Sports of Boston » Kyle Okposo

Ice Breakers: Bruins-Islanders, Thursday December 9th

Brian Kintz — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 00:00:39 +0000

The Bruins (15-8-3) continue their homestand at TD Garden this evening, hosting the worst team in the NHL, the New York Islanders (5-15-5).

Things don’t get much worse for the Islanders and their fans, if they have any fans left. The team started with a surprising 4-1-2 mark after their first seven games, actually showing some promise and potential to kick off the season. Since then, New York has won just once in their last 18 games, a dismal 1-14-3 stretch. Their epic slump cost head coach Scott Gordon his job, but really, he had to be somewhat relieved to get out of that mess. Since Gordon’s departure, interim coach Jack Capuano has guided the Isles to a 1-5-2 record… nothing to write home about, obviously.

On the other side of the ice tonight, Boston looks to gain some ground on the division-leading Montreal Canadiens. Montreal has a five-point advantage over the B’s for the Northeast Division’s top spot. The Bruins have managed to take at least a point from every game this month, a 3-0-1 stretch that includes their 3-2 overtime win Tuesday over the Buffalo Sabres. Just over two minutes into the extra time, Mark Recchi tipped a Dennis Seidenberg shot past Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller, but referees did not rule it a goal at the time. After a lengthy review once play stopped, the call was correctly overturned, giving the B’s the victory.

This one has all the makings of a “gimme game” for the Black & Gold, but you know what that means… they’ll probably find a way to either blow it, or keep fans on the edge of their seats in a nail-biter. Either way, let’s get you ready for tonight’s Garden party with some pre-game notes…

The news was not good regarding defenseman Mark Stuart. Stuart, who skating but a few shifts in the first period Tuesday before exiting to the dressing room, was diagnosed with a broken right ring finger after the game. The injury, said Stuart, actually occurred last Thursday in a game against Tampa Bay. Since then, he’s experienced discomfort with the finger, but he said Tuesday, the finger just gave way early on in the contest. The injury will likely cost Stuart 4-6 weeks of action.
In place of Mark Stuart, youngster Steve Kampfer will make his NHL debut tonight for the B’s. Kampfer, who came to the Bruins from Anaheim back in March, in exchange for a 4th round pick, is an undersized puck-moving defenseman, a lot like former Bruin Matt Hunwick. In fact, Hunwick and Kampfer manned the blue line together for one season as their college careers overlapped at the University of Michigan. Kampfer was recalled yesterday from Providence, where had three goals and 13 assists through their first 20 games this season. Kampfer will wear uniform #47 for the big club.
Let’s also give a quick Marco Sturm update. Sturm is still with the Bruins, skating and practicing with the team as a spare part right now. The German-born winger says he’s about 10-14 days away from returning to game action, but at this point, no one is thinking that his return will be made in a Bruins uniform. Sturm was rumored to be heading to the Kings at this time last week, and that may still happen. The Kings are looking to add some offense at the wing position, and haven’t done so yet, leaving the door open to revisit a deal with Boston for Sturm. Until then however, Sturm is left in limbo, waiting to hear his fate, while trying to focus on getting healthy again.
The wingers on Boston’s top line have hit a hot streak lately, as both Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton continue to go back and forth, battling for the team’s top spot in points. Lucic currently sits at the top of the team’s stat sheet, with 13 goals and ten assists on the year, compared to Horton’s 10 goals and 12 assists. Lucic has three goals and two assists in his last five games, while Horton has a pair of goals and a pair of assists in his last two contests.
A little more about Lucic’s fast start… Tuesday, Milan lit the lamp for the 13th time this season. That puts him just four goals away from matching his previous career-high mark of 17, set two seasons ago for the B’s. Needless to say, there’s little doubt he’ll blow that mark out of the water this year.
Ok, enough about our favorite team… let’s shift our sights to the Islanders, the league’s joke of a hockey team. The Isles are coming off a 3-2 loss to the Flyers this past Sunday, in a game that saw them blow a 2-1 third period lead. With four more scoreless power play opportunities in that game, the Islanders are now a dreadful 0-for-36 on the man-advantage in their last 11 games.
New York’s scoring is led by defenseman James Wisniewski (2G, 13A). Behind him are four guys, all tied with 14 points a piece.
In goal, veteran Dwayne Roloson (2-11-1, 2.50GAA) shoulders the brunt of the workload for the Islanders, while highly overpaid Rick Dipietro (3-4-4, 3.76GAA) contributes to the team’s lack of success every once in a while.
New York has a boat load of injury issues, starting with forwards Kyle Okposo (shoulder) and Trent Hunter (torn MCL), both on injured reserve. Also on IR right now are a trio of blue liners; Mark Streit (shoulder), Mike Mottau (eye), and former Bruin, Milan Jurcina (hamstring). Veteran forward Doug Weight (back spasms) and defenseman Bruno Gervais (broken cheekbone) are listed as day-to-day.

