Shootout: Nova Scotia vs. Nova Scotia

Sidney, it seems, can be stopped. So can Malkin. All you need is a little "Joe-mentum"!

(I apologize for that last joke. It was for my wife and webmistress of nyiforlife.com, who will think it is hilarious.)

President's Day seems like a great day for hockey. Don't all of them? Every day is a great day for hockey. Badger Bob said it first and I've now said it second.

In case you missed it, the Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Crosbies 3-2 in the shootout yesterday. Joey MacDonald was back between the pipes for shaky angle guy Yann Danis and McDonald put together a heck of a performance holding the fort for his first win of 2009.

The kids were back in focus in a big way yesterday. Coach Scott Gordon sent Frans Nielsen; the Witness-Protected Jeff Tambellini, and Kyle Okposo out for the shootout. Frans scored and so did Tambellini--with a wrister we sure as hell would like to see more of--and Kyle did not. One of these days he is going to get one with that backhand drag he always tries. Looks great, Kyle, but we're gonna need to pot one to make us love it.

The Isles were paced by a speedy Sean Bergenheim, who played the game like he had something to prove to Scott Gordon, and Frans Nielsen. Bruno Gervais also chipped in with some strong defensive play that Howie Rose called Bruno's best game of the season.

Bergenheim has been quoted as saying that he thinks he deserves more ice time and more chances on the power play. Critics would point to the lapses of his defensive game and the uninterested shifts he plays now and again. And while he always seems to have a power stride to the net, Bergenheim has shown to have hands of stone. He generally plays stubborn, which is good, but his finishing doesn't seem to be there.

Gervais is another case. Bruno is supposed to--according to his junior scoring, etc--have a offensive flair but perhaps his over-compensating for his defensive responsibilities has taken the offense right out of his game. He shows flashes but needs more confidence like we saw yesterday.

Okposo continues to impress. In overtime, Okposo has left in a one-on-one situation with Sid the Kid and our kid forced Crosby wide of Joey Mac before taking the puck away from him and starting a last-second dash toward Marc Andre Fleury. A thing of beauty, that was. Billy and Howie even had it as the play of the game.

Tomorrow the Islanders are taking the train to MSG to play the sliding Rangers. If you think that guy outside the Garden looks like the Rangers' coach, that just may be Tom Renney out front with a Will Work For Food sign.