Battle Of Hudson

Out West, the first team to advance was San Jose. The Sharks swept the Canucks out of the best-of-seven first round last night with a 4-3 overtime victory in Game Four at HP Pavilion. Third seeded Vancouver was sent packing on Patrick Marleau’s OT winner at 13:18. It came following an atrocious  call on Daniel Sedin for boarding.

It was a bad way for the series to end. Even if the Sharks earned the franchise’s first series sweep, you don’t call a penalty on a simple shove that wasn’t hard. San Jose also took advantage of a Kevin Bieksa crosscheck to force sudden death. Joe Pavelski steered home a Logan Couture follow up of a Joe Thornton rebound Cory Schneider couldn’t control. The goal came with 4:27 remaining in regulation.

The Canucks had rallied in the third from a one-goal deficit on the strength of two goals in 1:50. Alex Burrows finished off a nice passing play from Daniel and twin brother Henrik Sedin for a power play goal. Burrows set up Alex Edler at the point less than two minutes later. But Pavelski’s fourth of the series gave the Sharks new life. In OT, Couture came close to ending it with a goalpost. With Sedin in the box, Marleau got to a loose puck and buried his fourth to help San Jose advance to the Western Semis. Thornton and Dan Boyle drew helpers.

For Vancouver, it ends another disappointing year in which they failed to meet expectations. In a series that looked evenly matched on paper, they dropped four straight including Games 2 and 4 in overtime. Coach Alain Vigneault isn’t expected to survive. Despite what probably was his last press conference following the difficult result, he didn’t criticize the officials. Instead, giving credit to San Jose for playing a good series.

The Canucks remain an enigma. Even if Vigneault’s done, it might be time to look at GM Mike Gillis. Their roster is never good enough. They came awfully close to winning the franchise’s first Cup in 2011 but blew leads of 2-0 and 3-2, losing Game Seven to Boston on home ice. Since, they’ve been bounced in Round One by the Kings and Sharks. It’s safe to say they don’t want to travel to California for the first round anymore.

San Jose didn’t lose to Vancouver all year also taking the season series 3-0-0. They won the last two in a shootout and overtime. Overall, they went a perfect seven for seven. The No.6 seeded Sharks await the results of the other three Western series. Top seed Chicago took a 3-1 lead over Minnesota. No.2 seed Anaheim is tied with Detroit entering a pivotal Game Five tomorrow. The four versus five between St. Louis and Los Angeles has been ultra competitive with each team holding serve. It’s the most physical series.

If there are no more upsets, the Sharks will face the Blackhawks. They reseed. For now, they’ll rest up and wait. 

Game Four Islander hero John Tavares congrats winning goalie Evgeni Nabokov. Getty Images/Kathy Willens

The impossible isn’t. The Islanders are proving they can play with the Penguins. Since Game One, the eighth seeded underdog has taken two of three against the East’s heavily favorite top seed. After losing Game Three in overtime, the Islanders responded with an emotional 6-4 win in Game Four to square the best-of-seven first round series.

Continuing a trend, the teams ramped up the offense. After combining for nine goals Sunday, they totaled 10 tonight at a revved up Nassau Coliseum. This one had all twists and turns. It featured four ties and four lead changes. The final one went to the Isles, who battled back from a goal down in the third to prevail. They scored the last three on struggling Pittsburgh netminder Marc-Andre Fleury, who allowed six goals on 24 shots. It was every bit as bad with him responsible for at least two. Since shutting out the Islanders in Game One, Fleury’s permitted 14 goals on 102 shots. He’s posted a 4.49 GAA and .863 save percentage. Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma has one interesting decision for Thursday. Does he go to Tomas Vokoun?

While many will speculate, the Islanders clawed their way past the Penguins by out-playing them. The Pens relied on their talent to take leads of 3-2 and 4-3. Ultimately, it wasn’t enough against a thorough opponent who never gave in. The Isles won for the first time at home in the postseason since ’02. They did it on guts and determination. A recipe that works in the Spring. They also followed coach Jack Capuano‘s message by only giving Pittsburgh two power plays. The Pens didn’t connect on either, including a critical two-minute stretch in which they had the puck in the entire time. The Isles won the special teams battle, connecting once on four man-advantages.

