Streaking Islanders to visit Calgary
New York Islanders center P.A. Parenteau celebrates his overtime against the Detroit Red Wings. (Dec. 31, 2010) Credit: AP
After a stirring 4-3 overtime win over the Red Wings on Friday night to start a five-game road trip, the Islanders head into a game at Calgary Monday against a team nearly as downtrodden as themselves, but also one that lately has found a winning way.
Like the Islanders, the Flames are near the bottom of their conference. Like the Islanders, a key member of management has left. The Islanders fired coach Scott Gordon. The Flames asked general manager Darryl Sutter to step down, and he did. His brother Brent, who played for the Islanders, remains the coach and his team was on a three-game winning streak heading into last night's game against the Oilers.
The Islanders, who earned a shootout victory over the Penguins on Wednesday night, have beaten the two best teams in the league back-to-back.
Against the Red Wings, they got the sort of goal they couldn't buy during the 14-game losing streak that has put them woefully out of playoff contention as the season approaches the halfway mark.
Matt Moulson got credit for the Islanders' first goal after the Red Wings' Nicklas Lidstrom batted a puck out of the air into his own net. And Zenon Konopka was instrumental in winning 13 of 20 faceoffs.
"Zenon did a good job winning the faceoffs and we got pucks to the net with net presence," coach Jack Capuano said. "We got, not lucky, but fortunate that they went in."
The Islanders also got a second straight superb goaltending effort, this one from 41-year-old Dwayne Roloson, who made 38 saves. Rick DiPietro made 37 saves against Pittsburgh in a game in which the Isles ended Sidney Crosby's scoring streak at 25 games.
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