Rangers Win 7th Straight Against Floundering but Feisty Isles

Disparities in victories, statistics and payroll rarely register when the Rangers and Islanders meet. Although the visiting Rangers entered the latest installment of the rivalry having won their last six games, while the Islanders had lost 9 of their previous 10, the Rangers could not exhale until the final seconds of their 4-2 victory Tuesday night at Nassau Coliseum.

“Whenever we play in this building, it’s up and down, over and about,” Rangers Coach John Tortorella said. “You just never know what’s going to happen. I thought we were good at periods of times. I thought we were brutal at periods of times. We’ve been on the back side of these, in this building. We’ve lost a lot of games here. But it’s an encouraging sign that we found a way to win.”

The game was intense throughout, a crowd-pleaser and coach-pleaser, undecided until Brad Richards took advantage of a Josh Bailey giveaway to break a 2-2 tie with just under five minutes left.

When the puck dropped, all streaks and slumps flew out the window. So what if the Islanders were 1-6-3 since beating the Rangers on Oct. 15? It mattered little that the Rangers were the hottest team in the N.H.L.

“I thought we gutted it out,” said Ryan Callahan, the Rangers’ captain, who had an assist and scored an empty-net goal as time expired. “I thought we stuck to our plan. There were a lot of emotional swings in this game. Nothing comes easy.”

It rarely does when facing a geographical rival, despite the personal and team statistics. The Islanders did not resemble the league’s 29th-place team. Jack Capuano’s club is battling an epic scoring slump, having already been shut out at home three times.

Kyle Okposo, the Islanders’ first-round pick in 2006, was a healthy scratch after failing to score a goal in the first 14 games of the season. Blake Comeau, a third-line wing with 24 goals last season, was held without a goal or assist by the Rangers – a season-opening drought of 13 games. Bailey, the goat, is a recent ninth overall draft pick with no goals and only one assist this season.

While the Rangers’ defensemen – Brad Park or Brian Leetch, none of them – have scored 11 goals this season, the Islanders have not seen a goal from any of their defensemen during even-strength play. This was about the only trend that held Tuesday night in Uniondale.

But even when the Rangers took a 2-1 lead in the middle of the second period on a goal by defenseman Steve Eminger, the Islanders generated more scoring chances for the next several minutes.

The Rangers, however, had Henrik Lundqvist in goal. Displaying his love for soccer, he blocked shots with his head. Dropping his stick and sprawling his pads across the crease to make a stunning save on P. A. Parenteau late in the period, Lundqvist drew echoes of Dominik Hasek.

“Hank kept us in it,” Tortorella said of Lundqvist, who is 22-11-5 in his career against the Islanders.

After kicking the habit of committing too many penalties during their six straight wins, the Rangers gave the Islanders five power plays in a 25-minute span over the final two periods. The Islanders finally took advantage of the fifth one. While Artem Anisimov sat in the box for high-sticking, the Islanders’ young star John Tavares slid a perfect pass to the crease, past a surprised Dan Girardi and on the stick of Matt Moulson, who scored to tie the game at 6 minutes 58 seconds of the third period.

Puck possession and battle levels were even for most of the third until Bailey’s shanked clearing attempt went from Brandon Dubinsky to Richards and past Islanders goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, whose acrobatic play between the pipes was almost the equal of Lundqvist’s.

“We had a lot of guys work very hard tonight,” said Capuano, who has some legitimately positive video to build on.

If the Islanders compete as ferociously in their coming games against Montreal, Boston and Pittsburgh as they did Tuesday against the Rangers, they will rise from the basement of the Eastern Conference. But that has been the question in Uniondale for a generation. Can the Islanders sustain a high level of play and tenacity when the old barn isn’t as crowded and the opponent not nearly as loathed?

As for the Rangers, they will look for their eighth straight win when they play Saturday in Montreal. The last time the Blueshirts won eight straight was during the 1974-75 season.

