Boxscore
NYI 1:0 - Reese; Colliton
NYI 2:0 - Reese; DiBenedetto
BOS 2:1 - Krejci; Lucic, Knight
BOS 2:2 - Bergeron; Marchand, Chara
NYI 3:2 - Frischmon; Marcinko, Pandolfo
BOS 3:3 - Seidenberg; Bergeron, Peverley
BOS 3:4 - Marchand; Bergeron, Peverley
BOS 3:5 - Boychuk; Bartkowski, Lucic
BOS 3:6 - Peverley
The Goalies
NYI: DiPietro - 20 saves on 22 shots (.909 Sv%)
NYI: Nilsson - 10 saves on 14 shots (.714 Sv%)
BOS: Thomas - 13 saves on 16 shots (.812 Sv%)
NYI 2:0 - Reese; DiBenedetto
BOS 2:1 - Krejci; Lucic, Knight
BOS 2:2 - Bergeron; Marchand, Chara
NYI 3:2 - Frischmon; Marcinko, Pandolfo
BOS 3:3 - Seidenberg; Bergeron, Peverley
BOS 3:4 - Marchand; Bergeron, Peverley
BOS 3:5 - Boychuk; Bartkowski, Lucic
BOS 3:6 - Peverley
The Goalies
NYI: DiPietro - 20 saves on 22 shots (.909 Sv%)
NYI: Nilsson - 10 saves on 14 shots (.714 Sv%)
BOS: Thomas - 13 saves on 16 shots (.812 Sv%)
The Good
- Could probably file this under "The Surprising," but Rick DiPietro looked very good in his pre-season debut tonight. He was positionally very sound, putting less strain on his body. With the puck, he made smart plays - except when he got pick-pocketed by Patrice Bergeron. Most of all, he kept the Islanders in the game and left the game with the lead. For a Stanley Cup Bruins team that had a lot of its team in the lineup tonight, this was a very strong message to the staff that DiPietro should be looked at as the Islanders starter. Obviously, he will have to show much more - but a good first step nonetheless.
- The Isles de facto second line of Trevor Frischmon, Jay Pandolfo, and Jeremy Colliton (before his injury) was a forechecking machine. They battled really hard, played physical, read plays in the defensive zone (especially on the penalty kill), and delivered 15 minutes of fundamental hockey. They were all rewarded - Colliton and Pandolfo each had an assist, and Frischmon scored his first goal of the preseason.
- On the defensive side, Steve Staios played an all around solid game. Blocked shots, physicality, and hard work are all staples of his game. He certainly showed all that tonight. No question that if he plays like this throughout the pre-season, he will have earned himself a spot on the team.
- P.A. Parenteau played an extremely solid game tonight. Nothing flashy or spectacular, but he was good fundamentally and worked very hard in the corners.
- The Isles de facto second line of Trevor Frischmon, Jay Pandolfo, and Jeremy Colliton (before his injury) was a forechecking machine. They battled really hard, played physical, read plays in the defensive zone (especially on the penalty kill), and delivered 15 minutes of fundamental hockey. They were all rewarded - Colliton and Pandolfo each had an assist, and Frischmon scored his first goal of the preseason.
- On the defensive side, Steve Staios played an all around solid game. Blocked shots, physicality, and hard work are all staples of his game. He certainly showed all that tonight. No question that if he plays like this throughout the pre-season, he will have earned himself a spot on the team.
- P.A. Parenteau played an extremely solid game tonight. Nothing flashy or spectacular, but he was good fundamentally and worked very hard in the corners.
The Bad
- Might as well start with the other goalie - Anders Nilsson. Nilsson was summoned to play the third period after Rick DiPietro put a solid first 40 minutes in. It certainly did not go as well for the top prospect. Nilsson gave up 4 goals on 14 shots, letting in a few softies while he was at it. He looked largely overwhelmed against a strong NHL team like Boston. But that is okay. Nilsson is only playing in his first pre-season North American game. It's more than a 5 minute learning curve. I still think there is little question that Nilsson will put a solid season together in Bridgeport. He just needs to get acclimated with the style first.
- The many defensive breakdowns of the evening. Overall, this led to about 4 goals including a few dreadful sequences involving Ty Wishart and Dylan Reese. Wishart played okay for the most part, and Reese had his moment with the two goals - but they were manhandled together for most of the night. Looking forward, the Isles need to avoid another injury disaster or else it could get really ugly at times.
- On Boston's second goal, Josh Bailey was nowhere to be found. He drifted over to Wishart's man, instead of taking the opposing center down low. This left Patrice Bergeron wide open in the slot, who drove a one-timer past Rick DiPietro to tie the game. Yes, it is the first game, but this stuff has to be corrected before the season starts.
- Mike Mottau is coming off a serious eye injury and a serious hip injury, so we will cut him some slack. But he did not have a good game at all tonight. He failed to cover the front of the net on Boston's first goal, and also was not reading plays well - including Boston's fourth goal on the 5-on-3 as he watched a pass go right past him through the crease. He certainly lost some ground on Steve Staios for the 6th defensive spot tonight.
