Grabner finally capitalizes on breakaway
Michael Grabner #40 of the New York Islanders looks at his shorthanded goal against Martin Brodeur #30 of the New Jersey Devils. (Nov. 26, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
NEWARK -- Michael Grabner may be in need of a breakaway coach. Or some meditation, something to clear his head when he's in alone on a goaltender, which happened six times in the home-and-home with the Devils.
He did score the winner Saturday, a shorthanded goal that snapped a 2-2 tie 5:51 into the third on a quick wrist shot that beat Martin Brodeur. But he had three other breakaways Saturday and two, including a penalty shot, on Friday. Grabner has the skill and speed to do most anything except convert most of his breakaways.
"I come into a game thinking about what am I going to do on a breakaway and then, when I get one, I don't do that," Grabner said. "I have to try something different."
The difference on his goal was a quick release. He gave away his intentions too early on his third-period penalty shot against Johan Hedberg on Friday and didn't even get off a shot on his first breakaway Saturday, as Mark Fayne stick-checked him from behind.
"If you go back a few games, the chances this guy's had, it's amazing how he gets what he gets with his speed," coach Jack Capuano said. "Hopefully with this one, it starts coming."
Nino scratched again
Rookie Nino Niederreiter was a healthy scratch for the fourth straight game, prompting questions about whether the 19-year-old is best served by sitting out when he could be playing for his junior team, Portland of the WHL.
"Internal decisions," Capuano said about sitting Niederreiter again. GM Garth Snow reportedly said Friday that the team has no plans to send Niederreiter back to junior hockey.
Niederreiter went on his Twitter account during the game to write: "The answer for all those questions I got is pretty simple . . . I don't know."
The NHL issued Twitter guidelines to teams and players before the season, forbidding players to post anything three hours before a game, during a game or for an hour afterward. It's unclear whether those guidelines apply to scratched players, but the Islanders made their dissatisfaction clear to Niederreiter, who erased the post soon after he wrote it.
More Islanders