With Friends in Both Places, Milbury Will Analyze Bruins-Islanders

In a rare visit to the press box, Mike Milbury is set to broadcast a game between the two N.H.L. franchises he worked for. Milbury will serve as the color commentator for the Versus telecast Monday night when the Boston Bruins host the Islanders.

“I’m usually in the studio, or sometimes between the benches,” said Milbury, who works for NBC, Versus and CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada. “But they do assign me one- or two-game analyst spots a season in the broadcast booth. I guess I was an obvious choice for Bruins-Islanders.”

For Milbury, a Massachusetts native, the game is close to home in every sense. He was a defenseman for the Bruins from 1975 until 1987. He spent the first four years of his career in coaching and management with the organization. He was the head coach of the Bruins’ minor league affiliate, the Maine Mariners, for two years before becoming the head coach and assistant general manager of his hometown team. In his first year as an N.H.L. head coach, he took the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to the Edmonton Oilers.

Milbury worked in hockey operations for the Islanders from 1995 until 2006. He had three brief stints as the team’s head coach, but his long tenure as general manager was marked by ownership follies and instability, shoestring budgets and many of his own controversial moves. Under his watch, and not until Charles Wang purchased the franchise in 2000 and invested competitive dollars in the roster, Milbury’s teams qualified for the playoffs three times. After he stepped down as general manager in 2006, he served as a club vice president, over-seeing administration and marketing at Wang’s suggestion.

His return to the booth comes as the teams he is closely connected with are off to poor starts to the season. The Bruins won the Stanley Cup last season but appear to be suffering from a championship hangover. The Islanders, who have not come close to contending for a playoff berth the last four seasons, are tied with Boston for last place in the 15-team Eastern Conference. Both teams, however, are coming off good wins Saturday: the Bruins beat Toronto, 7-0, and the Islanders defeated Washington, 5-3.

Since Milbury still has friends and associates with the teams – most notably Wang and the Bruins president Cam Neely (who played for Milbury) – it will be interesting to see if the usually unguarded analyst will be tamer in the booth Monday. He said he would not pull any punches.

“After I left the Islanders and got back into broadcasting, Bob McKenzie gave me good advice when we worked together at TSN,” said Milbury, who lives in the Boston suburbs after a decade on Long Island. “Bob told me, ‘Once the red light goes on, there are no teams.’ That’s been my approach, and that’s how I’ll see the game Monday in Boston.”

Dave Strader will call the play-by-play, while Pierre McGuire will provide additional analysis in a booth between the Bruins’ and Islanders’ benches.

Metro Pucks Weekly: Blown Leads, a Controversial Call and a Lot of Losses

Our weekly review of the performances of the three local N.H.L. teams.

Grades

Rangers: The win Monday in Winnipeg was quickly forgotten, as the Rangers had a miserable pair of losses to open their schedule at the remodeled Madison Square Garden. They were beaten in every aspect of the game in the second and third periods of a 4-2 loss to Toronto on Thursday. They also blew a 4-1 lead in the third period to Ottawa and eventually lost the game, 5-4 in the shootout Saturday. “Some of the details of our game are still weak,” Coach John Tortorella calmly said after the deflating loss to the Senators. “Until we get the solid foundation of the details, we’ll sputter.” They face a big challenge Monday when the Sharks come to the Garden. Grade: C minus

Devils: After an impressive 3-0 win in Los Angeles on Monday, New Jersey ended its road trip with losses in Phoenix and Dallas. The Devils were unable to score clutch goals in the third period of their losses. Ilya Kovalchuk and Zach Parise, their go-to stars for offense, were both scoreless and minus-2 Saturday in Dallas. Coach Peter DeBoer was very pleased with the effort in Dallas. “I told the guys after the game if we play like that, we’ll win a lot more than we lose,” he said. New Jersey plays the surging Maple Leafs at the Prudential Center on Wednesday. Grade: C

