MAGIC RICK
The Islanders have learned they don’t have the firepower of teams like Buffalo and Ottawa, so they need to find other ways to win. Last night was a good example of what they want to do.
Focusing more on defense than they typically have much of the year, the Isles shut down Philadelphia and inched closer to the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with a 2-0 win at the Nassau Coliseum.
Rick DiPietro notched his fifth shutout of the season and drew accolades from his coach and teammates.
“I see him maturing on a daily basis,” Ted Nolan said after DiPietro stopped 27 shots. “He’s really leading this team.”
Just as important, however, was the play of those in front of DiPietro. They limited the number of quality shots he had to face. The return of defensemen Tom Poti and Bruno Gervais proved invaluable.
Poti, who had missed four straight, quickly set up Viktor Kozlov for the game’s first goal, at 8:13 of the first period. Poti passed up a shot of his own to get it to Kozlov, who netted his 19th of the season.
Kozlov continues to play well in Alexei Yashin’s absence, as Yashin continues to miss time with an ailing knee.
Miroslav Satan scored his 18th early in the second, scoring off his own rebound by reaching back and slipping the puck past Antero Nittymaki.
DiPietro and the defense did the rest, as the Isles scored a point for the eighth straight game, going 5-0-3 in that span. They haven’t lost in regulation since Jan. 16.
Last night’s win brought them to within two points of idle Carolina for the last playoff spot and one point behind ninth-place Toronto.
“We just have to take care of our own business,” said Nolan, whose team did that, unlike its last showing at home, when the Isles coughed up a 3-0, third-period lead to Detroit and fell 4-3 in OT.
Their work continues tonight when the Isles visit the Devils.
“We’ve figured out over time that we can’t be a run-and-gun team,” Sean Hill said. “Other teams might have more offensive skill, so we have to play better team defense.”
It helps when DiPietro makes saves like the one he did in the second, when he slid from one side of the net to the other in an instant to rob R.J. Umberger after Jeff Carter’s pass.
“He’s amazing,” Poti said. “He means everything to us. He’s the reason we win, he’s the reason we lose.”