With the game scoreless, Game Three culprit Brian Strait got redemption against his former team when he beat Fleury from way out. Following a pass from Lubomir Visnovsky, Strait patiently skated to the left before firing a white knuckler that dipped past Fleury. With the Coliseum rocking, the Pens came right back 45 seconds later thanks to James Neal. Back in after missing the past two games with an injury, he one-timed a perfect Evgeni Malkin cross pass by Evgeni Nabokov. Jarome Iginla added a helper. The Pens took the only three penalties of the first period.

Following a Pens kill, Strait took a high-sticking minor penalty. Pittsburgh never gave up the puck on the power play but couldn’t get one past Nabokov. An exhausted Isles’ penalty killing unit got the job done. It fired up the crowd. Shortly after, Matt Cooke bumped into Nabokov, who flopped to the ice like Devil adversary Martin Brodeur. The acting lesson paid off. Islander captain Mark Streit scored the first of two on the night. He took a Travis Hamonic pass and let one go from the left point. It dipped past Fleury for the Isles’ second lead.

As they had before, the Pens bounced back quickly. Prior to the game, Capuano talked about how they’re so good that they only need one chance to score. Malkin proved that theory true again when he skated through the neutral zone and beat Nabokov to tie it 58 seconds later. Following a Fleury save, he passed to Iginla who dished for Malkin. In on an odd-man break, Malkin whipped his second into the net. Fleury drew a helper. With momentum, they went up 3-2 on Brandon Sutter’s first of the series less than four minutes later. A big Cooke hit forced a turnover. Brenden Morrow retrieved the puck and dished across for Sutter, whose wrister from the left circle went off Nabokov’s left shoulder and in.

The next few minutes proved crucial. Pittsburgh was starting to dictate at even strength. Nabokov came up with a couple of timely stops during a Pens’ power play to keep the deficit one. Late in the second, a fortunate bounce allowed the Islanders to tie it 3-3. Kyle Okposo won a loose puck behind the net and sent a backhand off Fleury and in with 1:24 left. The goal was eerily similar to his Game Two clincher. Fleury was off his goalpost and victimized. Hamonic and Streit added assists. The crowd serenaded “Fleu-ry, Fleu-ry,” until the period ran out.

Following the break, the Pens got a nice bounce to go back ahead 4-3 less than a minute into the third. Chris Kunitz skated up ice and took a shot inside the blueline that caromed off Pascal Dupuis in front past Nabokov. Sidney Crosby helped set it up. It was his sixth point (2-4-6) since returning in Game Two. Earlier in the contest, he took a puck to the jaw, drawing cheers. Not Islander fans’ finest moment. You don’t cheer when an opposing player gets hurt.

Trailing for the second time, the Isles bounced back. Streit scored his second at 4:30. Off a good cycle from Casey Cizikas and Brad Boyes, the Islander defenseman fired a shot that banked off Doug Murray’s skate. With the game knotted at four, Nabokov made a big save to keep it that way until John Tavares put his team ahead for good. Boyes forced Malkin into a turnover. He got the puck to Tavares who cut in on Fleury and put home his own rebound, sending the Coliseum into a frenzy.

The Islanders led 5-4 with still 9:39 left. The Pens threatened after but didn’t find the equalizer. Instead, the Isles grinded their way until Cizikas put it out of reach with another mystifying goal. Following strong defensive work from Colin McDonald and Michael Grabner, Cizikas came in from a bad angle and sent a weak backhand on Fleury he bumbled into the net with 1:16 to go. At the buzzer, Iginla and Kris Letang hit Matt Martin in the corner, leading to Hamonic dropping the gloves with Malkin. As great a player as he is, Malkin is one of the dirtiest in hockey, always looking for the cheap shot. Hamonic didn’t stand for it. Ironically, the scene included Crosby and Letang. All of the Pens’ stars were out for a meaningless shift. Why were they fighting? Bylsma couldn’t have been too pleased.

