Penguins at Islanders - 10-25-11

PREGAME

{youtube width="465" height="266"}hH5uCnhDZHM{/youtube}

-No Trevor Gillies. No Steve MacIntyre. No Zenon Konopka. No Maxime Talbot. Hopefully no circus. Many of the principals of last season's brawl are absent from tonight's game. Here's hoping that means we get a good hockey game from teams full of talent.

-Welcome back Evgeni Malkin. He returns to the lineup.

-The Penguins' starters are Arron Asham, Matt Cooke, Richard Park, Kris Letang, Paul Martin and Marc-Andre Fleury.

-Their scratches are Mark Letestu, Steve MacIntyre, Zbynek Michalek.

-The Islanders starters are Matt Moulston, P.A. Parenteau, John Tavares, Mark Eaton, Mike Mottau and Evgeni Nabokov.

-Their scratches are Trevor Gillies, Milan Jurcina and Al Montoya.

-In 30 games against the Islanders, Malkin has 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists).

-Here's one of them:

{youtube width="465" height="266"}H8ZuXNml4Cg{/youtube}

-Jordan Staal decides to make this face at Dan Potash:

FIRST PERIOD

19:45: Richard Park used to be an Islander:

x 1.

19:32: Tavares drives up the right wing and taps a backhanded pass to Parenteau in the right circle. Parenteau chops a one-timer on net. Fleury is in position and fights it off

19:10: Tavares drives up the right wing again and on a similar play, he leaves a drop pass for Kyle Okposo in the right circle. Okposo hammers a one-timer which appears to strike Deryk Engelland in the leg. Tavares is creating things early.

19:02: Dupuis cuts off the right wing towards the slot and whips a wrister high and wide of the cage.

18:15: Speedster Michael Grabner races through the Penguins' defense and whips a wrister from the left wing wide of the cage.

17:56: So close. Sullivan gains the offensive zone on the right wing. From the right point, he taps a pass to Malkin om the slot. Malkin then deals it to Neal in the right circle. Neal leans down and drives a shot which hits off the side of the cage. Malkin looked sharp on his first shift.

15:56: Chris Kunitz races up the left wing and booms a slapper on net. Nabokov challenges and eats it up.

15:20: Neal puls up in the right circle and whips a wrister to the far side. Nabokov kicks it out with his right leg.

14:06: Adams fires a quick shot off from the left wing which hits Eaton in the leg. And Eaton used to be a Penguin:

13:41: Andrew MacDonald floats a wrister on net from the left point. Fleury kicks it out.

13:19: Off a turnover by Engelland from behind his own net, Nielsen chops a shot from the left wing wall. Fleury punches it away.

12:23: From the right wing wall, Tavares centers a pass. Okposo takes it in the slot, settles the puck and chops it on net. Fleury knocks it dead and freezes play.

9:56: Off a turnover by Malkin in his own zone, Okposo has a chance in tight but is stripped of the puck by Martin. That was the best strip $5 million can buy.

9:05: Tavares controls the puck off the right wing, fends off a check from Martin and whips a wrister at net. It hits Molson in the back.

8:38: Kunitz forces a bad pass off the right half wall. Parenteau steals it and leads a rush up ice. He appears tired as his legs are sluggish. He deals a pass to Moulson. Moulson's shot attempt is deflected by a backchecking Kunitz's stick.

8:02: Letang has a chance in deep on the right wing but Eaton blocks it.

7:20: Off a nice give and go with Neal off the right wing, Malkin has a chance in tight but Nabokov kicks it out. Tough save.

4:48: Travis Hamonic booms a slapper from the right point. Fleury kicks it out.

4:35: Engelland apparently went off the ice for an unspecified matter. He's waiting to return to the ice since the rampway from the visitors locker room is not attached to the bench.

4:06: Malkin has a chance in the left circle. Moulson slide down to block it.

3:37: Malkin controls the puck in the right circle and snaps off a pass to Dupuis trailing on the left wing. Dupuis rips a wrister which Nabokov fihts off. There's a loose rebound but no one in white jersey can get a shot off.

3:28: The Penguins go offsides. That allows Engelland to return.

2:54: Brian Rolston chops a slapper from the left circle which gets blocked and deflects behidn the net. The puck riccochets ato the right wign wall. Orpik is on the loose puck first and feeds a pass up ice to Dupuis who is off to the races. Dupuis attacks the net and clunks in a wrister under the blocker of Nabokov and into the cage. What a pass by Bobby Orrpik. He gets the only assist. Penguins 1-0.

