Anders Nilsson leads New York Islanders to a victory against New Jersey Devils, 1-0 – NHL Recap
Anders Nilsson was charged up as he saved all the 24 shots aimed at his net to lead New York Islanders to a stunning victory against New Jersey Devils in a National Hockey League (NHL) game on Sunday, March 4, 2012, at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum,
Uniondale, New York.
Nilsson, who was playing just his second game for the team in the season, saved 12 shots in the final period when his team was leading by one goal.
Back in November when Nilsson played his first game, he gave away five goals to Pittsburgh Penguins, but this time he silenced the critics and singlehandedly led the team to the victory.
Islanders’ coach, Jack Capuano, said of Nilsson:
“He showed a lot of poise. The first game he played was Sidney Crosby's (first) night back in Pittsburgh and all the hype. But I thought tonight he really handled himself well. He was aggressive. He had good angles and he gave us a chance to win a game tonight."
Had it not been for Nilsson’s heroics, Islanders would have lost the game as the offence struggled badly.
No scoring move was made in the first and the last period and the only goal of the game was scored by Kyle Okposo early in the second period.
At 2:39, Okposo stole the puck from Devils’ defenseman, Anton Volchenkov, and fired a wrist shot from 18 feet to beat Devils’ goaltender, Martin Brodeur, who also saved 24 shots in the game.
The defeat has added to the dejection of Devils who are undergoing a bad patch. They have lost five out of their last six games, but are thankfully still in the comfort zone.
However, serious steps should be taken if the team needs to excel in the playoffs. Brodeur said after the game:
"You have to throw more pucks at a young guy. And we have to play harder because it will bite you in this league if you don't. We just didn't create much offence in front of that young goalie in the pipes."
Devils are ranked at sixth spot in the Eastern Conference with 77 points after 65 games and are going to play their next game against the conference leaders, New York Rangers on Tuesday.
For Islanders, it was a welcome victory that has certainly made the players think that they can also reach the postseason.
Islanders are currently ranked at 13th spot in the conference with 65 points after 66 games.
It was their second win in a row and if they are able to build on the momentum, they might find themselves in the comfort zone as they are just five points behind the eighth ranked Winnipeg Jets.
They will take a rest and once again face Devils on Thursday.
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