played as they should have. Most notably for me was the PK unit, specifically Reasoner and Pandolfo. Two subtle additions in the offseason may turn out to be the two greatest, as right now they look to be one of the best PK units in the entire league.

Next game: The Islanders next game is Saturday night at the Nassau Coliseum against the New York Rangers. Game time is at 7:00 PM and will be broadcast on MSG+.