Isles Move Into 2nd Place in Eastern Conference; Lose Okposo For Three Weeks

Game 18, November 21, 2012, Islanders vs. Bruins

The Islanders needed a three goal third period to beat the Bruins 5-2. After scoring two goals each in the first period the Islanders and Bruins remained scoreless until the third period.

In the first period it was the Bruins that got on the board first on a Rich Peverley goal.  The Islanders responded with back-to-back goals by Brad Boyes and John Tavares to take the lead 2-1. Nathan Horton added a goal late in the period to tie the game gong into the second.

The Islanders dominated the second period as they outshot the Bruins 10-5 but they couldn’t find the back of the net. (Photo Credit: AP Photo)

The third period was all Islanders as Boyes scored his second goal of the game giving the Islanders the 3-2 lead, which was more than enough as Evgeni Nabokov kept the Bruins off the board after the first period making 21 saves.

Kyle Okposo added two insurance goals in the third to increase the Islanders lead to 5-2.

With the win the Islanders improve to 11-6-1 and the Bruins fall to 8-9-1.

Three Stars of the Game

1.     Brad Boyes 2 g, 0 a, 2 p

2.     Kyle Okposo 2 g, 0 a, 2 p

3.     Matt Moulson 0 g, 3 a, 3 p

Game 19, November 23, 2012, Islanders @ Blues

The Blues came out and dominated the Islanders from start to finish scoring six goals against a tired Evgeni Nabokov beating the Islanders convincingly 6-1.

Patrik Berglund led the way for the Blues scoring a goal and notching two assists in the win and Jaroslav Halak made 28 saves in the win.

In the first period the Blues scored two goals early by Chris Stewart and Roman Polak.  They then added two more in the second period by Andy McDonald and Berglund. (Photo Credit: AP Photo: Tom Gannam)

Frans Nielsen was able to beat Halak in the beginning of the third period for his third goal and the season to cut the lead to 4-1, but the game was already over. The Blues added two more goals in the third, for insurance, by Alex Pietrangelo and Alex Steen. 

With the defeat the Islanders two game win streak is snapped and they fall to 11-7-1 on the season and the Blues reach .500 at 9-9-1.

Three Stars of the Game

1.     Patrik Beglund 1 g, 2 a, 3 p

2.     Jaroslav Halak 28 saves

3.     Alex Pietrangelo 1 g, 1 a, 2 p

Game 20, November 24, 2012, Islanders vs. Sabres

Rick DiPietro, who got the nod in net tonight playing for the tired Evgeni Nabokov, didn’t disappoint making 33 saves in a 3-2 win against the Sabres.

The Islanders got on the board first getting a goal from fourth line center Marty Reasoner. His fourth goal of the season gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.

In the second period the Sabres put 16 shots on net and Tyler Ennis was able to get the puck past DiPietro to tie the game at 1-1 going into the third period. It was Ennis’s sixth goal of the season.

The third period was back and forth as Reasoner scored his second goal of the season to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead with 15 minutes left the play.  It was then when Ennis scored his second goal of the game to tie the game at 2-2.

With five minutes left before the game would go to overtime, Brad Boyes beat Jhonas Enroth to give the Islanders the 3-2 lead for good.

Lost in the win is that Islanders forward Kyle Okposo for the next three weeks with back spasms. They have called up Nino Niederreiter from the AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers to take his place.

With the win the Islanders move into first place in the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference at 12-7-1 and with the loss the Sabres fall to 9-8-1.

Three Stars of the Game

1.     Rick DiPietro 33 saves

2.     Marty Reasoner 2 g, 0 a, 2 p

3.     Brad Boyes 1 g, 1 a, 2 p

Farm Report

The Sound Tigers were able to steal a win against the Providence Bruins at the beginning of the week and also beat their in-state rivals the Connecticut Whale.  They also fell to the Adirondack Phantoms and the Binghamton Senators.  Up next for them are games against the Hersey Bears and the Worcester Sharks.

Up Next for the Islanders

The Islanders look to continue their winning ways with three games at home against the Vancouver Canucks, Philadelphia Flyers and the Phoenix Coyotes. The next three games will be a big test for the Islanders who will be playing without Mark Streit, Kyle Okposo and Matt Donovan as they try to prove they are a serious playoff contender.

Team Standings

Eastern Conference Top 8 Seeds

Western Conference Top 8 Seeds

Islanders Leaders 

NHL LEADERS

If you have questions about the season, maybe about an Islanders player I haven’t wrote about feel free to tweet at me @PetePaguaga or if you have any questions about a player on another team.

-Pete Paguaga
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