1:00: Letang gains the offensive zone down the slot and rips a wrister. Streit blocks it.

0:40: Parenteau leaves a nice backhanded pass for Tavares on the right wing. Tavares cuts in off the wing, fends off a check from Park and goes forehand. Fleury fights it off. Parenteau and Streit have a chance on the rebound but can't get a handle on it initially. Parenteau gets a wrister off from the slot. Fleury is able to stretch out and glove it.

0:00: End of period. Penguins 1, Islanders 0.

FIRST INTERMISSION

-That was a pretty decent period of hockey. Both teams went up and down the ice and traded offensive chances. The's a lot of skill on the ice and it showed.

-Not a lot in terms of physical play.

-Evgeni Malkin looked fantastic. He was involved in all ends of the ice. He was most impressive defensively where he forced a lot of turnovers.

-The Penguins' defense looked a little overwhelmed by the Islanders forwards at time. It might take a little time to settle into the new defensive pairings with Michalek absent.

-Tavares looked scary that period. He created so many chances for his teammates.

-Both goaltenders looked sharp. Nabokov looks like the legit No. 1 goaltender he was when he last played in the NHL.

-The Islanders have a 13-7 lead in shots.

-Parenteau leads the game with three shots.

-Dupuis and Neal each led the Penguins with two.

-The Penguins have a 10-6 lead in faceoffs (63 percent).

-Park was 4 for 5 (80 percent).

-Fire Garth Snow.

-Marty Reasoner and Tavares are each 2 for 4 (50 percent).

-Matt Niskanen leads the game with three blocked shots.

-Eaton and MacDonald each lead the Islanders with two.

-Fire Ray Shero.

SECOND PERIOD

19:39: Park snaps off a wrister from the left wing. Nabokov fights it off. The rebound goes to the opposite wall. Tavares recovers it but is stripped of the puck by a poke check by Arron Asham. Park claims the puck, moves off the wall and towards the slot. He uses Streit as a screen and snaps off a wrister which clunks off the glove arm of Nabokov and into the net. What a wonderful goal off a strong defensive effort up front. Asham gets the only assist. Both former Islanders team up on the goal. Fire Garth Snow. Penguins 2-0.

x 2.

19:00: Grabner flies up the left wing and rips a wriste ron net. Flery challenges and eats it up.

18:00: Park is a former Islander:

16:06: Neals snaps off a wrister from the left circle. It hits off the stick of a defender and skids in on net. Nabokov kicks it out.

15:05: Malkin gains the offensive zone on the right wing and cuts to the slot. He leave a drop pass for Kunitz. Kunitz motors in on net. He releases a wrister which Nabokov fights off. Kunitz follows up on the rebound but can't beat Nabokov.

14:56: Malkin controls the puck on the left wing and deals a pass to Cooke skating out of the penalty box. From the  slot, Cooke uncorks a wrister which Nabokov fights off.

14:58: Okoposo chops a slapper from the right half wall. Fleury kicks it out. Nielsen is there for the rebound but Dupuis pokes it away. Nice defensive play.

13:08: Engelland tries to play a puck up ice from the defensive zone but his stick snaps and he turns it over. Bailey takes it in the neutral zone and leads a pseudo two-on-one with Rolston against a stickless Engelland. Bailey distributes to Rolston in the slot. Rolston gives it back to Bailey on the left wing. Bailey moves in and goes backhand. Fleury eats up the shot. Engelland owes Fleury a beer. Coming back from commercial, Root Sports offers a good statistic:

12:20: Staal feeds a pass from the slot to Kunitz in the left circle. Kunitz grips and rips a wrister to the far side which clanks off the far post.

11:06: Tavares shuffles a little wrister from the left circle. Fleury kicks it ot the left corner.

10:36: Ben Lovejoy cracks a slapper from the top of the slot. It hits a body or two and misses the cage.

10:04: Grabner challenges Lovejoy one-on-one on the left wing. He has a step. Lovejoy reaches out and trips him up. Replays show Grabner not exactly providing a lot of resistance towards Lovejoy's poke check. That's two minutes for Lovejoy. Martin, Orpik, Dupuis and Cooke take the ice.

