Isles'comeback stunted in shootout loss to Panthers
Photo credit: AP | New York Islanders' Frans Nielsen (51) scores past Florida Panthers goalie Tomas Vokoun during the shootout. (November 14, 2009)
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Nov. 14: Panthers 5, Islanders 4
SUNRISE, Fla. - For the third straight game and for the 10th time this season, the Islanders earned at least one point in overtime last night.
But one point is not two. The Islanders were beaten in their second shootout in three games, falling to the Panthers, 5-4.
Nathan Horton scored the deciding goal in the fourth round to give the Panthers the 2-1 shootout edge. Frans Nielsen scored on a backhander in the first round for the Islanders and Steve Reinprecht evened it at 1-1 in the second round, but after misses by John Tavares and Kyle Okposo, Horton beat Dwayne Roloson. Then Tomas Vokoun came up with a big save against Sean Bergenheim for the win.
Although the Islanders didn't get the second point - as they had the night before, when Okposo delivered the winning goal in overtime - they came back from a 4-2 deficit in the third period to earn their fourth point out of six possible points at the start of a seven-game road trip.
"We have been good that way," Okposo said of the team's ability to respond when down. "We showed a lot of resiliency [Friday] night and we showed a lot of resiliency to come back tonight after being down 4-2."
Tavares and Okposo scored power-play goals in the third period to create a 4-4 tie at the end of regulation.
"To come back like that in the third period, especially with our power play - which means we were drawing penalties - that meant we were doing something right," coach Scott Gordon said.
But despite the comeback, the Islanders also have to reconcile the fact that they have given back leads in three straight games.
Despite the Islanders' dominant starts, too often there seems to be a footnote to their early surges.
Last night was no different. The Islanders relinquished a 2-0 first-period lead and allowed the Panthers to score four unanswered goals.
"It just seems like once we get a lead, we get a little lackadaisical," said Tavares, who finished with a goal and an assist. "When a team is down, especially at home, that's when we need to bear down."
The Islanders' stretch of strong starts continued as Tim Jackman scored 16 seconds after the opening face-off. Jackman, who turned 28 yesterday, was birthday-gifted a pretty tape-to-tape pass from Nate Thompson behind the net at 19:44.
Another perfectly placed pass, this one from Josh Bailey, set up the Islanders' second goal, as Trent Hunter roofed one against Vokoun at 4:29.
That lead vanished in the second period as the Panthers scored two goals in 31 seconds - first from Cory Stillman, then from Stephen Weiss - to tie the score at 10:58.
The Panthers took the lead with their third straight tally of the period at 19:33.
Michael Frolik extended the Panthers' lead to two goals in the third with a power-play goal at 3:03, but the Islanders refused to quit.
Tavares buried a rebound at 8:27 and Okposo tied the game at 13:14, receiving the puck after Tavares won a draw in the Islanders' offensive zone for a power-play goal.
Said Okposo, "It's good to get four out of six on the road here."
