1. Dwayne Roloson made 41 saves, including twenty in the first period as he held the Isles in the game. Brian Campbell, who had six first period shots and Patrick Kane scored in the session for the Hawks, sandwiching Comeau's first goal.
2. The game changed in the second period as the Isles scored twice in 25 seconds. Comeau tied the game at 2:27 and Jon Sim was credited with the lead goal at 2:52. Sim's goal was enough to chase Hawk starter Antti Niemi after allowing three goals on 12 shots. Richard Park beat Cristobal Huet at 7:06 and Comeau completed his trick with 18 seconds to play in the middle session.
3. Dustin Byfuglien missed half of the third period with an injury but came back with 4:17 to play to score a power play goal. The Hawks would get no closer, but Byfuglien's goal made Huet, not Niemi, the losing goaltender.
... a few more...
4. The Isles have won six straight against the Hawks since a 3-2 loss to Chicago on December 10, 2002. The six straight wins followed a stretch of 22 games in which the Isles beat the Hawks only once. It's the third time that the Isles have beaten Chicago three straight times, doing so six times from 1983-85 and seven times from 1980-82. This was the only meeting of the season between the teams.
5. The Isles did not have a single power play. It's the first time since a 3-2 shootout loss in Tampa on November 17, 2006 (292 games) that they have not had an advantage. It's the first time since the lockout that the Isles have not had a power play at home (January 27, 2004 vs. Boston), and the first time since November 10, 1999 in Carolina that the Isles have won a game without a power play chance.
6. The Isles complete their 3-game, 18 day homestand with a 2-1-0 record. They scored 13 goals during the three games, including six by Blake Comeau. The 13 goals match their offensive output in the previous nine games (1-8-0).
7. Rob Schremp had two assists. He has seventeen on the season, tying John Tavares for the club rookie lead. Only four rookies have more assists in the entire league than Schremp; he has recorded 17 assists in only 41 games-- his .41 assists per game leads all rookies.
8. Roloson recorded his 20th win of the season. It is the fourth time in his career that he has won 20 games (once for Minnesota and twice, including a career-high 28 last season, for Edmonton). Roloson faced 44 shots, which is the most that the Isles have allowed at home since allowing 47 in a 2-1 overtime loss to New Jersey on April 1, 2008. The 44 shots matched the most the Isles have allowed in a home victory since 1999; the Isles also allowed 44 shots in a 3-2 home victory over Carolina on October 8, 2005.
9. The Isles scored four goals in the second period. It's their first four-goal period of the season. They last scored four goals in a period on March 20, 2009 in Carolina, scoring all four of their goals in a 5-4 defeat during the second period. It's the first time that they have scored four goals in any home period, since scoring four times against St. Louis in the 2008-09 home opener.
10. The Isles improve to 26-29-8 and remain on the fringes of the playoff race. They finished last season with a 26-47-9 record.
Up next: The Isles head to Atlanta on Thursday night to face the Thrashers for the final time this season. The Isles have dominated the season series, winning all three games (one by shoot-out). The Isles will be looking for a fifth straight win against the Thrashers, which would match the longest stretch in club history (five straight wins from March 2, 2002 to January 19, 2003). The Isles are also looking for their third straight win in Atlanta, which they have never done against the Thrashers. The Isles' only three-game win streak in Atlanta came in the 1976-77 season, when the Isles swept the three games played at the Omni.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
No comments:
Post a Comment