Isles 0 – Bruins 0
This was The Late Late Show.
The Islanders had to wait nearly 90 extra minutes to start last night’s game because of ice problems, then needed to go an extra five minutes in overtime – but finally emerged from a quirky night at the Coliseum with a much-needed point after their scoreless tie against the Bruins.
The game, scheduled to start just after 7 p.m., didn’t begin until nearly 8:30, and ended just before 11.
Islander goalie Rick DiPietro made 28 saves for his third shutout of the season. Felix Potvin made 33 saves in the Boston net.
According to Scott Mullen, the Coliseum’s GM, a loose Zamboni blade was to blame for delaying the start.
In the final cutting of the ice at 6 p.m., an awkwardly hanging blade cut a divot in the crease area of the north goal, which the Islanders defend in the first and third periods.
Essentially, the blade was deeper on one side, and when the machine made a sharp turn in front of the net, it took with it a considerable chunk of ice – about 1 foot by 2 feet wide, and nearly down to the concrete. It took nearly 90 minutes for a patch to freeze sufficiently.
DiPietro stumbled and fell several times in the first period as he maneuvered in the crease.
His skate seemed to find the trouble spot as he backtracked while anticipating a rush. The blade stopped and DiPietro stumbled back. He got up looking at the ice and the referee.
“It was definitely tough,” DiPietro said of the delay. “We kinda just sat around in our equipment.”
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Mark Parrish returned to action last night from a high left-ankle sprain that kept him out 23 games . . .
Isles dropped to eighth in the East, one point behind Montreal, which won last night. . . .
Eric Godard completed a two-week conditioning assignment.