Notes: Isles lost defenseman Andrew MacDonald with an upper body injury. He took 14 shits (15:36) before exiting in the second. … In twelve minutes, Cizikas had a goal and two assists while going plus-four with three hits. It’s that kind of yeoman effort the Isles have gotten from their supporting cast to make it a series. … NYI out-hit Pit 33-26 including a game high seven from Martin. … The Pens had 12 giveaways (Kunitz, Letang-2 each) to the Isles’ eight (Josh Bailey-3, Tavares-2). Each team had 16 blocked shots with Streit pacing everyone with five while Letang had three. … The Isles held an edge on face-offs 29-25. Frans Nielsen went 9-and-5 and Keith Aucoin was 4-and-2. Jussi Jokinen was a perfect 6-for-6 and Sutter went 8-and-5. In an oddity, Crosby lost 14-of-18. Tavares lost 9-of-15. … Game Four is Thursday at Pittsburgh.

NY Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Travis Hamonic, NYI (2 assists 3 hits, fought Malkin, finished -2 in 28:42 but was a warrior after partner MacDonald left)
2nd Star-John Tavares, NYI (scored game-winner with 9:39 left-exactly when his team needed it most)
1st Star-Mark Streit, NYI (2 goals incl. tying marker, assist, 5 blocks, 2 hits, +1 in 22:56)

Getty Images/AP

For the first time since March 5, Marc Staal returned. For a while, it looked like the Rangers All-Star defenseman might miss the rest of the year. Two months prior, he was struck by a puck dangerously close to his right eye putting him out of action. There were lingering doubts if he could comeback due to the visibility. 

Ryan McDonagh (above) dives after a loose puck in front of Henrik Lundqvist. Brian Boyle celebrates his first period goal along with Mike Del Zotto. Getty Images/Kathy Willens

Sometimes, it’s as simple as will power. Will you go that extra mile? In Game Three, the Rangers did what it takes to get back in their first round series against the Capitals. They showed tremendous character pulling out a hard fought 4-3 win at a loud MSG Monday. Derek Stepan scored the game-winner with 6:25 left and they gave our fans a courageous penalty kill until the buzzer sounded with the Caps pulling Braden Holtby for a six-on-four.

It was reminiscent of Game Three two years ago on 4/17/11. That one also had a late hero with Brandon Dubinsky scoring with 1:39 left. The Caps mounted a furious charge to tie it but diving Rangers wouldn’t allow them. The dramatic ending last night was even more chaotic. Brad Richards took a slashing minor on Alex Ovechkin with 1:52 remaining. That gave a dangerous Caps plenty of chances to force overtime. Having already rallied from one-goal deficits twice, they passed the puck around like the Harlem Globetrotters. Mike Ribeiro, Mike Green and Ovechkin kept moving it looking for that perfect one-timer. It never came. The closest they got to tying it was a pass across to Troy Brouwer, who was stoned by Henrik Lundqvist. He made 28 saves. Many quality despite permitting three goals. None which he could be faulted on. Two were deflections and the other a Green bomb through traffic.

For the first time in the last three series between Washington and New York, someone scored more than three. That it was our team defined their resiliency. The passion they played with is why they prevailed. The Blueshirts got back to getting the uniform dirty. They were more physical, out-hitting the Caps 33-22 and out-blocking them 17-14. Another theme that continued was shots missing completely with each team missing 14. Unlike the first two games, this one had ups and downs. Momentum swings and most notably, OFFENSE. The seven goals they combined for were an oddity. We’re not used to it. But if the Rangers are going to comeback and win the series, they’ll need to keep scoring. They responded to Holtby’s comments by putting four past him on 30 shots.

The difference was our guys won battles and went to the net. Every goal came from in front off great plays. They got a total team effort. The supporting cast was instrumental. Brian Boyle had a big impact, scoring his first of the postseason while adding an assist. More than that, he competed every shift and went from a fringe player to one John Tortorella trusted. Boyle got nearly 21 minutes, moving up. With the Caps already leading 1-0 thanks to a Nicklas Backstrom redirection of a John Carlson shot, they had a chance to make it two when Ryan Callahan went to the box for a roughing retaliation. A strong penalty kill kept the deficit one. Boyle tied it with 7:10 left in the first. Taking a Derick Brassard feed, he drove hard to the net and beat Holtby. It came as Joel Ward’s high-sticking penalty expired. Boyle’s aggressiveness was a theme throughout.

