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Tuesday, 25 January 2011 18:42

Written by Seth Rorabaugh

PREGAME

-Greetings from a gloomy and doomy day (in terms of weather at least) in:

-Its in the mid to high 30s. Kind of drizzly. Just a kind of ugly day all around.

-The Civic Arena:

-The current barn:

-The ice:

-This is left over from this morning. The Islanders' practice uniforms make them look like a crew of PennDot workers:

-Not a lot of jerseys tonight. But we did spot a rare duo of Deryk Engelland fans:

-Former Islander and Penguin Darius Kasparaitis:

-We saw something like 10 Pascal Dupuis jerseys tonight. He has 99 career points as a Penguin. There's no way he doesn't get a goal tonight:

-Ron Fran_is:

-Jordan Staal Peterborough Petes:

-Islanders defenseman and Upper St. Clair native Dylan Reese has at least one young fan on hand:

-Dustin Jeffrey Winter Classic:

(This is a temporary foul as he has yet to wear this jersey in a game.)

-John Tavares:

-A rare Grant Jennings/Eric Godard combo:

-Alex Kovalev:

-Kevin Ste_ens:

-Rob Brown:

-Mario Lemieux Eastern Conference All-Star:

-Mike Rupp:

-Jersey of the Night: This might be jersey of the year. Zigmund Palffy Islanders:

-Wow.

-Warm ups:

-The Penguins' starters are Matt Cooke, Tyler Kennedy, Jordan Staal, Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek and Marc-Andre Fleury.

-Their scratches are Sidney Crosby, Deryk Engelland and Evgeni Malkin.

-The Islanders' scratches are Michael Grabner, Frans Nielsen, Kyle Okposo, Travis Hamonic, Andrew MacDonald and Kevin Poulin.

-Their scratches are Trevor Gillies and Nathan Lawson.

-Jimerson does his job:

FIRST PERIOD

19:34: Early on we get a really feisty fight between Tyler Kennedy and Travis Hamonic. They throw a bunch of quick, rapid rabbit punches. Kennedy lands a few big right. They tumble to the ice. Kennedy keeps fighting from his back. Hamonic keeps fighting from his knees. The linesmen struggle to separate them. A really rollicking start to this game.

18:17: Talbot wheels and deals behind the New York net. He moves a puck to Rupp in the slot. Rupp whips a one-timer on net. Poulin makes the initial save. Chris Conner is there and kind of kicks the rebound on net. Poulin covers to freeze play.

18:07: Another fight? This time off a faceoff in the New York zone, Zenon Konpoka and Arron Asham square off. They jab the daylights out of each other before each starts throwing big rights. Asham lands the majority of them but Konopka holds his own. Officials step in when Konopka's jersey is pulled over his face. Two fights within the first two minutes? Ooookay. No idea why this game is so chippy early on.

17:15: Jordan Staal picks up a loose puck on the left wing in the offensive zone and feeds it from below the goal line to Mark Letestu gliding in towards the net. Ltestu puts a quick low wrister on net. Poulin boots it out.

15:24: Dustin Jeffrey strikes a slapper on net from the left wing. Poulin punches it out.

15:05: Goligoski sneaks a wrister through traffic from the left point on net. Poulin makes the initial save. Talbot is on the back door for the rebound and punches it on net. Poulin stretches out and denies it with his left leg. Tough save. The Penguins have dominated play in the Islanders' zone so far. They have a 6-0 lead in shots.

12:55: Letang picks up a puck in the neutral zone, challenges Radek Martinek one-on-one and grips and rips 

12:39: P.A. Parenteau drives to the net off the left wing. Ben Lovejoy engages him and mashes him into Fleury and the net dislodging it. Somehow, Parenteau gets the penalty for goaltender interference. Not sure about that. Staal, Goligoski, Letang, Letestu and Chris Kunitz take the ice.

11:06: Goligoski and Letang play hot potato with the puck at the points. Goligoski finally decides to rip a wrister from the right point to the far side. Poulin kick it away with his right leg.

10:39: The Parenteau minor expires. Not much going on there for the Penguins.

9:56: Matt Moulson gets loose on the left wing and has a clean shot at the net. He waits a little too long and has his wrister from the left circle blocked by the stick of Paul Martin.

9:22: Tavares taps a loose puck from above the left circle on net. Fleury knocks it dead and covers to freeze play.

8:45: That was due. Orpik is sent off for tripping Josh Bailey. Staal, Martin, Cooke and Michalek take the ice.

8:35: Nielsone cranks a slapper from the left point. Martin kneels down and blocks it. Staal chips it out of the zone.

7:07: Nielsen chops a slapper from the top of the slot. It hits Dupuis in the hand in the slot and bounces juuuuust wide.