Ice Breakers: Bruins-Islanders, Saturday 3-6

Brian Kintz — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:13:50 +0000

Winners of five or their last six, the Bruins (28-23-11) take their show on the road for seven straight games, beginning with this afternoon’s game on Long Island to face the slumping New York Islanders. The seven-game roadie marks the longest road trip since the ’03-’04 season for the B’s.

Boston is coming off a 3-2 shootout win Thursday over Toronto that marked their first win at the Garden in 2010. The Bruins hadn’t won on Causeway St. since late December. Tim Thomas, in his first start in over a month, led the way with 24 saves in the game, followed by three key saves in the shootout to seal the deal. Miroslav Satan powered the offense, with a goal and an assist in regulation, followed by the only goal in the shootout.

The Islanders’ ship has sunk as of late, losing 10 of their last 13 to sink into a tie for 12th in the East with Florida. They’re coming off a tough 6-3 loss to Atlanta on Thursday, where the Thrashers opened the game with four first period goals, knocking starter Dwayne Roloson out of the game early.

So now, let’s get this show on the road and hit you with some game notes, leading into the Saturday matinee on the Island…

New York has taken two of the three previous meetings this season against Boston, including their last meeting, a 3-2 overtime win back on 12/12. Today will be the fourth and final meeting of the year.
Just when the B’s finally looked like they were getting healthy again, a trio of players have hit the shelf with injuries. Tuukka Rask, who missed Thursday’s game in favor of Thomas, is listed as day-to-day with a knee injury. To back up Thomas this weekend, the Bruins recalled goalie Dany Sabourin from Providence. Also out on Thursday was defenseman Andrew Ference and center Patrice Bergeron, both bothered with groin injuries. Both are also listed as day-to-day and could return this weekend.
Speaking of Bergeron, his 37 points lead the Bruins’ offense. Those 37 points are the lowest total of any team leader in the league.
For New York, their walking wounded include defenseman Andy MacDonald, who broke his foot on Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the season. Also out for the Islanders is forward Trent Hunter (upper body injury) and oft-injured goaltender Rick DiPietro (knee).
The Islanders are led on the stat sheet by three wingers, Kyle Okposo (13G, 27A), Matt Moulson (22G, 16A), and John Tavares (17G, 18A).
In goal, the veteran pair of Dwayne Roloson (20-13-6, 2.93GAA) and Martin Biron (4-12-2, 3.26GAA) man the net for New York.
Not a lot of offense is expected at Nassau Colisseum this afternoon. Boston ranks dead last in the NHL at 2.32 goals per game, while the Islanders aren’t much better at 2.50, good for 27th in the league.

Ice Breakers: Bruins-Islanders, Monday 11-16

Brian Kintz — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:20:54 +0000

The Bruins will look to avoid a three-game losing streak Monday night when they host high-flying rookie phenom John Tavares and the New York Islanders at the Garden this evening.

It surely has been a while, but the Bruins are actually looking UP at the Islanders in the Eastern Conference standings. Entering play, New York (7-6-7, 21 points) has a one-point advantage over Boston (8-7-4, 20 points). Most preseason prognosticators had the Island-dwellers as cellar-dwellers this season.

Let’s look closer at the matchup, a game that will hopefully bring some winning ways back to Beantown, after what was a brutal weekend for our three active local sports teams.