When the action was five-on-five, Washington dominated. They spent long shifts fore-checking in the Ranger zone. Our D kept collapsing leaving the points vacated. The Caps are familiar with how to attack them. Their active defensemen are adept at keeping the puck in and getting shots through. It’s a good thing the Rangers earned six power plays. It was a rare instance where the man-advantage actually built momentum. Over a minute into the second, Holtby tripped Rick Nash handing them a fourth power play. Having essentially scored on Boyle’s tally, this time it was a power play goal. It took only eight seconds for Brassard to take a Mats Zuccarello feed and whistle one upstairs for his first career postseason goal. After having a quiet Game Two, he responded with a goal and two assists along with five hits. Brassard played his best game as a Blueshirt. Zuccarello also was strong setting up two goals.

The physical play continued. With the crowd finally able to chant “Holt-by, Holt-by, Holt-by,” the Caps continued to lose their discipline taking two more penalties. The six minors left Washington coach Adam Oates speechless. His team was clearly better at even strength. Even though the Rangers didn’t take advantage, it killed precious time and kept Ovechkin on the bench. He doesn’t kill penalties. Once the action returned to five-on-five, Washington resumed control. Following a penalty kill, Oveckin, Backstrom and Marcus Johansson had a strong shift. It looked like a power play. In particular, Ribeiro’s line with Brouwer and Martin Erat gave the Ranger D fits. Even with Marc Staal back, they had no answer for them. That trio has been the Caps’ most effective thus far.

Callahan took a second minor. Usually so disciplined, the Ranger captain didn’t have a good night. He still led them with six hits but didn’t do much offensively and was in the box twice. Having lost key penalty killer Darroll Powe in the first to injury, Tortorella gave Taylor Pyatt a PK shift. He delivered along with Boyle, Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin. Ryan McDonagh was strong defensively, limiting Ovechkin to two shots. He would later factor in offensively. Lundqvist made a pair of saves on Brouwer. Despite not capitalizing, the Caps continued to pressure and finally tied it late in the second. Off a strong cycle from Jason Chimera and Mathieu Perreault, Green fired home his second at 17:19.

An unlikely source put the Blueshirts back ahead. Arron Asham isn’t known for his scoring touch. However, he’s in his 7th straight postseason dating back to ’07 with the Islanders. He’s only missed the playoffs once over the last 12 seasons. Maybe there’s a method to his madness. Entering yesterday, he’d scored eight times in the previous 61. Asham had no trouble finishing off a brilliant Brassard dish in front giving the Rangers a 3-2 lead 2:53 into the third. He started it by winning a board battle to play the puck behind the net to Pyatt. Pyatt worked it deep to Brassard who found a driving Asham all alone. Asham went top shelf for his ninth career postseason goal.

Undeterred, Washington struck back again. Following a Ranger icing, Jay Beagle won a face-off to Lundqvist’s right and had a puck glance off him making it 3-3 with 12:41 left. Joel Ward pushed the puck back to Jack Hillen, whose shot dipped off Beagle changing direction. At that point, Sam Rosen pointed out the obvious. Someone had to score four to win. That never happened the past two series between the Caps and Rangers. Who was gonna be the hero? That’s when Stepan stepped up. With the help of Nash, he deflected home a great pass in front past Holtby for his first at 13:35. The play was made possible by a pinching McDonagh, who kept the puck in at the blueline. He navigated around Ovechkin and worked it to Zuccarello who dished behind the net across to Nash in the corner. Nash found Stepan, who beat Backstrom for the winner- leaving Nash and Stepan all smiles.

That left 6:25 to protect a 4-3 lead. The Caps had their chances. But diving Blueshirts sacrificed their bodies to get a much needed victory. Even if they made our fans sweat it out, the anxiety driven final 1:54 was exciting. It reminded of Rosen’s dramatic call of that Game Three win against the same team two years ago. Let’s hope they can repeat it tomorrow and square the series.

Notes: A key contributor was John Moore. Since being acquired with Brassard and Derek Dorsett at the deadline for Marian Gaborik, he’s elevated his play. Tortorella gave him the assignment of running the power play. He received 5:37 of his 15:50 (15 shifts) on it. Moore made a big play on Brassard’s PPG, keeping the play alive with a good pinch. He didn’t get an assist but made the goal possible. Moore was aggressive finishing with three shots. … Eight different Rangers registered a point including Mike Del Zotto (assist), who otherwise struggled in 17 shifts (17:02). Though he had four hits and two blocks, he also had two of the team’s 13 giveaways. Anton Stralman had three despite playing stronger. The Rangers were guilty of dangerous turnovers in the neutral zone. An area that must be corrected for Game Four.