- The Isles young pairing of Calvin de Haan and Matt Donovan had a lot of problems going up against the more seasoned Bruins tonight. Both were indecisive at times, which led to mistakes. We have harped on this for a while here, but both need to go down to Bridgeport and get acclimated to the pro game. There's still a chance we see de Haan here before the end of the year, but he is not ready for the NHL just yet. A little experience in the professional game will do him a world of good. There's no reason to rush him given the Isles have 8 potential options for the top-6 as it stands today.
- The many defensive breakdowns of the evening. Overall, this led to about 4 goals including a few dreadful sequences involving Ty Wishart and Dylan Reese. Wishart played okay for the most part, and Reese had his moment with the two goals - but they were manhandled together for most of the night. Looking forward, the Isles need to avoid another injury disaster or else it could get really ugly at times.
- On Boston's second goal, Josh Bailey was nowhere to be found. He drifted over to Wishart's man, instead of taking the opposing center down low. This left Patrice Bergeron wide open in the slot, who drove a one-timer past Rick DiPietro to tie the game. Yes, it is the first game, but this stuff has to be corrected before the season starts.
- Mike Mottau is coming off a serious eye injury and a serious hip injury, so we will cut him some slack. But he did not have a good game at all tonight. He failed to cover the front of the net on Boston's first goal, and also was not reading plays well - including Boston's fourth goal on the 5-on-3 as he watched a pass go right past him through the crease. He certainly lost some ground on Steve Staios for the 6th defensive spot tonight.
- The Isles young pairing of Calvin de Haan and Matt Donovan had a lot of problems going up against the more seasoned Bruins tonight. Both were indecisive at times, which led to mistakes. We have harped on this for a while here, but both need to go down to Bridgeport and get acclimated to the pro game. There's still a chance we see de Haan here before the end of the year, but he is not ready for the NHL just yet. A little experience in the professional game will do him a world of good. There's no reason to rush him given the Isles have 8 potential options for the top-6 as it stands today.
The Ugly
- Aside from the Isles really losing steam in the third period against a much better team, the ugliest part to come from today's game is that they could not escape injury-free. This time, it was Jeremy Colliton leaving the game in the second period with an apparent groin injury.
AT: An all around decent game for the Islanders... in the first period. They certainly lost a lot of steam in the 2nd and 3rd periods, although when Boston is icing pretty much the equivalent to their Cup team from last year and the Isles are saving the majority of their starters for tomorrow, I suppose that can be expected. DiPietro played a very solid 2 periods and was showing flashes of the greatness he had prior to injury, though I won't get any hopes up until I see him play over 40 games in a season. His lateral movement was still a little iffy, but I suppose any goaltenders might be after a long offseason. As Carey mentioned, the notables here were the Pandolfo-Frischmon-Colliton line who was working very hard against high caliber NHL players. We expect 2/3rds of this line to be in the AHL for the year, so for them to compete so well shows off a lot of promise. After today's game, I would not be surprised if Pandolfo is chosen to helm the 4th line with Matt Martin and Marty Reasoner to really create a true 4th line in the NHL. Also as mentioned, P.A. Parenteau played a very solid game tonight, intercepting vital passes and playing a strong all around game. I know many wanted him off the first line as soon as possible, but if he's learned to refine his game like he showed tonight, I think a strong consideration to place him back on the 1st line should be made.
Overall it was an expected outcome of a game with the lineups that were active, so hopefully we see a more competitive game come tomorrow against the Devils.
AT: An all around decent game for the Islanders... in the first period. They certainly lost a lot of steam in the 2nd and 3rd periods, although when Boston is icing pretty much the equivalent to their Cup team from last year and the Isles are saving the majority of their starters for tomorrow, I suppose that can be expected. DiPietro played a very solid 2 periods and was showing flashes of the greatness he had prior to injury, though I won't get any hopes up until I see him play over 40 games in a season. His lateral movement was still a little iffy, but I suppose any goaltenders might be after a long offseason. As Carey mentioned, the notables here were the Pandolfo-Frischmon-Colliton line who was working very hard against high caliber NHL players. We expect 2/3rds of this line to be in the AHL for the year, so for them to compete so well shows off a lot of promise. After today's game, I would not be surprised if Pandolfo is chosen to helm the 4th line with Matt Martin and Marty Reasoner to really create a true 4th line in the NHL. Also as mentioned, P.A. Parenteau played a very solid game tonight, intercepting vital passes and playing a strong all around game. I know many wanted him off the first line as soon as possible, but if he's learned to refine his game like he showed tonight, I think a strong consideration to place him back on the 1st line should be made.
Overall it was an expected outcome of a game with the lineups that were active, so hopefully we see a more competitive game come tomorrow against the Devils.
Next Game
The Islanders will face off against the New Jersey Devils tomorrow night in the second half of this mini-series. Game time is 7:00 PM at the Nassau Coliseum. Figure most of the Islanders opening day roster, plus maybe a few big time prospects, will be in the game.