This will be the 2nd meeting of these two squads on the year. In Boston’s 4th game of the year, the Bruins erased a three-goal deficit with just 7 minutes remaining, to send the game to extra time. The B’s eventually cemented the come-from-behind win in the shootout, 4-3.
Boston hasn’t lost in regulation to the Islanders in their last 7 meetings, going 6-0-1 against them since the ’06-’07 season.
The Bruins have taken at least one point in their last 5 home games, going 3-0-2 in that span.
For New York, this marks the 4th game on a season-long seven-game road trip. They have been able to take points in their previous 3 games on the trip thus far, going 1-0-2 heading into the game. In their most recent game, the Isles fought back from a late 4-2 deficit to take the game to overtime in Florida against the Panthers, a game they eventually lost 5-4 in the shootout.
The Islanders are led by early Rookie of the Year favorite John Tavares, whose 8 goals and 10 assists both lead the team. Tavares has 7 points in his last 4 games, and 3 goals in his last 2. Following Tavares on the stat sheet is young wingers Matt Moulson (8G, 8A), Kyle Okposo (5G, 8A), and defenseman Mark Streit (4G, 7A).
New York will be without their captain, veteran center Doug Weight, for the next 4-6 weeks, while he nurses an undisclosed upper body injury. Also sidelined for the Islanders is defenseman Radek Martinek, whose torn ACL will sideline him for the rest of the season.
All early indications point to a goalie matchup of Tuukka Rask (3-1-1, 2.33GAA) facing New York’s Martin Biron (2-5-2, 2.83GAA).
Former Providence Bruin center Nate Thompson has been featured in 16 games for the Islanders thus far this year. Thompson, a 6th-round pick of the Bruins in the 2003 draft, spent four seasons with the Baby B’s, from ’05-’08. He appeared in 4 games for the big club in the ’06-’07 season as well. Thompson has 4 assists on the season with New York.

Ice Breakers: Bruins-Islanders, Saturday 10-10

Brian Kintz — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:11:34 +0000

Another ugly performance from the Bruins on Thursday kept the yo-yo start of Boston’s season going, as the 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Ducks made fans quickly forget the B’s drubbing of the ‘Canes the game before. At 1-2 now with two games left on this five-game season opening homestand, the Bruins hope to take two points out of each of these next two very winnable games, starting with Saturday’s match-up against last season’s worst team, the New York Islanders, followed by a Columbus Day matinee on Monday, hosting the Avalanche.

Let’s take a closer look at the match-up with New York…

The Islanders are still hungry for their first win of this young season. So far, the Isles have taken a point from each of their first two games, a shootout loss to Pittsburgh and a 3-2 OT loss to Ottawa on Thursday evening.
Last season, New York finished dead last in the league, posting a dreadful 26-47-9 record. Head-to-head last year, the B’s were 4-0, outscoring New York 17-6 in the four games. Boston has won six straight over the Isles overall.
The Islanders had zero 20-goal scorers last year, while Boston led the league with seven different 20-goal scorers. New York was led by right winger Kyle Okposo (18 goals, 21 assists), defenseman Mark Streit (16 goals, 40 assists), and new captain, veteran centerman Doug Weight (10 goals, 28 assists).
By finishing last in ’08-’09, GM Garth Snow was able to draft 19-year-old centerman John Tavares first overall in the offseason draft. Tavares has led the way so far this year with a goal and two assists in New York’s two opening games.
In goal, a trio of veteran netminders are on patrol for the Islanders. Injured Boston University grad Rick DiPietro, #1 overall pick in 2000, will not join the team until later this year. Until then, 39-year-old Dwayne Roloson (28-24-9, 2.77 GAA with Edmonton last season) and Martin Biron (29-19-5, 2.76 GAA with Philadelphia last season) will fill the void. My guess, based on past success, is that the Bruins will see Biron in net tonight, as Biron has posted a 5-1-1 record vs. Boston with a 2.39 GAA in his last 8 games.
Beyond DiPietro, the only other local flair featured by the Islanders is behind their bench in second-year head coach Scott Gordon. Gordon, a native of Easton, MA, made a name for himself at Boston College from 1982 to 1986, where he played goalie for the Eagles. Gordon went on to coach in the minor leagues, highlighted by five seasons as head coach of the Providence Bruins.
On the good guys’ side, Marc Savard will look to continue his success against the Isles. Savard has scored a point (5 goals, 13 assists total) in all 12 games he has played against New York while being a Bruin.
David Krejci, fresh off a big offseason contract extension, has yet to make the score sheet in three games this season. Last year, he was an NHL-leading +37. This season, he’s at a disappointing -3.
Boston hopes to fill the scoring void left by Phil Kessel this season. Kessel had perhaps his greatest amount of success last year against the Islanders, posting up five goals and three assists in his three games against New York.