Newark, NJ- A very undisciplined New Jersey Devils team allowed the New York Islanders eight power play attempts which helped propel the Islanders to a 4-2 victory Sunday morning.
Penalties started at the nine second mark of the opening period when Shane Doan starting the parade to the box with a high sticking infraction. No goals were scored during this two minutes but the stage had been set for the rest of the game.
The Devils would get their second power play of three on the game with just under nine minutes remaining in the first. Since it was back to back power plays for the Devils, the second PP unit started. On the ensuing face off, center Valtteri Filppula battled and won a draw against Craig Adams. Filppula was able to direct the puck back to the blueline, and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky. Visnovskys attempt at the net was blocked by Toni Lydman, but Martin Erat was able to pounce on the loose puck and send it home to give the Devils at 1-0 lead at the 11:11 mark. It was Erats third of the season.
The first period ended with six minor penalties called, split evenly between the teams. The second period was all Devils in regards to the minors (3).
After killing off another Doan wrong doing, David Clarkson was called for one of those cheap-after-lockout type hooks. Just eight seconds in the power play, the Islanders Chris Kunitz scored his second of the year on a wrist shot that got passed unexpecting John Grahame.
Entering the third period tied at one, the game continued to roll the Islanders way.
After killing off two more penalties to open the period, the Devils would forced to kill off a 6th consecutive minor, but this time without best penalty killer Boyd Gordon. Gordon was kicked out of the game (and SUSPENDED for four games) for defending his teammate. Mattias Ritola of the Islanders (6-4-1) was seen by Gordon slew-footing Mason Raymond behind New Yorks net. So Gordon did what a good teammate should do and jumped Ritola. Ritola recovered enough to even the fight, but Gordon was given the fighting major plus the instigator minor (plus the game misconduct and four games suspension).
With Gordon now in the showers, Ryan OReilly defeated Marcel Goc on a center ice face off. OReilly found Travis Hamonic along the right wing boards inside the Devils blueline. Hamonic sent a shot towards the net and Jamie Benn deflected home the power play goal at 12:13.
With the Devils (8-3-1) still mad about the call on Gordon, they lost the following center ice draw and Kunitz lazily skated into the Devils zone and wristed a shot pass an upset Grahame. That goal was just six seconds after Benns.
Thomas Holmstrom put the nail in the Devils coffin at 14:10 when he scored from Matt Hendricks and Paul Martin.
Feeling guilty at this point, the refs gave the Devils one last power play at 18:25. It took the Devils just six seconds to tally when Patrik Berglund continued his point-scoring streak to 11 games with his BRHL2 league-leading 9th goal and 17th point of the year. An assist for Doan raised his point total to 15 which is good for a tie for 2nd.
The Devils and Islanders renew their rivalry again two days, but this time the game will be played on the island.
SWAMP THINGS- 14,559 was the paid attendanceVisnovsky now has a 3-point lead in the defenseman scoring raceCam Ward spotted 23 of 25 Devils shots.
