New York Islanders: Three Straight Wins, Three Days Off

Joey MacDonald matched Roberto Luongo save for save Monday night at the Coliseum. He then clinched a shootout win for the Islanders by poking the puck off the stick of Alex Burrows on the Canucks' final shot, giving the Islanders—well, lookee here—a three-game winning streak. Howie Rose and, in particular, Billy Jaffe took great pleasure in pointing out what a shocking upset this was to the Vancouver media. But, after sweeping the Senators—a team that has absolutely killed the Isles over the years—in a home-and-home stint, the Islanders are looking pretty frisky. You had to love the grin on Franz Nielsen's face after he schooled Roberto Luongo with a forehand-to-backhand move on the Islanders' first shootout attempt. Nodding his head emphatically as he skated past the Vancouver bench, Neilsen later said, "He's a big guy, and you don't see a lot of net," Nielsen said. "You have to try to get him down and get [the puck] up." MacDonald is making fans forget about Rick ... (link)