| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- John Vanbiesbrouck managed to see
everything the New Jersey Devils sent at him. He nearly stopped it
all, too.
Vanbiesbrouck turned aside 45 shots as the Islanders earned a
1-1 tie against the Devils on Sunday. His effort came just two days
after he stopped 26 New Jersey shots in a 0-0 tie Friday night.
"When you see the pucks through traffic, that's when you know
you're at your best," Vanbiesbrouck said. "You've just got to put
your surviving gear on against the best.
"It's pretty evident that if you play the Devils -- the
defending Stanley Cup champions -- and you don't have your best,
they're going to hand it to you."
The Devils, winners of six straight games before the consecutive
ties, sent 72 shots over 130 minutes of play toward Vanbiesbrouck.
But only Sergei Brylin's shot with 7:26 left in regulation got
through.
"You should beat any team when you get 46 shots on net,"
Devils forward Alexander Mogilny said. "He just came up with some
timely saves."
The Devils outplayed and outshot the Islanders 10-1 in the first
14 minutes, but Vanbiesbrouck kept New Jersey scoreless. He was
tested early, and flicked out his right pad to kick away Sergei
Nemchinov's wrist shot 58 seconds in.
Vanbiesbrouck also stopped Jay Pandolfo four times in the
period, including back-to-back point-blank chances, and denied
eight attempts on a pair of Devils power plays.
"We came back with a vengeance," New Jersey coach Larry
Robinson said. "I think we did a good job."
Mariusz Czerkawski put the Islanders up 1-0 at 14:11 of the
middle period when he beat Martin Brodeur with a wrist shot. The
puck hit the left post and got behind Brodeur.
"When he was skating it up, I saw the puck was moving,"
Brodeur said. "The puck hit flat on the post and it could have
gone in any direction, but it went their way. He made a good
shot."
New Jersey continued to press Vanbiesbrouck, who again robbed
Nemchinov with a right pad save at 17:16.
The Devils finally tied it when Scott Stevens centered the puck
from the right corner. Vanbiesbrouck put his skate on the puck and
fell, and before he could glove it, Brylin swooped in and poked the
puck under the goalie.
"It's not often I step on a puck," Vanbiesbrouck said. "I
guess it just stuck on my heel and I slipped. And if I fall
forward, the puck is underneath me."
New Jersey outshot the Islanders 4-2 in overtime, and 46-23 for
the game, but the Islanders almost won in the extra session when
they broke in on a 3-on-1 rush. Brad Isbister carried down the left
side and centered to Zdeno Chara. Chara missed the puck, but it
deflected off defenseman Devils defenseman Brian Rafalski and
barely missed going in.
The Devils were not as happy with the tie as the Islanders
were.
"At least we gained two points," Brodeur said. "We missed an
opportunity to pick up points, but we can't really be disappointed
in the way we played."
Islanders coach Butch Goring had reason to enjoy it.
"You certainly saw the Stanley Cup champions," Goring said.
"They looked like they were on a mission. When you give up one
goal in six periods of hockey against New Jersey, it's as good as
you can get."
Game notes
With Friday's tie, Vanbiesbrouck has registered at least
one shutout in 12 straight seasons, the second-longest active
streak in the NHL. Colorado's Patrick Roy has at least one shutout
in 16 consecutive seasons. ... New Jersey started November with a
tie and six losses, but finished it with six straight victories.
... The game marked Rafalski's 100th in the NHL.
| |
ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
New Jersey Clubhouse
NY Islanders Clubhouse
RECAPS
New Jersey 1
NY Islanders 1
Ottawa 2
Carolina 0
Colorado 6
NY Rangers 3
Anaheim 4
Los Angeles 0
Chicago 5
Columbus 0
San Jose 3
Edmonton 3
|
