Isles Stay Hot During A Blizzard

The Islanders played a game on Sunday (12/26) night in front of a crowd at about 19% of full capacity. I was scheduled to be there, but it would have taken either a hefty paycheck or a complete loss of sanity on my part to get me out into the blizzard conditions on Long Island. The Islanders, who wished to postpone the tilt, petitioned the league for a cancellation but were rebuffed.

Silly (some might say stupid or even reckless) league directives aside, the Islanders and Montreal played in front of a crowd of 3,136 hearty souls, most of them Canadiens fans.

We New York fans appreciate our Canadian visitors spending their money at our rink, but they left disappointed. The Islanders toppled the Northeast Division leaders by a 4-1 score behind strong games from Dwayne Roloson, P.A. Parenteau, and Frans Nielsen. Blake Comeau opened the game's scoring with his eighth tally of the year, and Michael Grabner matched Comeau's total with a nifty second period goal. The Islanders led 2-0 after two periods.

In the third period the Islanders solidified their win with an event that hasn't happened since Opening Night: a two power play goal period. Parenteau and James Wisniewski were the scorers and Roloson was the willing benefactor. He stopped 38 Montreal shots (of 39) to earn the win and first star of the game.

The win puts the Islanders on a five game point streak, as they've taken nine of a possible ten points over than span. While still well out of playoff contention, the uptick in effort and results is appreciated by their loyal fanbase.

News and Notes:
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- Due to the weather, any fan that had a ticket to the 12/26 game can exchange their ticket to any future Islanders home game. Complete information via the team website can be found here.

- Forward John Tavares notched his 20th point of the season in this game.

- While there is no date for his return, it seems early to mid-January is a realistic timetable for Kyle Okposo's return to NHL action.

- The Isles take on the New York Rangers in a snowy New York City on Monday (12/27) night.