… Dan Girardi paced all skaters with five blocks. Danny G’s work with McDonagh was vital. In 24 shifts (22:58), he had two shots, three hits, a takeaway and went plus-two. … Of Callahan’s six hits, his best came on John Erskine in the first, forcing the rugged Cap defenseman to go to the locker room before returning. Erskine’s been a thorn in the side. So. any shifts he misses are a plus. … Ovechkin had four shots miss the net and some blocked. He was minus-one in 22:07. … The Rangers had 11 takeaways to the Caps’ four. Washington won the face-off battle edging New York 30-27. Backstrom went 11-and-5 while Perreault was 8-and-2. Boyle was the Rangers’ best, finishing 14-and-7. Brad Richards was abysmal losing 11-of-15 while doing nothing offensively. At some point, he must contribute. … Nash’s assist was his first playoff point as a Ranger.

NY Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Ryan McDonagh, NYR (2 SOG, 2 blocks, takeaway, superb all around in 22 shifts-20:55)
2nd Star-Brian Boyle, NYR (1st of postseason, assist, 14-for-21 on draws, dominant in 29 shifts-20:42)
1st Star-Derick Brassard, NYR (PPG, 2 assists-3 points, clutch performance in 21 shifts-16:29)

What started out as competitive amounted to a playoff brawl between the Canadiens and Senators in Game Three at Scotiabank Place. At one point, Montreal was tied. From there, Ottawa took over by scoring five unanswered en route to a 6-1 blowout, going up 2-1 in the seven-game first round series.

Following rookie Jean-Gabriel Pageau’s breakaway goal on a Sergei Gonchar outlet, the Sens grabbed a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. Still anyone’s game. The roof caved in on the Habs in an embarrassing third that featured a line brawl, seven fights and nine game misconducts. By the time the gruesome display ended, the teams combined for 236 penalty minutes. Prior to the goon fest, Pageau scored his second of the night, using a Montreal defenseman as a screen to beat Carey Price making it 3-1 at 1:18. A Kyle Turris put away set up by Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Karlsson put the Sens up three at the seven-minute mark.

What ensued on the next faceoff was the pent up frustration of the Canadiens. Instead of attempting a comeback, they resorted to fisticuffs. In a scene that could’ve been from Slap Shot, all 10 players dropped the gloves. They paired off. Chris Neil took on Travis Moen while Zach Smith pounded Francis Bouillon. Matt Kassian fought Colby Armstrong while Chris Phillips beat Jared Tinordi. In the other atrocity, Ryan White, who started the fracas by slashing Smith- was obliterated by Jared Cowen. The first five scraps all took place at 7:04. A wild scene saw Neil play to the crowd as he left, which couldn’t have sat well with the Montreal bench. Smith also left the ice by slapping five with fans.

Following the shenanigans, Ottawa hit Montreal where it hurts on the scoreboard. Rookie Jacob Silfverberg scored off a face-off win from Milan Michalek making it 5-1. Pageau and Silfverberg’s tallies came eight seconds apart- finishing the Habs. Approximately a minute and a half later, more chaos followed. This time, a flustered P.K. Subban retaliated on Turris following a cross check by instigating a fight. Till that point, the Norris candidate had a miserable game taking three minor penalties and getting beaten on Pageau’s game-winner. He proceeded to give Turris a beating not letting up when the center was down. A code violation.

Before Pageau completed only the second playoff hat trick in Senators history (Alfredsson ’98), Cory Conacher and Brendan Gallagher exchanged pleasantries. When the buzzer sounded, Montreal defenseman Josh Gorges shot a puck at Turris. All this occurred with Bill McCreary on hand. It’ll be interesting to see what results. The same day when the league announced a two-game ban for Detroit forward Justin Abdelkader‘s leaping charging major that injured Anaheim defenseman Toni Lydman in the Ducks’ Game Three win.

More fireworks erupted between the coaches. Enraged that Ottawa’s Paul MacLean took a timeout with 17 seconds left, Montreal bench boss Michel Therien charged:

 ‘‘I don’t like when a coach is making comments. ”I don’t like a coach when trying to humiliate our team. I don’t like that. … As far as I’m concerned that was classless.” 