6:53: Parenteau drives a slapper from the left wing wide on the near side.

4:23: Grabner picks up a puck in the neutral zone and flies up ice gaining the offensive zone. He tries to split Goligoski and Lovejoy with pure and simple speed. Both players manage to keep up with him and poke the puck away before he can get a shot off.

3:25: Orpik winds up and cranks a slapper from the left point. It hits Tavares in the back and drops him. Tavares is smarting a bit after that.

2:24: Dylan Reese chops a slapper from the right point. Despite traffic, Fleury fights it off.

1:59: Grabner flies around around the cage from the left wing. Fleury overplays it a bit but is able to recover and slide to his left as Grabner attempts a wrap around. A rebound comes loose Nielsen jumps on it but is denied by Fleury's right leg.

1:12: Rupp rushes up ice on a forecheck and drops Hamonic in the right wing corner in New York's zone.

0:20: Asham drops Martinek in the right wing corner with a nice shoulder check on the forecheck.

0:07: Moulson snaps off a wrister from the left circle. Fleury kicks it out.

0:01: Letestu hurries up the right wing and puts a half slapper on net. Poulin stretches out and punches it away.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 0, Islanders 0.

FIRST INTERMISSION

-That was a pretty up and down period all around. The Penguins dominated the first seven or eight minutes of it. Then the Islanders generated a little momentum and controlled play for about 10 minutes.

-Kevin Poulin was fantastic. He faced quite a few quality scoring chances and was up to the task early on.

-Michael Grabner looked like Mike Bossy that period. He was flying up and down the ice.

-The Islanders have a 12-10 lead in shots.

-Tavares leads the game with three.

-Goligoski, Letestu and Talbot each lead the Penguins with two.

-Jack Hillen leads the game with 8:30 of ice time.

-Letang is right behind him with 8:20.

-The Islanders have an 11-8 lead in faceoffs (58 percent).

-Letestu is 3 for 3 (100 percent).

-Nielsen and Jeremy Colliton are each 3 for 4 (75 percent).

-Lovejoy and Martin each lead the game with two blocked shots.

-Ice Time has an all-star/injured vibe to it:

SECOND PERIOD

19:22: Kennedy controls a deflected puck in the offensive zone and snaps off a wrister from the right circle. Poulin fights it off.

18:44: Moulson fires a slapper from the right wing. Dupuis races back on a backcheck and deflects it high with his stick.

15:45: Matt Martin spins off a check from Letang in the right circle and deals a backhanded pass to Kyle Okposo in the slot. Okposo grips and rips a wrister which beats Fleury on the glove side but clinks off the left post.

14:58: Nielsen snaps off a wrister from the right wing. Fleury fights it off with his glove hand.

14:33: Letestu shuffles a quick backhander from the left circle on net. Poulin fights it off.

13:56: Moulson chops a bouncing puck on net from the left circle. Fleury boots it away.

12:40: Colliton chops a loose puck on net from the slot. Fleury snags it.

11:12: Letang takes out Tavares with a solid hit in front of the Islanders bench.

10:08: Attendance is announced as as 18, 225. It is the team's 192nd consecutive sellout.

9:25: Off a steal by Rupp in the New York zone, Talbot pushes a backhander on net. Poulin makes the initial save then manages to swat away the rebound with his blocker as it flutters into the air. Talbot cant buy a goal right now.

8:28: Cooke rips a wrister from the slot wide to the far side.

7:52: Zbynek Michalek moves around the back of the net, emerges in the left circle, turns and whips a wrister on net. Poulin fights it off.

6:39: Letestu and Kunitz each have chances in the slot but can't get the puck on net cleanly.

6:03: Off a turnover by Bruno Gervais in his own zone, Dupuis snaps off a pass to the slot. Talbot is there and re-directs it on net with his forehand. Poulin sticks with the play boots it out.

5:08: Moulson sneaks a pass from the left wing to the slot. Blake Comeau is there and taps it on net. Fleury kicks it out with a tough save. Fans offer "FLERRR-EEEEE! FLERRRR-EEEEE!" chants.

4:45: Talbot snaps off a wrister from the left wing. Poulin knocks it down and covers to freeze play.

3:30: Jeffrey rips a rising wrister from the right wing. Poulin gloves it.

2:27: Letang sneaks up the right wing, cuts inside Gervais and chops a shot on net. Poulin makes the save.

2:06: Kunitz flies up the right the right wing and kind of whiffs on a wrister on net. Poulin covers the bouncing puck.

1:23: Hamonic snaps off a wrister from the left point. Fleury steers it to the corner.

0:00: End of period. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Islanders 0, Penguins 0.

