Roloson steals one for Islanders

Posted By LANCE HORNBY, SUN MEDIA;

Posted 2 months ago

ISLANDERS 4, LEAFS 3 (OT)

The Maple Leafs were worried about 19-year-old first round pick John Tavares causing them the most grief last night -- not 40-year-old Rolly the Goalie.

But New York Islanders' Dwayne Roloson made 58 saves to deny a three-goal Toronto rally and its first back-to-back home wins in almost a year. Josh Bailey popped a rebound past relief goalie Jonas Gustavsson with 42.2 seconds remaining in overtime to make it 4-3 on just the Isles' 21st shot.

Jeff Tambellini scored the game's first goal on a breakaway that started with a big rebound out of the Isles' zone. Matt Moulson tipped a point shot to make it 2-0 and Sean Bergenheim put a third goal past Vesa Toskala.

Toskala looked so shaken after the third goal that Ron Wilson turned to Gustavsson before the period ended.

The Leafs finally beat Roloson when Matt Stajan fed a quick relay to Phil Kessel for his ninth point in 10 games.

Toronto took that momentum into the third period, with Wayne Primeau getting to one of the rebounds Roloson was offering up for his second of the year. Niklas Hagman bagged his team-leading ninth with a great rush around Freddy Meyer and a neat deke of Roloson.

OTTAWA 4, WASHINGTON 3 (OT)

You never know what little play is going to do it.

Sometimes it winds up being nothing.

Then there's last night.

Early in the third period of what turned out to be a stunning come-from-behind 4-3 overtime win over the Washington Capitals, the Senators were down by a couple and looking like it wasn't going to be their night.

But a nice little play at the Washington blue-line by Senators defenceman Filip Kuba got the Senators back in the game. Kuba dipped to a knee and cupped his hands together to keep a puck in the Caps' zone. He then fired it at the net where winger Chris Neil tipped it by Semyon Varlamov to cut the Caps' lead in half at 3:18 of the third.

Ottawa got some life and tied it on the power play the way they've been scoring a lot of goals lately: with winger Milan Michalek in front of the net providing a screen.

This time it was a shot by Alexandre Picard that found the back of the net through the screen.

Mike Fisher got the winner at 1:14 of overtime after a great play by defenceman Chris Phillips against Caps superstar Alex Ovechkin, taking the puck away from him and starting the winning rush up ice.

Kuba picked up an assist on that goal, too, giving him a goal and six assists in his last two games.

It started out like a good night. The Senators scored first and it was the new fourth line that got the job done, as Peter Regin, going to the net, executed a beautiful deflection to put the puck behind Varlamov.

The Caps got that one back on a goal by Chris Clark. Some shoddy work in their own zone by the Senators led to the Caps' taking the lead with 30 seconds left in the first period as Washington defenceman Mike

Green found Brendan Morrison the edge of the crease and he had an easy redirect.

The Caps made it 3-1 on the only goal of the second period as Senators forward Jonathan Cheechoo turned the puck over in the slot and Caps' rookie Jay Beagle scored his first NHL goal.