He went on to defend the timeout indicating it was due to protecting his players while taking a parting shot at Montreal. Basically, pointing out the obvious. They humiliated themselves. What will be the end result of this monstrosity? More importantly, are the Sens in the Habs’ heads similar to what the Flyers did to the Pens last Spring? Game Four is Tuesday. 

Chris Kunitz is mobbed by Pens teammates after his overtime winner. Islander defenseman Andrew MacDonald  can’t watch. Getty Images/Seth Wenig

A great game was played at Nassau Coliseum. The first round series between the eighth seeded upstarts from Long Island and the heavily favored No.1 seed from Pittsburgh has been much better than expected. Following the Penguins blowout win in Game One, nothing has separated them. For a second straight game, one goal decided the outcome. This time, it went to the Pens despite blowing a two-goal lead in the third. Chris Kunitz scored at 8:34 of overtime to lead the Pens past the Islanders 5-4.

Kunitz’ power play goal gave Pittsburgh back the home ice. They lead the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Quarterfinal 2-1 with Game Four Tuesday. Kunitz scored two power play goals and had an assist. The Pens converted on three of five power plays including Kunitz’ OT winner. It wasn’t without controversy.

The goal was set up by Sidney Crosby. Crosby drew a holding penalty on Islander defenseman Brian Strait. He got a step on Strait, who reached with his hands. Sid The Kid went down fairly easily to put his team on the man-advantage. It only took them 33 seconds to end the game. Taking a pass from Paul Martin, Crosby found Kunitz all alone in the slot to beat Evgeni Nabokov top shelf.  Not shockingly, boos rained down from irate Islander fans who disagreed with the call. They weren’t alone with both NBC’s Mike Milbury and Jeremy Roenick on their side.

Stars get calls. It happens in every sport. In this case, one went against the Islanders. Was it a penalty? Absolutely. But in sudden death, refs tend to let that go and allow the teams to decide it. Unless it’s one of those ridiculous delay of games. Simply put, the Isles didn’t get the job done. They were hurt on special teams, allowing the Pens to connect three times on the power play while failing on their three chances. Kunitz shouldn’t have been so open. It was poor coverage.

Buoyed by their comeback win that evened the series, the Islanders jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Matt Moulson scored for the second consecutive game when he tucked in a loose puck from a bad angle past Marc-Andre Fleury just 1:43 in. Less than four minutes later, Casey Cizikas notched his first from Michael Grabner giving the home team a two-goal lead.

However, the Pens bounced back quickly. They got the next three to take a one-goal lead to the locker room. Aided by a five-on-three, Jarome Iginla got them on the board with his first when he deflected home a Kris Letang point shot for his first. Crosby drew the other assist. He finished with three helpers. With Travis Hamonic still in the box, Kunitz took a Evgeni Malkin feed and beat Nabokov 21 seconds later to tie the score. Letang added his second assist. With exactly a minute left in the first, Kunitz and Crosby combined to set up Pascal Dupuis for his third.

The Isles trailed despite out-shooting the Penguins 13-8. They had the better of the play in the second but couldn’t beat Fleury, who rebounded with a strong period. He stopped all eight Islander shots, including a couple of big ones on John Tavares. Instead of being tied, Fleury’s goaltending allowed his team to increase to 4-2. This time, Malkin made a great play to set up ex-Shark Doug Murray. Drawing two defenders along the right boards, he dished across for Murray, who blasted his first career postseason goal far side. Martin added his second helper.

Despite being down two, the Islanders never gave up. Instead, they showed a lot of determination to get back in it. They dominated the third out-shooting Pittsburgh 13-3 and outscoring them 2-0 to force overtime. Game Two hero Kyle Okposo sparked the comeback with a shorthanded goal. With Strait in the sin bin, Okposo out-hustled the Pens down ice. He took a Frans Nielsen pass and broke in on Fleury going five-hole to cut it to 4-3 with 14:29 remaining. He’s been the Isles’ best forward thus far, not backing down from anyone.

With the Isles down one, their best player finally stepped up. Tavares scored his first career playoff goal with 9:22 left in regulation. Taking a Josh Bailey feed, he snapped a laser from the right circle inside the far post to tie the score 4-4. The Coliseum went nuts. It marked the third time over the last two games the Islanders rallied from two back. They threatened to go ahead but Fleury made some timely saves to keep it knotted. The Pens also hit a couple of posts before OT.