9:15: Streit flings a wrister at the cage from the left point. It hits a body or two. Fleury is able to knock it down and freezes play.

8:37: Hamonic snaps off a wrister form the right cirlce. Adams blocks it.

8:07: Hamonic bangs a slapper from the right circle. Engelland blocks it.

8:04: The Lovejoy minor killed. The Penguins didn't allow the Islanders to do much.

6:44: Rolston challenges Martin one-on-one fro the left wing. Martin holds his ground and forces his former Devils teammate to shoot the puck off the side of the cage.

6:24: From the left wing corner, Rolston snaps off a pass to Bailey in the slot. Bailey is wide open but can't handle the puck cleanly. That allows Niskanen time to get into position and block his wrister. Bailey needs to release that immediately.

5:53: Steve Staios booms a heavy slapper from the left point. Fleury fights it off to the left wing corner.

3:53: Matt Martin takes a pass ont he right wing and flings a heavy wrister at the cage. Fleury punches it away with his blocker and a "thud."

1:44: Letang chops a one-timer wide of the cage from the right circle.

1:01: Off some solid work down low on the end boards, Sullivan deals a pass to Staal in the right circle. Staal snaps off a wrister which Nabokov fights off.

0:46: Malkin controls the puck in the slot and deals to Sullivan in the left circle. Sullivan has a clean shot but forces a bad pass to Neal in the left circle. The pass is broken up. SHOOT THAT!

0:20: Root Sports shows a nice graphic illustrating where Neal has scored his goals from:

0:00: End of period. Penguins 2, Islanders 0.

SECOND INTERMISSION

-Things slowed down a bit that period. Each squad seemed to be a tad more hesitant to press the issue offensively.

-Paul Martin has stepped it up defensively with some strong efforts in one-on-one battles. He has to do that with Michalek out.

-Niskanen has stepped up too. His hot start continues.

-Malkin continued to stand out anytime he had the puck. It just looks like something is going tho happen whenever he controls the play.

-The Islanders control shots, 23-15.

-Dupuis, Neal, Parenteau, Okposo and Tavares each lead the game with three shots.

-Martin leads the game with 17:35.

-MacDonald leads the Islanders with 15:15.

-The Islanders lead the game in faceoffs, 19-18 (51 percent).

-Park is 7 for 9 (78 percent).

-Fire Garth Snow.

-Reasoner is 7 for 10 (70 percent).

-Niskanen leads the game with four blocked shots.

-Zbynek who?

-MacDonald leads the Islanders with three.

THIRD PERIOD

19:38: Off a sloppy clearing attempt by Letang in his own zone, Tavares chops a shot on net from above the left circle. It hits Moulson in front. He tries to jam in the rebound but Fleury fights it off.

18:38: Grabner is sandwich between Neal and Engelland at the left point. Oof.

16:59: Letang and Parenteau battle for a puck in the right wing corner of the Penguins' zone. Parenteau wins the battle, turns and deals a pass to Tavare in the right circle. Tavares fires a wrister as his stick breaks. Fleury challenges and kicks it out.

16:33: Reasoner clips Staal in the schnoz with a stick. That draws blood. It's a "four-minuter." Sullivan, Letang, Kunitz, Malkin and Neal take the ice. Staal's nose is sporting some blood:

-That's not as a bad as what happened to him a few years ago:

15:46: Sullivan cranks a slapper from the left point. Nabokov fights it off. Malkin is there for the rebound. Nabokov knocks it dead and reaches out to cover the rebound.

13:35: Sullivan chops a slapper from the left circle. Nabokov fights it off.

13:28: Malkin blasts a slapper from teh top of the slot. it Nabokov fights it off. No one in a white jersey can get the  rebound.

12:58: Sullivan has a chance in right. Nabokov knocks it dead and covers.

12:36: Niskanen snaps off  wrister from the left point wide of the cage.

12:33: The second of Reasoner's minors is killed. The Penguins really missed a chance to ice the game there.

12:11: Martin drives a slapper from the left point. Nabokov eats it up.

11:45: Streit hammers a slapper from the left wing. Fleury fights it off. Oprik tries to play the rebound but flips it out of play. That's two minutes for delay of game. Big chance here for the Islanders. Staal, Adams, Martin and Letang take the ice.

10:22: Streit booms a slapper from the left circle. It's blocked by Engelland.