Islanders: They have lost five games in a row, but it was not all bad for the Islanders this week. After getting shut out by the Penguins at home Tuesday, they took a 2-0 lead but lost, 3-2, in the shootout Thursday in Pittsburgh. They outplayed San Jose on Saturday but lost a heartbreaker in overtime when the Sharks scored a power play goal after a mistake by the on-ice officials. The Islanders do not play again until Thursday, when they host Winnipeg. Grade: C minus

Blown Call of the Week

Early in 4-on-4 overtime on Long Island on Saturday, Travis Hamonic cleared the puck off the top of the glass and into the stands. However, the two referees and two linesmen did not see the puck hit the glass and Hamonic was given a two-minute penalty for delay of game. Brent Burns scored for the Sharks 38 seconds into the power play for the win. The decision was particularly galling to the Islanders because the officials met to discuss Hamonic’s clearing attempt and still got it wrong. Under the rules, referees are not allowed to consult video replay for a better look. Here it is:

Metro Players of the Week

Dan Girardi, Rangers; Andy Greene, Devils; Marty Reasoner, Islanders – A loss-filled, star-less week like this presents a good opportunity to salute unheralded players who rarely hear their names called out for the three stars of the game. Girardi continues to play big minutes for the Rangers while Marc Staal is sidelined and management struggles to find defensemen the coaching staff can trust. Girardi played half of the 65-minute game Saturday. Greene, the Devils’ smooth-skating defenseman, had two assists and was plus-5 over three games this week. Reasoner, the journeyman grinder the Islanders signed as a free agent in July, has been a strong penalty killer and was dominant on faceoffs against the Sharks.

Trending

Down: Brandon Dubinsky – This is how badly the season is going for the Rangers’ forward: on Saturday against Ottawa, he created more and was as active as he’d been in any game his season, and he still ended up  minus-2 with two shots on goal in 21 minutes of ice time. Dubinsky has not scored a goal through nine games in 2011-12.

Up: Brad Richards – Although he was outworked by Milan Michalek on the game-tying goal for the Senators, Richards showed signs of life in his offensive game, scoring two goals and adding an assist on Saturday.

Up: Adam Henrique – The Devils’ rookie center has played well since his recall to replace Jacob Josefson. Saturday in Dallas, he won 7 of 11 faceoffs and admirably returned to the game after blocking a shot with his right foot at the end of the second period.

Down: Devils’ “Dirty” Goals – New Jersey scored just six goals in three games this week. A grinding team, the Devils need to crash the opposing net more frequently and with more tenacity.

Up: Travis Hamonic – The Islanders’ second-round draft pick in 2008 has emerged as one of the league’s finest young defensemen in his own zone. Hamonic possesses strength, toughness and hockey sense.

Down: Islanders’ ticket sales – On Saturday, the franchise honored Pierre Turgeon and the rest of the 1993 Patrick Division playoff champions and offered 50 percent off tickets to anyone who showed up in a Halloween costume. Announced attendance was 11,742. For a heavily promoted rivalry matchup against Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Nassau Coliseum was only half full.

This Week’s Head-Scratcher

Islanders Coach Jack Capuano said Evgeni Nabokov, after allowing just two goals in 65 minutes Thursday in Pittsburgh, “was fatigued and not feeling well.” Nabokov was replaced for the shootout by Rick DiPietro, who had yet to play this season. Nabokov said he sustained an injury during the first period, played through the discomfort, but “Jack pulled the trigger” to substitute DiPietro. The Islanders lost the shootout because they failed to score on their three tries while Evgeni Malkin scored on DiPietro. Capuano didn’t come close to making eye contact with reporters in Pittsburgh after the loss, and don’t be surprised if we learn more of this story down the road.

Metro Pucks: A Week of Underachievement, and a Bit of Cheating

Our weekly review of the performances of the three local N.H.L. teams.

