Islanders coach Jack Capuano didn’t exactly shock anyone with his decision for which goalie to go with for Wednesday night’s 2-1 Stadium Series loss to the Rangers outdoors at Yankee Stadium.
Evgeni Nabokov got his first start for the Isles since Jan. 6, when he went down with a quadriceps injury in the first period of a game against the Stars at the Coliseum. The 38-year-old netminder was a settling presence for the Isles, making 32 saves, including 14 in the second period when the Rangers mounted a charge.
“We had full confidence that he was healthy, he was a hundred percent,” Capuano said.
Nabokov had missed 10 straight games before backing up in Monday’s 6-3 loss to the Bruins, a game when he came in for the final 11:44 in relief of a beleaguered Kevin Poulin and made one save.
“He made a couple big saves when he was called upon,” Capuano said. “So [he] felt good after the game and that was a positive sign for us.”
The game-winner came 4:36 into the third period, when Nabokov gave up a big rebound and Dan Carcillo banged it home. Yet the one he gave up to Benoit Pouliot late in the second, just 40 seconds after Brock Nelson had given the Islanders a 1-0 lead, was the one that hurt the most.
“Letting in a goal right after we scored, that’s usually going to affect you,” Nabokov said. “Unfortunately it did.”
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance, even taking the subway unbothered up to the game. Of course, he thought the two games were a smashing success, and thanked everyone, including the two owners.
“I want to thank the Rangers and Jim Dolan — the Rangers obviously like playing outdoors here,” his statement read. “I also want to thank the Islanders and Charles Wang.
“When you think about the fact that we’ve played three outdoor games in five days to over 150,000 people, then throw in the Winter Classic and another 100,000 people, it’s been an incredible month of special events.”
Rangers legend Mark Messier chimed in the status of his former club while on Radio Row for the Super Bowl on Wednesday afternoon.
“They’re playing awesome,” said Messier, now a consultant for the Oilers. “I expect them to have a great second half. They’re going to be in the conversation at the end of the season. They’re playing great hockey, exciting hockey. I love the speed they’re playing with, the creativity they’re playing with, the puck control. The have a well balanced team.”
Messier also was passed over for the Blueshirts’ coaching vacancy this offseason in favor of Alain Vigneault, for whom he only had good things to say.
“Incredible,” he said about the job Vigneault has done. “You can’t deny the fact they’re playing a good brand of hockey right now, and he’s come into a situation, new team and all of that.”
After getting sent down and recalled in the same 24-hour period, rookie defenseman Matt Donovan reentered the Islanders lineup in favor of Matt Carkner. Donovan was sent down once Lubomir Visnovsky was activated on Monday morning, and then recalled Tuesday morning when Travis Hamonic suffered a setback in the recovery from his concussion.
This was Donovan’s third stint with the big club.