10:13: Hamonic hammers a slapper from the top of the slot. Park blocks it and drops to the ice. As the puck is cleared, Park returns to the bench a little sluggish. Ouch.

9:45: The Orpik minor is killed. Not a lot going on there for the Islanders.

8:27: From neutral ice, Kuntiz banks a pass of the right wing boards. Neal races up, collects the puck and hammers it on net. Nabokov fights it off.

8:08: Comeau floats a wrister from the left circle wide to the far side.

7:34: Parenteau leaves a drop pass for Streit in the slot. Streit picks it up and rips a wrister on net. Fleury eats it up with ease.

6:30: When did the Islanders sign Serpico to be their back up goaltender?

6:09: Asham pumps a slapper from the left circle. Nabokov traps it against his shoulder.

5:37: Pandolfo snaps off a wrister from the left circle. Fleury fights it off but allows a rebound. Asham skates it out of danger. Nice defensive play.

4:22: Malkin steals a puck off Parenteau in the offensive zone and feeds a pass to Orpik. Orpik tries to fire a one-timer but partially fans on the shot.

4:03: Neal grips and rips a wrister from the left wing. Nabokov makes the initial save but can't corral the rebound. Neal pushes it through the crease wide of the open net.

3:06: The Islander pull Nabokov for an extra attacker.

2:17: Grabner tries to chip and chase a puck by Letang on the left wing wall. Letang smacks him off the puck. What a wonderful defensive play.

2:00: Game. Set. Match. Dupuis taps a pass to Staal on the left wing. Staal air mails a shot from the red line at the empty cage for one of us:

Dupuis gets the only assist.  Penguins 3-0.

1:01: A slapper by Bailey is blocked by Lovejoy out of play.

0:31: The few remaining fans in the building boo the Islanders.

0:00: End of game. Penguins 3, Islanders 0.

POSTGAME

-It wasn't flashy. It wasn't violent. It wasn't spectacular in anyway shape or form. It was just a plain, simple workmanlike shutout of a division opponent. And it was two points.

-Marc-Andre Fleury was the story of the game. He had to shut down the Islanders on some tough chances and bail his teammates on a few occasions. He wasn't tested a great deal, but he earned his 20th career shutout.

-The Penguins turned in as complete of a defensive effort from a team perspective as we've seen all season. And that's even more surprising when you consider they were without Michalek, one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL.

-Malkin didn't get a point, but he was very sharp in all ends of the ice tonight. His defense is what really stood out. It's a lazy comparison given their nationality, but he looked like Pavel Datsyuk with all his steals tonight.

-The Penguisn got their key goals form secondary sources like Dupuis and Park. That illustrated the depth this team has.

-Paul Martin stepped up big time. And he has to with Michalek injured. He was dominant in many one-on-one battles and just seemed to keep things calm when he had the puck.

-Niskanen has been tremendous in the defensive zone all season long. He stepped up tonight as well.

-James Neal didn't score. Clearly its time to break him off that line from Malkin.

-The Islanders had their moments, particularly when Tavares was controlling play. They have the potential to be a fun team to watch if they stay healthy.

-Nabokov was solid. Hardly spectacular. He was good enough to win tonight.

-The Islanders led in shots, 33-29.

-Neal led the game with five shots.

-Staios and Tavares each led the Islanders with four.

-Martin led teh game with 27:18 of ice time.

-Fun Fact: That's exactly 27:18 more than anyone who thinks he's overpaid.

-We couldn't resist. Sorry.

-MacDonald led the Islanders with 24:36.

-The Islanders had a 30-25 lead in faceoffs (55 percent).

-Marty Reasoner was 8 for 12 (67 percent).

-Richard Park was 9 for 15 (60 percent).

-Niskanen and Engelland each led the game with five blocked shots.

-Mark Eaton and MacDonald each led the Islanders with three blocked shots.

-Fleury's shutout was his third in his career against the Islanders. That matches his career-high against any one opponent. He also has three against New Jersey.

-Pascal Dupuis moved past Gregg Sheppard for 64th place on the franchise's all-time scoring list. Both players have 123 points, but Dupuis (52) has more goals than Sheppard (50).

-Orpik (94) moved past Bob Woytowich (93) for 90th place.

-We forgot to post this when Dupuis scored:

-Game summary.

-Event summary.