Grades

Rangers: What a strange trip it has been. Henrik Lundqvist won the game for the Rangers on Tuesday in Vancouver. They beat Calgary two nights later on a goal with two seconds left in overtime. The 2-0 loss in Edmonton on Saturday? Coach John Tortorella, who refused to take questions from reporters after the game, said the team was bad “from head to toe.” Unless you’re a goaltending aficionado, the Rangers have not been a fun team to watch on this marathon trip to start the season. Still, they won two of three this week. Grade: B

Devils: The week looked promising late in the third period Friday when the Devils held a one-goal lead over San Jose at Prudential Center. But the Sharks scored to tie the game after pulling their goalie for an extra attacker and earned the second point by beating the Devils in the shootout. A night later, the Devils lost, 4-1, in Pittsburgh to a team that manages to succeed without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The Devils need more scoring outside of top talents llya Kovalchuk, Zach Parise and Patrik Elias. Grade: C

Islanders: “Except for the power play, we’ve got a lot to work on,” P.A. Parenteau said after the Islanders lost road games to the Lightning and the Panthers. The Islanders were dreadful for about 50 of the 60 minutes in their 4-1 loss in Tampa Bay on Thursday. In a 4-2 loss Saturday in Sunrise, Fla., the Islanders were inept during five-on-five play. Both goals were scored on the power play, but the Islanders failed to convert during four minutes of power play time at the end of regulation, including almost a minute of five-on-three play. The rebuilding Islanders, supposedly more mature with the addition of five elder statesmen, have to play more confidently and less tentatively on the road. Grade: D

Metro Puck Player of the Week

Henrik Lundqvist, Rangers: When the goalie took himself off the ice in the third period Saturday and word was he was suffering from dehydration, as opposed to a muscle injury, Rangers Nation exhaled. Lundqvist’s team would be worse than mediocre without him. His shutout in Vancouver was spectacular but also typical of how he keeps the Rangers in almost every game.

Dubious Achievement of the Week

Petr Sykora, Devils: Sykora managed to fool the referees in Pittsburgh by serving a four-minute high-sticking penalty called on Patrik Elias. When one of them realized what Sykora pulled – too late, after Elias scored a short-handed goal to tie the score at 1-1 – Sykora apologized and said his stunt was “unrespectful.” Worse, it was cheating and should be reviewed by the league for a fine for the player and his team. Maybe karma already exacted a price. After Elias’s goal, the Penguins scored three straight to win the game, 4-1.

Trending

Down: Brad Richards – The Rangers’ first-line center leads the team in scoring with one goal and four assists, but he has yet to take over a game. Richards will want to show more to the New York area fans when the Rangers start their home schedule Thursday against the Maple Leafs.

Up: Dan Girardi – In the absence of Marc Staal this season, Girardi is averaging 28 minutes a game and performing at a high level for the Rangers. “He can handle it,” said Tortorella, who has no choice but to lean on Girardi.

Down: Frans Nielsen – A strong playmaker, the Islanders’ second-line center has one goal and no assists in six games this season.

Down: Anton Volchenkov – For an annual salary cap hit of $4.25 million for the next five seasons, the defenseman is playing just 18 minutes a game and has not made a major impact in the Devils’ zone.

Theories

Kyle Okposo, the Islanders’ seventh overall pick in the 2006 draft, is a power forward with skill and excellent work habits, but he may have to alter his game. Okposo has just one assist and no goals in the Islanders’ first six games this season. He has yet to reach the 20-goal mark in his young N.H.L. career, in part because shooting accuracy is not his strength. At 210 pounds, Okposo needs to shoot from the perimeter less and crash the opposition net a lot more. Goals scored off shin pads count just as much.

The loss of Jacob Josefson for three to four months with a broken clavicle sustained in the game Thursday hurts the young player’s development and the Devils’ playoff chances. Josefson was one of the Devils’ top three centers and, if Lou Lamoriello is unable to acquire a player in a trade or through waivers, the Devils do not have the depth to replace him.

