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BOX SCORE
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- Nothing comes easy for the New York
Islanders.
|  | | The Islanders' Mike Stapleton scores a first-period goal against Canadiens goalie Jose Theodore. |
After playing 58 solid minutes against the Montreal Canadiens on
Friday night, the Islanders had to hang on for a 2-1 victory.
"It got a little dicey at the end there," said New York goalie
John Vanbiesbrouck, who stopped 37 shots for his first win with the
Islanders.
The Islanders started with a lot of jump in the first period and
took 15 shots on Montreal goalie Jose Theodore, but with New York
struggling to score goals, only one got through.
Mike Stapleton got his first of the season as he banged home the
rebound of Roman Hamrlik's point shot at 12:29. It was the fourth
straight game in which Hamrlik had a point (three goals, three
assists).
Montreal, which had only four shots on Vanbiesbrouck in the
first period (two in the last minute), opened fire in the second
period with 20 shots. Vanbiesbrouck stopped them all, and the
Islanders scored again for a 2-0 lead when Mark Parrish one-timed a
beautiful pass from Tim Connolly at 8:44.
"Timmy's got some incredible hands," Parrish said. "I better
start expecting passes like that every game."
Montreal continued to press in the third period, and finally
capitalized one second after their sixth and final power play
expired. Martin Rucinsky, down low in the right circle, spun around
and fired a wrist shot that bounced off the joint where the
crossbar and left post meet and went behind Vanbiesbrouck.
The Canadiens pulled Theodore (30 saves) after the ensuing
faceoff, and pressed for the tie. Brian Savage had a golden
opportunity to score as he got the puck low by the right crease and
had a prime chance with 20 seconds left, but Vanbiesbrouck slid
over and got his pad on Savage's shot to preserve the win.
"I had a wide-open net," Savage said. "I should have gone
upstairs with the puck, but I had to rush the shot. Vanbiesbrouck
just kicked his leg out -- it was a game-saver."
Vanbiesbrouck said that he just didn't want to hold his ground
as long as possible.
"I just thought of boxing out and not leaving the post too
early," Vanbiesbrouck said. "Sometimes, it's just reaction."
New York coach Butch Goring reacted with enthusiasm about his
goalie's effort.
"That was his best effort for us by a mile," Goring said.
"You can see that he kept on his feet tonight."
New York won at home for the first time in three tries, while
Montreal is winless in five road games (0-4-1-0). Savage thinks
that slow starts are the problem.
"We're not starting well on the road," Savage said. "We seem
to make a lot of mental mistakes early, and it costs us. Then, we
have to play catch-up."
New York is on a three-game unbeaten streak (2-0-1), and captain
Kenny Jonsson said that this roll is helping team confidence.
"We're definitely more confident in learning how to win,"
Jonsson said, "but we had to make it interesting at the end."
Game notes
Rookie forward Taylor Pyatt drew his first NHL point with
an assist on Stapleton's goal. ... Islanders D Garry Galley played
his 1,100th NHL game. ... In the first period, Montreal took two
shots in the final minute. They took just two others in the
previous 19 minutes. ... A crowd of 11,261 attended the game.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Montreal Clubhouse
NY Islanders Clubhouse
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Buffalo 2
Toronto 1
New Jersey 3
Carolina 3
Columbus 3
Washington 1
NY Islanders 2
Montreal 1
Ottawa 6
Tampa Bay 0
Minnesota 3
Calgary 1
Florida 3
Nashville 3
Pittsburgh 4
NY Rangers 1
Phoenix 4
Dallas 2
Atlanta 1
Vancouver 1
Anaheim 3
Edmonton 2
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Mark Parrish puts the shot past Jose Theodore.
avi: 842 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
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