Following a shaky start, the Islanders buzzed during one shift. But they only mustered two shots. There also was a close call when Grabner almost got behind two Pens for a breakaway. But in an oddity, each got a piece of the puck in mid-air to deny the opportunity. Pittsburgh then kept a play alive for Crosby, who earned the crucial power play. Following an Islanders’ clear, the Pens got setup.  Martin passed down low for Crosby, who threaded the needle for Kunitz’ game decider.

Notes: It was a crushing loss for the Islanders. They did many things well. Similar to Game Two, they took the body finishing with 32 hits to the Pens’ 29. The Isles also won the face-off battle, beating a strong opponent 32-29 on draws. Okposo was their best going seven-and-three. Tavares lost 14-of-23 mostly against Crosby, who went 13-and-11. … Fleury made 32 saves while Nabokov turned aside 20 of 25. He fell to 7-11 career in playoff OT. … Andrew MacDonald went plus-three with two takeaways and three blocks in an Islander game high 30:21. Partner Travis Hamonic finished plus-one with five hits and five blocks in 29:50. … Letang paced all skaters with 33:33 along with two assists and five hits for the Pens. Martin also had two helpers with three hits and three blocks along with a plus-two logging 31:33.

NY Puck 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Sidney Crosby, Pit (3 assists, 4 SOG, 2 blocks, 3 takeaways, -1 in 24:08)
2nd Star-Kyle Okposo, NYI (shorthanded goal-2nd of series, assist, 5 SOG, +1 in 24:23)
1st Star-Chris Kunitz, Pit (2 PPG incl. OT winner at 8:44, assist, 4 hits, -1 in 22:03)

Overtime hero Mike Green is congratulated by teammates as Derek Stepan skates off in disbelief. Getty Images/Evan Vuccl

All year, Henrik Lundqvist referenced our poor special teams. It’s already bitten us in the ass twice. No more was it on display than in an agonizing 1-0 overtime defeat to the Caps, who took a 2-0 series lead. Mike Green’s power play goal at eight minutes of sudden death sent Washington to a shutout win. 

Matt Moulson watches Kyle Okposo’s shot ricochet off Marc-Andre Fleury. Getty Images/Gene J. Puskar

It isn’t a series until someone wins on the road. For the upstart Islanders, they pushed back against the Penguins in Game Two. They dug out of a pair of two-goal deficits to pull out a 4-3 win that squared the First Round series 1-1.

”Our guys, they’re relentless,” explained the Islander coach.

During last night’s Senators’ 4-2 win over the Canadiens in Game One of their best-of-seven first round series, Ottawa defenseman Eric Gryba delivered a big hit on Habs’ forward Lars Eller that resulted in head and facial injuries. He was assessed a five-minute interference major and game misconduct.

With no off day, the two teams are back at it tonight at the Bell Centre. This gave League Deputy Brendan Shanahan little time to make a decision. Rather than holding a phone interview, he suspended Gryba two games for the incident. At first glance, I felt it was suspension worthy. The live look made it appear a lot worse. Gryba caught Eller with a right shoulder that landed on the kisser.

Since the suspension was handed out, there’s been outrage on Twitter. Most disagree with the ruling. On TSN, they broke it down with former referee Kerry Fraser. Fraser does a great job explaining why it wasn’t even a penalty. Here’s a closer look:

Fraser takes us through the hit noting the point of contact. “It’s a clean hit with a bad result,” he told TSN. The hip makes contact with the groin area and then the head is contacted by the back shoulder cap. He says you can make contact with the head as long as there’s sufficient body contact.

Former players Aaron Ward and Mike Peca further illustrate why they agreed with Fraser by referencing Montreal defenseman Raphael Diaz’ “suicide pass,” which put Eller in a vulnerable position. TSN’s Bob McKenzie didn’t feel it was a penalty either but did note that the hit might’ve violated Rule 48. Principle Point Of Contact. That might better explain why  Gryba will sit out the next two games. Though it looks like their views are accurate, which means he didn’t have to be suspended.

Furthermore, there have been many gripes about Gryba getting victimized due to being a fringe player. That if he was a star, there would’ve been no ban. I still maintain that every case is different. I’m curious as to what Shanahan will say in his video response.