In Yogi Berra fashion, Ryan Callahan shed some light in a recent broadcast interview on the pressures of being a captain: “I have to focus more on not thinking about it,” Callahan said. In the Rangers’ first six games, Callahan has one goal and no assists.

This Week’s Mystery

On Sept. 30, Nino Niederreiter, a prized right wing prospect who was the Islanders’ fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft, sustained a groin injury. The club said his return to the lineup was day to day. More than three weeks later, Niederreiter has practiced infrequently with the Islanders and, on some days, has not even skated on his own. Like the Rangers regarding Marc Staal’s concussion symptoms, the Islanders have had nothing to say about Niederreiter’s status. Perhaps we’ll learn more this week. His development is crucial to the success of the Islanders’ rebuilding program.

Metro Pucks: Rangers Win in Overtime; Isles Fall to Tampa Bay

Ryan McDonagh’s goal with two seconds left in overtime gave the Rangers a 3-2 win in Calgary on Thursday.

On the game-winning goal, Brandon Dubinsky kept the puck in the Flames’ zone in the final seconds and left it for Dan Girardi at the point. As Ryan Callahan screened Calgary goaltender Henrik Karlsson, Girardi shot wide of the net, but the puck bounced off the boards behind the goal and to the stick of McDonagh. He wristed the puck into a mostly uncovered goal just before the horn was about to sound.

“I knew there wasn’t a lot of time left, so I just tried to drill it home,” McDonagh said on the MSG Network broadcast after the game.

The Rangers had to kill a Calgary penalty in the final minutes of regulation when Jeff Woywitka, their new defenseman, inadvertently cleared the puck over the glass, resulting in a penalty for delay of game.

Before overtime, the Rangers and Flames scored all their goals in the first period. Marian Gaborik scored his fourth goal of the season to open the scoring. After Jarome Iginla, the Flames’ captain, tied the score, Brandon Prust gave New York a 2-1 lead at 13 minutes 42 seconds of the period.

Henrik Lundqvist showed some rare public frustration with a teammate after Mark Giordano scored on a snap shot soon after Prust’s goal. Just before Giordano prepared to shoot, McDonagh screened his goalie. Lundqvist was late to react on a shot he could not see. Although he was upset after the goal, Lundqvist did not allow Calgary to score for the remainder of regulation. He made 33 saves in the game’s 65 minutes.

The game was a return for Tim Erixon, the Flames’ first-round pick who declined to sign with Calgary, forcing a trade to the Rangers. Playing his fifth N.H.L. game Thursday, the 20-year-old defenseman was confronted by the Calgary news media after the Rangers’ morning workout about why he slighted the franchise.

“I had nothing against Calgary,” Erixon said. “I love the organization, and it’s a great city. Everybody was good to me. It was never about the money. There were just some small issues, and it’s in the past now.”

Asked to detail the issues, he declined to provide further details. “I really don’t think I have to explain myself,” he said. While he was booed by Calgary fans every time he carried the puck, Erixon played well in the game, especially during a pair of shifts in overtime.

While Comeau Sits Again, Isles Lose at Tampa Bay

The Islanders lost to Tampa Bay, 4-1, on Thursday, failing to sustain an offensive attack after dominating the Lightning in a victory in New York a week earlier.

“We didn’t skate in the first period,” Islanders Coach Jack Capuano said after the game. Tampa Bay “set the tone right away. Our line combinations, for whatever reason, couldn’t generate any offense. We weren’t able to establish our forecheck. They had more zone time than we did tonight.”

Although John Tavares created some scoring chances, the Islanders’ first line was held scoreless after dominating performances in the team’s last two games — wins over Tampa Bay and the Rangers. The Islanders’ only goal, by Michael Grabner, came in the third period after they were trailing, 3-0.

Asked about the possibility of altering some of his forward lines, Capuano said: “Yeah, I think there’s a good chance of that happening. Some guys deserve more of an opportunity. But there’s nothing to panic about yet.