SECOND INTERMISSION

-This is worthy of two appearances of Erika the EN yawn baby:

-This has been brutal. This is straight out of 1998-99.

-That said, both goaltenders have been fantastic. They have each faced some solid scoring opportunities.

-Talbot has had his best offensive game in quite a while. He can't get anything past Poulin, but he's been created quite a few chances.

-The Penguins have a 23-19 lead in shots.

-Talbot leads the game with five shots.

-Tavares leads the Islanders with three.

-Paul Martin leads the game with 15:55 of ice time.

-MacDonald leads the Islanders with 15:23.

-The Penguins have a 21-14 lead in faceoffs (60 percent).

-Letestu is 6 for 6 (100 percent).

-Nielsen is 5 for 9 (56 percent).

-Lovejoy, Martin and Dupuis each lead the game with two blocked shots.

THIRD PERIOD

18:50: Kunitz rips a wrister from the right wing high of the cage.

16:23: Cooke drops Hillen twice. Once the right wing corner in the Islanders zone and once near the New York blue line.

16:11: Michalek pounds a slapper from the right point. It hits a body and hops over the cage. Yeeesh.

14:51: Dustin Jeffrey controls the puck in the right faceoff circle in the Islanders' zone while fending off Tavares. Tavares gets his stick up on Jeffrey and hooks him. That's two minutes. Letestu, Kunitz, Staal, Letang and Goligoski take the ice.

12:51: The Tavares minor expires with little threat from the Penguins. A wasted opportunity.

11:31: Letang snaps off a wrister from the right wing. Poulin eats it up.

11:24: FINALLY. Off a faceoff win in teh offensive zone, Lovejoy drives  slapper from the right point. Poulin punches it out with his blocker. Asham recovers it in the left circle, spins and whips it back on net. Poulin makes the save. The rebound kicks out to the slot. Adams jumps on it and snaps it towards the net. It hits a body or two and squeaks under Poulin and into the net. Craig Adams breaks a stalemate? Sure why not? Jeffrey and Asham get assists. The "Woo-Hoo!" song makes an appearance finally. Penguins 1-0.

10:30: Hillen sends Cooke flying into the boards with a stiff shoulder check into the boards in the right wing corner in the New York zone.

9:02: A chance for the Islanders. Letang is nabbed for tripping Okposo. Orpik, Michalek, Talbot and Adams take the ice.

8:55: Moulson shuffles a wrister on net from the right circle. Fleury fights it off.

7:53: Okposo snaps off a wrister from the right circle. Fleury fights it off with his glove hand.

7:05: Hamonic drives a slapper from the right point. Cooke blocks it and chips the puck down ice to kill off the rest of Letang's penalty. Strong effort by the Penguins there.

6:12: Matt Martin absolutely clobbers Letestu along the left wing boards with a high hit. He's sent off for elbowing. Not sure about that penalty. That's a gift. Staal, Rupp, Jeffrey Goligoski and Letang take the ice.

4:33: Kennedy gains the offensive zone on the right wing and centers to Letestu. Letestu swipes a one-timer. Poulin boots it out and fends off Kunitz's backhander on the rebound. Tough save.

4:12: The Matt Martin minor expires. Not a lot going on there for the Penguins.

2:57: A wrister by Cooke off the right wing is deflected out of play by the stick of Gervais.

2:03: Comeau chops a slapper from the right circle. Fleury boots it aside.

1:08: Dupuis, Adams and Talbot put on a wonderful cycle down low for 30 seconds and eat up some clock. The Islanders can't even get the puck out of their zone.

0:58: Poulin leaves the net for an extra attacker.

0:39: Bailey has a point blank chance denied by Fleury.

0:26: The Islanders call a time out to get organized.

0:03: Nielsen makes a wonderful effort to keep a puck in the offensive zone on a clearing attempt by the Penguins. He chops it at the net. Moulson is in front in the slot and re-directs it wide. Arggh.... that was close.

0:00: Play ends with a scrum in the right wing corner. The "Woo-Hoo!" song is played. Mike Lange tells us of Elvis' where abouts. Penguins 1, Islanders 0.

POSTGAME

-Well... it was two points. It was ugly. Boring. Brutal. But it was two points.

-If nothing else, the Penguins need Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin back in the lineup for entertainment purposes. The Penguins are still a pretty good team without those two world-class players, but man... are they boring. They play a grinding, defensive style normally with those two in the lineup. Take them away, and they just try to grind out 1-0 ore 2-1 wins.

-What can you say about the goaltending tonight? It was spectacular for both teams. While it would be a stretch to say both squads had end to end rushes, there were several quality scoring chances on each end of the ice. Marc-Andre Fleury and Kevin Poulin put on a spectacular display of goaltending. Poulin just happened to be the guy who made a big enough mistake to pay.