The Islanders have a minor lineup controversy. The last two games, the team has scratched Blake Comeau, a third-line wing who scored 24 goals last season. In an early-season stretch in which the Islanders have received little offense outside of their first line, the benching of Comeau is suspicious.

Capuano’s non-responses to requests for an explanation have not clarified the Comeau matter. The coach has said his lineup decision is between him and the player, but Comeau said he has not received an explanation. Capuano is so mum on the issue, he has declined to even rule out that Comeau is being disciplined for an off-ice matter. All the secrecy has done is throw mud on Comeau and limit his trade value. With a surplus of skilled forwards, General Manager Garth Snow could make a move to fill his team’s biggest need, a regular shift defenseman.

The Islanders and Comeau agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract this summer before a scheduled arbitration hearing. As Comeau sat in the press box in Tampa Bay, Capuano played the enforcer Trevor Gillies for a total of 3 minutes 14 seconds. If the coaching staff plays him, the Islanders can probably count on an angry and motivated Comeau when they visit the Florida Panthers on Saturday.

Connected by Facebook, Islanders Prospect Joins Fans for Night of Roller Hockey

Shawn Shea, a 29-year-old engineer from Amityville on Long Island, was looking for a few players for a pickup roller hockey game last month. Then he remembered that he was Facebook friends with Kirill Kabanov, the skilled right wing from Russia the Islanders selected in the third round of the 2010 draft.

“I figured,” Shea said, “it couldn’t hurt to ask.”

The Facebook messaging between fan and potential world-class ringer went like this:

Shea: “We’re playing in Massapequa Park.”

Kabanov: “I don’t have roller skates.”

Shea: “You don’t need them. Come on down anyway if you can.”

Kabanov: “Ok. I’ll come for sure.”

Shea was stunned. The Islanders’ prospect not only signed on, but gave the impromptu event a little publicity by updating his Facebook status with his plans for the night.

Suddenly, what Shea envisioned as a little 3-on-3 with pals at Marjorie Post Park became something none of the 30 participants and a few dozen surprised spectators would ever forget.

“We couldn’t believe what a gentleman Kirill was,” said Michael D’Andrea, a 36-year-old from Elmont who is a music therapist by day, DJ at night and amateur goaltender in his spare time. “From the moment he got there, Kirill was posing for photos on everyone’s phones, signing autographs, talking hockey, high-fiving kids. The whole night was incredible.”

Despite his offensive gifts, Kabanov’s stock slipped during his draft year because of tales circling the scouting community about immaturity and paternal interference. Once viewed as a player worthy of being drafted in the top 10 selections, Kabanov fell to the 65th pick, where the Islanders were happy to place a low-risk, high-reward bet on him.

Over the last year, there have been signs of the move paying off for the Islanders, who signed Kabanov to a three-year, entry level contract on July 1. Kabanov, a 6-foot-2 forward, had a strong postseason in the spring with his junior club, the Lewiston Maineiacs of the Quebec League. He was a finalist for the league’s Humanitarian Award, given to the player most active in the community.

Islanders fans at Post Park understand the nomination.

“One of the young players who showed up brought an extra pair of skates and Kirill put them on,” Shea said. “Supposedly it was his first time on rollerblades. His skill was amazing. He spent the whole night setting his teammates up. He got there at 8 and stayed until 10:30, when the people at the park told us it was long past time to shut out the lights.”

D’Andrea, the goalie, said: “I’ll really remember two generous things he did. Kirill passed up every chance to take a slap shot on me, possibly saving me a trip to the hospital. And when the game ended, he skated over to his goaltender, said she was the M.V.P. and gave her his hockey stick.”

The goalie was Elyssa Kaplan, a teenage Islanders fan from Dix Hills who read about the game of shinny on Facebook and asked her father for a ride to Massapequa.

“What a thrill it was for Elyssa,” Shea said. “What a night it was for all of us.”

Chris Botta will report all season on the Islanders, Rangers and Devils.