-This was Fleury's second career shutout of the Islanders. The first was also a 1-0 win, Feb. 25, 2009.

-The Penguins were quite effective down low with the cycle below the Islanders' goal line. Arron Asham, Matt Cooke, Dustin Jeffrey, Mike Rupp and others pretty much executed textbook Dan Bylsma hockey down below the goal line and grinding things out and maintain possession down low for significan stretches of time.

-We still don't get the team's hesitation to allow Dustin Jeffrey an elevated role. He has had a hand in goals in each of the last two games. He is more than competent in the faceoff circle. If there was ever a time he could get a chance on one of the top two lines, it would be now with Crosby and Malkin out of the lineup. He has a skill set worthy of top six minutes. How is he going to prove himself at this level "slumming" it up on the fourth line with Asham and Craig Adams?

-The Islanders don't quit. They have every reason to tank it right now. They're season is going no where. But they have plenty of fringe players who are battling to stay at this level. They're hungry. And head coach Jack Capuano has convinced them to buy into their system. It's quite impressive to see. They're short on talent, but not on effort.

-The Penguins had a 31-29 lead in shots.

-Talbot and Letang each led the game with five shots.

-Tavares led the Islanders with four.

-Letang led the game with 24:27 of ice time.

-MacDonald led the Islanders with 23:28.

-The Islanders had a 24-23 edge in faceoffs (51 percent).

-Jeffrey was 7 for 10 (70 percent).

-Rob Schremp was 5 for 8 (63 percent).

-Dupuis led the game with three blocked shots.

-Martinek and MacDonald each led the game with two blocked shots.

-Paul Martin appeared in his 450th career game.

-Game summary.

-Event summary.

Comments (16)

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written by KRC, January 25, 2011 - 07:13 PM

I just turned on what I thought was supposed to be the hockey game, and I got the boxing channel, I think.

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written by Bones, January 25, 2011 - 07:30 PM

Nice play by Martin.

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written by mombert41, January 25, 2011 - 07:43 PM

Woah Fleury. What saves!

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written by Bones, January 25, 2011 - 08:16 PM

Did Steigy just say "cute little pass"?

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written by Huckster, January 25, 2011 - 08:25 PM

FLOWER...FLOWER...FLOWER...WOW! ALL-STAR!

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written by Bones, January 25, 2011 - 08:27 PM

Brutal to watch again.

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written by mombert41, January 25, 2011 - 08:28 PM

I'm willing to pass the hat for the "let's buy Max a goal" fund.

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written by KRC, January 25, 2011 - 08:35 PM

Zzzzzzzzzz.. I actually fell asleep that period.

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written by bert41, January 25, 2011 - 09:05 PM

I'd like to pass the hat for a Michalek goal too.

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written by Bones, January 25, 2011 - 09:06 PM

Only fitting that Craig Adams would get the first goal in a game like this.

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written by bastage42, January 25, 2011 - 09:27 PM

Isles'/MSG broadcasters just made a nice note on MAF, saying he was really struggling until a game Nov. 12th (might have the date wrong) when the crowd stood up and cheered Fleury's name during the warm-ups, and that he's just been dynamite since.

Which we know (that he's been great), but I thought if you guys didn't get to hear them credit our fans I'd pass on the anecdote.

Nice to see Flower get the shutout. Love that he's stepped it up and kept up his stellar play since Crosby/Malkin have been out.

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written by Huckster, January 25, 2011 - 09:27 PM

Marc Andre...what a great game. Hope he has a great All Star performance for All to see. Great 2 points tonight.

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written by bert41, January 25, 2011 - 09:42 PM

Whew, sweating that one. Congrats guys! Take a well deserved break.

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written by Bones, January 25, 2011 - 10:24 PM

Can't blame fans for getting frustrated with Fleury during the first month of the season. He was awful. But there is no denying he is a franchise goaltender and they are not easily found. Dude is legit, and the best part is he's young. He will have slumps again, but we haven't seen him at his best yet.

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written by gamma1099, January 26, 2011 - 08:07 AM

For all the goodness of the Ziggy Palffy jersey, that might actually be a jersey foul. Palffy was with the Islanders during the Gorton's Fisherman era, and I'm not sure he was still there when the Isles returned to normal. Still searching for photographic evidence.

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written by Boom Shaka, January 26, 2011 - 09:57 AM

I'm probably nuts, but I didn't think the game was NEARLY as brutal as say...the Wild game, even with the difference in outcome. I thought it was a goalie duel more than anything. The Isles didn't trap it up at all and there were more than a few odd man rushes for both sides.

Great way to head into the All Star break!

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